Feature Archives - Page 9 of 105

Red Lentil Tortilla Soup Recipe

Every time I made this red lentil tortilla soup at home and posted it on Instagram stories, I realized I still had not posted it on my site. I taught this soup in 2019 and have been making it on the regular ever since. Red lentils don’t hold their shape like brown, green or black lentils. They become kind of mushy but they taste just like regular lentils. I used them in this soup with Tex-Mex flavors and ingredients to create a soup that tastes like a tortilla soup. It’s filling but light, and just like tacos you can serve the soup with a great topping bar! Delish!

Dinner Planner – Week of February 26, 2024

Happy Weekend! I am very excited that my mom and her friend are coming to visit this week. We had a fabulous time when they came out here two years ago. I am going to take them to the desert for a quickie and then the rest of the time in Manhattan Beach. Should be fun! For my monthly online cooking class subscribers, I am uploading the March class on Friday so check your inboxes for that. Spring holidays are right around the corner :). Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

Crustless Spinach Feta Pie Recipe

I made this recipe after seeing it on TikTok, and I devoured it for breakfast every day until it was gone. I love spanakopita and this crustless version was exactly the flavor and consistency I was familiar with but without all the phyllo + butter. I did not miss the crunchy phyllo dough, because the feta and dill is where all the flavor is! You might be questioning all the dairy since I don’t eat a lot of it. I do favor goat and sheep dairy because it’s easier to digest than cow, so I recommend you seek out goat or sheep feta. Cow feta is bland and dry anyway. You can also sub in goat gouda for the mozzarella and omit the Parmesan or swap in Pecorino (a sheeps milk cheese) for the Parmesan. My point is that it’s easy to make this vegan, egg-free, or cow’s milk-free. I am also going to use this formula and swap in other vegetables or leftovers!

Dinner Planner – Week of February 19, 2024

I am enjoying a three-day weekend in Palm Desert for the President’s Day holiday! It’s lovely to spend some quality time with some friends and take a break from the kitchen for a short bit. But that doesn’t mean I am not planning my meals for the week. Since it is Lent, I will try to remember to plan for a non-meat or fish dinner on Fridays. If I forget, just move things around on your own so that the meal plan works for you. Here’s my dinner planner for the week:

Pasta alla Vodka Recipe

This is a classic sauce that is so easy and everyone loves it. If you don’t eat pasta, serve it over zoodles, spaghetti squash or do what I do – a smaller amount of pasta supplemented with lots of cooked, seasonal vegetables (e.g. asparagus, carrots, peas, mushrooms.) You can make it spicy or not at all. One of the reasons I wanted to share this recipe is to show you different ways you can swap for heavy cream in a savory recipe. I never have heavy cream just hanging around the fridge, and I also never feel the need to buy it either. When I refer to a ”rich, homemade cashew milk” in the recipe, I’m talking about making it with a base like JOI and doubling the quantity of cashew base I usually use. Some people swap coconut milk for heavy cream and don’t detect a coconut flavor; some people do and don’t care for it. Lastly, the vodka is optional, but the alcohol does burn off so you can give this to children. And, the vodka actually does provide a balancing flavor to the tomatoes and helps to emulsify the sauce.
Continue reading

Vodka Sauce Chicken Parmesan Sliders with Mozzarella and Pesto Recipe

I started a slider series on Instagram in anticipation of Super Bowl Sunday and I am loving all the recipes! They were so fun to make and even more fun to eat! I love planning menus for entertaining and these sliders could not be more perfect for Super Bowl Sunday or any game day or movie night or whatever. Check out my Instagram for the other recipes and I have an epic breakfast sliders recipe in my newsletter!

Dinner Planner – Week of February 5, 2024

So much happening, friends! I uploaded the February cooking class YAY! It’s so good! Every month I pre-record a brand-new cooking class which you can watch on your own time. This month’s menu is:

Lemony Parmesan Soup
French Onion Soup Skillet Chicken
Fennel and Celery Salad
Roasted Truffle Potatoes
Torta Caprese (this is a flourless chocolate cake famous on the island of Capri)

You can either subscribe to my classes and have access to the ENTIRE library of classes or purchase a single class.

Next, Super Bowl Sunday is next weekend. It is the second biggest eating day of the year, so I need to start prepping NOW. I have way too many recipes I could link, so I gave you just a sampling. I’m doing a chili and taco bar this year! Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

Sour Cherry Almond Cake Recipe

This is a beautiful and easy olive oil cake that can be enhanced with sour cherries, blueberries, or no fruit at all. If you want a very tall cake, use an 8-inch round, but make sure it is a deep cake pan. Otherwise, use a 9-inch round. If you don’t have a 9-inch springform pan, it is worth the investment. I’ve made it with both sizes and I would use a 9-inch if your 8-inch is not very deep. If you want to do something special for Valentine’s Day, you can use the stencil idea for any baked goods or just the pink powdered sugar idea without a stencil. It’s easy and fun!