TCV at Booksellers at Laurelwood for Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26 at 2 p.m.

We have a ton of love for all our friends who run small businesses across the country! It's so important to support the people who have created jobs for themselves and others. They tirelessly share their expertise and vision with their community and bring unique events and, of course, some really great stuff to their towns and cities. We think small business owners all need our support not only during the holiday shopping season, but on a regular basis.

So to show our support for Small Business Saturday, we'll be hanging out with the folks at Booksellers at Laurelwood this Saturday, November 26 at 2:00 p.m. to chat with our readers and sign copies of our cookbooks. Booksellers is where we always go to choose kids' books for gifts and check out all the new cookbooks. Please stop by tomorrow afternoon, browse all the books and gifts, and come say hi!

Local stores that carry one or both of our cookbooks, The Southern Vegetarian (Thomas Nelson, 2013) and The Chubby Vegetarian (Susan Schadt Press, 2016):

- Booksellers at Laurelwood
- Babcock Gifts
- Five-in-One Social Club
- Bazaar Olive Oil
- Palladio Art & Antiques
- Burke's Book Store
- Rhodes College Bookstore
- Miss Cordelia's

Other local shops we love:

Justin's picks: Shangri-La, Goner Records, and the Cleveland Street Flea Market to browse vintage vinyl. Get some coffee and a snack at City and State or Porcellino's. Five-in-One Social Club has Memphis-branded handmade items, great sweatshirts, and tons of classes for makers. Sparkling River Peppers from Curb Market would be an amazing stocking stuffer. Gift certificates to your favorite locally owned restaurants (might we suggest The Second Line for a Chubby Vegetarian Mushroom Debris Po Boy? ;) are also perfect for keeping money in the local economy. We are also newly obsessed with the top-notch coffee beans from French Truck.

Amy's picks: Found has some of the best vintage clothes and accessories. Right next door, you can make jewelry and get broken items repaired or old jewelry reworked at Bead Couture. Tate Professional Jewelers can make any piece you dream up. Sugarplum Consignments and Celery always have a nice selection. Buying from and donating to the Repeat Boutique helps so many Memphians. I love stopping by La Maison, Garden District, Pickering Boxwood, Spruce in East Memphis, and Sheffield's in Collierville. I also think it's impossible to go wrong buying anything at Muddy's.

TCV at Bazaar Olive Oil in Collierville, TN this Saturday, Nov. 19 at 1:00 p.m.

We have so many fond memories of the Collierville Historic Town Square. One of us used to skateboard all around there, and he had his very last hamburger at Mensi's Dairy Bar back in the late 80's. The other one always wants to buy some cowgirl boots at Hewlett & Dunn and is determined to find the just-right pair; she also thoroughly enjoyed writing about Café Piazza way back when.

Now we'll be at Bazaar Olive Oil this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. to talk about cooking and sign copies of our new cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian!

The Square is having its moment. A new restaurant by Chef Brian Thurmond, 148 North, opened last week, and we stopped by last weekend to get a preview of the new spot. Now we're excitedly awaiting the opening of Pharm 2 Fork by Chef Mac Edwards.

We're so happy to be a part of all that's happening out east, and we're thrilled to have been invited to sign books at Bazaar. So if you can, come see us on Saturday at 1:00! We'll have a couple of snacks that feature olive oil, and if you like, we'll sign a book for you or help you choose the perfect bottle of olive oil or vinegar or put together a gift for someone you know who loves to cook.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2016: We've got answers!

It's on everyone's minds now: Thanksgiving is almost here! We can't wait to try to help you figure it all out, at least the what-to-cook and what-to-eat parts of it. For the rest, we just wish you patience and an open heart. Enjoy the holiday! :)



But first, it was an honor this week for one of our recipes to be featured by The Washington Post as the dish for vegetarians this holiday. As though that wasn't enough for us to rejoice about, then there was a great video and then our very first 'Free Range on Food' live chat on washingtonpost.com. You can read how it went and what people asked HERE. We're grateful for the help in spreading the word about how we cook and why we do what we do. Being vegetarian at Thanksgiving isn't a sad, missing-out, left-out sort of thing; it's actually pretty awesome, or it can be if you know how to prepare for it. 

