I’m not gonna lie, one of the things I have missed the most during this pandemic (aside from the obvious stuff) are baked goods from my favorite local gluten-free and vegan bakery. I used to see a client in that neighborhood weekly, and it became a tradition of sorts to pick up a little treat after our sessions.

They have amazing GF and vegan donuts, but they also have this lemon loaf with a pink-colored lemon frosting that I could probably lick by the spoonful. When one of my favorite food brands asked me to bake a spring-y recipe for a partnership, I jumped at the chance to create a little twist on the lemon loaf I love so much.

Do you guys remember that nostalgic and very specific taste of brownies made from a boxed mix? I honestly miss that classic flavor and chewy texture, and I typically am not a fan of fancy bakery brownies because they feel like they’re trying to be something that they are not meant to be. Then add in my inability to eat gluten, dairy, or almonds, and it really only left me with mixes that were pure sugar and cornstarch or tahini brownies that were good but the taste of tahini was far overpowering for what I wanted a classic brownie to be.

Enter. These. Brownies.

It’s funny when I look back at some older recipes on this blog because I read my words about what was going on at the time that blog post was published, and then I am immediately flooded with memories from that era. Well, the time I am currently living in is the height of quarantining and social distancing for the sake of Covid-19. In the past 30-ish days or so, we have cooked every single meal (except 1) at home— which is truly a world record of sorts for any New Yorker. Right now is a time in which I’ve been playing Macgyver with the contents of our fridge + pantry most days, strategically using produce by the order in which they expire so that we don’t waste anything.

Not many things better than curling up with a bowl of classic chili and Netflixing, IMHO. I’ve never made chili so many times in my life as I have this past winter season, because not only is it just an amazingly easy thing to batch cook to have delicious leftovers around all week (and leftover chili is often even better!), but also there’s something just so comforting and cozy about these flavors! This easy and flexible recipe is a major household favorite over here.

Right around this time at the beginning of December, I start craving those warming spices of nutmeg and cinnamon, and get an itch to bake all the things— so this pumpkin spice muffin recipe is the perfect combination of everything! It’s also gluten-free, vegan-optional, and nut-free, so it’s an easy worry-free crowd-pleaser for the holidays.

Unsure there is anything more basic and wonderfully fall than grabbing a classic apple cider donut from a farmer’s market stand or if you’re lucky enough to have ventured out to an apple orchard, fresh from the farm itself. Ironically, I am allergic to apples, unless they are pasteurized and processed in some form— so while apple cider makes my mouth itchy on it’s own, my potato self seems to have no issues imbibing apple cider in the form of donuts…

This non-recipe recipe came from a particularly lazy night at home, when I didn’t feel cooking a whole shishkebab of a meal from scratch. Ironically, this meal is entirely from scratch but it doesn’t feel like it and is the easiest plant-based weeknight dinner that is definitely a crowd-pleaser. Takes 5 ingredients, 15 min to throw together, 20 min if you have my crappy knife skills! Gluten-free, vegan, and nut-free, yet high in protein for a simple pasta dish, thanks to the chickpea pasta!

I threw this risotto together the other night, freehand-style, because I just happened to have some arborio rice leftover from making my seafood paella, and canned pumpkin in the pantry— but a bunch of you guys asked for the recipe, so I went to work at refining it to nail down a super easy recipe! This pumpkin sage risotto is gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and vegan, so it’s a pretty easy crowdpleaser amongst finicky stomachs.

I’ve been craving all the fall harvest-y flavors and scents, so I knew I wanted to make something with the warming spice of cinnamon and sweet apples (I can only have pasteurized applesauce, as I’m allergic to fresh apples!). I had thrown some tahini in my pancakes before, and it helped add not only a deliciously nutty flavor, it helped the texture of the pancakes become even crisper at the edges yet pillowy soft on the inside— just the way I like them! These are naturally gluten-free (based in oat flour), dairy-free, vegan optional, and nut-free….

When I found out that I’d be going to the Pacific Northwest to go to see Cascadian Farm for myself in person with The Feedfeed + Cascadian Farm, I knew that it would be beautiful out there— I just wasn’t prepared for how incredibly scenic it all is and also how much I’d learn about farming practices. It’s so important to know how big of a difference companies can make if they make a commitment to it, and what we as informed consumers can also do to support our food and Earth.

