When making pasta at home there are two rules I live by. One: go for the good stuff; by that I mean I don’t bother with whole wheat, quinoa-, or bean-based options, as I’ve yet to find a brand that yields the same perfectly al-dente texture as pasta made with refined flour. And two: either serve it as a side or go heavy on the vegetables (or, ideally, both). Made this way, there’s plenty of satiating fiber and flavor to go around, without any feeling of sacrifice.
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vegetarian
Black Bean, Tomato, and Avocado Bowl
Larger tomatoes like beefsteak, plum, and brandywine may not have hit their stride yet, but I can’t wait any longer to share this simple application of cherry tomatoes. Petite cherry and grape tomatoes like these Sungold and Sweet 100s ripen earlier, making them a great pick for those of us who can’t wait for tomato season any longer. A touch of heat amplifies their sweetness and softens their texture, making them an ideal compliment to a Mexican-inspired combination of seasoned black beans and buttery avocado.
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Szechuan-Style Green Beans
I’ve been wanting to share this recipe with you for weeks, but, as sometimes happens, life got in the way. Mostly, I’ve been putting in work on an exciting soon-to-be-launched project with Andrew. More on that soon(ish), and yes, it involves food. Additionally, after six months of squatting in Andrew’s dad’s SoHo apartment (thanks, Mark!), Andrew and I have decided to make our temporary move to NYC a little less temporary. The last month or so has been a whirlwind of apartment hunting — very excited about our new place in Williamsburg — figuring out how to move all of our worldly possessions cross-country, and getting our house in San Francisco ready to sell. Add to that my birthday, visits from a few close friends, plus two West-coast weddings, and it’s safe to say we’ve been pretty busy.
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Curry Cashews
As someone who eats a lot of beans, grains, lentils, and nuts, the bulk aisle is (not surprisingly) one of my favorite sections of the supermarket. Assuming your market’s bulk section has a good, healthy amount of turnover, it can be one of the best, least wasteful ways to stock up on everything from steel cut oats to red lentils, and, if you’re lucky enough to live near an excellent co-op like San Francisco’s Rainbow Grocery, loose-leaf tea, spices, alternative flours, and even kimchi.
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Fried Eggs With Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms
Inspiration for what I cook, and ultimately write about here, comes in many forms: cookbooks, blogs, meals out, farmers market visits, and glossy magazines all play an important role. Hotel breakfast buffets, not so much. One exception: this simple but much-loved-as-of-late breakfast. Last year, my boyfriend Andrew and I spent a stretch of our trip to Japan at Tokyo’s Park Hyatt. Best known as the backdrop of Lost in Translation, the Park Hyatt also serves up a truly-superlative breakfast buffet. Each morning, I’d find myself piling my plate high with a variety of pristine tropical fruit and a bite-size pastry or two, but the real draw came from the spread of roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, sausages, and eggs. Typical components of a full English breakfast, this combination is nothing new, but the Park Hyatt’s version was spot-on, and made a critical swap: Japanese beech mushrooms for the standard sliced button.
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Roasted Red Onions With Thyme
It feels pretty ridiculous to say, but until relatively recent times (I’m talking the last year or so), I didn’t like onions in most applications. As a background note in soups and stock, sure; diced and lightly cooked, or worse, raw, hell no. Most people have an aversion to a few foods, but most people aren’t food writers, and most people don’t dislike such a fundamental ingredient. (What can I say, I’m an odd one.) So it feels a little funny to now be praising a recipe that has onions at its heart.
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Indian Red Lentil Soup With Spinach
I’d quite happily eat both soup and Indian food every day; combine the two, like with this recipe, and I’m over the moon. Complexly-spiced, this Indian red lentil soup is just the sort of thing I like to fill my fridge (and freezer) with, ready to be reheated for a quick meal when hunger strikes.
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Baked Sweet Potatoes With Miso Butter and Scallions
Sweet-leaning vegetables like beets, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes have always been a tough sell for me. (Truly, it’s the earthy-sweet, vaguely-dirty flavor that I have trouble with, not the brix level of these vegetables.) That is, I had trouble with them before I learned how to treat them right. The secret is a classic flavor pairing principle: pair like with like; in this case, bold with bold. This can mean something acidic (think beets and yogurt), something spicy (think butternut squash and ginger), or, in this case, something deeply-savory, even funky (helloooooo, miso).
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Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
There’s no denying that banana bread is delicious; unfortunately, it’s not exactly the healthiest or most filling way to start the day. If you don’t have a big appetite in the morning, a slice might tide you over until lunch, but I prefer something more substantial (read: more fiber and protein, less sugar and flour). This banana bread baked oatmeal is the answer. Super-ripe mashed bananas and finely-chopped dates mimic banana bread’s sweet, almost-caramel-like, roasted banana flavor, while the half moon slices add visual interest. Toasted walnuts bring nuttiness and crunch, while a combination of whole milk, two types of oats, and an egg make it more satiating. While I’m not ready to give up banana bread as an occasional treat, this satisfies the same cravings all for less than 500 calories a serving.
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Brown Butter Gnocchi With Spinach
As some readers may know, this isn’t my first food blog. Years back, before my time at POPSUGAR Food, I created my first blog, BowlLicking. While BowlLicking no longer exists, a handful of the recipes I shared there are still in my rotation and deserve a second go-around. This ridiculously-speedy gnocchi dish is one of them.
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