Category Archives: entrées

green bean quinoa salad with feta

Blackened Green Bean and Quinoa Salad

I was a ridiculous child. Stubborn, bookish and bossy, I never hesitated to express my opinion. I got into trouble for speaking out in classrooms (“But Mrs. Weaver, I don’t want to do that next”) and for making a face whenever my little brothers ate some food that I thought was disgusting. Take fresh green beans [...]

Also posted in gluten free, recipes, salads, side dishes, summer, vegan | Tagged , , , , , | 28 Responses
Spicy sun-dried tomato and broccoli pasta

Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato and Broccoli Pasta

Had I typed up this post on Monday as intended, it would have been full of rants and whines. “How come cars don’t always turn on when we need them to?” I would have asked. “Why do little brothers have to make big mistakes, and will that giant pile of dirty laundry just wash itself [...]

Also posted in fall, recipes, salads | Tagged , , , | 88 Responses
Beer bean stuffed poblano peppers with feta

Beer Bean-Stuffed Poblano Peppers

These stuffed peppers are my kind of Mexican food: fresh and full of flavor, filling but not too heavy. They’re the first complete recipe I’ve cooked from Sara and Hugh Forte’s beautiful new cookbook, The Sprouted Kitchen, and I can easily see why they are one of Sara’s favorites to cook for company. I feel [...]

Also posted in recipes, side dishes, summer | Tagged , , , | 37 Responses
Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

I experienced my first fresh spring roll at a Thai restaurant last summer. I was on a date of sorts, or as much of a date as dates go these days. He had a habit of ordering appetizers or desserts without consulting me first—a habit I might find infuriating in someone else. He stuck with [...]

Also posted in appetizers, gluten free, recipes, salads, summer, vegan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 49 Responses
Coconut Quinoa and Kale with Tropical Pesto

Coconut Quinoa and Kale with Tropical Pesto + Notes on Belize

I’ve been south of the U.S. border twice now. The first time was in college, with my family, the summer after my grandmother passed away. We flew to Mexico in an attempt to leave behind the heavy sadness in the air at home. It kind of worked, as the only times I felt peace and [...]

Also posted in fall, gluten free, recipes, salads, tips and resources, vegan | Tagged , , , , , | 88 Responses
Stacked Tomato, Summer Vegetable and Grilled Bread Salad

Stacked Tomato, Summer Vegetable and Grilled Bread Salad

Summer is tomato season. I realized that fact just a few years ago, which in hindsight seems kind of silly and even borderline ignorant. I remember, as a little girl, skipping over the lush, green bermuda grass in my grandmother Mimi’s backyard to the little vegetable garden where she grew tomatoes. Those tomatoes smelled warm, [...]

Also posted in recipes, salads, summer | Tagged , , , , , | 40 Responses
Sweet Corn Salad Wraps recipe

Sweet Corn Salad Wraps

Over the weekend, I indulged in a grand idea. I decided to set up a new work station, which would solve all my problems and turn me into a Super Productive Individual. I recently inherited a vintage leather armchair from my parents, you see. It’s a serious chair, in a regal shade of blue with [...]

Also posted in appetizers, gluten free, salads, summer, vegan | Tagged , , , , , , | 43 Responses
peach, basil and ricotta flatbread

Simple Peach, Basil and Ricotta Flatbread

The subject of busyness has been all over the place lately—on my mind, in the press and in conversation with my dear friend Grace last night—and it couldn’t have come up at a more relevant time. This week, I’ve been so crazy busy that my friend’s wedding last Saturday feels simultaneously like it was yesterday [...]

Also posted in recipes, summer | Tagged , , , , | 45 Responses
Mediterranean pasta-salad with raw squash

Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Raw Squash

It sure is nice to be back in the U.S. of A., where leafy greens and steady WiFi connections abound. I’m playing catch-up today, so it seems like the perfect time to share this pasta salad recipe that you may have seen last week on Free People’s BLDG 25 blog. This Mediterranean-style salad is light, [...]

