Fall Hazelnut Panzanella

A delicious stuffing/panzanella hybrid, this healthy fall salad full of tangy sautéed mushrooms and crispy kale makes the perfect Thanksgiving side. Vegan.

Panzanella is one of my favorite summertime salads, so I thought, why not make a fall version using some stuffing-esque ingredients? Instead of juicy tomatoes, I sautéed some mushrooms and added tangy dried cranberries. Instead of sweet basil, I used woodsy sage. I normally toss pine nuts in my panzanella, but hazelnuts have been my nut of choice this fall, so I toasted those up instead. I tossed it all with grilled bread and a tangy vinaigrette and served it alongside grilled salmon. Jack’s conclusion (as we devoured the whole bowl) was “well it’s not stuffing, and it’s not panzanella… but it’s…

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Sweet Potato Surprise

A creamy noodle casserole with mac n' cheese style vegan sweet potato sauce. Spinach, shallot, scallions + sage are baked in for extra nutrients and flavor!

I first made this months ago with the very first butternut squash of the season. I had decided ahead of time that it would be a “non-photo” night since casseroles are not the easiest subject matter. Of course, after we made it, I was regretting not having the camera out because it tasted way too good not to share. For the second go-around, I made it with sweet potatoes only because that had a better ring than “butternut squash surprise.” If you’re vegan, this will taste like a baked mac and cheese. If you’re not vegan, it will just taste…

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Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Cubes of challah are baked in a richly spiced pumpkin custard to make this dairy-free bread pudding. Perfect for fall gatherings on cool nights.

dairy free / favorite

A few days ago, my mom and I were out shopping for dinner again. As we stood in the bakery section at Whole Foods snacking on bread samples, we kept reaching for more and more pieces of this sweet potato bread. We didn’t buy any… it’s the sort of thing that’s best eaten in the store because it’s far too dangerous to have around the house. However, that night I went to bed and had a dream about making this dessert with that bread… along with pumpkin puree and coconut milk that I had leftover in my fridge. Now, I…

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Roasted Squash with Apple Salsa

Sweet winter squash are topped with a crisp and tangy fall apple-jalapeño-lime salsa. Serve for a unique Thanksgiving side or a healthy vegan and GF main!

fall / vegan / gluten free

My mom is in town visiting this week. Usually she comes bearing a pile of recipe clippings that she’s been collecting for weeks leading up to the trip. I’ve been stuck in a bit of a “same-ingredient” rut lately, so I was really looking forward to someone else just telling me what to make. But this time she showed up empty-handed and said, “I’m here to eat what you make – you know, all of those recipes you post that I never get to eat because I’m not close enough to stop by for dinner.” So I sat down and…

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Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

A hearty & healthy vegetarian and GF main for Thanksgiving! Squash is stuffed with a spiced kale and quinoa sauté with pepitas for crunch and feta for tang.

fall / gluten free / thanksgiving

My idea of a vegetarian Thanksgiving looks something like this: seasonal acorn squash stuffed with a sauté of quinoa and kale that’s kicked up a notch with scallions, tangy feta, sweet currants, and toasty pumpkin seeds. A colorful & hearty meal that doesn’t sacrifice on flavor. With all of the great produce this time of year, who really needs turkey and mashed white potatoes? (ok, just kidding, don’t answer that…)

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Roasted Sweet Potato & Cranberry Salad

A hearty salad filled with wheat berries & roasted sweet potatoes tossed with greens & a warming apple cider-cinnamon dressing. A healthy fall side or main.

fall / vegetarian / salads

In one version or another, we’ve probably eaten this salad five times in the last couple of weeks. I know everyone’s sort of hooked on sweet potatoes at the moment, and I guess I’m no different… Two things I love most about sweet potatoes are: 1. They take less strength and finger-losing risk than butternut squash, and 2. Once you pop them in the oven, the house almost instantly smells like Thanksgiving. Now that it’s been a little bit colder here, this has been the perfect soul-warming kind of meal to cozy up to with a bottle of red wine.

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Roasted Beet Salad with Pears and Walnuts

This roasted beet salad gets a pop from tangy feta and balsamic dressing. We love it as a fall starter or packed up for a weekday lunch!

fall / salads / gluten free

Let’s talk about beets, shall we? A hearty root vegetable, they’re available pretty much all year round, but they’re best June through October. I picked up some gorgeous ones at our farmers market last week and decided they would go perfectly with some ripening pears that were sitting on my countertop in this roasted beet salad recipe. To balance all of the sweetness, I added some tangy feta and toasty walnuts. Beet Salad Recipe Tips This sweet & savory fall salad is a delicious starter or meal, but if you’ve never worked with beets before, there are a few things you…

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Sweet Potato & Feta Crostini

Crispy toasts topped with feta, sweet potato, sage, and cranberries make a perfect fall snack or Thanksgiving appetizer. Simple, delicious & vegetarian.

appetizers / fall / holiday

It’s fall and I’ve been madly in love with this combo lately: roasted sweet potatoes, feta, dried cranberries, sage & honey. I like to think I’ve become more creative with my cooking since we started this blog (coming up on one year ago!), but in the past few weeks, I’ve used those 5 ingredients in a slightly different form nearly every single night. I’ve tossed them with kale or spinach as a side dish… mixed them with wheat berries or quinoa for a hearty grain salad… I haven’t made a dessert out of them yet, but I wouldn’t say that’s…

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Roasted Cauliflower Hazelnut Salad

I love eating this spiced cauliflower salad at the holidays. It's filled with juicy pomegranates, crunchy hazelnuts, fresh parsley, and crisp celery.

vegan / gluten free

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the US release of Ottolenghi’s newest book, Jerusalem… So I couldn’t have been more excited the day it showed up on my doorstep last week. I don’t know how you like to approach a new cookbook, but I like to start with a fast flip… trying to devour as much as I can all at one time. Later on during my second pass, I’ll settle down and take in the stories, reading through the recipes much more carefully than I did the first time around… This time I fast-flipped, intently…

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Sesame-Ginger Chickpea Cakes

These vegetarian sesame-ginger chickpea cakes make impressive healthy homemade appetizers. Cilantro lime yogurt sauce adds creamy texture & tons of flavor.

fall / vegetarian

As promised, here is the vegetarian followup to the tuna cakes I posted last week. I used most of the same ingredients (because I happened to have them all leftover)… the end result was pretty different, but delicious just the same. Of course, I really have a soft spot in my heart for panko-crusted anything… With this, I wanted to share a couple of handy tips: 1. Fresh ginger – keep it in the freezer, and grate it as you need it. No thawing required… by the time you grate, it’ll be thawed enough. I love to cook with ginger,…

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Tuna Cakes with Yuzu Yogurt

Make this lightly adapted version of Yotam Ottolenghi's Tuna Cakes with Yuzu Yogurt for an elegant and healthy at-home appetizer.

appetizers / seafood / favorite

I’m a little bit (more) obsessed with Ottolenghi since coming back from London. I’m kicking myself for not picking up a copy of the new cookbook, Jerusalem, while we were there (I didn’t realize it wasn’t out in the US yet and, well, books just aren’t very packable). So last weekend I sat around and bookmarked a whole bunch of recipes from his column on The Guardian. He just has so many unique ideas. This one is going into the category of “I’ll-probably-make-this-over-and-over-until-we’re-entirely-sick-of-eating-it.” You can’t exactly tell from the photo, but it’s like tuna tartare formed into a patty and…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.