Category: American-Inspired

Shaved Apple, Fennel and Arugula Salad

This refreshing shaved apple, fennel and arugula salad is tossed with candied pecans, Parmesan, basil and a lemon shallot vinaigrette. Ok, this really is just the loveliest salad! ♡ I made it the other day to serve for dinner with cacio e pepe and everyone around the table absolutely adored it. So I’ve now added […]

This refreshing shaved apple, fennel and arugula salad is tossed with candied pecans, Parmesan, basil and a lemon shallot vinaigrette.

Ok, this really is just the loveliest salad! ♡

I made it the other day to serve for dinner with cacio e pepe and everyone around the table absolutely adored it. So I’ve now added it to our Thanksgiving lineup and will probably bring it along to a few Christmas parties too since it’s so festive and seasonal and easy breezy — everything I love in a green salad this time of year!

I pulled out my mandoline (along with this safety glove, which you should definitely own too) so that I could shave the apple, fennel and Parmesan paper-thin, which gives this salad the loveliest airy, delicate texture. Then I added in a handful of candied pecans for crunch and fresh basil for a burst of aromatics, and tossed everything with a lemony shallot vinaigrette. It ends up having the most refreshing balance of sweet and savory flavors. And as a bonus, the ingredients all hold up well in the fridge, in case you’d like to prep most of the salad beforehand (see tips below).

Feel free to add in a protein (chicken, bacon, shrimp, etc) or swap in another kind of fruit or cheese or nuts that you might love best here. The recipe itself is easy to customize with whatever you may have on hand. I just recommend adding it to your list soon because it’s perfect for this time of year! Enjoy!

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Garlic Green Beans

These perfectly-blistered, tender, garlic green beans are easy to make and so flavorful! We’re big French green beans fans here in our home. Like, blaze-through-a-Costco-sized-bag-nearly-once-a-week kind of fans. They’re my go-to, favorite green veggies to cook up as a quick side dish. And while we reguarly rotate between cooking them in the oven, air fryer […]

These perfectly-blistered, tender, garlic green beans are easy to make and so flavorful!

We’re big French green beans fans here in our home. Like, blaze-through-a-Costco-sized-bag-nearly-once-a-week kind of fans. They’re my go-to, favorite green veggies to cook up as a quick side dish. And while we reguarly rotate between cooking them in the oven, air fryer and on the stovetop, it’s hard to beat a basic batch of perfectly-blistered green beans made in a skillet. ♡

This is the version I make most often —  a batch of French green beans (also called haricots verts) sautéed simply with a few cloves of garlic, sea salt, lots of freshly-ground black pepper, and finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. We prefer cooking our green beans until they’re nice and blistered on all sides, so that you get that extra hint of caramelized, charred flavor in every bite. I’ve included all of my best tips below to ensure that the garlic doesn’t burn and the green beans retain their crisp, tender texture while charred, so be sure to read the notes before you begin. And of course, feel free to incorporate any other add-ins that might sound good too, such as a sprinkling of Parmesan, toasted nuts, bacon bits, chili crisp, or whatever else might sound good.

This recipe is one of those simple side dishes that’s perfect for everything from quick weeknight dinners to a grand Thanksgiving feast. So the next time you’re craving green beans, grab your skillet and let’s make a quick batch together!

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Cream of Celery Soup

This 30-minute cream of celery soup recipe is loaded up with veggies, extra protein, and lots of fresh celery. Sometimes simple soups are just the best, and this is certainly one of them. ♡ This homemade cream of celery soup recipe is one of those quick, cozy, and nostalgic standbys that I love to make […]

This 30-minute cream of celery soup recipe is loaded up with veggies, extra protein, and lots of fresh celery.

Sometimes simple soups are just the best, and this is certainly one of them. ♡

This homemade cream of celery soup recipe is one of those quick, cozy, and nostalgic standbys that I love to make when the weather cools off. It’s made with a French-inspired trio of celery, leeks and onion sautéed together in butter and then simmered in a lightly seasoned broth with garlic, bay leaf and a hint of lemon juice. Instead of finishing the soup up with the usual heavy dose of cream, I suggest just a splash. And then you can instead purée a can of white beans in along with the veggies, which will give the soup an extra velvety and creamy texture plus some nice extra protein and nutrients — a win-win!