Here's a quick guide for people who may be just beginning to figure out the whole no-meat situation, and we wanted to help the people around them who are silently freaking out about how to accommodate them. Here goes…and please feel free to ask us anything else about Thanksgiving in the comments!

1. "What might be something vegetarian I could make that rivals the turkey and has a nice presentation?" 

Our vegetarian centerpiece this year is the 'Roast Beast' from our new cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian. The Roast Beast features an array of vegetables like portobello mushroom caps, eggplant slices, onions, and roasted red peppers, all flavored with pesto and cheese and then threaded onto a spit. It's like making one huge vegetable kabob. The result is roasted on the grill or in the oven for about an hour. It's spectacular when presented to the table and will give any turkey a run for its money. The best part is that it's so easy. Another favorite is Stuffed Acorn Squash, but we think a nice, big lasagna can bring happiness as well.  

2. "What should be on my list if I'm shopping for a meal that'll involve folks with special diets?"

In the spirit of being inclusive, it's nice to consider everyone at your table when preparing the classics. Vegan (and consequently, vegetarian) marshmallows for topping your sweet potato casserole are readily available now at places like Whole Foods, and simply swapping vegetable stock in for the chicken stock in things like dressing will keep everyone happy and going back for seconds. Gluten-free pie crusts (we like this one) have come a long way recently, so if you have a guest with a gluten allergy, it's a breeze to feed them dessert. We like to think about who's vegan and who's gluten-free as we plan for Thanksgiving, and we always offer separately prepared dishes without nuts for those with allergies. 

Most of all, just be open with your guests and ask them about allergies or preferences beforehand. You'll be surprised at how understanding people can be. They may even offer to help by bringing a dish that works for them to share.

3. "How can I be a good Thanksgiving Day guest?"

It's good to try to be a fountain and not a drain when attending any gathering. Bring everything you'll need for serving your dish, and that'll really help your host's stress level. If your dish needs to be hot or cold, bring it in an insulated casserole carrier. It's best not to require oven or fridge space since your host probably has both at full capacity. We often pack hot items in a cooler, too, for the short drive over to someone's house. (And we're happy to help clear the table, but we've learned not to jump in and start doing the dishes unless we're directly asked to do so! Even though it's so tempting just to go for it and get it done! No one likes this, even if we all feel they should appreciate it so very much at the time.) 

We've done all of these wrong in the past but have somehow learned to do better along the way! 

4. "I don't really like to cook. What in the world am I going to bring to the table?"

If you want to make something easy that has a a big impact, make an easy cranberry sauce from scratch. We often flavor ours with oranges, and it's something we always make since sometimes good cranberry sauce is kind of seen as unnecessary but actually is amazing.

5. "I am tired of pumpkin. What should I make for dessert?"

Definitely a spicy chocolate tart from our first cookbook, The Southern Vegetarian (Thomas Nelson, 2013).

6. "I'm going to a Thanksgiving potluck. How can I make sure my dish stands out?"

One recent Thanksgiving potluck featured no less than six sweet potato dishes! This elicited a heated critique of each person's creation and and a ranking by one person of favorite iteration to least favorite, and well, it led to some mildly crestfallen feelings at the table. If you are going to use classic Thanksgiving ingredients, do something different so your dish stands out. Use sweet potatoes as grilled slices mounded with buttery almonds, lemon zest, and fresh parsley. We call it Sweet Potato Almondine.  

Also, don't be afraid to go outside the bounds of traditional Thanksgiving food. There are plenty of dishes that are in the spirit of Thanksgiving classics but feature international flavors. In The Chubby Vegetarian cookbook, we have a curried acorn squash salad with apples and raita dressing that would be a great starter. 

7. We have a question for you. What do you eat for breakfast on Thanksgiving? That's always a tough thing to figure out. Give us some ideas in the comments!

Chubby Veg's Roast Beast in The Washington Post for this year's vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish + participate in our Washington Post live chat this Wed.! (+ the next TCV book signing at Babcock Gifts on Wed. afternoon in Memphis)

Well, today's Washington Post article featuring Joe Yonan's riff on a Thanksgiving-friendly Chubby Vegetarian dish sure was a fun surprise this morning! Let's all get ready to do vegetarian Thanksgiving up right!

