10 Easy Quinoa Recipes

Check out our favorite delicious and easy quinoa recipes, from enchiladas to quinoa salad recipes to vegan chili. You’re sure to find a favorite!

In just a few years, quinoa has become a majorly popular food. When Alex and I first started A Couple Cooks eight years ago, quinoa was relatively new. This supergrain is now a staple in our weekly meals, and it’s super delicious too. Over the years we’ve created all sorts of quinoa recipes. So we thought we’d share our top 10 easy quinoa recipes with you! All these quinoa recipes have become family favorites in our house, and we hope they will in yours too!

Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is one of the world’s most perfect foods (according to some) due to its high nutritional content. It’s actually a seed, not a grain, which makes it naturally gluten free. Compared to other vegetables, quinoa is high in protein, calcium, Vitamin B, and iron. Fun fact: apparently the Incas thought it was sacred, because eating it regularly appeared to provide a long, healthy life. Because of all these benefits, we love making quinoa recipes!

How to cook quinoa

There are a few ways to cook quinoa. Over the years, Alex and I have messed up quinoa numerous times: cooking it too fast so it’s hard and crunchy, or overcooking it so it’s mushy. I will say, how to cook quinoa is not a simple matter! We have two methods we like to use to cook quinoa:

1. Perfect Quinoa on the Stovetop This is our master recipe for cooking quinoa on the stovetop. It takes about 25 to 30 minutes, and it requires a little baby sitting to make sure the liquid is cooking out evenly, but it’s mostly hands off.
2. Instant Pot Quinoa (Pressure Cooker) Instant PotIf you have a pressure cooker, you can use it to make quinoa! It takes about 16 minutes and is almost totally hands off! This is the method we’ve started to use more often, since we have an Instant Pot.

And now…our top 10 easy quinoa recipes!

Veggie Packed Quinoa Fried Rice

First up in our list of easy quinoa recipes, this quinoa fried rice! This unique take on fried rice is made with quinoa instead of rice, and packed with baby greens: spinach, chard and kale. Alex and I make quinoa fried rice without a recipe all the time as an easy weeknight meal. Once you make this recipe a few times, you can get the hang of it and customize to use up the veggies in your fridge. This is one of our top favorite quinoa recipes: and especially for using up leftovers, since it’s made with cold quinoa!

Tropical Mango Quinoa Bowls

Next in our list is one of our favorite vegan quinoa recipes: these tropical mango bowls! They take just 30 minutes to make and are full of zesty flavor. The quinoa bowls include fresh mango, red pepper, red cabbage, avocado, fresh greens, cilantro and cashews. It’s topped off with a vegan cashew citrus drizzle, a combination of cashews, orange and lime juice, and fresh ginger. It’s so, so good and tastes like it took hours to put together! It’s a quinoa salad recipe that doubles as a main dish.

Feta and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

This quinoa stuffed peppers recipe is a colorful and delicious healthy dinner, full of Mediterranean flavors like lemon, parsley and feta. Roasting peppers is quite easy: it takes just 30 minutes and you can do it while preparing the remainder of the recipe. To make the quinoa filling, saute shallot and garlic, then add the quinoa, chopped pistachios, parsley, paprika, oregano and lemon. Then stuff the filling into the peppers and sprinkle everything with a healthy dose of feta cheese.

Tip: To make this a vegan quinoa recipe, omit the feta.

Quinoa Black Bean Vegan Chili

Another one of our vegan quinoa recipes, this quinoa black bean vegan chili is a fan favorite! This savory, hearty quinoa vegan chili is packed with protein. It’s simple and flavorful, light on the chili powder so the other flavors can shine. The secret ingredients are a bit of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chili peppers in adobo (available at most groceries in the ethnic foods aisle), and a bit of white wine vinegar stirred in at the end for some brightness. It’s gotten rave reviews for years!

Artichoke & Quinoa Vegetarian Enchiladas

These delicious vegetarian enchiladas are stuffed with artichokes and quinoa! They’re a filling vegetarian recipe that’s perfect for feeding a crowd. When Alex first tried this quinoa recipe, he said the meatiness of the filling reminded him of chicken — which is big praise for a recipe that has no meat. Oh and they also look gorgeous! Topped with thinly sliced red onion rings, the lovely purple circles contrast against the bright Monterrey jack cheese, fresh cilantro, and crumbled queso fresco.

Tip: To make this an easy quinoa recipe, use storebought salsa verde instead of making your own.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Bowl

Another favorite quinoa recipe, our Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Bowl features greens, feta cheese, kalamata olives and a quinoa tomato sofrito blend. It’s a copycat of a delicious Panera quinoa salad we made for a reader request! Sofrito is a sauce used as a base in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Latin American cooking. Typically in Spanish cuisine, it’s garlic, onion, paprika, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil. The sofrito is mixed with cooked quinoa to become the quinoa tomato sofrito blend, which adds an almost meaty texture. It’s another quinoa salad recipe that doubles as main dish.

