Posts

Recipes How to Make Pickled Garlic (Plain and TikTok Spicy Pickled Garlic) By Samira Kazan updated June 14, 2023 How to make pickled garlic at home; either plain or spicy pickled garlic – with a quick and simple process! Prepare the plain pickled garlic first and transform it into TikTok trending spicy pickled garlic! Pickling has become one of my favorite things to do this past year or so. Along with this pickled garlic recipe, I’ve already posted pickled red onion , pickled jalapeños , easy pickled cucumber , and pink pickled turnips !...

Air Fryer Perfect Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs By Samira Kazan updated August 13, 2024 In this post, I’ll show you how to make the perfect air fryer hard boiled eggs , with a step-by-step guide that’s easy to follow. If you’re a fan of hard-boiled eggs, then you know that the process of boiling and peeling them can be quite a hassle. While you may be familiar with cooking eggs on the stovetop , there is an easier and mess-free way to make the perfect hard boiled eggs every time....

Seafood Restaurant-Style Chilean Sea Bass By Samira Kazan published June 03, 2024 Make my restaurant-quality pan-seared Chilean sea bass recipe in 15 minutes. It’s crisp outside, tender, juicy, and flaky in the middle, and served with rich lemon butter sauce! If you’re looking for a dish that’s sophisticated enough for a dinner party, impressive enough for date night, and super quick and simple to prepare, this quick pan seared Chilean sea bass recipe is a must-try....

Recipes › Breakfast Vanilla Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal (Blended Baked Oats) By Samira Kazan updated July 29, 2024 This healthy yet decadent chocolate chip baked oatmeal is the perfect combination of warm chocolate chip cookie, cake, and oatmeal. All you need is just 7 ingredients (pantry staples!), and it’s ready in under 30 minutes ! Best of all, the recipe can be made gluten-free and dairy-free! I thought I was obsessed with blueberry baked oatmeal and the thick, chewy, sliceable texture....

Recipes Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Cake with Caramel (Mars Cake) By Samira Kazan published July 19, 2021 This no-bake chocolate cake with caramel (aka Mars cake) is rich and decadent, combining a fudgy chocolate almond “nougat” layer, date caramel layer, and dark chocolate toppings in this delicious no-bake caramel chocolate cake. Best of all, all you need is 10 ingredients, a food processor/blender, and under 15 minutes of hands-on prep! The resulting raw cake is gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and 100% vegan!...

Pantry Best Homemade Fajita Seasoning By Samira Kazan published June 17, 2025 Skip the packet — this homemade fajita seasoning blend is bold, smoky, and incredibly easy to mix up with pantry staples. Whether you’re cooking juicy chicken, tender steak, or quick shrimp fajitas, this DIY spice mix gives you full control over the flavor and heat level. It’s naturally free from fillers, and you can adjust the blend to your liking — with optional sugar for a touch of sweetness or cornstarch if you’re making a batch to store....

Recipes › DIYs DIY Homemade Vegan Nutella Recipe By Samira Kazan updated November 02, 2023 With just 5 ingredients and 30 minutes of your time, you can whip up a delicious jar of homemade Vegan Nutella . Dairy-free, Vegan, Paleo, refined sugar-free, and healthier! It’s taken me a while to get this homemade chocolate hazelnut butter to the point that I can now, officially, consider it a ‘homemade vegan Nutella’. After lots of recipe testing, I think I’ve finally hit the nail on the head!...

American Easy Baked Spaghetti By Samira Kazan updated July 02, 2025 Baked spaghetti has become one of my go-to comfort dinners. It’s rich and cheesy like lasagna, but much easier to throw together on a busy night. If you love cozy, all-in-one meals like taco casserole , hamburger casserole , or homemade hamburger helper , this is right up your alley. With a flavorful meat sauce, melty cheese, and tender pasta baked until bubbly, it’s simple, satisfying, and always a hit....

Recipes › Drinks Easy Brazilian Lemonade (Creamy Lemonade) By Samira Kazan updated August 13, 2024 This Brazilian lemonade recipe combines zippy fresh lemonade with creamy sweetened condensed milk for an equally creamy and refreshing summer drink that requires just 3 ingredients and minutes to prepare! Plus, you can prepare this creamy lemonade dairy-free and refined sugar-free! I’m no stranger to a delicious homemade lemonade. Just last week, I shared a recipe for pineapple lemonade , and previously for ginger lemonade , cucumber lemonade , pink lemonade , and even a magical color-changing lemonade ....

Salads Easy Chickpea Salad By Samira Kazan published December 06, 2024 This easy chickpea salad combines chickpeas with cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, fresh herbs, and a simple olive oil lemon dressing. It’s perfect as a quick meal or as a side for picnics, cookouts, and more! I love this light yet filling salad packed with fresh veggies and zesty flavors—it’s so vibrant and colorful. This easy chickpea salad recipe is also simple to make, nutrient-dense, and healthy....

