Condiments The Best Homemade Chipotle Sauce By Samira Kazan updated August 12, 2024 Spicy, fragrant, and perfect for dipping, this chipotle sauce recipe has a delicious, smoky taste and is an easy way to liven up your favorite dishes. One of the most common sauces available in Latin American and Tex-Mex cuisine, chipotle crema has been bringing a mild heat to dishes for so many years. In fact, chili has been harvested and used in cooking for centuries, so it’s no wonder it’s such a staple nowadays....

Recipes › Vegan Tofu Ground Beef (Vegan Tofu Crumbles) By Samira Kazan updated July 30, 2024 Delicious tofu ground beef (aka tofu crumbles) is made with a handful of ingredients, minimal hands-on prep, and a baked or stovetop method. It is perfect to use as a plant-based ground beef replacement in all your favorite recipes! Gluten-free, dairy-free, plant-based, vegan! Even with the massive increase of meat alternative products on the market in the last decade, many of the products are highly processed, packed with chemicals, and not particularly low-budget....

Seasonal › Fall What’s in Season – November Produce and Recipes By Samira Kazan published November 01, 2024 November produce is varied, delicious, and full of colors, even as the leaves outside change before winter sets in. This produce is perfect for cozy and warming recipes! The last month of Fall keeps plenty of favorites from October and September. As the temperature drops, rustic dishes with hearty ingredients should be taking center stage in your kitchen – and this collection of November fruits and vegetables proves that Fall can be the most delicious season of the year....

Recipes › Sides Authentic Pico de Gallo Recipe By Samira Kazan published July 08, 2025 This authentic pico de gallo recipe is fresh, zesty, and full of flavor. It’s a classic Mexican salsa made with just a handful of ingredients – tomatoes, onion, lime, cilantro, and a little chili for heat. My favorite version is bright, crisp, and super versatile. You can serve it as a dip with chips, spoon it over tacos or eggs, or toss it into burrito bowls and salads....

Recipes › Desserts Blood Orange Cake with Pistachios By Samira Kazan updated December 19, 2023 This blood orange cake is filled with the juice and zest of ripe blood oranges and topped with candied blood orange slices and crushed pistachios – for a deliciously moist, tangy, sweet dessert! As soon as blood orange season begins, I find myself picking up as many as I can to make fresh orange juice with ginger , smoothies, and baked treats like this blood orange cake recipe....

Recipes › Mains Chicken Brine Recipe By Samira Kazan updated August 13, 2024 How to brine chicken for the most perfectly succulent and juicy roast chicken you’ve ever had! This chicken brine recipe is simple to follow, requires minimal effort, and simultaneously draws out the flavor in the meat while locking in the moisture for roasting, grilling, smoking, frying, etc. In my attempt to achieve the most tender, juicy chicken, I’ve tried it all....

Recipes › Mains Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe By Samira Kazan updated August 13, 2024 Make restaurant-quality chicken Caesar salad with delicious baked or grilled chicken, crisp romaine, parmesan, creamy dressing, & crunchy garlic croutons. A super simple yet satisfying light lunch or dinner! I’ve already shared a simple, classic Caesar salad recipe, but now it’s the turn of my favorite and most-enjoyed version – this chicken Caesar salad recipe. Adding baked, grilled, or air-fried chicken transforms this salad from an appetizer or side to a light yet satisfying main meal you can enjoy during the summer and all year long....

Chicken Chicken Meatballs By Samira Kazan published March 21, 2025 Who doesn’t love a good, juicy meatball? These baked chicken meatballs are tender, full of flavor, and incredibly easy to make . They come together in one bowl and bake to perfection in under 25 minutes —no frying, no mess! They’re perfect for meal prep , great for serving over pasta, rice, or salads, and freeze beautifully. Whether you need a quick dinner, an easy appetizer, or something protein-packed for the week , this recipe has you covered....

Recipes › DIYs DIY Turmeric Tincture – Nature’s Golden Medicine By Samira Kazan updated February 21, 2024 A budget-friendly turmeric and black pepper tincture that adds warm, earthy flavor to drinks and recipes. Plus a guide on how to make and use a tincture! I’m already obsessed with turmeric and now here is a budget-friendly turmeric black pepper tincture. Within this blog post, I’ll show you how to make a tincture and explain how to use it....

Recipes › Sides Easy Creamed Corn Recipe By Samira Kazan updated November 18, 2025 Deliciously creamy, rich, and ready in just fifteen minutes, this creamed corn recipe is about to become a staple side dish all year long. Just a quick search for “corn” on my blog will convince you that I love the stuff. And I love to find different ways to transform corn kernels into amazing dishes. So, if you’re like me, you’re going to love this better-than-canned cream corn that’s packed full of flavor and makes an easy side dish that’s easy on the wallet too....