Tip: To make this a vegan quinoa recipe, omit the feta cheese.

Vegetarian Bibimbap Bowl with Quinoa

This easy quinoa recipe uses quinoa instead of rice in the traditional bibimbap dish! Bibimbap is a Korean rice bowl full of pickled vegetables, savory sauce, and a runny egg, all stirred together into delicious savory goodness. This quinoa bowl is an interpretation of the original flavors, using green beans, quick pickled carrots and radishes, and topping it all off with a sauce made with gochujang, Korean chili paste! It’s so, so flavorful.

Veggie Quinoa Burgers

This easy quinoa recipe takes a bit of time to put together, but it’s totally worth it! These flavorful quinoa burgers are easy to make and keep well in the fridge for several days. You can eat them with a bun, or place them on a bed of greens for a gluten free option. Top with hummus and avocado and dig in!

Stress Relieving Avocado Quinoa Salad Bowl

Another in our list of vegan quinoa recipes, this avocado quinoa salad is a delicious and hearty bowl full of stress relieving foods! It’s drizzled with a zesty cocoa vinaigrette. Each one of the foods in this avocado quinoa salad helps to replenish nutrients in times of stress! This nutritious bowl includes avocado, raw cacao, almonds, citrus, cauliflower, and greens. And not only is it nutritious: it’s delicious too!

Go Green Bowls with Lemon Yogurt Sauce

Our final in the list of easy quinoa recipes, these Go Green bowls are surprisingly filling and satisfying! The bowl is filled with quinoa, brocolli, kale, and fresh greens. If you can find it, brocolini is a fun addition with its elegant, long stems. And just about anything tastes good when smothered in this lemon yogurt sauce! We wanted to create a savory, creamy delicious yogurt sauce that would work on just about anything: roasted vegetables, salads, and grain bowls. Alex had the idea of broiling lemon peel and garlic before blending them into the yogurt sauce. It makes the flavor pop in a way that’s indescribable!

Tip: To make this a vegan quinoa recipe, use our Best Lemon Tahini Sauce.

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Instant Pot Quinoa (Pressure Cooker)

One-Pot Gnocchi with Vodka Sauce

Rich, velvety smooth vodka sauce enrobes tender mini gnocchi like a warm woolen blanket. And it’ll warm your insides too, especially when you find out it’s all made in a single saucepan!

You know those recipes that require a separate bowl for mixing this and another pot for boiling that? This isn’t one of those recipes. The mini gnocchi is cooked right in the saucepan with the sauce, which makes for an ultra fast and easy weeknight dinner, and cleanup is even easier.

This recipe was created in partnership with Delallo®, our go-to brand for authentic Italian flavor, including pastas, sauces, and specialty imports.

We’ve all heard of vodka sauce, but do you know know why it’s really called that? I mean, we can assume there is vodka in it, but doesn’t that seem like a strange addition? Vodka sauce really does have vodka in it (it’d be stranger if it didn’t) although the alcohol, about 2 tablespoons worth, is pretty much all cooked off by the time you actually serve it.

So why add it to begin with? With other liquors that get cooked off like bourbon or brandy, they at least leave some flavor behind. But vodka is pretty flavorless to begin with. So what’s the point?

It turns out the vodka helps to emulsify the sauce, creating an ultra rich and velvety smooth texture. Actually, it’s pretty hard to describe the truly luxurious texture of vodka sauce, but I’d say it falls somewhere in between a silky tomato soup and a flavorful marinara, thanks in part to the lovely smooth texture of the tomato passata (DeLallo’s newest and, dare we say, best ever jarred tomato puree).

Finished with a splash of cream, this sauce is so good you’ll want to sop up every last bit of it with a piece of bread (or just lick it, no judgement here).

While this quick and easy vodka sauce recipe could be smothered over just about any pasta shape you can imagine, it works particularly well in this case with DeLallo’s mini potato gnocchi.

I’m a strong proponent of mini-sized foods (not so you eat less necessarily, lol) but full size gnocchi can be quite a gummy mouthful, especially if you’re using subpar gnocchi. DeLallo’s packaged potato gnocchi is the best I’ve encountered, and I particularly like the mini ones for their petite size and quick cooking time.

Which makes it extra suitable for this recipe, where the gnocchi is literally cooked in the same pan with the sauce.

