Gnocchi with Butternut Squash

Gnocchi is not as difficult to make as you may think. It’s a little messy, sure, but there are only a three ingredients. One essential tool, however, is a ricer. This keeps the gnocchi light and fluffy rather than dense like mashed potatoes. Mark Bittman and Mario Batali have a great video where I got the inspiration for this recipe.

Banana Muffins

This recipe for banana muffins comes from the same Thomas Keller cookbook, Bouchon Bakery, that I’ve been making a lot of baked goods from. The recipe is pretty exact but not very difficult and if you follow it step by step, you will be sure to have great results.

Keller suggests resting the batter overnight. This allows the flour to hydrate, or absorb the liquid which results in an extra moist muffin. This is also a great idea because you can make the batter the night before and it will be ready to pop in the oven in the morning.

Baked Apple Oatmeal

As you may have guessed by now, I love apples. I eat one every morning. Usually in addition to granola or a piece of toast but when I’m looking for something hearty and warm, I turn to this baked apple oatmeal. It’s not too sweet and the pumpkin seeds add a savory crunch. It will keep you full until lunch while still warming your belly on the kind of cold mornings that we’re still experiencing in late March.

Cannellini Bean and Kale Soup with Chorizo

While the day’s are getting longer and spring technically starts next week, it’s still pretty cold in New York. A warm and hearty bowl of soup is still very much welcome. Soup gives the sense of comfort and warmth and it’s ideal to take your time with it. Home-made chicken stock is always preferable but I find that I usually end up using a good quality store-bought one. Soup usually tastes better the day after it’s made after the flavors have had a chance to meld together. It’s a great thing to make on a Sunday and eat for the rest of the week.

Shallot Vinaigrette

This is my go-to salad lately. Arugula, chickpeas, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, celery, roasted peppers, feta, pumpkin seeds, and most importantly breadcrumbs. Since I’ve been making home-made breadcrumbs in the last few months, I put them on everything and they instantly give that subtle crunch that is always welcome on any salad or pasta.

This salad has a lot of ingredients, but they are mostly staples in my fridge and pantry and you can easily add or subtract anything. What I really love about this salad is the dressing. Shallots, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. I make a big batch in the beginning of the week and let it sit in the fridge for whenever I want to use it.

Baked Chickpeas

Canned chickpeas are a staple ingredient in my pantry. In the middle of February, I rely on a lot of staples when I start to get sick of all the cabbage and root vegetables available. I like to make these baked chickpeas as a nice change from hummus.

Apple Cake

This quick bread comes together easily and includes one of my favorite foods, apples. I got the idea from a blog that I visit often and it’s a recipe from her great grandmother which I figured was a good sign. I tweaked it a little by adding some buckwheat flour for extra nuttiness and using olive oil instead of canola. I also reduced the amount of sugar for a little less sweetness.

The end result is a recipe that is great to have on hand because it comes together so quickly and with mostly pantry staples. It’s also easy to swap ingredients like using only regular flour if you don’t have any buckwheat flour in your pantry.