Lauren Chandler Cooks

Lauren Chandler Cooks Plant-centered chef educator and recipe developer.

A few days out from National Lentil Festival and I taught a class at Port of Portland in partnership with Urban Balance ...
08/26/2026

A few days out from National Lentil Festival and I taught a class at Port of Portland in partnership with Urban Balance PDX - of course lentils (and chickpeas!) were on the menu.

At the lentil festival USA Pulses sent me home with temporary tattoos of their mascot lentil, pea, and chickpea characters. For class, I placed a tattoo and recipe packet at each seat, greeted each person as they entered and helped them apply their tattoo!

I really appreciate USA Pulses for this fun little touch. Starting a class with stickers or something playful like this really engages people and sets a casual and playful tone. It seems to encourage people to relax and feel more comfortable asking questions and sharing their experiences and challenges around cooking. A super fun class!

(There were around 30 people in attendance but most were too busy eating to be in photos 😋)

National Lentil Festival! I’ve been teaching people how to cook with lentils for years, so this felt a little like findi...
08/25/2026

National Lentil Festival! I’ve been teaching people how to cook with lentils for years, so this felt a little like finding my people. 😂

Lentils are nutritious, affordable, beneficial for soil health, and incredibly versatile in the kitchen. (My obsession runs deep: when I was an artist-in-residence at Caldera my camp name was Lil Lentil)

At the festival, I shared three ways to pair lentils with Washington-grown ingredients: Walla Walla onions and Cosmic Crisp apples. I often teach this way, using the same ingredients in multiple ways so that one cooking session can set you up for several different meals. One pot of cider-cooked lentils became three completely different dishes.

There was also the world’s largest pot of lentil chili! 🤯

I loved being part of the cooking demo lineup with The Black Cypress and Hawa Hassan 💕

Lots of folks were enthusiastic about the Lentilhood hats, too. Ben from Lentiful and Tim from USA Pulses got in on the action, and one of the students I teach virtually through Association of WA Cities Trust stopped by and snagged one. So sweet to finally meet in person! ☺️

Cute sign courtesy of Leigh Schelman 💛

Day 3 Amaranth Institute Symposium (Glamaranth Camp!)🌱Shared maple caramel popped amaranth and popcorn🌸 Danced goofy and...
08/18/2026

Day 3 Amaranth Institute Symposium (Glamaranth Camp!)

🌱Shared maple caramel popped amaranth and popcorn

🌸 Danced goofy and lost our minds over the beauty Erin Benzakein - Floret

💫 Recipe postcards, posters & stickers! Culinary Breeding Network 💗 by Lane Selman lichenology

Amaranth Institute Symposium Day 2!Plant breeders in attendance mailed the seeds to WSU Breadlab a few months ago. Some ...
08/17/2026

Amaranth Institute Symposium Day 2!

Plant breeders in attendance mailed the seeds to WSU Breadlab a few months ago. Some that they had bred!

The hotel staff was game to switch up their continental breakfast routine!😊

Checking out the different varieties.

In our glamaranth hats. ⭐️

Quinoa fields

Amaranth Institute Symposium (aka Glamaranth Camp) Day 1! Presentations, visit to harvest amaranth greens at Verduras Or...
08/16/2026

Amaranth Institute Symposium (aka Glamaranth Camp) Day 1!

Presentations, visit to harvest amaranth greens at Verduras Organicas Mexicanas, pizza night WSU Breadlab

PIZZA- 4x amaranth! 20% amaranth flour dough, sautéed amaranth greens, popped and micro

Cucumber Tomato Salad w Fennel Amaranth Crisps & Micro Amaranth for pizza night WSU Breadlab

Dr. David Brenner -Amaranth Institute board member and curator of the amaranth germplasm collection at the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station in Ames, Iowa, where he manages over 3,000 accessions of amaranth

Amaranth greens harvested at Verduras Organicas Mexicanas

Pizza night ✔️

In person and virtual presentations - US based, Yucatán, Ghana, Columbia. And from lichenology and The Whole Grains Council and Culinary Breeding Network 💗 by Lane Selman and WSU Breadlab

A Tuesday afternoon well spent at Oregon State University’s Organic Grains & Pulses Field Day, hosted by OSU Organic Ext...
08/06/2026

A Tuesday afternoon well spent at Oregon State University’s Organic Grains & Pulses Field Day, hosted by OSU Organic Extension Multi-use Naked Barley Culinary Breeding Network

I loved being surrounded by people who are as passionate about growing these crops as I am about cooking with them. Their work is what allows me to do mine.

My dish featured two different lentils and two preparations of lentils to spark conversation about the versatility and diversity of lentils.

Black Lentils, Oregon Peaches & Hazelnuts served over Green Goddess Green Lentil Purée, finished with pickled shallots and green coriander seeds from my bolting cilantro.

Grateful to everyone growing, researching, and sharing these crops.🌾🫘

Repping amaranth at the WSU Breadlab Grain Gathering Community Party! It wasn’t a teaching gig but I talked a lot about ...
07/23/2026

Repping amaranth at the WSU Breadlab Grain Gathering Community Party! It wasn’t a teaching gig but I talked a lot about amaranth as I dished up dessert- Summer Fruits, Samish Bay Labneh & Hazelnut Amaranth Crunch.

The dinner was part of the three day gathering - which was packed with hands-on workshops, a diverse lineup of presentations and demonstrations, amazing food from bakers and chefs across the PNW and beyond, and opportunities to connect with grain enthusiasts from around the world.

It was a true joy to serve this dish to people who care about our food systems, land and communities. And I felt great using such high quality ingredients grown with intention - regeneratively grown amaranth from SIMPLi - Pantry Staples , Spring Hills Farm maple syrup, hazels from Oregon Orchard Samish Bay Cheese labneh Corto Olive olive oil and fruit from Bow Hill Blueberries Viva Farms and bairdfamilyorchards plus Jacobsen Salt Co. and edible flowers from the crows farm to top it off! She was a stunner💋

Thank you to the team WSU Breadlab for creating space for conversations that will ripple far beyond this event. Looking forward to being back at the Breadlab next month with the Amaranth Institute!

Caramel amaranth popcorn!Caramel popped amaranth, popped amaranth, berry amaranth cake 🫐 amaranth pops so consistently a...
07/15/2026

Caramel amaranth popcorn!

Caramel popped amaranth, popped amaranth, berry amaranth cake 🫐

amaranth pops so consistently and is super light and lovely

Berry amaranth cake - I folded popped amaranth into the batter, knowing it would absorb the moisture and not add anything texturally. But I hoped for some of the popped flavor. Nope. Next round I’ll grind the popped amaranth into flour and mix that in.

Blueberries, raspberries, pink lemonade blueberries and mulberries that went in the amaranth cake

🌸 Glamaranth

Lots of color options on my website 🧢

Emilio 💕

💕

At the family picnic, I shared three dishes featuring the exact same six ingredients: cabbage, chickpeas, peaches, basi...
07/13/2026

At the family picnic, I shared three dishes featuring the exact same six ingredients: cabbage, chickpeas, peaches, basil, lemon, and olive oil.

• Basil Hummus with a Peach-Basil Topping & cabbage for dipping
• Grilled Cabbage & Peaches with Basil & Chickpeas
• Cabbage Slaw with Peaches, Basil & Smoky Chickpeas

They were super into it! (And loved the cute chickpea stickers from )

They learned how they don’t need a completely different grocery list for every dish - so cooking becomes more doable, affordable, and less stressful. Different techniques with the same ingredients for three easy plant-based dishes. ☺️

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