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Homemade Dolsot Bibimbap

Pecan Butter Millionaire Bars

Cook, Bake, Eat & Entertain: The Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide

It’s gift guide time! This year I got my act together a bit earlier than usual, so hopefully you can take advantage of all the black friday/cyber monday sales coming up soon.

I scoured the internet for the best gifts for the foodie in your life, and have divided this massive gift guide up into sections for anyone who loves to cook, loves to bake, loves to eat, loves to drink, or loves to entertain (I mean, it’s basically five gift guides in one.) Did I go overboard? Probably. But I hope someone out there finds it useful. ;)

Everything in this gift guide is something I either own and love, or would love to own (I even pulled some of these gems right from my own wishlist).

Happy holidays indeed.

(Note that this post is not sponsored in any way and no brands have paid to be included here, however we have worked with some of the brands here as part of past/present brand partnerships. There are also affiliate links in this post, FYI. And if you’re reading this post in RSS or email you might want to click through for easy clickable links to every item on this list!)

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White Bean Shakshuka with Feta

Favorite Recipes for Processed Foods Made Healthier

How to be healthier? Eat healthy versions of your favorite recipes! Here are examples of processed foods with a healthy makeover.

How to be healthier? One way is to eat a lot of “healthy” food like salads and smoothies–which is a great way to start! But what if you could eat healthier versions of your favorite recipes? Here are our top 8 examples of processed foods with a healthy, real food makeover. From a fancy homemade version of a hot pocket to crispy baked fries to vegan nacho cheese, there’s something for everyone.

Rule #39 in Michael Pollan’s book Food Rules says that you can eat all the junk food you want, as long as you make it yourself. He figures that with the effort required to make it, you’ll indulge only occasionally. This is just how Alex and I feel about our old nostalgic processed foods. After working to minimize the processed foods in our diet, we’ve begun to make many of the foods we used to buy. Ready for our favorite recipes?

Favorite recipes | examples of processed foods made healthy | How to be healthier

Homemade Baked Tater Tots

Love tater tots but not processed foods? Try these homemade tater tots, made simply with potatoes and olive oil and baked until crispy. It’s a bit of a process: you peel and parboil the potatoes until they are slightly tender but not mushy. Then you grate them, mix them with a bit of flour and spices, and form them into nuggets. After brushing the tater tots with olive oil, they’re roasted in a very hot oven, turning occasionally until they’re crispy. Baking them in this manner results in tater tots that are a bit flatter than the traditional fried cylinder, but the flavor is just as good. And honestly, they’re not too terrible for you either, since they’re made simply with potatoes and olive oil!

Tip: Try our homemade baked tater tots as Loaded Tater Tot Nachos — Totchos (shown above).

Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip

Another in our favorite recipes for examples of processed foods made healthier: this Greek yogurt dip is a ranch dip! Made with a few real food ingredients, this healthy snack comes together in just 5 minutes. Alex and I grew up eating that ranch dip that was made of a packet of ranch seasonings (and lots of other preservatives, no doubt) mixed into sour cream. What if ranch dip could be made with real food ingredients and spices from the pantry? This ranch Greek yogurt dip recipe is made with Greek yogurt and spices you’ll likely have in your spice cabinet: no random preservatives here! We love to serve it as a game day snack or kid food to eat with veggies and pretzels. The flavor is fresh and delicious, like a heightened version of the traditional processed stuff!

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Want to make sweet potato fries in the oven–without using that bag of frozen processed fries? These crispy sweet potato fries require very little oil to brown in the oven. Our secret? We use a little cornstarch to get a perfectly crunchy fry. You’ll also need to bake these sweet potato fries at a high temperature and keep them from touching each other as much as possible while cooking. If you like dipping your fries in something, might we recommend this homemade honey mustard? The combination of sweet potatoes and tangy honey mustard is hard to beat!

Easy Veggie Calzone (Homemade Hot Pocket)

Did you know that before Alex and I learned to cook, I subsisted on Hot Pockets? Yes, back in my college days it was microwaved hot pockets for dinner, most nights! Luckily, there’s a real food version of this that’s way tastier: a calzone! This easy calzone recipe is another in our favorite recipes for examples of processed foods made healthier! It features a homemade pizza dough and a spinach, mushroom, and two-cheese filling. Calzones originated in Naples, Italy (where all the best food comes from) and are essentially a giant pizza pocket. This recipe is made with our Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce, and there’s extra leftover for dipping! You can make your own pizza dough, or substitute purchased dough for a time shortcut.

Crispy Restaurant Style Fries

These crispy baked fries are oven baked and taste just like restaurant french fries! These french fries take a bit of time to chop and roast, but the hot oven takes a russet potato and makes crispy baked fries that rival any restaurant fryer. One of our “secrets” to these crispy baked fries is using powdered mustard as a seasoning with salt and pepper. It brings a savory quality to the french fries that’s just right. Eat with ketchup, or our garlic rosemary aioli sauce!

