Growing up in New Jersey, we ate a LOT of Italian food. My Jewish mother happened to be an excellent cook, and fantastic at cooking Italian food! I guess whether you were Jewish or Italian maybe it was all just the same (great food with a side of guilt?)? I don't know but I LOVED it. In addition to her cacciatore, meat sauce and meatballs, she also made a great baked ziti. When I got older and … [Read more...]
Roasted Creamy Cauliflower & Truffle Soup (Vegan & Gluten Free)
I was working on my Winter Soup Series and got so carried away that I ended up with one more, after I put together the recipes. I JUST made this tonight (it's actually a rainy day here in LA!) and it was incredible. So creamy, decadent and yummy! REALLY hard to believe it's vegan! This soup is great without cashews (if you want a nut free soup or don't have cashews!) and truffle oil BUT... I have … [Read more...]
Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash & Sage Penne (Vegan & Gluten Free)
There is something about this recipe (besides that it's so darn tasty!), but I seem to always be cooking it for others. I think because it's super easy to make a huge batch! It really does feed a crowd, and it's a wonderful fall dish! I first debuted this recipe when I was a guest chef/speaker at Google. We made a big batch in their industrial-scale kitchen, and it was a huge hit! This … [Read more...]
Zucchini Pasta with Pesto Cooking Video
If you have a garden of any kind (whether it's your backyard, windowsill, patio or just a few pots of herbs), I hope you are enjoying the summer bounty! Two ingredients I use a lot this time of year are zucchini and basil. Zucchini is a really great veggie. It’s high in dietary fiber and is a natural source of folate, which is super important during pregnancy. It also has great vitamins like A, … [Read more...]
Avocado Basil Pesto
I got an awesome new kitchen gadget, for Mother's Day! It's a Spiralizer, and it makes slicing veggie pasta (and curly fries!) a breeze! The BEST part of getting it when I did? Local organic zucch's were on sale at the market and in abundance at my local farmers market! So I went bananas (we have a ton of those at home too!) and filled the fridge, obviously. :) Where I'm located in Cali, summer … [Read more...]
Mac ‘N Cheese (Vegan & Gluten Free)
I am like everyone else - a busy person... I'm an entrepreneur and a mom and don't always have time to menu plan the week in advance (although I think it's a great idea and highly recommend it!) :) I was flying by the seat of my pants one night, when I had a craving for Mac 'n Cheese. I LOVE my vegan/gluten free mac 'n cheese recipe but I didn't have any cauliflower on hand! I DID have some … [Read more...]
Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Kale & Mozzarella (Vegan & Gluten Free)
It’s not JUST Meatless Monday! It’s also erev (the eve of) my birthday! Let’s have a pizza party to celebrate!!! :) Like most Americans, I like pizza. But only really, really GOOD pizza. I’m from NJ and lived in NYC for half my life so I’m what some would call a “pizza snob.” I’m ok with that. :) When I lived in Boston, and now in LA, I don’t eat pizza. Why? Because I’ve tried it and … [Read more...]
French Onion Soup (Vegan & Gluten Free)
I LOVE French Onion soup! On rare, special occasions, my Mom would make it from scratch and serve it in those classic cute shaded brown bowls. It was always a real treat and incredibly yummy. Most onion soup recipes are beef based, have real cheese AND use gluten-full bread. I love a cooking challenge so I thought I'd give it a whirl and make this vegan and gluten free. Outcome? SUCCESS!!! I … [Read more...]
