I love Thai food. In college there was a Thai restaurant near my school that my friends and I would frequent for birthdays, girl’s nights and various other special occasions. If you ever lived in Boston I am sure you know about Brown Sugar! Being a very busy college student going out to restaurants was not something that happened that frequently, but when it did we almost always went out for Thai. Sadly I have yet to find a Thai restaurant in NYC that satisfies my cravings. There are the not so scenic take out and delivery spots, and some very high end ones but I have yet to find a Thai restaurant I would actually want to sit down and eat in!

Even if I did have a local Thai spot I don’t think I could see myself ordering greasy Pad Thai anymore. All those heavy noodles… no thank you! To satisfy my craving for my old college favorite I created a lighter, healthier version of classic Pad Thai. This dish uses zucchini noodles in place of the typical greasy ones which make it oh so much better on the digestion!

Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai

• 2 medium zucchini
• 1/2 red pepper sliced thin
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 T nama shoyu or tamari
• juice of 2 limes
• 10 drops stevia

1. Using a julienne, vegetable peeler or spiralizer peel the zucchini into “noodles” and set aside.
2. Blend tahini, water, garlic, nama shoyu, lime juice and stevia until smooth.
3. Toss zucchini noodles, pepper, and sprouts with sauce until evenly coated.

Somehow the lovely, almost spring like weather we were experiencing this weekend morphed into frigid cold overnight. Thank goodness I finally bit the bullet and bought a super warm maternity parka over the weekend. Zipping my current coat over anything more than a tank top has started to become difficult! Everyone keeps promising me I will turn into a furnace and be nice and toasty while pregnant but so far I am just as cold as always! With a trip to Colorado coming up in February and several months of NYC winter ahead I could no longer scrape by without buying something specifically made for my growing belly. The funny thing I discovered in my search for maternity outerwear is that there are not a lot of super warm options. Tons of capes, pea coats and trenches but surprisingly few garments designed to actually endure winter! Guess every other pregnant lady on the planet besides me becomes naturally warm and toasty?

Apart from cozy, warm coats there are a few other things that help get me through the most bitter of winter cold. I drinks lots of tea, take hot showers right after working out to eliminate sweat induced chills, and eat more cooked comforting foods and less salads and raw foods.

A favorite warming dish I have been making recently are these Sweet Potato Noodles with Creamy Butternut Sage Sauce. They have all the coziness of a bowl of pasta minus the gluten, grains and not-so cozy bloating feeling that comes with! Sweet potato noodles are a great alternative to pasta; they are hearty and filling without being starchy. Both the noodles and the sauce for this dish can be made in advance and stored in the fridge separately until you are ready to eat!

Sweet Potato Noodles with Creamy Butternut Sage Sauce

Comfort food. Everyone has their own version. Some people love a big, hot bowl of pasta. Some crave soup. Some can only feel comforted by the cinnamon toast their mom made them as a child. For me, comfort food is anything warm with an Asian flavor profile. Growing up in Manhattan on Chinese food I have fond memories of my family gathered around white takeout containers of sesame noodles, moo shoo something or other, and various other greasy, heavy foods. Despite being an incredibly clean eater now, sometimes I still crave the comfort food of my youth.

Recently I have been too tired (pregnant) at the end of the day to make elaborate multi course meals. This Cauliflower Fried Rice is the perfect quick, satisfying dinner for me. I make the cauliflower rice in large batches and chop the vegetable in advance to save me time at night when I am worn out. When it’s time for dinner all I have to do is toss it all together and let it steam! My own, much healthier version of Chinese takeout in less than 15 minutes!

Cauliflower “Fried Rice”

• 1 head of cauliflower
• ½ cup broccoli florets
• ½ cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• ½ cup diced pineapple
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1/4 c nama shoyu
• 2 T sesame oil

1. Chop cauliflower into small florets and process in food processor until “rice like” consistency is achieved. This should only take a few seconds.
2. Combine cauliflower “rice” with remaining ingredients and allow to sit for 15-30 minutes for flavor to develop.
3. Place rice mixture in a steamer basket over boiling water and lightly steam until the rice is warm.

Are their certain movies you could watch over and over? Some guilty pleasure you have to pause on every time it’s on cable? While I tend to like movies and shows I have not seen before, Doug has several movies that he has watched thousands of times. If Knocked Up, I Love You Man or The Preacher’s Wife is on he just can’t look away. Maybe it’s a male female thing? Maybe I just bore easily?

