Canning your own cranberry sauce is easy and it is so delicious! This homemade cranberry sauce is so much better than storebought!
There is something so satisfying about filling your pantry (cantry) with your home canned products. One of the prettiest has to be this whole berry cranberry sauce!
I love that I can easily reach for a jar to serve as a quick side dish, spread on a sandwich, serve with cheese on a fancy charcuterie board, and it's amazing on a bagel with cream cheese!
...One bite of these tangy, fizzy, and utterly delicious fermented cherry tomatoes, will have you starting another jar immediately.
If you have never tried lacto-fermented cherry tomatoes, you are in for a treat! Fermenting cherry tomatoes turns them into something amazing. They are fizzy and a little salty, tomato-y flavor, but more.
...This Blackstone Egg Roll in a Bowl is a quick and easy dinner! All the flavors of an eggroll without the wrapper!
This easy eggroll in a bowl is one of the first griddle recipes that new owners of Blackstone (or other griddles) try.
It's easy and economical and it's a great way to feed a crowd! Plus everyone loves it!
Tender juicy chicken, vegetables, and noodles all cooked on the Blackstone griddle with a delicious soy garlic butter sauce! No need to go out to eat when you can make it even better at home!
I have declared this the summer of my Blackstone griddle, but really I'll be busy griddling, smoking, and grilling all summer!
This hibachi chicken with noodles is so good, after we finished it all, I began wondering how soon could we have it again!
I had high hopes for it and it totally delivered. It is better than the hibachi we get a local restaurant.
This is going into regular rotation at our house!
...Use your Blackstone (or your favorite griddle) to make this quick, easy, and delicious chicken stir fry! Loaded with veggies and perfectly cooked chicken, it's a family favorite!
I officially declare this summer, the summer of my Blackstone! I love how quick and easy everything is on a griddle, plus no pots and pans to clean and no messy stove.
Starting this summer off right with a favorite stir fry, modified just a bit for this chicken griddle recipe.
Chicken, broccoli, and red bell peppers with an easy sauce served over rice, everyone loves it!
...These easy wood-pellet smoked chickpeas are so versatile! They make a great appetizer, use them on salads, and sprinkle them anywhere you want a delicious smoky flavor!
I don't know about you, but I love finding new ways to use my Traeger wood pellet grill. And, I think these might just be my favorite!
I love chickpeas, I use them in my Instant Pot to make an Instant Pot Chickpea Mediterranean Bowl and as a side dish in Lemon and Thyme Chickpea Salad.
Who would have thought smoked chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) would be so amazing?
...There is no need to buy store-bought jello when you can make easy, healthy, homemade jello right at home.
While my husband and I generally eat very healthy, we do love dessert. It doesn't have to be much, just a little something sweet to finish off dinner.
So, when I read an article on how good gelatin is for you - Gelatin Health Benefits it sounded like a great addition to our diet!
The more I learned about it, the more I liked the idea of making homemade jello for our desserts. I could use organic fruit juice and keep it organic, use sugar-free fruit juice to keep it sugar-free, and use fruit juices like pomegranate and cranberry for their other healthy benefits!
...Use your Instant Pot to make the chickpeas and the rice at the same time to make this delicious chickpea Mediterranean brown rice bowl!
Top with your favorite toppings and drizzle with a tangy lemon yogurt dill sauce for a healthy bowl you'll make repeatedly!
I have to admit that once I discovered bowls, I was all in. We have some sort of bowl at least once a week.
My bowls usually go in one of two directions, either Mediterranean or Mexican. I always keep the toppings needed for either kind of bowl in the fridge. Then all I have to do is decide on a grain and/or a protein and I am ready to go.
This Chickpea and Rice Bowl is made at least twice a month. I buy big bags of brown rice from Costco and either use my chickpeas from Rancho Gordo if I have some, otherwise, any store-bought brand will do.
It's so easy to make in the Instant Pot - you make the rice and chickpeas at the same time and they cook while you are preparing the toppings!
This bowl is inspired by a recipe in the Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook, where I learned the pot-in-pot technique for making rice and chickpeas at the same time! (I'll link to it in the recipe card!
...Chicken Tortilla Soup is a family favorite that can be made easily in the crockpot.
Put all the ingredients for this delicious soup in the slow cooker in the morning and quickly prep the toppings before dinner and you are ready to go!
I was looking through my backlog of cooking photos to see what to post next and I saw this Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup. I thought, "Oh that must be to update an old post." Then I looked on here and saw that I didn't have a chicken tortilla soup already posted.
How can that be?
