tomato free – FoodWatcher

Quick Swiss Chard

Who knew Swiss chard could be this good?! The key is to slice the chard very thinly and cook it over medium-high heat until it caramelizes on the edges. These greens are not soggy or mushy, no way. This cooked chard is a little garlicky, a little lemony, and seriously irresistible. It’s the perfect quick…

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Who knew Swiss chard could be this good?! The key is to slice the chard very thinly and cook it over medium-high heat until it caramelizes on the edges. These greens are not soggy or mushy, no way.

This cooked chard is a little garlicky, a little lemony, and seriously irresistible. It’s the perfect quick and healthy side dish. The chard shrinks in volume while it cooks, so you’ll find yourself eating more greens than you realize—your body will thank you!

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Baked Pumpkin Dip with Goat Cheese

This creamy pumpkin dip straddles the line between sweet and savory in the best way. It’s a seasonal riff on my recipe for Baked Goat Cheese that incorporates pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice. If you enjoy pumpkin and goat cheese separately, I’m confident you’ll love this recipe! The key flavors in this dip are goat…

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This creamy pumpkin dip straddles the line between sweet and savory in the best way. It’s a seasonal riff on my recipe for Baked Goat Cheese that incorporates pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice. If you enjoy pumpkin and goat cheese separately, I’m confident you’ll love this recipe!

The key flavors in this dip are goat cheese, cream cheese, pumpkin purée, pumpkin spice and honey. Then we ramp up the savory side with one clove of garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (optional, for some heat).

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

It’s not fall until you’ve made a batch of pumpkin muffins. Right? These muffins fill our kitchen with the wonderful fragrance of pumpkin and spice, which makes it feel like autumn, even when the weather outside is still unseasonably warm. These almond flour-based pumpkin muffins are tender, fluffy and delicious. My daughter and I have…

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It’s not fall until you’ve made a batch of pumpkin muffins. Right? These muffins fill our kitchen with the wonderful fragrance of pumpkin and spice, which makes it feel like autumn, even when the weather outside is still unseasonably warm.

These almond flour-based pumpkin muffins are tender, fluffy and delicious. My daughter and I have been enjoying batch after batch.

I love these pumpkin muffins for several reasons—

They’re easy enough to make with a three-year-old, which means they’re really easy.
They’re wholesome but taste like a treat. I feel great about feeding these muffins to our daughter and her cousins.
They freeze well for future snacks. Simply defrost one in the microwave until warmed through and your snack is ready in 20 seconds.

I’ve enjoyed baking with almond flour lately because it lets the other flavors shine, whereas regular flour can dull them. I’ve also been mindful of my blood sugar levels and appreciate that almond flour is lower in carbohydrates than grain-based flours, like all-purpose and whole wheat flour.

I’ll always be a huge fan of my Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, which are made with whole wheat flour and sweetened with maple syrup. This recipe has much in common with that one, but it’s gluten-free in case you need that quality or you’re looking for a worthy alternative.

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Pickled Jalapeños

I consider myself a pickle connoisseur, and I dare say that these pickled jalapeños are the best. These pickled jalapeños are fresh and lightly crisp, with the…

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pickled jalapenos with taco ingredients

I consider myself a pickle connoisseur, and I dare say that these pickled jalapeños are the best. These pickled jalapeños are fresh and lightly crisp, with the perfect level of heat. They’re so much better than their store-bought counterparts, which have been sitting on the shelf for who knows how long.

To make this recipe, you’ll need fresh jalapeños, vinegar, water, an optional garlic clove, and salt. That’s it—the rest of the magic is due to the method.

how to prepare jalapenos

These pickles will taste fully pickled after a four-hour rest in the refrigerator, so make them earlier in the day or the night before you need them. They retain their lovely flavor for about one month in the refrigerator.

These pickled jalapeños offer the perfect spicy pop to my meals! I hope you love them as much as I do.

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Seaweed Salad

This seaweed salad is colorful, delicious, and boldly flavored with sesame dressing. If you enjoy seaweed salads at Japanese restaurants, try this fun twist on the concept.…

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seaweed salad recipe

This seaweed salad is colorful, delicious, and boldly flavored with sesame dressing. If you enjoy seaweed salads at Japanese restaurants, try this fun twist on the concept. Many prepared seaweed salads are colored with food dyes, but this one obtains its lively color from veggies.

If you’re relatively new to seaweed, like I am, this salad offers a great introduction. It calls for arame, which has a more mild and sweet flavor compared to other seaweed varieties. The crisp textures of cabbage and bell pepper, combined with soy sauce and ginger, contrast beautifully with the seaweed.

seaweed salad ingredients

This salad is the perfect way to incorporate nutritious seaweed into your diet. Seaweed’s nutritional benefits vary depending on the specific variety, but they are often a good source of fiber, iodine, potassium and magnesium, among others. I try to consume a wide variety of whole foods, so seaweed is a welcome addition.

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Sesame Dressing

This homemade sesame dressing offers bold flavor for your homemade salads. It requires just four core ingredients: toasted sesame oil, tamari or soy sauce, lime juice, and…

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sesame dressing recipe

This homemade sesame dressing offers bold flavor for your homemade salads. It requires just four core ingredients: toasted sesame oil, tamari or soy sauce, lime juice, and a dab of Dijon mustard.

If you have the time and energy, add freshly toasted sesame seeds, fresh ginger, and garlic. They ramp up the flavor, but this dressing is already delicious in its simplest form.

sesame dressing ingredients

Make this sesame dressing when you’re craving a green side salad. It’s easy to whisk together from basic pantry ingredients, and it tastes so much better than store-bought dressings.

