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Citrus Basil Green Sauce
I don’t know what to call this but you need it. 
Ok so. This is incredibly simple but very life-changing, probably. I’m a really huge fan of sauces and condiments in general. Having them around makes it really simple to amp up any regular dinner. Grilled chicken and roasted veggies becomes special with a balsamic drizzle and some fresh herbs. Seared salmon and rice is amplified with pesto, that kind of thing. So this! This is a very garlicky, vegan green sauce with lime, lemongrass, and basil at the base. I hesitate to call it Thai, necessarily, but it goes GREAT with all types of far-east flavors, so there’s that.
Hence, a basil green sauce instead of a Thai green sauce. Whatever it is, though, you definitely need to make a batch and drizzle it all over your LIFE for the next week or so.
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National Pasta Day
IT WAS 47 DEGREES OUTSIDE LAST NIGHT. And also when I woke up this morning. Beck didn’t know what to do; we (I) teach yoga early on Tuesdays at the Y so we were out the door at 7:30 when it was definitely still chilly outside, and she was huddled in my armpit like she was going to die. It was so stinking cute, and it occurred to me that she doesn’t REMEMBER it getting cold ever because duh she’s not even two. So this is like her first winter even though it is her third winter. I’m quite excited for her, she’s super into jackets and zippers and buttons at the moment. 
So, with this finally-cool first day of seasonally appropriate weather, you can imagine how especially psyched out of my mind (name that movie!) I was to hear on the radio this morning that it is National Pasta Day! And, yes, that is overshadowed by the fact that it is National Pasta MONTH, and also that it is about 18 other things this month, and that every day seems to have some kind of food-related recognition which honestly is just taking inclusion to a crazy level. But, I really love pasta and I adore pasta when it is cooler outside, so we’re going with it.
If I was any good at planning ahead I’d have a new pasta recipe for you but HAHAHAHA yeah right. I DO, however, have a new eggplant pasta with bacon + mascarpone cheese in the works so maybe we’ll get to that this month, during National Pasta Month. Of course.
In the meantime, though, here are some of my really really really favorite pasta recipes. Some seasonal, some perfect for all-year, and one or two that don’t involve pasta for the low-carb lovers in your life. Something for everyone!
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Red Lentil Dhal
BECAUSE FALL SO ORANGE EVERYTHING. 
Finally it is less than 90 degrees here, which means I’ve been freezing for most of the day, no joke. It was in the mid 80’s all weekend, hit 90 more than once last week, and tonight is going to drop down to 47F, riddle me that. The temperature drop has made me wrestle internally with Beck’s sleeping situation; she’s old enough for blankets but I have irrational fears of EVERYTHING killing her, so is a sleep sack and our favorite jammies enough? The answer is of course yes because she 1. doesn’t sleep outside and 2. sleeps perfectly soundly all night long, but that doesn’t stop me from ruminating on the subject for no reason at all.
So we need some lentils to warm us up and to help us sleep better? Nice transition there.
These lentils are so legit, though. Indian food is one of our absolute favorites in almost any form; we eat something with Indian flavors (which is a huge range, luckily for me) at least once a week, and one of our favorite things to do on super busy nights is to order Indian takeout knowing that we’ll have a delicious dinner asap and leftovers for a day or two. Curry reheats well, is my point.
These lentils are similarly comforting, but don’t include any meat or animal products. I use chicken stock to make mine, but you can make this dish entirely vegan if you use vegetable stock instead. The spices in the lentils make the entire dish taste so warm, and the lentils I have cooked in 15 minutes or so, so the end result of the dish felt very slow-cooked and cozy while just taking a few minutes. I love these alone with cilantro and a lime wedge, but with rice, naan, or as part of a larger Indian meal would be really perfect as well.
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