December is the season of cookies and champagne and lots and lots of cheese. Everyone has their own favorite food traditions this month. I indulge in Bailey’s-spiked hot chocolate with real whipped cream, in two slices of cranberry-vanilla coffee cake on Christmas morning, and in the truly excellent gouda my grandfather sometimes brings to our house. This year we are headed to Munich and Brussels around Christmastime, so I expect there will also be Belgian waffles, glühwein, pretzels, and lots of yummy Belgian beer. I try not to feel guilty about these indulgences – it’s part of the season! – but I do find myself strongly craving vegetables after a few days of heavy meals. Of course, it’s freezing cold in Boston, so the vegetables still have to be warm and comforting, which is where grain bowls save the day.

Grain bowls are a pretty regular feature of our weekly menu. Usually they are a pretty basic affair. Roast brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are a staple, along with a few pieces of whatever cheese we have sitting in the fridge. There is maybe a dollop of hummus that serves as dressing and a handful of greens. The grain itself is whatever we have on hand – usually farro or rice. These grain bowls are always satisfying, but they aren’t always cohesive – it’s just a mess of stuff I like to eat on one plate. So every once in a while, I like to put a little more thought into how the components of the bowl will go together. Recently, we made a Middle-Eastern inflected grain bowl that came out so well that I thought it was worth sharing here (as well as documenting for myself!).

This grain bowl has a lot of goodness in it. Spicy honey-cinnamon roast sweet potatoes. Cumin-scented roast cauliflower with sticky dates. Crispy brussels sprouts. To pull it together there’s a tangy tahini-yogurt sauce, creamy goat cheese, and jewel-like pomegranate seeds. Each individual component is highly flavorful – the sweet and spicy sweet potatoes in particular are addictive. All together in one bowl each component enhances the others, for a warming, slightly exotic meal. Plus, if you double up on the quantities below you’ll have plenty of leftovers to see you through the week.

Middle-Eastern Grain Bowl with Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower

A step above your average throw-it-all-together grain bowl. This recipe combines honey-cinnamon-roasted sweet potatoes with cumin-spiced cauliflower and tahini dressing for a Middle-Eastern inflected grain bowl.

Cauliflower recipe is adapted from Dining In. 

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 2-3

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dry farro

For the sweet potatoes:

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 TBS honey
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the cauliflower and brussels sprouts:

• 1 head of cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
• 20–30 brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed, cut in half
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 1 tsp whole cumin seed
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 8 dates, halved

For the dressing:

• 3 TBS tahini
• 3 TBS plain Greek yogurt or skyr (the tangier the better!)
• 1 TBS honey
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Toppings/other:

• Several handfuls fresh baby spinach
• 2 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• Arils from 1/2 a pomegranate, about 1/2 cup

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the farro. Cook until al dente, about 20-25 minutes. Drain farro and set aside.
2. For the sweet potatoes: whisk the olive oil, honey, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Add the sweet potato wedges and toss to completely coat with the honey-olive oil mixture. Spread the sweet potatoes out on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast until very tender, about 25-30 minutes.
3. For the cauliflower: in the same bowl you used for the sweet potatoes, whisk together the olive oil, cumin seed, salt, and pepper. Add the cauliflower florets and toss, making sure to thoroughly coat the tops of each floret with the olive oil mixture. Add the halved brussels sprouts to the bowl and toss to coat. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until the vegetables are tender in the middle and crispy on the edges, about 30 minutes. About 10 minutes, before the vegetables are done, add the halved dates to the roasting pan so that they roast slightly (they will get a little bit more sticky and caramelized).
4. For the bowls: whisk all dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth, then adjust seasoning to taste. Divide the cooked farro and the baby spinach between two bowls. Top each bowl with several roast sweet potato wedges, pieces of cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Crumble goat cheese on top of the bowls, then sprinkle with pomegranate arils. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

Notes

All the cooked ingredients have approximately the same cooking time, meaning if you start the farro at the same time as you put the vegetables in the oven, everything will be ready almost at once.

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Four years ago, we spent two weeks in Italy in the beginning of May. It was our first “adult” vacation, and we ate and drank our way through Rome, Florence, and the Maremma. Rome is a city that is easy to fall in love with, especially in May. Jasmine tumbles over seemingly every stone wall, its fragrance completely filling the city. The weather is sunny and dry but not too hot, perfect for sundresses and gelato and walking along the river. Nights are cool and you can eat al fresco, sipping on chilled Pinot Grigio and tucking into plates of cacio e pepe. While parts of Rome are perpetually jammed with tourists, if you move just a little outside the tourist track you’ll begin to feel the heartbeat of a thriving, modern city.

While we were there, we visited a farmer’s market and loaded up on pecorino cheese, the first tiny strawberries of the season, truffled sausage, and fava beans. We brought our bounty to the Pincio gardens, where we picnicked amid throngs of people watching the sunset over the Piazza del Popolo. The simplicity and freshness and ambiance of that meal has stuck with me more than any almost any other meal in Italy.

Eating fresh fava beans with chunks of pecorino cheese is a Roman tradition with a long history. In Rome, the custom is to eat them just as we did – a freshly shucked bean, a slice of pecorino, and perhaps a chunk of crusty bread. It’s a nearly perfect pairing, perhaps improved only by a glass of stony Italian white wine.

Recipe #2 in fava bean week takes it’s inspiration from that pairing. It’s a simple variation on everyone’s favorite breakfast – avocado toast. I’ve heard some report that this trend is on its way out, but I refuse to believe this. It’s the perfect breakfast, how could it be a fad? Maybe that’s just my millennial showing. I do have a pair of salmon (ahem, millennial) pink pants, after all. The addition of fava beans and pecorino to avocado toast is not a gratuitous change. The creamy and subtle sweetness of the avocado mellows the sharpness of the fava beans and the cheese, while the slight crunch of the beans adds some texture to your toast. I mash the fava beans with a hint of meyer lemon zest and a little olive oil, pressing them just enough so that they won’t fall off the bread.

More Fava Bean Recipes…

Fava Bean Soup with Mascarpone, Mint, and Pancetta

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Avocado Toast with Fava Beans and Pecorino

Serves 1.

• 1 slice of Italian or French bread, toasted
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1/3 cup of fresh fava beans, shucked and peeled
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 TBS of pecorino cheese shavings
• zest of 1/2 a  small Meyer lemon
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. Slice or slightly mash the avocado and spread on top of the toasted bread. In a small bowl, mix together the fava beans, olive oil, pecorino cheese and Meyer lemon zest. Gently smash the fava beans with the back of a fork, just enough to break up the beans. Spread the fava beans on top of the avocado toast, pressing gently to keep the beans from falling off the toast. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and eat!

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I recently discovered two things. First, Cara Cara oranges. Have you ever had one? They’re amazing. Whoever invented orange-flavored candies was definitely inspired by these guys. They are so much sweeter, juicier, and just more wonderful than regular oranges, and they’re a beautiful pink color inside, too. Although I usually associate citrus with January and February, Cara Caras seem to just be hitting their peak season now. At least, Wholefoods is full of them: no ramps or fava beans, just a lot of oranges. Although to be honest, I think my expectations for the seasonal produce that should be available in April have always been a little out of touch with reality. It was snowing two weeks ago, after all.

