Sarah E Crowder

Sarah is a vegetable farmer turned photographer and recipe developer. As a food brand photographer at Sarah E Crowder she specializes in audience-building images for social media.
    Naan Wraps with Homemade Cucumber Raita
    They're filled to the brim with cumin-spiced lamb, shredded iceberg lettuce, and a quick homemade cucumber raita.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jul 16, 2023
    Clams Casino Sounds Fancy, but It's Shockingly Easy to Make
    The combination of bacon and clams is knock-your-socks-off delicious.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Oct 2, 2022
    Partner
    Recipe: Crispy Prosciutto-Wrapped Drumsticks
    I have long been a fan of roasted chickens, both for their flavor and convenience. What I’ve only recently discovered, though, is how with a little planning, ready-to-eat chicken can serve as a base for several weeknight meals that are each a unique dinner. So, I’ve upgraded from my default serving of plain chicken with a simple green salad to buying two prepared birds and using each part in an easy yet interesting way, really taking advantage of the work already done for me.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 12, 2022
    Recipe: BBQ Meatball Sub with Greens
    Plus you'll get those veggies in.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Feb 4, 2021
    Recipe: Sweet Corn Risotto
    Risotto is one of my favorite things to make — both because risotto is one of my husband’s top five favorite foods, and because this dish gives flavorful chicken stock a chance to really shine. I make seasonal variations of our weeknight risotto to keep everyone happily anticipating the time we make it. I’m not exaggerating when I say this late-summer variation is my best yet — the whole family concurs.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 18, 2020
    Recipe: Vegan Amaranth Bowl with Garam Masala Butternut Squash
    This meal was just the motivation I needed to branch out from the ingredients I usually reach for when I’m making dinner. Amaranth is a grain I’ve used on occasion in a cereal capacity, but for this bowl I took a savory route, pairing the mildly earthy grain with garam masala butternut squash, garlicky collards, and crisp apple slices. It’s a porridge suitable for dinner.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Feb 5, 2020
    Recipe: Smoky Roasted Vegetable Hummus Bowl
    This is one of those recipes that originated as an off-the-cuff concept while speedily scanning the grocery store aisles a mere hour before dinner. I see hummus, we’ve got veggies at home, I’ll grab some pita. The hummus bowls — basically a pile of juicy roasted veggies over creamy hummus — were so well-received that they now regularly appear on our meal planning list. This smoky, tangy edition is the version I love most.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Feb 3, 2020
    Recipe: Simple Pan-Seared Salmon
    This easy dish is on the short list for weeknight meals that hit all my criteria: fast, healthy, filling, and killer good. Simply seasoned, the salmon is pan fried until the exterior is super crispy while the interior remains buttery soft. Its simplicity lends it to pairing with any number of sides, although I’m partial to serving it with a carb and something green; for example, whipped sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Feb 3, 2020
    Recipe: Farro Bowl with Crispy Salmon and Toasted Sesame Spinach
    Every time I cook farro, I kick myself for waiting so long to revisit it. Nutty and chewy, it’s a subtle but sophisticated grain, making it perfect to serve as a backdrop to strong flavors without getting lost. That’s exactly what it does in this grain bowl, proudly bearing the weight of crispy seared salmon and saucy sesame spinach. While the flavors are complex, the prep is surprisingly simple.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Feb 3, 2020
    Recipe: Green Salad with Orange, Avocado, and Red Onion
    My mother-in-law, a wonderful all-around cook, is especially known for her salads. While the ingredients vary a little each time she tosses one together, over time I’ve started to notice several toppings turning up in regular rotation: citrus, red onion, and avocado. What I think makes this a winning combination isn’t just the way the flavors work together, but also how beautiful the orange, purple, and green look on the plate.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 29, 2020
    Recipe: Shredded Cabbage and Sweet Potato Slaw
    Slaw gets a lot of love in the warmer months — when it regularly appears as part of a cookout spread or tucked into a pulled pork sandwich — but in our household it’s on the menu just as often in the winter. Cabbage is a cool-weather crop, after all. The base of this winter slaw is a mix of red cabbage and julienned sweet potato, bejeweled with orange segments and pomegranate. It’s proof positive you can eat the rainbow even in January.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 29, 2020
    Recipe: Thai-Style Corn Chowder
    This late-summer soup has all the components of your usual corn chowder, but adds a tantalizing twist with some of my favorite Thai flavors, like lemongrass, chili peppers, and coconut milk. While it keeps the comfort food nature of the original, the extra additions keep things interesting. This is also one of those meals I’m halfway through enjoying before I realize it happens to be gluten-free and vegan.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 29, 2020
