Category Archives: entrées

Sweet potato & black bean veggie burgers

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Veggie Burgers

It’s about time I told you all about my friend Bill. I’ve mentioned him before, but never by name. Bill is a badass. He’s a cancer survivor, a true fighter. Bill has survived leukemia, rhizopus (a horrific fungal infection) and a stem cell transplant. After all that, he endured a total knee replacement surgery and [...]

Also posted in fall, gluten free, summer, vegan | Tagged , , | 114 Responses
Tex-Mex Omelet with Roasted Cherry Tomato Salsa

Tex-Mex Omelet with Roasted Cherry Tomato Salsa

I intended to write about springtime in Kansas City today—about how the hum of my space heater had been replaced by the roar of the air conditioning unit, how the tulips are on fire and the whole city seems to be joining us on our evening walks—but it snowed yesterday. Unwelcome snow flakes covered our [...]

Also posted in breakfast, gluten free, recipes | Tagged , , , , | 41 Responses
Pea pesto recipe

Minty Pea Pesto

My brother texted me this quote yesterday morning and it seemed terribly appropriate. “And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens—The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.” The full letter by John Steinbeck to his son is worth reading if you can spare a minute. Nothing good gets [...]

Also posted in gluten free, spring | Tagged , , , , | 52 Responses
Spring Pea and Asparagus Pasta

Spring Pea and Asparagus Pasta

My search for clarity has left me empty-handed this week, which isn’t to say that I haven’t tried. There have been long walks and talks with friends, vinyasas at yoga class and lots of sleep, maybe too much. Though my preoccupied mind and tiny kitchen haven’t produced any original recipes worth sharing this week, I [...]

Also posted in spring | Tagged , , , , , , | 67 Responses
Lentil and Mushroom Meatballs

Lentil and Mushroom Meatballs

It began with a bang—the aforementioned explosion that rattled my place like an earthquake. Then came ten inches of snow, hushing the city save for some eerily low, rumbling snow thunder. The roads cleared; we went out on Friday night for dinner and a show. On the way home, we pulled forward at a green [...]

Also posted in gluten free | Tagged , , , | 114 Responses
West African Peanut Soup

West African Peanut Soup

I know that peanut butter, tomatoes and collard greens may seem like a regrettable combination, but I hope you’ll trust me on this one. This homely soup is good—so good that I’m almost tempted to: a) put on my big puffy coat, b) shovel my car out from under 10 inches of snow, and c) [...]

Also posted in gluten free, soups and stews, vegan, winter | Tagged , , , , , | 175 Responses
Curried Red Lentil Soup with Dried Cherries and Cilantro

Curried Red Lentil Soup with Dried Cherries and Cilantro

There comes a time in every food blogger’s life when she starts to experience serious blender envy. It started for me a few months ago, when I was cursing my cheap blender for its utter uselessness. I decided it was about time for a fancy blender of my own. So I contacted Blendtec (makers of [...]

Also posted in gluten free, recipes, soups and stews, vegan, winter | Tagged , , , , , | 1,063 Responses
Crispy mushroom, spinach and avocado quesadillas

Crispy Mushroom, Spinach and Avocado Quesadillas

Sometimes I miss waiting tables and serving drinks. In my busiest moments at the restaurant, my thoughts were consumed with the tasks at hand. I furiously filled drink orders, slinging ice into shiny glasses and pouring liquor by the count in my head, steady as a metronome. I crossed the patio with three drinks in [...]

Also posted in appetizers | Tagged , , , , | 70 Responses
vegetarian blue corn nachos

Blue Corn Nachos with Homemade Guacamole

Nachos, my low-brow delicacy of choice, bring back fond memories of my former jobs in food service. In high school, my first “real job” was working in a concessions stand at a little league baseball park with my best friends. After school and on weekends, we giggled and bumped hips as we poured glugs of [...]

