Weeknight Dinners

You might have heard of green rice? Well, when you swap out the rice for quinoa you get this green quinoa that is bright and verdant with fresh, citrusy Mexican flavors.

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.

This has been my go-to salad dressing all summer long. I make a big batch for the week and drizzle it over my favorite summer salad (shown in the video below) or a quick lunch of a poached egg over grilled asparagus, or toss it with grains, Fattoush, pasta, beans or grilled shrimp.

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.

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

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.

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 dal is the meal that's most often repeated in our house. It's my favorite savory breakfast on cool mornings, it travels well in a thermos for work lunches, and it's a quick last-minute pantry-meal when I have little else in the fridge. Red lentils are simmered with onion, turmeric, chili powder and curry powder. Kale is added towards the end, and the soup is finished with ginger and lime.

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.

It's so gratifying to cook with summer produce at its peak ripeness because very little need be done to make it sing. Summer squash (and corn, which is also in this skillet) are the perfect example. They’re sweet, crisp, and the happiest yellow hue ever.

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.

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.

If I could be a salad, I'd choose to be this one. With massaged kale, toasted almonds, dried cherries, a grain such as quinoa, feta and avocado, it's the ideal hearty, crave-worthy salad meal.

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.

Miso soup meets a broth-y Mexican tortilla soup. This is a warming Mexican-Asian fusion meal to boost immunity and gut health with bright, clean flavors of ginger, lemon, and fresh cilantro and an umami richness from probiotic-rich miso.

This humble soup delivers on the WOW factor. It packs a lot of flavor and goodness into each bite. But the best part is that it's made with pantry staples such as carrots, red lentils, spices and citrus, making it a fabulous weeknight dinner solution.

This Coconut Mushroom Noodle Soup is a reflection of what I've been craving with our moody "summer" weather in Sausalito. Mushrooms float in a simple but rich and fragrant ginger coconut broth with cubed tofu. Ladle this over rice noodles and you’ve got a quick, simple and satisfying meal for your back-to-work/school routine this fall.

This veggie bowl, packed with a rainbow of colors and a slurp-worthy ginger lime peanut sauce, is an ideal recipe to incorporate into weekly meal planning. It’s appliance-free, uncomplicated cooking that helps you get real food on the table in real life.

If you're looking for a spectacular and simple green side dish, you can stop here. Broccoli and asparagus are sautéed in ghee and olive oil until crisp tender and the edges are golden brown and caramelized. The supporting cast of flavors: fried capers, lemon zest and juice, and toasted hazelnuts.

I can't tell you how excited I am to share this meal with you. You'll be especially pleased if you usually make a beeline for my Weeknight Dinner section on the homepage. But between the broccoli, chickpeas, shrimp (see veg option in recipe headnotes) and lemon turmeric ginger dressing, I think this meal is universally appealing because it ticks all the boxes in a big way:

Kitchen magic is when the simplest ingredients are simply prepped, then combined to make a flavor-packed, fortifying meal in 10 minutes. This dream scenario becomes reality with this Avocado Quinoa Bowl.

It's a new year -- Happy 2018, you guys! There's something about starting a new year - even though, technically, I know nothing has changed between the 31st and the 1st - that makes me feel lighter, refreshed, and inspired. But in all honesty, we don't need to wait for January for a fresh start. I'm sharing a two-minute strategy I use to reset and get clear on my intentions, any day, any month. And in terms of food, this Everyday Dal is the ultimate reset, whatever the need. It's been one of my go-to recipes for years, whether I need a warm and nourishing pantry meal or a hearty breakfast (yep!).

Do you need a weeknight friendly, protein-rich, cozy, quick and customizable one-skillet meal this week? If so, that's what you'll be getting with this Broccoli & Cheddar Skillet Pizza.

How are your lunches this month? Fall is all about returning to routine, and no-fuss, flexible, transportable lunches are on my mind. Whether you pack lunch for work or school, or you need a prepped-ahead meal for a midday break at home, I think you'll appreciate this Grape & Broccoli Quinoa Salad as much as I do!