    Recipe: Freezer-Friendly Spinach Feta Breakfast Wraps
    Ah, autumn, when crisp mornings make me forget about chilled overnight oats and smoothies, and instead push hot breakfasts to the front of my mind. The only challenge is finding warm breakfasts that are still quick enough to make on busy fall mornings. Enter these freezer-friendly breakfast wraps. Following these tips for freezing burritos, I made vegetarian wraps filled with eggs, tomatoes, spinach, and feta that are ready to microwave in the morning.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 29, 2020
    Recipe: Honey Mustard Chicken Tender Salad
    When I’m making a salad, I typically focus on the lettuce base and carefully selected add-ins, then dress them with a basic vinaigrette. While the dressing is always good, it’s not the star by any stretch. This honey mustard dressing, though? It’s the reason to make salad in the first place. Don’t get me wrong — I love the flavors and textures that make up this chicken tender salad, but it’s the honey mustard dressing that makes it worthy of sharing.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 29, 2020
    Recipe: Butternut Squash & Sausage Lasagna
    There are a handful of cold-weather meals that I put on rotation every winter, including long-and-slow braises, cozy soups, and hearty lasagnas. They’re all more templates than recipes, but each year I usually settle on some combination of ingredients that my family deems worthy of repeating. For lasagna, the winner this time around is undoubtedly this combination of sweet Italian sausage, roasted butternut squash, and spinach.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 29, 2020
    Partner
    Recipe: Potato Gratin with Pancetta and Gruyere
    It seems like everyone’s family has a potato dish (or two!) they traditionally serve for Thanksgiving. Ours is a potato gratin, which I decided to gussy up this year with the addition of nutty Gruyere cheese and crispy pancetta. It has all the familiar flavors of a classic gratin, but the elevated add-ins lend this version an easy sophistication for the holidays.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 29, 2020
    Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
    When temperatures drop, my smoothie consumption usually begins to taper, but this year I’ve been experimenting with adding fall ingredients to the usual blender suspects. My family’s most admired autumnal smoothie to date is this thick and creamy pumpkin pie version. It’s sweetened enough (with fruit!) that the pumpkin and spices bring pie to mind, but not so decadent that it strays into dessert territory. You can definitely still have this for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 29, 2020
    Partner
    Recipe: Muffin Tin Pumpkin Cheesecake
    For entertaining and potlucks, cheesecake is one of my go-to desserts. It’s easy to make yet feels special, and it’s more than suitable to make ahead since its characteristic texture actually requires a stay in the fridge. This year, for my annual Friendsgiving, I decided to give my trusty standby the holiday treatment by adding pumpkin and warming spices. Because if it doesn’t have added pumpkin spice, did it really happen?
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 21, 2020
    Partner
    Recipe: One-Bowl Orange Olive Oil Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream
    Hands down, olive oil is my favorite baking oil. That may be unexpected, but using extra virgin olive oil is a simple way to increase the depth of flavor in baked goods and works particularly well in these One-Bowl Orange Olive Oil Cupcakes. Combining fresh orange juice with extra virgin olive oil easily elevates them to something special — a more elegant version of sweet-and-salty to leave you craving one bite after another.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 21, 2020
    Recipe: French Bread Pesto Chicken Pizza
    A homemade take on the microwave French bread pizza from my childhood, still weeknight-friendly, thanks to some help from the grocery store.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 21, 2020
    Recipe: Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers with Yogurt-Herb Dip
    A childhood favorite is all grown up with an almond meal breading and yogurt-herb dip.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jan 21, 2020
    12 Fun After-Dinner Coffee Drinks
    When it comes to entertaining, I’m fond of the after-dinner coffee. It’s a relaxing way to keep both flavor and conversation going, stretching a party to its limit in the best way. If you’re looking for a way to branch out from plain drip with optional sugar and cream, here are 12 ideas to make this post-dinner ritual extra fun.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Sep 11, 2019
    A Week of Dinners with Sweet Potatoes, Salmon, and Salad
    Every year following the holiday revelry, I reset my eating habits by switching back to a whole foods diet, emphasizing nutritional heavy-hitters. This year December also treated me to a whopper of a virus, so I entered the new year with feeling doubly in need of foods that would nourish my body as much as possible.