I created this dressing recipe to serve over my seaweed salad (recipe coming soon), but it goes with so much more. Below is a full list of suggestions for making your own salad tonight!

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Americano Cocktail

The Americano cocktail is a fizzy, bittersweet drink with Italian origins. It’s the perfect aperitivo before dinner or a refreshing weekend afternoon sipper. The Americano is a…

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americano cocktail

The Americano cocktail is a fizzy, bittersweet drink with Italian origins. It’s the perfect aperitivo before dinner or a refreshing weekend afternoon sipper. The Americano is a unique spritz that strikes the elusive balance between bitter and sweet. This cold, bubbly drink is lovely on a hot day, yet the complex, warming flavors are equally welcome before Thanksgiving supper.

Americano cocktails are made with Campari, sweet vermouth and club soda. If you love a Negroni, this drink is right up your alley. The Americano is served in a taller glass with club soda instead of gin, and the Negroni is actually a derivative of the Americano. Don’t write off this cocktail if you don’t like Negronis, though (I don’t!). It’s like a Negroni light, and you can adjust it to suit your preferences.

americano cocktail ingredients

Americano cocktails have nothing in common with Americano coffee, except that they were both popularized by Americans visiting Italy. Apparently, the Americano is based on another drink, the Milano-Torino, which is made with just Campari and Vermouth di Torino. There are several origin stories, and I’m not sure which one is true. All I know is that this is a nice cocktail! I hope you enjoy it.

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Watermelon Salad

If you enjoy watermelon, this is your new summer salad. This simple watermelon salad recipe features classic Mediterranean flavors like tangy crumbled feta and fresh mint. Roughly…

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watermelon salad recipe

If you enjoy watermelon, this is your new summer salad. This simple watermelon salad recipe features classic Mediterranean flavors like tangy crumbled feta and fresh mint. Roughly chopped pistachios, lightly pickled shallots and a drizzle of olive oil make it taste incredible.

The layering method might make this salad look fancy, but it’s easy to make and yields a stunning display. Grab your largest platter for this recipe so the ingredients can be evenly distributed and scooped without stirring. The composition of this salad helps avoid the watery watermelon, messy-looking feta situation that plagues many watermelon salads.

watermelon salad ingredients

This watermelon salad was inspired by one we tasted in Tampa last summer. I loved the pistachios sprinkled on top. They offered the perfect crunch, and the green color contrasted beautifully with the bright red watermelon.

I’m still obsessed with the vinegar-soaked shallot that I used on this Watermelon Salad with Herbed Yogurt Sauce, and it worked just as well here. The shallots are lightly pickled, so they’re tangy but less pungent, and a drizzle of the leftover vinegar brightens up the whole salad.

Isn’t it lovely? This beautiful salad is sure to be a hit at your summer parties.

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Kalamata White Bean Dip

This Kalamata olive-flavored white bean dip is the recipe you didn’t know you needed. Sure, it’s not the most appetizing-looking appetizer out there, but it is delicious…

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Kalamata white bean dip

This Kalamata olive-flavored white bean dip is the recipe you didn’t know you needed. Sure, it’s not the most appetizing-looking appetizer out there, but it is delicious and very easy to make. It’s a nice alternative to hummus and a lovely way to savor Kalamata olive flavor without feeling overwhelmed by the saltiness.

This recipe was inspired by an appetizer we ordered at Lidia’s, a local Kansas City restaurant owned by renowned chef Lidia Bastianich. Some white bean dips are downright unappetizing—they can be gloppy, too salty, or flavorless—but not this one. The Kalamata olives lend richness in texture and flavor.

Kalamata white bean dip ingredients

To make this recipe, you’ll need just a few basic ingredients—white beans (I used Cannellini, but Great Northern would also work), pitted Kalamata olives (and a splash of brine), olive oil, salt and pepper, and an optional sprinkle of fresh basil. You’ll find serving suggestions and the full recipe below.

This white bean dip is a great impromptu recipe to whip together when guests are on their way. I’m kicking myself for not remembering this dip recipe last week when I hosted book club. I’m always scrambling before guests arrive, so I like to have a repertoire of easy recipes to pull together in no time. This one is a winner! I hope you’ll bookmark it to make soon.

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Cashew Butter

Have you experienced cashew butter? It is sublime and somehow much more delicious than a handful of toasted cashews. A spoonful of homemade cashew butter tastes like…

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cashew butter on toast

Have you experienced cashew butter? It is sublime and somehow much more delicious than a handful of toasted cashews. A spoonful of homemade cashew butter tastes like a treat. It’s nearly as enticing as cookie dough, as far as I’m concerned—sometimes, I add a few chocolate chips to achieve the full cookie dough effect.

This homemade cashew butter recipe is easy to make in a food processor. The trick is to lightly toast your cashews before blending for the best flavor and texture. Even then, cashew butter has a more neutral flavor than most other nut butter. It’s quite versatile.

cashews before roasting

Homemade cashew butter contains no additives like sunflower oil; it’s made simply with cashews and a dash of salt to enhance the flavor. Since it is so fresh, it offers better flavor than store-bought options.

Store-bought cashew butter can be quite expensive—I often balk at the nearly twenty-dollar jars at Whole Foods. Making it at home can cost half as much. We could get into a philosophical debate about time versus money, or make cashew butter in the same length of time. Let’s make some already.

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