Mains
The origins of this soup date back two years when I made it for friends over for lunch one Autumn Sunday. I'm not a pumpkin fan, but for reasons I cannot explain now, I was uncharacteristically inspired to make a pumpkin-centric soup. I knew - for my sake - that this soup would need bold flavors to offset the pumpkin. So I used a Mexican flavor profile, confident that smokey chili powder and chipotles in adobo and perky lime would lift the pumpkin out of its one-dimensional life.
If you're in a cooking rut and dreaming of a dish at the intersection of practical and simple yet also playful and satisfying, this one-pot noodle recipe will surely become your new favorite. It's a flirty and elegant blend of crisp-chewy yuba skins (a current obsession of mine, though you can use pasta instead), cauliflower, meaty green olives, crème fraiche and za'atar.
Large, meaty olives, sumac, and roasted lemon and garlic mingle with caramelized carrots and chickpeas. Once plated, finish with the zingy yogurt sauce for a fun, simple and streamlined meal.
I love making one-pot meals like soups, stews and curries as a streamlined way of getting everything I need into one bowl, without relatively little effort. Similar to a capsule wardrobe, there are numerous ways to mix and match staple ingredients (such as lentils, cabbage, spices, and herbs) and create seemingly limitless one-pot meal variations.
Black (or French green lentils), onions, garlic, and mushrooms simmer in a white wine, lemon, turmeric sauce and are layered over garlicky mashed potatoes. Serve this with roasted Brussels sprout salad with lemon and dill, and it makes a great holiday meal.
If you've been following along for a while you'll know my stance on cabbage. But just in case, I'll share it again. :) I believe cabbage is the most underrated vegetable, both for its easy flavor in soups and stews and its nutrient density. It's soft which make it's quick to prepare (just be sure to have a large cutting board so you can spread out). But simmer it with other soup-y ingredients, and after just 15 minutes it will provide a uniquely subtle depth and sweetness to the broth that no other vegetable can replicate.
The farmer I purchase corn from at our farmer's market says the corn should keep growing until December, if there's no rain. I'm taking full advantage, and I've recently been transforming that corn into this ginger-y, peanut-y corn dish.
In the summer we get amazing dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes and green heirloom tomatoes from Tomatero Farm. I'm always looking for ways to highlight these tomatoes in a meal so that it feels celebratory to eat them. This flatbread is what I've been making lately.
What makes summer feel like summer? There are many factors for me, as I'm sure there are for you. But one is experiencing the ease and lightness of assembling no-cook meals that allow summer produce to shine at their very peak.
After a Sunday morning trip to our fabulous farmer's market, we came home with some halibut and sugar snap peas, which he was in charge of turning into a meal. This was the result, and he nailed it on the first try
Shopping at the farmer's market has taken on new meaning since the stay-at-home orders began in the Bay Area. A leisurely stroll on a Sunday morning browsing the offerings under warm rays of sunshine re-energizes me, but it's also a small way to support our local economy.
There's a lot of anxiety, uncertainty and fear world-wide right now. With a hyper-active nervous system and the stress response triggered, we need nourishing food more than ever before. This is essentially a sheet-pan supper; a tray bake with eggplant, chickpeas and a Moroccan-inspired spice trio of cinnamon, ginger and cumin.
I'm so smitten with this breakfast, I'm not sure where to begin. Let me first start by saying it's one of those quick skillet meals that comes together in the same amount of time it takes to make oatmeal or a smoothie.
This quinoa bowl is a deconstructed version of Asian lettuce wraps. You know the wraps where crunchy veggies like shredded carrots and caramelized ground meat are served in a lettuce leaf and drizzled with a tangy soy sauce?
If there's one thing that keeps my weekdays humming along, aside from plenty of sleep, it's having good food prepped and waiting for me in the fridge. Depending on what I choose to prep ahead, it guarantees breakfast is a no-brainer, allows me to quickly pack an office lunch….
I love this soup because not only is it full of vibrant vegetables (fennel, golden beets and dandelion greens) but the beets do all the heavy lifting. As they simmer away, they impart a subtle sweetness and turn the broth that gorgeous golden hue. No turmeric needed!
This is a weeknight friendly, skillet meal with endless options for toppings and customization. Yellow squash are roasted for maximum fIavor. Then they're folded into spiced and browned ground turkey. If you want to keep this vegetarian, use a plant-based crumble. I love this Shiitake taco "meat" recipe made with Shiitake mushrooms, walnuts (I often use pecans), and spices.
Is it too late in the summer to be posting an okra recipe? I hope not because this is one of those simple, can't-mess-up, flexible summer meals that (I hope) will put a smile on your face as much as it does mine.
Fresh herbs. Most people use them only as a garnish. But I think we should be using them much more generously. I consider herbs as their own category in a meal and encourage my clients to do the same. Did you know fresh herbs can help regulate different systems in the body? Here's the rundown on a few of the most common herbs.
The flavors of goats cheese, peas, lemon and dill make for a special meal. Yet it only takes minutes to throw this omelet together.
The warming combination of spiced black beans and sweetly fried plantains, topped with avocado, lime and crumbly cheese is pure comfort food. And it’s been an especially welcome reprieve during these recent cool, damp spring days.
These lentils were inspired one weeknight when I wanted dal, a staple I've been making for a better part of the last decade, but needed something quick.
This is a model meal for winter comfort and efficient cooking. It's a smoky, hearty, substantial bowl that offers all the elements of a great taco, but in soup form. With the quinoa, sweet potato, ground protein trio for substance, smoky and earthy spices for depth, lime and cilantro for brightness, and toppings for crunch and creaminess, this meal really delivers.
I don't think there could be a breakfast more perfect than this Mediterranean mezze. With its fresh vegetables and herbs simply dressed in olive oil and lemon or vinegar, feta cheese, soft flatbread, briny olives, and warm and creamy spinach lentil soup, there's something special about savoring a sampling of several small plates in a slow, simple, and unpretentious manner.
If you click on the Middle Eastern tag or scroll through the photo summary of similarly-themed recipes at the bottom of this post, the long list reveals my love for the Middle Eastern and North African aesthetic of cooking. I can't get enough of their flirtatious play between sweet and richly savory.
With the fresh, bright flavors of citrus and cilantro, sweet caramelized carrots and garlic, and creamy umami from the miso tahini sauce, this Roasted Carrot and Black Lentil Platter makes a beautiful centerpiece for the holidays or any special meal.
Do you know the Catalina Taco Salad? It's the crispy, sweet and tangy salad made with tomato-based Catalina dressing and all the elements of a crispy taco; corn chips (Fritos), lettuce, tomato, onion, cheddar cheese, pinto/black beans, tomato and ground meat. Head to the blog for an updated (Whole Nourishment!) version of this retro salad.
We all know Golden Milk (aka Turmeric Milk). But have you tried Golden Pasta yet? I take a favorite flavor combo you've seen a lot on the blog -- lemon and turmeric -- and turn it into a creamy, protein-rich, mac & cheese style pasta that can be dairy free and vegan if you need, by swapping Parmesan for nutritional yeast.