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 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.

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.