(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.

One-Pot Cheesy Beet Rice

After I posted the recipe for the One-Pot Creamy Garlic Zucchini Rice three weeks ago, Mark @JerseyStylePhotography asked me if I have ever tried making it with beets instead of zukes.

Since I’m not very fond of beets — despite a recipe for chocolate beet cake and one for beet juice on this blog — my answer was of course “No”.
I mean, why on earth would someone ruin a perfectly good recipe with beets?
What a crazy idea...

Avocado BLT Sandwich

What is your all time favorite sandwich? The one you think is the ultimate sammie?
For me it’s the BLT. Sorry, let me rephrase that, it's the avocado BLT.
It’s my feel-good sandwich and my guilty pleasure, especially after a very hectic work deadline or a grueling workout.
Bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado on toasted bread with a bit of mayo.
So simple, so very delicious.

Maple Peach Blueberry Crumble (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

This awesome Maple Peach Blueberry Crumble lived a full life of about 10 minutes before being devoured by me, sister, nephew, and niece, while sipping Blackberry Mint Iced Tea.
A perfect pairing if you ask me.
And you know what? Two kids unknowingly devouring a homemade gluten-free fruit crumble and loving it is mysteriously satisfying.
I honestly wasn’t trying to trick anyone but I found myself giggling from the kitchen and intentionally withholding the knowledge that this was healthish.

Tomato Confit Pasta with Olives and Capers

I am fairly certain that I wait all year for tomato season, you know, the same way I wait for the Giants to get back to the field or for Apple to release its latest gadget.
I don’t know why I get so excited about tomatoes. It’s in my DNA, and I’ve learned to accept it.
I eat them on eggs, in frittatas, cooked and raw in every possible format and seriously, don’t even try to bring me a sandwich without a thin slice of tomato in it. Sister did it once and let’s just say, it didn’t go very well.

Simple Maple Vanilla Roasted Plums

Okay people, this is barely a recipe.
It’s more a suggestion of how to best celebrate the incredibly sweet plums.
Since I was a kid I loved plums. Red plums, black plums, yellow plums, and even green plums.
When ripe, plums are wonderfully sweet with a rich, complex flavor. They are a convincing argument that fruit is the best candy there is.
So sweet, so juicy, so tender.

Blackberry Mint Iced Green Tea

At this point you are well aware that I love making my own iced teas and adding different combinations of fruit and fresh herbs.
So far I’ve made Rosemary-Peach, Raspberry Mint, Ginger Mint, and even a Lemon Sparkling Iced Tea.
And today I present you with some awesome, super refreshing Blackberry Mint Iced Green Tea.
Because the heat wave we’re currently experiencing in my neck of the woods is a double-whammy (with high heat and high humidity) and one of the most effective ways to cool off is to sit in the cool shade and drink a tall glass of iced tea.
Or at least that’s what I like to do!

Fudgy No-Bake Brownies

So far, the summer has been cruel: Hot, humid, and sticky just about every single day, and more often than not a combination of all three.
So you should take me seriously when I say that the heat is getting to me and that I have zero desire to cook anything that involves turning on the oven for more than 5 minutes.
Besides, why would you even need to cook for longer than 5 minutes in the dead heat of the summer? The farmers’ markets are overflowing with produce that require minimal (or zero) heat to make it tasty: Tomatoes, zucchini, and glorious stone fruit.

One-Pot Creamy Garlic Zucchini Rice

People, the season of zucchini overabundance is officially here.
The other day I came home from the farmers market with so much zucchini the overflow from the refrigerator filled a big bowl on my counter.
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t scared at all. For many the summer mantra is “too much zucchini”, but my attitude is: Bring ‘em on.
I love zucchini so very much. It’s one of the most wondrous ingredients available and a gift to the seasonal cook.
Zoodles, casseroles, patties, fritters, frittata, even a grilled cheese. You can do anything with zucchini!

Curried Light Chicken Salad

As far as I’m concerned, I have a really clear idea of what a chicken salad should taste: crunchy, salty and sweet, juicy and tangy, fresh and light, flavorful and satisfying.
Believe it or not, this Curried Light Chicken Salad is all the above and maybe even more.
Which is the reason why I’ve been making big batches of this and snack on it throughout the week and pack it up for lunch.
YUM!

(Gluten-Free) Blender Chocolate Banana Bread

I love this recipe for so many reasons.
Let me count the ways!
1) So simple. Throw everything in the blender, pour it in a baking pan, and bake. It seriously doesn't get any simpler than this.
2) Flourless. There's no flour or flour substitute. No almond flour. No coconut flour. None of that. In fact, there's no “specialty” ingredients at all.
3) Only 6 ingredients. I can’t believe I haven’t started with this one. How good is that, though? Only 6 ingredients!
4) The flavor. Oh, how do I describe it? Before baking, the mixture is like a delicious thick banana chocolate smoothie. And though one is tempted to drink it all, I recommend you bake it.
Because after baking it becomes uh-mazing. A fudgy, thick, moist, delectable banana bread that tastes almost like a brownie.