Feasting at Home is a whole foods recipe blog celebrating the fresh vibrant produce that surrounds us! My hope is that this website will be a useful resource to inspire you to create your own simple healthy feasts at home and with others.
Where healthy meets delicious! || Contact: [email protected]
Hi! I’m Sylvia Fountaine, professional chef, former restaurant owner, and caterer, recently turned full-time blogger, based in the Pacific Northwest, and here is where you’ll find hundreds of seasonal, veggie-driven, globally-inspired, whole-food recipes.
Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, paleo, keto, flexitarian or omnivore – we can all agree on one thing: cooking meals from scratch, using fresh wholesome ingredients is one of the most nourishing gifts we can give ourselves and our families.
And you’ve been telling me how challenging this can be! Many of you lack the time, energy or inspiration. Some of you are bored and stuck in a rut, or perhaps somewhere along the way, lost your love of cooking. Believe me, I’ve been there and I totally get it.
Working in the food industry for over 25 years (first with Mizuna, then with Feast Catering Co.) I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade to help cooking become a little more simple and enjoyable.
Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated, stressful or require hours of time. Wholesome meals can be easy and approachable, without compromising flavor or beauty. I’m so excited to share how!
My goal is to help you feel successful in the kitchen and perhaps cooking can even become the best, most relaxing and creative part of your day. A joy instead of a chore.
Food Philosophy:
Though I try to eat mostly plant-based (see my Plant-Based Recipe Guide), I don’t judge or label foods as “good” or “bad.” I simply try to eat foods that make me feel energetic, alive, light and joyful. These are usually plants!
Even though I had a vegetarian restaurant for 10 years and often eat plant-based during the week, as a chef I want to try and experience everything. So I don’t like to label myself or create rules for myself. I’m also married to a wonderful carnivore, Brian. Sometimes I’ll adapt our meals so he can have meat, and keep mine vegetarian- one meal, two ways.
- Know that I will never try to convince you to eat one way or another… what you eat is your business! I understand there are many paths to health. We are all so different genetically, and our bodies have different needs. My husband does better with a low-carb, high-protein diet, but I do better with a low-fat Mediterranean Diet. There is no one right way for everyone. I do love sharing things I stumble on, but there is never any pressure, ever! I really have no agenda here. I just want your food to taste good! Haha! 😉
- As a chef, what inspires me most is seasonal, local produce. This is because local produce, grown in its true season, as close to YOU as possible, always has the BEST flavor! This is because it doesn’t have to travel as far as conventional grocery store produce- so it’s allowed a little more time to ripen on the tree or vine and develop more flavor.
- When you start with ripe seasonal ingredients at their peak of flavor, they can be treated so simply in the kitchen. Not only will the end result taste better, but it’s also a beautiful way to embrace the seasons and cycles of the earth. A very grounding way of cooking and being in the world. (Tip: It is the one thing you can begin doing immediately that will elevate your cooking.)
- Many recipes are globally-inspired. I’m hearing that you are very intrigued by global cuisines, but are turned off by complicated processes or hard-to-find ingredients. I was raised in Los Angeles by a Finnish mother and Egyptian father, both right “off the boat.” We traveled extensively and they both loved to cook and entertain. They were also very frugal- every single thing was made from scratch, nothing was wasted, yet somehow they created the most amazing meals. They showed me how the humblest of ingredients could be turned into a feast, utilizing a wide array of vegetables and herbs and spices. When my husband Brian and I travel, it always revolves around food and culture. We love experiencing different, often exotic, cuisines, learning new techniques and I am so excited to share this with you! That’s why you’ll find a lot of globally-inspired recipes here.
- AND YES, occasionally I’ll throw in a few recipes that may not seem very “healthy” on the surface, because I’ve found… there are times in one’s life when “comfort food” is actually comforting, on a soul level. When my sweet old mom passed away several years ago, my dear friend Sonna brought over her Four-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese. It was the only thing that would go down after days of not eating. To this day, I believe that was the most healing, nurturing thing I could have put into my body at that time – and I’ve never forgotten it.
Cook simple and smart:
ADAPTABLE RECIPES: With so many mixed households – vegans and meat-eaters – both living under the same roof, cooking can get so complicated. So I’ve started creating “adaptable” recipes to help make cooking easier (one meal, two ways) and hopefully enjoyable again. For more of these kinds of recipes – visit the “Adaptable” category.
WEEKNIGHT DINNERS: Most of you have shared how short on time you are. I get it. Most of the recipes here in the last few years are geared towards you- time-saving, healthy recipes. I created a category just for you “Fast and Easy” Weeknight Dinners.
