Post sponsored by La Crema Wines. See below for more details. With the time change, our weekday dinners become a bit cozier. It's dark by the time we eat and the temperature has dipped to the point of craving a hot, filling meal every night. These butternut squash crepes have hit the spot numerous times...
Dairy
Roasted Beet Galette with Ricotta
Post sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. See below for more details. With Halloween in the rearview mirror, my brain turns to the holidays. I love planning holiday meals and while we typically go 90% traditional, I like to occasionally throw something fun into the mix. Last year I shared three different full menus (vegan, vegetarian,...
Coriander Sweet Potato Soup with Buckwheat Granola
It feels as though every year I come up with a new sweet potato soup recipe that becomes my new favorite. I have a smoked paprika version, a turmeric version, and now this coriander recipe. This soup is so good, though, that it would have been sad not to share. The combination of coriander...
Roasted Carrot Polenta with Sage and Walnuts
During the fall, polenta is one of my comfort meals of choice. It's the perfect base for a myriad of flavors and toppings. Sometimes I go vegan, sometimes I go heavy on the cheese. This particular carrot polenta features the carrot puree I just featured as a component. Roasted carrots and garlic pureed together form...
Brown Rice Carrot Fritters with Chipotle Sunflower Sauce
There are a few meals meals on which my husband and I can always agree. One of the easiest decisions: fritters. There's something wonderful about fritters. It might be the ability to make fritters out of almost anything or the fact that you can toss in herbs, grains, and cheese. I think it's the fact...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
Chilled Cucumber and California Avocado Soup
Post sponsored by California Avocado. See below for more details. Until I moved to California, summer months focused on two ingredients: sweet corn and tomatoes. When I moved to California, I learned that July is peak season for California avocados. I had no idea because in Illinois, avocados are not a local crop! Creamy, fresh...
Curry Chickpea Burgers with Coconut Cabbage Slaw
This recipe is in partnership with Nugget Markets. See below for more details. Any time I move or travel some place, grocery stores are usually first on my list to find. I have a pretty high standard and it's rare that a store has everything I need. I'm the type of person that usually goes...
Broccoli Melt with Fried Egg
This recipe is in partnership with California Olive Ranch. See below for more details. There are certain combinations I've never found appealing. One of which is broccoli on a grilled cheese sandwich. I recently had one of these sandwiches (it was the only vegetarian option on a menu that sounded decent). So I ordered it...
Harissa Roasted Cauliflower Salad Lemon-Avocado Dressing
Post sponsored by California Avocado. See below for more details. I have two different salad styles: light/easy and filling. Light and easy usually tend to be a solid side salad or lunch while the filling salads are meant for dinner. When M isn't home, I'm usually making a salad that looks like it should feed...
Breakfast Enchiladas with Avocado Cream Sauce
Buttered Fava Bean Salad with Soft-Boiled Eggs
Fava beans always look so enticing at the market. The big pods with fresh beans tucked inside lead to dreaming about future recipes. And yet, it's easy to feel a bit overwhelmed. Fava beans have a two-shelling process which is a bit labor intensive. But, I've found time and again, it's worth it. If I...
Oat Teff Pancakes
You may think, based on photos I've shared or things I've written, that my pantry is perfectly organized. It may be organized for a few days but eventually, it becomes overrun with grains, legumes, and canned items. Usually once it gets out of control, I start cooking my way back to organized. For a month...
Cream Baked Eggs with Asparagus
Spelt Gnocchi with Fava Beans and Walnut Sauce
One of the things I love about this site is that it has served as documentation of my life through food. Sometimes, it's directly in the writing about the recipe. Other times, it's less noticeable through an overall trend. For example, I can't remember the last time I posted a recipe that takes longer than...
Creamy Millet Porridge with Roasted Strawberries
When it comes to morning porridge, I tend to stick with oatmeal (it’s the easiest to satisfy even the littlest member of the family). However, if I’m just cooking breakfast for myself, I make a cracked grain porridge. Running a grain in a coffee grinder or blender for a few pulses creates a mixture that...
Berbere Black Lentil Stew
Post sponsored by nuts.com. See below for more details. I think there is no better way to experience a city than through restaurants. I first fell in love with Ethiopian food when living in the Chicago area and ever since, I've kept a recipe for berbere spice in my repertoire. Traditionally this spice is used...
Whole Wheat Crepes | Component Cooking
If I were to keep a list of items cooked most often in my kitchen, crepes would come in first. I love whole wheat crepes for breakfast in place of pancakes, wrapping ice cream for dessert, or using in place of bread for wraps, sandwiches or even enchiladas. Most recently, we've taken to smearing nut...