It was also personally just fun to see where the berries for my Blueberry Lavender Tonic came from, as well at the mixed berries for this droolworthy, gluten-free + vegan Mixed Berry Oat Crisp recipe…

I have always loved flavored drinks ever since I was a kid-- there wasn't a strawberry lemonade or a fruity soda I didn't like. But as I grew up and began to love cooking and baking, I came to understand the incredible fresh flavors of REAL foods. The amazing flavor combinations you can create when playing with fresh produce and herbs really blows my mind-- and this is exactly why I am obsessed with the farmer's market, as you guys know through my farmer's market photos of cherishing all that gorgeous produce! I am so excited to share this delicious and healthy Blueberry Lavender tonic recipe that is perfect for a summery gathering.

Fun fact: I was Banza's OG blogger + recipe developer a few years back when they were still a small, new company (my butternut carbonara is the first recipe on their site and a ton more are on their blog!). It's been really exciting to watch them expand to be a household name now, and I love their fun social media initiatives they do to get people cooking creatively with their chickpea pasta. This month, they're all about #BanzaPlusPlants, and running a fun month-long challenge to cook plant-based dishes. I had been craving a vegan Thai curry dish, so this was the perfect opportunity to try combining some new flavors!

I haven't baked spontaneously in what essentially feels like eons, but all I wanted the other night was something chewy and chocolatey without being overly sweet. I was just rummaging for whatever I had offhand and these just came together so quickly.

Knocked these Choco Chaga Tahini Cookies right outta the park the first go around: filled with raw cacao, chaga mushroom powder, tahini, collagen, oat flour, and date syrup, this cookie is actually kind of packed with good for you, immunity boosting nutrients! And it is SO GOOD warm with a glass of oat milk. Now, let's talk about CHAGA for a hot sec.

So fat balls are all the rage lately. They are definitely an awesome way to pack in the nutrients with multiple sources of superfoods in a delicious bite-sized snack. So, I made these for my mom for that exact reason!

I wasn't sure which flavors she would like, so I came up with two varieties. Thankfully, she loved both! The Cinnamon Pecan Chia with Maca smelled like a cinnamon bun and tasted like snickerdoodle cookie dough, then the Sesame Tahini Walnut tasted like halva + cookie dough simultaneously! The method to make them is the same, but I've included both variations below.

Can I be honest for a second here? Since launching, I had really wanted to make Golden Crepes with Live 24k's Golden Fuel (a turmeric + collagen blend) because my Matcha Oat Crepes recipe is one of my most pinned recipes on Pinterest; but the day I was trying to make them, I was having a really off day in the kitchen and the crepes were turning into a crumbly mess of too thick or too thin and brittle golden failures.

So I got a little scared off of them. But when I teamed up with Simple Mills (an amazing food company that shares Live 24k's values of food without fillers) to bring you guys an easy but 💣.com healthy recipe, I was dying to try their most popular Pancake & Waffle baking mix to give these gluten-free, dairy-free Golden Fuel Crepes a go again...

Baking was my first love in the kitchen. Long before I started to learn how to cook, I was using a hand mixer and learning my way through over-beating cookie dough, making cakes, and generally getting covered in flour and butter.

Then Hashimoto's happened. And while I initially tried making my own gluten-free flour to continue baking, I just found it too labor intensive and I started viewing baking as too tedious to indulge in, time-wise. So that hand mixer of mine got relegated to collecting a bit of dust, especially given how crazy things have been lately.

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to kick off the season of giving with my feedfeed family with a community Thanksgiving meal with Vitamix in the gorgeous new feedfeed space in Brooklyn and the launch of the Vitamix Explorian Series. Each of us editors were tasked with whipping up a festive recipe, using Vitamix's Winter Spice Seasoning recipe that just screams the holidays with its dizzingly delicious festive scent and flavors full of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pink peppercorns, orange peel, and more. There's nothing I love more than utilizing my Vitamix to simplify traditionally laborious recipes, so I decided to make an easy and healthy blender holiday spice muffin that has some sweet and some spice!

I've been having SO much fun doing my "Feedfeed TV" Instagram Stories takeovers. If you guys haven't been following along yet, it's a little quick series where I show you guys one workout move and a easy, healthy recipe. This week I got to share one of my favorite lazy girl recipes: my Matcha Mini Muffins! They are made with oats and banana in a blender, so it is naturally gluten-free + dairy free, AND there are no added sugars. I also, of course, added my favorite collagen, to boost up the protein content and nutrition factor.