Zucchini Enchilada Casserole

This Zucchini Enchilada Casserole recipe is stacked (instead of rolled) up with layers of sliced zucchini and your favorite enchilada ingredients. Feel free to add meat or make this casserole vegetarian. It’s that time of year when zucchini is about to be overflowing gardens, farmers markets and CSAs everywhere. So I say… …let’s put it […]

This Zucchini Enchilada Casserole recipe is stacked (instead of rolled) up with layers of sliced zucchini and your favorite enchilada ingredients. Feel free to add meat or make this casserole vegetarian.

Zucchini Enchilada Casserole

It’s that time of year when zucchini is about to be overflowing gardens, farmers markets and CSAs everywhere. So I say…

…let’s put it to use in this zucchini enchilada casserole! ♡

This recipe is a riff on my favorite Tex-Mex-inspired chicken enchilada casserole recipe that I’ve made millions of times. But instead of using tortillas to stack those delicious layers upon layers of enchilada fillings, we’ll use long zucchini slices instead, which are quick and easy to make with a basic vegetable peeler or a knife. (Or if you happen to own a mandoline, this would be the perfect recipe to use it too!)

As with any of my enchilada recipes, the filling ingredients in this casserole are completely up to you. You can choose to add chicken, beef, pork, chorizo, or keep the casserole completely vegetarian. If you happen to have some cooked rice, quinoa, farro on hand, I love adding in a few cups to this casserole to make it a bit more hearty and also soak up any of the excess water that is released by the zucchini during cooking. And of course, feel free to chop up whatever leftover veggies happen to be hanging out in your crisper drawer to add those into the filling too! I just highly recommend making one of my homemade enchilada sauces (either red or green) to season this casserole. They are both incredibly delicious and only require a few extra minutes to prep.

The other great thing about this casserole is that it makes a big batch, making this one perfect to serve to a crowd or to create some excellent leftovers for the week ahead. So round up your favorite enchilada ingredients and slice some zucchini, and let’s make this casserole!

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Pesto Pasta Salad

This Pesto Pasta Salad recipe is loaded up with the most delicious mix of Italian-inspired ingredients. Easy to prep up to a few days in advance and sure to be a crowd fave! Anytime there’s a summer potluck happening, I call dibs on bringing the pasta salad! And this summer, this fabulous pesto pasta salad is […]

This Pesto Pasta Salad recipe is loaded up with the most delicious mix of Italian-inspired ingredients. Easy to prep up to a few days in advance and sure to be a crowd fave!

Pesto Pasta Salad

Anytime there’s a summer potluck happening, I call dibs on bringing the pasta salad!

And this summer, this fabulous pesto pasta salad is my new go-to. ♡

It’s loaded up with all of my favorite Italian-inspired pasta salad ingredients, from sun-dried (or fresh!) tomatoes to tender artichoke hearts, fresh arugula, tangy pepperoncini peppers, mini mozzarella balls, rich Kalamata olives and toasted pine nuts. Everything is generously tossed with fresh basil pesto (highly recommend making a batch homemade while fresh basil is in season) and served up with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan. I mean seriously, with an all-star ingredient lineup like this, who wouldn’t love this pasta salad?!

That said, this recipe is super flexible, so feel free to also add in some meat (salami, chicken, shrimp, pepperoni) or any of the other ingredient suggestions listed below. It’s also easy to adapt this pasta salad to be gluten-free and/or vegan if you’d like. And this recipe also holds up really well in the fridge for a few days, so feel free to make it in advance of a gathering or use it as easy meal prep for the week ahead.

Bottom line, everyone who has tried this pasta salad absolutely raves about it and can’t stop going back for more. So whip up (or buy!) a batch of pesto and let’s make some pasta salad together!
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Watermelon Gazpacho

This watermelon gazpacho recipe is the perfect balance of savory and sweet, it’s full of feel-good fresh ingredients, and always tastes so light and refreshing. Summertime = gazpacho time. ♡ And after sharing my favorite recipe for authentic (tomato) gazpacho with you years ago when we first moved to Spain, I thought that this summer we […]

This watermelon gazpacho recipe is the perfect balance of savory and sweet, it’s full of feel-good fresh ingredients, and always tastes so light and refreshing.

Watermelon Gazpacho

Summertime = gazpacho time. 

