Recipes › Mains Roasted Vegetable Salad with Grains (Mediterranean Buddha Bowl) By Samira Kazan updated August 23, 2024 Enjoy a summer roasted vegetable salad bowl with a combination of Mediterranean roasted and fresh vegetables, lettuce, grains, and a simple lemon and olive oil dressing. The resulting Mediterranean buddha bowl is packed with nutrients, colors, and flavor. Plus, it’s highly versatile and can be enjoyed gluten-free and vegan! I recently had fun sharing a lot of simple side salad recipes like watermelon feta salad , beet salad , cucumber tomato avocado salad , and chickpea salad ....

Slow Cooker Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe By Samira Kazan updated October 07, 2025 Wonderfully creamy and tender, this simple slow cooker beef stroganoff gets your crock pot to do all the hard work and makes the perfect comfort food on colder nights. Who doesn’t love a “love it and leave it” recipe? This easy slow cooker beef stroganoff is quick to put together and can be left alone to meld into a delicious, warm hug in a bowl....

Recipes › DIYs Super Easy Homemade Cream Cheese By Samira Kazan updated August 04, 2021 How to make delicious, soft homemade cream cheese using a super-simple method and 3 ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. If I’d know how simple it was to make DIY cream cheese, I would have been making it months (if not years!) ago. Somehow I’ve managed to go through DIY’s for DIY Homemade Ricotta Cheese and DIY: Homemade Herb Butter (Compound butter) without trying this simple cream cheese method, which is actually a bit of in-between method of both of them....

Salads The Best Tuna Pasta Salad By Samira Kazan published December 22, 2023 This tuna pasta salad is a quick, easy, healthy, protein-packed side or main perfect for lunch or dinner, picnics, BBQs, and potlucks! Not only is it delicious, but this fresh and zesty tuna noodle salad is also super quick and easy to prepare in just 15 minutes. Plus, it’s economical, meal prep friendly, customizable (to diet and flavor preferences), versatile, and travels fairly well too....

Salads Tomato Mozzarella Salad (Caprese) By Samira Kazan updated August 13, 2024 How to make tomato mozzarella salad – a classic fresh Italian layered tomato and mozzarella salad with basil and a simple olive oil and (optional) balsamic dressing. This Caprese salad is perfect for serving as an appetizer or side! I have already shared a delicious heirloom burrata Caprese salad recipe for a little twist on the classic Caprese salad....

Seasonal › Winter What’s in Season – February Produce and Recipes By Samira Kazan published February 01, 2025 February produce blends winter staples with the hopeful first ingredients of spring. Bring out the citrus fruit, brassica, and root vegetables to create delicious recipes with seasonal food. Shorter than the rest, February bids goodbye to the “dark at 4 pm” winter and hints at brighter days. It’s all about hearty vegetables and fruits packed with natural goodness, perfect for enjoying in cozy soups, fresh salads, and vibrant sides....

Recipes › DIYs Can You Freeze Avocados By Samira Kazan published January 10, 2024 How to freeze avocadoes : whole, halved, sliced, diced, or mashed, then thaw and use it later! Including top tips and simple steps. If you’re an avocado lover, you’ll know that the hundreds of memes and jokes about how a fresh avocado can turn from under-ripe to ruined in the blink of an eye are sadly quite accurate....

Pantry Easy Apricot Jam Recipe (No Pectin Required) By Samira Kazan updated August 13, 2024 How to make apricot jam without pectin and just 3 ingredients. A sweet, tangy, fruity preserve using fresh or dried apricots and stored in the fridge, freezer, or pantry (after canning)! Making homemade preserves, jams, and jellies is one of my favorite ways to capture the taste of summer to enjoy all year long. And unlike homemade rhubarb jam or rose petal jam , this homemade apricot jam recipe doesn’t even require additional pectin to help set the jam, since apricots have enough of their own....

Condiments Easy Lemon Butter (+ Flavor Variations) By Samira Kazan updated August 15, 2024 This 3-ingredient lemon compound butter is super quick and simple to prepare and can be served over meat, seafood, potatoes, and veggies for a delicious multi-purpose flavor booster! I’ve become slightly obsessed with simple, homemade compound butter in the last couple of years. They’re simple to prepare, super versatile, and elevate almost any dish (both in flavor and with visual “sophistication”)....

Ingredient Guides Easy Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs: A Must-Try Foolproof Method! By Samira Kazan updated August 12, 2024 How to make easy peel hard-boiled eggs with a simple yet foolproof method and top tips for perfectly cooked eggs that are so easy to peel every single time! Looking for perfectly cooked, easy peel hard boiled eggs? As much as I love boiling eggs for meal prep , how to make eggs easier to peel (without causing divots and gouging egg whites) eluded me for years....

