When I was writing The Homemade Flour Cookbook, I stepped far outside my comfort zone. I had worked for a year at a bakery and for a solid part of that time, was the sole baker in their dedicated gluten-free kitchen. Thanks to this experience, I was no stranger to all of these flours. But...
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Sesame Green Beans with Quinoa and Eggs
Here it is, my last full on summer recipe. My kitchen is starting the transition to fall and thus, so is the site. One of the beautiful things about living in the California valley is that summer produce continues on for some time (we're still knee-deep in tomatoes). Yet, the weather is definitely feeling more...
Roasted Acorn Squash Salad with Pecan Vinaigrette
Fall is an amazing time for salads. The crisp airs makes for the best greens and once you have that, it's hard to go wrong with what you add into a salad. This acorn squash salad is quite possibly the best combination of all the fall flavors: roasted squash, warm grains, and a perfect pecan...
29 Vegan Recipes for Fall
I'm not vegan but one of the best realizations I've had over the years is that comfort food doesn't have to be heavy on the dairy. Sure, I love melted cheese or a cream sauce but there's so many ways to make a solid comfort meal while staying vegan. Some tips I've learned over the...
Pinto Bean Quesadilla with Spiced Zucchini
Quesadillas have had a recent uptick in our household thanks to a high-energy toddler. It's one of my go-to lunches when were hanging out at home primarily because I can put almost anything in a quesadilla and as long as there's a dip like salsa or hummus, my son will eat it. This pinto bean...
Spiced Zucchini | Component Cooking
Even though it's officially fall, my refrigerator still has quite a bit of summer produce- especially summer squash and zucchini. And so, I thought it was time to share one of my vegetable-based components: spiced zucchini. It's simple and is the perfect companion to grain bowls, quesadillas, and eggs. I typically roast vegetables but the...
Berbere Chickpeas and Chard
Post sponsored by Frontier Co-op. See below for more details. The first time I picked chard at the CSA, I was enamored with the beautiful color and the large, tender leaves. I had, up until that point, never encountered the greens. I researched, cooked, and fell in love with chard but over the years, I've...
Sweet Corn Couscous Salad with Arugula
After a few months of hot weather, it's just now beginning to feel like fall in the valley. Leaves are starting to drop and I just opened our windows for the first time. And yet, I'm still making summer recipes. Summer always feels a bit longer in California but I'm okay with that. I'm not...
Visit a Pear Farm (+ Farro Pear Salad with Ginger-Sesame Dressing)
Post sponsored by California Pear Advisory Board. See below for more details. One of the greatest disconnects in food today is that of where our food comes from. Sure, it's becoming more prominent to know your farmers thanks to CSAs and Farmers' markets but what about the produce you buy at your local grocery store?...
Herbed Cucumber Salad with Farro
More often than not during the summer months, I have a cucumber rolling around in the crisper drawer. I buy a couple every week to use with our simple dinner salads and occasionally for quick pickles. More often than I like to admit, I wait until the last minute to use them and that's when...
Zucchini Bake with Farro and Ricotta
Green Summer Salad with Herby Hemp Dressing
Late summer/early fall is my favorite time for salads. It really is the best of both seasons. You have the fresh summer produce like cucumbers and tomatoes but the weather is cool enough that the crisp, fall greens are able to grow. This time, into the end of October, is peak salad time. This particular...
Smoky Beans and Polenta
I grew up actively avoiding baked beans. They were almost always at any family get-together but I was an avid bean hater (which is funny given how much I love them now). While I still don't really eat baked beans, I love the idea behind them. Warm, smoky beans paired with salty bacon- it's hard...
Pecan Roasted Beet Dip with Sage
Post sponsored by The American Pecan Council. See below for more details. Over the years, beets have become my go-to item to take to picnics and potlucks. I realize that might sound surprising but my goal is to make something with beets that everyone loves (even people who don't get excited about beets). My first...
21 Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners
With kids starting back to school and life falling into a new normal, dinners often rushed (or on the road). I grew up in a family where both my parents worked until 5 and I often had after school activities. Dinners were never our strong area. Now that I have a child of my own,...
Spiced Summer Squash Salad with Chickpeas
In the summer months, summer squash plays second fiddle to their zucchini cousin. It's zucchini this and zucchini that but in reality, summer squash is just as good (and versatile in cooking!) One of my favorite summer recipes is this squash soup but the pesto bruschetta is a close second. This spiced squash salad is...
Herbed Zucchini Summer Rolls
I love cooked zucchini when done well. Grill it, roast it, or sauté it- there's so many options. However, I often forget how great zucchini is raw, especially with herbs in a fresh summer recipe. These zucchini summer rolls really show this well. The zucchini is left in strips that are tossed in a wonderful...
Black Lentil Enchiladas with Zucchini
Post sponsored by nuts.com. See below for more details. In wrapping up my three-series post highlighting black lentils with nuts.com, I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes. It's fairly obvious that I love making enchiladas but I just find something magical in a delicious filling nestled in a fresh corn tortilla and topped...
Tomato Chutney Omelette
The slow decent into fall has started in our home. There's been a couple nights with the windows wide open (a welcome relief), school is back in session, and my itch to can is in full-force. In the past few weeks I've managed a few different pear items and pickles. Up next: tomatoes. This tomato...
Sweet Corn Polenta with Roasted Tomatoes and Avocado
Post sponsored by California Avocado. See below for more details. Even though we don't have any little guys in school, Mack's schedule is such that it feels like he is in school. I pick him up from care at 3:30 and from there it's a long slide into dinner. He's in the kitchen "helping" me...
