southern california is my home. and there are few foods we hold more dear in socal than tacos. taco tuesday is pretty much a weekly ritual where i’m from. when you drive by any mexican joint on a tuesday, it is jumping.

and like any good socal girl, i’m always game for tacos.

now, traditionally, they are filled with meat. but there are SOOOO many things you can put in a tortilla to make a delicious taco. and these mixed mushroom tacos are pleasing to vegetarians and meat eaters alike. in fact, my husband who says he needs a protein with every meal wolfed down five of these before i sat down and had a bite.

they were so good, they left me wanting more. so good in fact, i made them twice in three days because i just hadn’t had my fill.

spicy mushroom tacos + green onion chimichurri

serves: 8 tacos

prep time: 20 minutes

active time: 20 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 8 corn tortillas. 1 large portobello mushroom, chopped into 1 inch pieces. 4 ounces crimini mushrooms, chopped into 1 inch pieces. 2 oz shitake mushrooms, chopped into 1 inch pieces. 1 bell pepper (color of your choice), sliced into long, thin pieces. 1 red onion, halved and sliced into .5 inch thick. 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced. 3 garlic cloves, minced. 3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped fine. 1 small shallot, chopped fine. 1 tbs finely chopped cilantro. 1 tbs finely chopped parsley. .5 cup olive oil. 2 limes, sliced into wedges. 2 tbs apple cider vinegar. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp red pepper flakes. large heavy pan. smaller pan for heating tortillas.

start by combining all the mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and the serrano in a large bowl.

drizzle the veggies with half the olive oil and season with half the salt and pepper. toss well till everything is well combined. heat your pan over medium high heat and let it get nice and hot. while the pan is heating,

combine the green onions, the cilantro, parsley, garlic, shallots, the rest of the salt and pepper, the red pepper flakes, the juice of 1 and a half limes and the vinegar in a small bowl.

stir in the remaining olive oil and set the chimichurri aside.

when the pan is very hot, add in the veggies. cook them, stirring every couple minutes until they are browned, softened and all the liquid has cooked out. about 10-12 minutes. while your veggies are cooking, in a smaller pan, heat your tortillas. about 30 seconds a side till they are nice and warmed and place them in a bowl covered by a towel or in aluminum foil.

once your veggies are cooked and tortillas are warmed, start assembling your tacos.

fill them with a good helping of veggies. top them with a spoonful or two of your chimichurri.

squeeze a bit of lime juice on top and enjoy.

spicy mushroom tacos + green onion chimichurri

serves: 8 tacos

prep time: 20 minutes

active time: 20 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 8 corn tortillas. 1 large portobello mushroom, chopped into 1 inch pieces. 4 ounces crimini mushrooms, chopped into 1 inch pieces. 2 oz shitake mushrooms, chopped into 1 inch pieces. 1 bell pepper (color of your choice), sliced into long, thin pieces. 1 red onion, halved and sliced into .5 inch thick. 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced. 3 garlic cloves, minced. 3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped fine. 1 small shallot, chopped fine. 1 tbs finely chopped cilantro. 1 tbs finely chopped parsley. .5 cup olive oil. 2 limes, sliced into wedges. 2 tbs apple cider vinegar. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp red pepper flakes. large heavy pan. smaller pan for heating tortillas.

start by combining all the mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and the serrano in a large bowl. drizzle the veggies with half the olive oil and season with half the salt and pepper. toss well till everything is well combined. heat your pan over medium high heat and let it get nice and hot. while the pan is heating, combine the green onions, the cilantro, parsley, garlic, shallots, the rest of the salt and pepper, the red pepper flakes, the juice of 1 and a half limes and the vinegar in a small bowl. stir in the remaining olive oil and set the chimichurri aside. when the pan is very hot, add in the veggies. cook them, stirring every couple minutes until they are browned, softened and all the liquid has cooked out. about 10-12 minutes. while your veggies are cooking, in a smaller pan, heat your tortillas. about 30 seconds a side till they are nice and warmed and place them in a bowl covered by a towel or in aluminum foil. once your veggies are cooked and tortillas are warmed, start assembling your tacos. fill them with a good helping of veggies. top them with a spoonful or two of your chimichurri. squeeze a bit of lime juice on top and enjoy.

halloween is in our rear view mirror and the season to give thanks is upon us.

i have MUCH to be thankful for this year.

just over three years ago, i took a major leap of faith and let go of my former life in wholesale fashion. i shed my former skin, got certified to teach yoga, started a baking and catering company and got married. the last three years have just been one big first after another.

and sometimes i just burst out in tears with how grateful i truly am. don’t get me wrong, some days, i feel VERY far from where i want to be. financially, with trying to grow our family, with work and personal relationships, sometimes i just feel like i am falling short. but then, i have a moment where i realize that i bake cakes, celebrate people’s special occasions AND get to help people with their physical and mental journeys as a JOB and the tears just come. i am so damn lucky.

