Spicy Seared Okra

One of the best okra recipes out there! Simply sautéed with jalapeño, nuts, tomatoes & garlic, okra becomes an addictive dish you won't stop craving.

I realize that it’s Halloween, and okra is not exactly candy. But this simple recipe is so good, you’ll crave it like chocolate. Ok, maybe that’s a stretch, but you’ll crave it nonetheless. Okra is something that’s completely new to me. I’ve been living here in Texas for a while now, but have never been inclined to give this humble vegetable a try until I had it at this summer at Contigo. Their preparation is pretty straightforward: oil, garlic… cook them over high heat so they get that nice char without becoming slimy. The genius part is the way they…

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Mushroom & Edamame Quinoa Fried “Rice”

A veggie- & protein-packed Quinoa Fried Rice from Keys to the Kitchen by Aida Mollenkamp! A healthy, easy vegetarian weeknight dinner. Gluten free.

dairy free / gluten free / keys to the kitchen

Time to get excited – I have another giveaway! Aida Mollenkamp’s new book, Keys to the Kitchen, is a new food bible. I planned to post this yesterday, but the book has so much that summing it up in a post is a nearly impossible task. In fact, it took me about 20 minutes to explain why I love this book to Jack (and I talk fast, so you don’t want to know how long a post that would be). Simply put, the book is beautiful, informative, helpful, and will make anyone, at any skill level, a better cook for…

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Ginger Miso Eggplant Noodles

Crispy tofu, mushrooms, and eggplant are tossed with gluten-free noodles and sweet Asian-inspired sauce to make a healthy weeknight summer dinner. Vegan.

vegan / gluten free / favorite

I know I say this a lot here… but my absolute favorite meals are the ones that became something out of nothing. I realize this doesn’t look like quite nothing – some of you (mom) are thinking this looks like a lot of ingredients to happen to have on hand. But I promise… a half opened thing of mushrooms on one shelf, a couple scallions in the bottom left drawer, and these few poor eggplant counting down their last days… were not exactly screaming “yay dinner” in unison. “Old me” would have left these things aside, and gone to the grocery store…

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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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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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Tahini Zucchini Noodles

Light zucchini noodles are coated in creamy vegan tahini sauce & tossed with kale, baked tofu & crunchy pine nuts. A healthy, gluten-free weeknight dinner.

summer / vegan / gluten free

Let’s just call this a seasonal transitional dish. It’s like wearing shorts with a chunky sweater because you’re not quite sure if you are warm or cold, and most days you’re a little bit of both. This tahini sauce is rich and creamy… while the cold zucchini noodles are on the lighter side. I got the idea from this pin that caught my eye… which led me to the blog Earthsprout, a beautiful raw food blog with some amazing recipes. To be honest, I wasn’t sure Jack was going to be into this one. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a finicky eater, and he…

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Ginger Noodles with Kale & Shiitakes

This noodle bowl is filled with a warm gingery broth & fresh herbs, sautéed shiitakes, kale, garlic & scallions. A healthy dinner in fall or spring. Vegan.

vegan / gluten free

Our vacation was filled with two weeks of unapologetic amounts of cheese, bread, wine, and pastries… so coming home, this is the kind of comforting meal I look forward to… healing Asian foods… shiitake mushrooms, ginger, sesame (and kale just for kale’s sake). This is inspired by a recipe of Heidi’s that I’ve made countless times in a variety of ways. I just love the basic flavor idea – simmering ginger broth kicked up with lime juice, basil, mint, and crushed red pepper flakes. Just because vacation is over doesn’t mean it’s time to eat boring food. I kicked up…

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Miso-Maple Sweet Potato Tacos

These Asian-inspired glazed sweet potato tacos are topped with a creamy cilantro-coconut sauce. Serve them for a healthy meat, dairy, and gluten free meal!

fall / vegan / gluten free

It’s good to be home. We got back from Barcelona late last night… a shower never felt so good, and my bed has never felt so soft. Yet I still woke up around 5am, in the dark, ready to start the day in some other time zone. Hours and multiple cups of coffee later, I’m still in my pajamas, the puppy is in my lap… and I feel like quite the energetic insomniac. Did you happen to see our kitchen tour yesterday? We shot that just before we left for our trip along with this recipe. The heat here in…

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Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Make a batch of these chewy and moist gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, and they'll be gone in no time. One of our favorite treats!

gluten free / dairy free

I’ll be honest, most things I bake don’t make it to the blog. For starters, I don’t bake very often. Our household (not including the dogs), is just 2 of us. And if 12 cookies are made one day, 12 cookies will be gone the next day. When I do bake, I’d call it experimental more than anything else. I can’t bring myself to follow a recipe all the way through without changing at least a few things, sometimes as an attempt to healthify things. Other times, I’m just too lazy to go out and get the exact ingredients. You…

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Green Papaya Salad

Green papaya ribbons tossed with a bright Asian-inspired herb, lime, and lemongrass dressing make a unique and healthy vegetarian meal.

salads / gluten free

I’ve been dreaming of making a green papaya salad for a while now… I just don’t see them (the unripe not-sweet green kind) around too often. A few weekends ago Jack and I ventured out to the MT Supermarket, a ridiculously huge asian market that we’d somehow never been to. If you live here in Austin, have you been there? The only way I can describe it is that it’s maybe the Asian grocery equivalent to IKEA. Super overwhelming… fun but probably only because it was our first time… and make sure you are highly caffeinated before you go. Among other treasures, I came…

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Zucchini Noodles & Avocado-Miso Sauce

Toss your summer zucchini with a gingery avocado sauce, mango, edamame, and toasted almonds to make this light 30-minute dinner. Vegan and gluten free!

vegan / gluten free

I was on a raw (well raw-ish) kick last week. Lately, I’ve been trying to eat lighter, and a bit healthier… less heavy starches, that sort of thing. I’ve been feeling really low-energy, so I’m trying to eat more veggie-focused meals and to incorporate healing foods like miso, hemp seed, and ginger. I love zucchini noodles because they really trick the senses and make you feel like you’re eating more than a bowl full of raw vegetables. Don’t get me wrong – they’re not pasta, but they have a nice tender bite that I find to be reminiscent of an al…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.