The Feastie Blog

Every once in a while I crave meatballs. I don't eat red meat, but ground turkey gets the job done just as well, in my opinion - if you can keep it moist. Turkey meatballs can end up like little hockey pucks if you're not careful - unfortunately I know this from experience. I was looking around for a good meatball recipe when I stumbled upon these baked turkey meatballs from Apples & Onions. Instead of using a panade (basically bread soaked in milk) to keep the meatballs moist, the recipe relies on shredded onion and the juice from the onion! I thought that sounded like a great idea - I love onions, and I was curious to see if this little trick would actually work. It totally did! These were some of the best meatballs I've ever had - totally moist, really flavorful, tender - perfect little orbs of meat. As appealing as spaghetti and meatballs sounded at the time, the spaghetti squash on my counter was staring at me and I decided to make this meal a little bit healthier by subbing in the spaghetti squash for traditional pasta. To be honest, I didn't even miss the pasta - the spaghetti squash soaked up the sauce and was the perfect compliment to the meatballs. And not only are these meatballs moist, flavorful, and delish, they're incredibly easy to make. No pan-frying, no simmering in sauce - you just bake them and they're ready to go! Easy enough for a weeknight meal but tasty enough for company, this is a great dinner that leaves you with plenty of leftovers (we ate this most of the week) that you can either freeze or enjoy for lunch or dinner the rest of the week. It's comforting, it's healthy, and it's yummy - basically perfect.

Until a few weeks ago, I'd never tried Biscoff or cookie butter. I know my weaknesses - and I know I have no self control around certain things. For instance, I can't have salt & vinegar chips, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or cheese puffs in my home at any time. At all. The last time I bought Cinnamon Toast Crunch I thought to myself, "It's just cereal. It's not that bad now and then. Just show some self control!" A few hours later I was sitting cross-legged on the floor of my kitchen, covered in a fine dusting of cinnamon sugar, staring blankly into an empty cereal box.

So unless I have someone with me who will share the goodies, someone I know will eat their half and not allow me to snarfle the entire box/bag down in one sitting, I just don't buy those things. And I had a pretty good feeling that cookie butter would fall into the same category. I've flown Delta - I've hoarded those Biscoff cookies on the plane - and I like to think I'm self aware enough to realize that Biscoff cookies whipped into spreadable form would be BAD NEWS for me. So I just didn't buy it - I walked past the Speculoos cookie butter jars at Trader Joe's, I ignored the Biscoff spread at the grocery store. But eventually curiosity got the best of me, and I bought a jar of Biscoff spread. BAD IDEA. This stuff is crack. It's pure evil in a jar. After eating a quarter of the jar WITH A SPOON (ugh) I realized that unless I used the Biscoff in a recipe I could share with others (because I'm not going to give anyone a spoon to dig into the jar with me, that would just be WEIRD, right?) this was going to end badly. So I made these unbelievably delish Biscoff oatmeal cookies from Two Peas & Their Pod, and they were a major win. I shared them with my friends and we all enjoyed the cookies, and I went home and rested easy knowing that there wasn't a full jar of Biscoff waiting to taunt me. And I swore that I'd never buy it again. Until last Monday, when I bought a jar of cookie butter at Trader Joe's. WHY DID I DO THAT?! AAAHHHHH! I ate a quarter of the jar AGAIN (because I'll never learn) and then decided to make cookies to share again. I wanted to try something new, so I tried these Biscoff spread cookies from Baking Bites. OMG. They're soft and cakey and moist and perfect! And they store well - I stored mine in a Tupperware container for a few days and they kept perfectly. Fortunately I had a chance to share them with friends so now there's just one lone cookie left in the pantry - and maybe 1/4 jar left of the cookie butter. I still haven't figured out a way to prevent myself from attacking it with a spoon, and I don't think I'll be buying it again any time soon, so I'm going to savor that last cookie. Assuming The Mr. doesn't get to it first. 

