Savory Quinoa & Scallion Pancakes

Do you get as excited as I do every month when the new issue of Bon Appetit arrives in the mail? I subscribe to a number of cooking magazines and this one may be my favorite. Of course, January's edition was centered around healthy eating, a good thing with the amount of people (myself included) who resolve every year to stick to healthier food options. They definitely didn't disappoint.

Lentils

Lentils are one of those things I like to eat when I'm feeling guilty for eating too much pasta or bread, (so, like, at least twice a week.) They're healthy, filling and pretty cheap to make. A winning trifecta! We like to eat them in their broth, with lots of Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. On the second day, if we're not really in the mood for soup, I'll strain some of the lentils from their broth and instead top them with a poached egg, a drizzle of olive oil and some Parmesan cheese. You will want to do all of these things, because you like to fill your belly with healthy, delicious things. I promise you.

Crispy Tofu, Bok Choy and Udon Noodles

I love all types of Asian cuisine, what I don't like is all of the sauce that is usually left at the bottom of the pan or bowl. I don't like fishing the last little pieces of food from what looks like a bowl of soup. This recipe yields just enough sauce to coat the noodles and bok choy, without the soupy mess. I can't be the only person that dislikes that?!

Chicken and Vegetable Pasta

 

Last Monday seemed like the coldest day we've had in Southern California in a long time. I had big plans to go out to the park, the grocery store and a few Christmas related errands but given temperature there was no chance I would be leaving the warmth of our house. Lunch time came around, and a hungry and impatient baby doesn't  leave room for preparing dishes that take too long to throw together. This pasta dish is perfect because you can throw in anything you have in your fridge like: broccoli (or broccolini in our case) zucchini, squash, bell peppers, (unfortunately, I was out of bell peppers.) I often will make this dish without any chicken, but if you have it why not add it?!

 

Pasta: Butternut Squash, Bacon and Sage

I'm going to be honest, when I first made this it just wasn't doing it for me... it was very 'one note.' It was missing something, something to mellow out the sweetness of the butternut squash, the answer? Why, the answer to almost all of life's quandaries of course, bacon! The bacon not only balances the sweet with salt, it also gives it some crunchy texture. Another confession, until this, I had never cooked with sage, but after crisping it in the rendered fat from the aforementioned bacon... I will never-not cook with sage again!