My friend Jackie — famous in these parts for her chia pudding recipe and Vitamix-pushing — gave me the mustard and balsamic idea and once again, Jackie has proven her genius in the kitchen. It’s tangy with just the right touch of spice. The cayenne pepper helps, too. Thanks, Jack!

Use whatever vegetables you have on hand; I had brussels sprouts, onions, mushrooms and a sweet potato, but would definitely try it with carrots and other greens next time.

Stay warm and happy roasting!

When Brian woke up and told me he thought he felt an itch, a scratch, a something funny in his throat, I immediately ran downstairs to the kitchen where I keep my cookbooks. I knew exactly what my husband needed: Alicia Silverstone’s Magical Healing Soup. (The Kind Diet was my original bible when I first went vegan, years ago. It’s now a whole delightful community: The Kind Life.)

I riff on her original masterpiece a bit by not using daikon radish, ginger juice or shoyu… but instead adding kale. Lots of it. You can throw in whatever vegetables you like (bok choy is always good here, too) and of course feel free to use soy sauce instead of Tamari. I choose Tamari because the soy sauce has gluten and soy, both of which I avoid. But the two taste almost exactly identical.

If you don’t have a cold or sore throat yet, or think it’s just too soon for soup, then bookmark this recipe for later in the season; you’re definitely going to need it. Otherwise live a little! Make it now, on one of the first chilly nights of fall. A bowl of warm, fresh vegetables always does a body good.

Get this: B hasn’t complained about his throat since he had the soup Tuesday night.

Magical.

We ate it with a piece of fish on the side, but you could easily toss shrimp, chicken or tofu in the pan and mix/cook it altogether. Don’t forget to drizzle it with sesame oil — just a touch — and you’ll feel like you’re having dinner in your local Chinese restaurant.

I adapted this recipe from the always dependable Love & Lemons… and the best part? It tastes even better the next day as leftovers. Throw it in tupperware, bring it to work, and get ready to make some colleagues very jealous.

1. It looks super fancy and special, so by proxy YOU look super fancy and special, when in reality it is the easiest meal to assemble.

2. You can’t screw it up.

3. Each person will open their parchment paper, wrapped like a personalized Christmas present (but not quite as neat, and without the bow) and their face will light up as the aroma of flavors hits them. BOOM. It’s like food magic: you can smell each individual ingredient, but you also smell them blended together, which is so. much. better. than the sum total of their parts. It’s mind-blowing.

4. Did I mention you can’t screw it up?

So grab a roll of parchment paper — sold like tin foil, in a roll — and invite your nearest and dearest over. I used a regular size baking sheet to make 4 servings for my girls this weekend. Each serving needs a piece of parchment paper that’s about that length — enough to fold up on all four sides once stuffed with all its yummy goodness. I adapted my recipe from Love & Lemons — a blog I check daily for both easy, healthy recipes and gorgeous photography — and they have yet to disappoint.

Feel free to swap the cod for any white fish, bok choy for any crunchy, leafy green and use any kind of mushroom — but be sure to let me know what you try, cause I’m always looking for new parchment paper recipes.

That’s what Phil, one of my dinner guests, told me after scarfing down these delicious veggie balls. B said the same… and I was thrilled, because I definitely want to make these again soon. Next time, maybe I’ll try ’em with pasta, in a sandwich, or over a salad. The best part is, they’re hearty enough to be a meal all their own. And they’re healthy! It’s lentils, veggies, herbs, walnuts and eggs.

So where did I find the recipe?

Instagram, naturally. My little brother Brian posted a picture of the meal he cooked with his girlfriend Tiffany and straight away I asked him about in an email. He sent me the link to The New York Times Thanksgiving special where she found it and I was off to the races.

He said next time he’s gonna try it with different vegetables — zucchini perhaps? — but the ones in this recipe were perfect. If you have a meat-eater at home — someone you’re trying to win over with the goodness of the veggie life — make these. They are the most meatball tasting meatless meatballs they’ll ever have.