Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Pesto

I think carrots are the most underrated fall vegetable. They don’t get a lot of love, but picked after the first frost? So good. They also add so much color to the table!

This beautiful side dish will be a treat whether you’re making it for a holiday or a weeknight! It’s ready in about a half hour, and the pesto can bed made ahead, so it’s a no-fuss side that looks like you’ve put a lot of effort into it.

A close up of roasted carrot sticks in a white serving dish topped with pesto.

This recipe uses both the carrot and the carrot top, so it’s a great option if you’re trying to be conscious of food waste – we use the whole plant here!

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Hearty Minestrone

I realized last week it’s officially soup season here – we couldn’t leave the house without sweatshirts in the morning! Really can’t say I’m sad about the return of fall weather.

Cooler days mean I’m craving cozy dinners – and this one just hit the spot! It’s an old favorite – and a fresher-tasting version of the soup you get at an Italian chair restaurant. (If you know, you know!)

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Vegan BBQ Chickpea Salad

Today is Good Friday, the last Friday of Lent – which means it’s time to wrap up this year’s Lenten Friday series. I hope you’ve enjoyed the vegan meal ideas I’ve shared over the last six weeks! I’m closing out this year’s posts with a great recipe for the meal I struggle with most on Lenten Fridays – lunch.

For me, breakfast is always easy. Dinner is always well planned. Lunch, though? Lunch is always just grabbing whatever – and not usually plant based in this house so vegan lunches have been lackluster at best.

Salad with bbq chickpeas, corn, cucumber, pickles, red onion, carrots, and tahini ranch dressing.

This salad, though, was the best lunch I had during Lent this year hands-down. It doesn’t take long to make, but the elements are also perfectly meal-prep friendly if you want to make it ahead. The warm, bbq chickpeas paired with all my favorite barbecue-inspired flavors (including dill pickles!) was such a satisfying mid-day meal.

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Vegan Teriyaki Eggplant & Pineapple Skewers

It feels like summer here today so it felt appropriate to share the most summer-worthy recipe of this year’s Lenten series!

When most people think of grilling, they think meat – steaks, burgers, etc. – but fruit and veggies are also also fabulous grilled.

This beautiful grilled skewers are simple, packed with flavor – and plant based. Chunks of eggplant and pineapple and grilled and glazed with a quick homemade teriyaki sauce. This is the perfect vegan option for your next cookout!

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Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Salad

This big, beautiful salad is the perfect for autumn – the colors remind me of the trees right now and the warm beets are perfect for a chilly day!

A nice salad is always my favorite addition to a holiday table. It’s an awesome way to showcase seasonal flavors and often elements can be made ahead, making it one of the easiest dishes to get on the table at meal time!

For this salad, the beets can be roasted and chopped ahead of time, making the prep at meal time minimal!

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Roasted Carrots with Honey and Thyme

We attempted to grow our own carrots this year to mixed results – the tops made an incredible pesto but we only harvested enough carrots for one meal!

I decided to cook them up with some thyme from the garden and local honey and the result was incredible! The mix of savory and sweet was just perfect.

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Sautéed Spinach with Bacon

Have you made your Thanksgiving plans yet? We’ll be a party of four this year – which food-wise can be a little tricky. I’m excited for the challenge of sizing down and aiming to not spend all day in the kitchen – and this side nails both.

This spinach dish is sized for 4 and takes only 15 minutes, making it a great option to add to your holiday menu – or as a side for any busy night!

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Marinated Vegetable Sandwiches

If there’s one thing I could eat all summer, it would be sandwiches loaded with vegetables. All the vegetables. Usually toasted and loaded up with some melty cheese.

These sandwiches are one of my favorite variations – the veggies are marinated in a sweet-but-savory marinade for a few hours before being cooked, which gives them a really nice extra layer of flavor.

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Grilled Vegetable Chili

We’ve had a relatively mild winter here with plenty of warm days scattered in. I feel like, in a way, it makes the cold days worse. Today it’s chilly and rainy and suddenly feels like arctic tundra.

Grilled Vegetable Chili 1

What does that mean? Comfort food, of course. This veggie-loaded chili is just perfect for a rainy Lenten Friday.

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Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving side? For me, it’s green bean casserole. I only make it for Thanksgiving each year and it’s something I always look forward to. And for that reason, it’s also the side dish I’ve been most hesitant to switch up.

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole 1

This cheesy version may be a contender for new favorite.

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