Other Posts you may find helpful: “Make Life Simple” Sheet Pan Dinners, Instant Pot Recipes and Packable Healthy Lunches!
Cooking is Nourishing (to the soul):
There are days like Sundays when some of us truly enjoy spending time in the kitchen while something slow roasts in the oven for hours – and you’ll find those recipes here too because they are nourishing on a soul level. Cooking, if we allow it, can center and ground us, and bring us back to ourselves. In this day and age, we need this.
Even back when I was catering, after big stressful events on my days off when I felt totally exhausted, I would often find myself back in my home kitchen simply making a pot of soup or baking a loaf of bread. Cooking can be incredibly restorative and healing when we allow ourselves the time to be present.
And for some, cooking is the one creative thing we get to do during the day. Soul-satisfying! My hope is that you experience this incredible joy for yourself. I like to think what we put into our bodies becomes a part of us. Not just the food itself, but the energy we put into the food. It can be such a loving thing… cooking. A grounding place to be when the world feels as if it is crumbling around us.
This is why I share quotes here on the blog, little nudges to go within and simply listen because the deepest truths can be found inside ourselves. Cooking has become a gentle practice for me to still my thoughts, become present, reconnect with the peace within. When I do this, not only does it help restore me, it inevitably affects those around me, without even saying a word. People, especially those who live with us, can feel our energy. This simple act affects those around us and carries into the rest of the evening.
Cook with Us!
I’m so excited to have you be a part of our community! Subscribe to the blog below, and receive a free gift (my Plant-Based Recipe Guide) then only one email a week, on Saturday mornings with my latest recipes. Be sure to check your spam folder or promotions tab, if you don’t see them. That is it! There is no cost, it is totally FREE to everyone. (Wondering how this is free? Scroll down.)
We’ve Been Featured On:
Huffington Post, Fitness Magazine, Buzzfeed, Good Housekeeping, Pure Wow, The Kitchn, Brit.co, My Domaine, Country Living Magazine, Eating Well, Self, The Every Girl, Elle (France), Prevention, Self, Women’s Health Magazine, Shape, The Feed Feed, Tasty Co., Taste of Home, Delish, Food Revolution, Parade, Domino, Simple Most
Comments from our community members:
“I have been following your blog and emails for many months now. Your pictures are inspiring, your recipes are DELICIOUS, and I don’t know what I’d do without you! I have two small kids, a crazy busy work schedule, and I rely on your recipes to feed my family – literally! I have used many different sites to inspire my cooking, but yours has been consistently the BEST. I just wanted to thank you – you keep me going!!” Christina
Sylvia! I have to tell you that my husband was just referred to a cardiologist who is starting him on a cholesterol-lowering med, so I am now even more diligent about menu planning for us. Your veggie-leaning recipes are absolutely the way I want to eat – and he has recently embraced tofu and the extra veggies in our meal rotation – many of them from your delicious recipes. I will be leaning heavily on you for interesting, tasty, healthy recipes to feed my protein-, spice-, and flavor-loving man. 🙂 I know I’ve thanked you many times, but thanks again for your talent, creativity, beautiful photos, and generosity in sharing it all with us! ~Lori Decker
“Your recipes have helped change the way I cook, shop, and eat. I used to love overly complicated French cooking—expensive, time-consuming, and a little risky when guests are coming. Now life is simpler, healthier, and far tastier! I love that I have things in my kitchen like miso, sumac, zaatar, dashi, coriander…and that I use them regularly. They used to be mysterious and “off-limits.” Not anymore. I think we (society) can be a little too precious about food. I love what you say about not moralizing it. It’s truly a privilege to have access to fresh produce and high-quality food items. I really do rejoice in food. It’s a thrill to prepare really healthy dishes and watch people I care for scrape their plates clean and marvel at flavors and combinations they never expected to like, let alone crave. That’s thanks to you!”
“Your blog has been most helpful in the following ways: Sheet pan meals are a revelation. The sauces make all the difference in the world. The versatility and adaptability of your recipes are a dream. The new flavors are exciting, like Indian and Asian. You make it so easy to use tofu, which I love but used to have difficulty preparing in a way that tasted as good as at restaurants. Your turmeric broth is a staple. I make it at least once a month. ” Susanna
“I found you online 18 months ago and I love, love, love all the recipes I have tried so far and my husband can’t be happier. My husband and our guests thank you over and over. Who thought I would get goosebumps from reading your recipes! P.S. I’m 71 years old and never enjoyed cooking until I found you! Love at the first recipe❤”
“Thank you for giving your recipes life and bringing your creations out into the world! They bring back a new-found joy for cooking and I feel extremely inspired to try out many more and come up with new ideas myself. May you keep on inspiring others along with you. You surely did with me.” Caroline
How this content is ” free”:
In order for us to provide FREE content, we generate income through advertising on the site. Thank you for understanding, I know the ads can be annoying. To avoid the ads, feel free to use the “skip to recipe” button at the top of each post. If the ads ever get too invasive, or inappropriate just drop me an email with a screenshot (very helpful). I don’t advocate political ads- so if they are in here they have “slipped in” without my consent. Again, please let me know. [email protected]
We also generate income through affiliate links to various sponsors and sites like Amazon.