Writing the above paragraph has sent me down an internet rabbit hole looking for orange trees online. Because wouldn’t a Cara Cara orange tree be the perfect addition to our collection of trees that you probably shouldn’t try and grow in Boston? Our impulse-tree-purchase rate is way up this month anyways – last weekend alone we bought an olive tree and a coral bark Japanese Maple. What would harm could one more citrus tree do?

The second thing I discovered is that I’ve been cooking asparagus wrong. My standard cooking method for most vegetables is this: douse liberally with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, roast at 400°F until nicely charred. I like my roasted vegetables to be borderline carcinogenic. Especially brussels sprouts – I love the way the leaves get translucent and crunchy. Unfortunately, this method has left me unsatisfied when it comes to asparagus. If you roast asparagus even a little bit too long, it becomes stringy and mushy. So I recently tried a recipe in Diana Henry’s Simple which calls for you to lightly steam the asparagus by putting the thick ends in an inch or two of simmering water and pushing the tips just below the edge of the pot, without putting the whole stalk underwater. You only cook the asparagus for a few minutes, until they’re bright green, then drain immediately. This method resulted in asparagus that was fresh, tender, and perfectly cooked without being limp or mushy or stringy. Success!

In this recipe I’ve brought these two April delicacies together in – surprise! – a bowl. I just like things better when they’re in bowl form, OK? It’s a trend that makes me eat my vegetables. I’ve built on the Diana Henry recipe I mentioned above, which served the steamed asparagus with goat cheese and lemon butter, to build a warm bowl that screams spring. The base of the bowl is Israeli Couscous tossed with butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest while the couscous is still warm. Adding spinach, steamed asparagus, goat cheese, the lovely Cara Cara oranges, and shelled pistachios makes a healthy spring dinner that is complete and satisfying.

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Lemony Israeli Couscous with Asparagus, Oranges, and Goat Cheese

Inspired by Simple. Serves 2.

• 1 cup of uncooked Israeli couscous
• 2 TBS butter
• zest and juice of half a lemon
• black pepper
• 1/2 pound of asparagus
• 3 oz. of baby spinach
• 1 Cara Cara orange, peeled and supremed (cut into segments)
• 3 oz. soft goat cheese, cut into slices
• 1/4 cup of shelled pistachios

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat (the pot should be slightly less wide than the length of your asparagus stalks). Add the couscous to the boiling water and stir. Cook until tender and chewy, about 5-7 minutes, then drain. Transfer to a bowl and add the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and black pepper while couscous is warm. Stir until the couscous is evenly coated with the lemon butter and set aside.
2. Add about 2 inches of water to the pot and return to the stove. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Prepare the asparagus by snapping or trimming off the thick woody end of each stalk, usually about the bottom 1 inch. (You can gently bend the asparagus to find the natural breaking point as a guide). Place the thick end of the stalks in the simmering water in the bottom of the pot. Gently bend the asparagus so the tips are resting just inside the pot but aren’t submerged in the water, so they will steam but not boil. Cook the asparagus in this way until bright green, which should take about 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of your asparagus. Remove from the heat, drain, and run under cold water for 60 seconds to stop the cooking process.
3. To assemble the salads, divide the couscous and spinach between two bowls. Top with asparagus, orange segments, goat cheese, and pistachios. Serve warm.

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I’ve been running for most of my life. I started training for the cross-country team when I was 13 and never stopped. Ten miles a week, 52 weeks a year, and 15 years later I’ve run at least 8,000 miles. Probably more like 10,000 when you factor in the long runs, the half marathons, the heavy training periods.

When we were in high school, our coach used to read aloud to us from Once A Runner, to psych us up before races. I’ve never actually read the book, but the title echoes through my head all the time – it resonates. Running is such an essential part of who I am. It’s when I’m running that I feel most like myself, most in tune with my own thoughts. It’s my quiet time, the time when I allow my thoughts to spin unstructured through my mind and let them sort themselves out. When I’m angry I come back calm, and when I’m tired I come back reinvigorated. I’ve made my most difficult decisions in the space of 4 miles without even realizing I was making them.

Running has also taken me to corners of the world where I’d never find myself otherwise. Sunrise runs in Dublin along the quiet banks of the grand canal, past medeival cathedrals and castles. Hot, impossibly humid runs in Hong Kong along an elevated running track in the jungle, looking straight into the tops of skyscrapers. Just a month ago, we set out from Evora into the Alentejan countryside and found ourselves on a dirt path, running through olive and cork groves. It’s the most amazing way to explore somewhere new.

Don’t get me wrong – there are times when running is an absolute slog. When it’s hot and hard to breathe and I heave myself around the streets feeling like I weigh 100 pounds more than I do. But it’s not those times that keep me coming back. It’s the times when it’s cool and quiet and I feel strong and light. It’s the feeling of strength in my legs as my feet bounce repeatedly off the pavement. The sound of my breath in my chest, even and heavy, condensing in clouds around my face when it’s cold. The moment when I hit the second mile, which is always faster, looser than the first.

That steadiness, that strength and clarity, that feeling of self is why I keep running. It’s why I pull on fleece-lined leggings when there’s a wind chill of 0°F. Why I groggily lace up my shoes before dawn and run through the sunrise before my mind is even awake. Why I push through the awful runs and anticipate the great ones. Like they say, once a runner.

I’m writing this as part of my #EatSmarterMoveMore resolution this year. The “eat smart” part is so important to being able to feel good on a run. Running requires fuel – a mix of protein and carbohydrates – and nothing too heavy or rich. My parents used to host dinners for our team the night before we raced, and the living room would fill with skinny teenage girls who ate bowl after bowl of soup and homemade bread. Now that we’re getting into spring running, when the sidewalks are free of ice and my fingers don’t freeze during the first mile, I’m craving light, bright flavors as fuel. So I put together a falafel salad, dressed up for spring with bright, crunchy asparagus and carrot pickles, pistachios, feta and a green herb aioli.

I’ve posted falafel recipes before – it was one of my first posts ever, and I shared this healthy Baked Herb and Pistachio Falafel from Green Kitchen Stories. But to be honest, baked falafel is just not the same. I don’t deep fry mine, I just pan fry them in a little olive oil, which works beautifully. I’ve also started using a 50-50 mix of fava beans and chickpeas, which gives the falafel more flavor and heft.

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Spring Falafel Salad

Serves 4.

• 5 oz. baby spinach leaves
• 3 oz. swiss chard leaves, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 recipe Fava Bean and Chickpea Falafel, recipe below
• 1 cup roughly chopped Spring Pickles, recipe below
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3/4 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup Fresh Herb Aioli

1. Mix spinach and chard leave together and divide between four bowls. Top each bowl with 4-5 pieces of falafel, 1/4 cup of spring pickles, 2 tablespoons of feta cheese, and 3 tabplesoons of chopped pistachios. Drizzle a few tablespoons of aioli on top of each bowl and serve.

