Jodi Moreno 11/17/12 Jodi Moreno 11/17/12

sautéed brussels sprouts + red cabbage with toasted almonds

Jodi Moreno 11/11/12 Jodi Moreno 11/11/12

sesame crusted quinoa + kale cakes

Jodi Moreno 11/2/12 Jodi Moreno 11/2/12

loaded homemade hummus

I started writing this post from my dark, powerless apartment in downtown nyc. Thankfully for me that was the biggest inconvenience for me and my family during hurricane sandy. We now have power again, and things are slowly getting back to normal where I live.

We are extremely fortunate. This has not been the case with many people, especially those in the boroughs of NYC + the coast of NJ. The people who have not been as fortunate have weighed heavy in my thoughts.

I am always so impressed at the way new yorkers pull together in the wake of crisis and hard times. I'm also impressed with so many of my family members and friends who have donated their time and goods to people in need without any hesitation. We all know what we have to do, and taking care of our neighbors and people in need just comes naturally to the people of this area.

Whether you live in NY or not, there are ways you can help. I found a couple of links that can point you in the direction so you can donate your time, money, or goods to people who need it most.

7 ways to donate to hurricane sandy victims online via mashable

12 ways to donate time, skills, or supplies to hurricane victims via treehugger

buy an I (still) love NY t-shirt - 100% profits go to hurricane sandy relief

It may seem a bit trivial to post about something as simple as hummus while we are still recovering from one of the biggest disasters the nyc area has ever seen. We all have to get back to some sort of normalcy, and eating hummus daily is a part of my normal, everyday life.

I eat a lot of hummus. It's pretty much my go-to snack food, and because of this I find that it's definitely better for me to be making my own. This hummus, however, is a fancier hummus. A hummus I might make if I want to impress someone, or make for a fancy party or pot luck. The toppings are more of a creative suggestion, a guileline, not a rule. Feel free to omit the toppings though if you are not in a fancy mood.

*If you have any other suggestions/links on how to help hurricane sandy victims, or want to share what you did to help, please feel free to leave that info in the comments section below*

Jodi Moreno 10/22/12 Jodi Moreno 10/22/12

roasted sweet potatoes, red onions + pine nuts with tahini

As you may know, I am a huge fan of Yottam Ottolenghi. His books are a constant source of inspiration for me, and I frequently daydream about having lunch at one of his London restaurants.

My first introduction to Ottolenghi was unusual. On a visit to Maine a couple of years ago, my Aunt + Uncle took me to this fabulous book store in Portland, Maine that sold just cookbooks. Just cookbooks. Dangerous.

Out of the mounds and mounds of gorgeous cookbooks, I could not tear myself away from this one vegetarian focused book with an attractive pillow-like white cover. The recipes were different. Unique. A wonderful combination of mediterranean + middle-eastern flavors. When I went to checkout, the cashier owned the book already and went on and on about what a great book it was. I couldn't wait to get home and make every single recipe.

I bought Ottolenghi's book Plenty before it was released in the US, not knowing what a hit it would end up being here. That also means my book is in grams and celcius, and although it is slightly inconvenient, I look it as a badge of honor for discovering this book before it's US debut.

After cooking my way through Plenty, I couldn't wait until I had the opportunity to eat at one of his London restaurants. This summer I had my chance, and it lived up to everything I had expected. I went to his restaurant in Notting Hill and order as many things that would fit onto one plate. I sat outside in the rain (because that was the only seat open) and I was in heaven. While I was there I was also able to pick up a signed copy of his original book, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook which features the recipes made at his restaurants, and it too has become a staple in my kitchen.

Jodi Moreno 10/15/12 Jodi Moreno 10/15/12

quince crisp

As soon as the temperature starts to drop, it's only natural that you and I start to crave certain things. More soups, more roasted vegetables, more blankets, more nights in watching movies, more baked fruits, more fireplaces, more crisp.

It's no secret, I love a good crisp.

Crisp is the prefect dessert for a crisp fall day. Maybe that is where is got it's name? No? Okay ... I know ... it's from the crispy top that pairs so nicely with the soft fragrant fruits hiding underneath.

I'm fairly new to cooking with quince. If you are unfamiliar with this fruit, it is best described as a cross between a pear and an apple, therefore (in my opinion) making it ideal to bake with.

Pears and apples are two of my favorite fall fruits, and now quince will obviously be making it's way to that list as well.

The thing to note about quince is that is has particularly tough flesh which means it is not so good to eat raw, and it needs to bake on it's own for some extra time before being incorporated into a crisp, or pie, or any baked dessert for that matter.

The upside to having to bake the quince longer? You will have that delicious smell of quince baking in your home for for that much longer, creating the perfect ambiance for a fall day.

Jodi Moreno 10/1/12 Jodi Moreno 10/1/12

raw fudge brownies with a vanilla raspberry puree

let's talk truths.

truth: I love NY

truth: sometimes I try and tell myself that the green smoothie I had for breakfast will negate the french fries I had at lunch

truth: I'm uncomfortable with the question: "what's your favorite recipe?" because I do not have a favorite recipe

truth: I love my husband more and more every day (yes, I am one of those people)

truth: I just ate an entire container of hummus and mary's gone crackers and I was not even hungry

truth: I hug my dog on average 7 times a day

truth: I make raw brownies all the time, however, when coming up with this new raw brownie recipe it took me 4 tries to get it all just right

truth: these raw fudge brownies are gooey, chocolaty, and addictingly delicious

truth: raw cacao (like the kind you use to make these brownies) has the highest amount of antioxidants per serving of any "superfood"

truth: raspberries and chocolate are totally meant for each other

truth: these brownies and the vanilla raspberry sauce are made without butter, eggs, sugar, and guilt

truth: these brownies will definitely cure chocolate cravings and impress friends

Jodi Moreno 9/25/12 Jodi Moreno 9/25/12

pumpkin & beet salad with a carrot ginger dressing

I love Fall.

