Ever been to a potluck or cookout and had quote-unquote pasta salad? You know what I mean: mushy corkscrew pasta, raw vegetables and icky bottled Italian dressing. Gross. *This* pasta salad is not *that* pasta salad. This Orzo Pasta Salad with Seasonal Vegetables recipe starts with the right kind of pasta, homemade dressing, and crisp-tender seasonal veg. Perfection. Hack it with different vegetables all year round. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!
Around here, we love sheet pan suppers: Pile everything onto a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast until it’s all tender and browned. Dinner — and cleanup — done! For the win! This Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetable Soup uses the same technique as a starting point. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!
Caprese salad? In winter? Usually, it’s a nonstarter to order a caprese, that traditional salad of perfectly ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, at any time but the height of summer. But yeah, winter caprese salad: this one with roasted beets, moss and chard pesto. It totally works! Get the recipe on writes4food.com!
Need something warming, happy and delicious for lunch? This Golden Spiced Lentil Soup recipe fills the bill. Quick-cooking red lentils and a handful of aromatic vegetables make this come together with practically no effort, and turmeric and cumin give it tons of warmly spiced flavor. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!
Check out my list of Top 10 Must-Have Tools for your Kitchen, published on The Christ Hospital’s Healthspiration site!
Winter squash and root vegetables are abundant in local farmers’ markets even during cold months. (Not like we’re exactly having typically cold winter weather right now.) Sauté these babies in lots of butter, simmer them in vegetable stock and fork them into a chunky mash that’s perfect as a side to grilled steak or roast chicken. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!
With a blush of glaze and a bright golden interior, this not-too-sweet Blood Orange French Yogurt Cake recipe has a ton going for it. Make it now, while blood oranges are available, and bookmark the recipe to make with other citrus in season. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!
My cookbook, The Findlay Market Cookbook, is Cincinnati’s local cookbook — a celebration of local food as it’s best represented by Cincinnati’s historic public market.
In addition to sharing easy recipes here, I’m the editor of Edible Ohio Valley magazine and the author of “The Findlay Market Cookbook.” I’m a journalist, writer and editor focused on food, wellness and creativity. I love to speak about local food and teach casual cooking classes around the Cincinnati region.
