The kitchen is our therapy, it always has been. Food is kind. The world outside our kitchen can often seem unkind and full of too many questions without answers. But, inside our small kitchen, it is happy and makes sense. On a day when outside seemed too much, we stayed in to make this pea soup. It was everything we needed and more; we talked, we drank wine, we laughed and even wiggled our hips a bit when our favorite songs played through the speakers....
My aunt used to make chocolate peda from scratch – that is, by boiling down milk until it becomes almost-solid and adding cocoa powder and sugar along the way. I have eaten countless chocolate burfi squares during my childhood (yes I was a fat child, why do you ask?) and this chocolate peda brought back those memories for sure. This recipe is adapted from Madhura. Looking for more easy Diwali sweets?...
This upgraded vodka cranberry made with pear vodka is one of my favorite holiday cocktails. It’s pretty, easy to make for many, and it feels special thanks to the pear vodka. Our recipe below shares how to make one cocktail, but check the notes for my tips for making this in a pitcher to serve a crowd! This is one of many cocktail recipes on Inspired Taste. A few more you might enjoy is this lemon drop martini (I love the lemon sugar), our classic cosmopolitan, and another crowd-friendly cocktail, the mimosa!...
My family goes bonkers for this easy honey mustard sauce. We are officially obsessed. I bet you already have everything in the fridge to make it. Of course, our chicken nuggets are amazing with this creamy sauce, but I actually love it with roasted broccoli (so good!). For a less creamy version that’s more suitable for salads, try our incredible honey mustard salad dressing. Key Ingredients Mayonnaise and sour cream: I love combining mayo and sour cream for this creamy dipping sauce....
This creamy vegan pasta is my favorite recipe to make when I’m craving comfort food but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen. From start to finish, it takes just over 20 minutes to make, so it’s the perfect weeknight meal. All you need to do is boil the pasta, blend up the sauce, sauté onion and broccoli, and toss it all together. Then, you can sit down to devour warm bowls of noodles and veggies coated with this super creamy vegan pasta sauce....
Three things I am obsessed with: chickpeas, avocado, and all things MINI… mini pizzas, mini tacos, mini pies, mini skillets. I had these cute little pretzel buns last week so that’s how this recipe started. (Although you could use any kind of bun or sliced bread for this recipe). I first thought of making little veggie burgers, but since it’s a whopping 103 degrees(!) outside, I’ve been trying to use my oven as little as possible....
I turned to one of my favourite books to address all of the above – A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman. I managed to use up the cocoa powder, inaugurate the new doughnut pan which I am in love with now, and get some super fudgy, sticky, not-so-sweet, delicious chocolate doughnut cakes. Win! The original recipe was for Dark Fudge Bundt Cake but that shouldn’t deter us. Make it into anything you like – a cake, bundt cake, cupcakes, or these lovely doughnut shaped ones if you have the right pan....
We have already shared our favorite blueberry pie recipe — there’s even a recipe video showing you how to make it. We loved it so much that we wanted to also share this quick and easy version. They’ve got everything you love about blueberry pie, but are handheld. You’re going to want to eat two of these. It’s okay though, we ate three. How to Make Handheld Blueberry Pies Have you used puff pastry before?...
This is the best chocolate chip banana bread recipe I’ve used. The bread bakes to be moist and so flavorful thanks to brown sugar and butter. And, since the butter is melted, this recipe comes together quickly! My secret for amazing chocolate chip banana bread is using mini and regular chocolate chips in the banana bread batter. The mini chips melt into the bread, making this bread outrageously delicious. For muffins, see these amazing chocolate chip banana muffins....
I am obsessed with making labneh at home, and after trying this recipe, you will be too. It’s ridiculously easy, and the results are incredible. It’s deliciously creamy, salty, and tangy. I love it. Labneh is a creamy, spreadable Middle Eastern cheese made from yogurt and salt. It’s hard to believe that two simple ingredients can make something so delicious, but they can and do! Key Ingredients Yogurt: I use full-fat plain yogurt to make labneh....
