Za'atar Sweet Potatoes and Garlicky Kale + The OPP Cookbook

I love listening to podcasts while driving and Jessica Murnane's is one of my favorites. In fact, one of my favorite interviews I've ever done was by her on her One Part Podcast– she asks great questions! So I was super excited to meet her in person last year when I was in Charleston. We met for a drink while she was in the middle of working on her first cookbook. I remember her telling me she was looking for a photographer and considering Nicole Franzen, who I thought would be a dream to work with (who I love to follow on Instagram and who she ended up choosing!). 

Her book, One Part Plant: A Simple Guide to Eating Real, One Meal at a Time, was just released and I was so excited to get a copy in the mail recently to see just how beautifully it turned out. The book is full of recipes that are vegan and gluten-free, although that's not really in the tag line. Instead it's about choosing to eat at least one plant-based meal a day, which can be very healing and make you feel great. After being diagnosed with endometriosis, she began eating a plant-based diet which basically healed her, and that prompted the OPP movement. He recipes are delicious, clever and colorful...and of course beautifully shot. Plus she is always wearing super cute outfits in the book (and in real life) and has a fabulous design sense. 

Here's her recipe for Za'atar Sweet Potatoes and Garlicky Kale from the One Part Plant cookbook. YUM!

Find the full recipe HERE. Photo by Nicole Franzen.

Check out Jessica's website, follow her on Instagram @jessicamurnane, and buy her book here.

Congrats, Jess!

Radish-Beet Slaw

I've been getting so many beautiful watermelon radishes in our farm box lately! I made this salad recently and it was easy, tasty, and colorful. Full of crunch! The recipes serves 4 as a side.

Roasted Vegetable & Chickpea Tacos

I'm very excited about this week's release of Andrea Bemis' new cookbook, Dishing Up The Dirt. I follow her on Instagram and every time she posts a new recipe I think, "What a great idea!" and "I want to eat that, NOW!".  She also has a stunning blog.

Long story short, a few years ago, Andrea and her husband bought 6 acres of beautiful land in Oregon and turned it into Tumbleweed Farm. They grow all their own food and sell it as well, and all the recipes in her book are inspired by meals she has created on the farm. She also does all the gorgeous food photography. The book is very much vegetable inspired, and there are several creative vegetarian recipes (although it's not a vegetarian book).

She was kind enough to share her recipe for Roasted Vegetable & Chickpea Tacos with us here. So delicious, and a great weeknight dinner idea.

Andrea's recipe and notes from her new cookbook, Dishing Up The Dirt:

Roasted Vegetable & Chickpea Tacos with Herbed Tahini Sauce

SERVES 4 TO 6

Taco night is no joke at our house, and these simple tacos don’t disappoint. Loaded with fresh vegetables, hearty chickpeas, and a zesty tahini sauce, they’re what the summer harvest is all about. Gather your friends, crack open some beers, and dig in!

1 medium-sized eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 1½ cups)

1 medium-sized zucchini, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 1½ cups)

1½ cups cherry tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups cooked chickpeas (rinsed, drained, and patted dry if from a can)

3 tablespoons olive oil

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

corn or flour tortillas, warmed

Herbed Tahini Sauce (page 5)

minced herbs for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the vegetables, garlic, and chickpeas with the olive oil, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Spread them out on two rimmed baking sheets and roast until everything is lightly browned and the tomatoes blister, 18 to 25 minutes. Rotate pans and toss them halfway through cooking.

Spoon the vegetable and chickpea mixture onto warm tortillas, drizzle on the sauce, and garnish with extra minced herbs.

Herbed Tahini Sauce

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

This versatile sauce tastes great served with pretty much anything. Sometimes I like to keep it on the thicker side by adding less water so it can be served as a dip for crackers or raw veggies. However, when taco night comes rolling around (page 108), I like to achieve a smooth and pourable sauce by adding more liquid.

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 scallion, minced (white and light green parts only)

¼ cup tahini

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

¼ cup loosely packed basil, finely chopped

¼ cup loosely packed dill, finely chopped

¼ cup loosely packed parsley, finely chopped

⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients with ⅓ cup water in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time to thin the sauce, if necessary. Taste-test and adjust seasonings as needed.

For more of her story, watch her cookbook trailer, here. Congrats, Andrea on a gorgeous book!

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Photos and recipe above by Andrea Bemis, excerpted from her book, Dishing Up The Dirt, published March 2017.

Warm Potato & Arugula Salad with truffle oil and avocado

Baby Max has arrived! He's already been to his first protest, to the snow in Tahoe, and wine tasting. He's 6 weeks old today and so sweet. 

I've taken the past few weeks off from the blog, but am starting to come out of the fog and felt inspired to photograph my lunch today. It was this simple but filling bowl of arugula topped with warm potatoes and avocado chunks, dressed with truffle oil and red wine vinegar. It's what happened to be in the fridge, but it was delicious enough to share. It's simple and quick to make (I made, ate and shot the whole thing while Max slept!). Would make a lovely lunch or dinner. Enjoy!

Pomegranate Punch & Oprah!

I'm super excited to have 4 Forest Feast recipes in the current holiday issue of O, the Oprah Magazine (Dec. 2016)! I LOVE Oprah and was so excited to be included in her annual "favorite things" issue. They chose a couple from my new book and a couple from my blog that are great for holiday entertaining. 

There's a Pomegranate punch adapted from The Forest Feast Gatherings (see below), plus a Sparkling Old-Fashioned Punch, a Cran-Rosemary Punch and a Hot Chai Nog that is spiked with rum. 

Cheers!