The recipe for Roast Beast is featured in our new cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian. We were really happy to see Joe's take on our idea, and we just learned that you can watch his absolutely adorable video of the process since it just got posted with the article this evening.

We have a couple of events coming up this Wednesday if you'd like to join us in our excitement about Thanksgiving prep. Get a jump on it by submitting a question here for our upcoming 'Free Range on Food' live chat on The Washington Post's website this Wednesday morning with Joe. (We'll start at 11:00 a.m. CST and would love for y'all to participate if you are able. The topic is 'recipes and tips for a Thanksgiving potluck'.)

So, the backstory: We kind of had a feeling something was up last month since Joe tried out our Roast Beast recipe a few times and posted the results as he experimented. We talked with him one Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago and heard that he was going to be featuring our oversized skewered kabob with pesto and Provolone cheese, for his choice for his vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish this year. Thanks a million for finding our recipes so enticing, Joe, and for always appreciating what we do!

In addition, if you're available this week on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 16 anytime between 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., we would like to invite you to stop by Babcock Gifts on Poplar in East Memphis. We're excited to celebrate today's article and the Wednesday morning live discussion with y'all! You can get a book signed and stock up on gifts before the flat-out craziness of the holidays is upon us all.
Of course, we'll have a straight-from-the-cookbook snack for you to enjoy (check out our Insta soon for the reveal), and we can't wait to see you there.

The Chubby Vegetarian Book Trailer

Next Book Signing for The Chubby Vegetarian Cookbook This Week on Thursday, Nov. 3 at Palladio in Memphis

Come and stop by the beautiful and gracious Palladio Antiques and Art on Central Avenue in Memphis on Thursday, Nov. 3 from 5-8 p.m.! It's their Christmas Open House, and there will be copies of the just-released Chubby Vegetarian cookbook (Susan Schadt Press, November 2016), and of course, it's pretty likely that we'll also cook up a little treat or two from our book -- maybe some Figs in a Blanket, as pictured below! -- for you to try.

We're really liking the 'one savory and one sweet' precedent that we set at our signing at the Booksellers at Laurelwood signing last week. There, our plates of Spaghetti Squash Ribs with Purple Cabbage Slaw and the tray of Spicy Banana-Almond Date Bites were much appreciated by our sweet audience. We were so happy to see TCV blog readers, some of whom we just met for the first time and adore and others who have become friends who have inspired us over the years, come celebrate with us along with the folks who have known us forever; it meant a lot that so many folks showed up to listen to the story of our second cookbook and let us know they support us and are cheering us on as we see where all of this leads.

This past weekend, we were already discussing and debating what we'll offer up at Palladio. It's going to be holiday-ready, and it's going to be good! We're going to have a blast getting ready this week and thinking ahead to Christmas, and we can't wait to see you there.

Palladio carried our first cookbook, The Southern Vegetarian, and here's Amy (above) signing them there way back in the summer of 2015. We so appreciate Palladio championing our work over the years and are so excited to have been invited to attend this year's Christmas Open House.

The Chubby Vegetarian Cookbook Signing at Booksellers on Thursday, October 27th at 6:30 p.m. (+ a couple of fun prizes!)

We are SO excited about the release of our new cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table (Susan Schadt Press, 2016). According to the 6-foot-tall poster we spotted this evening, we'll be at The Booksellers at Laurelwood  this Thursday (10/27) night at 6:30 for our first open-to-the-public The Chubby Vegetarian cookbook signing. It's going to be the place to be. We're going to have a snack for you, and we're also giving away one $100 gift certificate to Restaurant Iris and one $50 gift certificate to The Beauty Shop. All you have to do to be entered into this random drawing is show up and put your name in the hat. The drawing will happen around 7:00 p.m.; make sure you're around to snag your prize because you must be present to win. Going to be fun, y'all!

