You might have seen Kristin Cavallari pop up on your TV screen while you were watching Laguna Beach or The Hills, but the TV star could be taking up permanent residence on your kitchen counter with her new cookbook True Comfort: More Than 100 Cozy Recipes Free of Gluten and Refined Sugar ($17), which was released on Sept. 29. This is Kristin’s second cookbook, following True Roots, and all of the 100+ recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free, and free of refined sugar to reflect her personal diet. So you can bet I’ll be spending my free time working my way through (and tasting) every single one of them.
“Comfort food has such a way of bringing us back to certain memories in our lives and turning a bad day around,” Kristin told POPSUGAR. “I think we can all agree that comfort food is where the heart is. I wanted to share those memories with everyone while still staying true to how I eat on a daily basis and show everyone that you can in fact still eat all your favorite dishes without sacrificing the way you feel.”
The book includes recipes for appetizers, breakfasts, soups, dinners, desserts, and more. Some of Kristin’s favorites include the Pumpkin Banana Muffins, Lox Breakfast Bowl, Roasted Cauliflower Tartine, Enchilada Casserole, Chicken Ragu a la King, Nashville Hot Chicken Lettuce Cups, Spicy Peruvian Chicken, and Fried Brussel Sprouts. (Yes, my mouth is watering as I type this.) Ahead, take a sneak peek at three recipes from Kristin’s health-conscious cookbook, and try them for yourself the next time you’re craving something delicious and nourishing.
Related: We Got Starbucks's Pumpkin Bread Recipe, and We're FALL-ing For It
Aubrie Pick
Breakfast: Kristin Cavallari's Carrot Cake Pancakes Recipe (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 large or 3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 egg
1 cup oat flour
1 cup almond flour
1 cup nut milk, such as almond or cashew
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, plus more for serving (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Pink Himalayan salt
Virgin coconut oil, for greasing the pan
Coconut cream, for serving (optional)
Directions:
- In a large bowl, stir the grated carrots, oat and almond flours, milk, maple syrup, baking powder, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a pinch of salt until thoroughly combined.
- Warm the coconut oil in a skillet set over medium heat.
- Spoon the batter, using about 1/4 cup per pancake, onto the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pancakes start to bubble.
- Next, flip them over and cook for 3 minutes on the other side.
- Repeat until you have used up all the batter.
- Top the pancakes with maple syrup and coconut cream, or with your own favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Tip: Peel your carrots before grating them and use the finest shredding side of a box grater to create small bits of carrot that will become more evenly incorporated throughout the pancake batter as you stir.
Aubrie Pick
Dinner: Kristin Cavallari's Shakshuka Recipe (Serves 6)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 cups coarsely chopped kale (stems removed before chopping)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes, with their juice
1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
6 tortillas of choice for serving (optional)
1/4 cup coconut cream
Pink Himalayan Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs
Directions:
- In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, kale, and bell pepper and sauté, stirring continuously until the garlic is fragrant and slightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and the tomatoes with their juice.
- Stir together and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the coconut cream and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in the garbanzo beans and let all the ingredients continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
- While everything is cooking, preheat your broiler to medium-high.
- Using a spoon, make 6 small wells in the cooked mixture in the skillet.
- Crack an egg into each well. Season each egg with salt and pepper and place the skillet under the broiler.
- Let the skillet broil until the whites of the eggs are firm, about 6 minutes.
- Carefully remove the skillet from the broiler and garnish with the chopped parsley or cilantro and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top.
- Heat up your tortillas and serve the dish hot. Enjoy!
Aubrie Pick
Dessert: Kristin Cavallari's Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Cashew Frosting Recipe (Makes 12)
Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrots
2 eggs
For the Cashew Frosting:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pink Himalayan salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone liners.
- In a large bowl, mix the almond flour, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until well combined.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, coconut cream, and vanilla.
- Next, fold in the carrots, add the dry ingredients, and mix to combine.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, making sure the cups are almost full.
- Place the tray in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the cupcakes from the tin and let them cool completely on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, combine the cashews, maple syrup, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and 1/4 cup of water in a high-powered blender on high speed until completely smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, spoon the frosting into a Ziplock bag and cut off one of the bag’s bottom corners. Squeeze the frosting onto each cupcake until the top is completely covered.
- Enjoy your cupcakes as soon as they’re ready or store them in an airtight container at room temp for up to 5 days.
Tip: If you do not have a high-powered blender, let your cashews soak in water overnight or boil them for 10-20 minutes until tender before blending.