While I can’t handle watching the same movie over and over I do love certain dishes so much that I can eat them night after night. This Cauliflower Purée is one of those dishes. I must have made it every other night for dinner last winter before I burned out on it’s deliciousness. Recently while flipping through my recipe notes I discovered it again and re-ignited my obsession. Smooth, creamy and utterly delicious I think I may be be eating these night after night again this winter!

Cauliflower Purée

• 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
• 1-2 tsp black truffle salt
• 1/ 4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 T garlic powder
• 2-4 T almond milk ( I use OMilk)

1. Gently steam cauliflower in a steamer basket over a pan of boiling water.
2. Purée cauliflower in a Vitamix or high speed blender with remaining ingredients until smooth. You may need to add more almond milk to facilitate blending.
3. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve hot.

Is it just me or does the holiday season come faster and faster each year? I always thought that the holidays started with Thanksgiving, but recently as soon as Halloween is over I see gift guides and holiday menu ideas everywhere I turn! Every morning my inbox is full of websites promising me they have the perfect gift for everyone on my list.

If I am being completely honest I have mixed emotions about the holiday season. While I love the idea in theory, in reality I find the weeks from now until Christmas to be a little stressful. Between family gatherings, travel, holiday parties, and several birthdays (Doug, my mom and my niece and nephew were all born during the holidays), I can get a little overwhelmed this time of year. Knowing that this time of year can be exhausting I have a few tricks for keeping my balance. I try not to over schedule myself with unnecessary engagements, even if that means turning down dinner with a friend so I can spend a rare and much needed night at home. I have learned that my friends will always be there. Come January when there is less going on I am a much better dinner companion anyway! I also always start my holiday shopping early. Very early. I keep a detailed spreadsheet of each gift and recipient so I am never left running to an overcrowded store at the eleventh hour. In fact, I prefer to do much of my holiday shopping online as braving crowded stores this time of year can be quite overwhelming!

Another, and possibly the most key tactic for keeping things low- stress is simplifying my meals. For me this is not a time to do major recipe experimentation. With days and nights being very busy, I avoid testing out brand new recipes for dinner. Instead I stick to my tried and true staples, dishes that I know are easy to prepare, satisfying and nourishing. Come January I will have oodles of time to play in the kitchen!

Few things satisfy me more on a cold night than roasted root vegetables. They are quick and easy to prepare and paired with a green salad make the perfect meal. Sunchokes (or Jerusalem artichokes) are certainly less commonly used than beets, carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes but they are no less delicious. Their taste is somewhere between an artichoke and a potato, slightly starchy and savory. My favorite way to eat them is simply roasted with a little sea salt and black pepper. They really don’t need much else!

Roasted Sunchokes

 

 

 

 

 

 

As October starts to wrap up (crazy!) I find myself deep into the fall food zone. I am sipping Pumpkin Pie Smoothies, perfecting my Pumpkin Spice Granola (available soon- stay tuned!), and starting to think about Thanksgiving dishes. We may end up spending Thanksgiving at a restaurant this year (for various reasons) but that doesn’t mean I’m not working on an artillery of fall dishes for the surrounding weeks!

I love all root vegetables. Especially in the fall. They are hearty, earthy, easy to prepare, and very comforting. While I spend a lot of time with sweet potatoes, carrots and beets I often overlook the parsnip. Parsnips are a little like a carrot’s larger, white fleshed cousin. Their taste is not as sweet when raw, but they are incredibly delicious roasted. This Parsnip Steak was inspired by a trip to my favorite restaurant, Blue Hill last winter. My version is simplified and easier to make at home, but the taste is just as rich and hearty! Make sure the pan you use to weigh down the parsnips is oven safe and very hefty!

Parsnip Steak

Yesterday was a sick day for me. I spent the whole day on the couch with Maddy watching season one of Homeland. While I hate being laid up for a day I was glad to have some great tv to keep me occupied! My cold started on Monday afternoon and by Tuesday morning I was in full on misery. I think there is something going around, my sister and her twins are also sick and a few friends have complained about colds recently. Lucky for me I know that if I rest completely for a full 24 hours my cold usually goes away. Thanks to lots and lots of green juice and about 8,000 mg of vitamin C today I am feeling much better!

When I am sick I like to keep my meals very light and simple. Usually a menu of green juice and green smoothies does it for me. My body gets all the vitamins and nutrition it needs without having to spend much energy on digestion-instead it can focus on getting me better fast! After a day of very green beverages by last night I was starting to feel a bit better and wanting something hot and comforting for dinner. This Spaghetti Squash Cacio et Pepe was just what the doctor ordered!

Cacio et Pepe translates to  “cheese and pepper.” In this incredibly simple and comforting dish nutritional yeast stands in for the traditional cheese while spaghetti squash takes the place of pasta. The result is light and delicious, perfect for a sick night on the couch.

