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FALL <strong>20</strong>/<strong>20</strong><br />
<strong>20</strong> ingredients, <strong>20</strong>+ recipes<br />
cook like a natural now<br />
THE KITCHEN NATURAL<br />
SANDRA CLARK JERGENSEN
Cook like a natural.<br />
Let me show you how delicious and doable it can be.
TABLE OF CONTENTS<br />
<strong>20</strong>/<strong>20</strong> list. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4<br />
Ingredient Guide + Quick Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . .5<br />
Shopping Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10<br />
<strong>Recipe</strong>s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13<br />
1. Chicken Lime Soup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14<br />
2. Cauliflower Chicken Roast. . . . . . . . . .15<br />
3. Overloaded Mushroom Tart. . . . . . . . .18<br />
4. Autumn Thai Soup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <strong>20</strong><br />
5. Braised Cilantro Chard Tangle. . . . . . .22<br />
6. Mushroom Chicken and Rice. . . . . . . . 24<br />
7. Huaraches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26<br />
8. Sweet Potato Packet Dinner . . . . . . . . 28<br />
9. White Salad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30<br />
10. Sweet Potato Tamale Pie. . . . . . . . . . . 32<br />
11. Mayan Pepita Rice Bowls. . . . . . . . . . . 35<br />
12. Sweet Potato Wedge Fries +<br />
Mayan Pepita Sauce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37<br />
13. Not Nogada. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39<br />
14. Build-A-Potato. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41<br />
15. Whole Roasted Cauliflower +<br />
Cilantro Pesto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43<br />
16. Glazed Shallots and Chicken . . . . . . . . .45<br />
17. Pomegranate Chard Salad. . . . . . . . . . 48<br />
18. Pear Ginger Green Smoothie. . . . . . . . .50<br />
19. Grown Up Rice Pudding + Caramelized<br />
Pears. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52<br />
<strong>20</strong>. Sweet Masa Pear Tart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54<br />
About. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
FALL <strong>20</strong>/<strong>20</strong><br />
<strong>20</strong> Seasonal Pantry Staples to <strong>20</strong>+ Fresh, Seasonal <strong>Recipe</strong>s<br />
If you have all of these (plus a little salt<br />
and pepper) you can make all of these.<br />
1. Cauliflower<br />
2. Chard<br />
3. Cilantro<br />
4. Sweet Potatoes<br />
5. Ginger<br />
6. Lime<br />
7. Mushrooms<br />
8. Pears<br />
9. Pomegranate<br />
10. Shallots<br />
11. Black Beans<br />
12. Pepitas<br />
13. Brown Rice<br />
14. Chicken<br />
15. Coconut Milk<br />
16. Coconut Oil<br />
17. Cumin<br />
18. Masa Harina<br />
19. Maple Syrup<br />
<strong>20</strong>. Smoked Mozzarella<br />
1. Lime Chicken Soup<br />
2. Cauliflower Chicken Roast<br />
3. Overloaded Mushroom Tart<br />
4. Mushroom Chicken and Rice<br />
5. Braised Cilantro Chard Tangle<br />
6. Thai Autumn Soup<br />
7. Huaraches<br />
8. Sweet Potato Packet Dinner<br />
9. The White Salad<br />
10. Sweet Potato Tamale Pie<br />
11. Mayan Pepita Rice Bowls<br />
12. Sweet Potato Wedge Fries + Mayan<br />
Pepita Sauce<br />
13. Not Nogada<br />
14. Build-A-Potato + Black Beans<br />
15. Whole Roasted Cauliflower +<br />
Cilantro Pesto<br />
16. Glazed Shallots and Chicken<br />
17. Pomegranate Chard Salad<br />
18. Pear Ginger Green Smoothie<br />
19. Grown-up Rice Pudding<br />
<strong>20</strong>. Masa Pear Tart<br />
Bonus Points<br />
● Take this page shopping, it’s not just ideas, it’s your list.<br />
● Start here, but don’t stop.<br />
●<br />
●<br />
○<br />
Most every recipe has a bonus point section filled with ideas to fill out the dish or substitute<br />
ingredients and serve it.<br />
Plan ahead, prep ahead.<br />
○<br />
○<br />
This plan makes a prepared fridge and pantry easy to do, there are only twenty items.<br />
Farro, white beans (you can even freeze them), hard-boiled eggs, roasted carrots, and chopped<br />
vegetables all hang out nicely and make cooking time fast.<br />
Get Playful.<br />
○<br />
○<br />
If you can flip the french toast into a bread pudding or convert the frittata into a strata<br />
with a bit of tinkering, etc. The bonus points section is meant to get your mind moving to do<br />
that with ease and resourcefulness.<br />
Maybe you have more than these <strong>20</strong> ingredients lurking in your pantry and fridge. Experiment<br />
with add-ins and seasonings, make the recipes to your liking and all your own.
Ingredient Guide + Quick Tips<br />
Note: How much you buy is not critical, because all the core <strong>20</strong> recipes<br />
use the same <strong>20</strong> ingredients; there are numerous ways to use up any extra<br />
and avoid waste. What matters is stocking the fridge and pantry with the<br />
FALL <strong>20</strong> (or suitable substitutes). Plus, buying in bulk is often cheaper<br />
and you’re ready to cook your favorites in volume.
Ingredient Guide + Quick Tips<br />
Ingredient Alternatives Quick tips and Buying Guide<br />
1 cauliflower broccoli, kohlrabi,<br />
romanesco<br />
Look for firm heads of cauliflower without brown spots. The easiest way<br />
to break down a head of cauliflower is to use a paring knife to cut out<br />
the core, leaving you with large florets you can then size down as<br />
needed. In fall look out for colorful varieties in purple, green, and<br />
orange.<br />
2 chard spinach, kale, beet<br />
greens<br />
Chard is much less assertive than most leafy greens, and more tender<br />
too. It cooks up quicker and its stem is full of flavor and shouldn’t be<br />
wasted. Flavor differences between red, rainbow, and white are so mild<br />
that any variety will do.<br />
3 cilantro mint, basil, parsley Cilantro loves cool weather, so now is the time to try growing a pot or<br />
just buy a bundle or two. It keeps longest in a cup of water with a plastic<br />
bag over the top. If you are a supertaster and cilantro is not tasty to you,<br />
use an alternative– parsley is the easiest 1:1 ratio swap.<br />
4 ginger garlic, lemongrass,<br />
cardamom<br />
Fresh ginger is mega cheap and significantly stronger than any powder.<br />
It’s super easy to peel if you use the back of a spoon to gently scrape the<br />
skin off. Grab a knob and snap off what you need for each recipe.<br />
5 lime lemon The punch of fresh citrus that begins to ripen in fall and lasts through<br />
spring is a light during the darker months. The prices will drop and the<br />
quality in stores will rise. If you happen across other lime varieties in<br />
well-stocked grocery stores, farms, or international markets, don’t pass<br />
them by. There are some fun flavor twists.
Ingredient Guide + Quick Tips<br />
6 mushroom sweet pepper,<br />
meat<br />
Fall and spring are mushroom season. While button and cremini<br />
mushrooms are easy to find year round, just mixing a few other<br />
seasonal varieties with them is a game changer. Look for oyster<br />
mushrooms, chanterelles, and hen of the woods.<br />
7 pear Fuyu persimmon,<br />
apple<br />
I’m going to implore you to pick up a mix of pears instead of one<br />
variety. Asian pears have this amazing vanilla undertone (and there<br />
are so many varieties of Asian pears), comice taste new every time,<br />
bartletts are familiar friends, and Bosc are always elegant ladies.<br />
Every pear dish is made better with a mix. Firm pears are best for<br />
slicing thin and cooking; soft pears are for eating out of hand.<br />
8 pomegranate pomegranate<br />
molasses<br />
Pomegranates in season taste like fall, but the rest of the time they<br />
taste like mush and should be avoided. If you need to get a fix out<br />
of season or struggle to find them at a reasonable price, I strongly<br />
recommend trying pomegranate molasses (an affordable wonder<br />
sweet-sour syrup made of boiled down juice) or frozen arils (the<br />
name for those jewel-like seeds).<br />
9 shallot red onion, leek Shallots feel like special occasion onions. They have subtlety and<br />
they’re small. But unlike onions, they lack bite. They are simply<br />
wonderful raw or cooked, and their little size makes it easy to not<br />
leave leftovers behind. Plus, the flat side (most shallots are really<br />
two papered together) makes them much easier to cut than onions.<br />
10 sweet potato squash, yam Sweet potatoes and yams are not the same thing. For these recipes<br />
play around and have fun with either variety (the purple skinned<br />
Japanese ones are delicious but much drier), except where noted<br />
when the moisture level is important.
