Nourish Northwest

Pumpkin season is officially here, although we like to use canned pumpkin in recipes all year round! It’s super nutritious and easy to incorporate into meals such as oatmeal, quesadillas and pasta sauce. This bread is truly something special if you want to highlight that pumpkin flavor and settle into the coziness of the season.

Lacto-fermentation is the process that produces traditional dill pickles, kimchi, and real sauerkraut. This simple fermentation process requires nothing more than salt, vegetables, and water—no canning, no fancy equipment.

Last week I decided to compile a list of meals that always go over well in my family. That way, when we are struggling to figure out what to make (which is often), we can just consult the list and chose from our favorites. This meal is high up on the list. Anything with noodles is a win, even if that’s the only component the kids choose. However, the broth is the real winner in this recipe. It has a complex flavor profile that hits all the key taste… sweet, savory and acidic. It is also packed with spinach, which makes a dietitian mom happy. The meatballs share many of the ingredients in the broth and mimic the same flavors in a milder way. We’ll be eating this for dinner tonight and leftovers another night! Hope you find success with hitting all your family’s preferences with this one!

For years, I have touted the recipe for pizza dough that we used to teach in our Pizza Party Cooking Class as the one and only. It was very simple, perfect for having friends over and most of all delicious. It produces 4 smallish, thinner crust pizzas, which is great for when people want different toppings. I still love it (recipe can be found here), but alas, it was time for a change. I’m in a season of life, where I want my cooking to be simpler and more hands off. While our older recipe honestly isn’t difficult, it does require kneading and shoveling several small pizzas in and out of an oven. This recipe only requires a quick mix with a spoon and is cooked on a large baking sheet. It can ferment in the fridge for up to 3 days, which I actually recommend if you can plan ahead. It’s a thick crust large pizza, with an oily crispy crust somehwhat resembling a Pizza Hut pan pizza. In a nutshell… it’s SO easy and SO good. I think I’ll be sticking to this one for quite some time.

Have you ever tried fava beans? They pop up in Farmer’s Markets at the beginning of spring and when I see them, I always get excited because it means warmer days are on the way. Shelling and peeling them is a little bit of a process but it’s worth it (and a very fun activity for little kids’ hands). From a nutritional perspective, they are rich in many nutrients including iron, folate, potassium, protein and fiber. Below is one of my favorite ways to use them, which is adapted from Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden. I make this recipe often throughout the year and substitute edamame when favas aren’t available. It’s a short seson for them, so if you see them, make sure you grab ’em!