I make this soup several times a year. It's my go-to when I want an easy dinner. I love to serve it when family comes over because it can be simmering away while we catch up on what's going on in everyone's life. Then I can set out lots of toppings and everyone can make theirs how they like it. an
...Making these spicy beef lettuce wraps on your Blackstone Griddle is so easy!
They are a lighter healthier option for people who don't want the same old burger!
I have wanted a griddle for so long, but my deck was full with my Traeger and my regular grill. However, when I saw that I could get a Blackstone griddle for a great price at Walmart, I gave my grill to my neighbors and set up the griddle on the deck!
It was love at first sight or love at first cook! I tried fried rice, quesadillas, and hibachi chicken. Then I decided that maybe I should start taking some photos of my Blackstone griddle recipes and get some of them up here on the blog!
This brings us to my first griddle recipe on the blog - Spicy Beef Lettuce Wraps! I absolutely loved making them on the griddle. No smoke in the kitchen, no greasy splatter mess on my stove!
...Use your Instant Pot or pressure cooker to make the perfect pot of black beans! Then serve them over rice, use them in any recipe calling for canned beans, or freeze them!
One thing that almost all the healthy diets I have in common is the suggestion to eat beans every day. Luckily, I absolutely love beans.
My two favorite ways to cook beans are with my slow cooker, like these Slow Cooker Pinto Beans with Bacon, and now my Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
While some people say the best way is to simmer them low and slow on a stove, I simply don't have time to watch over my stove for hours.
This recipe is for a basic pot of black beans. It's simply seasoned so that you can use the beans however you would like. Here I served it over rice with cilantro lime salsa.
If you need more convincing to make a big pot of beans, read Why Beans are Good For You!
...Sprouting lentils is fun, and easy and turns them into an even more nutritious powerhouse!
In just a few days, you can have these delicious sprouts to use in so many ways!
Sprouting lentils? You may be wondering why you would want to sprout lentils. There are so many reasons!
First of all, they are delicious. We love them in salads, on sandwiches, adding texture to bowls, and even just for snacking.
They are also so economical. From a ¼ cup of lentils, I got about 2 cups of sprouts! So, a large bag of lentils can really go far.
Finally, sprouting makes the nutrients much more usable for your body! Sprouting neutralizes the anti-nutrients and makes the available nutrients more readily available.
...Pasta Amatriciana is a classic pasta dish for a reason, it's easy, delicious and pure comfort food!
One of my goals for this year is to learn some classic Italian pasta dishes! We love pasta around here and that sounded like an easy goal to keep!
Some dishes that I consider classics and would definitely be on that list are: Cacio e Pepe, Pasta Puttanesca, Pasta Carbonara, Penne all Vodka, Bolognese, Pasta alla Norma and Spaghetti al Limone. I'll had links to my recipes as I make my way through my list, you can see I have already made some of them!
Pasta all Amatriciana is one that has been on my mind for awhile. I watched it being made on Milk Street Television and loved their tips and techniques! So, that looked like a great place to start!
...This Tuna Nicoise Salad uses one pot to make the potatoes, green beans and hard boiled eggs, making it so easy!
A healthy salad that is perfect for lunch or light dinner. A great way to use a couple of cans of tuna!
I first tried this recipe many years ago after finding it in an old out of print Eating Well cookbook.
You're going to love that it uses one pot of boiling water to cook the potatoes, green beans and the hard boiled eggs. While those are cooking you prepare the salad dressing and get your salad greens ready.
It's dinner in about 40 minutes! We love to serve it with some crusty bread and a glass of white wine. It's simple, elegant and healthy!
...No need for take out when you can have this easy chicken stir fry on the table in under 30 minutes!
Chicken, broccoli, red bell peppers all in a spicy garlic ginger sauce served with rice and topped with cashews!
This stir fry is your answer to what's for dinner tonight. I love how quickly it comes together and all the vibrant, healthy vegetables in it!
It's similar to our Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, but that one has hoisin sauce, this recipe does not.
Add some steamed rice and you have an easy and complete dinner! You can use plain rice or Coconut Cilantro Rice would also be yummy!
...An easy favorite sandwich bread, tender and tangy from the buttermilk with a touch of sweetness from the maple syrup.
This is the perfect whole wheat sandwich bread, it is light and airy with the addition of some white flour to balance the whole wheat.
This is the bread for people who say they don't like whole wheat bread. This is also the bread for people who say they love whole wheat bread. Everyone loves this bread.
Half whole wheat and half bread flour keep this from being a dense heavy loaf, instead it is light and tender and it makes the best sandwiches!
The best part is the bread machine does all the work! You just put the ingredients in and turn it on. In about 3 hours, you'll have the perfect loaf of bread!
This would make an amazing sandwich to serve with some soups!