Ingredient Guide<br />
11 black beans pinto, red<br />
beans<br />
Making up a pot of dry beans wins at taste tests and economy. You can<br />
freeze them in 1½ cup quantities to measure out evenly for can-like<br />
convenience. But if canned is what keeps you cooking at home instead<br />
of take out, buy some cans and make your life easy.<br />
12 pepitas walnuts Hulled pumpkin seeds are a delightful shade of green and sold raw and<br />
toasted. Either work, but I tend to toast at home if they aren’t already.<br />
Be warned, that like all nuts and seeds you should work through them<br />
quickly or store in the fridge or freezer to keep them from turning<br />
rancid. Use them like a nut. Unsalted are preferred to help control salt<br />
levels; if using salted, adjust salt to taste.<br />
13 brown rice white rice Long grain brown rice varieties are best for this batch of recipes, but<br />
don’t let short grain rice stop you. Cook what you have and what you<br />
like best. Rice can even be cooked in larger quantities and wrapped<br />
tight and frozen to simplify busy days.<br />
14 chicken chickpeas,<br />
tofu<br />
Buying whole chicken means a better price point and flavor. Boneless,<br />
skinless bulk chicken offers convenience at a cost. Choose the best<br />
option for you, but know that the better the chicken, the better the<br />
flavor in everything you cook with it. Also, don’t discard the gizzards<br />
and parts included in the cavity; dump them in a freezer bag to use for<br />
making stock.<br />
15 coconut milk cream or omit<br />
it<br />
Coconut milk adds body and flavor to soups, curries, and other dishes.<br />
Pick your what pleases you, regular or light, but read the labels to make<br />
sure you are getting a good product without loads of additives. Trader<br />
Joe's offers both at a good price. Do not buy cream of coconut, coconut<br />
beverages, or waters instead. Look for the cans.
Ingredient Guide<br />
16 coconut oil ghee, sunflower<br />
or avocado oil<br />
Coconut oil will not cure cancer or global warming, but I highly<br />
recommend putting it in your cooking rotation.More refined coconut oils<br />
drop the unique sweet nuttiness, but if you don’t favor the flavor, pick<br />
another less-saturated fat. I buy a big jar of good quality oil from Costco<br />
and refill a little jar I keep in the cupboard.<br />
17 cumin coriander Has the powdered cumin been decaying in your cupboard for years? Do<br />
yourself a favor and replace it with fresh so the flavor is alive and<br />
unmuddied. Bonus points for buying whole cumin seeds, toasting, and<br />
then grinding your own. I buy whole seeds at international grocery stores<br />
for about $4 for a pound, and that’s a huge amount, but unlike powdered<br />
spices, whole spices keep. If yours is older than six months, replace it. This<br />
collection was tested with fresh spices, and your food will taste muted<br />
without.<br />
18 masa harina corn flour, fresh<br />
masa<br />
Lime slaked corn flour is gluten-free, super cheap, and available near<br />
Hispanic ingredients or in the baking aisle. Masa harina is a miracle<br />
ingredient worth learning how to use. Simply mix with salt and water and<br />
you have corn tortilla dough, but this season I’m taking you beyond the<br />
basic, and making this staple a staple in your kitchen.<br />
19 maple syrup honey, molasses Real maple syrup has robust flavor that adds depth as well as sweetness<br />
to food. Online, direct from the source is significantly cheaper than the<br />
grocery store and even Costco. My favorite is Branon Family Maple<br />
Orchards, $46 for a gallon– get the robust variety. Keep it in the freezer or<br />
fridge.<br />
<strong>20</strong> smoked<br />
mozzarella<br />
smoked<br />
cheddar, pepper<br />
jack, smoked<br />
salts<br />
Smoked cheese has so much dimension, and the flavor carries so far that<br />
you can use a little and get a lot. Any melty smoked cheese can work here;<br />
there are even vegan options from Miyoko and Follow Your Heart. The<br />
ones listed are the easiest to find, but if you can’t find those, use what you<br />
like best or omit it. If you are avoiding dairy, smoked sea salt is a nice way<br />
to add flavor.
Shopping Short List<br />
Highlight your cooking plans, but know if you change your mind and if you<br />
have all <strong>20</strong>, you can easily change recipes.<br />
Extra recipes and add-ins from the bonus points sections are listed, but<br />
those are beyond the standard <strong>20</strong> ingredients, plan accordingly using my<br />
suggestions or your own.
Shopping Short List<br />
1. Lime Chicken Soup: 2 t. coconut oil, 1 lb. chicken, 1 c.<br />
shallots (chopped), 3 ½ t. salt, 2 limes (zest and juice),<br />
1 t. cumin, 3 c. cooked brown rice<br />
Add-in ideas: raw corn, avocado, black beans,<br />
chiles, radishes<br />
2. Cauliflower Chicken Roast: ½ T. coconut oil, 1 whole<br />
chicken (3-4 lbs.), 1 head cauliflower (in florets), 1½ t.<br />
cumin, 4 t. salt, ¾ t.pepper, ½ bunch cilantro, ¾ cup<br />
pomegranate seeds, 1 lime<br />
Cauliflower Mash<br />
3. Overloaded Mushroom Tart: 1½ c. masa harina, 1¾<br />
t. Salt, 5 T. coconut oil, 2 shallot bulbs (½ sliced), 16 oz.<br />
mushrooms (variety encouraged), 4 oz. smoked cheese<br />
(smoked mozzarella preferred)<br />
4. Mushroom Chicken and Rice: 3 T. coconut oil, 3 large<br />
bulbs shallots (1 c. sliced), 2 cups sliced mushrooms (8<br />
ounces), 1 cup brown rice, up to 3 lbs. Chicken<br />
Instant Pot Mushroom Chicken and Rice<br />
Add-in ideas: chard leaves, spinach, summer<br />
squash, garlic<br />
5. Braised Cilantro Chard Tangle: 2 bunches chard (2<br />
lbs.) 1 T. coconut oil, 1 c. shallots, ½ bunch cilantro<br />
Grilled Cheese and Greens: sharp white<br />
cheddar or gruyere<br />
Sweet Potato Tamale Pie: use with up to ½ c.<br />
smoky cheese<br />
Huaraches: pile on top with salsa verde and<br />
queso fresco<br />
Other ideas: with poached eggs, garlicky toast,<br />
fried rice, soup, with rice, hot sauce, paprika,<br />
garlic, chiles<br />
Instant Pot Cilantro Chard Tangle<br />
6. Autumn Thai Soup: 2 T. coconut oil, ½ lb. chicken, ½<br />
c. shallots, 1 lime, 1 ½” ginger, 1½ c. mushrooms, 1<br />
bunch chard, 1 sweet potato, ½ cup or more coconut<br />
milk.<br />
Add-in ideas: lemon grass, garlic, tomatoes,<br />
fresh corn<br />
7. Huaraches: 2 cups masa harina, about ½ c. coconut<br />
oil for cooking<br />
Topping ideas: leftover chicken, black beans,<br />
cilantro chard tangle, smoky cheese, cilantro<br />
Cumin Crema: ¾ c. yogurt + cumin<br />
8. Sweet Potato Packet Dinner: 2 lbs. sweet potatoes, 2<br />
pears, up tp 1.5 lbs. chicken, 2-3 T. maple syrup, 4 oz.<br />
smoky cheese<br />
Add-in ideas: Leave out chicken, add in up to ¾<br />
c. cooked farro, quinoa or brown rice in each<br />
packet.<br />
Swaps: chicken-apple sausage<br />
Thanksgiving in a Packet: turkey, 2 shallots,<br />
sage, dried cranberries or pomegranates<br />
9. White Salad: ⅓ cup coconut oil, 1 lime, 1 t. ginger,<br />
1-3 cups cauliflower, 1-2 pears, ½ lb. cooked chicken, 1<br />
shallot bulb<br />
Add-in ideas: pomegranate seeds, golden<br />
raisins, almonds, pistachios, or sesame seeds<br />
10. Sweet Potato Tamale Pie: 1 sweet potato, 2 cups<br />
masa harina, ⅓ cup coconut oil. Filling: ½ c. shallots, 3<br />
cups cooked black beans, 1 t. cumin,<br />
Add-in ideas: 1¼ t. Baking powder for fluffiness,<br />
Leftover chicken, smoky cheese<br />
Braised Cilantro Chard Tangle as filling<br />
Serve with: salsa verde, hot sauce, escabeche
Shopping Short List<br />
11. Mayan Pepita Rice Bowls: 2 shallot bulbs, ½ bunch<br />
cilantro, 1 c. pepitas, cumin, 1½ T. coconut oil, Bowl<br />
Components: 4 c. cooked brown rice, 1 ½ c. black beans,<br />
1 t. cumin, 2 T. coconut oil, 2 lbs. sweet potatoes,<br />
pepitas, cilantro, lime to garnish<br />
Add-in ideas: chicken, chickpeas, peppers, corn,<br />
tomatoes, eggplant, squash, cauliflower, greens,<br />
chiles, jicama<br />
Coconut Rice: 1 can coconut milk, rice<br />
12. Sweet Potato Wedge Fries + Mayan Pepita Sauce:<br />
3 T. coconut oil, 2 lbs. Sweet potatoes, Sauce: 2 shallot<br />
bulbs, ½ bunch cilantro, 1 cup pepitas, cumin, 1½ T.<br />
coconut oil,<br />
13. Not Nogada: ¾ c pepitas, ½ can coconut milk, 1<br />