What I love most about this recipe is how it goes intentionally light on seasonings, keeping the fresh, delicate flavor of the celery front and center. It’s also naturally gluten-free and easy to veganize, if you would like. And best of all, it comes together quickly in just 30 minutes or so and tastes divine with a loaf of crusty bread on hand for dipping. Even the celery skeptics in my life have loved this one, so I hope you will too!

Cream of Celery Soup Ingredients

Here are a few quick notes about the cream of celery soup ingredients you will need for this recipe:

  • Veggies: Celery is clearly the star of this soup, so we’ll sauté 8 ribs of celery in butter to make the most of their flavor, along with leeks and onion. Don’t worry about perfectly dicing any of the veggies since we will be puréeing the soup before serving.
  • Beans: I love to include a can of white beans (such as Great Northern beans) in the soup, which add lots of good nutrients and protein here and also make the texture of the soup extra-creamy once they have been puréed.
  • Veggie broth: I recommend a good-quality vegetable broth here, which will serve as the base for the soup and concentrate the layers of savory veggie flavors.
  • Lemon juice: A generous squeeze of lemon juice adds a pop of fresh, bright flavor to the soup, enhancing the flavor of the veggies.
  • Cream: A small splash of heavy cream gives this soup a rich and velvety finish.
  • Seasonings: I prefer to keep the seasonings very simple to allow the celery flavor to shine through, using just bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper.
  • Chives: Chopped fresh chives are my favorite simple way to garnish this soup, adding a vibrant pop of color and mild oniony flavor to each bowl.

Recipe Variations

Here are a few fun twists that you’re welcome to try with this recipe:

  • Add a protein. Add cooked chicken, bacon, ham or sausage to the soup.
  • Add different herbs or seasonings. Add other fresh herbs (such as rosemary, dill or sage) or dried seasonings (such as smoked paprika, ground nutmeg, or cayenne).
  • Add toppings. Sprinkle the finished soup with croutons, crumbled bacon, or roasted pecans.
  • Make it vegan. Use olive oil or dairy-free butter for the sauté, then use coconut milk in place of the cream. (Or you could cook and purée a Russet potato along with the other veggies to make the soup creamier.)

More Creamy Soups To Try!

Looking for more cozy, creamy soup recipes to try? Here are a few of our favorites:

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Cream of Celery Soup

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  • Author: Ali
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 8 celery ribs, diced
  • 1 large leek, diced (white and light green parts only)
  • 1 medium white onion, diced
  • 4 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 (15-ounce) can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
  • fresh chives, for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Sauté the veggies. Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the celery, leek, onion and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mostly softened. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Simmer. Add the vegetable broth, bay leaves, beans and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low (or whatever temperature is needed to maintain a low simmer), cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the celery is completely tender.
  3. Blend. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Add ¼ cup heavy cream and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. 
  4. Season. Taste the soup and add in extra cream or lemon juice if desired, then taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. (You may need a generous amount of salt, depending on the brand of broth used.)
  5. Serve. Serve warm, garnished with fresh chives and black pepper, and enjoy!

Instant Pot Applesauce

This Instant Pot applesauce recipe is super-easy to make and always tastes so fresh and delicious! Last month, our toddler learned all about the life cycle of an apple seed at school. (“And when the seed goes into the dirt, it explodes into a huge apple tree, Mom!”) Apparently the grand finale to the lesson […]

This Instant Pot applesauce recipe is super-easy to make and always tastes so fresh and delicious!

Last month, our toddler learned all about the life cycle of an apple seed at school. (“And when the seed goes into the dirt, it explodes into a huge apple tree, Mom!”) Apparently the grand finale to the lesson was learning how to make homemade applesauce from scratch. So I’ll give you one guess what we’ve been cooking now at home ever since. 😉

Honestly, we go through so much applesauce lately with a baby and a toddler that it’s been fun to mix things up by making some homemade. Although after making a few batches on the stovetop, I quickly switched us over to the Instant Pot version, which works so much better with a toddler’s limited attention span, lol. The prep itself to make pressure cooker applesauce couldn’t be easier. Just chop up some apples (no need to peel!) and toss them in the Instant Pot with water, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Add in a pinch of cinnamon or — my favorite — pumpkin pie spice for a touch of seasoning. Cover and pressure cook briefly until softened. Then mash to your desired consistency and enjoy!

It’s such a fun way to celebrate apple season for little kids and grown-ups alike. So grab your Instant Pot and let’s make this homemade applesauce recipe together!

