As a native Rhode Islander, I’m sharing my minimalist approach to Rhode Island clam chowder using minimal ingredients with health in mind. My goal is not to make enough chowder to feed an army. Instead, here’s how you can whip up approximately four cup-sized servings rather quickly. If you want to make more, double or…
Maple Cornbread Dressing with Clams
Cornbread dressing is a classic American Southern dish made by tons of Black-American home cooks on holidays and celebratory occasions. It’s a fantastic way to repurpose leftover cornbread by remixing it with stock, meats, veggies, herbs, and spices, then baking it all up. So essentially, cornbread dressing is similar to stuffing. Because my own Black-American…
Roasted Jalapeño Guacamole
This flame-roasted Jalapeño approach to guacamole was made with spicy food lovers mind. Texture plays an important role using finely chopped white onion, while the absence of tomatoes eliminates the “slime” factor that I can’t stand in many guacamole recipes. Most importantly, using a pastry cutter to mash everything achieves a chunky texture, so it…
Spicy Lime Chicken Wings
This is a super simple recipe using some ordinary store-bought ingredients, resulting in extraordinary results. As the title would suggest, limes are the featured ingredient in these easy lime chicken wings. That’s a no-brainer. But varying the type of hot sauce and chile powder is where there is room for creativity. The lime has two…
Sicilian Tomato Eggplant Soup (Alla Norma)
Pasta Alla Norma is a classic Sicilian pasta dish featuring fried eggplant garnished with Ricotta cheese and red pepper flakes. This tomato and eggplant soup offers a different way to experience the flavors of this traditional Sicilian dish without consuming pasta. If you have an outdoor grill (and are up for the task), smoking the…
Pasilla Pumpkin Soup with Lentils
If you’re not a fan of the classic “American” pumpkin for pumpkin soup, consider switching to a Calabaza pumpkin, which is super popular in Caribbean Latin cuisine. It’s less watery and it tastes more like a butternut squash, which makes it a perfect ingredient for Fall cooking. This soup is the result of merging two…
Pasilla Tomatillo Salsa from Chef Rick Bayless
This tomatillo salsa from Chef Rick Bayless on YouTube is a perfect example of mind-blowing minimalist cooking. He showed how to make this simple salsa with just 3 ingredients (tomatillos, Pasilla chiles, and garlic), which has since been added to my list of regular salsas to make when I get the urge for Mexican food….
Skordalia Frittata with Calabrian Pepper Sauce
Skordalia is a Greek, potato-based garlic dip I learned about by seeing it on display at Titan Foods, one of the many Greek grocery stores in Astoria. It’s basically a vinaigrette-based potato purée usually eaten as a side dish. Instead of using it as a dip, I couldn’t wait to get home and combine it…
Green Tomato Brown Rice
Cooking brown rice requires a good amount of patience, but the process is rather simple. This recipe uses a green tomato-based sofrito … which simply means breaking down a bunch of green tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and aromatic ingredients in a food processor so their flavors can be easily extracted as a sautéed flavor base. That’s…
Air Fryer Potatoes with Thai Curry Paste
This “easy idea” recipe has quickness in mind for when you want some crispy home fries. And for lovers of Thai curry and/or anything spicy, you’re in for a treat because these are quickly seasoned with pre-made Asian flavors from a can. If you don’t have an air fryer, go get one! I use a…
Thai Curry Lentils and Eggplant
When you really want Thai food but don’t want to spend the money ordering it from a restaurant, using canned Thai curry paste at home is your next-best option. Even though the paste is not made from scratch, it’s pretty darn good. It will get you really close to replicating any simmered Thai curry dish…
Summer Salmon Burger
When you want a burger that’s not beef, salmon burgers are a frequently overlooked choice when it comes to alternative burgers. For these fish patties, the clean flavors of garlic, ginger, chives, and coriander mixed in with some honey mustard all combine to yield a satisfying “umami” flavor. Like all burgers, all it takes is…
Blackeyed Pea Tabouli Salad
People familiar with my food know that I really love serving up bold and spicy flavors. However, not everything can be spicy all the time. To balance out the heat, it’s a good idea to have this mild and refreshing Blackeyed Pea Salad to serve alongside some spicy jerk chicken or some Vegan Jollof Rice….