head cauliflower or 2 lbs. Chicken, 2 pears, 1 cup<br />
shallots (3 bulbs), 1 T. coconut oil, 1 T. maple syrup, 1 t.<br />
cumin, ⅔ c. cilantro, 1 pomegranate<br />
Serve with: tortillas, rice<br />
14. Build-A-Potato + Black Beans 4 large sweet<br />
potatoes, 2-3 c. black beans, 2 shallot bulbs, 2 limes,<br />
pepitas and cilantro to serve.<br />
Add-in ideas: chard leaves, spinach, summer<br />
squash, garlic<br />
Cumin Crema: ¾ c. plain yogurt, cumin<br />
Black Beans: black beans,<br />
Add-in ideas: garlic, chipotle, cumin, oregano,<br />
smoked paprika, cream sherry, onion, shallots,<br />
epazote, tomatoes, etc.<br />
15.Whole Roasted Cauliflower + Cilantro Pesto: 1<br />
head cauliflower, 2 T. coconut oil. 1 c. cilantro, ½ c.<br />
pepitas, 3 T. coconut oil, 1½ oz. smoky cheese, 1 T.<br />
shallot, lime,<br />
Quick Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro Pesto:<br />
pasta or farro<br />
Whole Roasted Cauliflower Cheese: 4 oz.<br />
smoky cheese<br />
Ideas: eat with eggs, in a sandwich, dip<br />
16. Glazed Shallots and Chicken: 2 T. coconut oil, 1½<br />
lb. chicken, 2 T. maple syrup<br />
Add-ins: balsamic, sherry or red wine vinegar,<br />
calvados, bourbon, butter<br />
Glazed Shallots, Pears and Chicken 1-2 pears<br />
17. Pomegranate Chard Salad: 2 T. coconut oil, 1 lime,<br />
ginger, ½ T. maple syrup, 2 shallots, 1 pomegranate, 2<br />
pears, 1 bunch chard<br />
Add-ins: roasted sweet potato cubes, chicken,<br />
cojita cheese, pomegranate molasses<br />
18. Pear Green Ginger Smoothie: 1 pear, 2 leaves<br />
chard, ginger, 1-2 t. Maple syrup<br />
19.Grown up Rice Pudding + Caramelized Pears: 2 c.<br />
cookedf brown rice, 1 can coconut milk, ¼ c. + 2 t.<br />
maple syrup, 1 t. Coconut oil, 2 pears, ¼” slice ginger<br />
Add-in ideas: pomegranate seeds, golden<br />
raisins, vanilla extract, coconut flakes,<br />
cinnamon, ginger, pomegranate juice or<br />
molasses<br />
<strong>20</strong>. Sweet Masa Pear Tart: 1 cup masa harina, 2 T.<br />
coconut oil, 4 T. maple syrup, 1-2 pears, ½ lime<br />
Add-ins: chopped pepitas, maple syrup for<br />
brushing,<br />
Swaps: apples, prune plums, berries
<strong>Recipe</strong>s
30 minutes • Serves 4-6<br />
You can use chicken stock or broth to make soup, but it isn’t<br />
essential. This quick soup is a demonstration of how water can work<br />
to keep the flavors clean and allow the lime to come through for a<br />
refreshing and snappy spin on chicken and rice soup. This is the<br />
perfect place to use up leftover rice, but if you are starting from<br />
scratch, follow the bonus points to make adjustments. The cumin<br />
amount is very scant, so it adds depth without overtaking the lime<br />
flavor, but if you love it add more. Maybe it’s best to just<br />
increase everything, and double the whole recipe, it’s so delicious<br />
and keeps well, so go ahead and freeze a batch.
Chicken Lime Soup<br />
2 teaspoons coconut oil<br />
1 lb. raw chicken cut in<br />
small, bite sized pieces<br />
1 cup shallots, chopped<br />
3½ teaspoons salt<br />
2 limes, zested and<br />
juiced<br />
1 teaspoon cumin<br />
9 cups water<br />
3 cups cooked rice<br />
A few grinds of pepper<br />
1 cup cilantro, chopped<br />
Heat a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat. Add the<br />
oil, and when it is heated and shimmering, drop the<br />
chicken in, and cook for 3-5 minutes without stirring.<br />
The chicken will stick to the pot, but that’s okay. Add<br />
the shallots, salt, lime zest, and cumin; cover the pot<br />
to allow the contents to sweat for 5 minutes. During<br />
this time the the flavors will intensify and release<br />
liquid, causing the chicken to unstick. Add water and<br />
rice, and give everything a brief stir and simmer for<br />
15 minutes with the lid on to allow the flavors to come<br />
together as the soup simmers. Finish with a few grinds<br />
of pepper and all of the lime juice. Garnish with<br />
chopped cilantro.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
● To use uncooked rice instead of cooked rice, increase the<br />
water by 2 cups and add ¾ cup of raw brown rice. Bring the<br />
water to a simmer and add the rice and cook for 45 minutes<br />
on the stove. If using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot,<br />
use the manual setting for 25 minutes of pressure with the<br />
vent set to seal.<br />
●<br />
Add-ins: chiles, avocados, black beans, fresh raw corn in<br />
early fall, or radishes when the weather cools (and they<br />
aren’t spicy anymore).
Serves 4-6 • 60 minutes, mostly inactive baking time<br />
Thought roast chicken was just something you pick up for a quick<br />
dinner? Think again. Roasting a chicken is easy, and so flavorful.<br />
In this simplified, one pan recipe, the cauliflower roasts in the<br />
chicken drippings, packing it with savory flavor. The cilantro stems<br />
(simply take the bunch and chop off the bottom end) stuffed inside<br />
the bird add a bright flavor. Finish with a garnish of the reserved<br />
leaves and you have a company-worthy dinner that is largely<br />
hands-off. Be generous with the cauliflower and fit in as much as<br />
you can; you’ll be glad you did.
Cauliflower Chicken Roast<br />
½ tablespoon coconut<br />
oil<br />
1 whole chicken, 3 to 4<br />
pounds (reserve giblets<br />
for stock-making if<br />
included)<br />
1 head of cauliflower,<br />
cut into florets<br />
1½ teaspoon cumin<br />
4 teaspoons salt<br />
¾ teaspoon freshly<br />
ground pepper<br />
½ bunch cilantro, stems<br />
cut from leaves, and<br />
leaves chopped<br />
¾ cup pomegranate seeds<br />
to garnish<br />
1 lime<br />
Preheat the oven to 450°, and place a cast-iron or other<br />
heavy ovenproof skillet on a rack set low in the oven (or<br />
put the skillet on a burner over high heat). Combine the<br />
cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Season the<br />
chicken inside and out (I like to season between the meat<br />
and the skin too) using all but 1 teaspoon of the<br />
seasoning. Stuff cilantro stems inside the bird.<br />
When the oven is hot, remove the skillet and add the oil<br />
followed by the cauliflower and sprinkle with the<br />
remaining seasoning mix, and then immediately place the<br />
chicken, breast side up, on top of the cauliflower. Roast,<br />
undisturbed, for 35 minutes, and then flip the bird to<br />
place the underside up, causing the juices to flow into<br />
the breast and cook the underside of the chicken. Stir the<br />
cauliflower in the drippings for even cooking and flavor<br />
distribution. Cook the pan for 15 minutes more, or until<br />
an instant-read thermometer inserted in the meaty part of<br />
the thigh registers 155°, or juices run clear. Remove from<br />
the oven and let rest, uncovered (to stay crispy) for 5<br />
minutes, as the temperature of the chicken will climb 5<br />
degrees and the juices will settle a bit. Discard cilantro<br />
stems. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves, pomegranate<br />
seeds, and a squeeze of lime to finish.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
● If you like the skin crispy on the breast side, simply turn<br />
again for the last five minutes of cooking.<br />
You can speed up the cooking time by starting with a whole cut<br />
up chicken or using assorted bone-in meat. Cooking time will<br />
drop to about 25 minutes. Likewise a larger bird will increase<br />
cooking time.<br />
●<br />
Swap the cauliflower for any root vegetables in large-sized<br />
chunks or whole to prevent mushiness.<br />
Cauliflower Mash: (like potatoes, but cauliflower) buzz the<br />
cauliflower through the food processor after cooking; it looks<br />
just like the classic, and tastes fabulous.
40 minutes • Serves 4<br />
Did you know that corn and mushrooms make a happy couple? My<br />
favorite polenta is a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi, but like most of<br />
his recipes simply dancing with flavor, it has a lot of ingredients.<br />
There’s a time and place to play with those recipes, but sometimes<br />
less just has to be more, because it means you’ll eat homemade food<br />
more often. This tart is an homage to that, dialed way back to<br />
weeknight portions of cheese, dialing up the mushrooms for maximum<br />
heartiness, flavor, and nutrition.
