Do you like to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Even before I had small children dictating my life, I always preferred a low key at home celebration. A nice bottle of wine, a splurge-y item such as caviar, some good pasta, and a really amazing cookie or fancy chocolate bar is all I need to make the evening feel special. Since most of us will be home anyway, consider this simple and delicious pasta for your celebratory dinner. Whether your meal is between you and your best friend on zoom, significant other, or a delicious meal for one, treat yourself to something that makes you feel good this Valentine's Day, we all could use a little extra love right now.
Read moresuper bowl snacking - sweet potato nachos!
Super Bowl is synonymous with many foods, but game day and nachos are indeed the perfect combo. Whether you are watching the Super Bowl for the actual game, the commercials, or the halftime show, this healthified spin on nachos is the perfect fuel for your viewing pleasure.
Read moreeasy pantry supper: pasta puttanesca
Puttanesca is the perfect pasta sauce to have in your back pocket in order to cook dinner on the fly with pantry staples like anchovies, capers, olives, and canned tomatoes. Great for a crowd or just your pod. Simple, delicious and adaptable to ingredients you probably have on hand. Not in the mood for pasta? Toss the puttanesca with shrimp, tofu, or white beans. Lots of delicious options for this super simple sauce.
Read moreginger curry butternut squash soup
A comforting bowl of soup is what I immediately crave when the seasonal chill starts to set in. Using an immersion blender or high speed blender is the perfect way to achieve creamy soup without dairy or butter. Additionally, the squash has a good amount of body and starch which allows for a creamy and decadent texture sans the cream. In my continual quest to optimize nutritional value in my food, I added immune boosting ginger and curry powder to the soup base.
Read morewhat's for christmas morning? pizza frittata and shiitake bacon!
In search of a Christmas breakfast that you can prep in advance and feed a crowd? Consider simple baked eggs that taste and smell like pizza! To keep this dish festive, roasted tomatoes and sautéd kale serve as the main components to highlight the colors of the season. Don’t like either? Swap in spinach or swiss chard for kale and roasted peppers in place of tomatoes. The cheese in the baked eggs is also adaptable to taste preference and availability. I highly recommend using a combination of a sharp cheese, like cheddar or fontina, with a mild creamy cheese like mozzarella. Serve the eggs with a simple salad, berries, toast, and shiitake bacon and you’ve got a simple and delicious holiday breakfast!
Read morecacao tahini date bites
I have a few iterations of energy bites on my site, but none that feature tahini as the shining star. These balls are great for a pick-me-up between meals or when you need a sweet treat. The bites contain fiber, potassium, protein, and healthy fat to keep you satiated and well nourished. Tahini, which is made from sesame seeds, is a vegan source of calcium and iron. Sesame seeds are also a great source of copper, an essential trace mineral and antioxidant which is needed by the body to build connective tissue, produce energy, transport iron, and prevent oxidative damage.
Read more26 things to make this thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and it will certainly look very different this year. Stumped about what to make? Here are 26 very veggie things to help make your planning a little easier.
Read morefall harvest salad
Cozy season is starting! Although no one can begin to predict what we are possibly in for over the course of the next few months, one thing is certain, we could all use some nourishing feel good food to optimize our health and well-being. October marks the start of sweater season peppered with streaks of hot almost summer-like days. When feeling conflicted about how to dress let alone what to eat, a hearty, squashed-filled salad is the ideal remedy to tip toe into fall and a gentle reminder of the all beauty that the season has to offer. This feel-good fall harvest salad has kale, delicata squash, chickpeas, feta, and dried cherries. To make this even more filling, add some farro or quinoa. Prep in advance for an easy make-ahead nourishing lunch!
Read morebraised chicken and pinto bean tacos aka dump chicken
Whether you live alone, with a partner, or have a family large or small, we all have to eat. Most of us are also just trying to make it through each day the best we can. Juggling child care, remote work, self-care (what’s that?), and everything else that is making the world so heavy right now, do yourself a favor and make dinner a little easier. Braised chicken or, as I tenderly like to call it, dump chicken, has become one of my quick back pocket dinners to toss or dump together in the afternoon (usually during nap time) and enjoy for at least two meals. Sear, dump, leave it, shred it, and leave it again. I have yet to make this in a slow cooker or instapot but, if you have one, I bet it would work great.
Read moresummer salad series + escarole, fava bean, and pecorino
My first encounter with a salad similar to this one was at West Village restaurant, Via Carota. I was surprised by the simplicity of it all, yet how flavorful and bright it managed to be. Escarole typically starts popping up at the farmers market in early summer. Aside from white bean and escarole soup, this hearty green typically does not get much of a shining role. For those of you not familiar with this vegetable, escarole is slightly bitter and substantial and looks like lettuce with curly leaves. The dense quality makes it a fantastic addition to soups and stews. In the summer months, when hearty and hot soups are a mere memory, escarole can serve as the leading component in fortifying and filling entrée-sized salads.
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