Vegetarian

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Leah Short — Sat, 26 Jan 2019 14:41:43 +0000

What’s comfort food for you? A hearty stew? A brothy soup? For me, it’s macaroni and cheese and I had no idea how good it could be until I stumbled on this recipe for Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese! Yeah, it sounds a little weird, but trust me. Roasted butternut squash adds such a depth of flavor, slightly sweet, but complements the Parmesan and sharp Cheddar beautifully. Once blended, it makes this mac and cheese some of the creamiest mac and cheese on the planet.

Cube your butternut squash and roast in the oven. I can’t say enough about roasted veggies. It really brings out the best of their flavor and those crispy bits…

Blend it! Here’s where the magic happens. Greek yogurt and nonfat milk help keep the calories low, but the creamy texture high.

It may be a tinge healthy, but we’re not leaving out the cheese! Salty Parmesan and sharp Cheddar, yes please and thank you!

If it’s cold where you are (and if it isn’t, where are you? can I come? ), a big bowl of this is all you need to get through winter. Cold weather dinner luxury. You won’t be able to get over the creamy, cheesiness of the sauce. I never want to have regular mac and cheese again!

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White Bean & Spinach Soup

Leah Short — Sat, 06 Oct 2018 18:34:02 +0000

Is it fall where you are? Not here in Nashville. We’ve had weather in the 80s and 90s STILL. I’m thinking if I keep making cold weather meals, I can will fall weather this way south. This is the second weekend in a row that I’ve made this incredibly easy and delicious White Bean & Spinach Soup. It’s so easy, you probably have most of the ingredients on hand. I used to be team fresh (garlic, lemons, onions, etc) and while I still appreciate that those items are better fresh, I find myself turning more and more to convenience items. And you know what? I’m not missing out on any flavor, but saving tons of time.

I say this recipe is super easy because I use frozen chopped onions (I always have a bag or two in the freezer), jarred minced garlic (I know, I know), Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base, and already cooked crumbled bacon. When I want a quick dinner, these items are life savers…and saves clean up time, too! You just have to be mindful of how you’re using them because sometimes the fresh versions are truly better. In this soup recipe, the shortcuts work great!

This soup is so colorful and full of flavor. It’s pretty good without the optional toppings, but ooo boy the bowl I had today was a game changer! A sprinkle of bacon, cheese, and chunks of avocado on top took this to another level. So, come on Nashville, where’s my cardigan weather?

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Farro with Brie and Squash

Leah Short — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 19:13:44 +0000

Hey strangers! Whew, it has a been way too long since I last posted. (whispers :: last June). I meant to take a short hiatus, really I did. But you know that saying, “life happens when you’re planning?” It sure does.

Last June I was burned out of blogging. It’s a lot of work, and well, I just wanted to cook and bake and not have to worry about the perfect photo shoot. I wanted a hot meal for a change! Then life started happening. I got Invisalign, had surgery twice (one planned, one not so much), lots of work changes, Bama lost the national championship, this White House cluster, and the list goes on. I’ll admit I just got too comfortable not blogging.

The eating and cooking and baking did not stop though. I needed a break to just be in the kitchen. To remember why I started blogging in the first place. It’s because I love food. Food is comforting, food is social, food is delicious. And food should be shared. So here I am, dusting off the ol’ keyboard.

Speaking of comfort food, I thought I’d share this Farro with Brie and Squash recipe with you as my first recipe back. I’ve made this dish once before and I don’t know why I don’t keep it on regular rotation. It’s warm and comforting, and I love the bright colors from the squash, red onions, and parsley. Plus hello, roasted veggies are the best. The creamy brie adds decadence without going overboard and making the dish too rich. Chicken or pork would work well in this if you needed to add meat, but this is one of my all-time favorite vegetarian dishes.

I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for continuing to hang out in this space. It feels good to be back.

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 40 min

Farro with Brie and Squash

Ingredients:

2 red onions
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
8 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/3 cups farro
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 lb. cubed peeled butternut squash (about 4 cups)
3 oz. brie cheese, rind removed and cubed, plus thin slices for topping*
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

*Note: I don't like eating the rind of brie and I'm too lazy to remove it, so I buy the little tubs of brie that come without it. Not as authentic, but much easier to work with if you don't like the rind.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Mince 1/2 red onion; cut the remaining 1 1/2 onions into 1/2-inch-thick wedges and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the minced onion, mushrooms and 1 teaspoon thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the farro to the pot and cook, stirring, until toasted, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 5 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the farro is tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine the onion wedges, butternut squash and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon thyme in a large bowl; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and toss. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the vegetables are tender and browned, about 25 minutes.