Want to know more about us? Check out THIS story in the Commercial Appeal, THIS great recap of a Chubby Vegetarian dinner party from Vegan Crunk and Hungry Memphis, THIS radio interview with Jennifer Chandler for WKNO's "Weekly Dish," and THIS blog post from the Memphis Flyer's Richard Alley. We're so grateful that everyone is so happy for us, and we're so humbled by all of the energy everyone is pouring into our project. Thank you, Memphis!

We'll see you on Thursday!

Last Weekend's (Very First) Chubby Vegetarian Book Signing at The Memphis Food and Wine Festival (and the next book signing coming up at Booksellers in Memphis on Thursday, Oct. 27!)

We had such a great time meeting readers at the Booksellers of Laurelwood tent last Saturday evening at the first Memphis Food and Wine Festival! A huge thanks goes out to everyone who stopped by and hung out with us. The festival itself was quite a success, and being a part of it was pretty darn amazing.

Now here's another opportunity this coming week to come see us and grab your copy of TCV in Memphis at Booksellers on Thursday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m. We'll be saying a few words, offering up a little pre-dinner treat for you, holding a drawing for a few prizes, and signing copies of our brand-new second cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table (Susan Schadt Press, 2016). We would love for you to join us and help us celebrate the upcoming release of our book.

(If you haven't seen it, here's our first book that pretty much taught us everything about the process. Maybe soon we'll share a little bit here on the blog about how it was different this time around in some ways, and how we've found what works for us when it comes to putting together a book. We're already pretty excited to brainstorm about what we can do in cookbook #3, so if you have any suggestions, please comment below…)

Marisa Baggett's New Cookbook, Vegetarian Sushi Secrets

GO, MARISA! We are so excited for her new cookbook, Vegetarian Sushi Secrets: 101 Healthy and Delicious Recipes (Tuttle 2016), which is available right now. We actually wrote the foreword for her, and we were a million percent honored to have been asked to contribute our very first one of all time. (Her first book, Sushi Secrets, has been a mainstay on our cookbook shelf for a long while now.)

Joining forces for an article in the fall issue of Edible Memphis this month, the three of us collaborated on a Sunday dinner at our house in September, and it was a blast talking about our lives in the kitchen, why we cook, and how writing a second book goes. We made her Faux Roe Rolls from the new book while M. chose to put together our Curried Acorn Squash Salad from our own second cookbook (click the previous link to see details about our first public event for the book!). 

Come to Marisa Baggett's book signing at Booksellers in Memphis on Tuesday, October 25, and get your copy of the book that changed the way we make veg sushi!

Thai-Style Papaya Salad

Click HERE to order our new cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table (Susan Schadt Press, November 2016). The recipe below is featured in the book!

The first time we had the real-deal green papaya salad was at the wonderful Memphis restaurant Chao Praya when it was in the Hickory Hill area of Memphis, and now we're curious to try out the owners' new spot. After a little internet sleuthing and a confirmation phone call, we now believe that we'll be able to order from the old Chao Praya menu at a place called China Dragon out on Hacks Cross. We'll keep you posted! 

This particular papaya salad came about since we always see papayas at the store and wonder what we could do with them. Ripe papayas seem to have more flavor and a better texture for this recipe. We realize it's not traditional, but that's kind of why we like it.








Thai-Style Papaya Salad

1 medium firm, just-ripe papaya (2 1/2 cups shredded)
1 hot pepper (Thai Bird Chili or Serrano Pepper)
1 1-inch knob ginger
1 cup cilantro
1 clove garlic
1 green onion (sliced)
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup roasted peanuts (chopped)
2 sprigs mint
Sriracha (to taste)
10-12 leaves of romaine lettuce

Peel the papaya and shred the flesh using a serrated peeler or by slicing the flesh into thin matchsticks with a knife. You want to get all the papaya flesh while avoiding the large center cavity that's full of seeds. Set shredded papaya aside and prepare the dressing. 

In a food processor or using a mortar and pestle, blend the hot pepper, ginger, cilantro, and garlic. In a large bowl, whisk together the pepper, ginger, cilantro, and garlic mixture with the green onion, lime juice, Braggs, sugar, and chopped peanuts. Add the shredded papaya and toss to coat. 