We're only a few days in, but I have already began to embrace putting on vest and scarf in the morning to walk the dog, and I am so excited to start to see fall fruits and vegetables make their way to the farmer's markets and grocery stores.

I planted some pumpkin this summer (note: some = a lot), and I am going to have to have to get very creative with the dozens of pumpkins I am going to have this October.

Starting with this recipe right here which I created for the fall issue of a beautiful, new online magazine, Delighted.

There are a few other really good-looking recipes using pumpkin in the issue, and I will likely be trying them all. Go check them out, and be sure to browse all of the other great articles on life and style and tips on setting a beautiful table for the fall season.

Jodi Moreno 9/18/12 Jodi Moreno 9/18/12

garlic + rosemary socca crepes with creamy leeks and roasted tomatoes // gluten-free + vegan

Gluten-free, although it might not be a new term in the world of food, it is a new term in my kitchen. With many friends and family who have become gluten-free recently, I found myself having to come up with gluten-free meals to make at home. No biggie, right?

Well, I have found this particularly tricky since, as you may know from following my blog, I avoid dairy as much as possible mainly because of dairy allergy I discovered I had about a year ago.

Bread & cheese, two of the most wonderful and easy foods to throw together. Who doesn't love bread and cheese?

People who have to live gluten and dairy free, that's who.

I always thought to myself ... okay ... I can sacrifice most of the butter and cheese as long as you don't take my bread away from me. Please.do.not.take.my.bread.away.from.me. And thankfully, I have zero sensitivity to gluten. However, I am discovering more and more that friends, and friends of friends, and family are having trouble with the gluten. So, you know what that means. Dinners and dinner parties around here are including less and less gluten. And, you know, it might not be such a bad thing.

Luckily, there are tons of great recipes and alternatives out there for doing things both gluten and dairy free.

Sometimes I just want to take a giant piece of bread and slap some soft, tangy, gooey goat cheese on top and call it a day. I had yet to find anything that really replaced that taste and gorgeous texture. I really needed to come up something that would nix that craving.

This recipe right here might be the answer.

Let me start with the "creamy" leeks. The creaminess comes from a tofu base. I know that might not sound so exciting, but hear me out. The tofu is blanched to get rid of any bean-like taste. Then a lot of other delicious seasonings are added to give it a lovely flavor. Once you throw it in with the caramelized leeks, it's heavenly.

Socca, if you're not familiar with it, is a crepe that is made with garbanzo bean flour and then baked. It is super easy to make, high in protein, and it's gluten-free.

Slap those leeks on top of the rosemary and garlic socca, place some roasted tomatoes on top, and you have one yummy, creamy, delicious, gluten-free and dairy-free snack or party-time app that everyone can eat.

Jodi Moreno 9/11/12 Jodi Moreno 9/11/12

grilled pear and eggplant salad with a honey mustard dressing

As I was making {and eating} this salad, I thought to myself ... I am going to start off this post by saying I am not one who likes fruit in my salad. Then I thought ... well ... that's not really true. Ever since I had my first watermelon / tomato / feta salad, I can no longer say that I am a person who "does not like fruit in their salad".

I generally do feel like there is a place for fruit, and there is a place for vegetables. Sometimes it's keeping them separate, and sometimes they go so well together it seems like it was meant to be.

Eggplant and pear might not seem like a likely combination, but you have to trust me on this one ... these two were totally meant to be.

The savory eggplant enhances the sweet pear, the sweet pear enhances the savory eggplant. With grilled fruit, there is something about those caramelized, charred grill marks that seems to play so nicely with vegetables.

I first stumbled on a pear and eggplant recipe in last month's issue of Food & Wine magazine. I was intrigued, but I also had a hunch that this combination would be amazing. And it is. My rendition here is a little different, omitting the butter and cheese and adding some greens and a honey mustard dressing. A different, and if I might add - more healthy, way to enhance the pear and eggplant combo.

This salad would make a great starter for a fall dinner party. It's a bit of a conversation piece. Feel free to declare the eggplant and pear is the new watermelon, tomato, and feta. I surely will be.

Jodi Moreno 9/4/12 Jodi Moreno 9/4/12

how to make a green smoothie

Recently, I've been getting asked [a lot] what it is that I have for breakfast. My answer is: on most days, a green smoothie. Then, the question that usually follows is: aren't you hungry shortly after? To which I answer: Nope. Not with the amount of veggies and greens I'm consuming.

Because of this, I decided to post the recipe [well, actually it's more of a guideline] for how I make my green smoothie. I have to warn you though, there is no exact science to this, and some days it tastes amazing and some days it's ... well .... to be frank, not so amazing. It all depends on the freshness and/or the ripeness of certain ingredients. But the one thing remains the same is that I love the way I feel when I drink a green smoothie in the morning.

Smoothies are different than juices. There are definitely stronger arguments that smoothies are better simply because the vegetables are being consumed whole, the way they were meant to be. I also find that for a meal in the morning, the green smoothie is much more filling and will hold you over better than a green juice.

So what are the benefits when you drink green smoothies most mornings? Lots. Besides getting a boat load of vitamins and minerals from the gorgeous variety of greens, you are also getting a hefty dose of our best friend, fiber. Fiber helps us detoxify, and helps keep our insides happy. When our insides are happy our outsides look happy ... simple as that.

With that, I bring you some directions for crafting your smoothie. Play around with different ingredents, see what you like and what you don't like, and always switch things up depending on what you find is fresh, local, seasonal, and organic.

Happy Smoothie-ing!