    Sarah E Crowder
    Jun 9, 2019
    Recipe: Minty Pea & Arugula Wonton Ravioli
    Homemade pasta dough is one of my labors of love, usually reserved for weekends or special occasions. Otherwise, we skip pasta or rely on the dried variety for a quick weeknight dinner. Either way, homemade ravioli has definitely never been a weekday option — that is, until I discovered wonton wrappers. I’ve been experimenting with making ravioli using wonton wrappers, and I’m happy to report I’m pleased with the results.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 2, 2019
    Recipe: Cold Lentil Salad with Cucumbers and Olives
    Lentils slip in and out of my consciousness throughout the year, filling out warming stews and serving as a bed for braised meats during the winter, then resurging as a base for cold yet hearty salads in the summer. Every year I revisit this particular salad of lentils, cucumbers, olives, and mint tossed with a sherry vinaigrette, whether to dole out for lunches throughout the week or as a healthy contribution to a summer cookout.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 2, 2019
    Recipe: Chicken and Green Bean Stir-Fry
    It’s the time of year when I’m excited by the abundance of beautiful produce arriving in our CSA, but I’m also simultaneously hoping to spend less time in the kitchen — both in an effort to keep cool and to spend as much time as possible enjoying these last days of summer. In August, one cooking method I lean on is stir-frying. A quick stir-fry can flexibly incorporate almost any vegetable and requires only about five minutes at the stove.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 2, 2019
    Recipe: Spinach Salad with Warm Brown Butter Dressing
    While I love bacon dressing, my husband isn’t a fan and our vegetarian friends can’t partake, so I wanted to make an equally delectable warm vinaigrette to toss with an easy spinach salad. The result of using brown butter instead of bacon fat is a salad that’s worth making again and again. For this quick side dish, I kept the classic spinach salad as the base because it holds up so well to the temperature of the dressing.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 1, 2019
    Want Perfect Treats, Guaranteed? The Baking Bible Delivers.
    Cookbook: The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum Overall Impression: Living up to its formidable title, The Baking Bible provides detailed, authoritative instructions to create exceptional cakes, cookies, and breads. You know those recipes that, at first glance, look simple and fast but in fact turn out to be long or laborious? Happily, The Baking Bible puts up no such facade.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 1, 2019
    Plenty More Is Not Just the B-Side to Ottolenghi’s Plenty
    Cookbook: Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi Overall Impression: Ottolenghi’s follow-up to Plenty lives up to lofty expectations, delivering gorgeous and exciting vegetarian recipes. I am so in love with this cookbook. Admittedly, I went into it biased, since Ottolenghi’s previous works are my some of my favorites for vegetable-centric inspiration, but I also think this history made me judge the book more harshly, doubting it could live up to its predecessors.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 1, 2019
    Recipe: Hot Crab Puffs
    During the holiday season, I look forward to the parties most of all — seeing my favorite people, the festive music and decor, and of course, the special holiday-only foods. Whether I’m the host or just bringing a dish to add to the buffet, I aim for something that impresses, but isn’t so labor-intensive that it adds more stress to an already busy season. My newest appetizer to make the cut are these hot little crab puffs.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 1, 2019
    Come for the Cronuts, Stay for the Peek Inside Dominique Ansel’s Brain
    Cookbook: Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes by Dominique Ansel Overall impression: The Secret Recipes is both a peek into the mind of a culinary artist and a collection of recipes for delicious treats ranging from easy to challenging. I was drawn to Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes by the siren song of the Cronut, the croissant-doughnut hybrid that people wait in line for hours to buy. I was happily surprised to find the book stands on much sturdier ground than just the hype of a fad.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 1, 2019
    Recipe: Sweet Potatoes with Chickpea Tomato Sauce
    When I’m trying to figure out how to make dinner out of the ingredients in my fridge and pantry, one meal I always fall back on is that of carbs topped with whatever protein and vegetables we have. Following the holidays, I’ve been looking to kick my white flour habit by subbing in sweet potatoes as my carbohydrate of choice. This vegetarian version, with its sweetly-spiced tomato sauce made hearty with chickpeas, is my family’s favorite combo to date.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 1, 2019
    Recipe: Marinated Olives with Basil and Orange Peel
    I’ve come a long way as a host in the past several years, mostly thanks to finding ways to keep my stress level down so I can genuinely enjoy my friends’ company. One key to that effort is having simple pre-meal snacks ready to go, so even if I find myself behind on the main meal, I won’t worry my guests are hungry. I often put out a bowl each of roasted nuts and olives, and I’ve taken to marinating my own olives so I can tailor the flavors to our meal and the season.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 1, 2019
    Recipe: Salted Peanut Tiramisu
    Recipe ideas can come from anywhere – a cookbook, website, book or movie — but my favorite source of inspiration is recreating dishes I’ve eaten while out; the ones that lingered and I just couldn’t get out of my mind. This dessert was born from just such a situation. After devouring a salty peanut tiramisu at Eataly, I knew I wanted to be able to make it at home, especially to share with friends the next time we entertained.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 1, 2019
    Recipe: Mini Fruit Pizzas
    As a competitive swimmer growing up, we used to have “pasta parties” before big meets. (Do kids still do this? Or is carbo-loading not cool anymore?) Whenever we hosted the potluck-style shindig at our house, my mom and I would make fruit pizza for the grand finale. We pressed sugar cookie dough into a pizza pan and, after baking, topped it with cream cheese frosting and a rainbow of fresh fruit.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 1, 2019
    Recipe: Shrimp & Arugula Salad with Preserved Lemon Dressing
    When I started cooking my way through Plenty More, I purchased a large jar of preserved lemons. While I loved their applications in Ottolenghi’s recipes, they sat idle in the back of my fridge for months afterward; that is, until about a month ago when I challenged myself to put them to good use.
    Sarah E Crowder
    May 1, 2019