Plant-centered chef educator and recipe developer.
05/25/2026
Yellow Lentil & Basil Purée, Grilled Asparagus, Sautéed Yellow Lentils & Leek Scapes, Sunflower Seeds, Urfa Pepper & Sumac
Kale, Romaine, Cucumber, Golden Raisins, Capers, Feta, Lemon Vinaigrette
Dry Cured Turkish Black Olives (Kuru Sele), Lemon & Orange Peel, Sesame Seeds, Thyme, Pink Peppercorn
05/22/2026
🍓I’m re-sharing this Strawberry Rhubarb Rose Teff Crisp I developed for because it’s one of my favorite fleeting spring desserts. You can’t go wrong pairing sweet and tart with teff, oat & almond topping and hints of rose and cardamom.
🌹I’m grateful to work with ingredients from companies doing good: bringing an ancient grain into more kitchens (and sponsoring and conferences!) & supporting ethical and equitable spice growing, sourcing and trade.
Comment “teff” and I’ll send you the recipe!
It was a joy and honor to present at Food is Life, Food is Health in Napa ✨ Twice and I presented The Global Lentilhood: How Lentils (and other Legumes) Promote the Delicious Well-Being of People and Planet with moderating. The summit was phenomenal and a highlight was new lentilhood friends! It was SO much fun! ☺️
Key takeaways from our session-
🌱Lentils & other pulses benefit people and planet!
��🫛Fewer resources used, benefits to the soil
��🌱Shoot for organically grown when possible
🫛They are accessible, affordable, and easy to prepare.
🫘Look to tried & true dishes from global cuisines for recipe inspiration.
��Integrate them into dishes already known and loved
��Ensure cultural relevance and connection
🫛Make them taste/sound/look IRRESISTABLE.
🌱Cook and serve in ways that support digestion.
🫘Co-create/collaborate about ways to incorporate more pulses into every day.
Cookbook club potluck from the stunning cookbook. We loved every dish! I made Parippu Curry- Sri Lankan Lentils with Coconut and Lemongrass. made the Jaggery and Lentil-Filled Flatbread -Puran Poli, which I’ll revisit someday soon.
A reel celebrating lentil love from over the years! 🫛💚🌱
I’m presenting about them next week at the SOLD-OUT 2026 Food is Life, Food is Health Summit. Together with and moderated by I’ll be sharing insights on The Global Lentilhood: How Lentils (and other Legumes) Promote the Delicious Well-Being of People and Planet and exploring how culinary practice, nutrition science, and healthcare can work together to improve health outcomes and food systems.
Registration for this year’s Summit is now full, but you can join the mailing list to receive updates about the Food is Life, Food is Health 2027 Summit:
https://www.foodislifefoodishealth.org/subscribe
04/14/2026
Check out the monthly Bean Resolution Series from A Legume a Day! Click the video below to see Chelsea make my Mint Chocolate Smoothie - with lentils - and to watch the rest of her super informative and engaging videos. There are infinite ways to integrate legumes into your meals and this is a great place to start! Thanks for featuring my recipe, Chelsea!
https://www.laurenchandlercooks.com/mint-chocolate-smoothie
This year, I have been working on a Bean Resolution Series. Every month, I make a new-to-me bean or other pulse (e.g., chickpea, lentil) recipe. 🫘
Yes, it’s a good way to enjoy new dishes. 😋
But more importantly, it’s a chance to enjoy recipes others have created and connect with pulse lovers to celebrate this incredible food - and hopefully inspire others to enjoy more pulses, too. 😊
For April, I chose a recipe by Lauren Chandler - a Mint Chocolate Smoothie starring none other than lentils! Lauren is a Chef Educator and Recipe Developer, not to mention an all around superstar. This smoothie recipe is so tasty and also so healthy! Win-win 🙌
Check out the video - which links to her recipe - on my YouTube channel. Or comment and I will happily send the direct link!
03/19/2026
Fourteen years ago I started teaching a cooking class I called “Welcome to the Lentilhood” in my backyard.
Since then I’ve taught versions of it in all kinds of places - online in partnership with and through Stanford Healthy Living Program. (Swipe to see a couple early Lentilhood moments.) The goal has always been the same: to help people discover how versatile, delicious, and nourishing lentils are, and show them simple ways to cook them so they make it into their regular rotation.
So you can imagine how meaningful it is to be presenting “The Global Lentilhood: How Lentils (and other Legumes) Promote the Delicious Well-Being of People and Planet at the Food is Life, Food is Health Summit in May at the with the inimitable !
We’ll be offering the session twice - there’s a lot of curiosity around cooking with lentils and other legumes, especially as they sit at the center of the culinary arts, nutrition, healthcare, and sustainability intersection. 🫘
The summit brings together chefs, physicians and allied healthcare professionals, nutrition scientists, and sustainability experts for experiential learning through tastings, demos, hands-on sessions, and conversations that connect global culinary traditions with the latest nutrition and sustainability science. has pulled together a phenomenal lineup, and I’m honored to be part of it. Hope you can join us!
01/06/2026
Happy National Bean Day! 🫘
Beans are versatile, flavorful, affordable, accessible, enjoyed in cultures across the globe, and really good for human health and planetary health.
It was fun to get a bit extra playing around with leftovers from a fancy gig. These four plates aren’t recipes I teach, but they’re built on the same templates and formulas I use in class. Think of them as inspiration: same principles, different ingredients, lots of room to play.
1. Butter beans with fennel, olives, kumquat, and candied pecans (with honey and fennel seeds thanks to ) dressed with a simple lemon vinaigrette.
2. Great Northern beans with .flowers radicchio and kale, pickled quince, and toasted breadcrumbs, dressed with a creamy blend of cooked quince, quince pickle juice, mustard, olive oil, and some of the beans.
3. Rancho Gordo Royal Corona beans with roasted potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and carrots, served on a herby bean spread and topped with pickled shallot.
4. Royal Corona beans, watermelon radish, parsley, Parmesan cheese, fried shallot.
12/23/2025
Deliveries! Subbing in for my friend who is a personal chef.
Clockwise from 12:00
* quince apple sauce
* radicchio pomegranate slaw
* toasted sesame seeds and herbs
* cacao amaranth bars
* sumac carrot soup w feta and dill
* coriander and mint turkey burgers
* tzatziki x 2
* green onions
* za’atar pita chips
* congee
* lemon hummus
* peanut butter teff cookies
Delivery 2
* cilantro
* tom kha g*i
* yam, collards & shrimp curry (adaptation of recipe)
* sausage w fennel, onion, pepper, peppers
* meyer lemon poppy yogurt dressing for fruit salad
* fruit salad
* nut & seed clusters
* basmati rice
* parmesan cheese
* lime
12/12/2025
Yesterday I was at the Symposium. It was awesome and I’m still letting it all sink in.
This morning I’m back in the kitchen doing a personal chef delivery, subbing in for a friend. Different rooms, same through line. Food, joy, connection. Conversations about teaching kitchens and access one day, quiet focused cooking the next.
Today’s spread-
🌱Yogurt paprika chicken with lemon and cilantro- recipe from Vibrant, cookbook by
🌱Steamed Romanesco
🌱Quinoa
🌱Kichari
🌱Date and nut freezer bars
🌱Garlic soup with croutons, parm and parsley
🌱Roasted sweet potatoes with creamy herb dipping sauce
🌱Sumac Egg and potato salad