Apple-Mint Iced Tea

It’s been scorchy hot these past few days, so I’ve been drinking a lot of refreshing drinks.
Together with my Mint and Ginger Iced Green Tea this Apple-Mint Iced Tea has been at the top of my list.
Green tea tartness goes really well with the pungent and refreshing mint aroma and is perfectly counterbalanced by the apple juice sweetness.
Super simple to make, all-natural, good-for-you, and oh-so-yummy.

Sheet Pan Spicy Chicken Fajitas

I don’t know if I should tell you or not, but I kinda have a thing for Mexican food in my house.
I’ve never actually thought about it until now, but I’m pretty sure I eat Mexican food at least once a week. From quesadillas, to carnitas, to enchiladas, to these awesome Sheet Pan Spicy Chicken Fajitas.

"Blow Your Mind" Grilled Chicken Marinade

Sometimes simplicity is the best. Like the easy breezy grilled chicken marinade I invented the other day.
As a person who loves chicken dishes and couldn’t get tired of them, ever, I’m constantly looking for different and original methods to cook chicken so I can serve it more often without the risk of getting bored. My goal is always the same, juicy, tender, succulent chicken that packs a flavor punch.

Marinated Red Peppers with Garlic and Oregano

Most of the time, I don’t choose the recipes I share here, it’s the market that controls it.
As it happens when you live in a climate that deprives you of field-fresh produce for almost half the year, leaving you to go completely out of control and of course overdo it in the months that you’re graced with it — bringing home buckets of fresh produce when you only need a fraction of it.
The other day I picked-up some mega-huge red peppers thinking about pickling them, but then I changed my mind — as I often do— and I instead roasted them.

Mom's Pink Lemonade

When I was a kid I was 100% convinced that pink lemonade was made from pink lemons (yes, pink lemons do exist but unfortunately their light pink flesh juices run clear).
Then for years I thought it was made by adding pink grapefruit juice to lemonade; it’s not.
Pink lemonade is a popular cloudy variation of traditional lemonade made with added grape juice or cranberry juice, giving the drink its distinctive pink color.
If the taste of pink and traditional are exactly the same, why does the former is more popular than the latter?

Classic Souvlaki Kebabs

Why is it that, no matter what, we always crave the back-to-basics, simple food that has been around for ages?
Probably because no one wants to fuss and also because we like food that doesn’t make demands on our time, our kitchen skills or our wallets.
As far as I’m concerned there are recipes — such as these Classic Souvlaki Kebabs — that I make a lot around here.
Simple food that speaks for itself. What is there not love about it?

Socca (Gluten-Free Chickpea Flatbread)

Let’s talk about socca, shall we?
For those of you who are not familiar with this food, socca is a sort of large flatbread (or unleavened pancake if you prefer) made with chickpea flour, water, olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.
It’s a popular street food along the French Riviera and in and around the province of Genoa, Italy. It's traditionally cooked in wood ovens on copper disks, roughly cut, and served hot.
It’s a great any-time-of-the-day recipe that can be enjoyed in so many ways.
Socca is often served as an appetizer with a few herbs and spices and eaten with the hands with a glass of crisp rosé. My favorite way to eat it is with hummus or harissa: so delicious!

Green Falafels

For those of you who don’t know, falafel is a simple fritter of ground chickpeas, filled with garlic and herbs and fried into a glorious, filling, and inexpensive food.
Falafels are typically eaten wrapped in pita bread and topped with yogurt sauce, lettuce, and tomatoes. But when I make ‘em at home, I’ll eat them straight-up with just a dip of tzatziki.
Traditional falafel is also a vegan food: A great source of protein for people who have cut meat out of their diet and low in fat if you fry it in heart-healthy vegetable oil (such as grapeseed oil.)

Easy Baked Chipotle Chicken

Can I be totally honest with you guys?
I am in love with this Easy Baked Chipotle Chicken. So much so that I made a second batch of it the day after devouring the first — which was like two days ago. Speaking of which, I think the time has come to whip up another one because seriously, this is smoky spicy awesomeness.

Pan Sheet Chicken Saltimbocca

Did you know that saltimbocca literally means “jumps in the mouth”?
That description could not be more fitting for this classic Italian restaurant favorite: the dish is so delicious people you cook it for won’t be able to eat it fast enough.

In this version, chicken replaces traditional veal and instead of pan frying it, it’s roasted in the oven. But the mouthwatering addition of prosciutto and sage stays the same and makes the the dish practically irresistible.
These Pan Sheet Chicken Saltimbocca take minimal effort to make and are ready in just 30 minutes: simple, delicious, and just one pan in the sink to wash up.
It’s my special dish for Niece every time she visits. Pure perfection. Serve it over spinach or better yet, with roasted fingerling potatoes that you can pop in the oven while the saltimbocca are cooking. I can’t seem to make too much — we finish however much there is.

There’s no overloading of ingredients (just seven, if you count also salt and pepper), the perfect complement of flavors, super simple execution, and minimal dishes to wash: what could you possibly want more?

