Ingredient Guides By Samira Kazan updated February 21, 2024 If you follow my kitchen DIY series, you may have noticed that I’ve already shared at-home processes to make extra virgin coconut oil and avocado oil . Well, olive oil has always been on my list, but I have yet to perfect my at-home method. However, following a recent trip to Lebanon, I visited an olive oil factory and saw (and took part in) the entire process....

Recipes › DIYs How To Cook Brown Rice Perfectly Every Time By Samira Kazan updated January 12, 2022 This post will take you through how to cook brown rice perfectly fluffy every single time – no rice cooker required. Plus easy ways to flavor your cooked rice too! Having already posted a guide on How To Cook Quinoa Perfectly Every Time , now it’s the turn of fluffy brown rice. Brown rice – and rice in general – is a bit of a sly ingredient to work with....

Recipes › Mains How to Desalt and Cook Salted Cod By Samira Kazan updated August 15, 2024 How to desalt and cook salt cod easily for a flavorful, tender, and savory fish fillet. This incredible cured fish is high in protein and low in fat, making it an excellent choice for any meal! Salted cod is very popular in many countries around the world, especially in Europe and the Caribbean. People have been preserving fish in salt for centuries as the salt draws out the moisture....

Recipes › Drinks How To Juice Turmeric (With and Without Juicer) By Samira Kazan updated July 29, 2024 It’s no secret that I’m relatively obsessed with turmeric and its magical compound ‘curcumin’. I’ve already shared several methods for Ginger Turmeric Shots . Yet, I’ve never shared the absolute basics – how to get turmeric juice! Turmeric juice can create great ginger shots and mixed juices fit for a king (or queen)....

Ingredient Guides How To Make Almond Meal By Samira Kazan updated April 11, 2025 A Simple DIY for how to make almond meal PLUS almond meal vs. almond flour (and almond pulp), including recipe and usage suggestions! Whether you follow particular dietary requirements and need an ‘alternative’ ingredient, or you just love almonds – this post contains a quick and simple DIY on how to make almond meal in just a few minutes....

Ingredient Guides How to Make Balsamic Pearls (Balsamic Caviar) By Samira Kazan updated March 24, 2025 How to make balsamic pearls (aka balsamic caviar) at home with just 3 ingredients, a tall glass, and a pipette (or syringe)! This vegan caviar is perfect for garnishing all kinds of dishes! When you hear the words ‘molecular gastronomy’, you probably think of smoke machines, ‘foams,’ gels, and other tricky and complicated sounding techniques....

Recipes › Sides How To Make Candied Yams By Samira Kazan updated July 02, 2025 Stovetop candied yams in delicious spiced butter, brown sugar, and orange juice syrup – a perfectly appetizing Thanksgiving side dish classic ready in under an hour. Want to save this recipe? What Are Candied Yams? Ingredients for Candied Yams How To Make The Best Candied Yams How to Serve Candied Yams How to Store Candied Yams FAQs Side Dishes for the Holidays How To Make Candied Yams Recipe What Are Candied Yams?...

Recipes › Sides How to Make Cauliflower Rice By Samira Kazan published January 14, 2025 Learn how to make cauliflower rice in minutes using my top tips and either a box grater or a food processor. Light, fluffy, and low-carb, it’s a quick and easy side dish or addition to stir-fries and more. I have been a fan of cauliflower rice for years now. It’s a healthy, gluten-free, and low-carb alternative to traditional rice....

Pantry How To Make Granola Butter (Oatmeal Butter) By Samira Kazan updated December 10, 2025 This granola butter is the perfect combination of nut butter, granola, and oatmeal in one: a delicious gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free oatmeal butter ready for dipping and spreading! In the last few years, I’ve shared all my favorite nut butter recipes , including all-natural peanut butter , almond butter , and pumpkin seed butter ....

Ingredient Guides How To Open A Coconut (4 Easy Methods) By Samira Kazan updated November 18, 2022 A few simple methods on how to open a coconut and remove the water and meat – including options that help preserve the shell to make coconut bowls! Quoting from a song you’ll have heard lots on my Instagram if you follow me there, ‘ the coconut nut is a big-big nut, but its delicious nut is not a nut....

Recipes › Mains Mix & Match Rainbow Vegan Rice Paper Rolls By Samira Kazan updated October 31, 2024 Fresh and healthy mix & match rainbow vegan rice paper spring rolls (sweet and savory) served with a choice of 3 dips for a nutritious, delicious meal or snack! I love rice paper spring rolls for any meal or snack. With just a handful of veg and some noodles or grains, you can create a beautiful, delicious, plant-based, savory vegan meal....