Fava Bean and Chickpea Falafel

Adapted loosely from Epicurious. Serves 4.

• 1/2 onion, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1 c. cooked fava beans (originally dried)
• 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 TBS flour
• 1/4 cup olive oil, for frying

1. Add onion, garlic, half of the chickpeas, half of the fava beans, and the parsley leaves to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely and evenly chopped, but not quite a paste. Add the remaining chickpeas and fava beans to the food processor, and pulse a few times more – most of the mixture should be smooth with a few larger pieces of bean left intact.
2. Scrape the bean mixture into a bowl and stir in the ground cumin, ground coriander, sea salt, and baking powder until evenly mixed. Add the flour and stir. Form a small ball of dough with your hands – if the dough comes together easily without sticking to your hands, it’s ready. If not, add another 1 to 2 TBS of flour. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
3. When ready to cook, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Form the falafel dough into balls roughly the size of a golf ball. Add 5 or 6 of the falafel to the pan and fry until deep golden brown on each side, using tongs to gently turn them as each side cooks. Each batch of falafel will take 5-7 minutes to cook completely. Use tongs to remove the falafel to a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat until you have cooked all of the falafel. Serve immediately.

Spring Pickles – Asparagus, Carrot, Radish, and Swiss Chard

Adapted from Splendid Table. Makes 2 quarts of pickles.

• 10 thin spring carrots
• 20 pencil-thin stalks of asparagus
• 8 swiss chard stems
• 10-12 radishes
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 cups of white wine vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups of water
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1/4 cup of kosher salt
• 1 TBS dill seeds

1. Bring a large pot water to a boil. Thoroughly clean two quart-size canning jars and fill with very hot water. Set aside.
2. Cut the greens from the carrots and discard or reserve for another use. Wash the carrots. If the carrots are thinner than a sharpie marker, leave whole (cutting in half cross-wise only if they are taller than your pickling jars). If they are much thicker, cut them in half lengthwise. When the water is boiling, add the carrots to the water and blanch for 1-2 minutes, then drain them and run the carrots under cold water for 1-2 minutes.
3. Wash the asparagus stalks and cut in half cross-wise. Wash the chard stems and slice in half length-wise. All of your long vegetables (carrots, asparagus, chard stems) should be roughly the same length and width. Wash the radishes and cut in half.
4. Empty the canning jars of the hot water. Divide the vegetables between the two jars, standing the long vegetables up inside the jars and filling the gaps in with radishes. Add some of the garlic slices to each jar. Pack the jars as full as you can, and make them pretty!
5. Add the white wine vinegar, 2 1/2 cups of water, honey, kosher salt, and dill seeds to a small saucepan. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and simmer for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Using a funnel if you have one, pour the hot pickling liquid into the jars over the vegetables. The pickling liquid should come all the way to the top of the vegetables. Let jars cool on the counter for 20-30 minutes before capping and refrigerating them. Refrigerate for at least 2 days before serving.

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I’ve been making homemade chicken stock pretty much since I started cooking. In college, it was just an economical way to stretch a $5 rotiserrie chicken. The problem is, I never graduated from my original technique: take all of the meat off a rotisserie chicken and reserve for another use; toss chicken carcass into giant pot with a halved onion, a carrot or two, and a stalk of celery; fill giant pot with water; simmer for hours; strain and freeze. The result of that method is certainly broth, it’s just not that good. Cloudy, thinly flavored, and a little gray – it’s fine for adding to a stew or sauce but certainly not something I would sip on it’s own.

It wasn’t until I spent six weeks in Asia last winter that I discovered that good stocks and broths aren’t only the backbone of a soup or a sauce, but culinary achievements in and of themselves. Of course, I knew this before going to Asia – I consume enough food literature to know that a good broth should stand on its own, needing no other embellishment to be enjoyed. But I didn’t really internalize how good a broth could be until I’d experienced the dumpling soups in Hong Kong, which consisted of broth, dumplings, maybe a few noodles, and that was it. No veggies floating around in these soups, or creams to thicken them, or salty slices of kielbasa. Then we moved on to Japan and consumed ramen for basically every other meal. There, broth took on another dimension of deliciousness – although for ramen it’s not so much about clarity and purity as it is about richness and salt.

Since coming home, over a year ago now, I have been pouring my heart and soul into making a perfect homemade chicken stock. I know precisely what I want to achieve: a stock that’s golden, clear, richly flavored, with just enough fat to lightly coat your mouth after a spoonful. I’ve been doing lots of research, and experimenting, and taking detailed notes on each batch.

After a recent batch, which I always seem to be putting away boiling hot at 10pm on Sunday night, Trevor looked and me and said “I can’t believe you make stock every weekend.”

“Not every weekend,” I corrected him. “But often,” he said. “It’s not like you tried it once and said ‘yep, I’ve made stock.’ You’re more like a Russian grandmother: ‘on Sundays I make stock, to feed the family and use up the chickens'”

That’s pretty much the long and the short of it.

Despite Trevor’s teasing, I persevered, and after a year of testing, I think I have it down. I’ve learned a lot of lessons on the way, helped by the notes and trials of more experienced chefs. Serious Eats taught me to cut my vegetables into small pieces instead of throwing them into the pot in chunks. Vietnamese Home Cooking taught me to blanch and rinse the chicken before starting the stock itself and to keep it at a low simmer to prevent cloudiness. I learned through trial and error that a 50/50 mixture of chicken backs and drumsticks or legs makes for the best balance of flavor, body, and affordability.

As far as aromatics, in my opinion, it’s the more the merrier. I always use 5 core vegetables: onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and one hot chile pepper. Beyond that, I’ve experimented with rosemary, parsley stems, shiitake mushroom stems, ginger, lemongrass and leeks. I find that the flavor only gets richer and more interesting the more I add. I always salt the broth at the beginning, which some experts say is a no-no, but I think it makes a big difference in the final flavor. And I use about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken for every quart of stock I want.

How I ever got any flavor out of a skimpy, already roasted, 1 pound chicken carcass without any meat beats me, especially since I was drowning it in a giant stockpot of water. I suppose I’m just glad that now I know better! Do you have any tips for making great homemade chicken stock? Although I’ve come a long way, I’d love to hear them. I’ll keep the recipe below updated as I find new tricks, but a year’s worth of testing went into it so far, so I can vouch that it’s a very solid recipe.

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Perfect Homemade Chicken Stock

Makes 3 quarts of stock.