Poached eggs are one of those things I think people are scared to make at home, and I’m here to tell you that you can! Not only that, but once you try our easy method for poaching eggs, you’ll want to do it again and again! Use this poached egg recipe to make eggs for a healthy breakfast or dinner. I love them with eggs Benedict, avocado toast, grits, and pasta, and served simply with buttered toast or these homemade English muffins....
The only way we cook shrimp for cocktail shrimp is by roasting. Instead of poaching, we roast shrimp with salt, pepper, and lemon in a hot oven until sweet and tender. Serve with lemon slices, cocktail sauce, and tartar sauce. Our shrimp cocktail recipe is quick and easy, and the method guarantees the shrimp is tender and flavorful. For more shrimp recipes, see our Cajun shrimp, sesame ginger shrimp marinade, and this incredible shrimp salad!...
We use mushroom powder all the time. A jar sits next to the salt and pepper in our kitchen. It’s essential. We first tried it after visiting Seattle’s World Spice Merchants. They sell jarred mushroom powder, and it blew us away. The moment we tried it, we knew we needed to figure out how to make it at home. That was years ago, and we’ve been making it for ourselves ever since....
If you caught Monday’s post, I wrote all about my strategy for coming up with a dinner recipe while shopping on the fly at the farmers market. And, drumroll please… here’s what I made! It’s a big green, veggie potato pizza loaded with chopped asparagus, asparagus ribbons, cheese, flowering thyme, chives, and those pretty chive blossoms that I got at Chicago’s Logan Square Farmers Market. It’s spring on a plate… or rather, spring on dough....
We can’t get enough of these muffins — the ginger and vanilla make the batter insanely delicious. There’s a nuttiness from a couple tablespoons of sesame seeds as well as oat flour — don’t worry, it’s easy to make at home. These are not your average muffins. They are perfect for breakfast or snacks — we actually find them to be more filling than your usual muffin. How to Make the Best Ginger Blueberry Muffins I mentioned we add oat flour to these....
New year, new green smoothie recipe! Ok, well actually, this recipe is not new new, but it’s new to the blog. Behind the scenes, it’s my favorite green smoothie recipe, the one that I make whenever I want to pack a bunch of fruits and vegetables into a single meal and have them taste like dessert. It’s thick and frosty, lightly sweet, and brimming with fresh produce like citrus, spinach, and banana....
When it comes to grilled seafood, we like things to be simple. This grilled swordfish is exactly that. We season the fish with salt, pepper and coriander then grill on both sides. For serving, we add a little butter, a generous squeeze of lime and cilantro. Like most seafood these days, it’s important to take care when buying swordfish. Look for sustainable options. Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program is my favorite resource for finding out what the best options are....
In the past, we’ve said we aren’t the biggest fans of frying at home, but when the result is flaky crisp chicken, we throw in the towel and give in. We fried these up for maché magazine a while ago and got everyone involved drooling, so do yourself a favor and make this chicken yourself. For this fried chicken recipe, we spice things up a bit. After dipping chicken pieces into a mixture of egg and water, we dredge them into a combination of flour, baking powder and spices....
Who doesn’t love croutons? They add texture and complexity to creamy bowls of soup, bulk up light summer salads, and make just about any meal more fun. Do you want croutons on that? Yes, please! Luckily, homemade croutons are incredibly easy to make. All you need is good crusty bread (tip: the better the bread, the better the croutons), garlic, olive oil, plenty of salt, and a little dried parsley....
Idli and dosa is a staple breakfast for most South Indians. In my home, we always have the batter ready in our fridge and Amma is always prepared to feed multiple people for breakfast or dinner at minutes’ notice, thanks to this. Amma has a large, old-fashioned grinder which we’ve had ever since I can remember. In my childhood, we moved houses 6 times and this grinder came with us from house to house, year by year, doing its job as expected....