Recipes › Desserts Simple 4-Ingredient Avocado Ice Cream By Samira Kazan updated August 13, 2024 This rich and creamy dairy-free, low-carb, no churn 4-ingredient Pistachio & Avocado Ice Cream is not only simple to make but a delicious healthy summer treat! Step aside Avo-toast because today we’re bringing a new dish to the table: avocado ice cream! With just 4-ingredients and a no churn method, there is no need for an ice cream maker to whip up this delight within 10 minutes and leave to set for a lovely healthy indulgence....

Recipes › Drinks Simple Homemade Hemp Milk Recipe By Samira Kazan updated January 17, 2024 How to make hemp milk – a simple homemade hemp milk recipe using just two ingredients for a creamy, high-protein, dairy-free milk alternative. Last year I decided I wanted to add hemp seeds into my diet more, to take advantage of their nutrients (and so started making hemp seed butter ). Now here is my quick homemade hemp milk recipe – a great plant based dairy-free milk alternative....

Pantry Substitutes for Soy Sauce By Samira Kazan updated July 30, 2024 Ready to cook and no soy sauce to hand? You can still give your dishes a delicious umami flavor with these store-cupboard substitutes for soy sauce . How many times has it happened to you? You’re halfway through cooking and realize you don’t have any soy sauce – disaster! Luckily, there are plenty of other pantry staples that can bring a similar taste to your meals....

Recipes › Sides The Perfect Grilled Zucchini Recipe By Samira Kazan updated August 29, 2024 Perfectly grilled zucchini is quick, easy, requires simple ingredients for tons of flavor, and is a naturally gluten-free, low-carb, vegetarian, vegan, keto, whole30, healthy summer side dish! Want to save this recipe? Why you will love grilled zucchini The ingredients How to grill zucchini Ways to serve grilled zucchini More simple vegetable side dishes The Perfect Grilled Zucchini Recipe Recipe Why you will love grilled zucchini Along with bell pepper and corn on the cob , zucchini is naturally suited to grilling (and sauteing in just minutes!...

Recipes › Desserts The Ultimate Indulgent Fudgy Brownies By Samira Kazan updated November 21, 2024 These fudgy brownies are the ultimate, decadent, chocolatey, gooey brownies with a crisp and crackly top. Prepare and bake these homemade brownies in under 40 minutes and customize the topping for tons of ways to enjoy them! I’ve already posted a recipe for fudgy no-bake brownies . However, for those wanting truly indulgent, gooey brownies – then this fudgy brownie recipe is for you....

Recipes ‚Ä∫ Appetizers Tzatziki Sauce Recipe (Authentic & Easy) By Samira Kazan updated April 24, 2023 A no-fuss way to spice up any meal, my homemade tzatziki sauce is an authentic taste of Greece, perfect for dipping and drizzling in as many dishes as you can think of. I’d like to think that there’s nothing in this world that doesn’t go with tzatziki. My tzatziki recipe – based on the traditional Greek yogurt sauce – doesn’t stray too far from the original....

Roundups Vegan Dinner Recipes By Samira Kazan published June 13, 2025 I love having a few go-to vegan dinners in my weekly routine — the kind that are hearty, nourishing, and don’t leave you wondering where the protein went. This collection of vegan recipes brings together some of my favorites, packed with wholesome ingredients like lentils, beans, chickpeas, mushrooms, and tofu. Many of the Lebanese dishes I grew up with — such as my mom’s best hummus , tabbouleh , green bean stew , and baba ghanoush — are naturally vegan and rich in flavor....

Ingredient Guides What Is Fennel and How to Cook It By Samira Kazan updated August 12, 2024 If you’ve never worked with fennel before, this odd-shaped bulb with branches and “hairy” leaves may seem a little daunting, but it’s surprisingly simple to work with and enjoy once you know how. It’s crunchy with a robust, slightly sweet, anise-like flavor when raw. But it becomes super tender, caramelized, and mellow when roasted for a wonderfully aromatic side dish or addition to meals....

Seasonal › Winter What’s in Season – December Produce and Recipes By Samira Kazan published December 01, 2024 December produce is packed full of holiday favorites that can be enjoyed at the table or dressed up and given as gifts to loved ones. The festive season is packed full of colorful ingredients that are at their best this month. December fruits and vegetables have had the summer and fall to ripen and grow, bringing essential nutrients and incredible colors to the first month of winter....