Healthy Winter Squash Recipes

fall / winter / recipe roundup

Are you feeling as stuffed as I am? This year we actually celebrated Thanksgiving a week early with Jack’s family – yet I’m still full from his mom’s amazing apple pie and the leftovers we’ve been snacking on all week. This weekend, I’m craving food that’s a little bit healthier but still comforting and delicious so I thought I’d share just a few ideas: Butternut Squash & Leek Risotto (pictured) Spaghetti Squash with Chickpeas & Kale (pictured) Butternut Squash & Tart Cherry Quinoa Sweet Potato Pomegranate Salad Roasted Acorn Squash with Pears and Miso Dressing from Edible Perspective Sweet Potato Ravioli with Kale Pesto from The First…

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kitchen gift guides with Keep

gift guides / holiday 2014

It’s getting to be that time of year again. I don’t know about you but I’m the laziest holiday shopper ever. In fact, Black Friday crowds at the mall might be one of my biggest phobias (followed by cruise boats and pulp, in case you were curious). If you’re anything like me, you’re going to love using Keep. Here’s how it works – you set up a profile and curate Collections. I’ve filled mine with tons of my favorite food and kitchen finds (the items pictured here & more). You can follow me and I’ll follow you, and together we’ll inspire each other…

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Sweet Potato Avocado Salad (& video!)

salads / gluten free / sweet potatoes

Check it out – a video! We recently partnered with the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission to create videos about one of my favorite foods – the sweet potato. Here’s a recipe that will start to get you in the mood for fall, but is still light and fresh. Below are a few of my favorite screenshots. Scroll down (or click the image above) for the video. Special thanks to Rightfrog Productions for the video work!

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Mango Habanero Black Bean Tacos

Mango & habanero make the BEST addition to these easy black bean tacos. Sweet, spicy & just 10 ingredients, they're a fresh, fun weeknight dinner.

vegan / gluten free-option / summer

I love a good mango salsa. (I mean, who doesn’t?) It’s so fun and versatile – some of my favorite additions have been roasted jalapeños, smoked paprika, diced avocado, and even sesame & ginger. Today, I’m stirring in some mango habanero jam to make a sweet, juicy, and spicy filling for easy black bean tacos. These black bean tacos really couldn’t be easier – just chop and mix your ingredients – salsa, avocado, black beans, etc., and stuff them into a tortilla. (Add cheese if you want, but these are plenty flavorful without). Black Bean Tacos Variations If you can’t get your hands on a good mango…

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Red & White Summer Wines

wine / summer / entertaining

Happy almost 4th of July! Jack and I just got back from a long week in Chicago so didn’t have time to get my flag-cake on… (not that I’ve ever made a flag cake, but there’s always next year). Since the internet seems to be blowing up with food coloring, I thought I’d take a different approach to “red and white” and share a few of my favorite summer wines. These are all very food-friendly. I’ve made some pairing suggestions but, really, they’re very versatile – perfect for any weekend picnic or cookout. (Also, they’re all under $20). Available at…

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Dinner Party w/ The Yellow Table

summer / entertaining / The Yellow Table Cookbook

When someone asks you if they can come over and throw a dinner party for you and your friends, you say yes. Resoundingly, yes. To be honest, I struggle with throwing dinner parties – they’re a LOT of work and at the end of each one I always say to Jack “let’s just meet friends at a restaurant next time.” My friend Anna – from The Yellow Table – however, is a pro. She’s on a mission to make this year “the year of the dinner party.” She just spent a month driving from NYC to LA throwing 8 (EIGHT!) dinner…

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A Trip to New York with Samsung

Join me in New York to preview some amazing appliances at the Samsung Living Atelier and chat with some pretty major Michelin star chefs.

travel / samsung living atelier

This past week, Samsung flew me out to New York as part of their Club de Chefs collaboration. I had the opportunity to preview some amazing appliances at the Samsung Living Atelier (like a pop up shop), and chat with some pretty major Michelin star chefs. Along with fellow bloggers, I had the chance to sit down and chat with Éric Fréchon of the restaurant at the Hôtel Le Bristol in Paris, Christopher Kostow of The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa, Michel Troisgros of La Maison Troisgros in Roanne, and (surprise chef!), Daniel Boulud of the restaurant Daniel. They were…

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Summer recipes & some link love

recipe roundup / summer

Happy Friday! I don’t usually do link-y posts like this, but there’s been a lot going on lately – here are just a few tidbits I wanted to share! I wrote this fun guest post on A Couple Cooks about food & design. Check it out if you’re in need of some inspiration to get your creative (green) juices flowing. It’s always a good mail week when, not one, but two cookbooks I’ve been excited about arrive at my door. (Stay tuned next week for some sneak peaks) – The Homemade Flour Cookbook by Erin of Naturally Ella – Vibrant Food by Kimberley of The…

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Austin Food & Wine: Jodi Elliott

Here's a little interview I did with Bribery's Jodi Elliott. In 2013, she was named Food & Wine's People's Best New Pastry Chef.

austin food and wine festival / chef interviews

By the end of this weekend I’ll be craving a big kale salad, but for now – the Austin Food & Wine Festival continues. Here’s a little interview I did with pastry chef Jodi Elliott. Last year, she was named Food & Wine’s People’s Best New Pastry Chef. This year, she’s opening a bakery & dessert bar called Bribery – I can hardly wait!  Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Let’s see – I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. I went to the CIA in Hyde Park, NY when I was 19 yrs. old!…

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Dukkah Spiced Yogurt Dip

Learn how to make dukkah with this simple recipe! It's a delicious way to spice up a yogurt dip, hummus, toast, and more!

appetizers / vegetarian / gluten free-option

My Dukkah Recipe Inspiration I recently contributed this dukkah recipe to Food 52’s Small Batch series. When they first suggested it, I had to look up how to (authentically) make it. It turns out — there’s no one way. The word dukkah literally means “to pound” and it generally consists of hazelnuts, sesame seeds, and a few whole dried spices. To me, this was the perfect opportunity to use up the nuts and spices I had just cleaned out of my pantry shelves. (Specifically, the ones that didn’t fit when I transferred them from little bags to little jars). Along with the…

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Cold Sesame Noodles w/ Kale & Shiitakes

I may call this a noodle salad, but secretly it's a kale salad, too. Made with sesame dressing and lots of sturdy veggies, it's perfect packed for lunch.

salads / vegan / gluten free

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I think Monday lunch is the most important meal of the week. If I’ve destroyed myself indulged a little too much over the weekend, I like to recover with a good healthy Monday lunch. Start the week off right, and it’s easier to make healthier choices throughout the week. I’m also trying to make more meals in advance (I’m hoping these kinds of recipes are helpful for you too). This is a noodle salad, but secretly there’s a kale salad hidden in here as well. I like to…

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.

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