Pan Sheet Chicken Saltimbocca                                                                                                         Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 4

8 skinless, boneless chicken cutlets (mine were about 3 oz each and ¼-inch thick) and then halved (for a total of 16 small chicken cutlets)
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 thin slices prosciutto, cut in half
16 sage leaves
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ cup dry white wine

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F (220°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Top each cutlet with half prosciutto slice and lay a sage leaf in the center of each cutlet. Weave a toothpick in and out of each cutlet to secure the prosciutto and the sage.
Place cutlets on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Remove baking sheet from the oven, pour white wine over the cutlets and roast for additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the wine has reduced to a flavorful and distinct sauce.
Serve immediately.

Nutrition facts

One serving (i.e., four saltimbocca) yields 375 calories, 18 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs, and 48 grams of protein.

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

I don’t know if there is a name for this but when I see a recipe that sounds intriguing, I have this bad habit of cooking it either right-that-very-moment or pretty much never.
I do the same with clean laundry, I either get every single thing into its proper closet/drawer or it sits on my bedroom chair for days — never bothering to put it away. Same thing happens when I buy something I’m not sure of, I either return it the very next day or it stays in its bag forever.
The fact is, once something leaves my short-term memory, it may as well be lost eternally.
But with recipes, at least today, I’m on a rescue mission.

Crock-Pot Mongolian Beef

One of the most fundamental, basic rules of dinner parties — and the one I routinely ignore — is that you should never try out recipes for the first time on your guests. Good manners predicate that guests are not guinea pigs, hence you should never test new dishes and ideas on them.
But when those guests are your family — which means that they are forced to love you — I say go to town on them.
Fortunately, with this Crock-Pot Mongolian Beef everything worked perfectly, like I knew it would. Soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sugar, and beef in the slow cooker: Hardly something can go wrong.

Cinnamon Carrot Soup

Although it’s still cold, it definitely feels less harsh than last week (and the week before that).
The severe and unusually long cold blast we just experienced was one the sharpest documented — numerous records (if not all) have been broken.
And when it gets cold (especially that cold), I have but one craving: warming and nourishing soups. There’s nothing quite like a big bowl of soup to keep your insides warm and healthy.

(Gluten-Free) Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles, why are they called snickerdoodles?
No one knows where the name comes from. According to Wikipedia these cookies are probably German in origin, and the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudel.
I’m not fond of the name, to tell you the truth. I almost wish they had another name.
I do love the cookie though.
Mouth watering and blasting with cinnamon flavor, hard on the outside and chewy on the inside, and once you bite into the crisp you can’t get the cinnamon out of your tongue. Awesome.

(Gluten-Free) Almond Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Since it’s the holidays, I’m all about cookies. And today I’m going to share one of my very favorite cookie recipe: Almond Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies.
Insanely delicious, super easy to make, and great for holiday parties and cookie exchanges (if you’re into that). And you know what? They are also gluten-free and can be made vegan and/or paleo if you want.
Awesome, right?

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Ragu

Ragu is one of those recipes that really showcases the beauty of Italian cooking: everyday ingredients, fast prep, long and slow cooking until you get a luscious dish that tastes like a million bucks.

Best Ever Tuna Salad

No matter how inventive or creative or ingenious I try to be be with my weekday lunches, at some point I end up craving just a simple tuna salad sandwich. Just like egg salad, a tuna salad may be the ultimate lunchtime comfort food. Perfect for cold sandwiches or fresh wraps on the go.
Here’s my favorite, not-so-basic tuna salad recipe. I think it’s just about perfect.

Fancy Egg Salad

I’m going to make a confession guys, this egg salad is (as the title suggests) fancy and high-maintenance.
Made from a few ordinary ingredients it's more than the sum of its parts: well balanced, with bright fresh flavors, and a texture that spans from rich and creamy to crunchy.
It really has it all.

Eggplant Lasagna

I love lasagna, I know I’m not the only one: Creamy, rich, comforting, it’s hard not to love it.
Pasta noodles baked with bolognese sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese into something delectable and truly irresistible.
I would go as far as saying that it’s an epic dish. Oh sure, it looks like an ordinary broiled mass, but it’s so much more.
However, lasagna isn’t a dish for the calorie conscious — it’s incredibly, let me say that again i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-y rich.

(Vegan) Creamy Crock Pot Coconut Curry Lentils

Weeknight dinners don’t get simpler or healthier than this.
You can prep everything for these (Vegan) Creamy Crock Pot Coconut Curry Lentils in 5 minutes tops, then toss it all in your slow cooker and with no other effort required on your part, you’ll have a healthy meal that everyone will love.
Fact is, when I’m using the crock pot to save time (and stay out of the kitchen) I like to keep things as simple as possible, and believe me when I say that it doesn’t get simpler than this.
Just some peeling and chopping is needed, then throw everything in the slow cooker, go out to work or run errands, and when you get home you don’t have to start fussing with dinner—the work’s already done.