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25 Healthy Comfort Food Recipes

We’ve enjoyed a few sunny days here in Kansas City, but I know frigid temps are around the corner again. So, I’m sharing some veggie-packed comfort food recipes to get us through the coldest month of the year.

I find that the most enjoyable way to eat well during short winter days is to focus on loading up on vegetables, rather than denying myself the cheesy, carb-heavy meals that I’m craving.…

Here it is! Some sweet mamas have been asking me how to turn my naturally-sweetened banana bread into a cake for their little ones’ birthdays. It took me several tries to get it just right, but today, I’m introducing you to the best banana cake on the internet. Bold statement? Let me back it up.

This banana cake is fluffy, moist, tender and infused with banana flavor. It’s absolutely delicious…

I’m late to the cauliflower rice party. I was skeptical. How could blitzed raw cauliflower, warmed in a skillet, taste anywhere near as satisfying as fluffy, steaming rice? It can’t. The inevitable truth is that cauliflower rice needs some help from other flavors to send me back for seconds.

This is cauliflower rice kicked up several notches by some of my favorite Mediterranean ingredients.…

CHOCOLATE CRISPY SUNFLOWER BUTTER HEARTS

I love when Curran brings crafts home from preschool. I do not hang them or keep them, but I love that someone else is doing crafts and artsy things with him so I don't have to. I don't like junk or tchotchkes and I suppose crafts feel like a waste of materials and money. No offense, personal opinion, and I appreciate that other people love them but one cannot be good at all of the things.…

Spaghetti Squash “Pizza” Bowls

It’s about time. I teased this recipe in my post on how to cook spaghetti squash (the best way), and I’ve been holding it hostage the past few days. Sorry about that!

I’ve always been skeptical about treating spaghetti squash like regular spaghetti. It does go well with marinara sauce, though, especially when it’s stuffed with garlicky sautéed spinach and topped with golden mozzarella.

I came…

Let’s talk about spaghetti squash for a minute. I’ve been working on a new spaghetti squash recipe (coming Friday), and I noticed that there are quite a few different ways that people suggest cooking spaghetti squash.

Here are the methods: Baked or microwaved whole, steamed in a pan of water in the oven, sliced into rings, halved lengthwise or crosswise, baked cut-side up or down.

All of those…

Happy Super Bowl Sunday to you, happy snack day to me, and happy birthday to Sonja of A Couple Cooks! Today, I’m popping in to share a delicious appetizer from Sonja and her husband Alex’s new cookbook, Pretty Simple Cooking.

The recipe features a simple, marinara-like sauce baked with goat cheese on top. Fresh basil and crusty whole grain bread take it to the next level. It’s easy to make and a…

I’m about ready to fast-forward to warm spring days and patio happy hours. Who’s with me? Fortunately, we have lots of fresh and cheerful seasonal recipes to carry us through winter.

I’ve tried to include recipes that are especially appropriate for the Super Bowl. Can’t say I’m a football fan, but I do love party snacks. If you are looking for more fresh Super Bowl recipes, here’s my healthy…

A little birdie named Google told me that the Super Bowl is coming up. I don’t know who’s playing, but I do know what I’m bringing to the party—this bright, colorful, super fresh, seafood-free ceviche.

Little wedges of juicy grapefruit and orange are remarkably similar to raw seafood in texture and color. Citrus combined with perfectly ripe diced avocado makes a cheerful party appetizer or dip.…

As promised! Here’s the first salad made with my new salad dressing obsession. It’s colorful, nutrient-rich and full of fresh flavor. The creamy yogurt-based honey-mustard dressing straddles the line between creamy and vinegar-based slaws, and quinoa mediates the crunch.

This slaw is refreshing and unique, and I can’t keep going back for more. It’s the perfect recipe for making with your…

Let’s rewind to my trip to Costa Rica last month with my grandmother. It was the last day on our group trip, and we arrived at Sibu for our final dinner together. Sibu produces the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted, and they greeted us with rum-spiked, spiced hot chocolate.

I was literally a kid in a candy store all night as they presented a lesson in chocolate history (with wine and chocolate)…

Finally! It’s about time this blog offered a traditional minestrone soup recipe. Minestrone is a hearty Italian vegetable soup made with tomato-y broth and pasta or rice. I’ve been working hard on this recipe and I’m so excited to share it with you.

Minestrone was traditionally made to use up leftover vegetables, so feel free to use whichever seasonal vegetables and greens you have on hand. I…

Of all the granola recipes on this blog, this orange-infused granola might be my new favorite. Granted, I’m on an orange kick right now (don’t miss this orzo salad and this green salad).

The combination of fresh orange zest, honey, cinnamon, toasted almonds, vanilla and golden raisins is undeniably divine. It reminds me of the flavors I encountered in my celebratory post-cookbooktrip to Morocco…

Here’s a fresh green salad to brighten up dreary winter days. I’ve been hanging onto this salad recipe until those irresistibly juicy, ripe oranges landed at the grocery store. Winter is citrus season, so the time is now!

I developed this salad for a fun event in New York City a few months ago, with my friends at Osmia Organics. Sarah asked me to develop a recipe around rose geranium essential…

Despite my best efforts, the recipe I intended to share earlier this week failed on me. I nixed that one for good. If it doesn’t work for me, it probably won’t work for you and I can’t have that! I have more deliciousness lined up for next week that I’m excited to share with you.

It’s frigid outside here in Kansas City (15 degrees currently), so I thought I’d share my favorite soup recipes…

NUT’NOLA

Months ago, I may have mentioned that Hugh was doing the ketogenic diet? Surely you've heard of it. Most of the cookbooks at my local Costco are keto books so you know it's mainstream. He humored me and went off it for the holidays and is back to it these days. I refuse to make a third version of whatever I'm cooking, but I will compromise. How saintly of me, right? I have my current granola…

First of all, I’m so excited that you’re so excited about the new Cookie + Kate app! I had no idea that you wanted an app so badly (why didn’t you tell me?!), but I’m happy that I have one for you now. Please tell your friends and family about the app, and I’ll add more recipes to it soon!

To celebrate, I’m sharing this fresh, bright and irresistible orzo salad recipe. It’s bursting with…