Overloaded Mushroom Tart<br />
1½ cups masa<br />
¾ + 1 teaspoon salt<br />
4 tablespoons + 1<br />
tablespoon coconut<br />
oil<br />
1 cup water<br />
½ cup shallots,<br />
sliced<br />
16 ounces mushrooms,<br />
mixed variety<br />
encouraged<br />
4 ounces smoked<br />
cheese, grated<br />
Preheat the oven to 400° with a baking sheet on the center<br />
rack. Combine masa and ¾ teaspoon salt. Add in water and<br />
oil, mixing with a fork to make a soft, crumbly dough (it<br />
will be about the consistency of playdough). Add a few<br />
more drops of water if needed to make the dough<br />
manageable.<br />
On a piece of parchment, pat the dough into a ½ inch thick<br />
square about 9 x 9 inches across. Slide onto the heated<br />
baking sheet. Parbake the dough while preparing the<br />
mushrooms and shallots, about 10-12 minutes.<br />
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add in oil, and<br />
when it is glossy and hot, add in the shallots. Cook until<br />
browned and flavorful, about 5 minutes. Add in the<br />
mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt, cook for five minutes. Pull<br />
the crust and add ⅓ of the cheese over the tart (to help<br />
the mushroom topping adhere), followed by the mushrooms<br />
and the rest of the cheese to help everything stay in<br />
place. Turn the oven to broil and cook for about 5<br />
minutes more to get the cheese browned and melty, but keep<br />
an eye on it to prevent scorching.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
● Reheating this tart is not a task for the microwave which will<br />
make it gummy. Use the oven, toaster oven, or even a skillet<br />
on the stove top to toast the crust crisp.<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Freeze any extras beyond Day 1, masa gets soggy as it sits.<br />
Add extra interest by finishing with fresh herbs. Parsley and<br />
thyme are especially nice.<br />
Standard white and cremini mushrooms are fine, but other<br />
varieties that are unique to fall are what eating mushrooms in<br />
the fall is all about— the flavor wallops the alternative.<br />
They cost more, but even cutting them 50/50 with the standard<br />
variety is worth it.
Autumn Thai Soup<br />
2 teaspoons coconut oil<br />
½ lb. raw chicken cut in<br />
small, bite sized pieces<br />
½ cup shallot, chopped<br />
2 teaspoons salt<br />
1 lime, zested and<br />
juiced<br />
1½-inch piece of ginger,<br />
peeled and grated<br />
1½ cups sliced mushrooms<br />
1 bunch chard, stalks<br />
finely sliced, leaves<br />
chopped<br />
1 sweet potato, peeled<br />
and cut into ¾” cubes<br />
4 cups water<br />
½ cup coconut milk (or<br />
more to taste)<br />
A few grinds of pepper<br />
Heat a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat. Add the<br />
oil, and when it is heated and shimmering, add the<br />
chicken, cooking for 3-5 minutes. Don’t force the<br />
chicken to move, but allow it to release on its own.<br />
Add the shallots, salt, lime zest, ginger, mushrooms,<br />
and chard stalks; cover the pot to allow the contents<br />
to sweat for 5 minutes. Add water, chard leaves, and<br />
sweet potato and simmer for <strong>20</strong> minutes with the lid on<br />
to allow the flavors to come together as the soup<br />
simmers. Finish with a few grinds of pepper and all of<br />
the lime juice.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
● Get more authentic by adding a bruised stalk of lemongrass<br />
and cut clove of garlic to in the soup.<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Fresh-cut raw corn and chopped tomatoes are a lovely<br />
addition during the few wonderful weeks when summer and<br />
autumn produce meet.<br />
Bulk up the soup by adding in some brown rice or brown<br />
rice noodles.
Braised Cilantro Chard Tangle<br />
50 minutes, mostly inactive time • Makes 3 cups, Serves 4-6<br />
Don’t be put off by this unassuming mess of greens. It’s the start of so<br />
many good things. This recipe is an adaptation from Deborah Madison’s<br />
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Though Madison offered this recipe on its<br />
own, it has evolved into a foundational dish in my kitchen. I love the<br />
flavors on their own, but it’s downright brilliant in a grilled cheese<br />
sandwich, taco, or as a nest for a poached egg. Check the bonus points<br />
section for expansion— I adore every single one. If you’ve resisted braised<br />
greens, don’t anymore; try this easy to cook and easy to love pot of green<br />
gold.
Cilantro Chard Tangle<br />
2 bunches chard<br />
(about 2 lbs.),<br />
including stems<br />
3 tablespoons coconut<br />
oil<br />
1 cup chopped<br />
shallots<br />
¾ teaspoon salt<br />
½ teaspoon freshly<br />
ground pepper<br />
½ bunch cilantro,<br />
finely chopped<br />
¼ cup water<br />
Wash chard until no grit remains, then chop the stems and<br />
slice the leaves into 1-inch ribbons. While prepping the<br />
greens, preheat a pot over medium heat. Add the oil, and<br />
when it is heated, add the shallots, followed by the salt,<br />
pepper, chard, cilantro, and water. Cover the pot and<br />
reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes. Adjust<br />
seasoning to taste and serve.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Grilled Cheese and Greens: Make a sandwich on whole grain sourdough<br />
with a generous spread of greens between sharp white cheddar<br />
or gruyère cheese. Cook in butter or olive oil.<br />
Sweet Potato Tamale Pie: Swap the beans for greens and then ¼-½ cup<br />
of smoky cheese, and top with masa. (I love this so, so much.)<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Huaraches: Pile on greens and a sprinkle of queso fresco or<br />
melty, smoky mozzarella. Salsa verde for the win.<br />
Instant Pot Cilantro Chard Tangle: Use the saute feature while adding<br />
ingredients then pressure cook on manual setting for 2<br />
minutes.<br />
Add-ins: add a poached egg in a bowlful of greens, serve with<br />
garlicky toast, stir leftovers into soup, fried rice, an<br />
omelet, or with some rice and hot sauce. Add in paprika,<br />
garlic, or chiles for even more flavor.
Mushroom Chicken and Rice<br />
55 minutes, mostly inactive time • Serves 6-8<br />
Using boneless chicken and white rice cuts the cooking time in half,<br />
but it also cuts down on the flavor and nutrition that brown rice<br />
and bone-in chicken provide. This recipe is flexible enough to<br />
handle any option, just note the cooking time difference for brown<br />
and white rice.
Mushroom Chicken and Rice<br />
3 tablespoons coconut<br />
oil<br />
1 cup sliced shallots<br />
(2-3 large)<br />
2 cups sliced<br />
mushrooms (about 8<br />
ounces)<br />
2 teaspoons salt<br />
½ teaspoon pepper<br />
1 cup brown rice<br />
Up to 3 lbs. cut up<br />
chicken, bone in or<br />
1½ lbs. boneless<br />
chicken thighs or<br />
breasts<br />
3 cups water (2 cups<br />
if using white rice)<br />
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high<br />
heat. When the oil is hot, add the shallot, and half of<br />
the salt and the pepper. Cook until the shallot is<br />
softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook<br />
for 5 minutes. Add the rice to the skillet, stir it with<br />
the shallot and mushrooms until it is coated in oil. Push<br />
the rice to the edges and nestle the chicken into the pan.<br />
Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Push the rice<br />
back around the chicken and pour in the water. Bring to a<br />
boil and turn the heat down so the pan doesn’t boil over.<br />
Cover and simmer about 25 minutes if using white rice, 45<br />
minutes for brown rice.<br />
Cook until the rice and chicken are cooked through and the<br />
liquid is absorbed, about 35 minutes (check after 25<br />
minutes if using white rice). You can test the chicken by<br />
cutting into it and seeing if the juices run clear. Turn<br />
off the heat.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
● Instant Pot Mushroom Chicken and Rice: Use the saute feature to cook<br />
the shallots, mushrooms, and rice. Follow the recipe up to<br />
covering the pot. At that point seal the pot and set to manual<br />
for 25 minutes for brown rice, or push the rice button for<br />
white. Reduce the water by half for pressure cooking.<br />
●<br />
Add-ins and swaps: After cooking, add chopped chard leaves to<br />
the pan and cover to steam cook for 5 minutes; peas, spinach,<br />
summer squash, and chopped tomatoes also work well. Additional<br />
spices are easy, so use what you love. Use vegetables in<br />
season, and season them with a bit of salt to finish.
30 minutes • Makes 10, serves 5<br />
“Huaraches” is Spanish for “sandals”. These masa cakes are much better<br />
tasting, but share the thin, elongated shape. Masa is sort of a wonder<br />
ingredient. Add salt and water and you have instant flavor-filled dough. Treat<br />
them like a baked potato-style blank slate and load them up with the toppings<br />
you love, or the leavings from another meal and this one becomes a snap<br />
(that’s what I do more often than not).