And after sharing my favorite recipe for authentic (tomato) gazpacho with you years ago when we first moved to Spain, I thought that this summer we could turn to its irresistibly sweet and savory cousin — watermelon gazpacho.

This refreshing chilled soup is the perfect way to use up a leftover hunk of watermelon that you might have hanging out in the fridge after last weekend’s picnic. When blended together with lots and lots of summer veggies, a handful of fresh mint, a slice of bread and some simple seasonings, this gazpacho tastes like summertime sunshine in a bowl. And it is delicious!

Bonus?  This watermelon gazpacho recipe only takes about 15 minutes to prep and can be made up to two days in advance.  Plus it’s made with fresh and healthy ingredients that are also naturally vegan and gluten-free (if you use gf bread), which makes gazpacho an especially great option if you happen to be cooking for a crowd this summer.  We often turn to gazpacho when we’re entertaining this time of year since it’s so easy to prep ahead of time — usually just serving it up with a light salad and a loaf of crusty bread — and it hits the spot every time!

So grab some fresh watermelon and summer veggies, and let’s blend up a quick batch together!

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Watermelon Gazpacho

This watermelon gazpacho recipe is the perfect balance of savory and sweet, it’s full of feel-good fresh ingredients, and always tastes so light and refreshing. Summertime = gazpacho time. ♡ And after sharing my favorite recipe for authentic (tomato) gazpacho with you years ago when we first moved to Spain, I thought that this summer we […]

This watermelon gazpacho recipe is the perfect balance of savory and sweet, it’s full of feel-good fresh ingredients, and always tastes so light and refreshing.

Watermelon Gazpacho

Summertime = gazpacho time. 

And after sharing my favorite recipe for authentic (tomato) gazpacho with you years ago when we first moved to Spain, I thought that this summer we could turn to its irresistibly sweet and savory cousin — watermelon gazpacho.

This refreshing chilled soup is the perfect way to use up a leftover hunk of watermelon that you might have hanging out in the fridge after last weekend’s picnic. When blended together with lots and lots of summer veggies, a handful of fresh mint, a slice of bread and some simple seasonings, this gazpacho tastes like summertime sunshine in a bowl. And it is delicious!

Bonus? This watermelon gazpacho recipe only takes about 15 minutes to prep and can be made up to two days in advance. Plus it’s made with fresh and healthy ingredients that are also naturally vegan and gluten-free (if you use gf bread), which makes gazpacho an especially great option if you happen to be cooking for a crowd this summer. We often turn to gazpacho when we’re entertaining this time of year since it’s so easy to prep ahead of time — usually just serving it up with a light salad and a loaf of crusty bread — and it hits the spot every time!

So grab some fresh watermelon and summer veggies, and let’s blend up a quick batch together!

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12 Favorite Taco Recipes

What do you say — tacos tonight? I say yes. ♡ And for those of you happen to be looking for some tasty new taco recipes to try, here are a dozen of our readers’ favorite taco recipes that come highly recommended! Whether you’re looking for some new meat, shrimp or fish tacos to try, […]

Shrimp Tacos

What do you say — tacos tonight?

I say yes. ♡ And for those of you happen to be looking for some tasty new taco recipes to try, here are a dozen of our readers’ favorite taco recipes that come highly recommended!

Whether you’re looking for some new meat, shrimp or fish tacos to try, or really want to add some delicious new vegetarian taco recipes to your repertoire…whether you need some 30-minute tacos that you can whip up in a flash, or prefer slow-cooked taco fillings that can simmer all day in the crockpot…whether you feel like starting the day with some breakfast tacos, trying a lightened-up version of crispy fish tacos, or join the internet’s current obsession of dunking quesatacos in broth…there’s hopefully a little something for everyone on this list. So many great taco recipes to try!

Of course, I also have to recommend that you try making a batch of my favorite homemade flour tortillas or corn tortillas to go with them sometime, which are always guaranteed to take taco night to the next level. And if you’re looking to round out your meal, you can never go wrong with some chips and salsa, guacamole, refried beans, this side salad, and some fun drinks (hello margs, mocktails or aguas frescas) on taco night.