...Perfectly seared salmon is topped with an easy and flavorful tomato avocado salsa.
Made with cherry tomatoes and avocados, this is an easy weeknight salmon dinner that can be made year round!
If you're looking for an easy salmon dinner, you've come to the right place. Salmon is my go to when I want quick, easy, delicious and good for you.
Salmon is amazingly versatile, from Pan Grilled to Slow Roasted.
Today, I am back with another favorite way of cooking salmon, a quick pan sear with a finish in the oven. It produces perfectly cooked salmon and gives you a few minutes while the salmon is in the oven to put the finishing touches on the rest of your dinner.
What you're also going to love about this recipe is the tomato avocado salsa. So easy to make year round, it's lovely in the winter when you want something a little lighter than your usual stews and braises.
...This sweet tart Cranberry Salad Dressing turns every salad into a restaurant worthy salad!
Perfect to add a festive touch during the holidays to any salad, it's also great year round!
Salads may not get all the respect they deserve, but when you drizzle this with this Cranberry Vinaigrette, people will notice!
It's sweet, it's tart and it has that gorgeous cranberry color. Even better is it's so easy!
I keep bags of cranberries in my freezer, so I make this tangy vinaigrette year round. It's perfect for a festive touch at the holidays, but it's amazing drizzled on summer salads, especially nice on fruit salads!
...Don't throw away those collard stems, use them to make these tangy quick pickled collard stems!
Collard stems are quick pickled and stored in the fridge for snacking, using on salads or on a cheese board!
Even though we have a compost pit, I am always looking for ways to minimize food waste. One of my favorites is Carrot Top Pesto. Now, I have another favorite to add to that list - Pickled Collard Stems!
Last week I showed you how to freeze collard greens and I'm back today with what I did with those collard stems!
You could actually use any hardy green stems for this - like kale stems or swiss chard stems. The pickle solution is also good for just about any quick pickle!
...It is so easy to freeze fresh collard greens and be able to have them whenever you want!
A few simple steps and you can have frozen collard greens to add to soups, pastas or use as a side dish!
You might be wondering why you would want to freeze collard greens, why not just cook up a big pot of them right now?
There are plenty of reasons for freezing collard greens. In this instance, I got a bunch of collard greens in my CSA two weeks in a row. Rather than have collards again, I decided to freeze them so that I could use them through the winter to add to soups or beans.
Maybe your store is having a big sale on collards. Here in the south, they go on sale around New Year's so that everyone can make Hoppin John. When they are on sale, I buy several bunches and freeze them.
I love to add them to soups and pastas.
Collard greens are so good for you - check out these 7 Health Benefits of Collard Greens!
...Honey balsamic glazed chicken with roasted vegetables makes for and easy weeknight sheet pan dinner!
Perfectly roasted broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and red onion with honey balsamic chicken is the dinner everyone loves!
We love sheet pan dinners around here or tray bakes as they are sometimes called!
This sheet pan chicken and vegetables is one that I turn to time and time again. It is so easy to change up the vegetables or add a little spice to the glaze.
...Turn a classic bread salad into a fall salad with butternut squash and baby kale and maple vinaigrette!
Bread, butternut squash, dried cranberries, baby kale and a maple dijon vinaigrette make the best fall main dish salad!
I love the classic panzanella salad with bread and tomatoes made with summer's most ripest, best tomatoes.
Since I bake or buy a big loaf of sourdough bread every week, I have plenty of stale bread. So, I started thinking about making a panzanella year round! This fall panzanella captures all the flavors of fall.
We eat it as a main dish salad usually but you can also serve it along side roasted chicken or pork. It's also a delightful alternative to stuffing at Thanksgiving!
...Take your caesar salad to a whole new level with this Southwest Salmon Caesar Salad!
Spiced salmon, lettuce, corn and an easy homemade Caesar dressing.
I love to get Caesar salads at a restaurant. They are usually dripping with dressing and covered in a mound of cheese and croutons. Not exactly healthy.
This version (based on an old Cooking Light recipe) is decidedly healthier and lighter, but still oh so delicious!
Salmon is given a quick spicy rub and a pan sear and then rests atop lettuce, corn and croutons with a homemade Caesar salad dressing.
...This collection features some of our favorite savory honey recipes, like brown sugar honey glazed salmon and honey sriracha pork chops.
If you haven't tried honey in savory recipes, you are missing out! It's natural sweetness complements so many foods and it provides the perfect glaze!
I love using honey in savory recipes. It's perfect with salmon and pork and I love it on root vegetables. These are easy honey recipes that you'll turn to time and time again and they are some of the most popular on my blog!
...