Condiments Homemade Tomato Sauce (Pasta Sauce) By Samira Kazan updated June 27, 2024 Enjoy homemade stovetop or roasted tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes (regular or cherry tomatoes) in as little as 20 minutes, with 5 ingredients, then freeze or can for later. This fresh tomato pasta sauce is rich, flavorful, versatile, and makes for a delicious and sugar-free, dairy-free, vegan tomato sauce! During tomato season I rush to make as many tomato-based dishes as possible while they’re at their ripest and juciest (like Caprese salad , Panzanella , tomato bruschetta , and Heirloom tomato salad )....

Recipes › Sides How to Boil Corn on the Cob By Samira Kazan updated August 13, 2024 How to boil corn on the cob from fresh or frozen for a sweet, juicy, tender summer side dish to impress at BBQs, potlucks, cookouts, and mid-week meals! Including choosing, shucking, and how long to boil corn on the cob for perfect results! In-season corn is one of my favorite summer vegetable sides. Whether you grill corn on the cob , roast corn in the oven , microwave corn , pressure cook corn , or boil it, cooking corn on the cob is a guaranteed dish for happy bellies....

Recipes › Appetizers Simple Mozzarella Bruschetta (Caprese Bruschetta) By Samira Kazan updated July 31, 2024 This mozzarella bruschetta is inspired by Caprese salad, combining tomato bruschetta with mozzarella over garlic-infused toasted bread for a simple, fresh, and delicious tomato, basil, mozzarella appetizer to impress this summer! I’ve already shared my version of a traditional Italian tomato bruschetta . Now I’m adding a cheesy twist for this mozzarella bruschetta inspired by a Caprese salad (aka Caprese bruschetta or bruschetta alla Caprese)....

Recipes › Sides Simple Roasted Garlic Bread (with Roasted Garlic Butter) By Samira Kazan updated October 10, 2024 How to make roasted garlic bread with just a handful of ingredients, including buttery, mellow roasted garlic. By combining this roasted garlic butter with the bread of your choice, you have a simple and flavorful side dish for tons of meals! Gluten-free and dairy-free methods included! Roasted garlic is mellow, lightly caramelized, smooth, buttery, and wonderfully aromatic....

Recipes › Drinks Simple Strawberry Mocktail (Strawberry Limeade) By Samira Kazan updated June 07, 2024 This strawberry mocktail is simple yet packed with flavor and doubles up as a strawberry limeade with a herby twist! A wonderfully refreshing, ice-cold drink on hot summer days! There’s only one way I’m going to survive working long days through this current London heatwave, and that is ice-cold refreshing drinks like this strawberry drink with a herby twist....

Salads The Best-Tasting Egg Salad Sandwich Recipe By Samira Kazan updated November 02, 2023 Packed with greens and a protein-rich simple egg salad recipe , this egg salad sandwich is a top choice for a lunch on the go, without sacrificing any taste or goodness. The classic egg salad sandwich recipe gets a bad reputation. Sure, it might not be the first kind you reach for. And just the thought of a hard-boiled egg sandwich might make you feel a little nauseous....

Salads The Best Salmon Salad By Samira Kazan updated July 31, 2024 Creamy, herby and so quick and easy to make, this salmon salad recipe is the perfect option for meal prep, quick lunches, or as a delicious alternative to tuna salad. Blending buttery salmon with a creamy mayo-based sauce, this versatile dish can be enjoyed in a dozen different ways or served as part of a potluck or cookout—it’s a wonderfully light dish to enjoy all year long....

Pantry The Best Steak Seasoning Recipe By Samira Kazan updated January 17, 2024 Take pan-seared and grilled steaks to the next level with this simple 6-ingredient homemade steak seasoning! It’s salty, savory, a little herby, and truly delicious! Some steak purists might argue that a good steak only needs salt and pepper to season it. However, with just a few more pantry-friendly herbs and spices, you can elevate the flavor even more....

Recipes › Desserts Valentine’s Day Desserts – The Ultimate Decadent Recipes By Samira Kazan updated January 30, 2025 From truffles to tarts, cookies to cakes, here are 15+ Valentine’s Day desserts guaranteed to impress. Celebrate your loved one with a luxurious dessert, surprise your friends with a delightful snack, or treat yourself to your favorite sweet recipe! Valentine’s Day seems to be all about rich chocolate and decadent desserts. Don’t you think?...

Recipes › Vegan Vegan Ricotta Cheese (Almond Ricotta) By Samira Kazan published November 30, 2020 This vegan ricotta is made with just 4 ingredients (including water and salt!), can take minutes to make, and only requires a blender/food processor. Almond ricotta is creamy, tangy, and slightly cheesy but 100% dairy-free, gluten-free, and soy-free! For any of those eating a dairy-free or vegan diet, I know that one of the biggest struggles is finding suitable cheese replacements....