All my St. Louis friends, if you haven’t been to OLIO in Tower Grove, please do yourself a favor and go! It is the perfect spot for a date or night out with your friends and their Israeli cuisine, cocktails and atmosphere are unlike any other. My spiced up Simple Homemade Hummus topped with paprika, fresh herbs, tahini & olive oil is inspired by their King of Kings Hummus - by far the best hummus I’ve ever had. Another one of my favorites from OLIO is the Root Vegetable Tagine. Aromatic, creamy & so delish. This recipe may seem like it has a lot of different ingredients, so feel free to explore different root veggies and if you don’t have all of these spices feel free to use what you have. But I highly recommend incorporating these spices into your spice cabinet! Tagines are traditionally cooked in earthenware pots but I developed this recipe with simplicity in mind for cooking in any kitchen.

So open up a bottle of wine, put on some Leon Bridges and let’s get cooking!

Roasted Root Vegetables

Serves 2-4

2 medium/large sweet potatoes, diced (I like to keep the skin on, but up to you!)

2 medium beets, peeled & diced (2 red or 1 red & 1 golden)

2-3 carrots, peeled & diced (purple & yellow carrots are fun to add too!

2 medium parsnips, peeled & diced

1/2 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped

1/2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1/2 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped

1/2-1 tsp cumin

1/2-1 tsp curry powder

1/2-1 tsp tumeric

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp groung nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2-1 tsp salt

1/2-1 tsp pepper

2-3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Scrub your root veggies clean, peel & cut into approximately 1/2 inch cubes. Place into a large mixing bowl and add the olive oil. In a separate small bowl combine all of your spices/herbs and stir. You can add a bit more or less spice, remember this is your dish, do your thing! Sprinkle the spice mixture over the root veggies & toss to coat. Make sure each cube is glistening & spiced.

Pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread out evenly.

Roast for approximately 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Crank up the heat to 425 degrees for shorter cook time. Your house is going to smell amazing by the way. The veggies are done once tender, golden, slightly crisp, & caramelized.

Creamy Basmati Rice

While your veggies are roasting you can prepare the rice. This rice is super creamy and the perfect complement to this dish. I like to use Lundberg California White Basmati Rice from Whole Foods, either white or brown. But any rice will do!

1 cup white basmati rice (brown works too but will take longer to cook!)

1 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water

1/2- 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk

1/4-1/2 tsp curry

1/4-1/2 tsp turmeric

pinch of salt

In a medium sauce pan combine rice, water or broth (broth adds more flavor!) in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and let simmer on low for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, keep the lid on and let steam for 10 minutes. (May take longer depending on brand) Fluff with fork. Next, turn heat back on low and add in 1/2 cup of almond milk, spices & salt. Stir to combine. I like mine extra creamy so add in more almond milk as desired.

On a large plate, create a bed of rice and top with the roasted root veggies and some chopped fresh herbs. Pour yourself another glass of wine and get ready to ignite your taste buds. This is one of those feel good meals.

Please let me know what you think and if you share on Insta tag me @madebylia & #madesimple.

Guys, I honestly cried over this dish. It tastes SO much better than the "real" thing, its unreal! Capellini is my favorite pasta because it isn't too heavy & cooks super fast! But please feel free to use your pasta of choice. This dish can also be made gluten free!

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients Needed:

1 1/2 - 2 cups cashew alfredo sauce (refer to Cashew Cream Sauce for recipe)

8 -10 oz or roughly half of a 16oz bag of Capellini pasta

1 cup fresh english peas or frozen peas work just as well

1 cup chopped crimini mushrooms

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 cup chopped aruglua

salt & pepper to taste

2 Tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

optional add ins: 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 clove minced garlic

Let's do the dang thing.

In a medium stock pot bring water + 1 teaspoon salt to a boil.

While your water is coming to a boil, in a medium/large skillet sauté 2 Tbsp olive oil, mushrooms & peas (onion/garlic if desired). Sauté until vegetables are slightly softened but still crisp. Deglaze the pan with the 1/2 cup of veggie broth. Just let this hang out & simmer on low.

Once your water has come to a boil, break capellini in half and add to the pot. Stir to ensure the noodles do not stick together. Cook the pasta until al dente, approximately 3 minutes.

Now this is a super important step! DO NOT I repeat DO NOT ever drain your pasta water. It is an essential ingredient to all pasta sauces. I learned this trick from my girl Lidia on PBS Create and I am forever grateful. It makes me happy to now pass on this secret to you!

So, using a pasta ladle or small strainer with a handle, scoop out the pasta directly into the skillet with your veggies and broth. Using tongs stir the pasta allowing all the ingredients to mingle. Then add in your cashew alfredo sauce, about 1/4 cup at a time stirring after each addition. Add in the chopped arugula, stir.

Next, this is where your pasta water comes into play. Start with ladling 2 scoops of the hot pasta water to your pasta. Stir with tongs to make sure all of the noodles are coated with the creamy alfredo. If you like your pasta a bit more saucy, add more pasta water! If you feel it’s too thin then add in more alfredo. And that’s how it’s done! Super creamy, yet light and guilt free capellini & veggie alfredo pasta! So good you will def want seconds!