If the idea of coming home and fixing dinner after a long day of work or school isn't appealing to you, you need a slow cooker. For some, cooking is a relaxing, calming activity, and they just cannot WAIT to get their hands on some fresh ingredients and whip up something delish in the kitchen on a Tuesday night. But for everyone else - sometimes you need a little help getting something healthy and homemade on the dinner table on weeknights. That's where slow cookers and crock pots come in - you can cook just about anything in these babies. Lasagna? Sure. Bread pudding? Why not! With a minimal amount of time and effort, you can toss some fresh ingredients into your slow cooker in the morning, set it for the day, and come home to a hot dinner - all you need to do is spoon it onto your plate (unless you want to eat it straight out of the slow cooker, in which case we won't discourage you). We've rounded up the top 5 slow cooker and crock pot recipes on the web this week to give you a little inspiration. Take a look around Feastie - you will not believe what kind of magic people are pulling out of their crock pots these days. Seriously impressive!

Creamy Crockpot Pumpkin Risotto from The Balanced Platter
Photo from The Balanced Platter

I've been trying to incorporate more colorful veggies into my meals lately - not only is it nutritious to "eat the rainbow", it's beautiful! You eat with your eyes first - when your food is beautiful, the whole eating experience is more enjoyable, more pleasurable. So when I saw this full spectrum veggie salad from The Healthy Foodie, it immediately made me hungry - it's absolutely gorgeous! This salad has veggies in every color of the rainbow, plus super flavorful, healthy additions like walnuts and olives. The Mr. deemed it "the best thing he's eaten in weeks" and helped himself to seconds both nights we ate this. I served it alongside some simple grilled fish with lemon, but this salad was definitely the centerpiece of the meal. It makes a beautiful presentation for a dinner party, but it's easy enough for a weeknight meal - just some chopping, a quick shake of a jar, and you've got dinner. I eyeballed all of my ingredients but followed the general structure of the original recipe - I love when I can cook without measuring spoons/cups! 

I hope you are enjoying the excitement of election season! In honor of our forthcoming national decision day, we have a special recipe for you. Straight from Ann Romney's binder full of recipes, it's Mitt's Favorite Meatloaf Cakes. This isn't just meatloaf formed into a little ball. It's definitely got a little extra something in the form of lemony notes, mild spices, and a zingy sauce. If you eat meat, I'm sure you'll enjoy this recipe, regardless of your politics. With a little steamed greens and maybe some mashed potatoes, you have a nice, round, All-American dinner.

I'm from CA, and while it might sound cliche, I LOVE fish tacos. The beach town where I went to college had unending varieties of fish tacos - every restaurant had their own interpretation of the perfect fish taco. My favorite place to get fish tacos was a little restaurant on the beach - the tables were actually set into the sand. Other than the tacos, the food wasn't that fantastic, but the view more than made up for it. Imagine sitting at a table, digging your feet into the sand, watching the sun set over the ocean while you sip ice cold Coronitas (served in a little bucket on ice!), and munch on chips, guacamole, and fish tacos. Perfection. Since moving to the east coast, I like to think I've perfected my own version of the perfect fish taco (unfortunately without the view) - it's taken many attemps at many recipes, but I've finally settled on what I feel is the BEST fish taco. If you ask The Mr. what his all-time favorite dinner is, this would most likely be it - he's in love with these tacos. They're easy enough to whip up for a weeknight dinner, but they're great for entertaining - everyone loves tacos! Bonus: They're grilled, not fried, and in the land of fish tacos, they're pretty healthy. Serve these with a side of Mexican rice and some margaritas and you've got the perfect dinner. PERFECT! I love fish tacos!!! Do you sense my enthusiasm here? The only bad side effect of these tacos: major homesickness for California.