i encourage you as you gear up for the holidays, no doubt planning events and searching through recipes just like i am, to take moments here and there to just be grateful. for not just the awesome and wonderful ways your life is sweet, but also those moments where you fall short. it just means your dreams are big and how lucky we are to be able to dream big. to start over. to take that leap of faith.

with that said, with every piece of “wisdom” from this here blog, comes a recipe. i NEVER ate stuffing growing up. until a few years ago i had never even tasted the stuff. and there is no good reason why. as a kid on thanksgiving, it always just seemed like the least appealing of all these amazing food options.

but guess what, stuffing rocks. and part of the reason it rocks, is that you can put a ton of delicious stuff in it, and it’s pretty much always good. i used ingredients i enjoy, but you could easily make a couple tweaks here and there to customize it to make it YOUR perfect stuffing.

kitchen sink stuffing

serves: 10-12

prep time: 15 minutes

active time: 15 minutes

baking time: 30 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 16 cups sourdough bread, sliced into 1 inch cubes. 2 brown onions, diced. 5 celery stalks, diced. 2 pink lady apples, diced. 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 2 tbs finely chopped rosemary. 2 tbs finely chopped .5 cup butter. 2 cups turkey stock (chicken if you can’t get turkey, or veggie if you want to keep it vegetarian). 1 tbs of kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. large pot. aluminum half pan or baking dish.

start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees f. place your bread cubes in your aluminum pan or baking pan. equally divide up your butter into tablespoon sized dollops and place the butter dollops evenly over your bread cubes.

toast your bread in the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through so the bread toasts evenly. when the bread is lightly toasted (some bread pieces will be really crunchy, some will be softer and that’s ok, we want a variety of texture) remove it from the oven and set it aside. while your bread toasts, heat your heavy pot over medium high heat.

when the pot is hot, add in your mushrooms in an even layer and season with a couple pinches of the salt.

let them get really toasty and start to release their juices. about 5 minutes.

when the mushrooms have a nice brown on them, add in the celery, onions and apples. season with half the salt and pepper. sauté your veggies just till the onions are translucent. about 5-7 minutes.

add in the herbs & garlic and stir to combine. cook just till the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. pour a fourth of a cup of stock into the bottom of the pot to scrape up any of the cooked bits off the bottom and allow that the liquid to completely cook off. about 2 minutes.

add your toasted bread and the remaining salt and pepper to the mixture. stir well to combine.

pour the contents of the pot into your baking dish. pour the 2 cups of stock equally over the top of the veggie and bread mixture. now, if you are using the stuffing to actually stuff your bird, here is where you wold stuff the bird with as much of the stuffing as you could get in there.

if not, this is where you bake the stuffing for 25-30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and crunchy. serve hot and enjoy.

xo, a

kitchen sink stuffing

serves: 10-12

prep time: 15 minutes

active time: 15 minutes

baking time: 30 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 16 cups sourdough bread, sliced into 1 inch cubes. 2 brown onions, diced. 5 celery stalks, diced. 2 pink lady apples, diced. 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 2 tbs finely chopped rosemary. 2 tbs finely chopped .5 cup butter. 2 cups turkey stock (chicken if you can’t get turkey, or veggie if you want to keep it vegetarian). 1 tbs of kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. large pot. aluminum half pan or baking dish.

start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees f. place your bread cubes in your aluminum pan or baking pan. equally divide up your butter into tablespoon sized dollops and place the butter dollops evenly over your bread cubes. toast your bread in the oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through so the bread toasts evenly. when the bread is lightly toasted (some bread pieces will be really crunchy, some will be softer and that’s ok, we want a variety of texture) remove it from the oven and set it aside. while your bread toasts, heat your heavy pot over medium high heat. when the pot is hot, add in your mushrooms in an even layer and season with a couple pinches of the salt. let them get really toasty and start to release their juices. about 5 minutes. when the mushrooms have a nice brown on them, add in the celery, onions and apples. season with half the salt and pepper. sauté your veggies just till the onions are translucent. about 5-7 minutes. add in the herbs & garlic and stir to combine. cook just till the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. pour a fourth of a cup of stock into the bottom of the pot to scrape up any of the cooked bits off the bottom and allow that the liquid to completely cook off. about 2 minutes. add your toasted bread and the remaining salt and pepper to the mixture. stir well to combine. pour the contents of the pot into your baking dish. pour the 2 cups of stock equally over the top of the veggie and bread mixture. now, if you are using the stuffing to actually stuff your bird, here is where you wold stuff the bird with as much of the stuffing as you could get in there. if not, this is where you bake the stuffing for 25-30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and crunchy. serve hot and enjoy.