Recipes › DIYs Easy French Fry Seasoning By Samira Kazan updated November 02, 2023 With a careful selection of herbs and spices, this savory French fry seasoning recipe (aka Cajun fries seasoning) is perfect for fresh or frozen fries, burgers, and veggies, and will have you coming back for more! Just when you think that homemade French fries and potato wedges couldn’t get better, you discover this French fry seasoning recipe and realize just how wrong you truly were....

Recipes › Drinks Fresh Strawberry Kiwi Juice (Blender or Juicer) By Samira Kazan updated March 27, 2024 This strawberry kiwi juice is slightly sweet, sour, and super refreshing – making for a perfect summer drink! All you need is two ingredients and a few minutes to prepare this strawberry and kiwi juice – plus a blender or a juicer! Having just shared my favorite methods for making kiwi juice and strawberry juice (with and without a juicer), I knew I had to share my current favorite way of enjoying those juices – combined in this deliciously fresh, sweet, and tart strawberry kiwi juice!...

Recipes › Desserts Fresh Watermelon Jello Slices (Without Gelatin) By Samira Kazan updated August 13, 2024 How to make fresh watermelon jello without gelatin, using watermelon juice and agar-agar for a healthy, delicious, all-natural, vegan jello! Serve in the rind for show-stopping watermelon jello slices, pour into watermelon jello shots, or simply set in a large jello mold for a fruity, summery treat! As the end of watermelon season edges nearer (albeit slowly right now), I’m trying to make the most of this fruit as its sweetest and most ripe....

Condiments Garlic Cream Sauce By Samira Kazan updated July 30, 2024 This 5-ingredient garlic cream sauce is rich, creamy, dreamy, and made with a simple combination of parmesan, butter, garlic, and cream at its base (with several flavor variations!). Perfect for making creamy garlic pasta, pouring over seafood and meat, veggies, and more! When you’re struggling for a last-minute quick and simple meal, one of my go-to’s is pasta. I often have some homemade pesto or homemade tomato sauce to hand in the fridge/freezer and often turn to practically effortless dishes like Italian-inspired pasta aglio e olio (garlic and olive oil) and pasta al Limone (garlic-lemon)....

Chicken How to Make Chicken Stock By Samira Kazan updated June 27, 2024 How to make chicken stock (aka “liquid gold”) with raw or leftover roasted bones/carcass. It’s wholesome, nourishing, and packed with nutrients (and collagen if making bone broth)! Chicken broth (with chicken meat) and chicken stock are flavorful kitchen staples with dozens of uses, including in soups, stews, cooking grains, and sipping on as a restorative broth. Plus, once you learn how to make chicken stock from bones at home (aka bone broth), you’ll never go back to packaged versions!...

Recipes › Vegan How To Make Dark Chocolate By Samira Kazan updated April 23, 2021 A two-ingredient dark chocolate recipe (bittersweet chocolate) using a super simple homemade chocolate process – plus it is naturally sugar-free and vegan, but can easily be customized! I think I may have discovered the best sugar-free dark chocolate (aka bittersweet chocolate/semisweet chocolate) you can make at home without going through the entire process of making chocolate from bean to bar !...

Pantry How To Make Garam Masala Spice By Samira Kazan updated November 02, 2023 How to make Garam Masala spice at home: This 10-spice blend can be made with whole or ground spices and is ready in under 15 minutes. It is perfect for cooking and as a finishing spice for fragrant, flavor-packed meals! Having just shared a recipe for Ayran , a savory yogurt drink that pairs wonderfully with spicy meals (like this vegetarian butter chicken ), I haven’t stopped craving Indian food since (just a little insight into the way my brain works)....

Recipes › DIYs How to Make Tomato Paste By Samira Kazan updated November 02, 2023 This post shows you how to make tomato paste using fresh tomatoes . Simply stock up on tomatoes while they’re in season (or if you grow your own then bonus!) and whip up batches of this tomato paste to last through Winter. Up until recently, tomato paste was something I’d never even thought to try to make at home....

Recipes › DIYs How to Make Vanilla Powder By Samira Kazan updated November 02, 2023 This post shows you how to make vanilla powder from 100% vanilla pods. It is a zero-waste recipe for a rich, robust homemade vanilla powder to add to all your baked goods, drink recipes, and more! Did you know it’s super simple to learn how to make vanilla powder? Made only from 100% vanilla pods, this homemade vanilla powder is zero waste and adds a rich, deep vanilla flavor to a dish....

Salads Pineapple Salad – Easy Pineapple Recipe By Samira Kazan updated August 12, 2024 This refreshing summer salad pairs pineapple and cucumber with a zingy dressing to make a delicious pineapple salad recipe that’s ready in just 10 minutes! Barbeque season is upon us – and I’ve got the perfect salad to bring a tropical taste to your table. My pineapple cucumber salad recipe blends the salty with the sweet, using the best of seasonal produce to create a dish that’s packed with color and goodness....