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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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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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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Buffalo Chicken Salad Jars

How’s the lunch situation these days?

You’d think the fact that we’re all home with no real schedule would make lunch easier, but we’re finding that is so not the case. By the time lunch rolls around, I’m always scrambling and, of course, going out to grab something just isn’t an option right now.

To remedy the chaos, I’m trying to prep my lunches ahead. Salad jars are my favorite lunch prep – and these buffalo chicken ones are my current obsession.

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Vegetable Pot Pie

Today is Good Friday, and the wrap-up to another year of the Lenten dinner series. It’s a heavy day for Christians made heavier for everyone by the current pandemic. I chose something comforting for today – because I think right now we all need it.

This pot pie is just loaded with veggies so it’s hearty in the best way. The filling is flexible – but I chose veggies with a longer shelf life so this could easily be a “week 2 meal” if you’re trying to space out your grocery trips.

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Steak & Guinness Pie

Happy Pi Day!

This week has been incredibly stressful and having something fun to focus on today is a blessing.

Today, I’m sharing my new favorite savory pie – steak and vegetables simmered in Guinness and wrapped in a cheddar pie crust.

Yes, it’s as good as it sounds!

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Freezer-Friendly Chicken Fried Rice

I love a good freezer recipe – and I love that this one isn’t your typical casserole or soup. Now, don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of casseroles and soups in my freezer – but this is a great choice for nights when you just want something different.

I generally make these in batches of 4-5 dinners. You can swap out the protein, too – pork, beef, and shrimp all work well here! It’s also a great one to get the kids to help with. Jake can help with the measuring and dumping; Julie helps shake all the ingredients up!

ChickenFriedRice

Freezer-Friendly Chicken Fried Rice
(A Kate’s Recipe Box Original)
Serves 4

5 cups cooked rice
1 ½ cups peas and carrots
½ cup diced onions
2 cups chicken– cooked and diced
2 Tbsp. fried rice seasoning

2 Tbsp. oil
4 eggs
6 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 dashes pepper

In a gallon zipper bag, toss together the rice, peas and carrots, onions, chicken, and seasoning. Shake well to combine. Seal, label, and freeze.

Thaw in refrigerator overnight.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet. Dump rice mixture into the skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat, breaking up any chunks of rice, until hot – about five minutes. Push rice mixture to the side of the skillet. Add 1 Tbsp. oil to the empty side of the skillet and add eggs. Cook and stir until eggs are thickened but still moist. Combine eggs with the rice mixture. Turn off the heat. Stir in soy sauce and pepper. Serve.

Fried Rice Seasoning

¼ cup garlic powder
4 tsp. ginger powder
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper

Whisk together and stir in an airtight container.

Buffalo Chicken Chowder

Originally published January 2012; Updated January 2021

What warms you better than a bowl of soup? A spicy bowl of soup, of course.

This combines the best flavors of the classic buffalo wings with the comforting winter classic – a perfect bowl. Chunks of chicken and potatoes are smothered in a spicy, creamy broth, topped with the bite of blue cheese.

A bowl of golden chowder, with visible chunks of chicken, potatoes, and carrots. It's topped with crumbles of blue cheese.

Whether you’re looking for a fun meal for the big game or just something to warm you after shoveling snow, this chowder will fit the bill.

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