Veggies and Grains Archives

Mushrooms and Kale with Breadcrumbs

So exited to bring you this super elegant but also super effortless veggie recipe today! It’s sort of a means to an end, really. Spoiler alert, the end is pizza with this mushroom/kale combo on top! And a white pizza sauce with an obscene amount of garlic. But you’ll have to wait till next week for that. For now, make this, make extra of it, and save the leftovers for the pizza.

This beautiful mess of wilty kale and crispy-brown mushrooms came about when I cooked it up to go alongside roast beef the other night and, despite my deep carnivorism, it was my favorite thing on the plate. So, here it is for you!

5-Minute, No-Cook Pizza Sauce

When the homemade stuff is better than store bought and almost as fast as opening a jar 🙌 That is this 5-Minute, No-Cook Pizza Sauce! Guys, can I tell you how happy it makes me to have finally come up with this recipe? This is years of bad, overly sweet or boringly bland pizza sauce in the making. Finally, my well-balanced, salty/sweet and perfectly acidic sauce dreams are a reality.

Salami and Hot Pepper Sicilian Pizza With just the sauce on top

Radish Greens Salsa

We’re growing a garden!! It’s happening! It’s the pride and joy of my covid #stayhome experience. Cleared, amended, and planted in April… and needing to be weeded almost every day since. Now that I am an official gardener, with all of 1 month’s experience under my belt, I want to share a tip with everyone: GROW RADISHES! Especially if you lack confidence and know-how, like me. Grow radishes.

Charred Corn Salad

This salad has me feeling all shorts and flip-flops and outdoor dining vibes. And, super grateful spring is here. Charred Corn Salad is fresh and full of crispy-crunchy romain lettuce, raw chopped green beans, bright scallions, spicy jalapeño, creamy avocado, and beautiful shards of golden yellow corn, that’s been charred almost to death, making it toasty, juicy, and super sweet.

Chopped romain lettuce, charred corn on the cob, sliced jalapeño, sliced green beans, sliced green onions, and an avocado on a cutting board

Summer Squash Spaghetti

Farmer’s Markets are back ☀️ Oh man, is it nice to have fresh, local vegetables again! This Summer Squash Spaghetti is the bright, fork-twirling, crispy-mushroom-topped stuff we need to officially say buh-bye to winter. It’s light and lemony, with lots of bite from crushed red pepper and good yum factor from creamy goat cheese.

Scallion Flatbread

Judging by the flour shelves at the grocery store, and my instagram feed, quarantine is bringing out the baker in all of us! I am into this but, on certain nights, my interest in big cooking projects has its limits. Luckily, no-yeast, super easy Scallion Flatbread exists!

In the blur of meals I’ve cooked over these past several #stayhome weeks, I cannot remember why I needed to make this bread. It was definitely to pair with something Middle Eastern, with lots of sauce and rice… that is *always* the type of meal that makes me and Joey crave some pillowy, blistered flatbread. I recall only having about an hour before the rest of dinner was ready and before hunger was going to turn me into a monster. Oh, and my oven was full. So, these babies came together in a cast iron skillet in under an hour. Amazing – I know.

Miso Squash and Cauliflower Soup

Having a real miso soup magic moment right now. Savory and full of rich, round, umami flavor with natural sweetness from the squash… Thick and creamy but with no actual cream (unless you forget to save coconut milk for the drizzle on top and go in with heavy cream, like I did) …. It’s basically the best soup ever. And it eats like a meal thanks to loads of cauliflower and squash. Joey and I had some fried chicken wings on the side the other night because we are in quarantine and I am gluttonous. But, a side of wings is not required. This Miso Squash and Cauliflower Soup is more than enough to make all your dinner dreams come true.

Caramelized Shallot Butter

Can we chat about smells for a second? The first day I made this caramelized shallot butter, our house smelled like sweet, earthy shallots and wine for the next 24 hours and I loved it. Certain cooking smells just have that warm, cozy hug quality. Onions or garlic cooking in butter has always been my #1. If they bottled the scent, I’d for sure wear it. But, these caramelized shallots, with thyme and generous splash of marsala wine, are a close second.

Chocolate Beet Cake

When life gives you beets… turn them into chocolate cake. Specifically, a deeply flavored, mouth-wateringly chocolately cake with a delicious sweetness from sugary roasted beets. Not saying this cake is “healthy” – there is plenty of sugar, flour, sour cream, etc. in there, too. But, I am saying this is an excellent thing to do with a bunch of roasted beets, and it’s so, so good! Somehow, even though it doesn’t have the cream filling, this cake tastes just like Hostess HoHo’s to me. It puts me right back in the elementary school cafeteria, circa 1990, in the best way.

Roasted Veggie Bowl With Tahini Dressing

Let’s roast all the things! Let’s coat them all in a creamy tahini dressing! And add some pop and zip with a pomegranate walnut salsa! And, let’s prep it all in advance so this does-a-body-good roasted veggie bowl is ready when you are. Heads up: you will *always* be ready for this. The combo of flavors and textures is everything. Cauliflower, chickpeas, squash, onions, apples, maybe some diced chicken if you want? Yes! Plus a sweet and nutty dressing and a tart, crunchy topping. Ev-ery-thing 🙌