Chimichurri | Cooking Component
We are a sauce family. It's one of the food items my husband is most opinionated about. He's usually a sport with most things I make but his top complaint is when something doesn't contain a sauce. Because of this, sauces make up a large portion of my component list. Like this chimichurri verde, most...
Green Bean Curry
In the realm of curries, it is hard to pick my favorite. There are so many different flavors that one could highlight through fresh herbs and spices. One of my go-to sauces in the past year has been this green curry sauce. It's a loose riff on Thai green curry. Traditionally, green curry that comes...
Pear Cooking Guide
Post sponsored by California Pears. See below for more details. With pear season in California off to a good start, I thought I would share with you a bit about using pears. One of the things that makes me excited about pears right now is the overlap with summer produce, especially fruit. Pairing fresh pears...
Creamed Corn Barley
Creamed corn is one of those items that I always look fondly upon from my childhood. I can really only relate it to the holidays, specifically my family's 'recipe' for corn casserole. Nevertheless, the idea of creamed corn makes me happy; just not from a can. Also, at least for this recipe, there's no cream...
Summer Vegetable Pasta with Chickpeas
While some of my recipes stem from wonderful restaurant dishes, others are created out of disappointment. Take for example this vegetable pasta dish. I had gone to a favorite restaurant of mine, ordered their seasonal veg-friendly pasta, and received one of the most disappointing meals I've had in some time. The ratio of pasta to...
Tomato Corona Bean Salad
It is rare that my lunch is a something I've made before. Lunch is my time to throw together whatever bits and pieces are around. Sometimes these combinations are not good but other times, they turn into delicious meals that I end up sharing here. This tomato bean salad is a perfect example. I made...
Fig Jam Flatbread with Roasted Garlic
One of the reasons I like eating out is to explore ideas I would have never thought to make myself. I think this has been one of the exciting things about living in Sacramento- there are a ton of good restaurants. On one of our outings, we stumbled upon a pizza joint that was a...
Multigrain Dutch Baby with Fresh Peaches
I find during the summer months, my summer mornings tend to be slow. I sleep in when I can, I drink an extra bit of coffee, and more often than not, I'm still lounging past 9am. These days call for a perfect weekend breakfast and this multigrain dutch baby is frequently on our table. I...
Romesco Sauce | Component Cooking
Of all the components I've shared so far, this romesco sauce recipe is my favorite. It's an easy sauce/spread that's made from a few simple ingredients, primarily roasted red peppers. If it's summer, I recommend making your own roasted red peppers but during the cooler months, jarred roasted red peppers sustain me. Romesco's smokey flavor...
Zucchini Sweet Corn Hash Egg Skillet
I like to think that during the summer season, I am more creative with my cooking. All the ripe produce is beautiful and there's so much to choose at the markets. Truth is, I'm actually a tad bit lazier. I find myself making meals with all the odds and ends. Those meals are also usually...
Za’atar Roasted Tomato Salad with Black Lentils
Post sponsored by nuts.com. See below for more details. I have a fairly simple equation to my salad making that I follow most of the time. It is typically along the lines of greens + vegetable + legumes+ nuts/seeds. That's it, that forms the base for salads. From there I'll switch flavors, dressings, and add...
Pesto Zucchini Lasagna
I've found one of the best things about having a toddler is the random things they say. More often than not, Mack is making up something silly or playing pretend. One of his more recent pretend play has involved food. He pretends to 'pick' food and it's anything from broccoli to chocolate ice cream. I've...
Pear Guide for Shopping Locally
Post sponsored by California Pears. See below for more details. Whenever someone finds out that I'm a California transplant because of my husband's job, I always seem to field the same question: do I like it here? My answer is always the same. I love it and I couldn't have asked for a better place...
Pecan Tomatillo Soup
Hang tight with me on this recipe. This is one of those recipes that I push flavors just slightly and it won't be for everyone. I love tomatillos. They have a punchy, tart flavor that I've tried to balance with the sweet, warm flavor of pecans. I really love making nut and seed creams for...
Olive Tapenade | Cooking Component
My first experience with tapenade was on a cheese sandwich from a local shop in my small hometown. My mother was the first one to discover this sandwich and I was still new to enjoying olives. However, the salty flavor from the olives with the creamy cheese quickly became a favorite of mine. From there,...
Oat Crisp with Burst Tomato Arugula Salad
Post sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. See below for more details. Every summer, I have a familiar pattern. I think the summer is going to be slow, with lots of reading and beach time but by early June, I realize summer is going to fly. I schedule jobs, trips, and BBQs. Before I know it,...
Romesco Toast with Fried Egg
For years, my breakfast routine consisted of two items: coffee and oatmeal. I ate oatmeal nearly every day and after time, I became bored. I like routine but I also crave a bit of change. I found my cravings tended towards savory. And so, toast became my norm. This romesco toast is about as close...
Za’atar Spiced Pecans and Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
Post sponsored by The American Pecan Council. See below for more details. I am a morning person. I think there is nothing better than getting up early, making a cup of coffee, and enjoying the cool morning air. It’s my best time of day. It stands to reason, then, that I also love breakfast. This...
Wild Rice Veggie Sliders with Herbed Ricotta
I am a midwesterner through and through. I love my adopted home state of California but a piece of me will always be in Illinois. I still occasionally long for those slow summer days at my parent's house on a the lake or those mornings waking up to snow on the ground. I miss the...
Za'atar Tomatoes with Sweet Corn Bread
I love cornbread. I've stated this before and it's fairly apparent in that I've used cornbread in salads and in pancake/waffle form. Cornmeal is always in my pantry and during chili making months, there's usually a piece with a slab of butter near by. This recipe is a bit of a mash-up with summer flavors....