Peach pancakes

I think we’re all at that point in the summer where it feels like summer is flying by. The pressure is on to squeeze in one more beach day, one more grilling session, one more campfire, because we know it could be the last.

One of the best ways to make the most of the season is to enjoy the fresh, beautiful produce that you can only get this time of year. Make a tomato sandwich with nothing but butter, thick slices of tomato, salt, and pepper. Heat up the grill and toss on some corn, zucchini, or eggplant. Serve berries and cream for dessert. After all, we have a long winter of root vegetables ahead!

These peach pancakes have all the summery flavors of peach cobbler or pie, in a convenient breakfast package. As you can see, they’re not the tallest, fluffiest pancakes in the world.  If that’s what you’re craving, I recommend these lemon pancakes.

Peanut butter granola bars

I’ve been moving around a lot lately, so I haven’t necessarily kept a fully stocked pantry. But one thing I always seem to have around is some sort of sweet snack.

If you have a serious sweet tooth like me, these peanut butter granola bars are perfect to have on hand. Heavy on the oats and light on the butter, they satisfy a sweets craving in a relatively wholesome way. At the very least, they’re better than crushing half a box of peanut butter Oreos!

Most people probably associate the flavors of cinnamon and ginger with oatmeal raisin cookies. I never thought to pair warm spices with chocolate chips, but I put my full trust in dessert expert David Lebovitz.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancake)

A few months ago, I did a round of Whole 30. If you don’t know what Whole 30 is, it’s essentially a whole food diet: no added sugar, no grains, no alcohol, and no dairy for 30 days. My goal was to get out of a cooking rut and add some new, vegetable-based dishes to my repertoire.

However, a few days into the Whole 30, I figured out how to make the best and easiest homefries. Though starchy, potatoes are technically Whole 30 compliant. So I ended up eating fried potatoes, eggs, and avocado almost every day, and learning next to no new recipes.

In contrast to my (somewhat) failed Whole 30, this summer has me experimenting with all sorts of new, vegetable-filled recipes. Case in point: these Japanese-inspired cabbage and kale pancakes. I ended up eating two huge pancakes for breakfast the other day. But, unlike with American pancakes, I can feel confident that at least I got plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber!

Putting a lid on the pan while the pancake cooks is absolutely crucial. The steam cooks the cabbage, giving you a tender end result. Raw cabbage can be hard to digest, so trust me on this!

Cauliflower cake

Cauliflower is such a trendy ingredient these days! With low-carb recipes like cauliflower rice and cauliflower pizza crust popping up, demand for cauliflower has skyrocketed. Buying a cauliflower almost feels like a luxury, like splurging on an avocado. But it’s worth it for this unique recipe!

This versatile “cake” makes a satisfying breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Don’t hold back on the cheese and herbs–because cauliflower has a neutral flavor, these other ingredients will make the dish taste savory and complex.

Squash and sweet potato fritters

This is my second summer getting a farm share, or CSA. In the past, I’ve felt obligated to honor each ingredient with its own special recipe. Eggplant? Eggplant parmesan. Cucumber? Homemade pickles. Fennel? Macaroni and cheese with caramelized fennel and toasted breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, I was spending hours in the kitchen and purchasing tons of extra ingredients.

This summer, scrambling to make use of all the vegetables before they spoil, I’ve taken a simpler approach. Anything green, I sauté with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Anything root-like, I roast or pan-fry.

Cooking this way, I’ve saved a lot of time and energy. But I’ve also been able to savor the pure flavors of different vegetables. Sometimes the simplest preparations are the best. It’s not necessary to make a complicated recipe to take full advantage of the summer’s bounty.

While I was frying up these fritters, I was thinking — does this attitude spill over into other areas of my life? How often do we let the vision of a perfect end result stifle our creativity?

You may have heard the saying, “don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” I agree wholeheartedly. But I challenge the idea that if you’ve given up striving for perfection, the best you can possibly hope to achieve is “good.” Instead, by freeing ourselves from perfectionism, we allow ourselves to play around and make discoveries that might actually be pretty outstanding. Like these fritters!