Pineapple Honey Limeade
Lemonade is a classic choice for a refreshing summer drink, but limeade is the overlooked citrus beverage that deserves just as much attention. The tartness and tanginess of fresh lime juice are quite intense, which means you don’t need to use very much to yield a good limeade. On its own, lime juice needs lots…
Red Pepper Tahini Dressing
When you love red bell peppers and find yourself frequently buying jars of them, you’re already on your way to making a fantastic 4-ingredient red pepper dressing. Simply grab a clove of garlic, kosher salt, and tahini. Mash the red pepper and garlic into a paste. Stir in the tahini, then thin it out with…
Maple Cornbread with Berry Preserves
This recipe for maple cornbread is inspired by what I call “heritage cooking”. I’m a genealogist in my spare time, and I constantly wonder what my ancestors ate. Or, if I were living back in any given time and place, I frequently imagine what I would have cooked with the ingredients that were available. Historically,…
Curry Sweet Potato Dip with Candied Ginger
This recipe is similar to hummus, except sweet potatoes are the star ingredient instead of chickpeas. Whether you consider this a sweet potato dip, spread, hummus, or mash … it’s a Jamaican-inspired way to prepare this super versatile root vegetable. I’m not Jamaican, but I’m a huge fan of the country’s food. And as a…
Oven-Dried Tomato Slices
Drying food is great for campers and hikers, but home cooks also have good reason to use this cooking technique to make oven-dried tomato slices. Why? Simply because they deliver intense tomato flavor to vegetarian sandwiches. Let’s not forget that tomatoes are technically a fruit with high sugar content. Without moisture, tomato flavor becomes super…
Red Mexican Quinoa, Quick and Easy
Salsa from a jar is great for nachos, but it’s also great to use as a cooking base. Using it as a starter for some Mexican rice – or quinoa – is an easy idea to serve as a side dish or filler item for burritos. Mexican Red Quinoa is also great in meatless tacos,…
Lean Collard Greens with Smoked Pork Chops
When making healthier collard greens without pork, many people nowadays use smoked turkey. The traditional Black-American preparation involves slowly cooking down a ham hock. The meat breaks down, and the greens get seasoned with the pork fat that renders off. However, for health reasons, I’m constantly creating healthier versions of classic dishes, such as Vegan…
Artichoke Aioli, Quick and Easy
Cooking an artichoke is not super popular, and it’s not exactly easy, but its refreshing flavor is very rewarding. Instead of eating artichokes the classic way … scraping the cooked leaves with your teeth … use the flesh to make artichoke aioli. This easy recipe happened because I wanted to revisit this often-forgotten edible flower. …
Herb Roasted Potatoes
Roasted potatoes are a universal side dish associated with comfort food, and making them at home is super easy, filling, and economical. The ability of potatoes to absorb lots of flavor makes them a perfect vehicle for jam-packed combinations of fresh herbs tossed in garlicky, peppery olive oil. Serve these for brunch, alongside an omelette…
Andouille Vegan Red Beans
If you’re trying to consume less meat, consider this plant-based Red Beans recipe. And even if you love meat, it will seem like you’re eating Andouille sausage when you bite into these spicy, smoky, and oh-so tender red beads. After much research on what exactly Andouille seasoning is, this meatless recipe is where I landed….
