Italian Farro Salad

If you’re not familiar with it, farro is a grain similar to pearl barley, but it’s dried in such a way that instead of being fluffy and spongy, it becomes a bit chewy and has an incredible nutty flavor.
Farro is a pure form of wheat with the husk intact.
It’s been a staple in the Mediterranean diet for centuries, in fact it was a major food for the ancient Romans, who used it to make bread and soups before shifting to wheat.
It’s incredibly versatile and pretty healthy too. It contains a lot of fiber which proves to be very good when it comes to digestion and cardiovascular health. It’s also exceptionally high in protein for a grain and supplies more than 10 different vitamins and minerals.
It used to be pretty hard to find, but nowadays almost all grocery stores carry it. From Trader Joe’s to Whole Foods to Walmart, look for it in the natural-food or special selection sections.

Greek Pasta Salad

Pasta salads tend to get a bad rap, but I find that the more I think of them as cold and fresh summer dishes and the less as mayo-laden bowls of suspicious ingredients offered in delis around the country, the more inviting they become, not only for picnics and potlucks but for an awesome Friday night.
I actually made this Greek Pasta Salad for a BBQ this past weekend, everyone raved about it, and wanted to know how to make it.
In my book, I always know that something works when people ask for the recipe. Then again, I’m not sure if they are ever going to make it but sure enough, they’ve enjoyed it.
I love when people get so excited about something that is so simple to make and so fresh.

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.

Pepper Quesadillas

It’s about time you meet one of my fave go-to meal, Pepper Quesadillas.
When I’m feeling too lazy to make a proper meal but I still want something delicious, filling, and a tad on the healthy side too, I throw together these quesadillas in 15 minutes flat.

"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.

Easy Gratineed Eggplant

It’s finally starting to feel like summer so today I’m making a dish that has summer written all over it.
A super simple Gratineed Eggplant — a dish that get raves from anyone who's tried it.
I know that “gratineed” sounds like a fancy word but in reality it just means to bake or broil in au gratin style. That’s it.

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?

(Vegan) Sun-Dried Tomato and Chickpea Burgers

Here is the thing about veggie burgers — I found that once you bite into them, they are often mushy, or they tend to fall apart or even worse they are cardboard-like.
Even some of the good ones are more akin to a fritter than a burger and all miss that juicy burger texture.
Prepare to be amazed.

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.)

Zucchini Pasta Carbonara

Spaghetti carbonara is a classic pasta dish that the whole family loves and that takes as long to make as it does to cook the pasta. The ingredients are simple: Pasta, bacon, egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. A silky sauce is created when the beaten yolks are tossed with the hot pasta and a little fat from the bacon. Luscious and wonderfully indulgent, pasta carbonara is as good as it gets.

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 Ratatouille

I can’t believe how well this worked out. I also can’t believe I made this quintessential stove top hearty dish in the oven. But I can believe I’ll be making this again tomorrow, because it’s delicious and an incredible cinch to make.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Can we please discuss for a moment the price of supermarket veggie burgers? Why are they so expensive?
One can argue that this happens because veggie burgers are made with a lot of ingredients.
Or maybe it’s because vegetarians are willing to pay more to avoid beef/pork, the manufacturers know this and thus charge more.
More likely is it because the production of veggie burgers is on a much smaller scale if compared to the beef counterpart and in addition vegetables and grains — though generally quite cheap pound to pound — are seasonal and can greatly fluctuate in price.
Whatever might be the reason: veggie burgers are expensive!

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.

(Vegan) Coconut Curry Chickpeas

Crazy week? It can be all too easy to throw healthy eating out of the window and chow down on some takeaway.
With busy life comes the desire to feed oneself all that is easy, quick, and effortless.
But don’t dive into that pizza, Pad Thai or Chipotle just yet.
I have a perfect recipe for you.
So easy and simple, you’ll have dinner sorted in no time.
And if you make a double batch, you’ll have lunch for the next couple of days too.

Double Chocolate Blender Brownies

If you ask me, banana and chocolate is a marriage made in heaven. Just like eggs and avocado, tomato and mozzarella, orange and thyme, and coffee and shortbread, just to name a few.
I know that not everyone is a fan though and that some may be dubious about a recipe for brownies that calls for bananas and chocolate.
To be honest, if three years ago you’d told me about a killer recipe for double chocolate brownies made with bananas, I wouldn’t have believed you. But since then, three things happened.