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Zucchini Bread

This classic zucchini bread recipe is easy to make, perfectly moist, lightly spiced and baked up with an irresistible crunchy sugar topping. Everyone needs a truly excellent zucchini bread recipe in their repertoire…and this one is my personal favorite! ♡ I’ve come to love this recipe over the years because it’s mercifully low-fuss. There’s zero […]

This classic zucchini bread recipe is easy to make, perfectly moist, lightly spiced and baked up with an irresistible crunchy sugar topping.

Everyone needs a truly excellent zucchini bread recipe in their repertoire…and this one is my personal favorite! ♡

I’ve come to love this recipe over the years because it’s mercifully low-fuss. There’s zero zucchini-wringing required — just add the grated zucchini straight into the batter, which yields a perfectly light and moist loaf of bread. Then all of the remaining ingredients you’ll need are pantry staples that you likely already have on hand. I love using lots of vanilla and warming spices in my zucchini bread as well as a hint of lemon zest, which magically makes all of the flavors here “pop.” And then a generous sprinkle of coarse sugar on top of the bread bakes up to form a crunchy sugar topping that is downright irresistible.

I tend to be a zucchini bread purist and love mine without any add-ins. But I’ve included options below if you’d like to add in some chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, coconut, or anything else that sounds good. This recipe is wonderfully flexible and foolproof. So the next time you have a zucchini surplus, grab your bread pan and let’s bake up a quick loaf of homemade zucchini bread together!

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Cardamom Scones

These delicious cinnamon cardamom scones are easy to make, perfectly soft and flaky, and drizzled with a simple glaze. New favorite scone alert! ♡ My mom recently brought us a batch of freshly-baked cinnamon scones, inspired by this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. And our entire family instantly agreed that they were hands-down some of the […]

These delicious cinnamon cardamom scones are easy to make, perfectly soft and flaky, and drizzled with a simple glaze.

New favorite scone alert! ♡

My mom recently brought us a batch of freshly-baked cinnamon scones, inspired by this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. And our entire family instantly agreed that they were hands-down some of the best we had ever tasted. Seriously, we absolutely love these scones and can’t stop making them!

As you can see, Deb’s original recipe features these fun “open-book” layers, which are easy to create by adding a few folds of cinnamon-sugar to dough. Our family really loves cardamom, though, so we’ve taken to adding a few generous teaspoons of ground cardamom to the filling along with the cinnamon and sugar. We’ve also come to love adding a touch of vanilla and some extra cream to the dough, to make it irresistibly soft and flaky and flavorful. And even with a final drizzle of icing, I love that these scones turn out to be sweet-but-not-too-sweet. When served hot out of the oven alongside a good cup of coffee, I’m telling you, there’s nothing better!

Let’s bake some scones!

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Spring Farro Salad

This 30-minute spring farro salad is made with a delicious mix of seasonal veggies and herbs, farro, chickpeas and a quick lemon vinaigrette. Cheers to spring salads! ♡ After making this winter farro salad countless times over the past year, I decided we needed to try a springtime version with fresh seasonal veggies and herbs. […]

This 30-minute spring farro salad is made with a delicious mix of seasonal veggies and herbs, farro, chickpeas and a quick lemon vinaigrette.

Cheers to spring salads! ♡

After making this winter farro salad countless times over the past year, I decided we needed to try a springtime version with fresh seasonal veggies and herbs. And thus, this zippy spring farro salad recipe was born.

It’s loaded up with chewy farro and chickpeas, a crisp mix of cucumber, radishes and shallots, a sprinkling of tangy crumbled feta, loads of fresh herbs (I opted for mint and dill), and my favorite lemony everyday vinaigrette that pulls everything together. Each bite tastes wonderfully light and springy, especially thanks to all of those fresh herbs. And this salad holds up beautifully in the fridge if you’d like to prep the salad in advance for easy lunches or sunny picnics or springtime nights by the grill.

As you can imagine, it’s also an easy recipe to customize with whatever seasonal veggies, herbs or cheeses you would prefer to toss in. And if you need a gluten-free option, no prob, just swap in some quinoa for the farro. Let’s make some salad!

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Lightened-Up Broccoli Cheese Soup

This veggie-loaded broccoli cheese soup recipe is perfectly velvety and creamy without using heavy cream. Instant Pot, Crock-Pot and stovetop options all included. It’s officially -2°F outside right now and we’re on what feels like our zillionth snow day here in Kansas City and I am…over it, lol. Missing those mild Barcelona winters something fierce […]

This veggie-loaded broccoli cheese soup recipe is perfectly velvety and creamy without using heavy cream. Instant Pot, Crock-Pot and stovetop options all included.