Vegan Nacho Cheese

You know that plastic looking jar of yellow goo labeled nacho cheese in the grocery? Want to make a healthier version of nacho cheese sauce at home? Our vegan nacho cheese (or vegan queso) is another in our favorite recipes for examples of processed foods made healthier. It’s a cashew cheese sauce recipe that’s ultra simple and delicious. Here, we’ve combined soaked cashews with traditional Mexican flavors. The special ingredient is a can of green chiles, which you should be able to find in most international grocery aisles.  The other ingredients you likely have in your pantry and refrigerator: chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and yellow mustard. Blend together, and you’ll have a delicious nacho cheese sauce that’s like none other.

Creamy Mac and Cheese with Greek Yogurt

This creamy mac and cheese with Greek yogurt is a healthy take on comfort food! With spinach and Parmesan cheese, it’s pure delicious in under 30 minutes. We’ve taken this kid-friendly comfort food and infused it with some immunity-boosting foods. Greek yogurt is stirred in at the end, to give a creamy texture and provide a shot of live and active cultures and protein. Fresh spinach is gently wilted in for all the added nutrients, and turmeric gives a tiny immunity boost and some extra color. The flavor is nuanced with a bit of Parmesan cheese and fresh garlic, which makes the creamy mac and cheese taste a bit more grown up–but still tasty enough for kids!

Better Than Bottled Salad Dressing

And rounding out our list of favorite recipes for examples of processed foods made healthier: homemade salad dressing! Homemade salad dressing is simple to make and comes together in minutes. It tastes delicious and helps to avoid preservatives in store-bought dressings. Making homemade salad dressing is one of the first things Alex and I learned as new cooks. Nothing but a little olive oil and vinegar, and we could have dressing for days. Plus, we could avoid random preservatives and additives and get rid of the age-old crusty bottles of ranch in our refrigerator. Sold! Here’s our best simple vinaigrette recipe.

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Pecan Praline Mini Cheesecakes

Pecan-lovers: you’ll love these ultra-creamy mini cheesecakes swirled with caramelized pecan praline and topped with a white chocolate praline glaze. There’s more pecans in the sweet and salty cookie crust too!

There’s no denying that mini-sized is more delightful, not to mention better for holiday entertaining, which is why these muffin-sized pecan praline cheesecakes are so perfect: everyone gets their own personal cheesecake, no big knives or serving plates or even forks required.

I initially set out to make a mashup between a pecan pie and a cheesecake.

Which sounds amazing in theory, but, as it turns out, those two things aren’t necessarily compatible (and trust me, I tried, I really did).

But as I was trying to find a solution, bumbling around the Internet, I came across something called paté praline, or praline paste.

And YOU GUYS.

It is a revelation.

Once I discovered the magic of praline paste I knew that was going to make for a much better final product than problematic pecan pie filling.

So here we are… in a pecan lover’s dream.

There’s ground up pecans in the crust.

I’ve swirled some of the praline paste directly into the cheesecake batter.

(I considered stopping here, because the swirled cheesecakes are quite pretty all on their own. But, when it comes to this praline paste especially, if a little is good, more is better.)

So I topped it with a white chocolate pecan gianduja (melted white chocolate mixed with my homemade praline paste). The white chocolate softens the intensity of the praline and also allows it to set up into a perfectly toothsome topping not unlike a ganache. (Also, I think it would be fabulous with milk chocolate too).

Oh, and the cherry on top is a single candied pecan. If only so unsuspecting tasters know right off the bat what’s inside.

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Easy Vegetarian Gravy Recipe

Norwegian Vegetarian Meatballs

Specialty Food Association's 2019 Food Trends

Specialty Food Association’s Trendspotter panel has named its 2019 Food Trends, including plant-based foods, cannabis, and responsible packaging. The panel, which is made up of 10 specialty food professionals from across the industry, seeks to identify unique trends each year that will shape how food is created and consumed.

“The specialty food industry is growing rapidly, and much of this can be attributed to innovations happening in areas like sustainability, the plant-based movement, and desire for deeper regional flavors,” said Denise Purcell, head of content for the Specialty Food Association.

This year, the panel identified eight trends that are sure to make an appearance throughout the year.

Plant-Based Food

It’s not just for vegans and vegetarians anymore. Plant-based products are becoming increasingly popular as consumers seek healthier and more sustainable alternatives. New plant-based options will continue to have a retail presence and are expected to rise across the foodservice sector as well.

