1. Pasta With Brown Butter Mushrooms
3. Vegan, Gluten-Free Protein Brownies
4. Vegan Corn and Cilantro Soup
6. Roasted Cauliflower Burrito Bowls
Pinch of Yum / Via pinchofyum.com
If you're looking for a healthier, cheaper alternative to Chipotle, this roasted cauliflower burrito bowl is the way to go. This bowl is actually vegan, but I don't miss the meat thanks to all of the flavors going on here.
The roasted cauliflower really stands out because you cook it with a generous amount of taco seasoning, and once it's roasted it gets nice and crispy on the outside. But my favorite part of this recipe is the fresh pico de gallo. It takes a while to chop up all the ingredients, so I always make twice as much as the recipe calls and save some for later.
These bowls are also very easy to customize, whether you're a vegetarian or you prefer meat. And it's also perfect for meal prepping. I usually get four bowls out of this recipe, so bringing some leftovers to work helps me cut down on my lunch expenses. — Ciera Velarde
Get the recipe here.
8. Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bars
Kiano Moju / Via kianomoju.com
I know what you're thinking: Just a few days into fall and you're already experiencing pumpkin spice overload. But my love for the cooler weather and cheesecake keep me coming back to this recipe every year.
Made with sour cream, cream cheese, and butter, these bars are luscious and rich. By making the cheesecake into bars, it's such an easy make-ahead treat. Festive but not fussy, they're a perfect dessert for feeding a crowd during autumn get-togethers. — Kiano Moju
Get the recipe here.
9. Honey Lavender Sesame Toast
I Will Not Eat Oysters / Via iwillnoteatoysters.com
I came across this recipe in a coworker's round-up of fancy toasts and was immediately sold. I'm a big fan of culinary lavender, and I happened to have tahini on hand from a recent attempt at homemade hummus.
I love this recipe because it's so ridiculously easy (it's not that different from a PB, banana, and honey sandwich), but the slightly elevated ingredients make me feel like I actually tried. Also, the sweet and savory combo is extremely my sh*t. It works for any time of day. I've made it for both breakfast and for dinner and have loved it every time. — Rachel Wilkerson Miller
Get the recipe.
10. Linguine with Clam Sauce
Hannah Loewentheil/BuzzFeed
Every summer on Martha's Vineyard, my family has a tradition where we go clamming and then at night, we cook a big feast with whatever we catch. One of our go-to recipes is this linguine in clam sauce from Giada de Laurentiis (and don't worry, using store-bought clams still tastes absolutely delicious).
While linguine in clam sauce might seem fancy and difficult to make at home, it's actually very easy and comes together in about 40 minutes. You just simmer the clams in a mixture of olive oil, garlic, shallots, butter, and white wine until the shells open up. Make sure to get rid of any clams that don't open, because that means they're no good to eat. Then, add cooked pasta to the clams and broth and mix it all up.
Not only does this recipe always remind me of summertime, but it's an easy meal to make for a crowd, and it's always so delicious. — Hannah Loewentheil
Get the recipe.
11. Spicy Chocolate Chip–Hazelnut Cookies
@jesseszewczyk via Instagram / Via instagram.com
The first time I looked through Nik Sharma's new cookbook, Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food, this recipe jumped out to me. As an avid cookie maker (AKA a chronic stress-baker who has a liking for quick, simple projects), I knew I had to try them.
The recipe itself is pretty wild. They're made with black pepper, crystalized ginger, hazelnut meal, and a whole bunch of other unusual ingredients. But the instructions are simple. Just mix everything together in a bowl — no creaming, whipping, or special mixing required — and let the dough chill for a while. As the cookies bake, they puff up and get that nice crackly top we all long for.
And most importantly, they taste great. I was nervous the cookies would be spicy or the ingredients overpowering, but they were absolutely delicious. Imagine a chewy chocolate chip cookie with little pops of ginger and a subtle heat that creeps in at the end. YUP, they're good.
Oh! Did I mention they're gluten-free? — Jesse Szewczyk
And here's the recipe:
Spicy Chocolate Chip–Hazelnut Cookies
Makes 12 cookies
INGREDIENTS
2 cups [165 g] hazelnut meal or flour
1 cup [200 g] packed jaggery or muscovado sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp hazelnut extract or vanilla extract
½ cup [75 g] chopped bittersweet chocolate [70% cacao]
¹/3 cup [55 g] chopped crystallized ginger
PREPARATION
In a large bowl, whisk together the hazelnut meal, jaggery, baking powder, baking soda, black pepper, and salt. Add the egg, melted butter, hazelnut extract, chocolate, and ginger and stir with a large wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Grease your hands with a little oil to prevent the dough from sticking. Divide the dough into twelve equal parts and shape them into balls. Flatten them into 2 in [5 cm] rounds. Place the rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Wrap the entire baking sheet tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 10 minutes, and preferably 2 hours.
To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C]. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and put half the rounds of dough on the second sheet. Spread out the rounds on both baking sheets and refrigerate one of them. Bake one batch of cookies at a time until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Reprinted from Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food, by Nik Sharma with permission by Chronicle Books, 2018.