Recipes › Mains Easy Red Lentil Dal (Tarka Dal | Indian Lentil Dish) By Samira Kazan updated October 28, 2024 This easy red lentil dal (tarka dal) recipe is a quick and easy meal for busy weeknights using just a handful of ingredients, 3 steps, minimal hands-on prep, and ready in under 30 minutes! The results are a naturally plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, flavorful, hearty, and protein-packed tarka dal! Lentils are an inexpensive, protein-dense, and highly nutritious addition to meat-free meals and can make for delicious and nutritious dishes with just a handful of ingredients, just like green lentil soup , lentil tabbouleh , lentil and mushroom “meatballs” , and this easy red lentil dal recipe with a tempering (tarka dal)!...

Recipes › Mains Easy Shredded Chicken Tacos By Samira Kazan updated October 15, 2024 Tender, juicy, and full of flavor – these shredded chicken tacos loaded up with all your favorite toppings are the perfect crowd-pleasing meal for lazy weeknights and taco Tuesdays! I have shared a beef birria tacos recipe – it’s fantastic but not quick. Now, meet the solution: speedy chicken tacos with juicy, crispy shredded chicken in under 30 minutes!...

Recipes › DIYs Homemade Beef Broth By Samira Kazan updated August 12, 2024 How to make beef broth without bones. This light, fragrant, savory, meaty homemade beef broth is ready in 2 hours either on the stove or in a crock pot – perfect for use within soups and stews, for cooking grains, and more! When it comes to homemade vs. store-bought, I’ll admit some recipes simply aren’t worth the time and effort....

Recipes › Mains How To Make A Veggie Omelette (with tips) By Samira Kazan updated November 02, 2023 How to make a fluffy omelette (omelet) with water and vegetables – this western-omelette style veggie omelette is one of my favorite go-to low-effort meals! Okay, let’s take a moment to talk about a classic veggie omelette (and by classic, I mean a western omelette/western omelet). I always thought of this as such a simple dish – possibly not even worthy of a blog post – until I realized just how many techniques there are out there – that only leads to more confusion....

Pantry How to Make Onion Flakes By Samira Kazan updated November 02, 2023 How to make onion flakes at home using three simple methods: dehydrator, oven, or sun-drying. Perfect for long-term onion preservation and to use in several delicious ways! Recently I posted my simple DIY for homemade everything bagel seasoning , which contains dried garlic and onion flakes/granules. With that in mind, now is the perfect time to share my homemade guide to making dried onion flakes....

Recipes › Vegan How to Make Sushi Rice By Samira Kazan updated November 28, 2023 What’s In This Post? The Ingredients How to Make Sushi Rice? How to Use Cooked Sushi Rice? How to Make Ahead and Store? FAQs Top Tips for Perfect Sushi Rice More Simple Rice Recipes What is Sushi Rice? Sushi rice refers to fluffy, sticky, short-grained white rice cooked and seasoned with vinegar, sugar, and salt seasoning....

Beef Instant Pot Beef Stew – Fast and Tasty! By Samira Kazan updated November 20, 2024 Make the BEST Instant Pot beef stew with tender beef and hearty vegetables in a rich, flavorful, herby sauce. All the flavor of day-long simmering, but in a fraction of the time! Where slow cooker beef stew and oxtail stew allow you to slowly simmer meat all day, just in time for dinner, this Instant Pot beef stew recipe is the quickest way to achieve the same “slowly simmered” full-body flavor, in record time....

Seafood Juicy Shrimp Scampi (Ten Minutes) By Samira Kazan published September 12, 2025 Shrimp scampi is fast, garlicky, and impossibly satisfying. Juicy shrimp, buttery lemon sauce, and dinner on the table in just 10 minutes. I’ve cooked shrimp scampi more times than I can count, and this is the version I rely on. The shrimp stay tender, the garlic butter sauce is balanced with a splash of white wine, and fresh lemon keeps it bright....

Slow Cooker No-Mess Crockpot Steak and Gravy By Samira Kazan updated January 08, 2025 Turn up the flavor on steak night with this no-mess, no-fuss crockpot steak and gravy recipe that’s succulent, tender, and swimming in a rich steak gravy. When it comes to mid-week meals, there’s no better device in your kitchen than the crockpot. With minimal prep and simple ingredients, you can create an amazing dish like this crockpot steak and gravy....

Recipes › Sides Perfect Oven Roasted Eggplant Slices By Samira Kazan updated July 31, 2024 These perfect oven roasted eggplant slices require minimal ingredients, time, and effort. They are perfectly tender in the middle and crisp and brown outside in just 3 simple steps. As a Lebanese woman, eggplant is kind of an obsession of mine. Growing up, I ate Baba ganoush at an almost alarming rate and fell in love with the versatile ingredient....