A Couple Cooks

“‘If the front door is closed, climb in through the window.’ That's my life motto. You don't stop when someone says no. You don't stop when there's a bump in the road. You just have to keep going through it. It's tenacity, grit, and perseverance that gets you to the other side of tough times and to your goal.” Ellen Bennett of Hedley & Bennett lives that inside and out. In just five years, she’s built a multi-million dollar apron company from the ground up. She now sells to 6,000 restaurants all over the world, and counts Martha Stewart and Mario Batali as customers. Hear about her Mexican roots that led her to Mexico City for culinary school, and how she’s propelled herself to the top of her game by age 30. This lady’s got major hustle, and her positive, no-nonsense approach will have takeaways for your kitchen and life.   Ellen Bennett of Hedley & Bennett Hedley & Bennett website Hedley & Bennett on Instagram Ellen on Instagram   Recipes: Homemade sopes with black beans | A Couple Cooks Pi

“It’s one thing to be influenced and inspired by a food tradition, but it’s another thing to believe that’s the only way to do it. When I was in Italy I loved so many things about it, but I knew the most Italian thing I could do was to use things in my backyard.” That’s Chris Bianco, award-winning chef and grandfather of artisan pizza in America. He joins us to chat about his new book, Bianco, and how he went from making pizza in the back of a Phoenix grocery store in the 1980’s to one of the top pizza chefs in the country. Along the way, he shares how to be inspired as a home cook, cook for your eaters, and craft something truly simple. Hear us chat with one of the greats in American pizza-making.   Chris Bianco Pizzeria Bianco website | Instagram Chris Bianco makes pizza with Jimmy Kimmel & Billy Crystal Buy his cookbook >> Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and Other Food I Like   Recipes: Homemade pizza dough (video) | A Couple Cooks White pizza with pecorino, scallions and egg | A Couple Cooks Kale & pista

Feeding yourself is one thing, but feeding other people with various diets and food preferences? It can feel terribly overwhelming. Author and blogger Catherine McCord of Weelicious joins us for this episode to talk about her journey from modeling to culinary school to starting a blog focused on feeding families. We chat about the moment she redefined her career around food, how her son’s health issues disappeared after eating a smoothie per day, and how to adjust to picky eating “seasons”. And, we add few strategies of our own for cooking meals for eaters of all kinds.   Recipes: Grilled shrimp and vegetable skewers | A Couple Cooks Refried bean tacos with chipotle cashew cream | A Couple Cooks Broiled salmon with fruit salad | Weelicious The Smoothie Project | Weelicious   Catherine McCord Website | Instagram | Twitter Her cookbooks: Weelicious Weelicious Lunches   Her organic meal kit delivery service, One Potato Use code “COUPLES25” to get $25 your order. One Potato delivers to the following US state

Food is the great connector—nothing transcends our differences like sharing food around the table. And no one knows that more than Daniel Klein, producer of The Perennial Plate, a James Beard award-winning online documentary series. Daniel has traveled the globe with his filmmaker wife Mirra making short films about sustainable food and the people who make it. He shares his journey from chef to shooting the first season in Minnesota to traveling the word. Along the way, we touch on some big questions: What’s sustainable food, anyway? Should we buy organic? In the current political climate, how do we embrace people different from us and transcend differences? Daniel shares about his latest project telling positive immigrant stories, and we add a story of our own about how sharing food unites us all. All that, and a few new recipes to inspire your kitchen journey.     Recipes: 5 ingredient classic hummus Herby tomato flatbread with rye cracker crust   Daniel Klein, of The Perennial Plate online documentary se

Twenty-one-year old British cooking phenom Izy Hossack started in food at the tender age of 15 with her food blog, Top with Cinnamon. Now an author of two cookbooks with a large Instagram following, she’s a college student who proclaims a message of sensible, balanced eating—which isn’t such a sexy message, she admits. Her latest book, The Savvy Cook, is all about everyday cooking with real, whole foods that even works on a college student’s time table and budget. A student of nutrition science, she’s also passionate about the spread of misinformation and health fads. As she cautions, “Don’t believe anything you read on the internet!” All that, plus her recipe for spaghetti and vegetarian meatballs, and a few cooling summer treats.   Recipes: Vegetarian spinach meatballs with spaghetti Chocolate drizzled peanut butter popsicles Cookie dough glow pops   Izy Hossack, author of Top with Cinnamon Website | Instagram   Get her cookbook: The Savvy Cook!   A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

“Slow it down and enjoy the journey” is author Nicole Gulotta’s motto. She wrote an entire cookbook in the spare time in between her day job and raising her young son. This episode slows it down and explores Nicole’s story, including her journey into the kitchen first for survival and later as a meditative practice. Learn how she made time for things that made her feel alive, like cooking and poetry, and how this evolved into the website and cookbook, Eat This Poem. Plus, a simple and satisfying simple weeknight meal inspired by a poem.   Recipes: Mushroom and brie quesadillas   Nicole Gulotta, writer and author of Eat This Poem Website | Instagram Cookbook: Eat this Poem   A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

