Pumpkin spice — typically a blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg — might get the lion’s share of attention, but it’s not the only way to add a little something-something to pumpkin-based sweets. Here, I spiced up pumpkin-pecan baked oatmeal with powdered chai (unsweetened — not a ready-made chai concentrate with sweetener and milk), which adds a similarly-warm-and-cozy feeling, plus a subtle bitter edge from the tea itself. Rounded out with a bit of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and maple syrup for sweetness, it makes for a super-cozy breakfast, ideal for the season.
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vegetarian
Ratatouille Pasta With White Beans
After spending the past month eating my way through Paris, there’s a lot I could say about Parisian cuisine. For now, the abridged version: the bread, pastries, and chocolates are as amazing as you’d expect (that said, SF and NYC offer some tough competition); poultry is taken very seriously (hello, poulet de Bresse, black chickens, and pigeon/squab); the butter and cheese are worth their weight in gold; and oh my gosh, those orange-yolked eggs. On the negative side: spicy food is hard to come by, and Parisian restaurants have been slow to embrace plant-centric cuisine. Sure, a handful of high-vibes juice bars have sprouted up (Wild & the Moon is particularly great). And yes, L’Arpège’s vegetarian degustation menu is having a bit of a moment, thanks in part to Netflix’s Chef’s Table — my verdict: beautiful food, but ultimately not worth the price tag. Still, overall (and yes, there are other exceptions) fruits and vegetables are not the star in The City of Light.
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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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Spinach-Stuffed Sweet Potato
When you start referring to your fridge as “the cheese fridge,” it is both a sign that you’re living your best life, and that your diet could perhaps use a slight tune up. These past two weeks, Andrew and I have been eating our way through Paris, and as the previous statement suggests, it has been a deliciously hedonistic time thus far. After a whirlwind of baguettes, Bordier butter, squab (or pigeon, as it’s called here), wine, chocolates, pâté, macarons, steak tartare, and the aforementioned cheese, my body is practically shouting for a leafy-greens-heavy meal (or two).
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Spaghetti Squash Hash Browns
I’ll admit that I initially bookmarked this recipe for spaghetti squash hash browns from Pamela Ellgen’s The Microbiome Cookbook more out of skeptical curiosity than because I assumed they’d be good. Which is not to say I didn’t have some faith in their tastiness; so far, Ellgen hasn’t steered me wrong — her one-pan pork chops with grapes are a wonderful weeknight option, and the zucchini-based, bean-free hummus (also from this new release) is rather genius. Rather, my skepticism came from a shaky relationship with spaghetti squash.
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Chocolate Chia Pudding
With chocolate I’m usually an all or nothing kind of girl; I’m not interested unless we’re talking deep-dark bittersweet brown. (These brownie-like flourless chocolate walnut cookies are a favorite for exactly that reason.) And yet I was drawn to this decidedly-mild breakfast treat when flipping through Julie Montagu’s Superfoods: The Flexible Approach to Eating More Superfoods. Here, cacao powder (nope, not the same thing as cocoa powder) is used in concert with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger for a flavor that’s less full-blown-brownie-rich, and more like a cozy cup of Mexican hot chocolate. And despite my usual leanings, I’m digging it pretty hard.
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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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Spicy Candied Pecans
While on a recent trip to Boston, I paid a long-overdue visit to Flour Bakery, a spot I’ve wanted to check out for what feels like forever. Not surprisingly, Flour’s famed sticky buns were a winner; the tangy, almost-sourdough-like brioche base balanced out the ridiculously-gooey deep-dark-brown glaze that anchors the pecans to the buns. Seriously, don’t skip these. My other favorite was a bit less expected, an impulse purchase snatched up while waiting hungrily in line: a bag of spicy candied pecans, dubbed addictive by their packaging.
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Roasted Tomato Eggplant Soup
Take a peek into my freezer and alongside the popsicles, frozen fruit, parmesan rinds, shrimp, and sliced bread, you’ll typically find single servings of at least two varieties of homemade soup, ready to be thawed and simmered when hunger strikes. Admittedly, I’m a bit of a soup obsessive — my cookbook collection includes nearly a dozen single-subject titles devoted to it — but I don’t think you have to feel the way I do about bisques and potages to find this a winning dinnertime strategy. Soup freezes wonderfully, is easily defrosted and reheated, and, generally-speaking is a veggie-packed nutritional powerhouse.
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