Huaraches<br />
Huaraches<br />
2 cups masa harina<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1¾ cups water<br />
Coconut oil for<br />
cooking<br />
Topping Ideas<br />
(try a combination)<br />
Leftover cumin<br />
chicken from<br />
Cauliflower Chicken<br />
Roast<br />
Black beans<br />
Cilantro Chard Tangle<br />
Grated smoked cheese<br />
and a sprinkle of<br />
cumin and cilantro<br />
Combine masa and salt. Add in water, mixing with a fork to<br />
make a soft, crumbly dough (it will be about the<br />
consistency of playdough). Add a few more drops of water<br />
if needed to make the dough manageable. Portion dough into<br />
ten palm-sized balls. Place one ball at a time on a piece<br />
of parchment or waxed paper and fold the paper over and<br />
press with your hands or a rolling pin to make a sandal<br />
shaped and sized piece (about an 8-inch oblong of masa<br />
dough, about ¼” thick). Preheat a pan (cast iron if<br />
possible) to medium to medium-low heat and continue<br />
shaping huaraches.<br />
To cook each one, add 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil to the<br />
skillet followed by the huaraches. Cook until the sides<br />
take on an paler, cooked look with a bit of characteristic<br />
charring (much like tortillas, but thicker and easier). It<br />
will take about 2 minutes per side. If you use a larger<br />
pan you can cook more than one at a time and speed up the<br />
process. Add more oil as needed.<br />
Serve hot with any topping suggestions you favor.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
● In a rush? Make the dough up and into balls ahead of time,<br />
just cover and refrigerate. Roll out when you heat the<br />
skillet. The rest time actually improves the dough’s<br />
lightness.<br />
●<br />
●<br />
The topping possibilities for huaraches are only limited by<br />
your imagination. This is a great place for leftover<br />
vegetables, meat, a fried egg (please say you’ll try it), and<br />
your favorite beans.<br />
Topping idea: Cumin Crema: Mix ¾ cup plain yogurt, sour cream,<br />
creme fraiche, or Mexican style crema with a double dash of<br />
salt and cumin. Serve drizzled over huaraches along with any<br />
other toppings you please, but I love it as simple as just<br />
this and a bit of salsa verde.
<strong>20</strong> minutes • Serves 4-6<br />
Parchment and foil packet dinners really are an underused cooking<br />
method. They are super easy to do and produce the loveliest cloud of<br />
aroma when opened (save this drama for the last minute right at the<br />
table). The flavors mingle and meld together and the timing is hard<br />
to get wrong; the sealed packet keeps everything from drying out. Do<br />
these at home in the oven, on the grill outside or even in a<br />
campfire (use foil in a fire or coals)— when’s the last time you did<br />
that? Assemble in advance and cook when you’re ready. They’re a sure<br />
shot winner and super easy to adapt.
Sweet Potato Packet Dinner<br />
2 lbs. sweet potatoes,<br />
peeled and in ¼” slices<br />
2 pears, peeled and in<br />
½” slices<br />
1.5 lbs. chicken, cut<br />
into tender-sized<br />
pieces<br />
1½ teaspoon salt<br />
½ teaspoon fresh ground<br />
pepper<br />
2-3 tablespoons maple<br />
syrup<br />
4 ounces smoked cheese,<br />
grated<br />
Line up 4 oversized sheets of foil or parchment (heavy<br />
duty foil is best, double layer if using thin foil). Make<br />
a bed of sweet potatoes and pears, top with chicken, and<br />
then salt and pepper each packet, and add a drizzle of<br />
the maple syrup and a sprinkling of the cheese. Fold the<br />
packets closed by folding up the sides to meet in the<br />
middle, fold and crease twice to seal. Fold each side the<br />
same to prevent steam or juices from escaping. Bake for<br />
30 minutes at 400°. Keep packets sealed (and warm) until<br />
serving.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
● Make it vegetarian: Leave out the chicken and pop in up to ¾<br />
cup of whole grains (farro, quinoa, or brown rice in each<br />
packet). The grains can also be added in with the chicken if<br />
you please.<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Take this recipe outside. This is a super easy camping meal,<br />
but gets even easier if you use fully cooked chicken-apple<br />
sausage in place of the raw chicken tenders.<br />
Thanksgiving in a Packet: replace the chicken with turkey, add in<br />
2 sliced shallots, top each packet with leaves of fresh sage<br />
and dried cranberries, or finish with fresh pomegranates.
The White Salad<br />
Serves 4-6 • <strong>20</strong> minutes (10 if using the food processor)<br />
This is a personal, adaptable salad. If you like more chicken, dial it up. If<br />
you want it vegetarian, kick the chicken out. But please, keep the cauliflower<br />
and pears in even in reduced amounts. They add all the texture that this<br />
unconventional chicken salad thrives on. However, the dressing and<br />
fruit-vegetable mix are just lovely on their own. If you play it like me, you<br />
can’t bear to make this salad without listening to the “White Room” at the<br />
same time. I swear it tastes better that way.
The White Salad<br />
Dressing:<br />
⅓ cup coconut oil,<br />
melted if solid<br />
Juice of 1 lime<br />
1 teaspoon grated<br />
ginger (just eyeball<br />
it)<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
Salad:<br />
½ lb. cooked chicken,<br />
chopped (optional)<br />
1-3 cups cauliflower,<br />
finely chopped<br />
1 large or 2 small<br />
pears, finely chopped<br />
1 large shallot,<br />
finely chopped<br />
Whisk dressing together, add salad ingredients and toss.<br />
Taste for seasonings and serve.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
● If you care less about careful chopping by hand, pulse the<br />
ingredients in the food processor. Start with the shallots and<br />
cauliflower, pulsing to get them small, then add in the pears,<br />
and finally the chicken. Pulse only to avoid creating salad<br />
mush. Remove and toss with dressing.<br />
●<br />
Add-ins: pomegranate seeds, golden raisins, almonds,<br />
pistachios, or sesame seeds.
2 hours, mostly inactive (components can be prepped in advance) • Serves 4-6<br />
I grew up eating tamales— they’re a Christmastime tradition in South Texas. My<br />
parents ordered dozens wrapped in corn husks for days of feasting. And while<br />
I’ve taken the time to make them on my own, it’s still firmly a special<br />
occasion dish. But if you strip away the pleasure of opening individual corn<br />
husks and make the same dish into a pie, it becomes an easy, versatile anytime<br />
meal. To add a flavor boost, I’ve mixed roast sweet potato (see bonus points<br />
to cook one quickly) into the masa harina; it contrasts so nicely with the<br />
black bean filling. But don’t stop there and check out the ideas in the bonus<br />
section to fill this super-sized tamale with the flavor you like best (you can<br />
even go halfsies, with a different fillings on each side).
Sweet Potato Tamale Pie<br />
Masa Mix<br />
1 medium-sized sweet<br />
potato, fully cooked in<br />
its jacket<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
2 cups masa harina<br />
2 cups water<br />
⅓ cup coconut oil<br />
Black Bean Filling<br />
1 tablespoon coconut<br />
oil<br />
½ cup shallots<br />
3 cups cooked black<br />
beans, drained but a<br />
little cooking liquid<br />
reserved<br />
1 teaspoon cumin<br />
Salt as needed (since<br />
beans will likely have<br />
been salted during<br />
cooking)<br />
Remove the peel from the sweet potato and place the flesh<br />
and salt in the bowl of a food processor or a<br />
medium-sized bowl if using a hand mixer. Create a smooth<br />
paste of the sweet potato, slowly incorporating the water<br />
and oil until fully combined. Sprinkle in masa harina and<br />
continue to run the mixer until it is fully integrated.<br />
It will have the consistency of hummus or mashed<br />
potatoes. Cover dough and set aside for one hour or more<br />
(even up to a day) to rest. Re-whip when ready to use (I<br />
usually let mine hang out in the mixer bowl).<br />
Preheat oven to 375°. Make the filling by sauteing the<br />
shallots and cumin in the coconut oil over medium heat<br />
for 2-3 minutes. Add the beans and ½ cup liquid and<br />
combine with a masher, immersion blender, or a food<br />
processor. Add additional liquid as needed to make a<br />
spreadable thick bean mash. Taste for seasoning and<br />
adjust.<br />
Using a 9-inch oven safe skillet or similarly sized pan,<br />
pat a little more than half of the dough into the pan.<br />
Wet fingers or a little piece of parchment paper (the<br />
best option) make this otherwise messy task easy. Pat<br />
dough up and around the sides to prevent the filling from<br />
leaking through the sides or bottom crust. Spoon filling<br />
in (the black bean and/or any of the additional ideas in<br />
the bonus points section). Plop and pat on the top crust,<br />
pressing in sides to seal in filling. Bake for 45 minutes<br />
at 375° covered with foil or with a lid to steam (just<br />
like the original). Uncover and bake for 5 minutes more<br />
(so you get all the lightness and moisture of the steam,<br />
but none of the gumminess in the finished product). Cool<br />
for 5 minutes before serving,<br />
(bonus points on next page)
Sweet Potato Tamale Pie continued<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
You can cook an emergency sweet potato for this recipe in the<br />
microwave: pierce with a fork and microwave for 8 minutes on a<br />
plate with a bowl domed over it to get it really moist.<br />
The masa behaves best and is a bit fluffier with 1 hour of<br />
resting time. But it is not essential to take the time if you<br />
don't have it.<br />
Want to make your masa a bit lighter? Add in 1½ teaspoons of<br />
baking powder in with the masa harina mix.<br />
Serving ideas: salsa verde or hot sauce, and escabeche (spicy<br />
pickled chiles and vegetables are dear to my heart)<br />
Add-ins and swaps: Braised Cilantro Chard Tangle, a smidgen of<br />
smoked cheese with the greens or the beans, cooked, shredded<br />
chicken (another use for leftovers from Cauliflower Chicken<br />
Roast or other meats). Anything in your favorite tamales can<br />
be worked in here, about 2-3 cups of filling and nothing too<br />
runny.