Let’s make some tacos!
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Chicken Tinga Tacos

These Chicken Tinga Tacos are made with smoky chipotle chicken, served on warm corn tortillas, and loaded up with your favorite fresh toppings. So flavorful and ready to go in just over 30 minutes! Craving chicken tacos but short on time? Make chicken tinga tacos! ♡ Chicken tinga is has long been one of my […]

These Chicken Tinga Tacos are made with smoky chipotle chicken, served on warm corn tortillas, and loaded up with your favorite fresh toppings. So flavorful and ready to go in just over 30 minutes!

Chicken Tinga Tacos Recipe

Craving chicken tacos but short on time?

Make chicken tinga tacos! ♡

Chicken tinga is has long been one of my go-to recipes to make on busy weeknights or to prep ahead of time for easy entertaining. This traditional dish from Puebla, Mexico with its signature smoky, savory, slightly-spicy sauce is remarkably quick and easy to prepare. And when tossed with shredded chicken, loaded into warm corn tortillas, drizzled with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and sprinkled with your favorite fresh toppings, I’m telling you — these chicken tinga tacos are always a hit.

Feel free to make the chicken tinga however works best for you — either on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, or in the Crock Pot. And while any tortillas that you happen to have on hand will work here, I can vouch that these tacos are next-level irresistible when made with a batch of these homemade corn tortillas. We just made a batch again the other day and served them with chips and salsa, a simple Mexican-inspired side salad, and margaritas and it was one of the best meals I’ve had all month. Always so good!

So if you’re looking for a new taco recipe to add to your repertoire that’s big on flavor and low on prep time, round up these simple ingredients and let’s make some chicken tinga tacos!

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Chicken Tinga

This Chicken Tinga recipe is remarkably quick and easy to make in 30 minutes and tossed with the best smoky, savory, and slightly-sweet tomato sauce. Perfect for serving in tacos, tostadas, burritos, quesadillas and more! With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, the holiday celebrating the 1862 Mexican victory over the French in the […]

This Chicken Tinga recipe is remarkably quick and easy to make in 30 minutes and tossed with the best smoky, savory, and slightly-sweet tomato sauce. Perfect for serving in tacos, tostadas, burritos, quesadillas and more!

Chicken Tinga

With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, the holiday celebrating the 1862 Mexican victory over the French in the First Battle of Puebla, I thought it was the perfect time to share my favorite recipe for one of Puebla’s most famous dishes…

tinga de pollo!

This smoky shredded chicken has long been one of my favorite recipes to make on busy weeknights because it is incredibly quick and easy to whip up and incredibly delicious. If you’re new to tinga, it’s traditionally made with a chipotle tomato sauce that’s seasoned simply with onions, garlic, cumin, oregano and bay leaf. But I also like to add in an extra non-traditional ingredient too…honey! It’s not typically added to the authentic chicken tinga that you would find in Puebla, but I find that its floral sweetness adds a delicious contrast to those smoky and savory flavors in the sauce and highly recommend giving it a try sometime if you’d like.

I also love this recipe because it’s easy to make in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot, or simply on the stovetop. It’s naturally gluten- and dairy-free. Any leftovers that you might have can also be frozen and reheated easily (and for that reason, I highly recommend making a double batch while you’re at it!). And best of all, this versatile shredded chicken can be used in countless ways. It’s most often traditionally used to make chicken tinga tostadas or chicken tinga tacos. (Stay tuned for my favorite chicken tinga tacos recipe coming later this week!) But you can also use this recipe to make chicken tinga burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, taquitos, salads and more.

So if you are looking for a good chicken tinga recipe to try, here is my favorite way to make it!

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Grilled Halloumi Salad

This Mediterranean grilled halloumi salad is easy to make with pan-grilled halloumi cheese, chewy farro, fresh veggies and herbs, and a zippy lemon dressing. Feel free to add in chicken or shrimp if you’d like, too! We’ve been on a grilled halloumi cheese kick here in our house this past year, so I figured it […]

This Mediterranean grilled halloumi salad is easy to make with pan-grilled halloumi cheese, chewy farro, fresh veggies and herbs, and a zippy lemon dressing. Feel free to add in chicken or shrimp if you’d like, too!

Grilled Halloumi Salad

We’ve been on a grilled halloumi cheese kick here in our house this past year, so I figured it was high time to finally share a few of our favorite halloumi recipes here with you…

…beginning with this vibrant grilled halloumi salad. ♡

It’s made with the most delicious blend of fresh and flavorful ingredients inspired by the Mediterranean, including grilled halloumi, cool crisp cucumber, rich Kalamata olives and toasted pine nuts. Then it’s brightened up with lots of fresh greens, mint and my favorite zippy lemony dressing, and made extra hearty with some chewy farro added in. When you put everything together, this salad is just downright delicious.