Regional Palate Shift

Millennials and Gen Z are driving a shift in interest to regional foods from Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. African foods like fonio, ras el hanout, and biltong are popping up on the radar, as well as South Asian and South American regional cuisines. In addition, savory-sweet snacks, in the style of street fare, will become more popular across retail and foodservice.

Cannabis Products Across Categories

Even though there are some legal challenges associated with it, CBD is becoming a large player in the retail and foodservice industry. Our experts say to look out for more infused cooking oils, teas, chocolates, baked goods, snacks, and even beer or pasta to hit the market this year. New cannabis products hit the shelves rapidly; many with high-end packaging and clever marketing.

Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Packaging

Consumers are more socially conscious than ever, and they expect company values to reflect it. In 2019, producers will begin displaying more on-package certifications and accreditations, and the packaging itself may be upcycled from plant-based materials such as tomato peels, kelp, and mushrooms.

Cassava

Also known as yuca, cassava is a starchy, tuberous root native to South America. It is both grain- and gluten-free, and while the root is high in carbohydrates, the leaves are rich in protein and lysine. The leaves, especially, are taking center stage, as products like cassava leaf chips or cassava leaf jerky are debuting on retail shelves. Foodservice will also take note of the cassava’s value and start using cassava flour in baked goods or tortillas.

Fermented Functional Beverages

Ready to drink (RTD) functional beverages are expected to continue climbing in retail sales through 2019. Kombucha may be the most notable, but it is certainly not the only fermented beverage on the market. Products like mushroom brews, drinking vinegars, and kvas (a traditional Slavic and Baltic fermented grain beverage) are also gaining notoriety for their myriad health benefits.

Edible Beauty

Named as one of 2018’s emerging trends, collagen-infused foods and beverages are still a huge hit with consumers looking to combat aging. However, topical beauty trends such as argan and almond oils are coming to the forefront, helping consumers hydrate their skin, restore elasticity, and reduce the visibility of wrinkles.

Ice Cream Renaissance

As consumers begin to seek more dairy-free alternatives, the ice cream market is reinventing itself with options such as coconut, almond, or soy-milk ice cream to keep them happy. In addition, consumers can be healthy with products like Halo Top’s high-protein, low-calorie ice cream, or ice creams with vegetables blended in. New and unique flavors, such as black sesame or jasmine, are also being introduced to the market.

As these trends emerge throughout the year, they will give way for new innovations or products that can potentially change the way we think about food.

“The Trendspotters are seeing major shifts in how consumers are eating. These shifts are providing us with amazing options, along with the opportunity to change how we eat and how food is created. Old favorites like ice cream are being reinvented, while at the same time, we’re seeing foods and flavors from around the world increasingly adapted into our everyday meals. It’s an exciting time for specialty food, and we expect to see even more growth and innovation throughout 2019, notes Purcell.

Members of the Specialty Food Association’s Trendspotter Panel include:

• Polly Adema, PhD, director & associate professor, Master of Arts in Food Studies, University of the Pacific San Francisco Campus, San Francisco, CA
• Melanie Zanoza Bartelme, global food analyst, Mintel, Chicago, IL
• Ken Blanchette, QA director fresh depts., Center of Excellence, FreshDirect, Bronx, NY
• Jonathan Deutsch, PhD, professor, culinary arts and food science, founder and director of The Drexel Food Lab, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
• Kara Nielsen, vice president, Trends & Marketing, CCD Helmsman, Emeryville, CA
• Melina Romero, manager, Trend Practice, CCD Helmsman, Emeryville, CA
• Stan Sagner, writer and producer, NY, NY
• Tu David Phu, chef, Oakland, CA
• Kriti Sehgal, CEO, Pure Fare, Philadelphia, PA
• Izabela Wojcik, director of house programming, James Beard Foundation, NY, NY

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Gourmet Food Gifts: Our Custom Italian Gift Basket!

This Italian gift basket called Mediterranean Sunset is based on a meal we ate in Italy! Gourmet food gifts are the perfect gifts for foodies.

This custom Italian gift basket was created in partnership with DeLallo. All opinions are our own.

Guess what? We’ve got an exciting brand new gourmet food gift: a custom A Couple Cooks Italian gift basket! And it’s based on a real meal that Alex and I ate in Italy this summer. Our favorite Italian foods brand, DeLallo, asked us if we’d like to curate an Italian gift basket for you. We’ve traveled to Italy several times and many of our recipes are Italian style recipes. So, we could not be more excited to curate this gift basket based on our latest trip to Italy! Keep reading for the story behind the basket and how to get one: it’s the perfect gift for foodies!

The story behind this Italian gift basket

This is an Italian gift basket with a story. On the Italian coast this summer, Alex and I enjoyed a simple homemade dinner with family, while watching the sun set over the Mediterranean on the terrace of our rented villa (sounds impossibly quaint, and it was!). And the menu was so simple: pasta with great pesto, a few antipasti, fresh veggies and delicious cheeses–and of course: great company.