This episode’s guest had an office job for 15 years before landing on her dream cooking competition show, Master Chef! It’s Tanorria Askew, quarterfinalist of Season 7 of the show. She shares about how she went from office job to personal chef, what it’s like to be “famous”, and how staring into Gordon Ramsey’s baby blues makes her weak in the knees. She also shares about her passion for diversity and inclusion, and how eating around the table together brings unity even during difficult discussions. Plus, Alex surprises Sonja with her own mystery box challenge right in the A Couple Cooks studio.   Recipes: Coconut bacon Baked shrimp with tomatoes and feta   Garnish like a Salt Bae   Tanorria Askew, Personal Chef and Master Chef Quarterfinalist Website | Instagram Contact Tanorria about a Unity table Join Tanorria on a Master Chef Cruise!   A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

You’ve heard of four seasons, but six? This episode stars Joshua McFadden, chef/owner of the acclaimed Ava Gene’s in Portland. Joshua shares about his massive cookbook project, Six Seasons, intended to teach everyone from first time cooks to foodies how to make seasonal vegetables taste incredible. He also chats about his journey from film school to chef of one of the premier restaurants in the country. Plus, we share how to make raw falafel, and tips for shopping affordably at your local farmer’s market.   Recipes: Raw falafel buddha bowls   Joshua McFadden, Ava Gene’s Chef/Owner (Portland) Website | Instagram   >>Order the cookbook: Six Seasons   A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

Think the Midwest is all cornfields and cow tipping? Shelly Westerhausen, author of the cookbook Vegetarian Heartland, joins us for this episode about adventurous eating in the Midwest. Shelly shares about her story growing up in the Midwest as a vegetarian, and how this overlooked region is full of culture, vibrant food, waterfalls, caves, and forests. We chat recipe ideas galore, and her favorite delicious restaurants in the heartland of America. (Giveaway included!)   Recipes: Vegetarian reuben sandwich Coconut curry shakshuka   Restaurants: Bloomington, Indiana: King Dough | Instagram Siam House Taste of India The Owlery | Instagram   Chicago: The Chicago Diner | Instagram   Shelly Westerhausen, Vegetarian Ventures Website | Instagram | Facebook   >>Order the cookbook: Vegetarian Heartland   A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

Do you find yourself turning to food in times of stress or anxiety? If you’ve ever stress-eaten a pint of ice cream, this episode is for you. We go deep with Kathryne Taylor of Cookie and Kate about emotionally healthy eating and her new cookbook, Love Real Food. We also share a new tacos recipe that’s simple and filling, and a life hack: how to manage your email inbox.   Life Hack: Inbox app for Gmail   Recipes: BBQ bean tacos with pineapple salsa | A Couple Cooks Extra vegetable fried rice | Cookie and Kate   Kathryne Taylor, Cookie and Kate Website | Instagram | Facebook Her cookbook: Love Real Food   Emotionally healthy eating: Survival Tips A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

This episode is all about our favorite sugary syrup: maple! Our quest to learn more takes us to a maple farm in upstate New York, where we learn everything from how it’s made to the confusing grading system (Grade A, Grade B?). Plus a few of our favorite recipes on how to use it, including our most popular one: bliss bites.     How to grow herbs   Recipes: Bliss bites | A Couple Cooks Tart cherry greek yogurt bowl | A Couple Cooks Get your greens pizza | A Couple Cooks   Ben Hoelscher, Roxbury Mountain Maple Website | Order maple A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

This episode we talk with Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez of Hot Bread Kitchen, a social enterprise bakery that employs and empowers immigrant women, providing them with the skills to succeed in the culinary industry. Then, we pitch our own social enterprises, chat about bread salad and hot bread recipes, and Alex rants about coffee.   Recipes: Red lentil curry (mesir wat) | A Couple Cooks Panzanella with cherry tomatoes and bell peppers | A Couple Cooks Garlic herb focaccia bread | A Couple Cooks   Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez, Hot Bread Kitchen Website | Instagram | Order bread   Books: Hot Bread Kitchen, Artisanal Baking from Around the World   Jessamyn speaks at The Patachou Foundation Speaker’s Forum in Indianapolis on April 27 -- order tickets here! A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter  

Israeli-born chef Einat Admony is one of the few female chefs who is a wife, mother, cookbook author, and owner of not just one but three successful Israeli restaurants in New York City. She joins us in this episode to chat about what a balaboosta is (and how to be one), tasty falafel and tahini, and her relentless passion for cooking for people she loves. Plus, we chat about fearless cooking and a few Mediterranean-inspired recipes of our own.   Recipes: Baked falafel salad bowl | A Couple Cooks Falafel patties with harissa yogurt | A Couple Cooks   Books: Balaboosta by Einat Admony   Chef Einat on Instagram   Restaurants Taim (NYC) Balaboosta (NYC) Bar Bolonat (NYC)   A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