If you’re new to working with halloumi cheese, it is super-easy to cook indoors in just a few minutes with a grill pan (or really, any sort of sauté pan), or you’re of course welcome to fire up the grill outside if you prefer. Feel free to add in any other extra proteins, veggies, beans, or greens that you might like too. And while I personally love this salad served immediately while the grilled halloumi is still nice and warm, we’ve also enjoyed this salad for leftovers on more than one occasion and can vouch that it holds up well in the fridge if you would like to prep it in advance. (See my notes on that below.)

Bottom line, if you love grilled cheese and salad, this salad is going to be right up your alley. So pick up some halloumi the next time you’re at the market and let’s make a batch together!
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Everyday Salad

My favorite “everyday” salad recipe is quick and easy to make, tossed with a simple and delicious lemony dressing, and so versatile that it goes with just about everything! Friends! Do you have a go-to side salad recipe in your repertoire that you absolutely love? This simple green salad — which we fondly call our […]

My favorite “everyday” salad recipe is quick and easy to make, tossed with a simple and delicious lemony dressing, and so versatile that it goes with just about everything!

Everyday Salad Recipe

Friends! Do you have a go-to side salad recipe in your repertoire that you absolutely love? This simple green salad — which we fondly call our “everyday” salad here in our house — is mine.

It’s the no-frills, easy-breezy, fresh-and-flavorful, always-a-winner green salad recipe that we make most often here in our house behind the scenes. And even after eating it literally hundreds of times, it’s one of those staple recipes that we somehow never grow tired of. It’s incredibly quick and easy to make with a bag of greens (we most often use spring greens), a veggie or two (we usually add red onion, plus cucumber, bell pepper, carrot, or whatever’s in the crisper drawer), a sprinkling of nuts/seeds for protein and crunch (we’re partial to pepitas or sunflower seeds), and my favorite “everyday” salad dressing (that’s super-simple to whip up). Best of all, this tossed salad comes together in less than 10 minutes and always tastes wonderfully light and fresh and flavorful. And it also happens to be naturally gluten-free and vegan — and somehow magically goes with just about any meal!

The sky’s the limit, of course, when it comes to customizing this recipe with whatever greens, veggies, nuts, or even dressing ingredients that you happen to have on hand. And if you feel like making a meal out of this salad, it also tastes delicious with an extra protein (such as chicken or shrimp) and/or some croutons added in too.

Anyway, if you’re interested in working more salads into your weekly lunch and dinner rotations, I hope you’ll give this salad recipe a try. It is definitely a favorite here in our house! (more…)

Saucy Thai Curried Peanut Noodles

This Saucy Thai Curried Peanut Noodles is made with the yummiest creamy coconut curry peanut sauce and your choice of noodles, veggies and protein. One of my favorite quick weeknight noodle recipes! Say hello to your new favorite weeknight noodle stir-fry! ♡ If you’ve followed this blog for awhile, you know that my husband and […]

This Saucy Thai Curried Peanut Noodles is made with the yummiest creamy coconut curry peanut sauce and your choice of noodles, veggies and protein. One of my favorite quick weeknight noodle recipes!

Saucy Thai Curried Peanut Noodles

Say hello to your new favorite weeknight noodle stir-fry! ♡

If you’ve followed this blog for awhile, you know that my husband and I have a slight obsession with making some sort of Thai curry noodles at least once a week. But this latest version with some extra peanut butter stirred into the coconut curry sauce — plus some crunchy peanut sprinkled on top — is definitely a new favorite in our house. It features an irresistible blend of rich, savory, sweet, and slightly spicy flavors. And best of all, the whole dish comes together in a snap!

As with any noodle stir-fry recipe, the type of noodles, protein and veggies that you use here are up to you. So it’s a great way to clean out any leftover veggies in your crisper drawer. And it’s completely up to you whether you would like to add meat or seafood, or keep the recipe totally vegetarian or vegan. If you happen to have any peanut allergies in your house, I’ve also tested this recipe using various kinds of other nut butters or seed butters which work great as a peanut alternative too.

Let’s make some noodles!

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