Years before, Alex and I had honeymooned in Rome and on the Amalfi Coast, before we knew anything about food. But those charred artisan pizzas, that creamy Cacio e Pepe pasta that we slurped in the shade of the Pantheon: it inspired us. We were young and didn’t have much money, but that didn’t matter. Italian everyday food was totally accessible and so good. Italy showed us the power of delicious, well prepared, thoughtful food. In many ways, that trip was the foundation of who we became as A Couple Cooks.

Here it is: Our Italian gift basket!

So! Fast forward 11 years and we were in Italy again but this time, with our family. Alex had dreamed for years of bringing his mom to Italy, and now here we were! With our toddler Larson, his brother and his wife, and our niece and nephew, we spent a few days in a salmon pink villa hugging the rocky shore of the Mediterranean (in Tellaro Italy — here’s everything about our trip!). The meals we ate in restaurants were incredible, but one of our favorite memories is a meal we cooked with ingredients from the market and enjoyed on our terrace.

What struck us was how delightfully simple eating in Italy can be! Here are some photos of that meal: pesto pasta with the most incredible Italian basil pesto, some fresh veggies and cheese, some cured meats, and some grapes. We set the table of the terrace during golden hour and sat around drinking wine as the sun sank low in the sky. You know those moments when you feel a little twinge of, “I think I’ll remember this forever?” This was one of them.

Here we are! That very meal in Tellaro!

Here’s our meal on the terrace in Italy! Somehow foods from the market came together into this, even with 3 kids as part of the process!

What’s in this gourmet food gift basket?

This gourmet food gift basket recreates that Italian meal at home! All the products are from DeLallo. Of any companies in America, DeLallo truly has the best Italian food Alex and I have had in our country. Their basil pesto? Truly amazing, reminiscent of that flavorful pesto we had in Liguria. Their pasta? The best of its kind. Their whole wheat pasta tastes delightfully chewy, compared to some of the cardboard tasting whole wheat pastas we’ve had. Their grilled artichokes? Charred and delightful. Honestly, Alex and I do not say things like this lightly. After being in Italy, it spoils you (in the best kind of way!). These products are that good.

For this Mediterranean Sunset Italian gift basket, Alex and I picked out items that will help you recreate our Italian meal! Add a simple green salad, sliced vegetables, and crusty bread–and it’s a meal! Here’s what’s in the basket:

• Biodynamic Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta
• Traditional Basil Pesto
• Olive and Artichoke Bruschetta
• Grilled Artichoke Halves
• Pitted Castelvetrano Olives
• Parmesan Cheese Wedge (eat it sliced!)
• Sliced Prosciutto
• Sliced Genoa Salami
• Natural Pistachios

Order the Italian gift box!

Click here to order the gift box! We hope you enjoy this basket as much as we do: it’s perfect for holiday gifts for foodies or enjoying with family.

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Massaged Kale Salad with Pomegranate & Apple

How to Buy Sustainable Fish & Seafood

Wondering how to buy sustainable fish or sustainable seafood but not sure where to start? Here’s a quick guide to get educated fast.

Is eating sustainable fish and seafood something you’re interested in? The hard part is that once you get to the grocery store, there are so many options and labels that it’s completely overwhelming. Is farmed fish sustainable fish, or should it all be wild caught? What about fresh fish versus frozen: what’s better? Are there types of fish I should avoid?

Alex and I have been eating most vegetarian for the past 10 years (and most of the recipes in this space are vegetarian), but we do occasionally eat sustainable fish or meat. The thing is, we realized there were still some intricacies about buying sustainable fish and seafood that we didn’t understand. Since Alex and I wanted to learn more, we figured you might want to hear it too! So, we’ve called in an expert to set us straight: and luckily, we happen to have a friend who’s an expert on the subject. He’s JD Schuyler, director of the documentary Last Man Fishing (Spring 2019) and face behind Skyler Creative, who’s spent the last 3 years of his life researching this topic. We caught up with JD to ask him about all things sustainable fish and seafood, and his answers are simple, straightforward and insightful.

What are things to look for when buying sustainable fish / sustainable seafood?