5 minutes sauce, 35 minutes components • Serves 4<br />
Sikil Pak is something like the hummus of the Mayans. Toasted pumpkin seeds<br />
are ground to a paste with spices, citrus, herbs, and onion to make a rich<br />
creamy paste that’s the sort of condiment that’s easy to love, even this<br />
simplified version. Dip in vegetables, tortillas or tortilla chips, but even<br />
better than that, make it dinner. The creamy, punchy pumpkin seed sauce<br />
against the sweet potatoes and rice makes this bowl magic, everything else is<br />
delicious extra (as always, see the bonus points for ideas). Plus, this dish<br />
is a high functioning recycling center for leftovers: cumin chicken, sweet<br />
potato wedges, and black beans— deposit them here.
Mayan Pepita Rice Bowls<br />
Mayan Pepita Sauce:<br />
¾ cup roughly cut<br />
shallots, about 2 large<br />
bulbs<br />
½ bunch cilantro,<br />
including stems<br />
1 cup pepitas, toasted<br />
1 teaspoon cumin<br />
½ teaspoon salt<br />
¼-½ cup water, use as<br />
needed to thin the sauce<br />
1½ tablespoons coconut oil<br />
Bowl Components:<br />
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, cut<br />
into ¾” cubes (peeled or<br />
unpeeled, your choice)<br />
2 tablespoons coconut oil<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
4 cups cooked brown rice<br />
1½ cups cooked black beans<br />
(use the recipe under<br />
Build-a-Potato or canned)<br />
1 teaspoon cumin<br />
Garnish with additional<br />
pepitas, cilantro, and<br />
lime<br />
Combine all sauce ingredients except the water,<br />
allowing the natural oils in the pepitas to release,<br />
about 2-5 minutes. Add water as needed to make it<br />
smooth and creamy.<br />
Preheat oven to 450°. Toss sweet potato cubes with<br />
oil, season with salt, and place on a baking sheet to<br />
roast. Open the oven at 10 minutes to give them a<br />
stir, then continue baking until crisp and cooked<br />
through, about 7-10 minutes more. Mix black beans<br />
with cumin (add salt if beans are unsalted).<br />
Assemble bowls with rice, roasted sweet potatoes,<br />
black beans, and a hearty plop of the pepita sauce,<br />
plus any garnishes or toppings you please.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Chicken, chickpeas, roasted vegetables (summer<br />
vegetables that are still going strong into<br />
autumn work well: peppers, corn, tomatoes and<br />
eggplant, as well as the upcoming fall crops:<br />
squash, cauliflower, and greens).<br />
Make the sauce more authentic and blend in some<br />
heat with a raw seeded chile or two.<br />
Use any leftover dip to dunk jicama and sweet<br />
potato fries in, or dress up a simple sandwich.<br />
Swap the regular rice for Coconut Rice: Replace up<br />
to half of the water in the rice with coconut<br />
milk, cooking as normal.
1 hour optional soaking, 40 minutes, mostly inactive • Serves 4 (side), 2 (dinner)<br />
I’ve contended for a long time that crisp homemade sweet potato fries are a fine<br />
meal. There have been nights I’ve made them and called it dinner. Sometimes there<br />
were sides. Any meal you make sweet potato fries for is a good meal, but with these<br />
I wanted to make them much closer to worthy of that meal title. That’s where the<br />
Mayan Pepita Sauce comes in. Hello, protein and hello addictive addition that fills<br />
you up and won’t weigh you down like mayonnaise dips. This dip is not a mere<br />
suggestion, but prescription, so make as directed, please. The dip makes these<br />
sturdy sweet potato wedges wonderful and unlike any I’ve had before and totally<br />
want to have again.
Sweet Potato Wedge Fries<br />
+ Mayan Pepita Sauce<br />
Wedge Fries<br />
2 lbs. sweet potatoes,<br />
cut lengthwise into ½”<br />
thick wedges, unpeeled<br />
3 tablespoons coconut<br />
oil<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
Mayan Pepita Sauce:<br />
¾ cup roughly cut<br />
shallots, about 2 large<br />
bulbs<br />
½ bunch cilantro,<br />
including stems<br />
1 cup pepitas, toasted<br />
1 teaspoon cumin<br />
½ teaspoon salt<br />
¼-½ cup water, use as<br />
needed to thin the<br />
sauce<br />
1½ tablespoons coconut<br />
oil<br />
Soak sweet potato wedges in cool water for one hour up<br />
to overnight, just pop the soaking container in the<br />
fridge.<br />
Drain, rinse and pat dry while preheating the oven to<br />
450°. Pour oil on the baking sheet and toss with the dry<br />
sweet potato wedges. Salt. Bake for 25-35 minutes,<br />
flipping all the wedges at the halfway mark. If your<br />
wedges are longer and bigger from bigger potatoes, go<br />
longer, but you may need to pull any little ones to<br />
prevent scorching. Serve with Mayan Pepita Sauce.<br />
Combine all sauce ingredients except the water, allowing<br />
the natural oils in the pepitas to release, about 2-5<br />
minutes then add water as needed to make it smooth and<br />
smooth and creamy.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
● I’ve tested the wedges five ways (and other iterations of<br />
sweet potato fries dozens more), and learned a few things.<br />
Many recipes call for cornstarch for crispiness and to<br />
prevent floppy fries; sure, you can do that, but by simply<br />
leaving the peel on and using a wedge shape, the fries are<br />
sturdier without that step and don’t have the chalkiness of<br />
cornstarch.<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
About the soak time: sure, you can skip it in a pinch, but<br />
if you can take the time to slough off the excess starch,<br />
your finished product is crisper and lighter.<br />
Some recipes claim that salting before baking draws out so<br />
much moisture that fries don’t crisp. I have found this to<br />
be untrue, plus the salt adheres better to a wet potato<br />
than a dry one.<br />
Use any leftover dip to dress up a simple sandwich.
25/35 minutes for chicken/cauliflower, mostly inactive time • Serves 4-6<br />
Traditional Nogada is a celebratory and elegant sauce of pureed walnuts,<br />
cream, and often fresh cheese over roasted, peeled chiles stuffed with<br />
savory-sweet mix of fruit and meat. If you thought Mexican food was<br />
simply street food, think again. This elaborate dish is classically<br />
served in the fall when pomegranates are in season. The red of the seeds<br />
with the white of the sauce and green of the cilantro are a patriotic<br />
declaration. This is not that. But this delicious tribute is ready in a<br />
fraction of the time, and still stunning to serve.
Not Nogada<br />
Not Nogada Sauce:<br />
¾ cup pepitas, lightly<br />
toasted<br />
½ can coconut milk<br />
½ teaspoon salt (use more<br />
or less as needed, many<br />
pepitas come salted)<br />
Dry Poached Chicken or Roasted<br />
Cauliflower with Shallots and<br />
Pears:<br />
1 head of cauliflower,<br />
trimmed and cut in ½”<br />
slices or 2 lb. chicken<br />
breasts or thighs, cut<br />
into tenders*<br />
1 cup shallots, cut into<br />
¼” wedges (trim hairy<br />
roots, but leave root<br />
base intact and slice<br />
lengthwise through)<br />
2 pears, roughly chopped<br />
1 tablespoon coconut oil<br />
1 tablespoon maple syrup<br />
1 teaspoon cumin<br />
¾ teaspoon salt<br />
freshly ground pepper<br />
seeds of one pomegranate<br />
(around 1½ cups)<br />
⅔ cup chopped cilantro<br />
Preheat oven to 400°. Pour oil into a 9x13 baking<br />
dish, rubbing it around the pan. Add in the syrup,<br />
salt, cumin, and a few grinds of pepper and mix. Add<br />
the shallots, pears, and chicken, toss with the<br />
seasoning mix. Nestle chicken into the shallots and<br />
pears, and cover the pan with a piece of parchment (or<br />
not, see notes) and bake for <strong>20</strong> minutes, or until the<br />
chicken is juicy and tender.<br />
If using cauliflower proceed as with the chicken, but<br />
do not cover the baking dish, and roast until the<br />
vegetables are toasted and tender, about 30 minutes.<br />
Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender or food<br />
processor and puree until creamy.<br />
Serve by covering the cauliflower/chicken-shallot-pear<br />
mix with the not nogada sauce (really drown it) and a<br />
fat stripe of pomegranate seeds on one side, and<br />
cilantro leaves on the other to evoke the stripes of<br />
the Mexican flag (this works best on each individual<br />
serving rather than one big serving so everyone gets<br />
cilantro and pomegranate seeds on their serving).<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
●<br />
●<br />
*If using skin on raw chicken, no need to cover with<br />
parchment, use only when using boneless skinless meat<br />
because the paper works like the skin to prevent drying.<br />
Serve with rice or warm tortillas to mop up the sauce.<br />
●<br />
I’ve cheated and made this with leftover chicken with the<br />
sauce, cilantro, and pomegranate seeds, and that was<br />
good, but the pears and shallots really add a lot.