Serve family-style garnished with mint sprigs and Sriracha with the Romaine leaves on the side. To eat, grab a Romaine leaf and fill it with the spicy papaya salad. Top that with a mint leaf and enjoy. (Serves 2.)

The Chubby Vegetarian Cookbook Release

This past Saturday afternoon, we opened the box that contained 2 books from the first printing of our second cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table (Susan Schadt Press, 2016). And then today, we arrived home to find 2 more huge boxes of books waiting for us! We can't wait for you to see our work and to read the beautiful foreword by our friend P. Allen Smith.

The new cookbook will be released November 1, and we have some fun times planned this fall so we can all celebrate together. If you'd like to get a signed copy from us in Memphis, here are some event details:

Book signing at the Memphis Food and Wine Festival, Memphis Botanic Garden, Saturday, October 15, 6-10 p.m.

Book signing at The Booksellers of Laurelwood, Thursday, October 27, 6:30 p.m. This is the first public event for the cookbook's release, and it's nice that it's ahead of the 'real' book release date. The folks at Booksellers were so good to us when our first book hit the shelves in 2013, and we're thrilled to be invited back. We hope to see y'all there!

Book release party at The Second Line, Sunday, November 6, 5:00-7:30 p.m. Stop by and see what the inimitable Chef Kelly English has planned for all of us -- you just might get to sample our TCV Debris Po Boy, which he's had on the menu for a while now, and lately, he's been talking about fixing some BYA Broccoli (in lieu of the usual BYA Shrimp!).

Some other possible food truck, farmers market, store appearance, and cooking class opportunities are in the works throughout the holiday season; we can't wait to let you know what else is coming up on the calendar!

You may pre-order our book from any fine book retailer. It really helps authors like us for you to do that. It's especially helpful if you go into your local bookseller and ask for our title by name. The store will then stock the book and we'll get to let more people know about our particular brand of vegetable-driven cuisine.

Preorder from: Powell's, Booksellers of Laurelwood, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Hudson Booksellers, Books-A-Million, Parnassus, or your local bookstore.

Our Make-Ahead Dishes for IHA's Inspired Home blog

Thank you to the International Housewares Association for partnering with us on this blog post. We were compensated for our time and were thrilled to be able to keep the products we used in creating new recipes for the accompanying article. As usual, all opinions expressed are our own. 

Hey, check out our new piece about 3 great make-ahead dishes for crazy-busy weeknights on The International Housewares Association's Inspired Home blog! We made our favorite enchiladas, a hearty mulligatawny, and a bunch of energy cookies. We loved choosing recipes from our forthcoming second cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table, for this. 

Both of us have really appreciated having good stuff in the freezer now that summer's coming to a close and we have less time to cook from scratch each night. We think it's always good to set aside a little time to prepare a few things over the weekend in order to  be able to eat well all week long. We've always meant to be organized enough to plan ahead and do that, so this was a good reason to finally try it.

Gluten-Free Caprese Pie

Click HERE to order our new cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table (Susan Schadt Press, November 2016). The recipe below is featured in the book!

Oh my, this is good! We love making tomato pie in the summer. This version is a mash-up between Southern tomato pie and Italian caprese salad with a nod to margherita pizza, and it's kind of as good as all of those wrapped up. It's a keeper!

This is perfect when tomatoes are in season because there is nothing more perfect than a summer tomato. The cool thing is that if you want to leave out the dairy to make it vegan, you may substitute a drained and sliced block of extra-firm tofu. Believe it of don't, the flavor of fresh Buffalo mozzarella and tofu are very similar. Tofu, as you may or may not know, is actually made using the same process as cheesemaking. So, it makes sense that that share many of the same textures and flavors.

Whichever way you choose to make it, it'll be wonderful! Serve this to dinner guests for an easy make-ahead meal, or enjoy it for dinner soon and keep the leftovers all to yourself. 

Gluten-Free Caprese Pie

1 store-bought gluten-free, frozen pie crust
3 large tomatoes (Beefsteak, Jet Star, or Better Boy) 
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (more for garnish)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups basil leaves
12 ounces fresh Buffalo Mozzarella cheese (sliced into 1/4-inch rounds)
Cracked black pepper (to garnish)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake the pie crust until golden brown. This should take about 12 to 15 minutes, but please refer to the package instructions for guidance. While the crust is baking, prepare the tomatoes and dressing. 