Buying sustainable fish and seafood can feel overhwhelming, but there are a few main things to look for to get started:

1. US-caught: For example, buy Gulf shrimp rather than Indonesian shrimp. Overall, the US manages its fisheries better than most countries and US-caught fish are the best bet. 90% of the seafood we eat in the US is imported. Imported seafood runs the risk of being overfished, caught under unfair labor practices, or farmed in environmentally harmful ways. Imported seafood also hurts American fishermen and seafood producers. (This point is geared towards American consumers.)
2. Sustainable gear types: How your fish is caught matters. Look for hook and line as one example of a sustainable gear type. Bottom trawling is considered the most destructive and least sustainable method.
3. Fresh vs. frozen: One big misconception about fish is that “fresh is best.” As soon as an animal dies it begins to decompose. Freezing suspends this process. If a fish is frozen on board the boat on which it was caught and stays frozen until it gets to your kitchen, it will be a much higher quality than a raw fish that has taken a week (degrading every moment after being caught) to get to your plate.

Salmon en Papillote with Roasted Potatoes

Where would you recommend is the best place to buy seafood?

Most seafood counters at grocery stores exemplify the broken seafood system which has too many middlemen and lacks transparency. Always ask where and how your seafood was caught. Community Supported Fisheries are the seafood version of a CSA. CSF’s around the country provide a direct way to purchase quality sustainable fish that reflect transparency and a fair wage to American fishermen. LocalCatch.org has a map that helps you find a CSF near you.

Is farmed fish bad or good?

The farmed fish conversation is complicated because each species and origin represents different questions. If you want only one piece of advice: always always buy wild salmon. Farmed salmon is usually marketed as sustainable fish; however, the fish are fed other wild forage fish, which are not sustainable seafood. The farmed salmon model needs to account for their food supply and their environmental impacts. Salmon kept in pins in the ocean can introduce disease and parasites to wild salmon stocks. Farmed fish can be done well, but it needs more transparency before anyone can get excited about it.

Baked Salmon with Chimichurri Sauce

Are there types of seafood I should never buy?

Yes! Refer to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch List as a reference. This list is not faultless and I’ve heard plenty of complaints from fishermen about the list. But on the whole, I think they attempt to inform the consumer in an honest, effective way.

What other things should I know about how to be a responsible consumer of sustainable fish & seafood?

Being a responsible consumer can be overwhelming and expensive, but knowing how your seafood was caught and how it got to your plate is important. You can be confident that the extra money spent on sustainable fish and seafood will help support values of transparency, sustainability, and fairness. Another great resource is Ecotrust’s Four Simple Steps for Better Seafood Choices.

Thanks again to JD for helping us to understand sustainable fish and seafood! Follow along with his journey at Last Man Fishing and Skyler Creative.

Roasted Tomato Shrimp Over Creamy Polenta

Looking for sustainable fish and seafood recipes?

Want to try out your newly knowledge about sustainable fish and seafood at the grocery store? Here are some recipes to start with:

• Baked Salmon with Chimichurri Sauce
• Salmon en Papillote with Roasted Potatoes
• Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta
• Roasted Tomato Shrimp Over Creamy Polenta
• Simple Shrimp and Artichoke Paella
• Open Fire Seafood Paella
• Grilled Shrimp and Vegetable Skewers

 

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

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Cheddar Chive Biscuits

Tender, flaky buttermilk biscuits infused with sharp cheddar cheese and fresh snipped chives, baked until golden brown and then brushed with melted butter. They’d be a perfect flavorful side dish for your holiday table!

I love me a good biscuit: one that’s light and fluffy with towering tall layers and a tender, buttery finish. These biscuits are all that and more.

I’ve always been somewhat of a biscuit purist, preferring classic buttermilk biscuits to just about anything else.

But when we were tasked with creating a cheese biscuit recipe, it quickly became obvious that cheese is one of the few additions that really make a basic biscuit better.

Let’s just say the cheese has won me over.

These biscuits are buttery and flaky, ultra light and perfectly cheesy. The fresh chives add a nice pop of flavor to contrast the sharp cheddar cheese.

Sure, they’re perfect for breakfast alongside cheesy scrambled eggs or savory breakfast sausage, but these biscuits blur the lines between meals. But I think they’d be great with a broccoli cheddar soup for lunch, or alongside a hearty beef stew for dinner. Or, you know, thanksgiving turkey and gravy and all the fixings (Thanksgiving should ALWAYS have biscuits, if you ask me).

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15 Easy Healthy Vegetable Recipes for Fall

These easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall are cozy and comforting, everything savory pot pies to cozy vegetable bakes.

Fall brings cravings for cozy, and there’s no better time of year to hunker down and cook. Alex, Larson and I love to spend gray fall afternoons in the kitchen. Here are our top 15 easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. We’ve curated our favorites into this list, but of course we have hundreds more fall recipes. All of these recipes are vegetarian and a good portion of them are vegan and gluten free too! The vegetable recipes below are main dishes and side dishes. And if you’ve got a sweet tooth, here’s our list of Fall and Winter Dessert Recipes.