Serves 2-4 (main), 4-6 (side) • 1 hour 35 minutes, mostly inactive<br />
short cut recipe 35 minutes<br />
This recipe makes cauliflower a stunning star of the table, the grand<br />
poo-bah of cauliflower. Since the only real task it involves is waiting<br />
around, it’s pretty easy to do. Don’t be intimidated. Do try the bonus<br />
point ideas with the cauliflower cheese. If time is an issue, cut the<br />
cauliflower up and roast it in pieces. The pesto raises the power of one<br />
little piece of cheese on a big, flavorful paste. If you don’t eat<br />
cheese, simply leave it out and use smoked salt to get some of that<br />
impact without dairy.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower<br />
+ Cilantro Pesto<br />
1 head of cauliflower,<br />
core cut out but head in<br />
one piece<br />
2 tablespoons coconut oil<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
Cilantro Pesto<br />
1 cup packed cilantro,<br />
stems and leaves<br />
½ cup pepitas, toasted<br />
3 tablespoons coconut oil<br />
1½ ounce smoked cheese<br />
1 tablespoon shallot<br />
½ teaspoon salt<br />
squeeze of lime (optional)<br />
A few tablespoons of water<br />
to thin if desired<br />
Preheat oven to 400°. Place cauliflower in a oven-safe<br />
skillet. Rub all over with oil and sprinkle with salt.<br />
Cover the pan tightly with foil so cauliflower can<br />
steam cook. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.<br />
Remove foil and continue baking for 45-60 minutes<br />
depending on the size of the cauliflower. It will be<br />
tender inside and crisp on the exterior. Serve by<br />
slicing it into wedges at the table for a grand<br />
presentation. Make it fancy with a smear of pesto on<br />
the plate underneath the wedge of cauliflower for<br />
dipping.<br />
Using a food processor or mortar and pestle grind all<br />
pesto ingredients into a bold and bright green paste.<br />
Use the water if desired to make the pesto more<br />
spreadable.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
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●<br />
Spread extra pesto on toast with eggs, in a sandwich, or<br />
thinned as a dip with crudites.<br />
Quick Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro Pesto Pasta: Roast<br />
cauliflower florets at 425° for 25 minutes. Serve over ¾<br />
lb. pasta (or farro). Finish by tossing everything<br />
together with pesto.<br />
Whole Roasted Cauliflower Cheese: Skip the pesto and top the<br />
cauliflower with 4 ounces of smoked cheese during the last<br />
25 minutes of roasting. Let the cheese get deeply toasted<br />
without scorching. Grind fresh pepper over the top.
Serves 4-6 • 30 minutes<br />
There’s a reason the shallots are listed first in this recipe. The<br />
shallots are the heart of this recipe; chicken is not at all<br />
necessary, but it does make this more of a dinner rather than just a<br />
dish of shallots transformed to their celestial state of being. Yes,<br />
it does mean the pesky task of peeling the shallots. If you like,<br />
blanch them in boiling water for 1 minute and they’ll slide right<br />
off, but I find I make a surface cut on both sides of the shallot<br />
and shuck off the skin while the the skillet heats and the chicken<br />
cooks. If you’ve never had a member of the onion family front and<br />
center, try this dish; you’ll want to put it on the Thanksgiving<br />
table this year, but first make this dish for dinner.
Glazed Shallots + Chicken<br />
2 tablespoons coconut<br />
oil<br />
1½ lbs. chicken (breast<br />
or thighs, bone in or<br />
out all work)<br />
1 + ½ teaspoon salt<br />
½-1 teaspoon freshly<br />
ground pepper<br />
2 tablespoons maple<br />
syrup<br />
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the<br />
oil, and when it is shimmering and heated, add the<br />
chicken. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon of salt and<br />
the pepper. After about 5 minutes, when the chicken is<br />
seared, browned, and releases easily from the pan, flip<br />
it over to cook the other side. Season with ½ teaspoon<br />
of salt and turn the heat down to medium-low and put<br />
all of the peeled shallots in the pan. Add in the<br />
remaining salt, 2 cups of water, and the maple syrup.<br />
Cover and cook for 15 minutes, then remove the lid, and<br />
allow the liquid to boil off. While the sauce thickens,<br />
remove the chicken from the pan onto a plate and cover<br />
with another plate to keep warm. When the sauce is a<br />
bit syrupy and mostly evaporated, pour over the chicken<br />
(or return the chicken to the skillet and serve).<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Glazed Shallots, Pears, and Chicken: Add 1-2 sliced pears<br />
along with the shallots to the pan and allow them to<br />
simmer with the sauce.<br />
Add-ins: Finish with a little bit of vinegar for some<br />
added interest. A balsamic, sherry, or red wine vinegar is<br />
nice. Water can also be replaced with chicken or vegetable<br />
stock if desired.<br />
If you want to go all out for a special occasion, add in a<br />
splash of bourbon or calvados and swap the oil for butter.
25 minutes • Serves 4 as a main dish<br />
With a busy household with five kids, my mom kept a handful of easy meals in<br />
rotation so no matter what, there would be homemade dinner. Build-a-Potato was<br />
what my mother called baked potatoes. It took years for me to recognize that<br />
most baked potatoes aren’t “built”. Her creative direction made way for a real<br />
spread of toppings both mundane (broccoli) and exotic (pineapple and water<br />
chestnuts). As an adult I’ve flipped and simplified the idea, using sweet<br />
potatoes instead of russets, topping them with black beans and lime-pickled<br />
shallots to build them southwest style. Just like it was for my mom, this is<br />
still an easy (and prep ahead) dinner. Feel free to recycle leftover bits and<br />
pieces from other meals into this, but don’t miss making the lime-pickled<br />
shallots.
Build-A-Potato + Black Beans<br />
4 large sweet<br />
potatoes, cleaned and<br />
pricked with a fork<br />
2-3 cups black beans,<br />
cooked (use canned or<br />
the recipe below)<br />
2 shallot bulbs, peeled<br />
and sliced very thin<br />
1-2 limes<br />
1 + ½ teaspoon salt<br />
pepitas and cilantro to<br />
serve<br />
Bake sweet potatoes for 1 hour at 400° on the oven rack<br />
or on a pan until they start to seep their juices and the<br />
insides are very, very soft. During this time prepare the<br />
shallots by sprinkling them with the lime juice and 1<br />
teaspoon salt and then toss, taste and add more lime and<br />
salt as needed. Let rest for 10 minutes; they will soften<br />
and pickle as they rest.<br />
Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and allow to cool for<br />
a few minutes before serving. To serve slit open the skin<br />
and press the pointy ends in to pop open the middle like<br />
a bowl. Use the remaining salt to season the cooked<br />
potato flesh. Top with a mound of black beans, shallots,<br />
a bit of cilantro and a sprinkle of pepitas.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
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●<br />
Crisp-baked sweet potatoes are delightful to eat but<br />
you can have them soft if you prefer by wrapping<br />
them in foil during baking, which is exactly what<br />
you want to do when you take this recipe camping;<br />
just foil wrap them and leave them in the coals of<br />
the fire for the best baked potato of your life.<br />
Toppings idea: Cumin Crema: Mix ¾ cup plain yogurt,<br />
sour cream, creme fraiche, or Mexican style crema<br />
with a double dash of salt and cumin.<br />
Like it cheesy? Grate smoky cheese directly onto the<br />
hot, open potato to melt and then add the beans and<br />
so forth.<br />
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes: 18 minutes, sealed on manual<br />
setting with large potatoes on a rack or in a<br />
steamer basket with 1 cup of water underneath.
Build-A-Potato + Black Beans continued<br />
Black Beans<br />
dried beans<br />
2-3 times the volume<br />
of water to beans<br />
1 teaspoon salt per 1<br />
lb. dry beans<br />
Black Beans<br />
I like to make a big pot and tuck them away in the freezer<br />
and fridge, on the ready any time I need them (you can<br />
even pack them in 1½ cup quantities to match sizing with<br />
canned beans). You can choose to soak or not, add in<br />
extras, slow or pressure cook. My favorite results come<br />
from the slow and low setting on the slow cooker, giving<br />
me the most reliable results without soaking. I’ve tried<br />
all the options and keep going back to the super reliable<br />
results of the slow cooker on low without needing to<br />
presoak. (So nice.) Put the beans in overnight or first<br />
thing in the morning. Add in aromatics or stock if you<br />
like to, but it isn’t necessary; picking out rocks and a<br />
quick rinse is. Also, the best time to salt is the back<br />
quarter of cooking time to prevent the skins of the beans<br />
from toughening.<br />
Every bean will vary on cook time based on size. Black<br />
beans tend to run about 30 minutes in the Instant Pot, 1½<br />
hours on the stove top, and 3 hours on high/6 hours on low<br />
in the slow cooker.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Add-ins: garlic, chipotle chiles, cumin, oregano, smoked<br />
paprika, cream sherry (hat tip to Yotam Ottolenghi), onion,<br />
shallots, and epazote. If you like acidic flavors like<br />
tomatoes, limes, or a smidge of chile or balsamic vinegar (all<br />
good ideas), don’t add it until the end of cooking, as it will<br />
inhibit the beans from cooking properly.<br />
Topping idea: Cumin Crema: Mix ¾ cup plain yogurt, sour cream,<br />
creme fraiche, or Mexican style crema with a double dash of<br />
salt and cumin.