Core the tomatoes and slice into generous 1/4-inch slices. (You should get 4 to 6 slices per tomato. Layer tomato slices and salt into a large bowl making sure to get a little salt on each slice. Allow salted tomatoes to rest for 20 minutes. You'll notice quite a bit of liquid collected at the bottom of the bowl. Remove tomato slices and place them between two clean kitchen towels until ready to assemble the dish. This process ensures that the pair won't be watery. Discard the tomato water in the bowl.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat add the balsamic and cook until reduced by half. It will become thick and syrupy when ready. Remove from heat and add the olive oil. 

Assemble the pie in the shell by shingling in a tomato slice, basil leaf, and then mozzarella in a circular pattern. Once you get all the way around the pie start another layer on top of that. Using you hands lightly press the tomatoes, basil, and cheese down into the crust. This will make it more compact and easier to cut. Drizzle the top of the pie with the reduced balsamic and olive oil dressing. Serves 4 to 6. 

3 No-Cook Recipes for The Inspired Home

Thank you to the International Housewares Association for partnering with us on this blog post! We were compensated for our time and were thrilled to be able to keep the products we used in creating new recipes for the accompanying article. As usual, all opinions expressed are our own. 


This past Sunday was pretty fun! We walked over to our goddaughter's house to visit in the morning and then stayed home and avoided the heat (it's almost painful, at this point, right?).


We prepared food all afternoon and made 3 new dishes: Tostaguac, Composed Gazpacho, and Date and Peanut Marzipan Candy Bars all without turning on the oven or heating up the stovetop.

Loved seeing our friends and then getting to be creative and have dinner all set -- and no grilling or sautéing was required. We have the recipes HERE for you to check out.

Our Second Cookbook! The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table

The Chubby Vegetarian cookbook will be released on Nov. 1, 2016; 
pre-order it HERE! 

We're finishing up the last details this summer -- we have a few more photographs to take and another round of editing to finish up, but we're over the moon about how good the current draft looks thanks to the help of Susan Schadt Press and her amazing crew.

Can't wait for you to see what we came up with for you this time! We named it after the blog because it reflects the way we eat everyday and includes some of our favorite recipes, with a focus on cuisines from all over the world. We love Southern food, but when we're figuring out (probably at the last minute) what to make for dinner or for a party, we usually start thinking about a region we want to highlight and go from there.

We have a bunch of fun opportunities in the works to share good food and celebrate the book release in the fall.

Our first book, The Southern Vegetarian, is available on amazon, and the Kindle version is only $4.99 now; if you've been thinking about getting a copy, now's a pretty good time, right?

French Breakfast Radish with Baguette and Honey

Click HERE to order our new cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table (Susan Schadt Press, November 2016). The recipe below is featured in the book!

In our first cookbook, Chef John Currence closed his foreword by saying, "Radishes with softened butter are WAY underappreciated." We think about his quote every time we try that beautiful combo!

So we've been looking back at the first book since we've been busy proofreading this week. We're about to be heading toward the finishing-it-all-up stage of our new cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table (November 2016, Susan Schadt Press). We began working on it earlier this year, and haven't stopped for a second because we're both just that crazy and determined. And we're so excited for you to see it this fall.

Early next week, we'll ask for a little help testing some of the recipes that made the cut, so check back here if you're willing to cook something and report back. We'd love to hear how the dishes go for you. Let's eat!

Here, we've switched out softened butter for a buttery soft brie and paired the whole thing with honey to balance out the bite of the spicy radishes. We really did make this for breakfast one day, no joke. It seemed weird at first but ended up being so good. Want to maybe grab some radishes for this at the farmers market this weekend and try it?

