When the cool weather hits, the leaves turn shades of red, gold, and orange, and I’ve got squash on my mind, the one recipe that comes to mind (maybe second to pumpkin bread, if I’m truly honest), is pumpkin sage risotto. This labor of love is fit for a cozy afternoon in, makes an excellent date night dinner, and still hits as leftovers. It’s the food equivalent of a cozy cable knit sweater. It’s my must make fall recipe…

Some of you may recognize this recipe from my e-book, Well, balanced. It has been a staple dinner in our home since recipe development for my e-book and I just couldn’t keep it exclusive any longer! What I love about this recipe is the flavor to effort ratio. Making a good soup is sometimes an all day affair, requiring hours of simmering and stirring. This flavor-packed soup can be ready in 45 minutes and if you're even tighter on time, consider my lazy girl recipe hacks at the end of this page (hint: with a few pre-made substitutes, it could be ready in under a half hour!)

I feel like I say this a lot here, but this is by far one of my favorite recipes to date! I really love a variety of Asian cuisines because of their rich flavors and unique use of vegetables — especially Vietnamese and Chinese. This recipe is a Pan-Asian fusion pairing sweet and salty Chinese Hoisin sauce with a Vietnamese inspired slaw of raw carrots, cilantro, and cucumber.

Hoisin sauce originates in Cantonese cooking as a glaze for meats, an addition to stir fries, or as a dipping sauce for a variety of foods. It’s dark and thick and both sweet and salty with just a hint of spice, often referred to as Chinese barbecue sauce. In this recipe, it lends itself as a glaze for the chicken meatballs and is the central flavor of the dish.

This recipe was originally inspired by a delicious Banh mi sandwich that I had from a local restaurant, Lardo. It’s truly sensational and my favorite part is the fresh veggies they add to the sandwich to balance the richness of the meat. My slaw is my attempt at mirroring that magic — a combination of shredded carrots, sliced cucumber, fresh cilantro, rice wine vinegar, and a punch of tartness from sliced green apples.

You’ll notice that I use store-bought Hoisin in this recipe — I chose to do this for a few reasons. One

Okay, I know what you’re thinking… I do not have the time to sit and make a risotto from scratch! And trust me, I feel you, risotto is definitely a labor of love. But while we’re all sitting at home in “Quarantine 2: Winter Edition” and longing for those warm, comforting meals, when is there a better time to make risotto???

This vegetarian risotto is hearty and savory thanks to the addition of mushrooms that provide a meatiness as well as rich umami (savory) flavor…. When you try this recipe, you’ll be thanking the glutamate gods because it’s truly one for the books. I’ve made this three times in the past month and every time it’s exactly what I need for dinner on a gloomy fall Pacific Northwest evening. The process, although time consuming, is fairly simple and requires just enough skill to impress your friends without making you pull your hair out. So throw on some cozy music, grab yourself a glass of wine (or kombucha), and get cooking! You won’t regret it.