Spaghetti Squash Cacio et Pepe

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• sea salt
• ½ -1 tsp cracked black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Pierce skin of squash all over with a fork and place in baking dish
3. Bake squash for 45 mins-1 hour or until skin is easily cut with a knife.
4. Remove squash from oven, and allow to cool.
5. When squash is cool enough to handle cut in half lengthwise.
6. Remove seeds and discard.
7. With a fork scrape flesh of squash away from skin. It should separate and look like spaghetti.
8. Place 2 cups of the cooked spaghetti squash in a medium pan (reserve any extra for another use)
9. Toss with the nutritional yeast and black pepper until thoroughly combined and heated throughout. The amount of pepper you use depends on taste but this dish should have a bite to it. Season with sea salt to taste and serve immediately.

 

The early weeks of September are all about transition for me. From a slower paced August with lots of vacation time to a fall filled with events, meetings, and projects to work on. From breezy shorts and sundresses to more tailored pants, skirts and jackets. From barely there makeup and air-dried hair to a slightly more refined every day look. They are all changes that I welcome; yet sometimes the transition itself can be a little sticky. This time of year I always find myself asking questions like what is my basic fall wardrobe? What are my go to fall meals? I know by early October I will be in the swing of it and fully ready for everything autumnal.

After a wonderful summer filled with fresh local produce, as I transition my palate to fall eating it is hard to wrap my head around more dense and autumnal foods. This sweet potato bruschetta is the perfect seasonal hybrid dish. The baked sweet potatoes are hearty and filling, while the guacamole allows the dish to have one foot still in summer!  To turn this from a small bite to an entree you could simple bake a whole sweet potato, slice it in half and fill it with guacamole. Yum!

Sweet Potato Bruschetta

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 T coconut oil
• sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425
2. Slice the sweet potato into 1/2″ rounds
3. Place the sweet potato rounds on a baking sheet lined with foil
4. Rub both sides of each round with a little coconut oil, cumin and sea salt
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes until slightly browned at edges
6. Remove from oven and top each round with a spoonful of guacamole before serving

SJM’s Basic Guacamole

• 2 avocados
• 2 T chopped red onion
• 1 T diced jalepeno
• 1 clove garlic diced
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 1 T cilantro chopped
• 1/2 medium tomato diced, or 1/2 cup of halved cherry tomatoes
• pinch of sea salt

1. In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients save the tomatoes
2. Using a fork mash everything together until fully combined yet slightly chunky
3. Gently fold in diced tomatoes

 

 

Over the past few weeks I have fully immersed myself in my own Hamptons summer routine. My August routine is much slower and more relaxed than my usual NYC pace. I have been sleeping a little later, working a lot less, and taking much more time to smell the roses (or sunflowers). While I have been turning it down a few notches this month I am still a creature of habit and always need some sort of routine to rely on. A big part of my routine this summer has been cooking simple Sunday night dinners for Doug and I to enjoy outside. Our weekends have been packed with social activity and house guests, which is both incredibly fun and a bit exhausting. Come Sunday it is nice to slow down and enjoy a meal just the two of us before he has to return to NYC on the 6am Monday train.

These Sunday meals are wholly composed of what we find on our local farm stand trips i.e. a lot of corn, zucchini, tomatoes and basil. This simple sauté has become a staple in my kitchen this summer. It is incredible fast to make and the combination of the vegetables with the basil and garlic is savory and delicious. It also keeps well in the fridge for a day or two and can be enjoyed cold!

 Simple Zucchini, Tomato, Corn and Basil Saute

• 1 medium zucchini sliced into rounds
• 1 cup baby heirloom tomatoes ( any small tomato works) halved
• 1 ear of corn removed from the cob
• 5-6 leaves fresh basil chiffonaded (sliced into thin strips)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• sea salt
• black pepper

1. In a medium pan sauté the garlic in the coconut oil until slightly brown and fragrant
2. Add the zucchini, corn and tomatoes to the pan and sauté until the zucchini is lightly brown and the tomatoes have released some of their juices ( 7-10 minutes)
3. Add the basil and toss a few times
4. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste before serving

 

 

I am thrilled to announce that Whole Living Daily has asked me to be a contributing Expert to their blog. This is an incredible honor for me as I am a huge fan of all things Martha Stewart especially Whole Living Magazine.

I will be contributing regular Meatless Monday recipe ideas to the site starting with this Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Basil Sauce. This dish is perfect for summer outdoor entertaining. Nothing says summer to me more than zucchini, basil and tomatoes!

Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Basil Sauce

For the recipe visit Whole Living Daily