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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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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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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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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Edamame Dumplings

These homemade dumplings filled with edamame, basil, ginger, miso & tahini make a delicious 30-minute vegan dinner! Perfect for spring & summer weeknights.

dairy free

Somehow we ended up with a lot of photos for this one… so with that, I’m going to keep the words short. Our countdown continues… just 2 days until our trip and many many errands left to go. Thanks to everyone who left such thoughtful comments and suggestions the other day; it’s been such a huge help. This recipe was the first one I bookmarked in the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook. I realize we’ve already posted about their beautiful book before… Funny thing is that I actually made this with no intentions of photographing it… but then it was just looking so pretty… and then of…

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Peach & Pesto Crostini

Serve these crostini as a summer vegetarian appetizer. Sweet grilled peaches atop crisp bread & fresh mint pesto will have everyone going back for seconds.

summer / appetizers

I feel fall suddenly coming on. We went for a walk last night after dinner and Jack made fun of me for putting a sweater on. But really, after living here so long, I think I can consider 75 degrees a “cold front.” While the break from the heat is a welcomed one, I can’t say that I’m quite ready for summer to end. I see sweet potatoes and butternut squashes starting to come in… there will be time for those… but for now I’m savoring the last of the good summer produce. This was probably my favorite salad of…

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Fig & Arugula Flatbread

Topped with fresh figs, pine nuts, arugula & creamy almond-lemon spread, this healthy flatbread makes a sweet & savory late summer appetizer or entree.

summer / vegan

I was really excited to see figs pop out at our farmers market. I feel like fig season is so short… I can never show up at the store expecting figs to be there on any given day, so I just snatch them up when I see them. That night I put together this simple flatbread… a no-fuss, no-oven, casual Saturday dinner that we shared with nice summery white wine. Oh, and by the way, we’re becoming old people this summer. We’re the old married couple that strolls to the farmers market early on Saturday mornings. The old married couple…

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Roasted Shishito Peppers

Serve these spicy roasted shishito peppers as a fun & healthy appetizer for your next summer cookout! Peanut and miso dipping sauces up the fun & flavor.

summer / vegan

Before this year, I don’t think we even knew shishito peppers existed. Now we can’t get enough of them. They seem to be on the menu of nearly every restaurant we frequent and we’ve ordered them countless times… finally, I started making them at home. And I’ll tell you, they are just as good. And as with any simple vegetable preparation, the goodness is likely due to the fact that we’ve had really amazing ones available to us all summer long at our farmers markets. The fun thing about eating these mildly sweet peppers is the fearful anticipation that you’ll…

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Peach Salsa Tostadas

These easy, flexible tostadas make a fun weeknight summer dinner or party dish! Crispy corn tortillas with sweet & tangy fixings are gluten & meat free.

summer / gluten free

I know, peaches 2 posts in a row… I usually try to mix it up a bit more, but I just had so many peaches left over after that salad. I had never grilled peaches before so I got tons extra “just in case.” And like always, when I plan for the worst (which is almost never), things work out. So last night we finished off the last of those peaches with these yummy black bean tostadas with peach salsa. And speaking of awesome planning, we’re headed to the airport in a little while (off to Chicago), and I’m scrambling.…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.