5 Napkin Meatballs with Rosemary Aioli

The Original 5 Napkin Burger is one of the best burgers in town. Period.
You don’t agree with me? Then bring it on...there’s nothing I like more than discussing what’s the best burger in town.
With my friend Kelly we can argue for hours about it. We are opinionated people, and this is especially true on the subject of burgers.
We have researched long and hard to find the best burger in town.
Some we love, some we like and some we don’t care at all.
Burger Joint at Le Meridien, Corner Bistro, Dram Shop, Black Iron, Burger & Barrel, Bill’s Burger, Shake Shack, are some of our fave.
But year after year, the 5 Napkin Burger still holds a place in our hearts (and stomachs!)

5-Minute Maple and Thyme Skillet-Roasted Apricots

Let me just get the obvious out of the way because I know what you’re thinking: what am I doing here? Shouldn’t I be at the beach or something?
It’s summer after all, so leaving home (even if it’s air conditioned) and spending time outside, in the shade, is (almost) mandatory.
So again, why am I sitting in front of my laptop on a sunny August afternoon?
These are valid questions, but you see, there is history here, a prolonged history of recipe testing/creating which cannot be stopped.
Not even by the call of the beach.

(5-Minute) Cinnamon Streusel Coffeecake in a Mug

There are many reasons to love coffeecake, but the fact that you can eat it for breakfast tops it on my list.
It’s like someone — just like myself — clearly wanted to eat cake at 7AM but was never allowed to because, say, their mother never let them.
But with coffeecake it’s different. So different that when your mom tells you that you can’t have cake for breakfast, you can answer:
“Hush Mom, this is not cake, this is Coffeecake. It’s completely different, you’re supposed to eat in the morning with coffee!”

Chef John's Meatless Meatballs

For me, the true test of any alternative meatless recipe is whether I would eat it again. Based on taste and texture alone, and not just because it’s meatless.
In this case, I would. Oh yeah man, I definitely would!
It’s not like I’m giving up real meatballs or anything, but trust me when I say that these are without a shred of doubt the most delicious vegetarian-friendly meatballs ever.

4-Ingredient Deviled Chicken Thighs

This, my friends, is all the evidence you will ever need that you can never go wrong with Dijon mustard.
Because despite recovering from a horrible cold (not just any cold, more like the biggest, baddest and ugliest cold ever) with zero appetite, and even less inclination to walk to the kitchen and cook, an email from Mark Bittman dropped into my inbox the other day with a recipe for a super simple way to cook chicken thighs; so I dragged myself and made it for dinner last night and it was awesome.
Curative, even. I almost feel reborn today.
Apparently the delightful tang of Dijon mustard woke up not only my taste buds.

Smashed Potatoes with Tapenade

This recipe comes from celebrity chef Francis Mallmann whom I’ve discovered thanks to Netflix Original Documentary Series “The Chef’s Table”.
He’s the Argentine god of fire and I’ve cooked a lot from his cookbooks Seven Fires and Mallmann on Fire.
And if it wasn’t for him, I never would have thought to put these two flavors together in all the world of combinations: On one side the tapenade so briny, savory, and aromatic, on the other the ever-so-mellow boiled potato.
Who would have thought that they’d be any good together?
Thankfully Chef Mallmann did and he had the fortitude to put it in his cookbook for me to find.

Light Italian Minestrone Soup

Let’s be real for a sec: soups are not exactly “dude food”.
Picture this: Guys get together for Football Night, Poker Night, Dude Night, whatever testosterone-filled event; maybe they went hiking/fishing/hunting and are coming back home sweaty, tired, and starving. Maybe they went to the homecoming game and are ravenous.
Whatever it was, imagine one of the dudes saying “All right boys, who wants a bowl of Light Italian Minestrone Soup?”
It doesn't sound right...
By doing so, he would set himself for ridicule, disrespect, and contempt (and I’m being gentle here!)
Dude food is fall-off-the-bones tender pork ribs slathered in a barbecue sauce, meatballs, chili cheese fries, and cans of beer we can readily shotgun, then smash on our foreheads.
Soup? Doesn’t quite fit right?

30-Minute Chicken Tikka Masala

Spices and aromatics are the very heart of Indian cooking. Flowers, leaves, roots, bark, seeds and bulbs are used in endless combination to produce an infinite variety of flavors: sweet, sharp, hot, sour, spicy, aromatic, tart, mild, fragrant or pungent. 

Masala is a term that identifies a mixture of spices, that can be either a combination of dried spices or a paste made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients.
Chicken tikka is traditionally small piece of boneless chicken baked using skewers.
Chicken tikka masala is therefore a dish of roasted chicken chunks (tikka) in a spicy sauce (masala). The sauce is creamy, spiced, orange-colored and delicious!

Whole Wheat Quinoa Bread

Another recipe, more quinoa involved. Yes, we have to get ourselves ready for 2013 (UN’s International Year of Quinoa). There’s no slacking off, we must learn how to incorporate quinoa in all our meals.
What about making some bread with quinoa?
Bread, real bread, it’s not that complicated to make, but it does take time. Not so much in the preparation but it has to rise for several hours. This quinoa bread is no exception. You’ll need a good 4 to 5 hours. Good news is that while the dough rises you have plenty of time to do other things.
I, for instance, scheduled my training schedule accordingly. I knew I had to wait around 1 hour between each step so I went for my 6 miles run during the first ‘rise’, took a yoga class during the second ‘rise’, and watched two full episodes of “How I Met Your Mother” during the third and final ’rise’ (I know, this is not so much exercising but I was worn off and wanted to be a couch potato for once).