We also have an online store called Bowl and Pitcher.
How to BEST Support the Blog:
One of the BEST and easiest ways to support the blog, is to simply comment and rate the recipes! This encourages others to try the recipes too. Sharing how you adapt a recipe is very helpful and useful to others as well- a win-win for all. I also value your feedback on each recipe- it helps me understand how to make the recipes better and this site the most useful to you.
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Questions and Feedback:
I always love hearing from you. So feel free to email me at [email protected], or simply hit “reply” when you get your Saturday morning emails and tell me your thoughts on how to better serve you! Seriously!
Discovered your site while searching for a good Zaatar mixture. As a retired chef/teacher, I am impressed with the well thought out and carefully explained information for each recipe. While, not a vegetarian, about 25% of my favorite dinner guests are,( not so much during Covid though), so finding new ways to present delicious meals for all of us is a constant quest. Your site is very intriguing, because you include everyone, from carnivore to vegan. I can’t wait to experiment with your vast library of recipes. Thanks.
Thanks Joe!
HI Sylvia – Our group of KindWorkers (https://www.dokindworks.org/simply-soup-saturdays/) is scheduled to make your delicious chicken tortilla soup in a couple of weeks – we cook in community (via Zoom) and for community (delivering hundreds of quarts of fresh homemade soups to families in need). Would you join us?? be the Guest Chef leading the recipe that day? It’s only an hour – Saturdays from 5-6pm. We’re tentatively scheduling that soup for Jan 23rd, but can reschedule to make it work for your schedule. Would love to introduce our amazing group to you and your amazing food blog! Also, since we cook over zoom, you could invite all of your followers to join and share in their own communities if they would like! (Join our KINDdemic!!) Thanks for considering and letting me know!
Thanks Deb- appreciate you thinking of me for this. We will be on vacation for several weeks around then for my b-day.
Have a Happy Birthday! Stay Safe!!
Thanks Deb!
Love the sourdough starter recipe and the bread. I make it a couple times a week. One question though: I do not use all the discard and would like to reduce the volume of my starter. I feel like I am wasting a lot of flour. Would it work to reduce (by 1/2) the amount of saved starter, water, and flour on the next feeding and continue those amounts with each feeding?
Yes, that will work!
I have just discovered your blog two days ago…and already made 3 dishes. This is amazing! Thank you for inspiring and sharing your marvellous recipes with the rest of us :)))
Thanks so much- very happy you are here!
I tried your Middle Eastern Instant Pot Lamb Stew and it was sensational! I loved it even froze some for another day. Fab to have found you. Looking forward to trying further recipes!!
Thanks Debbie!
Oh my gosh, I’ve been on your site for an hour now drooling over all of these unique recipes. As a fellow PNWer who tries to cook mostly vegetarian, I’ve found it challenging to find appealing winter recipes when I want food that is also warm and comforting. There are so many options here I’m literally swooning with happiness and can’t wait to test them in the New Year! Thank you for the creative and delicious options, and the inspirational food photography. I’m officially a fan!
thanks Laura, happy you are here!
I really enjoyed the Tuscan bean soup. I like your quotes, too!
I agree that traveling , especially to beautiful places like Tuscany, does help us to slow down and appreciate life through a certain lens.
Can’t wait to be able to travel again!
Thank you! This soup was a great way to start the New Year!
PS I live down a dirt road in Southern Oregon, but I grew up in NYC . Travel and food are some of life’s gifts for sure!
So happy you enjoyed this- and can’t wait until travel feels normal again.
I am so happy that I discovered you Sylvia! I will never buy enchilada sauce again. Your recipe was so delicious and easy! My family also loved the Veggie Frittata. We have a garden and do eat a lot of vegetables. While I cook most evenings, sometimes I am so busy that when I have a surplus of veggies (and I have already given some away to my favorite neighbor), if I don’t use them in a recipe or just roast them, they can sit there for a while (and then I feel guilty if they go bad). Now, you have inspired me with many new easy ways to cook my veggies. Thank you and happy 2021!