4. Add the cubed brie to the farro; stir until creamy. Stir in the parsley. Top each serving of farro with the vegetables and a slice of brie.

per serving: 460 calories, 20g fat, 58g carbs, 8g fiber, 15g protein

Food Network

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Meals Using Spiralized Veggies

Leah Short — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 14:56:57 +0000

Raise your hand if you’ve jumped on the spiralizing veggies trend! I hate to even call it a trend because I think I’m almost the last person to really get on board with it and it looks like it’s here to stay. Fine by me! A few years ago I shared a recipe for Zucchini Noodles with Lemon Cream Sauce, but I hadn’t fully embraced it and I made that recipe by basically julienning the zucchini. In this post, I’ll share with you how I spiralize veggies and the meals I make using spiralized veggies.

Rewind to a few months ago when I listened to the Food Blogger Pro Podcast featuring Ali Maffucci. (Sidenote: I highly recommend this podcast. It’s a fantastic resource for any type of blogger, not just food!) Ali designed The Inspiralizer and I was hooked! It’s a little more expensive than some other spiralizers, but it’s much easier to store and clean. There’s also no fuss with switching out sharp blades. The compact design sold me and I got one as a gift in January. I’m happy to report I haven’t stopped using it! I thought I’d share a few meals I’ve made using spiralized veggies. I LOVE incorporating more veggies into my diet. The way I look at it is I can splurge a little more on the sauce since I’m not using pasta. Winner winner!

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Rosemary Parmesan Polenta

Leah Short — Wed, 20 May 2015 13:21:32 +0000

Look at that simple bowl of polenta. Unassuming, nothing fancy, but oh how your eyes can deceive you! This Rosemary Parmesan Polenta is one of those dishes that I want to faceplant in and eat my way out. Yes, to all zee carbzzz! I served this with the Sausage, Cannellini, and Tomato Ragout and together…sweet, sweet harmony. Plus they don’t blow our your calorie budget. You can have both!

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Crispy Vegetable Quesadillas

Leah Short — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 16:01:35 +0000

Quesadillas are one of those foods that I love, but rarely make at home. Why? Because I stink at getting them restaurant crispy. The skillet method never worked for me. They’d get a little brown or my pan wouldn’t be hot enough and they’d soak up all the oil or butter…and no one wants a soggy quesadilla. Enter Crispy Vegetable Quesadillas and my life has been changed forever. They are seriously crispy and it’s one of those “d’oh, why didn’t I think of that” moments. Use your broiler! Also, there’s quinoa inside and it works. Quinoa…in a quesadilla.

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Clean Slate: Quinoa Salad with Zucchini, Mint, & Pistachios

Leah Short — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 21:33:15 +0000

In my previous post, I mentioned how I’m cooking from the Clean Slate cookbook and seeing if I actually enjoy clean eating. Before, I assumed clean eating meant bland eating, and I’ve learned that’s absolutely not the case! For breakfast I’ve tried Barley with Pineapple, Coconut, & Flaxseed. It sounds unusual but tasted so good! Next up was trying something for lunch. I picked this Quinoa Salad with Zucchini, Mint, & Pistachios because it’s all of my favorite ingredients and I usually have most of them on hand.

So, how’s it taste?

Another hit! I loved the combination of flavors in this salad, plus it was really easy to put together. Instead of cooking the zucchini in a pan, next time I’ll roast it and increase the amount. I love, love, love roasted vegetables, especially zucchini so the more the merrier! I really like the contrast of textures with the quinoa and crunchy pistachios. The pistachios also gave it some saltiness. The mint and lemon brighten the salad, while the scallions gave it a touch of subtle heat (and more crunch!). I took this salad to work for lunch several days in a row and the leftovers were just as tasty, although I will warn that the quinoa continues to soak up the oil and lemon juice so it can get a bit dry.

Even with such simple ingredients, this was really filling for lunch. I’m finding out clean eating is really tasty eating! The dishes you see in the pictures above are part of the Martha Stewart Collection white dishware available exclusively at Macy’s. Fantastic dishware for everyday use, plus they’re dishwasher and microwave safe!

Yield: 4 servings

Quinoa Salad with Zucchini, Mint, & Pistachios

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup quinoa, rinsed & drained
coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup roasted salted pistachios, chopped
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish

Directions:

1. Bring the water, quinoa, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until liquid has been absorbed and quinoa is tender but still chewy, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; fluff with fork and let cool.

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 7 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant (do not let brown), about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper, and add to quinoa.

3. Stir in scallions, pistachios, lemon zest and juice, and mint. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

per serving: 286 calories, 13g fat, 36g carbs, 8g protein, 5g fiber

Source: Clean Slate by the editors of Martha Stewart Living

Disclosure: I received a copy of Clean Slate: A Cookbook and Guide: Reset Your Health, Detox Your Body, and Feel Your Best and the Martha Stewart Collection white dishware at no cost. All opinions expressed here are solely my own, as always. This post contains affiliate links.