• 2 lb. chicken backs or carcasses
• 2 lb. chicken drumsticks or legs
• 5 quarts of water
• 2 onions, skins on, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 3 carrots, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 3 stalks of celery, rinsed well, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 dried hot chile
• 6 cloves of garlic, cut in half
• 1 bunch of parsley stems
• Optional additions: handful of clean shiitake mushroom stems, 1 inch peeled and sliced fresh ginger, 2 sprigs rosemary, 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 TBS sea salt

1. Place the chicken parts in a large stockpot. Add cold water to the pot just to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 2-3 minutes – white foam should float to the top of the pot. Remove from the heat and drain the water out. Rinse the chicken with cold water two to three times, draining after each rinse. The goal is to get as much of the blood and foam out of the pot and off the chicken as you can.
2. After blanching and cleaning the chicken, add the 5 quarts of cold water to the pot with the chicken. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, hot chile, garlic, parsley stems, and sea salt to the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Keep the stock at a low simmer until it is golden and color and the liquid has reduce by about half. This should take 3-4 hours. If the stock reduces too quickly without turning golden, add another 2 cups of cold water. Keeping the stock at a low simmer instead of a boil will help prevent the stock from getting cloudy.
3. When you think the stock is done, taste it to see if you are happy with the flavor and body. If it is done, let the stock cool for about 20 minutes, before straining it through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl, mason jars, or other storage containers. I like to ladle the stock out of the pot through the strainer as it gives me more control. If you disturb the vegetables too much while ladling or straining the stock, it may become cloudy.
4. Refrigerate or freeze the stock and use as needed for soups and sauces. Use the refrigerated stock within 3 to 4 days.

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The weekend before last, Trevor and I got sick. I might be kind of a wimp when it comes to being sick, but I was sicker than I have any memory of ever being before, although Trevor says he was sicker in Ecuador. We think it was some sort of norovirus we picked up, probably compounded by the fact that we’re in Portugal and we don’t have as much resistance to the viruses here. (I could be making that up though; feel free to correct me if you know about these sorts of things). I was totally miserable but at the same time a little fascinated: since I was wearing my fitness tracker, I could tell that I had been “active” for 75 minutes even though I was lying in bed, asleep. That visualization of how hard your body has to work to fight illness was really interesting for me.

It was a good reminder that health is one of the most important things in life. The Herophilus quote in my passion planner is fitting: “When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.”

Health is one of my major focuses for this year. Not just weight loss, or exercise, although those are important pieces. Health. Being well. As a day-to-day reminder, I’ve set a little mantra: eat smarter, move more. Simple, to the point. If I tell myself this when evaluating options – what to have for lunch, whether I need that chocolate after lunch, if I should walk home or take the bus – it serves as a gentle reminder of my goals. It’s not a rule, or a restriction. It’s just a little push towards better choices.

The food we put into our bodies plays such a huge role in our overall health. I feel worlds better when I keep my meals light and bright – the trick is coming up with meals that make me crave eating this way. Generally, I find that lunch is the easiest time to get a lot of vegetables in, and when I’m home, I frequent b.good, a Boston-based chain. I think they started out as a burger place, but they also offer great grain bowls and salads. I love their butternut squash and apple salad (and when I’m really hungry, I add a burger to the top – all the flavor and none of the guilt of the bun, french fries, and cheese).

This salad was easy to recreate at home, and so good that I ate it 3 times in one week. In the spirit of #EatSmarterMoveMore, I forwent the burger and replaced it with farro to make the salad filling enough for dinner. In addition to the farro, the salad has roasted butternut squash, diced apple, tamari almonds, cheddar cheese, pomegranate, and spinach. All kinds of good flavors going on. I can’t take any credit for the combination, but I can vouch for its deliciousness. Also, I’d love to see how you’re choosing to #EatSmarterMoveMore, so follow along (and contribute!) to the hashtag on Instagram. I’ll be using it all year to track my healthiest recipes and active adventures.

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Butternut Squash and Apple Buddha Bowl

Inspired by b.good. Serves 2.

• 2 cups peeled butternut squash cubes (1/2 inch pieces)
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups cooked farro, warm (reheated if  not prepared fresh)
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 2 small apples, cut into bite-sized cubes
• 2 oz. cheddar cheese, cut or shaved into thin pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
• 1/3 cup tamari almonds
• Your favorite tangy salad dressing, or a simple mix of lemon juice and olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the butternut squash cubes with olive oil and sea salt and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast until tender when pricked with a fork, about 30-40 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Remove from the oven and set aside.
2. Divide the farro and spinach between the bowls, mixing together gently to combine. Top each bowl with some of the butternut squash, apple cubes, shaved cheddar, pomegranate seeds, and tamari almonds. Drizzle with your favorite dressing. Salad is best when the farro and butternut squash are warm.

The post Butternut Squash and Apple Buddha Bowl #EatSmarterMoveMore appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Greetings from Lisbon! Time is flying by here – I can’t believe it’s been two weeks already.

The weather has been beautiful here, sunny and gentle every single day. Generally it’s been warm, in the 60s, but the past two days it’s gotten really cold. Of course, not as cold as Boston, where we unfortunately had a pipe burst only a few days after leaving (and we left the heat on). But as I write this I’m huddled around the little electric heater in our Air BnB, which is doing double time by also drying our laundry.

Breakfast here is typically a pastry and an espresso while standing at the counter of a pastelaria. It’s delicious, but with the cold this week, I could definitely do with something heartier. I made this whole grain porridge just before leaving, and it got me through that first week of January cold and snow. I used a mix of quinoa, farro, oats, and semolina to prepare it, and then topped it with apples stewed with maple syrup and fresh cranberries. It was delicious.

Trevor objected to my use of the word porridge (“what are you, Goldilocks?”), but I can firmly state that this porridge is just right. [Edit from Trevor: “it’s a stupid word, it’s a stupid food.”] It’s also much better than oatmeal. While oatmeal is convenient and easy, it can get thick and gloppy, especially if rushed. This porridge was much creamier and more varied in texture. Not to mention it was healthier with four different grains. I made a big batch, portioned it out into five tupperwares, and was ready for the week.

If you’re somewhere cold, too, I hope you’re staying warm!

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Whole Grain Porridge with Poached Apples and Cranberries

A comforting, creamy whole grain porridge perfect for chilly winter mornings. Topped with stewed apples and cranberries and lightly sweetened with maple syrup.

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Yield: 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup stone cut oats
• 1/2 cup farro
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup farina (Cream of Wheat)
• 4 apples, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 cup of fresh cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 3 TBS maple syrup
• fresh pomegranate seeds, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Place the quinoa, oats, farro, water, and 2 cups of the milk in a large non-stick saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat, stirring frequently. Add the cinnamon stick and salt and simmer until all of the grains are tender, about 30 minutes. Add some of the additional milk as needed to keep the porridge loose and creamy. When the grains are cooked, add the farina and the remaining milk (1 cup or whatever you have left from the original 3 cups) and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the porridge has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat.
2. Prepare the apples while the porridge is cooking. Add the apple wedges, cranberries, apple cider, and maple syrup to a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are tender and the cranberries have softened and slumped, about 10 minutes. Simmer for another 5 minutes to reduce the sauce to a syrup, then remove from the heat.
3. Serve the porridge warm, with additional milk if desired. Top with a few spoonfuls of the apple-cranberry mixture and fresh pomegranate seeds.

