Cranberry Almond Spinach Salad with Sesame Seed Dressing

The other day I looked at the thermometer outside my kitchen window and it read 100°F.
Clearly, I need a new thermometer.
And yet, even if it isn't that hot out (to be honest today it’s actually pretty chilly), it's definitely been getting warm enough that my water consumption is starting to increase dramatically while I almost lost my appetite — okay not really but you know what I mean, right?
We’re entering that time of the year when a light and fresh salad is exactly what (and all) I need.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (Homemade Nutella)

I know it’s a terrible idea to post a recipe for homemade Nutella right now. It’s June. You’re getting in a bikini/swim trunks in a couple of weeks and I know for a fact that all you’re focusing on is getting beach-ready.
You’re probably all about salads, smoothies, and juices. Yet here I am, presenting you with a luscious Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.
But you see this Chocolate Hazelnut Spread is made with only good-for-you ingredients and it’s so delicious it will make you feel better instantly.
And since it’s a known fact (or at least I like to believe it so) that happiness is one of the biggest factors in feeling and looking great you can understand why it totally makes sense to post a recipe for homemade Nutella right now.
Not to mention that it’s not like you have to eat more than a spoonful. It’s possible — though difficult — to exercise some self-control around chocolate and hazelnuts. Trust me.

Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata

The sauce you guys, the sauce. This dish is all about the sauce.
It’s actually so good you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful and maybe even want to lick the plate clean.
I did it and do not regret it, at all.
I mean, when you sautè butter and garlic, then add milk, salty chicken broth, and tangy lemon juice, good things are going to happen. Good as in magical. Good as in you should stop reading this post. Seriously, stop and go make it. NOW.

Flourless Double Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

I made us some cookies.
I know, how kind of me.
It started as a quest for cookies that tasted like Nutella, if, say, you were the type of person who may or may not have bragged with his 7-year old niece that he could bake any cookie ever known to mankind. Including, but not limited to, a “cookie that’s as awesome as Nutella but does not have Nutella in it!”

Harissa Spaghetti

Wait, what? Spaghetti on this blog? Are you kidding? Are you going insane? Where are the zoodles man?
I know, shocking.
Take a deep breath, relax, everything will be okay. I promise.
But you see, I recently bought these gluten-free spaghetti (made with a blend of organic corn, rice, and quinoa), and they taste so darn good I was like “Score! Finally a GF pasta that’s like the real deal!”

Eggs Poached In Marinara Sauce

Some recipes are so simple and quick they should hardly be called recipes. This is one of those.
Maybe I should call this an idea instead of recipe. An idea on how to poach eggs.
Maybe that’s a better way to define these Eggs Poached in Marinara Sauce.
A humble but soulful dish that makes for a wonderful breakfast, tasty lunch or dinner.

(Paleo) Carrot Cake In A Mug

OK, I’ll admit it, I’m having way too much fun with this cake-in-a-mug thing.
I’m like a kid with a new box of LEGOs: endless entertainment!
I started with the Chocolate Chip Cookie, then it was the Cinnamon Roll (one of the most popular recipes on this blog), followed by the Chocolate Cake, the Apple Pie, the Brownie, and no later than last Friday by the Lemon Pound Cake.
Today it’s all about carrot cake.

(Paleo) 1-Minute Iced Lemon Pound Cake

If you’ve ever had Starbucks’ Iced Lemon Pound Cake, you know how good it is. Full of lemon flavor, dense, rich, and so so moist.
I haven’t had it in years — last time was probably 2006 and I was still in college — but I remember perfectly how awesome it is. Maybe a bit too sweet (at least for me) but awesome nonetheless.
A tasty little lemon cake goes great with just about any drink you can think of: coffee, tea, latte, hot chocolate, cappuccino, mocha, etc.

(Paleo) Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares

Today I have one question for you guys: Why aren't most cookies square-shaped?
Or to put it differently, why are most of the cookies round-shaped?
It’s one of those questions that has troubled me most and I’ve always wanted to know the answer to — but I was too afraid to ask.
When I was a kid I thought that all cookies begin as squares, but then people always nibble off the corners because they're so tasty. Hence, round cookies.
Was I onto something?
I dunno, I dunno…

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Zoodles

There is a bunch of zoodle recipes on this website: Lemon garlic chicken zoodles, Avocado pesto zoodles, Butter zoodles with herbs, Zoodles aglio olio e peperoncino, Pad Thai Zoodles, Zoodle Pie, Zoodles with Marinara Sauce, and Zoodle Bake.
All of which are pretty darn fantastic, and yet this one might be my absolute favorite.