In this episode, we share another big announcement, one that starts with c and ends with ookbook! We give you an update on how parenthood is treating us, then catch up with Laura Wright to chat about her book The First Mess, a book full of delicious plant-based recipes. She shares her journey of learning to eat vegetables, volunteering in community cooking classes, and then starting a blog to share them with the world.   Recipes: Fudgy Vegan Brownies Moroccan Chickpea Stew   Books: The First Mess by Laura Wright   Laura Wright | The First Mess Website | Instagram   A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

In this episode, we share a BIG announcement. Then, Sonja sits down for a heart-to-heart with Jessica Murnane to chat about her new cookbook, One Part Plant. A few years ago after some extreme symptoms, Jessica transitioned to a plant-based diet, which significantly improved her endometriosis. Now, she challenges us all to eat one plant-based meal per day. Plus, some behind the scenes on writing a cookbook, and what foods can make you nicer.   Recipes: Mexican fried rice nachos   Books: One Part Plant by Jessica Murnane   Jessica Murnane Website | Instagram One Part Podcast The Cookbook Deal Podcast   A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

In honor of that love holiday, this episode is all about cooking with those you love. To kick things off, we play the Newlywed Game to see how well we know each other after 10 years! We share our tips for how to have a successful cooking date—and our experience with a cooking date gone wrong. Plus, our favorite heart-shaped foods and our newest recipe for a simple, stunning dessert. (Extra points if you count how many times we say love in this episode.)   The newlywed game But really: Is it desert or deserted island?   Recipes: Salmon en papillote Heart-shaped pizzas All natural pink swirled chocolate bark Cacio e pepe pasta 10 romantic Valentine’s Day recipes   Our FANCY PIZZA PEEL (works like a charm)   Books: Date Night In by Ashley Rodriguez   A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

“If you’re alive, you’re a creative person,” says Elizabeth Gilbert in Big Magic. That said, this episode is all about creativity in the kitchen, whether you think you’re creative or not! Our guest is Tess Masters of The Blender Girl, who’s full of interesting ideas on how to keep the kitchen fresh. Hear about Tess’s new cookbook, her favorite global flavor inspirations, and some crazy smoothie flavors (dill pickle?), along with our recipe ideas for creative riffing on a theme.   Recipes: Vegan Banana French Toast (The Blender Girl) Thai Curry Naan Pizza Mexican Pizza Hot Wings Hummus Shocking Pink Beet Hummus Dark Chocolate Hummus   Books: Get it! The Perfect Blend | Tess Masters Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear |  Elizabeth Gilbert   Tess Masters, The Blender Girl Website | Instagram | Facebook A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

It all started with our neighbor’s question: if I’m supposed to eat “real food”, what do I bring to the office for lunch? In this episode we unpack the term real food and what it means in real life. Author and blogger Lisa Leake of 100 Days of Real Food shares the story of taking her family on a 100-day challenge, including tips for how to help picky eaters learn a love for whole foods. And of course, lots of recipes and laughter.   Recipes: Chickpea Salad Hot Wings Hummus Curried Red Lentils or Quick Coconut Curry Lentils with Greens   Books: Get it! 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous | Lisa Leake In Defense of Food | Michael Pollan Food Rules | Michael Pollan French Kids Eat Anything | Karen Le Billon   Lisa Leake, 100 Days of Real Food: Blog | Instagram | Facebook   A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

It’s a new year, and for many of us that means gray skies and cold weather. In this episode, we chat about survival techniques: theme words for 2017, how to stay cozy (hygge), and embracing warm, nourishing foods. Sonja has a fireside chat with recurring guest Melissa Coleman of The Fauxmartha, and we share soup recipes, book picks, and workout recommendations to keep you going through the winter months.   Melissa Coleman is The Fauxmartha: Website | Instagram | Facebook   Our podcast about “hygge” was Episode 3   Recipes: Tomato artichoke lentil stew | A Couple Cooks Creamy coconut curry pantry soup | A Couple Cooks Sweet potato soup with harissa and greens | A Couple Cooks Pomegranate spice “hygge” cocktail | A Couple Cooks   Books: 11/22/63 | Stephen King The Book Thief | Markus Zusak   Workout videos: Best Abs Ever | Rebecca Louise 45-Minute Cardio + Toning Workout | Jeanette Jenkins A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter

There are many ways to fight hunger -- but through fashion? In this episode we’re highlighting two inspirational organizations doing work here in America and around the globe: The Patachou Foundation and Half United. Plus, a few new recipes and a giveaway open to everyone around the globe!   Tomato artichoke soup | A Couple Cooks Red beans and rice | A Couple Cooks Very verde dip | A Couple Cooks   Matthew Feltrop is Executive Director of The Patachou Foundation | Instagram   Christian Black is Founder of Half United | Instagram   Giveaway: Fighting hunger necklace >> and we’ll ship to anywhere in the world! A Couple Cooks on Instagram and Twitter