The post Whole Grain Porridge with Poached Apples and Cranberries appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Last weekend, I had such a lovely, rejuvenating visit with my best college girlfriends, as always. The four of us try to get together for a long weekend at least once a year (this year we’ve actually managed three!). It’s the easiest sort of friendship – one where you know everyone so well that you don’t have to worry about what you say or how weird you sound. We spend a lot of time snuggling and a lot of time talking and laughing and last, eating. We love to eat. Obviously, eating is very important to me, so it’s great to have friends that are on the same page. But it can get a bit heavy, particularly at this time of year. I have a lot of dinners out coming up in the near future, and I’m looking forward to all of them, but I’m also trying to eat lighter at any meal that is not a celebration. I’ve been craving vegetables and whole grains and other things that leave me feeling light and fresh in between eating fests, so it was perfect timing to receive a copy of Diana Henry’s newest cookbook, Simple.

I’m a big fan of Diana Henry – I have four of her books, all of which are in heavy use in my kitchen. I love her books first and foremost because she is a whiz with flavors, and I love her food, period. But I also love that all the books have the same clean, appealing design and colorful, casual photography. The books are inviting – they remind me what it is I love about food. As is perhaps obvious from the title, this book focuses on simple food – the kind of thing you can throw together on a weeknight with what you have in the fridge. It’s basically an ode to the way I cook when I’m only feeding myself, full of vegetable roasts and fancy nourishing toasts and quick but healthy pastas. There’s even a special two page section dedicated to fillings for baked potatoes! Seriously, Diana is a woman after my own heart. This is the book I’m going to recommend to friends who love food and want to learn to cook but don’t know where to start. It has all the simple recipes and techniques that you need to learn when you first learn to cook for yourself, but still feels creative and balanced.

The first recipe I made is an adaptation of Diana’s Roast Cauliflower with Pomegranates, Green Olives, and Chickpea Puree. I love crunchy roasted chickpeas, so rather than blending the chickpeas into a hummus, I roasted them with the cauliflower and used the other hummus ingredients to make an addictive tahini dressing. I tossed everything together with a generous amount of fresh parsley leaves and juicy pomegranate seeds and it was amazing, exactly what I want to be eating in between plates of Christmas cookies. And bonus: about halfway through the bowl, I realized that this recipe was naturally gluten free and vegan.  This is not a very frequent occurence in my house – we love cheese and we love bread. So when I don’t even realize a recipe has neither? That’s a win.

Recipe Shortlist: Huevos Rotos; Baked Merguez Sausage with Beans, Eggs, and Feta; Smoky Couscous; Salmon, Fennel, and Potatoes en Papillote; Roast Maple and Mustard Spatchock Chicken with Figs; Spanish Spiced Pork with Sherried Onions; Baked Sausages with Apples and Cider; Butternut Squash Strata; Roast Apple, Blackberry, and Whiskey Trifles

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Disclosure: I received a review copy of Simple from Mitchell Beazley, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Roast Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad with Pomegrante, Green Olives, and Tahini Dressing

Adapted from Diana Henry’s Simple. Serves 3-4.

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3 cups cooked chickpeas
• 6 TBS olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt
• black pepper
• 1/3 cup walnut halves and pieces, toasted in a dry pan for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned
• 1/2 cup pitted, chopped green olives
• seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 3 TBS minced fresh parsley
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely minced or crushed
• 3 TBS tahini paste
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the cauliflower florets out on one rimmed baking sheet and the chickpeas out on another rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together 4 TBS of the olive oil, the cayenne pepper, the cumin seeds, sea salt, and black pepper until evenly combined. Pour half of the oil over the cauliflower and half over the chickpeas. Use a spatula to flip the ingredients to coat with the olive oil.
2. Place pans in the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes. The cauliflower is done when it is tender all the way through and caramelized on the edges. The chickpeas are done when they are crunchy and golden brown. Add roasted chickpeas and cauliflower to a large bowl. Add the toasted walnuts, chopped olives, pomegranate seeds, and chopped parsley to the bowl and stir together.
3. To make the dressing, whisk the remaining 2 TBS of olive oil together with the minced garlic, the tahini paste, the lemon juice, and the cumin until smooth and thick. Taste and adjust balance of ingredients if desired. Add the dressing to the bowl and stir to coat the ingredients. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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I didn’t do a very good job taking advantage of my jet lag this morning. I woke up early to gray, heavy skies and thought – what a perfect morning to make a cup of tea and take a blanket to my desk and write. But it turned out that it was also a perfect morning to lie under a pile of down comforters and waste an hour on various forms of social media. And I was only in Europe for a few days so it’s probably my only morning of jet lag. Oh well.

I’ve been wanting to get this post up before it comes irrelevant – I’m sure many of your gardens are winding down, and personally, my morning cravings have turned more towards baked apples and oatmeal than bright green smoothies. But I know we still have a few hot days ahead of us, and there are still 3 cucumbers hanging on the vine, so smoothies it is.

Our cucumber vine flourished this year – I had forgotten just how many huge cucumbers one modest vine could produce. Sadly, more than one beautiful, plump, homegrown cucumber languished and shriveled up in our fridge. I don’t know if the variety we planted had a particularly short shelf life, or if we just don’t really eat cucumbers, but it seemed nearly impossible to keep up with them.

I did find a couple of good ways to use them up, and one of the simplest was adding them to my green smoothies. I’m pretty loyal to my standard green smoothie recipe (although these days I tend to omit the water and add ginger), but every once in a while I switch it up. The flavor of cucumber is super refreshing, and pairs well with lime and mint. I added avocado for creaminess and a little bit of banana and mango for sweetness and body. Oh, and of course, the green part: lovely tuscan kale, another plant that’s flourishing in my garden. It’s not my everyday smoothie but it’s a really good one when I want something a little different.

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Cucumber-Avocado-Lime Green Smoothie

A smooth and creamy green smoothie with lots of vegetables.

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Yield: 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 large cucumber, peeled
• 1/2 banana
• 1 c. lemonade
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 c. frozen mango
• 1/2 avocado
• 6 large leaves tuscan kale, center ribs removed
• 5–6 leaves fresh mint

Instructions

Add all ingredients to blender in order listed (you want to be sure the lemonade goes in early to ensure even blending). Blend on high until smooth and creamy. If using a high-powered blender, serve right away; if using a regular blender, you may want to strain it through a fine mesh blender before serving for a smoother drink.

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It’s hard to believe it’s already September. Even when you’re not a student and/or don’t have school-age kids, September still has that back-to-school feeling, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s just ingrained in us to start buying jeans and sweaters and new notebooks once September hits. Or maybe that’s mass marketing at it’s finest. Either way, September always feels like a little bit of a new start.

So, since I’m feeling the September-vibe as much as I did as an eager high school freshman, and since I have the luxury of being at home for a few more weeks, I’m launching a little health challenge here and on Instagram for the next few weeks. Every day I’ll be eating (and sharing!) some form of “bowl food,” whether it’s a smoothie bowl topped with fruit and coconut or a full-on meat+grain+veg combo like this one.

