Mediterranean-Inspired

Everyday Kale Salad

This 5-ingredient kale salad recipe only takes a few minutes to make and goes well with just about anything! The kale salad I’ve made a million times. ♡ If you’re looking for a delicious kale salad recipe to keep in your back pocket, this simple formula won’t let you down! It’s easy to whip up […]

This 5-ingredient kale salad recipe only takes a few minutes to make and goes well with just about anything!

Easy Kale Salad

The kale salad I’ve made a million times. ♡

If you’re looking for a delicious kale salad recipe to keep in your back pocket, this simple formula won’t let you down! It’s easy to whip up in a few minutes with any kind of fresh kale, lemon, olive oil, Parmesan and your choice of nuts. It’s rich in nutrients, full of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and antioxidants. It’s easy to customize with whatever add-ins you might like to include. And it’s one of those salads that magically seems to go with everything.

I’ve been making this one for over a decade now, and even the kale skeptics in my life have always enjoyed it. So if you’re looking for a quick and healthy green salad to go with dinner tonight, grab some kale and it can be ready to enjoy in minutes.

Let’s make some salad!

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Mint Pea Hummus

This mint pea hummus recipe is easy to make in 10 minutes and perfectly balanced with sweet and savory flavors. This summer, we spent a month back in Barcelona catching up with friends, soaking up the Spanish sunshine, walking everywhere and reveling in good public transport, and of course, hitting up all of our old […]

This mint pea hummus recipe is easy to make in 10 minutes and perfectly balanced with sweet and savory flavors.

This summer, we spent a month back in Barcelona catching up with friends, soaking up the Spanish sunshine, walking everywhere and reveling in good public transport, and of course, hitting up all of our old favorite markets and restaurants. But I have to say that one of the random foods I was most happy to see again was the hummus con guisantes con menta — mint pea hummus — from my favorite grocery store. ♡

This lovely green hummus used to be a weekly (at least!) purchase for us back when we were living there. The mint and peas add a refreshing hint of sweetness and fresh aromatic flavor to the hummus. And when perfectly balanced with the rich sesame flavor of tahini, hearty chickpeas, a tangy squeeze of lemon juice, garlic and cumin, this hummus is just so delightful. We most often just served ours with pita or crackers and veggie sticks for dipping, but it also tastes wonderful in sandwiches, grain bowls, burgers, wraps, you name it. As a bonus, it was also a great way to get extra veggies into our toddler too!

Anyway, being back in Barcelona reminded us how much we missed having green hummus around. So I snapped a picture of the ingredient label while we were there and set about trying to recreate the recipe once we landed back in Kansas City. And I have to say, I’m very pleased with where this recipe landed!

So the next time you’re craving hummus, grab a bag of frozen peas and some mint and give this one a try. I hope you’ll love it as much as we do!

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Chicken Kofta Kebabs (Middle Eastern-Inspired)

Grilling season is here, and today we’re bringing you an EASY, flavorful addition to your grilling rotation: kofta kebabs! These Middle Eastern-inspired kebabs feature ground chicken, herbs, spices, and aromatics arranged on skewers and grilled t…

They’re elegant yet simple and are especially delicious served with lemon rice, hummus, tahini sauce, tabbouleh, grilled veggies, and/or pita. Just 1 bowl, 10 ingredients, and 25 minutes required!

Chicken Kofta Kebabs (Middle Eastern-Inspired) from Minimalist Baker →

White Bean Eggplant Caponata (1 Pan!)

Have you tried caponata? If not, let us introduce you! It’s a delicious Sicilian eggplant dish with sweet and savory flavor, and we ADORE it! While commonly served as an appetizer or side, it’s worthy of being a main when a little protein and fiber are…

Have you tried caponata? If not, let us introduce you! It’s a delicious Sicilian eggplant dish with sweet and savory flavor, and we ADORE it! While commonly served as an appetizer or side, it’s worthy of being a main when a little protein and fiber are added in. Introducing: white bean eggplant caponata!

Made in 1 pan with just 10 ingredients, this is an effortless, plant-based entrée that pairs well with pasta, polenta, bread, or even mashed potatoes.

White Bean Eggplant Caponata (1 Pan!) from Minimalist Baker →

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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Simple Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

If you love hummus and the rich flavor of tomatoes, you’ll ADORE this simple sun-dried tomato hummus. It’s SO versatile, creamy, easy to make, and adds instant flavor to just about everything. Enjoy it on pita, veggies, crackers, sandwiches, and more.
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If you love hummus and the rich flavor of tomatoes, you’ll ADORE this simple sun-dried tomato hummus. It’s SO versatile, creamy, easy to make, and adds instant flavor to just about everything. Enjoy it on pita, veggies, crackers, sandwiches, and more.

It’s perfect for parties, picnics, meal prep, road trips, and everything in between! Just 15 minutes and a food processor or blender required. Let’s make hummus!

This recipe is adapted from the Simple Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus in our cookbook!

Simple Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus from Minimalist Baker →

Marry Me Chickpeas and Orzo

“Marry me” chicken recipes have been flooding the internet over the past few years, and with good reason — a pan full of creamy, sun-dried tomato and basil chicken can’t help but be a winner! Here in our house, though, I wanted to make a version that my vegetarian husband and pasta-loving toddler could enjoy […]

It’s basically just a “marry me” take on our family’s favorite lemony spiced orzo and chickpeas recipe. But this time, of course, made with tangy sun-dried tomatoes, a garlicky creamy broth, loads of fresh basil and a generous shower of Parmesan, all simmered together with perfectly chewy al dente pasta and protein-packed chickpeas. It’s a one-pot, 30-minute dinner that the whole family adores. And I’m pretty sure even all of the omnivores out there won’t miss the chicken!

That said, meals like this one are inherently customizable. So if you feel like adding in an additional protein (such as Italian sausage, shrimp, salmon or chicken), it would be quite easy to do. Or there are all sorts of other veggies and add-ins that could be delicious mixed in too. However you approach this one, the basic formula is famously so good that it will want to make everyone want to marry the cook. So…get ready to fall in love! ;)

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Roasted Carrot Soup with Za’atar Chickpeas

This simple roasted carrot soup recipe is made with creamy tahini and topped with crispy za’atar chickpeas. Naturally gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan. If you were to drop by our house at any point during the year and take an impromptu peek in our fridge, I can pretty much guarantee that you would always be greeted […]

This simple roasted carrot soup recipe is made with creamy tahini and topped with crispy za’atar chickpeas. Naturally gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan.

If you were to drop by our house at any point during the year and take an impromptu peek in our fridge, I can pretty much guarantee that you would always be greeted with an impressive amount of carrots.

Carrots with hummus are my husband’s all-time favorite snack, and he regularly swings by Costco to buy huge bags of organic carrots in bulk just to be sure that we never (heaven forbid) accidentally run out. So it’s a given that I’m always set to go whenever a soup recipe calls for a few carrots for mirepoix…or, hey, two pounds of carrots for this roasted carrot soup!

We love this soup in our house because it’s easy to make with a short list of healthy ingredients, including a full pan of carrots that are roasted until perfectly caramelized in the oven and puréed with creamy tahini, veggie broth, lemon juice, and a few simple seasonings. But the best part of this recipe is arguably the za’atar chickpeas that roast alongside the carrots to crispy, earthy, savory perfection. They’re meant to serve as a crunchy topping for the soup, but at least half of the pan typically disappears in our house before they make it to the soup — they’re too irresistible!

We love serving this soup with a big loaf of crusty sourdough or a simple green salad, but go with whatever sounds good. Let’s make some carrot soup!

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