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Clean Slate: Barley with Pineapple, Coconut, & Flaxseed

Leah Short — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 23:36:37 +0000

My mindset about food is very familiar this time of year. I’m always trying to clean up my eating from the holiday splurge and it can go well into spring. When the folks at Martha Stewart approached me about reviewing Clean Slate, I jumped at the chance. It’s not a diet cookbook at all. It focuses on clean eating and resetting your health. I’ve never jumped on the gluten-free, dairy-free bandwagon, so I was a tad bit skeptical going in, but not all recipes are that way and some include meat. I decided to test this cookbook by trying out a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and (yes!) dessert recipe. Every recipe has a beautiful photo with it, so it was hard to narrow it down.

For breakfast, I decided on Barley with Pineapple, Coconut, & Flaxseed. Coconut and pineapple this time of year? Yes, please! I can pretend I’m somewhere tropical as I start my morning. In the cookbook, they use millet, which I couldn’t find at my grocery store, so I substituted barley. Using millet would make this recipe gluten-free. I’m a fan of oatmeal, but wasn’t sure about a big bowl of barley.

So, how’s it taste?

This one really surprised me! It’s sweet, tangy and has such great texture! I made the barley ahead of time and scooped out what I needed for each serving. It was a cinch to put together in the morning before work. I already use almond milk instead of regular milk and I loved the maple syrup flavor in this. Fresh pineapple is one of my favorite fruits and it balances out the sweet. It was almost like eating dessert! I can’t wait to get my hands on millet to try it that way. I think this combo would work great with oatmeal, too.

For the next couple of posts, I’ll be sharing what I made for lunch, dinner, and dessert. I’ve got some photo teasers for you to get excited about! I was not disappointed with any of the recipes and I can’t wait to share the dessert with you. I don’t like to mess with dessert, so this was the biggest shocker of them all!

Lunch

Dinner

Dessert

The dishes you see in the pictures above are part of the Martha Stewart Collection white dishware available exclusively at Macy’s. I used the dinner plates, lunch plates, pasta bowls, and dessert plates. Fantastic dishware for everyday use, plus they’re dishwasher and microwave safe!

* GIVEAWAY CLOSED *

Congrats to Brenda, comment #1!
Winner chosen using random.org.

One winner will receive a copy of Clean Slate along with one bottle of Martha Stewart Essentials Multivitamin and one bottle of the Hair, Skin & Nails vitamin. Giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents.

Mandatory: Leave a comment on this post telling me why you want to eat clean! One mandatory entry per person. Multiple entries (except for the optional entry below) will be removed.

Optional entry: For one additional entry, tweet the following: “Win a copy of Clean Slate, a cookbook for clean eating, from @SoHowsItTaste! Enter here: http://bit.ly/1zZu162” and leave a separate comment that you tweeted.

Contest ends Tuesday, February 24, 2015, at 10 a.m. central. Please make sure you enter a valid email address as an alternate winner will be chosen if I don’t hear from you within 48 hours. Good luck!

Yield: 4 servings

Barley with Pineapple, Coconut, & Flaxseed

Ingredients:

2 cups water*
pinch of coarse salt
1 cup barley*
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/4 cup large-flaked unsweetened coconut, toasted
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. whole flaxseed (I used ground)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

*Note: Use millet to make this gluten-free. If you use millet, increase water to 6 cups total.

Directions:

1. Bring water and salt to boil in medium saucepan. Whisk in barley (or millet). Return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer uncovered, until water has been absorbed and barley (or millet) is tender but still chewy, 12 to 15 minutes for barley (30-35 minutes for millet).

2. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes then fluff with fork.

3. Serve topped with milk, pineapple, coconut, flaxseed, and maple syrup.

per serving: 316 calories, 7g fat, 56g carbs, 7g protein, 6g fiber

*Nutrition based on using millet, not barley.

Source: Clean Slate by the editors of Martha Stewart Living

Disclosure: I received a copy of Clean Slate: A Cookbook and Guide: Reset Your Health, Detox Your Body, and Feel Your Best and the Martha Stewart Collection white dishware at no cost. All opinions expressed here are solely my own, as always. This post contains affiliate links.

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Rustic Squash Tarts

Leah Short — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 18:19:23 +0000

This Rustic Squash Tart is one of those recipes I love because it’s so unique and the presentation is really pretty. It looks like you put a lot of effort into it, but it’s really quite easy. Well, other than peeling butternut and acorn squash. It’s unique because the top is savory with the two squashes covered in herbs, but hidden underneath is a layer of spiced, sweet pecans. It sounds really odd, I know, but it just works. Baked in a flaky puff pastry, this tasty side will steal the show.

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Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Leah Short — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 17:07:53 +0000

Oh mashed potatoes how I love thee! I’ve eaten a huge bowl of mashed potatoes and called it dinner on many a night. Not because I was too lazy to make something or there was nothing in the house, but because they are delicious and versatile. Add any kind of cheese, herbs, even ranch dressing and it’s pretty much the best thing ever. I made these Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes for Thanksgiving and they were the star of the show. You know why? Because they are the exact opposite of anything healthy. Goat cheese, butter, sour cream, and milk. You could use half-and-half or cream for the milk, but I had to draw the line somewhere!

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