Recipes Archives - Page 5 of 111

Roasted Beet Greek Salad with Olive Vinaigrette Recipe

I had a roasted beet Greek salad with olive vinaigrette at a favorite LA restaurant, Jon & Vinny’s, and asked myself, “why didn’t I think of this??” The olive vinaigrette was a great twist (instead of having whole olives in the salad) and I am always trying to find ways to enjoy beets since they’re so good for you. If you hate olives, no big deal. Just omit and add a little more salt to the dressing to taste. You may try some capers instead which are also briny and salty. Since restaurant prices and extra fees are making dining out a very expensive activity, I have been posting more and more restaurant dupes on my social media channels.

Hatch Chile Spinach Dip Recipe

This dip was something I made up on a recent IG live and I was not sure how it would turn out. I knew it would be good enough to eat, but I was not prepared for how insanely delicious it was!! I have made it several times since then and it is a new favorite. Hatch chiles are in season right now and if you can find them, they are special. Hatch chiles have a little heat, but they’re also kind of nutty and earthy. But when you roast them, they become almost sweet and smoky. They are delicious and people buy cases of them right now, roast them, peel and seed them and freeze them to enjoy during the year.Continue reading

Panzanella with Chickpeas, Tomato Vinaigrette and Parmesan Croutons Recipe

Panzanella is a great way to use up leftover stale bread and you know how I love to NOT waste food! You can use any bread you like – gluten-free, grain-free all work too. It is classic to make panzanella with juicy tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and basil, but you can switch it up during different seasons. Chickpeas are not a common ingredient in panzanella, but I love adding them to make this a main dish. Also, the vinaigrette in this recipe is amazing. You can also make a crouton-less and chickpea-less version of this salad + the vinaigrette and use that as a topping for grilled steak, chicken or a side of fish. Just chop up the veg a little smaller!

basil bread chickpeas croutons cucumber garlic olive oil panzanella parmesan red wine vinegar shallot tomatoes

Herbed Summer Squash and Potato Torte Recipe

When I see what is circulating on social media and what generates the most views and clicks, it’s not recipes like this. There isn’t a massive cheese pull or 20 ingredients + 2 sauces. This is just simple, pure food but still flavorful and satisfying. I love any kind of layered casserole. It’s not complicated to make, but it’s still impressive enough to serve to guests. My husband ate this recently and (as usual) said, “Wow! This is actually really delicious!” Moral of this story is don’t sleep on these simple, but wonderful recipes!Continue reading

parmesan potato scallions summer squash

Lighter and Easier Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

I love eggplant parmesan, but restaurant versions are way too oily and leave me with a heavy feeling in my stomach. This version is not only much lighter, but faster and easier too. In the summer, I often make a quick fresh tomato sauce which can save you $$$ over buying a good one at the store. I’ll give you this recipe too which you can use over pasta or spaghetti squash. If you see “seconds” at the tomato stands at the farmers market, you can take advantage of them for this sauce or anything that calls for cooked tomatoes.
I love this eggplant parmesan as a hearty main dish with a salad in the summer and I also use this recipe as a vehicle for adding in leftover cooked veggies like sautéed greens, mushrooms or even swapping in roasted zucchini for the eggplant.

basil breadcrumbs eggplant mozzarella parmesan tomato sauce

Pasta con le Sarde Recipe

The goal here is to, yes, teach you how to make the most popular Sicilian pasta con le sarde dish, but also to introduce you to sardines. Sardines are very overlooked because people have no idea what they are and assume they’re going to be fishy and gross. Or people confuse them with anchovies which are VERY different. Like anything, there are options when it comes to sardines – fresh from the fish market or cooked and packed in water or olive oil, with skin or skinless, with bones or boneless, plain or smoked. They do not contain mercury, are loaded with anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fats and they are very inexpensive. I prefer the boneless, skinless ones packed in oil. If you prefer, you can swap in jarred tuna or canned salmon for the sardines in this recipe. Or vice versa – swap sardines in for canned tuna!
This is NOT a pasta dish that is typically served with cheese. But I’m not in charge of what you eat, so you do you. If you want to cut the quantity of pasta in half and swap in zucchini noodles, I approve!

anchovies currants fennel onion pasta pine nuts raisins sardines white wine

Green Bean and Basil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

It’s not always easy to come up with new salad dressings especially when I have many that I really love. I prefer to change up the salad ingredients and leave the dressings as is. But it is really important to have a few versatile dressings that can go with almost any salad. My Everyday Salad Dressing #2 is my go-to, but even I like a change of pace every once in a while. This vinaigrette is my new obsession and I can barely keep it around because my family loves it so much. The key is adding the olive oil in a steady stream while the blender is going. This is what creates a thick and emulsified dressing. The Dijon mustard is also a great emulsifier. If you want a lighter colored dressing, use a white balsamic vinegar. If you don’t have balsamic, use red wine vinegar and add a splash of maple syrup or honey.Continue reading

Peach-Blueberry Buckle Recipe

A buckle is basically a coffee cake with way more fruit than you’d put in an actual cake. Sometimes you’ll see recipes for fruit buckles with a serious crumble topping plus a glaze. But you know my style for desserts is to keep the sugar at a minimum and not go overboard. I am crazy for the combo of stone fruit and berries, which is perfecto for summer. But if you want to change up the fruit, by all means go for it!Continue reading

almond extract blueberry buckle cinnamon egg lemon zest milk peach sugar vanilla extract