“Bowl food” seems to be all the rage right now, a trend that places like Sweetgreen and Dig Inn have really been able to capitalize on. Trevor thinks it’s a dumb trend – he argues that any food placed in a bowl becomes “bowl food” – and I see where he’s coming from. But to me a bowl is a distinct culinary thing, a combination of healthy but filling ingredients, placed together in a bowl but each maintaining their own flavors and textures. It’s different than a salad, and I can’t seem to get enough. In a nutshell, it’s going to be healthy around here, and it’s going to be delicious. Follow along on Instagram with #dailybowlchallenge (by the way, most existing permutations of #DailyBowl on Instagram were primarily about pot, which didn’t even cross my mind until I searched it. Sigh.)

This first bowl is one that even Trevor grudgingly acknowledges is delicious (primarily because it contains steak, which can pretty much warm him to any meal). For me, the star of the show is the corn, which is so good at this time of year that I’m always nibbling it off the cob without cooking it. Elote, which is a Mexican street snack of grilled corn topped with mayonnaise, lime juice, chile powder, and grated cheese, is one of our all time favorite things to eat, so converting it into bowl form is a big win. Sweetgreen did offer an Elote Corn Bowl earlier this summer, but it had too many other vegetables and not enough cheese for my taste, so I had to make it my own. And by make it my own I mean add rosemary-and-olive oil grilled steak, barely cooked green beans, nutty farro, and tons of mint and basil. It’s summery and nourishing and a pretty good start to this little challenge, I think.

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Steak and Elote Corn Bowl

Inspired by Sweetgreen and Bon Appetit. Serves 4.

• leaves from 2 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped
• leaves from 3 sprigs thyme
• 1/3 c. plus 1 TBS olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 lb. skirt steak
• 2 c. cooked farro
• 1 lb. fresh romano or green beans
• 3 large ears fresh corn
• 3/4 c. grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
• 2 TBS butter
• leaves from 3 sprigs mint, cut into thin strips
• 4 sprigs basil, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• sea salt to taste
• pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup of olive oil, rosemary leaves, thyme leaves, and sea salt. Place steak in a a shallow baking dish, pour marinade over steak, cover dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
2. About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, preheat the grill to medium-high. Grill the steak until medium-rare, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing on the bias.
3. While you are grilling the steaks, also grill the corn. Place the ears of corn, still in their husks, directly on the grill, and grill for about 15-20 minutes, turning the corn every few minutes to char on all side. When the corn is done, remove it from the grill and let cool for a few minutes before removing and discarding the husks. Use a serrated knife to cut the kernels from the cob. I find that the easiest way to do this is to hold the corn by the cob vertically, with the tapered tip in a bowl, and slice down the length of the corn. Mix the warm corn kernels with the grated cheese, butter, mint, basil, and smoked paprika, stirring to evenly incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. To assemble the bowls, mix the cooked farro with the remaining 1 TBS of olive oil then divide between four bowls. Top the farro with a handful of green beans on one side of the bowl, and several scoops of the corn mixture on the other side of the bowl. Spread 3-4 pieces of sliced steak on top and serve.

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The Book: It’s been ages since I’ve done a cookbook review – my last one was way back in August! That’s partly because my cookbook shelves are not just full, but crammed, so last fall I forced myself to take a break from ordering and requesting cookbooks. But when I got back from Asia all that restraint flew out the window – one of the first things I did after getting home was order 4 Japanese and Vietnamese cookbooks, and now I have a sizable stack of books awaiting review sitting next to my desk. I guess it’s time to clean out those cookbook shelves and make room for the new!

Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Phô, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals, successfully capitalizes on the intersection of two trends: the rage for “bowl food” and the rising popularity of authentic Asian cuisine in Western cultures. The book covers a lot of cultural ground, ranging from ramen and phô, bibimbap and even polenta, but is fundamentally organized by grain type, starting with wheat (ramen, soba), moving through rice (phô, bibimbap), and then onto other grains and dumplings. The flavors and techniques showcased here are not exactly classic – I’m sure many ramen chefs would cringe to see brussels sprouts and kabocha squash included in a ramen recipe – but they are modern, refreshing, and clever twists on traditional Asian dishes. There were a few flavor combinations that were a bit too far fetched for me (soba, kimchi, and pickled apple?), but far more that sounded absolutely delicious. I particularly love the seasonal variations, like summer ramen with corn, basil, and cherry tomatoes as toppings, or the winter bibimbap with gochujang-roasted sweet potatoes and kale. The dumpling chapter was also intriguing, and even includes an overview of the 5 kinds of dumpling folding styles, which is exactly the type of new-to-me information I love to find in the middle of a cookbook. And although the dishes themselves are a little irreverent, there are some good tips and historical tidbits included – now I know to rinse my ramen noodles post cooking to remove the excess starch and up the “slurp factor,” and that phô is traditionally served for breakfast.

The Food: I have to admit, I was skeptical about how satisfying a vegetarian ramen broth would be. I loved the idea of a light, vegetarian bowl of ramen, but I couldn’t imagine the soup without the salty, golden yellow broth I’d come to revere during our time in Asia. I considered making one of the broth-free recipes for this review, like the leek and mushroom shumai dumplings, but decided that I couldn’t give a fair review of a vegetarian ramen book without making, well, vegetarian ramen. I would put it to the test – could a handful of dried mushrooms, asparagus stems, sheets of seaweed, and a spoonful of miso make a satisfying soup?

I ended up loving the soup. Sure, the broth on its own wasn’t the same as a really perfect chicken broth, but the combination of the noodles, the raw and grassy asparagus, the sweet, crunchy peas, the bright lemon and ginger, the creamy egg, and the charred, bitter but sweet shallots was almost perfect. I went back for seconds and felt nourished and satisfied and happy. The recipe does require dirtying a number of different pots and pans to make all the components, but despite that, it wasn’t very time consuming to pull together.

Recipe Shortlist: Autumn Ramen with Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Mushrooms, and Chili Broth; Vegetairan Curry Laksa; Fennel Pho; Spring Bibimbap with Kimchi, Swiss Chard, and Avocado; Sprouted Lentil Bowl; Edamame Dumplings; Leek and Mushroom Shumai; Chickpea Potstickers

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Disclosure: I received a review copy of Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Phô, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Vegetarian Spring Ramen

Recipe adapted slightly from Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Phô, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals. Serves 4.