Almond Flaxseed Yogurt "Granola" Bars

Energy bars, granola bars, breakfast bars, protein bars, the grocery store aisles are full of them.
However, the majority tastes like artificial flavoring (ugh, fake chocolate and PB!), chalk, and misery.
Plus, they all have a way of “looking” healthy no matter their chemical/y flavor profiles and suspect textures.
To be honest, it’s actually pretty rare to find energy bars that are healthy AND tasty.
I, for instance, like Larabars. Each one has between 2 and 9 ingredients, all of which are whole organic foods like fruits and nuts.
Okay, I suppose the few with chocolate aren't "whole" foods in the strict sense (there must be some processing going on there), but here's the thing about Larabars: they actually taste pretty good.
Like fruits and nuts (except the lemon bar; I had it once and it really grossed me out.)
Oh yeah, because - and you probably already know this - I only eat things that taste awesome. I am not interested in bland, gross energy bars. Not worth it.
(Just to be clear, I haven’t received any money nor products to review from Larabars. I just like ‘em so much, I thought you should know!

Chicken Souvlaki Grilled Veggie and Quinoa Bowls with Tzatziki-Feta Sauce

Though I’m reasonably certain that the internet doesn’t need another recipe for chicken souvlaki — I did my fair share of research and there are thousands and thousands of different recipes for the seasoned Greek kebabs, including mine.
I still feel that the interwebs (as mom calls it) might benefit from just one more souvlaki recipe that includes chicken (obvs) but also grilled veggies, quinoa, and a delicious tzatziki sauce made with feta; everything served in a bowl.
I know you’re drooling, so am I — and I just had it for lunch.
That’s the only acceptable reaction one can have at the sight of so much awesomeness.

Easy Creamy Crock-Pot Coconut Curry Chicken

See that right there?
That's today's lunch, and last night's dinner, and yesterday’s lunch and it’s going to be tonight’s dinner too.
That’s just the way it is.

Honey Lemon Garlic Ginger Chicken

 On the very long list of questions that I ask myself constantly and that I am convinced other people are never troubled with — “Where’s my phone?”, “Where did I put my keys?”, “What did I come into this room for?” — “What do I possibly have the energy to fix for dinner tonight besides fried eggs and avocado?” is near the top.

(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.

TIY's 15 Most Popular Recipes

The Internet is a strange (but awesome) place.
I’ve been at this blogging thing now for over four years and I still don’t understand many things that happen on TheIronYou (i.e., my blog).
I feel like I’m starting to know you guys better and that I’m able to predict the kind of recipes you’d like to see on here.
So I really don’t understand why one recipe goes viral while another one — that I believe is just as awesome — doesn’t.
It’s a mystery that I won’t ever really comprehend. I just have to accept it for what it is: some recipes become popular, others don’t. That’s just the way it is.
Still, when the Internet speaks, my job is to listen.
So without further ado, here, in order, are TheIronYou’s 15 most popular recipes of all time.
Not surprisingly there’s a lot of cauliflower crust, some curries, a couple of casserole, and even a pudding.
From 1 to 15, here they are!

Easy Tomato and Zucchini Rice

If you haven’t noticed I’m on a rice kick, if there’s such a thing.
I’ve made rice in some form or fashion 6 out of 7 days this week. Baked Spinach Rice, Easy Mexican Rice, Mexican Rice (Part II), and Creamy Zucchini Rice.
Don’t get me wrong, I love rice but it’s almost odd for me to cook it that much.

Black-eyed Pea and Sweet Potato Cakes With Greens

I bought a can of black-eyed peas a while ago and every time I would open the kitchen's cupboard I could feel them staring at me; with their judgemental look, as if they were saying “You haven’t got the slightest idea of what to do with us, that’s why we’re still here, covered with a layer of dust.”
I knew that I had to take action asap. No way a bunch of canned peas was going to get at me.

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!

Rainbow Salad with Parsley Lemon Vinaigrette

When it comes to salads, I’m confident that you already know everything there is to know.
We could have a conversation about it, which would be as follows: “Is it healthy? Of course it is! It’s a salad, isn’t it?”
I mean, as long as it vaguely resembles a salad, it must be good for you, right?
And I’m also sure you’re eating salad for any of the earnest reasons that one usually eats a salad: A desire for healthy greens, fresh veggies and, of course, to get ready for swimsuit season in like no time.
But seriously salad can be delicious, filling enough, and of course healthy.

Chopped Nicoise Salad

You can never go wrong with a classic.
We all have a favorite classic movie, song, and book. They may depend on the generation we’re from, but we can all agree on some. Like Someone Like It Hot, Born To Run, and On The Road.
They are classics with good reason. They have endured the test of time, proving their greatness over and over again. They bridge age and generational gaps and they’re awesome, just like that.