It’s officially -2°F outside right now and we’re on what feels like our zillionth snow day here in Kansas City and I am…over it, lol. Missing those mild Barcelona winters something fierce right about now. But we’ve been doing our best to get back into the Midwestern groove by keeping our new fireplace running, stocking up on cozy blankets and new hot teas, and making soups, soups, soups galore.

One of our recent favorites? This creamy veggie-loaded broccoli cheese soup. ♡

I have to admit the recipe came about purely as an effort to get more veggies into our toddler, who is pretty hit and miss on anything green lately. But once pureed into a velvety, creamy, vibrant green soup and loaded up with crunchy croutons on top, this broccoli cheese soup turned out to be a total win! I added in a generous amount of veggies and took a tip from my friend, Kathryne, to blend a starchy potato into the soup to make it thick and creamy (instead of using extra heavy cream). And the end result was full of fresh broccoli flavor, deliciously creamy and cheesy, and the perfect way to warm up on a far-below-freezing day.

I’ve included options for how to make this recipe in either the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or on the stovetop. And as I’ve noted below, there are all sorts of fun ways that you can customize this soup with extra veggies or different seasonings if you’d like. I’m just going to insist that you buy a good block of sharp cheddar to shred and blend in here, as its flavor can really make all the different in a good broccoli cheese soup.

For all of you who are also braving the arctic blasts out there, stay warm this week. And let’s make some delicious soup together!

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Winter Farro Salad

This winter farro salad recipe is made with the most delicious blend of seasonal fruit, greens, nuts, crumbled cheese and tossed with a vibrant orange ginger vinaigrette. Ideal winter salad situation right here. ♡♡♡ I could seriously live on this one for easy breakfasts, lunches or dinners this time of year. It’s loaded up with […]

This winter farro salad recipe is made with the most delicious blend of seasonal fruit, greens, nuts, crumbled cheese and tossed with a vibrant orange ginger vinaigrette.

Ideal winter salad situation right here. ♡♡♡

I could seriously live on this one for easy breakfasts, lunches or dinners this time of year. It’s loaded up with sweet and juicy pears (or apples, clementines, grapes…whatever fruit is most ripe that week), lots of chewy nutty farro, peppery chopped arugula, tangy crumbled goat cheese or feta, sweet chopped dates, crunchy toasted pecans and paper-thin sliced shallots. Then everything is tossed together in a vibrant orange ginger vinaigrette. So fresh, so filling, and seriously SO so delicious.

It’s a great salad to prep ahead of time for office lunches or easy weeknight dinners. And while we find this salad to be plenty hearty and flavorful served as a vegetarian entrée, it would also be delicious served with grilled chicken, steak, salmon, or just about any other protein of your choice. I’ve included lots of options below for how to play around with the recipe and customize various components to your liking. So please feel free to have fun with this one and make it your own. I know you’re going to love it!

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White Wine Sautéed Mushrooms

This lovely white wine sautéed mushrooms recipe is quick and easy to make, full of rich savory flavors, and can pair well as a side dish with many different entrées. Looking for a super-simple yet elegant side dish to serve for dinner? These white wine sautéed mushrooms are always a great idea. This recipe has […]

This lovely white wine sautéed mushrooms recipe is quick and easy to make, full of rich savory flavors, and can pair well as a side dish with many different entrées.

Looking for a super-simple yet elegant side dish to serve for dinner? These white wine sautéed mushrooms are always a great idea.

This recipe has been one of my back-pocket favorites for years to pair with various meat or seafood entrées, pastas, risottos, salads, grain bowls, quiches and more. Simply sauté a big batch of mushrooms in butter and olive oil until they are perfectly browned and caramelized, toss with garlic and your favorite seasonings, deglaze and simmer in white wine, then finish with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan. I mean, there’s really no way to go wrong here, right?

That said, this recipe is clearly very flexible and open to customization. So if you’d like to experiment with different seasonings, add in a drizzle of pesto or balsamic glaze, sauté with shallots or pancetta, sprinkle on some nuts, or toss with cream…please feel free. It’s one of those dishes that can be easily dressed up for a formal dinner, but simple enough to also whip up on a busy weeknight. And after years of making various versions of it, I can vouch that mushroom-lovers around the table always make the entire pan disappear. ♡

Let’s sauté some mushrooms!

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