Fried Green Tomato Bites
What to do when you’re faced with too many unripe tomatoes? Most people would say, “Fry ‘em up!” A couple of months ago, I pickled a batch of them when I swore I was done with the growing season. However, seeing so many unripe cherry tomatoes still in my container garden convinced me to hang…
Pickled Green Tomatoes, the Quick Method
Here’s something super easy to do with unripe tomatoes from Fall gardens. The classic pickling process of preserving in jars is time-consuming and potentially dangerous if not done correctly. Alternatively, if you want to eat your pickled food within a day or two, quick pickling can achieve similar results in a skillet with some oil,…
Quick Taco Meat – Classic “American” Style
Taco Tuesday is a breeze once you have the right meat locked down. The meat I’m talking about here is what goes on the classic “Americanized” tacos that many people ate growing up. You know … the super basic tacos with the pouch of meat seasonings, Ortega hard shells filled with layers of diced tomato,…
Green Enchilada Sauce
When you love enchiladas and love to cook even more, making your own enchilada sauce at home is a must. Making sauce on a rainy day allows you to hunker down inside and make it in bulk without rushing the process. You can then freeze it in ziplock bags for future use. With a Mexican…
Vegan Baked Beans with Smoked Tomatoes
My vegan baked beans are a cookout crowd-pleaser due to their bold, smoky, and onion-packed flavors, yielding a healthy-ish meatless experience. Even better, it’s quite an easy recipe because once everything is all mixed together, you pretty much leave it alone. Being a native New Englander from the great state of Rhode Island, baked beans…
How to Make Awesome Vegetarian Sandwiches
Really good vegetarian sandwiches go beyond the basics of just some lettuce, cheese and tomato. With two key pieces of equipment – a mandolin slicer and electric skillet – you can transform almost any vegetable into a sandwich fixing. Layer them in between two pieces of your favorite bread with some condiments, and you’re all…
Broiled Buffalo Cauliflower
Buffalo cauliflower is an easy idea that combines the two concepts of buffalo wings and meatless cooking. If you love spicy food, this should be added to your repertoire. You get the vinegary cayenne-infused flavor along with the nutrition of this trending cruciferous vegetable. If you want a finger food type of snack, keep the…
Sriracha Kale Slaw
This simple recipe for kale slaw is jam-packed with fresh cruciferous vegetables, tossed in a spicy dressing, and lightened with citrus flavors of lemon juice and cilantro. Like most slaw and salad recipes, the amounts are completely flexible and open for interpretation. So, feel free to use this as a guide and put your own…
Mexican Shepherd’s Pie with Braised Beef
For St. Patrick’s Day I wanted to revamp Shepherd’s Pie using Mexican seasonings and braised beef. I’m a little Irish but never knew much about Irish food except for Shepherd’s Pie, which my mom (non-Irish) made occasionally growing up. So now that I know how to cook, my cultural fusion version as an adult utilizes…
Chipotle Sweet Potato Chili with Cashew Lime “Crema”
If you love chili, this recipe will convince you that meat has little to do with it. The thick, spicy, and tomatoey sauce with all kinds of textures simmering to completion together in one pot is what defines any chili. Sweet potato chili is my favorite meatless version, in which mashed sweet potatoes play a…
Baked Kale Chips
If you’re skeptical about the concept of turning fresh kale into crispy, oven-baked kale chips, I completely understand. I was doubtful as well. This trendy snack is huge among health food enthusiasts, and countless recipes exist on the internet. Seasonings may vary, but the cooking process is all the same. Below are a few tips…
10 Chocolate Chip Cookie Tips
Through much trial and error from the age of 8, I have developed my own set of chocolate chip cookie tips. In about 1984, my oldest sister burned a batch of Nestle Tollhouse cookies, and I whined so much that I was actually crying. Even after that traumatic incident, she made them countless times, and…
Sofrito of the American South
The concept of sofrito is simple. Long story short … you’re basically blending a combination of fresh vegetables, aromatics, and herbs to use as a sauté base. It’s great for soups, stews, rice, and beans. You can also stir in some fresh sofrito at the end of a simmered recipe to impart a hint of…
Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas
In a recent effort to eat less meat, this easy idea came about when I was seriously craving the flavor of buffalo wings, and I needed a substitution for the protein. Roasted chickpeas have been oh-so trendy for a while, and smothering them in buffalo sauce will give you a spicy and vinegary…
Jamaican Curry Lentils with Coconut Milk
This Jamaican version of curry lentils is a quick and easy vegan side dish, or you can load it up with toppings as you would do with a bowl of chili. And because lentils are so tiny, this recipe is done cooking in about 20 to 30 minutes. The world of curry powders is vast,…
Sweet Potato “Cold Cuts”
Sweet potato recipes are usually time-intensive procedures, but it’s not the case with what I’m about to show you. All it takes is a mandolin slicer to turn grilled sweet potatoes into a sandwich fixing in only 20 to 30 minutes. They add a plant-based “meaty” texture to your vegetarian sandwiches and are a great…