Chocolate Caprese Cake (Gluten-free)

I can give up many things in my life but never chocolate. There’s no way around it.
Call it an addiction, call it a craving. It’s my reality, I just can’t ignore the voice in my head screaming for chocolate.
Luckily, I have a solution. My mantra when it comes to chocolate is “just a little bit”.
Whenever I get the craving for chocolate, the only reasonable thing to do is to go ahead and have my chocolate fix, with moderation.

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.

Caprese Lemon Cake (Gluten-Free)

I have this suspicion about myself that I love anything caprese.
As long as it’s labeled “caprese” I know I’m going to like it, a lot: Salad, chicken, cauliflower casserole, rice casserole, etc. you name it. The combination of tomato and mozzarella and anything else always wins, in my book.
I think it also has to do with the fact that when I first visited Capri (many moons ago) I fell in love with the place: the feel of the warm Mediterranean breeze, the turquoise water that crashes onto the rocky shores, the magnificent sights that greet you around every turn, and, of course, the taste of the delicious foods available at cafés and restaurants.

Easy Indian Butter Chickpeas

Since you all know me, then you know that I love Indian food to the utmost.
Give me some Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken or Pumpkin Masala and I’m one happy camper.
In fact, some of the most popular recipes on this blog are Indian-inspired; such as the Chickpea Tikka Masala or the Red Lentil and Spinach Tikka Masala — maybe not quite like your grandmother’s authentic Indian recipe but so tasty nonetheless.

Easy Zucchini Gratin

There is something rather awesome about vegetable gratins. You start out with ingredients that are usually not considered healthy — a memorable pile of shredded cheese, heaps of crème fraîche, butter — but then you add a glorious amount of veggies to the equation and the result is a pretty healthy dish. Because if there is a vegetable in it, it must be healthy food, right?

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.

Mom’s Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

This week has gotten away from me a little. I haven’t had many home cooked meals and I’ve put my recipe testing on hold for a few days.
I’ve been finishing up my holiday to do list — okay, I started and have almost finished up my holiday to do list. Luckily, I’m taking Friday off and plan to wrap things up, because on Saturday and Sunday I’ll be cooking for the family for Christmas.

(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.

Frosted Grapes

With Christmas just around the corner (I can’t believe it’s already that time of the year), I wanted to share an extra special snack that is a staple in my house since I was a kid: frosted grapes or as niece like to call ‘em Elsa’s Frozen Grapes (believe it or not, after 4 years Frozen was released she still looooves it!)
Seriously, is there anything more festive than these sugared grapes?
Not only they are a yummy snack but you can use them as a decoration to your holiday desserts. Imagine a classic white layer cake topped with these grapes. It's pretty awesome if you ask me.

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.

(Easy) Spinach Ricotta Quiche

I am certain that for many of you — just like myself — the sole preoccupation right now is Thanksgiving menu and that you probably forget — just like myself — that in order to survive and make it to Thursday alive you still need to eat.
That’s why I have a little recipe for you today, a fantastic quiche that
(A) requires a few simple ingredients,
(B) is incredibly easy to make,
(C) is perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, and
(D) last but not least, is super delicious and wholesome, while being healthy and nutritious.

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.

One Pot Pizza Rice

I was not, in fact, looking for a new rice dish. I have already so many, I certainly do not need one more.
But, as it happens, because I’m terrible at timely meal-planning, I was attempting to make this chicken for dinner a couple of weeks ago and it wasn’t ready on time, or even close to it.
That’s when I remembered a one-pan Spanish rice I made in February that was both delicious and easy to make.
Realizing I had almost all the ingredients on hand, I rustled it up. But since I had Nephew and Niece over for lunch, I made a few tweaks (no spices, marinara sauce instead of tomato sauce, etc.) and what began as Spanish flavored rice ended up looking much more as a tomato rice that smelled like pizza.
So I took it a step further, sprinkled some mozzarella I had in the fridge, dotted with mini-pepperoni slices, five minutes under the broiler and BOOM a delicious One Pot Pizza Rice.
The kids loved it so much they asked for seconds, and thirds. Actually, they polished it ALL off.

