Black Bean Dip (or Salsa or Salad)
Enjoy this easy, endlessly versatile recipe as a dip with chips, a salsa for fish or chicken, a super-simple salad, or the foundation of a healthy, plant-based meal. Perfect for a potluck and can be prepared up to a day in advance! Amidst all my experimenting with new recipes, this simple…
Smoked Paprika Aioli
This 5-ingredient sauce is made bright and light through the addition of Greek yogurt and lime juice, while two simple spices add singular, smoky flavor. You won’t believe how easy and versatile it is! My first introduction to paprika came as a young girl while helping my mom make deviled eggs. She always topped…
Pineapple Serrano Hummus
I grew up watching the Parade of Roses every New Year’s Day. Flowers have always been a hobby for my mom. She had a greenhouse, an undisputed green thumb, and a knack for arranging flowers in the most beautiful way. I remember being utterly amazed when she told me that all of the parade floats…
Creamy Horseradish Dill Sauce
Bright, herby, and quick to make, this creamy sauce will elevate fish, crab cakes, latkes, baked potatoes and more. Not every actor in a movie can have a starring role. Strong supporting characters are integral to the success of any movie – or play or television show for that matter. That’s how I view…
Creamy (Healthy) Peanut Butter Dip… and some acceptable “double dipping”
Recipes have a way of evolving over time. Preferences shift, dietary needs change, and we learn from trial and error. Sometimes, we simply have a clever idea. At face value, the following recipe is a simple dip for apples, bananas, pretzels, and more. Mixing peanut butter and maple syrup into a base of Greek yogurt…
Roasted Beet Hummus
Serve this gorgeous show-stopper as a make-ahead appetizer, a satisfying snack, or as a base for an anything-but-boring lunch. When I first laid eyes upon this colorful sister of the traditional middle eastern dip, I was smitten by its vibrant ruby hue. Thanks to the addition of a humble root vegetable, the color is…
Classic Guacamole
The best guacamole keeps it simple: ripe avocados plus a short list of flavorful add-ins in just the right amounts. Perfect as a dip, in tacos, on sandwiches, burrito bowls, and more. I tend to tuck recipes away and wait for what I hope will be just the right occasion for my readers. This…
Mango Pineapple Salsa
Recently, my friend Justine asked if I would create an orange recipe to shine a light on something near and dear to her heart. You may be wondering… Why orange? Orange is the official color of the non-profit Cycle for Survival, an indoor cycling event (a four hour relay to be precise!) that raises funds for rare…
Easy Yogurt Cream Cheese
Yogurt “cheese” really isn’t cheese at all. It’s simply yogurt that has been thickened into a soft, cream cheese-like consistency…and it’s delightful on your morning bagel or in recipes calling for cream cheese or sour cream. Although I have used fat-free and 2% yogurt to make this creamy spread, I prefer whole milk yogurt for a…
Barbecued Bean Salad
A crowd-pleasing, family-friendly alternative to baked beans, this protein-rich salad can be prepared in advance and the flavor improves over time. As I walked to school with my younger son one morning last month, he mentioned that his 6th grade history class’s Colonial unit would be culminating with a special lunch. All students were…
Buffalo Wing Hummus
Depending on one’s perspective, the lure of Super Bowl Sunday might be the good eats, funny commercials, big-name halftime show or, of course, the football! Whether you are in it for the action between the goal posts or the general game day revelries, a few choice munchies will set the stage for a spirited evening…
Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Tomato Feta Salsa
Whether it is too hot to cook or you would simply rather be at the pool, summertime cooking begs to be easy. With a few fresh ingredients, a grill, and a versatile, make-ahead dressing, dinner can truly be as effortless as it is delicious. One of my friends mentioned a few months ago that she…
