This dirty chai is not your traditional dirty chai with a shot of espresso, but it’s one that leaves your brain buzzing (in a good way) and your skin glowing, ready to take on the day. It’s been one of my go-to morning tonics and it’s also a great afternoon pick me up. I like to brew it with an herbal (aka decaffeinated) chai but you can always sub in a regular chai tea or go ahead and add that shot of espresso! I whipped up these snickerdoodles, which pair perfectly for an afternoon tea.

TOCOS is incredibly rich in vitamin E, making it the ultimate skin super food.

COCONUT BUTTER is a healthy fat that makes the most luxuriously creamy elixir.

RHODIOLA increases oxygen to the brain, aiding in mental clarity and brain function.

ASHWAGANDA is a super antioxidant that can help reduce stress and anxiety.

I recently started reading about hygge (pronounced hoo-gah). It’s the Scandinavian idea of getting cozy – but that doesn’t quite get to the heart of it. It’s all about enjoying little moments, relaxing and expressing gratitude, and rediscovering the joy of simple things. Winter is a great time to practice hygge (and it’s how many Scandinavians get through long, cold, dark winters). It’s bundling up and taking a long walk outside and then savoring a mug of hot chocolate when you return home, or inviting a few close friends over for a simple cup of soup, or cozying up on the couch with cashmere socks and a good book.
For me this weekend, it’s banana bread. I always looked forward to the weekends when the smell of freshly baked banana bread would waft into my room. There is something so cozy, homey, and comforting about banana bread, something many of us could use right now. So this weekend, I’m baking banana bread, inviting some friends over for tea, lighting some palo santo, and filling my home with as much love and comfort as possible.

For me, the holidays wouldn’t be complete without donuts. Some of my favorite childhood memories are waking up and running downstairs to my favorite powdered sugar donuts on July 4th and Christmas from Dreesen’s in East Hampton. But what about a healthy donut? That’s where these maple matcha donuts come in.

I skip the fryer and the refined sugar and incorporate sweet maple, cacao, and matcha into these beautiful sweets. Matcha is one of my favorite ingredients to bake with and it lends a naturally bright color to frosting and more. You can play around and make a chocolate frosting with cacao, if that is more your thing!

My family is not so much about traditional Thanksgiving. We don’t go radically veer away from your typical Thanksgiving table but with gluten and dairy allergies, vegetarians, and meat lovers at the table there is room for lots of creativity. This dish here with butternut squash noodles fits in just as perfectly at our Thanksgiving table as it does for an easy weeknight dinner. It also makes for great leftovers!

I love creating different combinations of pesto. This one with toasted walnuts and parsley is one of my favorites. I’ve barely adapted to recipe from Bon Appetit, minus the adjustment to make it dairy free. It seems like it’s a rather high ratio of parm to parsley but it makes it deliciously garlicky and salty, which balances out the sweetness of the noodles.

This year we’ll be making lots of delicious vegetable sides, like this roasted cauliflower, these steam roasted carrots with cumin, and these roasted Brussels. We’ll also have mini pumpkin pies.

Check out my Pinterest board for more ideas and my menu from last year. Have a happy thanksgiving!

This is not my first sweet potato recipe on the blog, and definitely won’t be my last. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of potato fries. It has become kind of an obsession to obtain the crispiest sweet potato fry, without actually frying it, of course. Practice makes perfect and this is one of the best methods I’ve come up with yet.

By nature sweet potatoes carry more water than regular potatoes, so make sure to give them a good pat dry after cutting them into matchsticks. For this recipe I also toss them with almond flour to help them crisp up. Finally, and, most importantly, don’t let the potatoes touch each other in the pan! Giving them room to breathe allows them crisp up, rather than steam if they are all crowded together. It sounds counterintuitive, but letting them cool for a few minutes after taking them out of the oven will also help the fries retain their shape. And a disclaimer, this is crispy for a sweet potato fry, so if you want that ultra-crispy baked fry, go for a Japanese sweet potato or russet potato.

These fries would be amazing with any dip but this spicy almond dip makes it extra special. The spicy chilis mixed with almonds blend into a surprisingly creamy dip that is packed with healthy fats and protein.  It sounds fancy and complicated when you read the ingredients, but it really only takes about a minute of hands on time. Adjust the spices to your liking and dig in!