• 8 oz. asparagus
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 9 cups water
• Four 2-inch squares of kombu
• 2 TBS minute miso
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 4 large eggs
• 4 oz. sugar snap peas, trimmed of strings
• 2 TBS canola oil
• 3 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
• 12 oz. fresh or frozen ramen noodles
• 4 pinches of freshly grated lemon zest
• 4 tsp freshly grated ginger pulp

1. To make the broth: thoroughly rinse the asparagus, then snap off the tough ends by bending each piece of asparagus in the middle and letting it snap at the natural point. Place the tough ends of the asparagus, the dried mushrooms, garlic, and water in a pot, and bring to a boil. Cover and keep at a low boil for 20-30 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the kombu, and let stand, covered, for 30 minutes. Strain the broth into a clean bowl, discarding the solids. Stir the miso into the hot broth, then taste and adjust seasoning with additional miso or salt as needed.
2. To prepare the ramen toppings: bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Use a slotted spoon to carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water. Boil the eggs for exactly 7 minutes, then immediately use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs to an ice bath. Soak in the ice bath until cool, then carefully peel.
3. Add the snap peas to the boiling water you used for the eggs and blanch them until bright green, about 2 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to an ice bath. Keep the water at a gentle boil. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the raw asparagus into long, thin strips (like flat noodles), and set aside. Then add the canola oil to a frying pan and heat over medium heat, add the shallots (test one shallot first – it should sizzle as soon as it hits the oil) and saute, stirring frequently, until the shallots are dark brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the shallots to a paper towel-lined plate and salt generously. Set aside.
4. To assemble the ramen: bring the vegetable broth back to a gentle simmer. Add the ramen noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package directions, usually about 2 minutes for fresh noodles. When noodles are tender, use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove the noodles from the pot and rinse in cold water to remove the excess starch, then quickly dunk them back in the hot water just to reheat them. Add a pinch each of the lemon zest and ginger pulp to each of your serving bowls, then cover with a few ladlefuls of the hot broth and add a serving of noodles. Top each bowl with a handful of the asparagus “noodles,” a few blanched snap peas, a soft-boiled egg, and a spoonful of the fried shallots. Serve immediately.

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April, as I’m sure you all are well aware, is Earth Month. Although Earth Day itself falls on April 22nd, all month long we celebrate our world and take part in activities to protect its resources – our national parks, our clean water, our food, our air. Over the past year, I’ve begun thinking more about where my food comes from, and what went into creating it. I have more questions than I did before – what did this chicken eat? Was it healthy? What chemicals did this spinach absorb while it was growing? How far did this avocado travel to get to me? I care because how food was raised has a direct impact on not only my health, but the health of the earth. Putting too many constraints around your food sourcing can take away the joy of cooking, so I’m not, and probably never will be, a die-hard locavore or organic eater. But I do believe that when you can afford it, and when you can manage seeking out the best possible ingredients on top of all the other things you have on your to-do list, choosing consciously-raised ingredients is worth it.

I’ve also been noticing more and more how much better I feel when I put good, plant-based foods into my body (or, it might be more accurate to say that I notice more how bad I feel when I fill up on grease and empty carbs). I’ll never totally give up cheese or chocolate or hamburgers, but  I have started to treat those foods as, well, treats. Still, I have a killer sweet tooth, and one of the hardest things for me about healthy eating is finding  desserts that satisfy my cravings without totally blowing my healthy habits.

All this to say that when Star Market approached me about partnering with them on a post for Earth Month, using ingredients from some of the organic and environmentally-conscious brands they carry in their stores, I was on board. Throughout the month of April, they’ve been running their “Every Cart Counts” campaign, encouraging shoppers to choose ingredients from WhiteWave brands like So Delicious, Earthbound Farm, Silk, Simply Pure, Horizon, and Vega. As part of the promotion, some lucky shoppers around the country have had WhiteWave buy their entire cart of groceries when they contain one or more participating items – because a single choice can have a big impact on your health and your environment, and that’s worth rewarding!

Because of the afore-mentioned sweet tooth, I decided I wanted to work on a dessert recipe to help promote this campaign. Something that felt like dessert, not health food masquerading as dessert, but still cut out a little fat and a little sugar from my dessert choices. Using just 5 ingredients – So Delicious Unsweetened Almond Milk, eggs, gelatin, dates, and cinnamon – I made a simple but elegant almond milk panna cotta, topped with a berry sauce using Earthbound Farm’s organic frozen berries. Panna cotta is one of the easiest desserts out there, and I was able to throw this together in 20 minutes right after work, put it in the fridge to set for a few hours, and then enjoy that same night after dinner. It’s very light – since the panna cotta itself uses only dates as sweetener, it relies on the berry sauce for the bulk of its sweetness (although a caramel or chocolate sauce would be equally at home here, I think).

Treat the earth right, treat yourself right – the next time you’re at the grocery store, take a moment mid-shop and look at your cart. Is there anything you could swap for something that will not only be better for you and your family, but better for our environment, too? Could a bag of frozen spinach make a better filling addition than ground beef for your lasagna, leaving you to enjoy a nice steak later in the week guilt free? Would your kids be OK with coconut milk ice cream this week instead of a dairy-based treat? Even the small choices once a week add up – every cart counts!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Albertsons Safeway. The opinions and text are all mine.

Cinnamon Almond Milk Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce

Serves 4.

• 2 1/4 c. So Delicious Unsweetened Almond Milk, divided
• 6 pitted dates
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 packet (1/4 oz.) gelatin
• 1 c. Earthbound Farms frozen berries
• 1/4 c. sugar

1. Place 2 cups of the almond milk and the dates in a blender and blend on high until mixture is smooth. Pour into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from heat. In a heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cinnamon together until yolks are pale yellow and smooth. Pour the hot almond milk mixture into the eggs in a thin stream, whisking the eggs as you do so, to temper the eggs. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to a simmer, whisking the whole time to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Mixture should thicken slightly. Remove from the heat once thickened.
2. Put the remaining 1/4 cup of almond milk in a bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top of the milk and let stand for one minute. Pour the hot almond milk through a fine-mesh sieve on top of the gelatin, pressing on any solids that remain in the sieve to extract as much liquid as possible. Stir gelatin and almond milk mixture to thoroughly combine. Pour the panna cotta mixture into four 4-oz ramekins. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.
3. To make the berry sauce, place frozen berries and sugar in a small saucepan, heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Cook until berries have released their juice and have softened to the point where you can squish them with the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. To serve the panna cotta, remove the ramekins from the fridge. Carefully run a knife around the edge of each panna cotta to loosen it from the ramekin. Place a plate on top of each ramekin, and invert to unmold the panna cotta. Serve topped with a generous spoonful of berry sauce.

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While Trevor works on his Comp-Sci masters, he’s started working part time, primarily hosting at a local restaurant. Unfortunately for me, he works nights, which means I suddenly have an abundance of evenings to myself. I’d much rather have him to hang out with, but I’ve been trying to make the most of it by alternatively being productive and indulging in things I wouldn’t otherwise. One night last week, one of the indulgent nights, I was flicking through Amazon Prime looking for something to watch, and Out of Africa popped up, with a little footnote saying it was leaving Prime at the end of the month. I knew nothing about the movie, other than that it was old, and that it had Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, so I figured I’d watch it and write at the same time. Needless, to say, the writing didn’t happen – I was not prepared for how sexy an eighties movie about Africa could be! All this to say, if you have any recommendations for more movies I can watch on my solo nights in, preferably accompanied by a big salad and a glass of chardonnay, send them my way. I’m planning on enjoying my nights for one as much as possible.

