A peanut noodle salad recipe featuring soba noodles punctuated with spring onions, tofu, peanuts, and asparagus. Serve it up family-style on a platter at a potluck, party, or buffet - it holds up perfectly at room temp.

This is the farro salad I took to Jack's first birthday party. My favorite citrus Parmesan vinaigrette dressed a bowl of healthy salad greens, plump farro grains, crumbled goat cheese and almonds.

This quirky, yet amazing black bean brownie recipe delivers deliciously dense, bite-sized squares of melt-in-your-mouth fudge-textured brownies.

This baked pasta recipe features vibrant flecks of chopped spinach and lemon zest, toasted almond slices and oozy, bubbly cheese all enveloping sturdy little pasta shells.

This breakfast polenta recipe is creamy, comforting and receptive to many add-in flavors and textures. For this version I served small bowls of fluffy yellow polenta topped with toasted almonds, jewel-colored dried fruits, and a drizzle of cream and honey.

A favorite (and quick) tofu scramble recipe using shaved fennel, caramelized onions spices and dried fruit, and then counter-balancing those flavors with cilantro and chopped nuts.

A variation on my favorite egg salad recipe, this version uses plain yogurt in place of mayo and incorporates curry powder, chopped apples, toasted pecans, and minced chives.

A homemade powerbar recipe packed with lots of toasted nuts and coconut, crisped rice and ground espresso beans. Video how-to as well as written instructions.

One of my favorite tofu recipes, caramelized strips of tofu served over sauteed shredded brussels sprouts. It come together quickly and uses just one pan.

Vegan Caesar salad recipe from best-selling authors Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero - no eggs, no dairy. Delicious, creamy lemon-caper dressing and garlic croutons.

One of my favorite party-friendly ways to use hazelnuts. This butter-toasted hazelnut recipe uses toasted butter, fresh tyme and lemon and orange zest to add a simple yet sophisticated twist to a nut bowl.

A twist on the shortbread recipe I included in my book -perfectly golden pine nuts and just enough rosemary and lemon zest to infuse the buttery sweet dough with fragrance and flavor.

This lovely, jeweled pomegranate salad recipe is from Samuel and Samantha Clark's book Moro East - toasted walnuts, celery, mint, parsley, and garlic. An easy, delicious, and a pretty addition to any table.

Plump raviolis tossed with toasted hazelnuts, sauteed ribbons of chard, and caramelized onions are at the heart of this ravioli salad recipe. The colorful platter is finished off with a dusting of cheese, snipped chives, and lemon zest. You can prepare most of the components ahead of time.

Favorite, easy pumpkin pie recipe. Made from a rich, roasted pumpkin and coconut milk base, and baked in a hazelnut-lined crust - delicious!

This millet bake recipe is a largely hands-off, winter squash-based casserole that uses golden millet, baked squash, pumpkin seeds and jewel-toned cranberries. A perfect Thanksgiving recipe for those of you collecting ideas.

A wonderful farro and roasted butternut squash recipe. Balsamic roasted butternut squash, deeply toasted walnuts, and nutty farro come together in this delicious recipe.

Golden, puffy, sun-dried tomato, and cottage cheese muffins. High in protein, low in carbs, they are a great, satisfying way to start the day.

Indonesian red rice salad with boiled eggs and macadamias. Riveting to look at, with a wonderfully complex array of flavors and textures to enjoy.

A favorite caramel recipe yielding dozens of generously espresso-flecked caramels that you can individually wrap. They have a deliciously subtle undercurrent of sea salt and are great for the holidays.

A great way to use nutritious quinoa. This quinoa and grilled zucchini recipe is tossed with a pretty, pale green cilantro-flecked avocado dressing.

Ultimate zucchini bread - green-lined strands of shredded zucchini, lemon zest, poppy seeds, and fragrant notes of coriander, cumin, and clove make this a very special zucchini bread recipe.

A tasty white bean salad topped with toasted walnuts, crumbled cheese, and a hint of citrus. Makes a good side dish, a satisfying lunch, or light dinner.

Carrots tossed in a honey-kissed orange dressing, punctuated by toasted pine nuts, black olives and a hint of cumin.

Creamy tarragon spiked yogurt pistachio sauce combined with sweet green peas.

A big bowl of asparagus, sauteed garbanzos, chopped onions, toasted almonds, tossed with brown rice and drizzled with a bit of garlic-tahini dressing.

A fudge brownie recipe packed with optional add-ins including freshly ground espresso beans, toasted walnuts, and mashed extra-ripe banana.

This favorite, stunning, vibrant pesto recipe was taught to me by my friend Francesca's mother who came to visit recently - handchopped basil, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil and pinenuts.

Trying to improve on typical pasta salads, this ravioli salad recipe features ricotta-stuffed raviolis, asparagus, peas, spinach, and toasted pine nuts.

This quinoa recipe shows you how I might clean out my fridge - white quinoa, potatoes, onions, toasted nuts, and asparagus.

A hearty, fragrant, savory stuffing recipe punctuated with a pop of sweet from decadent dried figs. Made from herb bread, cranberries, apple juice, onion, dried figs, walnuts, butter, and vegetable stock.

A hearty, yeast-based bread made from a butter-kissed dough that has been supplemented with ground toasted peanuts, chile powder and cumin. The base liquid is coconut milk which adds another layer of flavor, richness and moisture.

Couscous, apples, curry powder, butter, mint, toasted pine nuts and green onions are highlighted in this dynamic, colorful couscous recipe.

My favorite coconut rice recipe - rich, fragrant, and just sticky enough.

A good Mexican wedding cookie recipe results in a tender nutty, butter-based cookie topped with an extravagant blizzard of powdered sugar.

Great for dipping with olive oil, this dukkah recipe is a crumbly nut and spice blend typically associated with Egypt - hazelnuts, cariander seeds, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, fennel seeds, dried mint leaves, and salt.

A twist on the traditional peanut butter cup. It uses all-natural ingredients and instead of peanut butterthe chocolate shell envelopes Brazil nut butter.

This candied walnut recipe was is the perfect solution to a New Years Eve hors d'oeuvres dilemma. Made with walnuts, sea salt, black pepper, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and powdered sugar.

My sister Heather teaches me her favorite toffee recipe. It is peppered with toasted pecans and slathered with a thin layer of chocolate on each side.

Sean Baker, the sous chef at Millennium restaurant, teaches a hearty, vegan mushroom, celery root, potato gratin recipe at the farmers' market. Cozy food for cold weather.

If you like a serious chocolate chip cookie, this is the recipe. A high chip to dough ratio guarantees lots of chocolate in every bite, and the walnuts add crunch, density, and a delicious flavor to the overall mix. They are that good.

A lovely salad recipe utilizing a vibrant citrus and Parmesan vinaigrette. I did a demo of this salad at the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmers Market.

This healthy, colorful Sicilian broccoli and cauliflower pasta recipe comes from chef Tracy Bates at The Oxbow School in Napa - the students there love it.