Red Enchilada Sauce
Making a really good red enchilada sauce is an extremely rewarding experience, and to be super honest … it can get rather messy. However, it’s the kind of “messy” classified as a bonding activity with your ingredients when you really love cooking. You don’t just make enchilada sauce because you want to eat, you also…
Cucumber Salad with Chili-and-Garlic-Oil
For this cucumber salad, cool and crunchy cucumbers work in tandem with a garlic-infused chili oil to yield a refreshing summer appetizer. Tangy lemon juice and floral coriander balance out the spiciness. This marinade can be applied to other vegetables, but it works most amazingly with cucumbers due to their absorbent nature, as if you’re…
Jollof Rice, Vegan Style
Countless Jollof Rice recipes exist on YouTube from African cooks , and I wanted to get in on the action. However, I really didn’t want to add meat, so this vegan jollof rice is where I ended up. And for the Jollof Rice enthusiasts who are already in the know, this recipe follows more of…
Sriracha Skinny Coleslaw
If you’re in the mood for coleslaw but don’t want the mayonnaise and enjoy spicy food, then consider this vegan alternative featuring Sriracha sauce and grated ginger. You could call it a skinny coleslaw. I use the term “vinaigrette” loosely because lemon juice is the acidic stand-in for vinegar in this coleslaw recipe. And like…
Black-Eyed Pea Dip with Roasted Garlic
Next time you want to serve a bean dip, forget about hummus and make this faster-cooking Black-eyed Pea Dip. When making a bean dip, it’s preferable to use fresh beans instead of canned, but their preparation is normally time-consuming. However, dried black-eyed peas cook to completion in only 45 minutes. I was tired of the…
How to make Home Fries Two Ways
Crispy, well-seasoned, oven-made home fries are the healthier and less messy alternative to French fries. Whether you’re cooking breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or cooking for vegetarians or meat lovers), EVERYTHING goes well with some home fries. There are a few things you can do to make them turn out as close as possible to French…
Shoestring Fried Sweet Potatoes
Naturally sweet and crispy bits of fried sweet potatoes in the form of shoestrings are an exciting addition to any sandwich, wrap, or appetizer. Plus, after they’re fried, they can also be seasoned and turned into a stand-alone snack and enjoyed equally by vegans, vegetarians, or meat-lovers as a substitute for French fries. Be on…
Easy Jerk Chicken from the Jar
Jamaican jerk chicken has become my house standard chicken recipe since 2004-ish. When I decided to learn how to make it from scratch, I was struck by how many home cooks try to add their own “other” ingredients. Many non-traditional items make their way into some recipes, such as parsley, nutmeg, Chinese 5-spice powder, or…
Vegan Gumbo with Mashed Yams
Traditional gumbo achieves its thick texture by making a roux at the start of the recipe. However, for my interpretation of vegan gumbo, I achieve a similar consistency by mixing some mashed yams into your bowl at the very end. They’re a good thickener, and their sweetness balances out the spices nicely. This is also…
Sautéed Collard Greens
This recipe for collard greens is far from the classic method of cooking them low and slow in American Soul Food cuisine. Traditionally, collard greens simmer for hours with a ham hock or smoked turkey for a base flavor. But occasionally, I prefer this healthier plant-based option, which takes only 20 minutes of cooking while…
Smoky Sofrito Pulled Chicken Breast
When faced with the challenge of finding new ways to cook chicken breast so it doesn’t dry out, consider stewed chicken. It’s an easy method of slow cooking for 3 hours, allowing the meat to break down while a succulent sauce thickens up. Upon completion, the chicken gets delicately pulled apart with a fork. Use…
Poblano Salsa Verde
Choosing salsa verde or salsa roja — red sauce or green sauce – when indulging in Mexican food is always a difficult decision. Green usually wins for me because I love the tart flavor of tomatillos. But it’s fun to get creative with tomatillo salsa, so this time I’m incorporating Poblano peppers. On the Scoville…
7 Tips for Fluffy White Rice
Everyone has varying techniques for cooking a batch of plain white rice and other rice-based recipes. Because of its wishy-washy nature, rice deserves its own blog post about how to yield an irresistibly light and fluffy batch, regardless of which technique you use. After much trial and error since I was a newbie home cook,…
Easy Plain Tomato Sauce
Countless comfort food recipes – especially many for rice and beans – call for a small 8 ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Upon reading the labels on the tomato sauce sold in stores, you’ll notice that many brands seem to have some trace of “spices”, herbs, or sometimes “red” coloring. Plus, take notice of…
Rice with Pigeon Peas (Arroz con Gandules)
Pigeon peas (gandules) are a global ingredient, but I first encountered these nutritious legumes in a Puerto Rican context bywatching chef Daisy Martinez. This was basically her recipe, until I started doing things differently as I progressed over the years. The global concept of cooking rice and beans in the same pot seems quite simple….
