Maki Sushi Recipe

Fun & fresh maki sushi rolls made with brown rice, roasted shiitakes, cabbage, cucumber, avocado, and a tangy carrot-ginger dipping sauce.

It’s sushi day! You might be wondering – why the heck would you roll sushi at home when it’s so much easier to order it at a restaurant? Because this maki sushi recipe is fun, affordable, and way more fresh than take-out sushi… but the best part is that you can get creative about what you choose to fill your rolls with. No more cucumber-only veggie sushi rolls! These maki sushi rolls are filled with savory roasted shiitake mushrooms, avocado, cucumber, and red cabbage for crunch & color. There’s also a fun dipping sauce – the carrot ginger dressing from…

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Kale Salad

The BEST kale salad recipe! It's packed with colorful vegetables, crispy chickpeas, avocado, cranberries, and pepitas. Great for lunch!

vegetarian / salads

Kale salad recipes aren’t as trendy as they used to be, but I’m still making them, and I think you should be too. My case in point is this kale salad recipe, which, if I do say so myself, is one of the most delicious ways to eat kale. A vibrant carrot ginger dressing coats the tender leafy greens, and roasted chickpeas, colorful veggies, and avocado add lots of contrasting textures. I love to serve it as a side dish because it pairs well with almost any meal, but it’s also hearty enough to pass as a standalone lunch. The sturdy…

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Baked Feta

This 10-ingredient baked feta recipe is simple, healthy, and delicious. Cooked in a cumin-spiced tomato sauce, it's a fantastic appetizer or meal!

dinner / vegetarian

This baked feta recipe is the definition of a low-effort, high-reward dish. It calls for 10 simple ingredients. It comes together in one pan. And it’s ready in under 30 minutes. But it’s still packed with restaurant-worthy flavor. Tangy planks of feta cheese bake in a cumin-spiced tomato sauce filled with chickpeas and kale. Just add some warm pita for scooping it all up, and you have a perfect weeknight dinner or easy appetizer. I think pretty much all of us tried the baked feta pasta with cherry tomatoes that went viral a few years back, but personally, I like this…

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Roasted Cauliflower Salad

Dried apricots, olives, and toasted nuts fill this cauliflower salad with contrasting textures and flavors. A delicious side dish or make-ahead lunch!

salads / vegan / gluten free

This roasted cauliflower salad will brighten up any winter day! At least, that’s what I tell myself as I seriously consider getting one of those vitamin D lamps. Have any of you ever tried one? These 4:30 Chicago sunsets really take some getting used to. Anyway, back to the cauliflower salad! I was going to save this recipe to post in January. You know, once everyone wants to get healthy and eat vegetables again… but then I realized that you’re all here because you love vegetables, holidays or not! This hearty cauliflower salad could double as a holiday side dish…

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Roasted Delicata Squash & Creamy Blue Cheese Sauce

Delicata is my favorite winter squash, and this tangy/funky vegetarian side shows why. The squash is sweet, meaty, and, best of all, requires no peeling!

fall / side dishes / gluten free

Happy Saturday! I’m popping in today to share one more fall squash recipe that would make for a tasty Thanksgiving side dish (or a tasty any-dinner side dish if you don’t celebrate T-giving!). This one is a little bit different for me because I haven’t been a big fan of blue cheese. That is, until a few weeks ago, when Jack and I shared a squash dish with blue cheese at the Publican (here in Chicago) that I was completely enamored with. The pairing of sweet roasted squash with tangy cabbage, pops of sweet currants, and a base of a…

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Kale & Olive Oil Vegan Mashed Potatoes

This rustic vegan mashed potatoes recipe is made with olive oil, rosemary, garlic, scallions, and kale. A delicious, easy vegetarian holiday side dish!

vegan / gluten free / side dishes

Thanksgiving is next week, but I’ve been eating mashed potatoes for a while now because blogging life means eating holiday recipes early! I first made these vegan mashed potatoes for a family dinner a few weeks ago. While I was in the kitchen mashing stuff in a bowl, my brother-in-law came over and asked, “What’s in the mashed potatoes?” I said, “Potatoes…” and he said, “No, I mean, what’s the ‘potato’…is it cauliflower…is it parsnips?” He knows me so well. It dawned on me how rarely I make actual potatoes, but we’re changing that today. This Thanksgiving our potatoes are…

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Pomegranate Salad with Cider Dressing

This gorgeous pomegranate salad is perfect for the holiday season! Filled with a cornucopia of colorful produce, it's a fresh, festive side dish.

fall / salads / vegetarian

This pomegranate salad recipe is the perfect way to add a little color to any fall or winter meal. As we approach Thanksgiving, I feel like foods become more and more brown. I know – we all love cheesy, bready things, but if I’ve found one calling in life (er.. in blog-life), it’s to find and bring forth the colorful foods of every season. Here, I pack as many as I can into one stunning salad. This pomegranate salad has apples and squash, onions and greens, carrots and kohlrabi, and pomegranates, of course! We flipping love pomegranates. They add vibrancy…

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Pesto Havarti Macaroni

This creamy havarti macaroni recipe uses under 10 ingredients, so it's super easy to make. I add dollops of pesto and peas to brighten it up.

As I was planning what to post this fall, I realized that I’d never shared an easy stovetop macaroni recipe. Growing up, my sister and I devoured mac and cheese out of the box, and these days, I still enjoy good homemade macaroni on occasion. It was high time I shared a recipe here. Luckily for me, the Two Peas & Their Pod Cookbook just came out. I’ve been friends with Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod for years so I couldn’t be more excited for her book to arrive! It’s full of nourishing, easy-to-make recipes that are all family-friendly, plus…

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BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich

These BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches are the ultimate party food. They're easy to make ahead and have wonderful meaty texture and spicy/smoky flavor.

vegan / dinner

This BBQ jackfruit pulled pork recipe has been a long time coming. Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten SO many requests for jackfruit recipes. It took me a little time to get this one just right, but here we are! These guys are meaty, juicy, smoky, a little spicy… and a total mess to eat, but isn’t that what saucy sandwiches are all about? If you’ve never cooked with jackfruit before, it’s a funny-looking fruit that most commonly grows in Africa, Asia, and South America. Though I’ve never had ripe jackfruit, it’s said to have a sweet flavor…

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Watermelon Tomato Salad

Hot days call for hot food, and this spicy watermelon tomato salad is the perfect grilling side! A punchy ginger dressing ties it all together.

summer / salads / vegan

I hope you have lots of tomatoes. Why? Because I have a really great watermelon tomato salad for you! This one is completely different from Tuesday’s tomato salad – it’s really quick and full of spicy/sweet/savory/tangy flavor. You may recognize the gingery tamari-lime dressing from the cookbook and also from these rice bowls. It’s so perfect here because the contrasting flavors really make the sweetness of the watermelon pop. This is the salad that I’ll be eating until summer is over because it’s just so delicious and refreshing. Watermelon Tomato Salad Ingredients And speaking of pop – this one is…

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Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad

This Israeli couscous salad recipe is packed with raw & roasted cherry tomatoes, feta, chickpeas & herbs. Perfect for a picnic or packing for lunch!

summer / salads

Whenever I’m styling (and eating) something as herb-heavy as this Israeli couscous salad, I start to wonder if a year-round indoor herb garden is possible. I love having a ton of fresh herbs right outside my door, and I’m really going to miss them when they’re gone. They’re so delicious in summer recipes like this couscous salad, and they’re oh so PRETTY. I often get asked about my food photography/styling tips and my best tip is always: Whatever dish you have, smother it in herbs! Aside from lots of fresh thyme and basil, this couscous salad recipe is all about…

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