Also posted in appetizers, gluten free, snacks | Tagged , , , , , | 31 Responses
Portobello mushroom and poblano pepper fajitas

Portobello and Poblano Fajitas

Are you making resolutions this year? I made a big one last year (to move to Kansas City), but I don’t have any concrete schemes for 2013. I mostly just want to maintain the momentum and move onto bigger and better things. I’d also like to work smarter (not harder) so I can strike a [...]

Also posted in fall, gluten free, recipes, vegan, winter | Tagged , , , , | 66 Responses
Vegetarian miso noodle soup

Miso Noodle Soup

Hi friends! How have your holidays been? Wonderful, I hope. I’ve been taking it easy with my family for the past few days, meeting up with old friends and savoring every last bite of my chocolate birthday cake (I turned 27 on Christmas). Today I thought I’d pop in and let you know about my [...]

Also posted in gluten free, soups and stews, vegan | Tagged , , , , , | 29 Responses
Spinach frittata with sweet potato hash crust

Baby Spinach Frittata with Sweet Potato Hash Crust

I wish I had some stories to share today, but it’s been an uneventful work week punctuated by our weekly Wednesday girls’ night (fajitas and Downton Abbey at my place). I can’t complain. I finally found the time to try this baby spinach and sweet potato frittata that’s been on my mind since I first [...]

Also posted in breakfast, gluten free, recipes | Tagged , , , | 50 Responses
black bean enchiladas with roasted red pepper sauce

Black Bean Enchiladas with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Over Thanksgiving break, the holiday spirit got the best of me and I ate like I didn’t want my pants to fit anymore. Bring on the cream! Pass the butter! Both desserts, please! The truth is that I do want my pants to fit. I like my pants. Anyway, I came home from my five [...]

Also posted in gluten free, recipes | Tagged , , , , , | 61 Responses
Deb's Kale Salad with Apple, Cranberries and Pecans

Deb’s Kale Salad with Apple, Cranberries and Pecans

I just walked into my closet, tugged on the little string that dangles from the ceiling for light and counted fourteen pairs of boots. Fourteen pairs. That’s twenty-eight individual boots. Most are black, a few pairs have heels, one pair of riding boots covers my knees, and all but the rain boots are made of [...]

Also posted in gluten free, recipes, salads | Tagged , , , , , | 89 Responses
Pumpkin Goat Cheese Fettuccine with Rosemary and Parmesan

Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo

Occasionally I admit that I live in a Disney fantasyland where candlesticks come to life and orchestrate the cleaning of my kitchen and Prince Charming actually texts me back. In reality, dishes are piling up in the sink and my phone is all too quiet. On the bright side, even though this pumpkin didn’t magically [...]

Also posted in fall, recipes | Tagged , , , | 87 Responses
Sweet potato burrito smothered with avocado verde sauce

Sweet Potato Burrito Smothered in Avocado Salsa Verde

Where do you call home? Home used to be such a simple concept, but I’ve struggled to define it lately. For the first few years of life, home was where I lived with my parents in a small town near the Oklahoma panhandle. Home had brown tile floors that I tottered across at the heels [...]

Also posted in fall, recipes | Tagged , , , , | 101 Responses
Vegetarian greek avocado sandwich

Simple Greek Avocado Sandwich

I am not much of a sandwich eater, are you? Sandwiches have a lot going for them in terms of easy preparation and portability, but I don’t generally get excited about them. I’d rather have a giant salad or open-faced toast. This sandwich, however, is something else. It’s all of my favorite things sandwiched between [...]

Also posted in recipes, spring, vegan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 46 Responses
Butternut squash vegetarian chili

Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili with Avocado

Fall is in the air, as they say. The green leaves are just beginning to acknowledge the change in seasons along their peripheries; my nose is following suit with incessant sneezes. It’s that wonderfully awkward transitional time when I’m never sure what to wear: shorts now, or a sweater for later? And what do I [...]

Also posted in fall, gluten free, recipes, soups and stews, vegan | Tagged , , , , | 122 Responses