(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.

Crock Pot Cinnamon Applesauce (No Added Sugar)

I love applesauce. I know that makes me sound like I’m three years old, but I will freely admit it with no shame whatsoever.
However, I am also very picky about my applesauce — this also makes me sound like I’m three years old. I do not like overly sweet applesauce, and I abhor those applesauce flavors you can buy at the store, like tropical or mixed berry.
The only fruit sauce combination I accept is apple+apple+apple.
And needless to say, it I prefer homemade applesauce to store-bought.
Straight-up apples that have been cooked down into a thick pulp, with lemon juice and a bit of cinnamon. So simple, so incredibly delicious.

Moroccan-Spiced Burgers with Harissa Mayo

It’s well known that I’m a harissa fiend.
I have a love affair with the North African fiery paste and I love putting it on…well, everything.
Spaghetti, chicken, potato salad, you name it.
So it was only a matter of time before I would put it inside a burger to create a — in my humble opinion — memorable meal.

Easy Crock Pot Carnitas

I am embarrassed by how long it took me to post a recipe for carnitas — or “little meats” that are usually braised then roasted — which are as far as I’m concerned the very best thing to pile on a corn tortilla.
To me, they’re the undisputed king of the taco food truck. The Mexican answer to American pulled pork: moist, juicy with a rich and tender texture, and riddled with plenty of well-browned crisp edges.
The only thing greater than my love for carnitas was my wonderment as to how they were made. I imagined that getting a flavor so complex, and a texture so nuanced — tender in the center and crunchy at the edges — was best left to the experts.
That’s why I continued for many happy years to pay a premium price for them, especially in a city where good food can cost the earth.
Man, was I wrong.

Maple Chipotle Roasted Carrots

This recipe is proof that vegetable side dishes don’t have to be boring. Or, to put it in other words, that there are tasty ways to prepare what could be a boring vegetable for a side dish.
Because let’s face it, sometimes carrots can be pretty mundane just plain on the side of your main dish.
Am I right?
Introducing Maple Chipotle Roasted Carrots.

Easy Crock Pot Orange Chicken

Let’s get things straight people: if you’re looking for something that is going to be a Panda Express style orange chicken, this recipe ain’t for you.
There’s no breading and deep frying, that’s not how slow cooking works. There’s not a chance in the world that you will get crispy orange chicken out of it. Actually, you won’t get crispy anything out of a Crock Pot.
However, if you’re craving orange-y, savory, sweet and sour, spicy melt-in-your-mouth chicken, then look no further because I have the perfect recipe for you.

(Vegan) Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Soup

First of all, I need to say a big capitalized WOW!
I know this sounds a tad arrogant, but WOW is the only word that comes to mind to describe this (Vegan) Creamy Curried Butternut Squash Soup.
A rich, savory, and delicious soup that is also healthy, low calorie, and super easy to make.
And you know what? It tastes like it was simmered long and low in order to develop such depth, but in reality it takes about 30 minutes to make, from start to finish.
There are layers of flavor that will first tease your palate with butternut squash delicious savory notes. Next, you discover the wonderful sweet undertone of coconut milk, making it even more interesting. Lastly, you feel the curry with its unique blend of savory and sweet spices, but not overwhelmingly so.
All in all, perfectly a balanced and wonderful soup.

Hamburger Steak with Onions and Gravy

There are some dishes that are the epitome of comfort food: hamburger steak with onions and gravy is one of those.
I grew up eating this meal alongside mashed potatoes, sweet peas, and dinner rolls.
Still today, the smell of onions and gravy reminds me of the good old days when life was easy, wonderful, and almost nothing mattered.

(Vegan) Tofu, Zucchini, Sun-Dried Tomato and Cream of Basil Sandwich

Today I am sharing this stacked lunchtime sandwich that I made myself last week.
I had not made a big lunch sandwich in a while and this one really hit the spot.
I don’t think I’ve ever made a better sandwich than this, vegan or not. And though I’m reluctant to post sandwich recipes on the blog because I believe they are slap together meals, this...this I had to share.