Happy New Year Debra!
HI – you often say that there are videos… but i cant find any links to them. Please what am i doing wrong? Particularly this recipe
how to make butternut risotto (on the stovetop) | 60-sec video
Sorry if its obvious and I am missing something.
Hi Jane, do you have your ad blocker turned on? that might be the cause. Usually, the video pops up about 2-3 paragraphs after the first photo. There is a title that says “watch the video” or something like that and it should pop up right there. But if you have an ad blocker, it will not show. You can change this in your browser’s preferences. You could also try a different browser? Like Safari, or Chrome…not sue what you are using.
Dear Sylvia,
I just found your site two days ago and I already know that I’m here to stay. I have been searching for exciting new plant-based recipes, and my search is now over. I already shared your site with my two vegan daughters. I like your food philosophy and globaly-inspired recipes. I tried your Lentil Tabouli recipe yesterday and ate it again today. Although I have made Tabouli throughout all my life (I am Lebanese), I never made it with lentils and 7-spices before. It was delicious! I just read your blog about your mother’s story and it touched me deeply, and greatly surprised me, because of the similarity to my story (only I made that same decision at half her age). I am also a nurse. Thank you for sharing her story and for your beautiful work. I just subscribed to your blog and I’m looking forward to your updates.
Thanks Batoul- so happy you are enjoying the blog!
Dear Sylvie,
I don’t know how I found your blog, but it was sometime earlier in 2020, and your blog and recipes have brought so much flavour, colour, and love to our dinner table experience. I feed a family of seven, and as much as I don’t like to get stuck in a rut, I was doing some serious survival cooking. Your recipes are fairly simple, so I can make them on a week night, but the flavours have gotten me excited about food again. (I made the vegetarian biryani for supper tonight, for the second time, and we are trying the manicotti recipe for a non-traditional Christmas) Your pictures and blog are beautiful, and your heart shines through. What you do makes a difference. Thank-you and Happy Holidays from snowy Smithers, BC
Awww thanks, I appreciate this. All the best to you Haidi. Happy sunny holidays. xoxo
can’t wait to make the beet cabbage saurkraut as i love beets and need a tasty relish for all my dishes and gut help! this is great simple recipe I can actually follow!
THANKS!
Your blog and recipes have been my saving grace this year! I was diagnosed with celiac disease in January, ate corn tortillas for about a month, then found your blog. Our family couldn’t be more grateful. Your recipes have so much flavor, depth, and are full of nutritious, healthy ingredients.
Before finding your blog, I was bored in the kitchen, cooked the same routine meals, added the same items to my grocery cart and put zero thought into what I was serving the family for dinner. Now, I meal-plan for the whole month, enjoy hunting for specialty items at a few different local stores and love having my fridge stocked full of fresh produce. I’m pretty sure we always have a batch of chimichurri sauce ready to add to anything! Thank you! I’m a huge fan and will continue to follow you and cook whatever recipes you share!
Thanks Theresa, I’m so glad the blog has given you the inspiration to work around your dietary challenges. Cooking can be so creative and healing if we allow ourselves to think of that way. All the best on your health journey and so happy you are here.
I have tried to create my own sourdough starter following your recipe/video. All goes great up until Day 3, when action completely stops – no bubbles – nothing. If I wait for action – the starter just goes bad. I weigh everything and keep temperatures tightly controlled – but no luck. I’ve tried three times and the same result every time. Any thoughts?
Brice, I sent you an email. 🙂
I had wanted to become vegan for a long time but hadn’t been able to find food that satisfied and nurture me. Your vegan recipes are by far the best out there, and I am so happy to finally be able to have a vegan diet without sacrificing any of the flavor and fun. Thank you so much.
Thanks so much Claudia!
I love your blog thank you for all you do. Happy Holidays.
Thanks so much!
Massala chai…. Spot on. So good I thought you were from India!
I think I may be, in another life. 😉
PLEASE MAKE AN EASY RECIPE FOR VEGGIE BURGERS.
(SOMEHOW I JUST CAN’T EAT ANIMALS ANY LONGER.)
EGGS DARY OK. (FOR NOW ANYWAY!)
I have a recipe made with garbanzo beans, but it isn’t very good; and a lot of work.
THANK YOU.
Hi Summer, I hear you and have another one in the works. There a couple on the blog. Have you tried the Blackbean Burger?