Gluten-Free Cornmeal Waffles with Sorghum Strawberries
I love reading cookbooks because it gives an eye into the kitchen of someone else. You can tell ingredients or combinations a person favors. It can be telling about their past, what they've experienced, and the things they love. Sorghum syrup is one of those items you might see in my kitchen. It all started...
Spiced Sweet Potato Skewers with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
I will grill pretty much anything and grilled sweet potato has been one of my favorites throughout the years. The light char, the heavy sprinkle of spice, and creamy yogurt sauce makes it a satisfying grilled meal. This yogurt sauce is the perfect example- easy to whip up and can have a myriad of uses...
Cilantro Scramble with Spiced Black Beans
I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest and Instagram. It's a wonderful space to find ideas and be inspired but at the same time, it can feel overwhelming. It can feel easy to think that all those beautiful photos of food are out of reach. This cilantro scramble is two-fold. For starters, it uses my...
Asparagus Frittata with Herbs and Mozzarella
There is hardly a better catch-all for vegetables than a frittata. I could easily riff on a frittata recipe every day (it was the frittata recipe that led me to creating all the base recipes for the cookbook). Raw, roasted, leftovers- most types of vegetables are welcome. This asparagus frittata uses a roasted asparagus mixture...
Spiced Chickpea Fritters
If I can turn something into a fritter or cake, I will. They are comforting, easy, and can be a perfect addition to a weekly meal plan. I'm always a fan of these cauliflower cakes and quinoa cakes, but these chickpea fritters are a solid all-season recipe. If you have cooked chickpeas on hand, you...
Garlicky Spinach Cornmeal Crepes
There is a possibility that I could eat crepes for every meal. They are a light and wonderful substitute for breakfast pancakes. For lunch, I like to tuck vegetables and cheese inside and use in place of grilled cheese. For dinner, crepes can be used in place of tortillas in enchiladas. And of course, my...
Sunchoke Soup with Fennel
When the first signs of spring start to show, I notice it in my cooking first. The flavors I use tend to brighten and recipes have an overall fresh feel. This sunchoke soup is the perfect example. The mild, earthy flavor of the sunchoke blends well with the punch of fennel and high note from...
Lentil Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potatoes
This recipe is in partnership with Frontier Co-op. See below for more details. I'm always hesitant to share a recipe that has been done many times before. There are countless recipes for lentil Shepherd's pie floating around but I'm really in love with my version. The major differences: no mushrooms (sorry to the mushroom lovers)...
Rye Pancakes
In the opening of The Homemade Flour Cookbook, before diving into all the different flours, I share a pancake recipe. It's a generic recipe but there's a solid reason behind it: it's one the best way to test the flavor of flours. Pancakes are forgiving and the perfect way to see how flour flavors will...
White Bean Gnocchi with Cauliflower and Cream Sauce
Post sponsored by La Crema. See below for more details. At least once a week, I shoot for having a date-night-in type of dinner. Most evenings we eat with Mack but occasionally I wait until he's in bed and cook a non-toddler friendly recipe. I pour myself a glass of wine (in this case, La...
Cracked Einkorn Porridge with Stewed Blood Oranges
Having grains in your pantry gives you an arsenal of ingredients to use. One grain can be used in many different forms. For example, einkorn is a delightfully chewy whole grain that also makes a beautiful wheat flour. However, I like the in-between state. A state where the whole grain is pulsed in a high-speed...
Sweet Potato Polenta with Fried Eggs
Some of my favorite dinners are ones that could easily be served for breakfast. In my mind, the act of putting an egg on something means it's ready for breakfast. This sweet potato polenta is one of a couple recipes I'll be sharing that uses sweet potato puree. It's easy to make and can be...
Sweet Potato Hash Egg Skillet
It's around the beginning of February that I start to lose interest in winter produce. I've been eating squash and sweet potatoes for months and in California, the weather is turning to spring. We still have a bit of time before spring produce hits the market which means more creative winter recipes. This hash egg...
Quinoa Potato Cakes
Post sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. See below for more details. Our bottom drawer of our kitchen island is dedicated to potatoes of all kinds. At any given time I keep a handful of sweet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, and Russet potatoes on hand. I've found I can pretty much make any type of meal...
Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash with Spelt
I was slow to warm up to spaghetti squash. I had fallen in love with the smooth texture of acorn and butternut squash. Spaghetti squash was different and highly unappealing. However, my thoughts have changed and I now like to use the unique texture to my advantage. This twice baked spaghetti squash is a little...
Smoked Paprika Potato Spinach Salad with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
Click around the site and you can get a feel for my food likes and dislikes. Mushrooms and tofu are limited while sweet potatoes and quinoa are featured nearly once a week. Smoked paprika is another flavor I use quite a bit. It's smoky, earthy, and sweet all at the same time. The potatoes soak...