Also posted in recipes, salads, side dishes, summer, vegan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 32 Responses
summer squash tacos with avocado chimichurri sauce recipe

Summer Squash Tacos with Avocado Chimichurri

Summer announced its arrival with an insufferable heat wave this year. My sweat glands are weeping, my pores are wailing, and the mere thought of turning on the oven makes me want to cry to the heavens for relief. Not a pretty picture, I know. Apologies in advance, as this surely will not be the [...]

Also posted in gluten free, summer, vegan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 51 Responses
strawberry, basil and goat cheese panini

Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Panini

For once, I’m feeling really refreshed after the weekend. I tidied up my place yesterday morning and abandoned my to-do list for the afternoon, choosing instead to camp out on my bed with a book. Necessary! Later on, my friend and I rode our bicycles to a bar to watch the Oklahoma City Thunder game, [...]

Also posted in appetizers, recipes, summer | Tagged , , | 55 Responses
African black-eyed pea salad

African Black-Eyed Pea Salad

This recipe caught my eye as I was poring over the May issue of Saveur Magazine on the flight home. It’s from a feature on Senegal, which is a country that has recently been brought to my awareness by my new friend Bill. Bill has told me stories about his time in Senegal a couple [...]

Also posted in gluten free, recipes, salads, side dishes, summer, vegan | Tagged , , , , , , | 37 Responses
simple kale and black bean burritos

Simple Kale and Black Bean Burritos

This week has been a doozy. I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, scrambling to get caught up with work before I jet off to New York City (New York City?!) for the next few days. By the time this post goes live tomorrow morning, I should be well on [...]

Also posted in fall, recipes, spring | Tagged , , , , , | 53 Responses
Baked falafel salad with tahini dill dressing by Cookie and Kate

Crispy Baked Falafel

Overworked and underpaid. That sums up my feelings on life at the moment. I’ve been working myself ragged lately, neglecting my friends and spending far too much of the day on my computer. Want proof? Friday night, I stayed in and stayed up late finishing up work for my real job. I finally passed out [...]

Also posted in gluten free, recipes, salads, vegan | Tagged , , , , | 109 Responses
tortilla pizza recipe

Simple Tortilla Pizzas

It’s about time I talked to you all about tortilla pizzas. I’ve been making these babies since elementary school when my mom would make something that my picky younger self refused to try. They are perfect for days when the thought of cooking a full-fledged meal is too much to bear and even lifting up [...]

Also posted in recipes, snacks | Tagged , , , | 57 Responses
raw kale salad with tahini dressing, carrots and avocado

Raw Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing

Can I tell you what arrived from Amazon today? A box containing a tea pot, an electric toothbrush and not-so-cute sandals with arch support for walking the dog. Yes, I ordered all of these things for myself, and apparently, I am twenty-six going on seventy. If I continue at this rate, I’ll be plodding through [...]

Also posted in fall, gluten free, recipes, salads, spring, vegan | Tagged , , | 73 Responses
tomatillo black bean tostada recipe

Tomatillo Black Bean Tostadas

Do you all remember those old Pace Picante commercials with the cowboys? Someone tries to hand a cowboy a jar of salsa and he hollers, “This stuff’s from New York City!” The other dusty cowboys in the group respond in harmonized, exaggerated disbelief, “New York City?!” Every time that commercial came on when I was [...]

Also posted in appetizers, gluten free, recipes, snacks, summer, vegan | Tagged , , , | 46 Responses
ribboned asparagus and quinoa salad

Ribboned Asparagus and Quinoa Salad

When the temperature hit a muggy ninety on Saturday, I declared that it is officially salad season in Oklahoma. Sure, it’s still spring, but soup weather ended last month and swimsuit weather is fast approaching (eeks!). Adrienne picked a delicious-sounding asparagus and white bean soup for this week’s Food Matters Project recipe, so I took [...]

Also posted in gluten free, recipes, salads, spring | Tagged , , , , , | 35 Responses