There's a little less than 2 weeks left till Halloween - what kind of candy will you be passing out? Or, maybe more importantly, what kind of candy will you be munching on yourself?! If you'll be hosting any sort of Halloween event, you should try your hand at homemade candy (and if you're not hosing an event, then you should just make it for yourself!). And not just chocolate truffles or chocolate-covered pretzels - we're talking real, hardcore candy - the classics, your favorites! Twix, Butterfinger, Snickers - if the store-bought variety is that delicious, just imagine how unbelievable your fresh, homemade versions will be! No weird preservatives, no strange trans fats, no unpronounceable additives - you can make your own candy at home from fresh, natural ingredients. So no more guilt - go chow down on some Halloween candy! We've rounded up the top 5 Halloween candy recipes for you this week - because you'll need to do some research and a few test batches before the big night. You've got some taste-testing to do - go eat some candy!

Homemade Twix Candy Bars from Sweet Basil
Photo from Sweet Basil

I love tomato soup, but past attempts at making an amazing homemade tomato soup have produced a less than stellar final product. Last week I went horseback riding and while it was only a bit chilly outside, it started raining in the middle of my lesson. I got soaked and cold, and afterwards I was craving a hot bowl of homemade soup. Something creamy and savory and comforting - tomato soup! Unfortunately I got home a bit too late to whip up an impromptu batch of soup, and I ended up eating Tater Tots instead. NO SOUP FOR YOU! But that's neither here nor there - the point is that today, I made soup! This tomato basil cheddar soup from More Fruit Please is my favorite tomato soup recipe - and I've tried many. It's creamy and cheesy and velvety, and there's no heavy cream! The recipe relies on Greek yogurt to thicken the soup and make it nice and creamy - all the creaminess with none of the fat. We're talking creamy, cheesy soup for about 150 calories per serving! The soup cooks up pretty quickly and freezes well, and it's great as leftovers or for weekday lunches. Tonight I served it up with a piece of sourdough toast topped with brie - what can I say, I was in a cheesy mood. But this is perfect dipping soup - your favorite grilled cheese will be magnificent dipped into this soup. So if you're craving something warm and comforting but not too heavy or rich, this is the perfect soup for you. 

When falafel is good, it is sooooo good. And when it's bad, it's like eating dry crunchy balls of spiced sand. And the toppings - you've got to have the toppings! Tahini sauce, tzatziki, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce - so many amazing textures all tucked into one convenient little pita pocket. Falafel is a treat for me - I don't usually eat deep fried food, so when I do, I want it to be stellar. And since we have yet to find a good falafel spot near our new home, I thought I'd try my hand at making it at home. I came across this zucchini and chickpea falafel from Snixy Kitchen and was intrigued - zucchini? In my falafel? But yes! Not only does it add great nutritional value to the falafel, it keeps them moist and prevents them from drying out in the oven. Yes, oven - these are quickly pan-fried to get a crisp outer crust, then baked the rest of the way in the oven. Once you've gathered your garnishes and pickles, all that's left to do is tuck everything into your pita and go to town! The Mr. loved these - really loved them. It's kind of fun to eat homemade take-out - it's nice to see what went into your food, plus you know you'll get to eat it while it's still hot instead of sweating away inside a styrofoam box. Fresh, healthy falafel at home - major win. 

Cooler weather and shorter days call for warm, comforting meals - soups are the perfect fall food. You can make soup from just about anything (even strawberries, but that's for another time), and they're the best kind of one-dish meal. Many can be made in crockpots or slow cookers, meaning you can walk into the house after work or school and have dinner waiting for you! Chilis, stews, broths, cream soups - vegan and vegetarian or full of meat, there is a soup for your every mood. We've rounded up the top 5 soups on the web this week to give you a little inspiration - something for everyone. And check out our soups, stews, and chili board on Pinterest for even more great ideas. So SOUP FOR YOU!!! 

Curried Cauliflower & Apple Soup with Roasted Chickpeas and Homemade Curry Powder from Healthful Pursuit
Photo from Healthful Pursuit