This simple and festive side dish of roasted carrots with cilantro-yogurt sauce brings more plants to any celebratory meal. You can never go wrong with roasted vegetables. There are few vegetables not bettered when blasted with heat and browned in the oven. Potatoes, cauliflower, butternut, beets, Brussels sprouts, broccoli… This carrot dish is a variation on a popular one I’ve served at catered dinners, usually grilled. Tossed with olive oil, a little spice (cumin), salt and pepper, the caramelized carrots take on a new personality. This roasted carrots side dish is one to serve to anyone who ..read more

Here’s a smaller, simpler, lighter Thanksgiving menu plan that gets back to basics with something for everyone at the table. Smaller, simpler, lighter. That’s my Thanksgiving vibe this year. So, I’m sharing a Thanksgiving menu plan that gets back to basics. Same big flavors, lots less labor. That means more time for reuniting with loved ones! And it also acknowledges that we can eat less turkey {I’m getting a smaller bird}, offer a meatless main and enjoy all the sides. {Without creating holiday food waste this year.} Plus, save room for more pie. An Essential Thanksgiving Menu Plan for 2021 S ..read more

Put a twist on this favorite side dish of mashed sweet potatoes with the warm and savory spice mix, garam masala. Sweet potatoes are a welcome side dish at the holiday table. I like to highlight their natural sweetness with a savory counterpoint as in this deep-dish sweet potato gratin. This year, I’m adding the sweet-and-savory spice blend, garam masala I like to call the other pumpkin spice. Aromatic with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and clove, it also includes coriander and cumin and other spices, similar to the spice mix known as curry. You can find it in the spice aisle. But for the freshest ..read more

This recipe for smothered cabbage is one tasty illustration of what this overlooked, nutritious, cruciferous vegetable can do. This is the time of year when I come to terms with the fact that salad season is over. Well, not over, but in transition. No more of summer’s bounty of tender, loose leaf geen salads. I make the mental switch over to heartier choices–kale, of course, radicchio and cabbage. A head of green cabbage takes up residence in my crisper drawer. Most often, it’s called up for a quick slaw for taco night. But, it’s time to give this cruciferous, nutritious and overlooked vegeta ..read more

This toasted spice blend is a great complement to savory soups and side dishes featuring pumpkin, squash and sweet potatoes. It’s the season for spices. Pumpkin spice is more popular than ever. But did you know about the other cinnamon-spice-and-everything-nice mix? It’s called garam masala, and it brings a world of wonderful flavors to all your fall and holiday dishes–from winter squash and lentils to meats, stews and soups. Garam means “warm spice mix” according to food writer, Monica Bhide. Cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves meet coriander. cumin and black peppercorns for a sweet-meets-savory comb ..read more

With a quick-mix batter, these spiced, moist pumpkin donut holes are made to be fried, but can also be baked for a fun holiday treat. Old-fashioned cake donuts are one of my favorite special occasion treats. Plain, powdered or rolled in cinnamon-sugar. With the fall weather pushing us indoors, it seemed like a good time to make a batch to enjoy with an afternoon cup of tea and get ready for the holidays But when it comes to donuts, I think a few bites is perfect. So, I opted to make donut holes. Sugar & Spice in Balance For this recipe, I used everyone’s favorite fall flavoring: pumpkin ..read more

Fall is the time to hearty braises, but should you use the Instant Pot, slow cooker or Dutch oven for meats? Here’s my take–with recipes. This time of year is the official beginning of soup season. But it’s also time for one of my all-time favorite cooking techniques: braising. Also known as slow cooking. It is the ultimate hands-free way to make dinner worthy of Sunday supper status–with built-in leftovers. Fall is also the time when I get local meats into the freezer we eat all year. I just got my annual quarter share of a grassfed steer from Bunchgrass Beef. And I’ll be picking up a half ho ..read more

Frozen gnocchi is a terrific resource for easy weeknight dinners, like this quick sauté with summer squash, parmesan, fresh basil and ricotta. My friend, Sara, runs an entire hospital department, a family business and a family of five. I admire the way that she manages it all, making homemade pizza on a weeknight, Dutch babies on the weekend and fresh suppers like this summer squash gnocchi with basil. One late summer afternoon, Sara served up a wonderful dish of gnocchi with grilled summer squash and basil. The toothsome potato dumplings [pronounced nyow·kee] were the perfect match for tender ..read more

This creamy, garlicky three-ingredient sauce comes together quickly to shake up everything from sliced tomatoes to grilled fish. We’ve all been cooking at home for a while now. That makes us more experienced, confident and healthy. But, it’s only natural to get bored with our own best meal ideas. That’s where this chunky version of Greek tzatziki {pronouned tsah-see-key} comes in. Tzatziki sauce is a quick way to punch up any meal. And it’s so easy because it takes just three ordinary ingredients to make, plus seasonings. Three-ingredient Tzatziki Thick and rich whole milk yogurt is the base ..read more

Grilled chicken breast is an easy go-to for dinner. Here’s how to end up with moist, juicy and beautifully cooked chicken every time. Whenever we visit my family, my Dad makes me the resident griller. I’m honored and always happy to step outside into the golden late afternoons on Cape Cod. So, while we were living on the east coast for three months earlier this year, I did a lot of grilling for a crowd. Tons and tons of vegetables as well as whole fish, steaks, pork chops and shrimp… And of course, chicken. As Forage readers know, I’m picky about chicken. I prefer to buy whole chickens from Ha ..read more