French Breakfast Radish with Baguette and Honey

1/2 large gluten-free baguette (sliced into 12 rounds)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
6 medium French Breakfast radishes (sliced)
1 7-ounce wheel or wedge of double-cream brie
2 tablespoons honey

In a cast-iron grill pan over medium heat, grill baguette slices on one side for 3 minutes or until well-marked by the grill grates. Set aside. In a small bowl mix the salt and pepper. Arrange the bowl of salt and pepper, radishes, baguette, brie, and honey on a cutting board or large plate. To eat, place a slice of brie and a few slices of radish on a baguette round. Drizzle the top with honey and sprinkle with salt the salt and pepper mixture. (Serves 2.)

4th of July Backyard Party Ideas from Us & IHA

Thank you to the International Housewares Association for partnering with us on this blog post! We were compensated for our time and were thrilled to be able to keep the products we used in creating new recipes for the accompanying article. As usual, all opinions expressed are our own. 

Here's all you need to cook and set up a sweet lunch on July 4: make-ahead naan sandwiches with grilled vegetables, a hearty salad that's really easy to put together, and a basil-goat cheese spread that doubles as a dip, you know, for those red, white, and blue chips you impulse-bought at the store. Click here to check out the details of the dishes and the stuff we got to try out to make it all happen in our new post for IHA.

Patatas Bravas in the Air Fryer for IHA Inspired Home

Thank you to the International Housewares Association for partnering with us on this blog post! We were compensated for our time and were thrilled to be able to keep the products we used in creating new recipes for the accompanying article. As usual, all opinions expressed are our own. 

So we've discovered our new favorite appliance: the air fryer. We used it to make ‪a  vegan patatas bravas dish, and it's even better than the regular version and waaaaay better for you. Read more HERE on the IHA Inspired Home Blog about our experience with the fryer and a few other things that helped us create a tapas spread just like we were hanging out in Spain, y'all! Air-fried doughnuts really should be what's coming up next if there's anything that's right and fair in this world…

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Click HERE to order our new cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table (Susan Schadt Press, November 2016). The recipe below is featured in the book!

Yeah, we make this all the time. Crazy that we're just now sharing the recipe with you! It's really cool to use spaghetti squash as a stand-in for pasta in this dish. We figured out that you need a chunky sauce since the 'noodles' are thin, white beans are a really good, nutritious addition, and whole heads of roasted garlic make for an excellent pseudo-side dish. Oh, and the method we've figured out in the recipe below ensures that you're not going to end up with a watery squash.

Sometimes we add some greens to go on the side. Sometimes we just decide to have regular old pasta because it's quicker. But this, if you have a little extra time to cook one night this weekend, is really worth making.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash 

1 large spaghetti squash
2 large heads garlic
2 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 large shallot (diced) 
1 medium red pepper (diced)
2 medium carrots (sliced)
2 medium ribs celery (sliced)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (like Penzey's)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans (drained)
1 28-ounce can diced fire-roasted diced tomato
2 1-ounce slices provolone cheese
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Using a large knife and an abundance of caution, slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds by scraping them out with a spoon. Discard the seeds. 

Cut the top 1/3 off of each head of garlic. Drizzle the inside of the two halves of the squash and the cut side of the heads of garlic with 1 tablespoon of  the olive oil. Season squash with salt and pepper to taste. Wrap the heads of garlic in aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet. Place the spaghetti squash cut-side-up next to the foil-wrapped garlic and place it all into the oven. Bake for 3o minutes or until the squash begins to turn golden brown at the edges. While the squash cooks, assemble and cook the sauce. 

Into a large frying pan over hight heat, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the shallot, red pepper, carrots, and celery. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to brown. Add the Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and wine. Cook until vegetable have softened and wine has reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and tomatoes. Stir to incorporate and reduce heat to a simmer. The sauce should chunky. This gives the dish some great texture. 

Remove the squash from the oven and scrape the spaghetti squash up with a fork. This is easily done with a cooked squash. You'll notice that as you scrape, the squash comes up in tiny ribbons like pasta, hence the name! Season the squash with salt and pepper. Divide the sauce between the two halves and cover each with a slice of provolone. The heat from the sauce will melt the cheese, but feel free to place it under a broiler for a minute or two on high to get it melty and bubbly. Garnish squash with chopped parsley and serve alongside the roasted garlic. We love to add a few cloves of roasted garlic for extra flavor as we enjoy the dish. (Serves 2.)