My first cold noodle salad!! I've been seeing these for years and always thought they looked so good despite the fact that most recipes for this dish contain nuts and sesame ingredients!! I also do NOT like soba noodles for some reason and it seems like a lot of cold noodles dishes are made with them. This version is very allergy friendly to those who can't have nuts or sesame! And also gluten!! I used brown rice ramen. PLZ take note that brown rice noodles don't refrigerate well so I usually get them super cool with an ice cold water rinse and then I eat the noodle salad immediately after assembly. What you need:
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I LOVE noodles, it's truly no secret. These particular noodles that I used in this recipe are called knife cut noodles and I buy them from my local Chinese grocery store!! You can use any kind of noodle, but I love the wavy edges and the chewy texture of knife cut noodles the best! This dish is inspired by Chinese scallion noodles - I've seen the dish made a ton of different ways on the internet and even at local restaurants (LJ Shanghai has the BEST scallion noodles if you are a Clevelander) but this is how I like to make them at home. I also have allergies to sesame and peanut so you won't find any of that in any of my home cooking!! What you need:
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OKAY, so there are two ways I love to use this butter. It elevates every single dish you use it in...the roasted garlic and the chiles take everything to the next level!! ON BREAD (pictured below) The best freaking cheesy garlic bread you will ever eat. I promise. My favorite way to make cheesy garlic bread is to use this butter on ciabatta. I usually coat the ciabatta with a generous amount of butter and top with thick shredded mozzarella cheese before toasting in the oven. You can either stick them under the broiler setting until the mozz gets nice and melty or toast them at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes until golden. ON PASTA I love using this in my drunken buttered noodle recipe. Think white wine, parmesan, chiles, butter, roasted garlic!! Ah it's so good. Tap here to view my drunken buttered noodle recipe. It pairs so well with everything, especially seafood or roasted cherry tomatoes. What you need:
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I love the flavors of Mexican elote so I used some components of it (mayo, lime, chili powder, cotija) to make a pasta salad!! I love using inspiration from different dishes that I love to eat and figuring out a way to combine those flavors with pasta. :) The recipe makes enough for 6 side dish servings, if you're planning on making for a large gathering you could definitely double it. It does refrigerate well, so you can def make it a day ahead of time. I suggest bringing it back to life with an additional 1/4 cup of mayo + a squirt of fresh lime juice before serving after chilling for a longer period of time. What you need:
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I've been seeing a grinder sandwich recipe all over TikTok the last few weeks and I basically used the "salad" component of the sandwich as inspiration for this perfect summer pasta salad. I also added in diced salami and turkey deli meat, so it does in-fact taste SO much like a delicious deli sub, but in pasta salad form!!! Obviously feel free to customize but I wouldn't change the red wine vinegar and mayo base and I would def make sure to use iceberg lettuce!! My favorite part besides the dressing and the pasta would definitely be the turkey! SO weird because I don't even eat deli meat, like ever... but it works SO well here. Recipe makes enough for 4-5 sides of pasta salad!! What you need:
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It's no surprise that my son's favorite food is pasta. At first I gave him a bite of my plain buttered stelline and then after realizing he loved it, I got sneaky with it and added a whole bunch of spinach. It's really easy to sneak half an avocado into the sauce too, but I usually am eating it with him and I'm allergic to avocados so most times I just mash a little bit of one up and stir it into his bowl! What you need:
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This is one of the better tasting versions of "pesto" I've ever tasted. It's nut-free and very light and silky tasting! Imagine a hybrid of buttered noodles and pesto pasta. LITERALLY SO EASY TOO! There are only 3 recipe steps, lol. A few important notes about the recipe:
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Okay SOOO, I've been making a lot of chicken with sazon seasoning lately (a staple in Latin-American cooking) and I love the flavor. It's like the most perfect tasting seasoned salt. The other day, I had some chicken bits and seasoning left over in a skillet after making chicken and I dropped some buttered pasta into the skillet as I was transferring it to a bowl and a lightbulb went off in my head!! Love when recipe creations are happy accidents! I kept things pretty simple but I think this dish would be REALLY good with mushrooms and or spinach also mixed into it. Maybe bacon too?? Can you tell that I'm laying in bed writing up this recipe right now and I'm soooo hungry? Lol. If you try and and add stuff to customize, let me know how it goes! What you need:
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Saffron is THE BEST addition to a simple creamy pasta sauce. It's honestly impossible to explain the flavor but it's pretty subtle and a perfect compliment to a neutral sauce base. Have you ever heard of saffron before?? I hadn't until I saw a couple of my blogger friends shared it in their recipes a few years back! The spice originates from a flower called crocus sativus — aka "saffron crocus." After looking it up online, it seems that saffron originated in Greece, but today the spice is primarily grown in Iran, Greece, Morocco, and India. That means the saffron we have in the United States is imported!! What you need:
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One pot meals have been my JAM since becoming a mom, they're just so quick and easy and I loveeee that there's not much to clean up afterwards!! So obsessed with the rustic flavor of sun-dried tomatoes right now, it's like sunshine in a bowl!! As always, the recipe makes enough for two large entrees or 3-4 smaller side dishes. What you need:
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Had some spicy Italian sausage that I had to get rid of before it went bad and came up with the idea to make a meat sauce!! It's super simple - onions, red pepper flakes, crushed tomatoes and an optional splash of cream to make it a little pink! I like the meat in heartier sauces to be super fine, so I ended up running it through my food processor to make it super smooth and I LOVED the texture afterwards! So good and I highly recommend. What you need:
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I've been obsessed with putting chipotle peppers into all my food lately!! They're so good mixed into pasta sauce...creamy, smokey, cheesy.. AHH!! Kept this one simple for you guys so that you could customize on your own if you want. Would be really good with spinach and then I was also thinking cilantro might be good in here, but unfortunately I am one of those people who got the "cilantro tastes like soap" genes. *At first when I made this recipe I blended 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and it was WAY too spicy so I switched things up for you guys and suggest only using 2 tbsp of the adobo sauce - that way there's no need to get a blender dirty. You can freeze the leftover adobo peppers and save them for another time.. or make my copycat chipotle vinaigrette salad dressing recipe!! What you need:
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The “sauce” for this one is more of a gloss…which in my opinion is the BEST kind of pasta sauce. Butter + reduced broth and white wine mixed with the flavorful juices from the sausage. Also, the kale gets super soft while it cooks in the broth/wine and it’s probably the best tasting version of kale I’ve ever had!! What you need:
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NGL, this dish is totally inspired by the creamy chicken Maruchan Ramen packets I used to eat as a child!! I remember when they first came out with the creamy flavor my family went crazy over it and we literally ate it EVERY day after school for weeks. The recipe concept is basically to cook noodles in chicken broth on the stove and then once the broth has reduced, add butter and cream to make a lush, creamy chicken flavored sauce!! It's so freaking good. A little tricky with what size and shape noodles you use so pay attention to the tip where I mention to drain out some broth if there's too much in the skillet by the time the noodles are finished. Last thing -- the noodles are not meant to be al dente, they're supposed to be slightly overcooked and pretty soft. What you need:
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This chipotle chicken is a staple in our house!! We love to use it to make tacos, burritos, salads, nachos and/or burrito bowls!! The chicken can be paired with any sort taco/burrito faves but we like it with chopped romaine lettuce, white rice, my greek yogurt-based chipotle ranch sauce and then either monterey jack or white cheddar cheese. Basic, but amazing. What you need: For the chicken
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I am HERE for the one pan/pot recipes!! Sometimes I don't like the texture of pasta sauce that's full blown pasta water but for this recipe it's absolutely necessary to mimic that thicker texture of the classic Spaghettio's in a can. Obviously, you can leave out the meatballs or use your own meatball recipe - and yes, it's pretty annoying to roll them into such tiny balls but hey, this recipe is fun and it's worth it in my opinion!! I didn't salt the pasta water since the meatballs are salty and the 1/4 cup of parm bring some saltiness into the dish as well. I highly recommend using freshly grated parm from a block - the pre-shredded stuff never melts as well or tastes as good and it's not great for texture. Also, if you don't grate the garlic there will be little chunks of it in there so that could throw off the texture too, FYI. Recipe makes enough for two and the whole thing is done in 20-25 minutes depending on how fast of a meatball roller you are, lol. What you need: For the meatballs:
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Okay so I really wanted lasagna the other day but didn't want to do all the work of layering and mixing and baking! This isn't an exactly pure lasagna recipe so don't come at me -- just a quicker way to achieve lasagna vibes and it's SO good! What you need:
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When it comes to garlic, the limit does not exist. Just cover me in garlic. This recipe is perfect for garlic lovers because it has TWO kinds of garlic. Fresh and then crispy fried garlic which is one of my all time favorite toppings. Pro tip: if you have or know someone with a nut allergy, crispy garlic can replace that crunchy nut factor in recipes like pad thai or pesto! Recipe makes enough for 2 entrees or 3-4 smaller side portions. Store any leftover fried garlic in an air-tight container for up to two weeks. What you need:
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A couple of things about this dish that I LOVE: it's easy, it's quick, and it's versatile! The gnocchi pieces crisp up to perfection from the oil and also, roasted tomatoes are good on their own but tomatoes roasted in butter, garlic and spicy chilis...along side of goat cheese...and then drizzled with honey...way better. If you want to leave out the gnocchi, this would make the most perfect appetizer/dipping spread for a good crusty bread. Also, sometimes I'm not feeling gnocchi (it's a very filling pasta!) and I'm thinking you could very easily boil your own pasta while the cheese/tomatoes bake and add it to the sheet pan once you pull it out of the oven. Like I said earlier, very customizable dish!! What you need:
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Towards the end of my pregnancy, I kept getting messages about this pasta dish from a restaurant called Frank Papa's in St. Louis that apparently has put a lot of very pregnant women into labor! The restaurant's "Eviction Notice" special is a penne amatriciana which is a spicy tomato sauce with meat (typically guanciale.) I've been served a ton of different versions of amatriciana so I'm sharing how I prefer to eat it -- not the traditional Italian version. ;)
I’ve been making different versions of this since college!! (Started off with ramen in the dorm room microwave and a Kraft single lol…it’s come a long way.) Sometimes I make a cleaned up version, sometimes I use all the indulgent stuff. My go-to way is plant-based butter, coconut milk, regular cheddar and my fave brown rice ramen! ALL THE DETAILS and how to customize: Any noodle will work..udon, rice noodles, even pasta! I love using Lotus Foods brown rice & millet ramen or knife cut noodles from any Asian grocery store. My fave sriracha is Fix Hot Sauce. Reg version: salted butter, regular milk for heavy cream for extra thick sauce + @tillamook cheddar Plant-based version: Plant-based butter, vegan cheddar (I like Violife Foods), unsweetened coconut milk or Nutpods oat milk creamer.