Solo dinners at home have proved to be mostly positive for my diet – I’m much less likely to cook something major when it’s just me (although I will admit that I also feel less guilty ordering take-out). This salad is inspired by the spring offerings at Sweetgreen, an establishment I have a love-hate relationship with. How do they continually get me to pay $12 for a salad? Why do people wait in line for over an hour when you can order online 15 minutes ahead of time and walk in front of those poor suckers waiting in line, glaring at you? Why is it that their salads are so much better than any other salad offering within walking distance of my office? Whatever the answers, I love the new combination of salmon, new potatoes, and asparagus that they offer. I took it a step further at home, adding a pesto dressing, feta cheese and a soft-boiled egg. It’s not the world’s lightest salad – I wanted the potatoes almost poached in olive oil – but it’s got lots of good nutrients, it’s seasonal, and it makes a very satisfying meal. And it goes really nicely with Meryl Streep movies.

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Salmon, Asparagus, and Roasted Potato Bowl with Pesto Dressing

Inspired by Sweetgreen. Serves 4.

• 4 small Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and cut into 1/4 inch round slices
• 1/4 c. plus 1 TBS olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb. salmon fillet, deboned
• 4 large eggs
• 1 bunch of fresh asparagus, woody ends trimmed
• 4 oz. feta cheese
• 8 oz. fresh spinach or arugula
• pesto salad dressing, such as this, or store-bought pesto thinned with olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the sliced potato rounds with the 1/4 c. of olive oil and spread in a single layer on a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper, and roast until tender, about 20-25 minutes, flipping potatoes once halfway through cooking. Remove the potatoes from the oven and set aside.
2. Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Line a small roasting pan with tin foil. Drizzle half of the 1 TBS of olive oil on the tin foil, then place salmon fillet skin side down on foil. Drizzle remaining olive oil on top of fillet and season with salt and pepper. Roast until cooked through, about 12-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillet.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Reduce heat so water is at a rapid simmer, and gently add eggs. Set timer for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs precisely at 6 minutes with a slotted spoon and run under cold water. Once eggs have reached room temperature, peel eggs and set aside.
4. Add the asparagus to the simmering water that you cooked the eggs in. Simmer the asparagus until bright green, about 2-3 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat, drain the asparagus, and rinse with cold water. Set asparagus aside.
5. To assemble the salads, divide spinach or arugula between plates. Top with a generous piece of roasted salmon, a few potatoes, the blanched asparagus, and a sprinkling of feta cheese. Drizzle with pesto dressing and serve immediately.

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I’ve somehow let over three weeks go by since the last time I wrote. Before our trip, I prepped and photographed six recipes to share with you while I was away, approximately one per week. It was good planning on my part, but I arrived home a few days ago and I seem to have only managed to post three of them. Whoops. In reality, I decided that this trip wasn’t the time to be fretting over my blog schedule and unanswered email inquiries – and I’m glad I did. It was nice to let go of some of it for a few weeks, to focus my energy each day on where we were and what we were doing. That’s not to say I traveled anxiety-free or without letting thoughts of home occasionally slip into my mind, but I let go of a lot more than I usually do, especially during our time in Japan, and I enjoyed the trip so much more for it.

I had originally intended this recipe for my February fitness goal post, but fitness goals are another thing I’ve let slide. I’m not too concerned about it – we spent 6 weeks walking 10+ miles a day, not sitting on a couch. Still, this is the kind of food I am very much looking forward to eating now that I am home – simple, light, and nourishing. We had fairly few “Western” meals during our 6 weeks in Asia – a few hamburgers in Hong Kong, a pizza one night. Both Hong Kong and Japan have such incredible food cultures, we were never bored with or tired of the local offerings. I wasn’t particularly anxious to get home, but walking through the door Monday night I was surprisingly happy to be here. And there are things that I’m looking forward to now that I’m back – yogurt and berries, real avocado toast, affordable wine and brie, giant grain salads. Planning for our garden this spring and getting back into decorating the house. Probably most of all, seeing my friends and family. And it’s almost spring! I might skip winter every year.

Now that I’m home, I’m also excited to be back in the kitchen (or at least I will be once we’ve managed to get some groceries). I’m full of inspiration for soups, noodles, dumplings, and street food – don’t be surprised if this blog takes a decidedly Asian slant for the next few months. But before we get to all that, I have this Nordic-inspired, healthy salmon and rice bowl for you, with pickled beets and dilled sour cream. It is super quick and easy to put together, and satisfying without being heavy. It’s also seasonally appropriate, beets being one of the few vegetables we New Englanders can get locally in the middle of winter. In fact, revisiting it now, I’m thinking this might be a good one to go on my grocery list this week. Enjoy!

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Scandi Salmon Bowl with Pickled Beets and Dilled Sour Cream

Pickled beets adapted from Gourmet. Serves 4.

• 2 beets, boiled until tender, peeled, and thinly sliced
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp mustard seed
• 1/4 tsp dill seed
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
• 2 TBS minced fresh dill
• 1 shallot, peeled and finely minced
• sea salt, to taste
• 3 c. prepared brown rice, farro, or other nutty whole grain
• 8 oz. hot-smoked salmon, flaked into bite-size pieces

1. Place thinly sliced beets in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, stir together sugar, water, cider vinegar, mustard seed, and dill seed, and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, then pour over the sliced beets. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.
2. To prepare the dilled sour cream, mix sour cream, lemon juice, dill and minced shallot together in a bowl until evenly combined. Season to taste with sea salt.
3. To serve, fill 4 bowls with a few scoops of cooked rice or farro. Top the rice with the flaked salmon, a few pickled beets, and a dollop of sour cream. Best served when rice is still slightly warm.

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Just a quick hello today to share with you a series I’ve been working on over the past few months. I’ve been collaborating with La Crema Wines to come up with three winter salads – salads that are healthy and fresh dishes but still hearty enough to make a filling meal on a cold night.  It’s tempting to eat comfort food all winter long – it’s what we crave! – but I find that keeping my diet balanced (e.g. following that bowl of cheesy, comforting pasta at lunch with a lighter salad at dinner) can help me stay feeling energized and motivated.

The first salad in the series is an all-white stunner. Roasted cauliflower, crunchy Belgian endive, sweet pears, grapes, and toasted pine nuts all come together with a blue cheese and buttermilk dressing to hit all the notes a salad needs: savory, bitter, sweet, and rich. I served this one with a glass of La Crema Monterey Chardonnay, which has a buttery richness that complements the funky blue cheese and bitter endive really nicely. Find the recipe here.

Sticking with the monochrome theme, the next salad is a festive mix of red fruits and veggies. With Russian red kale, beets, red cabbage, fresh pomegranate seeds, and balsamic vinaigrette, it’s tangy, juicy, and really good for you. Served alongside a glass of La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, it makes a light lunch or dinner that will leave you satisfied without feeling bogged down by heavy carbs and dairy. Find the recipe here.

The last salad in the series, and my favorite, celebrates sweet, juicy January citrus – such a welcome relief in the middle of the winter. This salad, featuring grapefruit, blood orange, fennel, and white-wine poached shrimp, is super simple, but still very flavorful, light, and satisfying. The rich and buttery shrimp offset the fresh tang of the citrus and the faintly sweet crunch of the fennel. Serve this salad with a glass of La Crema Monterey Pinot Gris. Its clean brightness and slight acidity are the perfect match for the tangy flavors of the salad. Find the recipe here. 

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of La Crema. The opinions and text are all mine.

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