With the possible exception of this rosemary-garlic chickpea recipe, there’s no soup that I’ve made more frequently than this miso carrot number. Velvety-smooth, savory, and slightly-sweet (from the carrots and onion), it’s just the sort of good-for-you comfort food that this week calls for.
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fast-and-easy
Spicy Breakfast Tacos
Breakfast tacos aren’t anything new, but they’re new to me, and a supremely-comforting breakfast to boot (two solid reasons to celebrate them here, I’d say).
This is a case of inspiration coming from an unexpected place; my first taste of this Tex-Mex staple was at an airport. If you’re scratching your head, let me rewind a bit. This past August I was in Austin for my dear friend Maggie’s bachelorette party. Because I booked my ticket late in the game, I ended up on the early flight back home Sunday AM. Combine an early wake-up with a night of drinking, and it’s hardly a shocker that I needed some solid sustenance before boarding the plane. Thankfully, I was on the same flight as Maggie’s lovely friend Kayla, who steered us to Maudie’s, where we sunk our teeth into some A-plus, hangover-killing breakfast tacos.
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Arugula, Endive, and Radicchio Salad With Parmesan
Nearly a year after our cross-country move, I’m still loving living in New York. It certainly has it’s trying moments, but at least for the foreseeable future, it’s where I most want to be. That said, there are certain things I miss dearly about San Francisco: primarily my friends and family, but also the incredible farm-fresh produce, and the superb restaurants. One of the spots that I yearn for most might surprise those who aren’t from the Bay Area. While I’m hardly wanting for killer pizza in New York, I often find myself dreaming about San Francisco’s Pizzeria Delfina. Yes, the pizza is on point (I’m particularly fond of the salsciccia and broccoli raab pies), but what I really crave is the insalata tricolore, a lemony chicory salad that (at least for me) is a non-negotiable order.
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Cauliflower Fried Rice With Kale and Kimchi
This past spring, I had the pleasure of working with SELF.com’s team on a series of step-by-step recipe videos. As a food stylist, my role was primarily to bring these dishes to life in an enticing manner, but a few involved a bit of recipe development work, as with the site’s take on cauliflower rice. At the time I was a bit of a cauliflower rice skeptic, but eager to try out this low-carb alternative. Because I love Korean food, and also had an inkling that cauliflower’s strong flavor would play well with other bold ingredients, I got to work coming up with a version that paired the grated cruciferous vegetable with kimchi, soy sauce, scallions, sesame seeds, and a runny-yolked poached egg.
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Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Last Fall, I taste tested over 100 pumpkin spice products, and while I can’t exactly say that I miss chomping my way through chalky yogurts and pumpkin spice kale chips like it’s my (literal) job, that epic undertaking taught me that this super-cozy spice blend shouldn’t be written off just because it’s mainstream. (I also confirmed my suspicions that many pumpkin spice products are comically bad.) I learned that when treated right, this basic bitch favorite essence of fall can shine.
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One-Pan Pork Chops With Grapes and Swiss Chard
As this blog’s archives suggest, I’m a big fan of one-pan meals — see: chicken with potatoes, carrots, and onions; salmon with asparagus and spring onions; and roasted Italian sausages, peppers, and onions. Unfussy but full of flavor, these one-and-done recipes dramatically minimize the post-meal dirty dish count, making cooking dinner during a busy week worlds more appealing.
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Cacio e Pepe Corn
Pasta purists, look away. The idea of dressing up a humble ear of boiled, buttered corn with the trappings of cacio e pepe may offend some, but I, and the genius behind this recipe (the author of Short Stack Vol. 10: Corn, Jessica Battilana) don’t care. Yes, cacio e pepe in its pure form is a glorious thing, but that doesn’t mean it can’t — or shouldn’t — be riffed on. And when you take a step back and think about it, cacio e pepe corn makes a lot of sense; sweet buttery corn pairs wonderfully with nutty Parmesan, shower it with freshly-ground black pepper and some sharp, salty Pecorino and — shocker — you have a winner.
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Blueberry Banana Almond Smoothie
While I don’t dislike blueberries, they’re hardly my first choice given that they peak at the same time as watermelon, pluots, cherries, nectarines, blackberries, and many other far-more-exciting summer fruits. That is, unless we’re talking wild blueberries. Smaller, more-consistently flavorful, and mightily-tart, wild blueberries are like the burrata to conventional blueberries’ mozzarella; different and better. Sadly, like tart Montmorency cherries, they’re tricky to find fresh outside of their limited growing region, but don’t let that bum you out too much; these tiny orbs of tastiness are practically made to be frozen.
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Italian Chopped Salad With Salami, Prosciutto, and Fontina
One of Andrew’s all-time-favorite foods is an Italian sub, so when I was flipping through Williams-Sonoma’s newly-rereleased cookbook Salad of the Day: 365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year and saw a recipe for an Italian chopped salad loaded with prosciutto, salami, and fontina, I knew I had to try it out, and the sooner the better. On the first bite, I wasn’t quite sure what to think — there’s a lot going on here — but I soon found myself with an empty bowl and a satisfied smile on my face. (Andrew, predictably, was also a fan.)
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Banana-Pecan Paleo Pancakes
Magical, paleo, two-ingredient, grain-free: all of these buzz words have been used to describe these pancakes (or a close cousin thereof). And, here’s the shocker, this crazy recipe, which, at it’s most elemental, is just a cooked slurry of banana and eggs, actually works. Moreover, the pancakes taste good and shockingly pancake-like, especially when drizzled with a little bit of maple syrup.
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