Ever heard of potato leek soup? I thought so! But how often do you cook leeks in other recipes? Have you tried them in pasta, stuffing, or risotto? Have you eaten them on their own? If I had my way, we’d all be eating leeks way more often. They’re incredibly versatile, adding unique, sweet, and mild onion flavor to a huge range of dishes. To spread the leek love, I’m sharing my go-to methods for how to cut, clean, and cook leeks below, as well as my favorite leek recipes. If you have a leek in your fridge right now,…

When I asked Jack to taste this mashed cauliflower recipe, I told him it was mashed potatoes. Call me cruel, but I wanted his honest opinion. He loves mashed potatoes more than anyone I know! He wasn’t completely fooled (“I was standing next to you when you bought the cauliflower…”), but he did happily enjoy bite after bite. Since then, he’s devoured several bowls of this mashed cauliflower and accidentally called it “mashed potatoes” more than once. I’ll take it! In the past, I’ve made cauliflower mashed potatoes with a mix of potatoes and cauliflower. But this year, I decided…

Have you ever roasted garlic in the oven? As it cooks, your kitchen fills with an amazing savory scent. It’s the kind of mouthwatering aroma that’s guaranteed to make you hungry, even if you’ve just finished lunch. If you ask me, this smell alone is enough reason to learn how to roast garlic at home. But of course, the main reason to make roasted garlic is the taste. Unlike raw garlic, roasted garlic doesn’t have any sort of bite. Its flavor is sweet, mellow, nutty, and rich. It also softens as it roasts, becoming tender, creamy, and spreadable. Blend it…

The first time I made this butternut squash pasta sauce, Jack couldn’t stop talking about it for days. “That sauce!”, he kept saying. “That sauce!” Of course, I teased him for it, but if I’m being totally honest, I was completely smitten with it too. Looking at this butternut squash pasta, you might expect it to taste like mac and cheese. But don’t be fooled. The creamy sauce is rich and nutty, with bold autumn flavor from herbs like sage and thyme. Because it’s so flavorful and complex, this butternut squash pasta would make a show-stopping vegetarian main dish at a special…

I’ll say it: I don’t cook sautéed broccoli often enough. I don’t know why, but whenever I have broccoli on hand, my first impulse is to roast it. But a few weeks back, I was making this butternut squash pasta for dinner, and I needed a quick and easy side dish to pair with it. I chopped up a bunch of broccoli and cooked it on the stove with lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. The broccoli florets came out vibrant green and tender, while the stalks kept a nice al dente bite. It was so simple, flavorful, and refreshing…

If you’re looking for a fun, festive, and sweet-but-not-too-sweet treat to make for Halloween, this easy pumpkin bars recipe is just the thing for you! It’s based on the pumpkin bread recipe that I make every fall. Like the bread, these bars are moist, tender, and filled with pumpkin spice flavor. UNlike the bread, they’re topped in a rich, tangy cream cheese frosting, which really highlights the warm spices inside them. On cool fall afternoons, they’re the perfect treat to pair with a coffee or tea. But heads up: these pumpkin bars are seriously addictive. Eat one, and you’ll have…

The next time you need to dress up cookies, bars, or cake, make this vegan frosting recipe! Made with just 4 ingredients, it’s an easy way to turn everyday baked goods into special occasion treats. Want to transform a simple carrot cake into a birthday-worthy layer cake? Make this vegan frosting! Wish that your muffins were a little more like cupcakes? This vegan frosting can help with that too. This recipe is my plant-based riff on classic cream cheese frosting, so its flavor is rich, sweet, and tangy. I especially love it on my vegan carrot cake and pumpkin bars,…

I can’t think of a better way to start the week than by sharing this wheat berry salad recipe with all of you! I try not to play favorites when it comes to recipes, but this one is something special. It’s that rare sort of dish that really can do it all. Make it on a Sunday for lunches all week, or serve it as a side dish at your Thanksgiving dinner. No matter when you eat it, I think you’ll savor every bite. Wheat berries may not be the trendiest grain these days, but if you try them here,…

When I lived in Austin, I bought wheat berries all the time from the bulk bins at our grocery store. But when we moved to Chicago, I couldn’t find them anywhere – not in bulk, not pre-bagged, nothing. Finally, this fall, I noticed a local wheat grower selling organic wheat berries at our farmers market. I love pairing this earthy whole grain with autumn ingredients like squash, kale, and dried cranberries, so I knew I had to get some. Since then, I’ve been tossing wheat berries into salads and side dishes like crazy! For how delicious they are, I don’t…

If I’m making a salad in the fall, there’s a good chance that I’ll drizzle an apple cider vinegar dressing on top. Maybe it’s because fall is apple season, but there’s something irresistible about the combination of apple cider vinegar and autumn foods like cranberries and squash. In a hearty salad or side dish, an apple cider vinaigrette adds a tangy pop of flavor that brings these sweet ingredients to life. I’ve made a million apple cider vinegar dressing recipes over the years. Some are spiced with cinnamon, others are infused with sage, but the recipe below is the one…

This easy apple cake recipe is simple and delicious—the perfect treat for a crisp fall day. The batter comes together in one bowl, and it bakes up into a moist, tender cake that’s delicious for dessert, breakfast, or an afternoon snack. It’s packed with fresh apples, and brown sugar and cinnamon fill it with rich, spiced flavor. On a gray afternoon, nothing lifts my spirits like a slice of this apple cake. The recipe comes from Yossy Arefi’s cookbook Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings, a gorgeous collection of 50 snacking cake recipes that are easy to make and acceptable to…

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