FINALLY, the recipe I made a couple years back has a home online. Until now, it's been floating around in an Instagram caption! Think french onion soup vibes, but creamier with pasta and more varieties of the best kind of cheeses - gruyere, goat cheese and burrata on top. Oh, and also, crispy prosciutto!! All of the best flavors.
Working out consistently plays a big role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially for someone like me who likes to eat a TON of carbs. I love using my Peloton for workouts because there is such a wide range and so many styles of workouts! There's something for every kind of person and helps make things feel more approachable when it comes to finding a consistent workout schedule. In March 2019, my husband bought a Peloton. (We did the monthly payment plan, and pay close to $100 a month for the plan + Peloton membership so we basically look at is as if it's like we're paying for a gym membership!) It sat in our office for a couple of weeks and I dreaded the idea of climbing onto it and sweating. At this point in my life I was NOT working out at all, I was eating pretty unhealthy and wasn't happy with my appearance. I was also having trouble sleeping and experiencing a lot of anxiety. I finally hit a breaking point with the rut I was in and climbed onto the Peloton a few different times. Once I found the right style workouts, instructors who I resonated with and that played music I enjoyed...I started to really look forward to working out and I went from going years without exercise to working out every single week...consistently for more than an entire year! Still going strong on that same streak and it's been life changing. Intervals and Arms Rides
I LOVE intervals and arms rides because these classes have a few short arm sections between all of the cycling. It's a great way to catch your breath while still working hard on another part of your body. I'll link a few of my favorite classes that I've taken several times since the start:
Groove Rides All my fave groove rides are taught by Emma Lovewell who is one of the instructors that I vibe with a lot. I love all of the music she plays, especially in her groove rides! Groove rides are so fun, and lightly choreographed which means there are a few different moves like tapping your booty back to the edge of the bike seat, or hinges where you bend your head down and up from the handlebars. Everything goes hand in hand with the beat of the music and once you hit those moves along with the beat it's that much more motivating and exciting. Here are my favorite groove rides:
Low Impact Rides Low impact rides have been my favorite type of ride to do while pregnant. They are also great for days when you want to get a good sweat in, but not push yourself too hard. I do the 10 minute low impact rides on days where I'm really not feeling a workout, and the 15, 20 or 30 minute low impact rides on days where I'm looking for more of a challenge and a workout that will feel more fulfilling. Here are my favorite low impact rides: Prenatal Workouts All of the prenatal Peloton workouts classes are taught by Robin Arzon! During my pregnancy, I paired these prenatal strength workouts with low impact cycling rides. Robin is full of energy and highly motivating. Working out during pregnancy has helped me to feel strong mentally and physically and I know it's helping me to prepare for labor, delivery and recovery!! Here are my favorite classes:
Miscellaneous Rides These ones are mostly just because I loveeee the playlists!! Music can truly make or break any ride and I always have to be feeling the tunes to be feeling the workout.
Strength: Stretches It's so important to stretch, every Peloton instructor will mention that in every kind of class they teach. If I'm really not feeling a workout day, they're a great way to move the body and no where near as hard as an actual workout. Here are some of my favorite stretches: Strength: Arms and Light Weights I love the arms and light weight workout classes and almost always tack one onto every cycling class that I take!! I notice most instructors use the two pound weights but the ones I have are three pounds!! Here are some of my favorite arms and light weights workouts: Strength: Core Love that there's the option to do different length core workouts! From 5 minutes to 20 minutes, so many good options. I keep finding myself going back to Olivia Amato's core classes, I really like them and I love the music she plays. Amazing with or without noodles - that's something I feel like I rarely say since I am such a carb lover!! Lol. In the photo, I served the clams and broth over wide rice noodles. When I make the curry clams without noodles, I serve this dish as an app with some crispy toasted bread in order to soak up all that luscious sauce! Like most of my recipes, this one is portioned out for two entree servings or a few small side dishes!! The whole thing takes about 15-20 minutes to make so it's a super quick and simple recipe.
Growing up I always LOVED my aunt's pesto recipe. I used to be able to tolerate the accidental nut or two when I was younger so it wasn't until I was a bit older that I realized I'm allergic to pine nuts and I can't have traditional style pesto!! Lucky for me, pine nuts aren't the real flavor hero of the recipe unlike the crucial and potent garlic and basil components...so it's very easy to omit the pine nuts and still end up with something that tastes very similar to pesto! A few house keeping notes:
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