(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.

Crock-Pot Broccoli Beef

Ease, comfort, and little prep — these are a few reasons why you should love your Crock Pot, especially after a long day at work.
You know those evenings when you come home super tired, you’re feeling lazy and not in the mood to cook but still want something delicious and healthy to eat?
It’s in those times that you’ll be thankful for your slow cooker and that you’ve already planned for that meal you’re about to eat.
I certainly am.

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Apple Chips

I have a secret to tell you guys, one of my fave healthy treats to snack on are apple chips.
Crunchy, crispy, and totally addicting.
I started making them at home a couple of weeks ago, and I haven’t stopped ever since.
They are so easy and cheap to make.
Slice the apple, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, bake in the oven and voilà: cinnamon sugar apple chips. No-brainer.
I can say without fear of contradictions that these apple chips are the perfect year-round healthy snack. But since the beginning of fall is apple season (when prices are lowest), this is the perfect time to give this recipe a go.
And you know what’s even better? That they fill your house with the aroma of baked apple pie, without the guilt. Cool, right?

Crock Pot Pepper Steak

Pepper steak is a Chinese American dish in which strips of beef and bell peppers are stir fried in a wok and seasoned with soy sauce and ginger to create a delicious umami-packed meal.
Even though it’s actually a stir fry recipe, it’s easily adaptable to the Crock Pot. And while the slow cooker method is definitely not “authentic”, it certainly tastes awesome, and requires almost zero prep time.

Crispy Baked Marinated Tofu

I’m back you guys!
I took a short (okay, maybe the longish kind of short) break from my TIY posting schedule to travel and relax. I needed it.
But now I’m back and ready to feed your appetites, starting now. Are you ready?
I do hope so.

Summer Eggplant Parmesan Stacks

Today’s recipe is to some extent similar to eggplant parmesan, but it’s assembled in single-portion little stacks. Much much much much simpler to make.
Layers of tender grilled eggplant, slices of charred tomato, melty mozzarella, sharp Parmesan cheese, fresh basil leaves...could it get any better?
Uh, that would be a “NO!”

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes

If you’ve ever been to Maryland, you know eating crabs is a summer pastime: picnic tables covered with brown paper, silver buckets, buttered corn, french fries, cornbread, and the unmistakable scent of seafood.
In Maryland crab meat goes on everything: hamburgers, stuffed shrimps, stuffed mushrooms, soup, literally everything gets crab meat. But my absolute favorite thing made with crab meat are crab cakes.
When done right, crab cakes are just fabulous: the perfect blend of lump crabmeat, hardly any filler, and an amazing blend of seasoning. DELISH!

Easy Blackened Chicken

First off, let’s make things clear: Blackened chicken is NOT the result of burning your chicken, or cooking it too long, or from it sticking to the pan.
No, the blackened part of the chicken is the result of a mix of spices and herbs (paprika, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, thyme, white pepper and onion powder) that coats the chicken and when put to high heat, gives the chicken an outer char.
Usually the coated chicken is seared on a smoking hot skillet to create the blackened effect and then it finishes cooking in the oven.
But in an effort to simplify the cooking process, I skip the ‘smoking hot skillet’ part and instead cook the chicken under the broiler.
It gets a little less blackened but the taste and texture are there, believe me.