Jalapeño Poppers Stuffed with Pork Shoulder
Pork shoulder is perfectly suited for making Jalapeño poppers due to its long, fibrous texture. This cut of meat allows you to break it apart into long pieces that conform easily to the pepper shape and still remain intact when stuffed into a Jalapeño. Also, the fat rendered from pork shoulder can be brushed on…
Adobo Roasted Pork Shoulder
I learned about Puerto Rican style roasted pork shoulder from watching Chef Daisy Martinez on public television when I first moved to NYC, circa 2005. Traditionally called “Perníl” in Spanish, the pork shoulder is marinated in a garlic-based “Adobo” wet rub and a few other key ingredients, all mashed together into a paste using a…
Caramel Coquito
Coquito is a creamy coconut-and-rum-based cocktail that is very popular in Caribbean Latin households. It’s similar in concept to eggnog, except there’s no egg. When the Holidays are approaching, it’s common to receive a bottle of homemade coquito from various Puerto Rican friends and/or co-workers, and the concoctions can vary quite a bit from kitchen…
Flourless Chocolate Raspberry Torte
Flourless cake recipes have been on the rise since the gluten-free movement emerged. Dietary reasons aside, the concept of trying to mimic the volume and texture of a “with-flour” cake is also a fun culinary challenge. My first recollection of making a flourless dessert dates back to the late 1990s when flourless “cakes” took on…
Skillet Baked Mac and Cheese
I take macaroni and cheese recipes super seriously. So many restaurants have bad mac ‘n cheese because they focus too much on creating an Instagram-worthy cheese pull by using lots of tasteless mozzarella cheese. Other restaurants cut you a brick-like serving from their mushy “cheese & pasta” casserole. I came to terms with the fact…
Cranberry Apple Crisp
As Fall approaches and the temperature begins to drop, apple pie always comes to mind. However, making a really good pie crust certainly has some complicated obstacles. Making an apple crisp is an equally exciting, easier option. What’s even better about apple crisp is that both the filling and crumb topping can be made ahead…
Homemade Puerto Rican Sofrito
Chef Daisy Martinez first opened my eyes to the process of making Puerto Rican sofrito, which is a staple in Caribbean Latin cuisine. Basically, the concept of sofrito is that instead of sautéing vegetables, herbs, and aromatics individually, it speeds up and the process by doing it all at once. All ingredients are broken down…
Vodka Watermelon Cocktail with Mint
As watermelons begin to arrive in stores when summer arrives, you should also be on the lookout for some fresh mint leaves to make this refreshing watermelon cocktail for summer parties. Guests love to see a festive, carved-out watermelon with floating melon balls infused with a spiked fruit juice andfloating mint. Not only is the…
Spicy Lime Baked Chicken Wings
If you love a spicy and tangy flavor profile, welcome to the easiest baked chicken wings recipe in the world. Red Devil hot sauce and fresh lime juice are combined with some really standard seasonings to yield succulent chicken wings that fall off the bone with some patience. This recipe is easy, but it’s not…
Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Cookies
I have been perfecting this recipe for chocolate chunk cookies since I was a kid. It originated from following directions on the back of a bag of Nestle Toll House chocolate chips when I was about 8 years old. My sister burnt a batch of cookies, and it made me determined to learn how to…