If I learned one thing from living in Austin, it’s that homemade salsa is infinitely better than any kind you can find in a jar. I loved sampling salsas at restaurants and taco trucks. Each one was different – some were made with roasted ingredients, others got a smoky, spicy kick from dried chiles, and still others were nice and fresh. This variety inspired me to start experimenting with making homemade salsa. I might pull out dried chiles in the winter, when good tomatoes are hard to find, or roast tomatillos if I see them at the farmers market. But…
TO THE RECIPE >>>>This Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe is fresh and flavorful. It’s a delicious addition to the menu of any potluck, cookout, or picnic. It can easily pass as a side dish, but it’s so hearty and satisfying that it can be the main event, too. And if you happen to have leftovers, you’re in luck! This quinoa salad keeps well if you make it ahead of time, so it’s a great recipe to meal prep for healthy lunches throughout the week. Over the years, I’ve shared lots of quinoa salad recipes on the blog, but I’m especially smitten with this one.…
TO THE RECIPE >>>>Move over, bottled Italian dressing! This homemade Italian dressing recipe is super easy to make, and it tastes far better than any store bought kind. Trust me, I know. Growing up in the Midwest, I tried bottled Italian salad dressings left and right. They were a staple at the salad bar, the secret ingredient in everyone’s pasta salad, and the default marinade for any protein. I get it. Reaching for a bottle of pre-made dressing is quick and easy. But once you try this homemade Italian dressing recipe, you’ll won’t look back. It’s a breeze to make, it uses simple,…
TO THE RECIPE >>>>Stuffed peppers are among the handful of dishes that will always remind me of being a kid. Growing up, they were a fixture in my mom’s regular recipe rotation, right alongside creamy broccoli soup, eggplant Parmesan, and mac and cheese. Back then, I’d eat the filling, made from ground beef, Italian seasoning, tomato sauce, and rice, and push aside the pepper. In hindsight, it’s not hard to see why people were surprised when I became a vegetarian. 🙂 Since then, I’ve learned that the pepper itself is an integral part of any stuffed peppers recipe. Don’t get me wrong, the filling…
TO THE RECIPE >>>>This edible cookie dough recipe is almost too easy to make. I don’t know about you, but every so often, I have days when I need a cookie, and I need one now. Most of the time, I whip up my go-to vegan chocolate chip cookies, but lately, it’s been too hot to turn on the oven. While I know that baking is out of the question on a sticky summer day, my cookie cravings couldn’t care less. Enter: edible cookie dough. It has all the rich, chocolatey goodness of a regular cookie, but you don’t have to turn on the oven…
TO THE RECIPE >>>>This grilled peaches recipe sums up everything about what makes cooking in late summer so special. Fresh peaches are already at their best – sweet, juicy, and tender – so the smallest effort transforms them into a delectable dessert. I love standing outside as they cook, soaking in the warm weather while it’s still here. When they’re ready (they only take 3 minutes!), I scoop them off the grill, top them with vanilla ice cream, toasted nuts, and fresh herbs, and dig in while they’re still hot. If you’ve never tried grilled peaches, I hope you make them in the…
TO THE RECIPE >>>>Way back before Love and Lemons began, when I was first learning about seasonal vegetable cooking, grilled eggplant was one of my favorite things to make. Jack and I would visit farms near Austin, where we lived at the time, and come home with armfuls of summer veggies like zucchini and eggplant. We’d get the grill pan nice and hot (this was before we had an outdoor grill), and cook everything until it was tender and perfectly charred. We’d drizzle on a tasty sauce, pass some crusty bread, and call it dinner. So much has changed since then – we…
TO THE RECIPE >>>>Every time I make this ratatouille recipe, I think about a trip I took to Provence, France, a few years ago. While I was there, I stayed with a local family. When they met me at the train station, I was exhausted and hungry, worn out from hours of traveling alone. But when my hosts announced that they were serving ratatouille for dinner, I felt my energy come flooding back. I’ve always loved ratatouille, a Provençal vegetable stew, and I was so excited to try it in France! That night, we sat on my hosts’ patio, drinking rosé and scooping…
TO THE RECIPE >>>>Who else loves yellow squash? Like zucchini, it starts to take over my fridge at this point in the summer, but I really can’t complain. This tender, sunny summer squash is versatile, nourishing, and super easy to cook. I love to grill it, roast it, and even eat it raw, but lately, I’ve been hooked on this sautéed yellow squash recipe. Yellow squash itself has a mild flavor, so I toss it with a bright herb oil as soon as it comes off the heat. Then, I pile on a savory panko topping for crunch. Just a heads up –…
TO THE RECIPE >>>>Have you ever grilled watermelon? This summer, I’ve been grilling just about everything that enters my kitchen, and I finally got around to giving grilled watermelon a try. I have to say, I’m hooked! See, I love summer fruit like berries, cherries, peaches, and watermelon, but unlike Jack, who’s happy to eat an entire pint of blueberries in a single sitting, I rarely eat fruit on its own. More often, I use it as a sweet accent in savory dishes, like these summer rolls or this strawberry salad. So for me, grilling watermelon only makes it better. Its sweetness becomes…
TO THE RECIPE >>>>When I opened our CSA box last week and found jumbles of multicolored cherry tomatoes inside, I knew I had to make this cucumber tomato salad. Sometimes, I plan recipes months ahead of time. Green bean casserole for Thanksgiving, deviled eggs for Easter. But this cucumber tomato salad recipe was something I couldn’t plan in advance. It rose out of those particular tomatoes and my particular craving for a flavorful summer salad that would show them off at their best. Since then, this cucumber tomato salad recipe has become a favorite in our house. Made with halloumi cheese and grilled…
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