This recipe is a hybrid of a few recipes. I drew inspiration from Yotam Ottolenghi’s sweet potato cakes and Elise Bauer’s zucchini fritters. Apparently, even though pattypan squash resembles winter squash, it’s basically just a giant, weirdly-shaped zucchini!

Marbled banana bread

I was toasting a piece of this banana bread for breakfast yesterday, and my roommate sniffed the air and asked, “are you baking cookies?” I guess I was busted: with a rich chocolate swirl and a light, buttery crumb, this banana bread is essentially a dessert.

Despite the fact that you’re marbling two batters together, this recipe isn’t much more complicated than normal banana bread.  You really only have to make one batter.  Then, at the last minute, you split the batter in half and stir some cocoa powder and chocolate chips into one half, and cinnamon and a little extra flour into the other half. Easy! Just make sure you split the batter fairly evenly, or one half will be thicker than the other.

Homemade dumplings

Quite obviously, these dumplings do not look perfect. When I finished shaping up the dumplings and put them in the freezer, I was pretty discouraged. But after frying some up and tasting them, I knew it was all worth it. As horribly misshapen and pathetic as my dumplings looked, they tasted just like the real thing! If you let perfectionism or fear of failure stop you from trying new things, you’re seriously missing out.

When I went vegetarian, I knew I was going to miss dumplings. It was a coincidence, but my last meal as an omnivore was dim sum. These dumplings have a pumpkin and scallion filling, an interesting and seasonal vegetarian option. One note: because the filling is relatively smooth, you’ll want to make sure to dice everything carefully. I did more of a rough chop on the ginger, and biting into a huge chunk of ginger was not a great feeling.

Vegetarian chili

These days, it seems like there’s a lot of food masquerading as something it isn’t. Cauliflower pizza crust, low-calorie ice cream, pancakes made from just a banana and an egg. I’m not necessarily opposed to these imposters—I’ve been known to indulge in a veggie sausage from time to time!—but it can be a bit confusing.

Do you think vegetarian chili is “real” chili, or does it fall under a completely different category? Whether you think it qualifies as chili or not, this stew is hearty and packed with wholesome ingredients. You can typically find canned chipotle pepper in adobo if your grocery store carries Goya products. It has a unique smoky and tangy flavor—add more than a tablespoon if you want!

Serves 4-6

From Cookie and Kate

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 poblano peppers, chopped
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into ½-inch cubes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle pepper in adobo
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked black beans
• 1 small can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 2 cups vegetable broth or water

Instructions:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, poblano, and butternut squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are turning translucent.
2. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the garlic, chili powder, chopped chipotle peppers, cumin and cinnamon (if using). Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the bay leaves, black beans, tomatoes, and broth or water. Stir to combine and cover for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. When the mixture is thick and hearty, remove the bay leaves and add salt to taste. Serve with diced avocado, chopped green onions, or other toppings as desired.

Hermit bars

“Hermit bars” are probably one of the more aptly named baked goods. They’re certainly not winning any beauty contests. Some ugly foods at least have intrigue, but molasses and raisin bars? Can you think of anything less sexy?

As a staunch hater of raisins, I was really surprised to find that I love the taste of hermit bars! With plenty of molasses and warm spices, and a fudgy, chewy texture, hermit bars are like the underdog of the dessert world. Be careful not to overbake them!

Double coconut muffins

Can anyone recall why we all went through a phase of thinking coconut oil is healthy?

Really, nutritionally, coconut oil is not too different from butter. It’s loaded with saturated fat and has almost no “good” (mono- and poly-unsaturated) fat, which explains why it’s often solid at room temperature. So in terms of health, you’re much better off with olive oil or vegetable oil than coconut oil.

But I’m not ready to throw out my coconut oil just yet. Its light coconut flavor and rich, buttery texture make coconut oil ideal for certain things, like these flavorful coconut muffins. If you have unrefined (“virgin”) coconut oil, which has a more pronounced flavor, it’d probably be great here. But I always keep refined coconut oil on hand, so that’s what I used!