Related: Gifts for Vegetarians | 10 Filling Plant Based Dinner Recipes

Vegan Pot Pie with Sage Crust

This vegan pot pie is one of our most beloved recipes! Earthy potatoes and peppers are slathered in a creamy sauce, along with fried shallots and white beans. And on top, a flaky sage vegan pie crust that you’d never believe has no butter (our secret: coconut oil). It’s truly a masterpiece. (Vegetarian, Vegan)

Tomato Coconut Cauliflower Curry

This tomato coconut cauliflower curry is delicious, nutrient packed, and ready in just over 30 minutes! It’s a crowd pleasing plant-based dinner recipe. It’s easy to put together and full of healthy veggies like sweet potato, spinach, chickpeas, cauliflower and tomatoes.  And this one’s another fan favorite in our easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Red Lentil Soup

This creamy, dreamy red lentil soup is an easy vegetarian dinner recipe that’s ready in under an hour. Cumin, paprika and cayenne bring a flavorful flair. It’s brightened up with lemon and served with fresh herbs and almonds. Serve with a side salad or fresh bread for a full meal! (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice

This vegetarian red beans and rice recipe is budget-friendly meal with ingredients that are easy to find in most grocery stores. This take on Red Beans and Rice can be made on a budget, for about $4 per person. But even better, it’s very delicious and nutrient-dense: full of veggies, legumes, and Cajun spices that pack a large amount of flavor into some humble ingredients. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate

This pomegranate shaved Brussels sprout salad will leave you glowing from the inside out. It’s a study in texture contrasts: the feathery shaved Brussels, the pop of the Pomegranate seeds, and the bright crunch of the apple. It’s vibrant and colorful, covered in a lightly sweet vinaigrette. And the flavor: it’s like eating a bowl of confetti, but the healthy kind! Truly a showstopper in this list of easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Instant Pot Acorn Squash with Pecan Stuffing

This Instant Pot acorn squash is quick to make using an Instant Pot (pressure cooker)! This vegetarian stuffed acorn squash features a rice stuffing with toasted pecans. This rice and pecan stuffing truly makes your kitchen smell like Thanksgiving while you make it! The onion, celery, garlic, and herbs combine to make something that smells just about like heaven. Add to that the crunch and rich flavor of buttery pecans, and you’ll find yourself just eating the stuffing alone. Here’s the Instant Pot we use. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

This sweet potato dinner recipe is easy and delicious: stuffed sweet potatoes with black lentils, fresh herbs and tangy goat cheese. The goat cheese is not only crumbled over the top with black lentils, fresh thyme, and crunchy celery leaves, but it’s mixed into the inside of the potato for a creamy, savory filling. So good. (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)

Quinoa Black Bean Vegan Chili

This hearty and delicious quinoa vegan chili is packed with protein and vegetables. Some secret ingredients: adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chili peppers in adobo, and a white wine vinegar for a tangy finish. It’s so, so tasty: definitely at the top of our easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Do you want to make sweet potato fries in the oven? These crispy sweet potato fries require very little oil to brown in the oven. Our secret? We use a little cornstarch to get a perfectly crunchy fry. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Harvest Vegetable Bake

This harvest vegetable bake is savory and refined: it tastes almost meaty! Perfect for Meatless Mondays or a cozy brunch. It’s a combination of vegetables and baked tofu, topped with cheese and baked until bubbly. (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)

Penne with Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

This pumpkin pasta sauce recipe is delicious and creamy, made with Parmesan cheese and savory spices! Serve it over penne for an easy meatless dinner. Pumpkin puree actually makes for a great pumpkin pasta sauce! It’s got a creamy texture that melds seamlessly with Parmesan cheese. It’s comfy, easy (like 30 minutes easy), and lovely for fall.  (Vegetarian)

Stuffed Delicata Squash Wild Rice and Sage

Delicata squash is a yellow oblong squash that tastes sweet and tender! This stuffing features wild rice with brown butter and sage, along with some vegetables and sharp cheddar cheese. Talk about flavor! (Vegetarian, gluten free)

Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

These broccoli cheese stuffed sweet potatoes are an easy, healthy weeknight dinner your whole family will love. The cheese sauce features a surprise ingredient to make it even creamier: white beans! This tops our list of easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Baked Butternut Squash Chips

Ready in 30 minutes, these baked butternut squash chips are delightfully crunchy. The sweet squash pairs nicely with salty Parmesan and is a great snack! (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)

Lemon Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

The twist on this rosemary roasted potatoes recipe is the lemon; instead of squeezing on the juice prior to roasting, the lemon is thinly sliced and roasted along with the potatoes. This brings out a much more intense lemon flavor. You can even eat the roasted lemon, if you’re brave! (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

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