The addition of whole wheat flour to pasta dough creates a hearty, healthy version of ravioli that pairs perfectly with a creamy sweet potato and goat cheese filling. Save this recipe for a weekend afternoon; you can make a whole batch ahead of time and freeze it for a quick weeknight meal, or have it right then and there. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil or some melted butter and top with toasted nuts, seeds, greens, cheese, or all of the above.

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Whole Wheat Ravioli

For the pasta dough:

• 1 cup all purpose flour (plus more, if needed)

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 4 eggs

For the filling:

• 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, skins on

• 4 oz goat cheese

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• Pinch of salt

In a large mixing bowl or a floured countertop, combine the two flours and create a dome to crack the eggs into. Add the eggs, then use a fork to whisk, gradually adding more flour as you whisk. Once the dough is too thick to whisk, set the fork aside and use your hands to knead the dough together. Once thoroughly mixed, set aside while you make the filling.

To make the filling, heat a small pot of water until boiling. Add the sweet potatoes and boil until completely soft. Remove from the water and allow to cool, then remove the skins. Mash the potatoes, then add the goat cheese, nutmeg, and salt to taste.

To make the ravioli, roll out the dough with a pasta machine or a rolling pin until the dough is very thin. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out circles from the dough. On half the circles, place a small dollop of filling in the middle. Wet your fingers with a bit of water to moisten the part of the circle not topped with filling (this helps the pieces stick together). Place a circle of dough on top, then crimp the edges with your fingers, pushing out any air bubbles. Place the finished raviolis on a floured baking sheet. If you want to save these for later, you can place the baking sheet in the freezer and then transfer the pasta to a large ziplock bag once hardened.

To cook, bring a salted pot of water to a rolling boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente.

Toss with butter or olive oil and shower with parmesan. Toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds, fried sage, and arugula are all delicious toppings.

My go-to egg pasta recipe is 4 eggs for every 2 1/4 cup of flour. It’s surprisingly easy, requiring just two ingredients, and with some elbow grease or a pasta machine, you can create artisanal ribbons of fettuccine or stuffed ravioli in your own kitchen.

Homemade Egg Pasta Dough

• 4 large eggs

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, adding more if needed

In a mixing bowl, add the 2 cups of flour and create a hole in the middle. Crack the eggs into the hole, whisking together with a spoon until the whites and yolks are combined. Gradually whisk in bits of flour, until the dough is too thick to whisk. Knead together with your hands until the dough comes together and forms a smooth ball, adding a bit more flour if it’s too sticky. If it’s too dry or you’ve used medium eggs instead of large, you can add a drizzle of olive oil to help the dough come together.

Allow the pasta dough to rest for 3o minutes to an hour before shaping (this helps it become more pliable).

Using a pasta machine or a rolling pin, roll the dough until it’s quite thin, just enough so you could see the silhouette of your hand through it if you held it up to the light. You can be generous with the flour here - dust the dough as you roll it out so it doesn’t stick. Cut with a sharp knife or pasta maker attachment into thin strands of linguine or fettuccine, or stuff with filling to create ravioli or tortellini. Be sure to toss the finished pasta with plenty of flour so it doesn’t stick together.

To cook, bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop in the pasta in small batches. When it floats to the top, it’s cooked through - this takes maybe a minute, fresh pasta cooks fast!

Not going to cook it now? Place the shaped pasta on a parchment lined baking sheet and set it in the freezer until frozen through. You can transfer it into a ziplock bag and save it for another day - simply drop the frozen strands or stuffed pieces into salted boiling water and cook until they float to the top.

Sometimes planning is good, but sometimes cooking something on a whim is even better. A friend brought over what she had on hand - lamb stew meat, bacon, sweet potatoes, and onions - and this stew was born. It’s rich, sweet, a little smokey, and packed with flavor thanks to an array of spices and plenty of garlic.

Lamb and Sweet Potato Stew

• 1 lb chopped lamb stew meat

• 12 oz bacon, chopped

• 3 small sweet potatoes, chopped

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1/2 cup wine (both white or red are fine)

• Beef broth (enough to cover the meat, approximately 2 cups)

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• 2 teaspoons za’atar

• 1 teaspoon oregano

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• Pinch of coriander

• 5 cloves of garlic, minced

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Red pepper flakes (optional, to taste, if you’d like a spicy version)

• Optional herbs, for garnishing (cilantro and mint are great here)

Preheat the oven to 325.

In a dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon. Remove the bacon once it’s cooked through, placing it on a paper towel-lined plate, and set aside. Drain the excess bacon grease from the pot, leaving just enough to sauté the onions and potatoes with.

Add the onions and potatoes to the pot along with the tomato paste and garlic, tossing to coat. Add the spices and wine, scraping all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan while you stir, and allow the wine to simmer and reduce a bit before adding the lamb. Add the lamb, a bit of salt and pepper (you can add more later if needed), and the cooked bacon, then pour in the broth until the meat and vegetables are just covered.

Put the lid on the dutch oven and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 1hr 45mins. This is a long cook time, but simmering it in low heat for a long period of time will tenderize the meat.

Remove from the oven, and serve hot. This is even better with some herbs scattered on top and paired with rice, some flatbread, and a light salad.

Cranberries give this salsa a fruity, tart punch and is delicious on tacos, great for chip dipping, and perfect for spooning over nachos during the winter months. It couldn’t be further from traditional, but I think sometimes the unexpected is just what we need to spruce up old favorites. My current favorite ways to have it are dolloped on sweet potato tacos or spooned on top of over easy fried egg breakfast tacos with seared peppers and sour cream. You can adjust the tartness, spiciness, and sweetness of it by adjusting the amounts of the ingredients listed.

Cranberry Salsa

• 12 oz bag cranberries

• 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded

• 1/2 yellow onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 bunch cilantro

• 2 tablespoons honey (or more if your cranberries are especially tart, or if you prefer a sweeter result)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Lime juice, to taste

In a food processor, blitz together the cranberries, jalapeño, onion, garlic, cilantro and honey until well chopped. Add a squeeze of lime, salt and pepper to taste. Blitz until thoroughly mixed.