Pulla! Sylvia, you might have provided the recipe that will replicate my Swedish Mormor’s “coffee bread”, with its soothing cardamom scent and its opportunity to be eaten as a slice of sweet delight with with butter slathered on top, or cut and re-baked to make skorpor – what we kids called “skorps” – to be dunked quickly into a warm beverage before each bite.
Mormor had immigrated to Seattle in about 1905, recruited as a housemaid. She later had her own small family and eventually lived with my parents and us kids, surviving to her early 90s. Maybe cardamom and butter are the keys to a long life! 😉
BTW, my dad’s parents were immigrants from Finland in the late 1800s!.
Interesting! Yes butter and cardamom are heavenly. 🙂
More about spice: About 10 years ago my husband and I were in Sri Lanka and visited the Botanical Gardens near the old capital, Kandy one afternoon. As we strolled along, I suddenly noticed the distinct aroma of cardamom. I was enchanted with the nostalgic spice odor, of course, and found that there was a grove of cardamom trees – a bit of heaven for me! Today, part of my afternoon involved roasting some green cardamom pods, then painstakingly removing the tiny spice bits, which I had never seen done before. My mormor’s dry pods were white, as I recall, but maybe that was the only form that could be bought in the Seattle area 50 or more years ago. Perhaps some of your readers would know if the pods were bleached to kill bugs. ?? Anyway, I’m getting closer to *attempting* to make Pulla…a/k/a Swedish coffee bread in our house!
Love it! Let me know how it goes with the Pulla.
Awww, thnaks Jessica and so happy the blog is inspiring you!
I just discovered your website while searching for vegetarian Indian food recipes.
I’m excited to start trying to cook Indian food. I feel that I’ve missed your years of sharing what looks like wonderful exciting recipes. I don’t know where to start.
Another question I have is does it make a difference where I buy the spices and lentils?
Thank you. Kathleen
Thanks Kathleen- we have an Asian Market that carries all the unusual ingredients- I would try that first if you have one?
I read your account of healing after your mother passed, how she was everywhere, how your ache was replaced with joy. I cried reading it, and believe a blog has never evoked that from me. Food and feasting and FEELING; thank you for sharing! I cannot wait to try your winter roasted veggies salad with maple curry dressing. EVERYTHING I’ve made of yours knocks my socks off! Ty 🙏
Thanks so much- I really appreciate this. I forgot I had written about that. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
What is the Max time I can proof my sourdough bread dough? I’d like to proof it for 15 hours. ???
It really depends on the temperature. I cant give an exact time, sorry.
My brain tells me to eat healthy food, but my stomach always says “more sugar and fried food please!” So, when I tried your instant pot lentil curry, it was with the expectation that while it was good for me, I wouldn’t really enjoy it. Instead, my whole family, including my picky son, were blown away- so flavorful and so rich tasting. Thanks. three Michelin stars!!, 2 thumbs up,…
Well bascially I love all of your recipes. But the one I make the most is the Homemade Granola. It is superb! I love to give a jar of it to family. Therefore I’m normally making a double recipe. It’s perfect. Have shared the recipe many times over.
I missed making a note of your reference to the place to buy spices. I would so much appreciate having it.
Thanks Carolyn! Check our Bowl and Pitcher store!
I am allergic to garlic and cannot find Chinese food without garlic, so I try to make my own Chinese dishes, but it’s really time consuming. Tonight I made the wrapper-less wonton soup (garlic free) and loved those little meatballs and the yummy broth. I froze at least 1/2 of my little meatballs and will wrap them later with the actual wrapper and cook them that way. It’s amazing how this will cut the prep time. Thank you!
Great to hear Ann!
I have just watched your videos on making a sourdough starter. I made my own sourdough starter in October 2015. The recipe I used did not say anything about discarding, just feeding with one teaspoon of flour and two teaspoons of water.
My sourdough loaves taste delicious but don’t always work as well as my yeast loaves do. Having watched your video on making a sourdough starter, I shall now start discarding! Incidentally, I use the same technique of kneading in the bowl for all my bread, and really enjoy it! Easy and quite therapeutic!
Looking forward to exploring your recipes too!
Caroline, London, UK
I love your recipes thanks for sharing!!!!
Hi there! I just discovered your blog last night….and want to say THANK YOU!! I am so so so soooo excited about everything on here; love the recipes, love the aesthetic of the site, love the messaging. I recently decided to start eating a predominantly plant based diet, and have found it really difficult to find enticing inspiration for beautiful meals….well let me tell you, this blog is MORE than I ever hoped for! It’s inspiring in so many ways.
So thank you!
Sending you all of my best, Krista 🙂
Awwww thanks Krista! I’m so excited you are here!