Serves 4-6 • 10 minutes<br />
Chard doesn’t get all the attention kale and spinach do; it’s almost<br />
used exclusively for cooking. But then I planted chard in the yard.<br />
And every time I was in a pinch for salad greens I snatched a few<br />
tender leaves from the garden chard and no one complained. So, I<br />
wasn’t surprised when I searched for chard salads and found it<br />
wasn’t just me sneaking the chard into the salad. The more mature<br />
your chard is, the chewier it is, just like kale. Slice right<br />
through that issue by chopping it a little smaller than other<br />
lettuces. The pomegranate is the star of this salad, so be generous<br />
with it.
Pomegranate Chard Salad<br />
2 tablespoons coconut oil<br />
(melted if solid)<br />
1 lime, juiced<br />
A few gratings of fresh<br />
ginger<br />
½ tablespoon maple syrup<br />
¾ teaspoon salt<br />
2 shallots, thinly sliced<br />
1 pomegranate, seeded<br />
(about 1-2 cups)<br />
2 pears, ½” cubes or diced<br />
1 bunch chard, stemmed and<br />
chopped into bite size<br />
pieces<br />
Combine all ingredients except for chard in a bowl, toss<br />
and then set aside for the flavors to come together<br />
while stemming and cutting the chard. Toss salad<br />
together and serve.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
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Add-ins: roasted cubes of sweet potatoes (my favorite),<br />
chicken, or cotija cheese.<br />
You can prep the dressing and greens ahead of time and pop<br />
them in the fridge separately, but let the dressing warm<br />
again to melt the coconut oil and stir to mix the dressing<br />
before adding greens.<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Don’t chuck the chard stems! Use them in place of the whole<br />
leaves for the smoothie or dice to add to a braise or in<br />
fried rice. Or mince them tiny (so they aren’t so fibrous)<br />
and put in the salad.<br />
Up the pomegranate flavor by adding a few drops of<br />
pomegranate molasses to the dressing if you have it.
3 minutes • Serves 2<br />
Bright, crisp, and verdant green. Break away from the standard kale<br />
or spinach with banana combos and try something boldly different.<br />
And while the maple syrup is entirely optional, and unnecessary if<br />
your pears are ripe and sweet, it adds a really lovely flavor to<br />
this quick blend. Sometime I put it in, sometimes I don’t. Make this<br />
smoothie as an easy mid-morning or afternoon refresher— it’s<br />
delightful.
Pear Ginger Green Smoothie<br />
1 pear (large or 2 small)<br />
2 large leaves of chard<br />
1 cup ice<br />
A few gratings of ginger<br />
root (more or less to<br />
taste)<br />
1-2 teaspoons maple<br />
syrup (optional)<br />
Combine all ingredients in the blender, layering pears,<br />
chard, ice and ginger. Blend. Taste if sweetener is<br />
desired and, if so, add the maple syrup.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
●<br />
Want more feel-good zing? Add in a bit more ginger to wake up<br />
your mouth. I love the stuff.<br />
●<br />
Quick tip to clean the blender: when you finish, fill it<br />
halfway with water and a drop of soap. Place the lid on and<br />
run the blender, dump and wipe the outside. I’ve found this<br />
to be the best way to clean out gunk under the blades.
15 minutes • Serves 4<br />
This is the clutch any time, any night dessert. Leftover brown rice, a<br />
can of coconut milk, a bit of maple syrup and you have the rice pudding<br />
that will haunt your dreams with its nutty, sweet depth. Eat it straight<br />
or top it with the caramelized pear sauce. But it’s really lovely with<br />
just a healthy handful of pomegranate arils, especially at breakfast.
Grown Up Rice Pudding<br />
+ Caramelized Pears<br />
Grown Up Rice Pudding<br />
2 cups brown rice,<br />
cooked<br />
1 can coconut milk<br />
¼ cup maple syrup<br />
Caramelized Pears<br />
1 teaspoon coconut oil<br />
2 pears, chopped (with<br />
or without the peel)<br />
¼ inch slice of ginger<br />
root<br />
1-2 teaspoons maple<br />
syrup<br />
Water<br />
Combine all pudding ingredients in a small pot. Simmer<br />
over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking<br />
for 10-15 minutes, until the pudding is thick, just shy<br />
of porridge (it will thicken more as it cools). Serve<br />
topped with caramelized pears (which can easily be made<br />
at the same time).<br />
Heat the oil in a small skillet on medium and add the<br />
pears and small slice of ginger. Allow the pears to color<br />
golden, about 10 minutes, but stir as needed to prevent<br />
scorching. (Add a few drops of water as needed to to<br />
deglaze the pan.) When the pears are sufficiently<br />
caramelized, add in the syrup and ¼-½ cup more water to<br />
scrape the pan with and make a bit of a thin sauce as it<br />
heats and reduces to your liking.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
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●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Add-ins: grate fresh ginger into the pudding, plop in a<br />
cinnamon stick, dried fruit (such as raisins), or finish<br />
with small slosh of vanilla extract.<br />
Toppings ideas: aside from the caramelized pears, try fresh<br />
pomegranate seeds, toasted nuts or big flakes of coconut.<br />
When reheating the pudding, or if serving cold, stir in a<br />
little water if the pudding is too firm, as the rice will<br />
continue to absorb moisture as it rests.<br />
Want to make it pink? Stir in a little fresh pomegranate<br />
juice or pomegranate molasses at the end of cooking to tint<br />
the pudding and keep the flavor bright.
35 minutes • Serves 4-6<br />
Masa is a brilliant ingredient. Just add liquid and salt— it’s<br />
instant dough. The lime-slaked corn is full of flavor; this crust is<br />
no cardboard carrier for the filling. Mixed with maple syrup and<br />
coconut oil it sings— savory, sweet, and nutty. And it comes<br />
together in a snap: no rolling or chilling, just mix and press out<br />
with your fingers. I like to use two hands: pressing one hand toward<br />
the other to pat the dough upwards, forming a small lip to edge the<br />
tart. Alternately, you could pinch it like pie crust, but this is so<br />
much simpler. Serve on its own or with whipped cream swirled with<br />
cinnamon, if desired.
Sweet Masa Pear Tart<br />
1 cup masa<br />
2 tablespoons coconut<br />
oil<br />
4 tablespoons maple<br />
syrup, divided<br />
½ teaspoon salt<br />
¾ cup water<br />
1-2 pears, very<br />
thinly sliced<br />
½ lime<br />
Preheat the oven to 400° with a baking sheet inside.<br />
Combine masa and salt. Add in water, oil, and 2<br />
tablespoons of the maple syrup, mixing with a fork to make<br />
a soft, crumbly dough (it will be about the consistency of<br />
playdough). Add a few more drops of water if needed to<br />
make the dough manageable.<br />
On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pat out the dough into<br />
a ½-inch thick disk about 9 inches across. Using two hands<br />
or a thumb and forefinger, pinch the dough to form an<br />
edge. Shingle the pear slices across the top, and brush<br />
with remaining maple syrup. Slide onto preheated baking<br />
sheet in the upper third of the oven. Bake for 25-30<br />
minutes until the crust begins to turns golden. Squeeze<br />
with lime and serve.<br />
Bonus Points:<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
If you like the crust crispier (the crust under the pears is<br />
tender), parbake the crust for 12 minutes before topping with<br />
the pears and continuing to bake for 15-<strong>20</strong> minutes more until<br />
the tart is beginning to color and the crust is firm.<br />
Add-ins: A sprinkle of chopped pepitas or one more thin brush<br />
of maple syrup makes a pretty finish.<br />
Swaps: autumn apples, late season berries, or Italian prune<br />
plums make a brilliant exchange for the pears.<br />
Leftovers will not keep on the counter past a day and must be<br />
frozen. To reheat this tart, toast in the oven or toaster oven<br />
to prevent gumminess.
About<br />
The Kitchen Natural is the place Sandra Clark Jergensen helps people who<br />
already know how to cook do it better. Guiding home cooks to cook more<br />
intelligently, intuitively, and innovatively, she makes cooking more<br />
approachable while focusing on wholesome ingredients and seasonal produce. She<br />
wants you to feel good because you ate well and cooked it yourself- like a<br />
natural.<br />
The Seasonal <strong>20</strong>/<strong>20</strong> began as a challenge to make cooking in season and with<br />
healthy ingredients less overwhelming. It has grown into a recipe collection<br />
for each season, with a growing community of cooks learning together,<br />
appreciating the unique flavors of each season through this simplified and<br />
creative approach.<br />
Sandra Clark Jergensen is a kitchen specialist as the owner and creator of The<br />
Kitchen Natural, experience as a food writer, pantry chef, and penchant for<br />
designing functional kitchens (including her own). Sandra geeked out on food<br />
and writing as a master's student food studies at University of Texas,<br />
Arlington. Her writing (often about food) has been published in Gastronomica,<br />
aparmenttherapy.com, The Exponent, and at Segullah, where she serves as<br />
Co-Editor-in-Chief. She has been featured in The Huffington Post and Design<br />
Mom. As a foster parent and volunteer instructor at Davis Community Meals,<br />
Sandra is passionate about engaging in the place where she lives. She runs<br />
without shoes, takes most pictures with her eyes closed, and loves riding bikes<br />
with her husband and two kids.<br />
thekitchennatural.com<br />
Copyright <strong>20</strong>17