Pasta holds a special place in Ree Drummond's heart. "If I were stranded on a desert island and could choose only one category of food to eat the rest of my life, I'd pick pasta hands down," she says. And with so many pasta recipes to choose from, it's impossible to get bored with eating pasta. Keep a few boxes in your pantry at all times and you'll have tons of easy dinner ideas ready in an instant. Take these penne pasta recipes, for example. The classic pasta shape makes whipping up one-pot dinners, pasta salads, and chicken pasta recipes a breeze! Not to mention, penne pasta (and spaghetti recipes, too) is a favorite amongst families.
This crowd-pleasing noodle gets its name from the Latin word for "quill" or "pen," and it's often described as looking like a fountain pen thanks to the diagonally cut ends. The tube shape can come in two varieties: smooth or ridged. Either way, it’s the perfect pasta for hearty sauces or baked pasta dishes. Penne is also a great noodle to use in place of rigatoni, ziti, or other pasta recipes that have a cylindrical shape. Looking for some Italian dinner inspiration? Try the caprese chicken pasta, pasta with zucchini pesto, or one of Ree's favorites: penne alla Besty, named after her sister!
You can't help but feel "Nonny" in everything Miranda Lambert writes in her new cookbook, Y'all Eat Yet? From the first words of her introduction, Lambert makes clear who was the heartbeat of her family—and whose traditions and words direct the family still.
"To this day, people talk about Nonny's cookies—and her Thanksgiving dressing. She'd say the secret 'was in the hands,' but I think it was in the heart. Everything she cooked, you could taste the love," Lambert writes.
If Nonny's gifts could be inherited, Lambert says they have been—by her own mother, Bev. "I've never seen anyone do more with less!" Lambert writes. "Out of an almost-empty pantry, she could make a dinner that would be fit for a king, Dolly Parton, or the preacher." (We shared the recipe for Bev's Famous Meatloaf a few years ago in Southern Living.)
If you're feeling right at home with these descriptions of a Texas grandmother and mother, then you're going to fit right in with the stories, family cooks, and recipes in Lambert's new cookbook.
And what recipe separates a good cook from a fair to middling one? A good chili, that's what. Lambert shares that chili was a part of many holidays, gatherings, and even her Sweet 16, when they had chili dogs and Frito pie. Her 10th birthday? Her mom threw together a honky-tonk show and chili cook-off. So you can bet, she knows a good chili when she sees one.
Courtesy of Dey Street Books
Ingredients for Miranda Lambert's Famous Chili Recipe
Ingredients-wise, this recipe for "Buckshot Chili" is as about as straightforward as chili recipes come. For it, you'll need ground beef (Lambert notes she prefer chili grind) and ground chuck. From the produce section, you'll also need both yellow and white onions, some extra-virgin olive oil, and a jalapeño (if you like hot chili).
Grab some cans of diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and pinto beans. Then from the spice drawer, you'll need hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco), chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.
After that, all you'll need is what you want to serve on top. Lambert suggests cheese, onions, sourcream, cilantro, and Fritos. (I'm guessing she wouldn't argue if you turned this chili into Frito Pie in honor of her 16th birthday party.)
Directions for Making Miranda Lambert's Famous Chili Recipe
The full recipe is detailed below, but here's a quick outline of how to make Miranda Lambert's chili.
First, you'll want to brown all three pounds of meat. You may need to work in batches if your skillet isn't large enough for browning so much meat. But once it's all browned, you can add it to your soup pot or Dutch oven.
While the beef is browning, warm the olive oil, then sauté the jalapeño and onions until tender in a large stockpot. Then add the browned meat as it's finished.
Stir in the canned tomatoes (both kinds), hot sauce, and all the seasonings. Bring this full mixture to a boil, then let it simmer for about 3 hours.
Then, all that's left is scooping the chili into a bowl and adding whatever toppings you want. Lambert also suggests you serve with her Jalapeño Cornbread recipe.
Tips for Making the Best Chili
Miranda Lambert's Buckshot Chili recipe is classic. You won't find much that disappoints, and she's already given you several ways to personalize it—add or leave out jalapeño; add or leave out pinto beans.
These tips will help you ensure the chili you make is as memorable as all the ones Lambert writes about in her cookbook.
Simmer for several hours: Lambert's recipe calls for simmering 4 hours. This is how the flavors of all the spices, meat, and beans meld. It's also how you get a thick, stew-like chili and not a thin, soupy one.
Adjust the heat: If you're sensitive to pepper, you can skip, halve, or just cut back on how much jalapeño you're adding to the chili. Same goes for the hot pepper sauce and chili powder. You can also reach for a milder chili like a poblano or Anaheim.
Make ahead: If you think chili is good as soon as it's cooked, wait until you try it after it has had a chance to sit for a day in the fridge. That's when the magic happens and the favors all come together. Just give it a quick simmer to reheat it.
Fatty liver is reversible in early stages and making changes in lifestyle can help. Here are recipes that will help you detox and achieve optimum liver health.
Fatty liver has become a growing cause of concern due to the increasingly inactive lifestyle we all are leading and indulging in comfort food in between the meals - thus eating more than our body requires. While our liver needs some amount of fat to carry on its operations, more than 5% of fat weight could be deadly. Around 40% of Indians have non-alcoholic fatty liver but most of them remain unaware due to lack of symptoms in initial stages. Continuing with the unhealthy habits could worsen liver health to the extent that it can cause life threatening health conditions like cirrhosis on cancer. Fatty liver can be reversible until it is too advanced to cure. (Also read: World Liver Day 2023: Signs of fatty liver on your face, eyes and skin)
Around 40% of Indians have non-alcoholic fatty liver but most of them remain unaware due to lack of symptoms in initial stages.(Khushboo Jain Tibrewala)
"Fatty liver is completely reversible for a long time. Only once the damage transforms into actual physical scarring and cirrhosis, does the damage become irreversible. Nearly 40% of Indians have some or the other Non-Alcoholic fatty liver stage today. The key reason for such high numbers is quite simple really. It’s our lifestyle. We are eating more than ever before, our food is more processed than ever before, we are seated most of the day, our sleep schedules are not in sync with our circadian rhythm anymore, and we are putting in more toxins through pollution, chemical-laden body products, food additives and more. All of this coupled with the increased prevalence of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidaemia have come together to cause this alarming rise in fatty liver," says Khushboo Jain Tibrewala.
On the occasion of World Liver Day, Khushboo Jain Tibrewala has launched Fatty Liver Guide, a guide with all the information for better liver health. Here are 6 recipes that can help you reverse fatty liver.
1. Moong Dal Idli
Moong Dal Idli
Idli is traditionally made using rice and black gram. The grains are soaked, ground into a paste, and then kept for fermentation for 8-10 hours. This traditional recipe itself is quite nourishing. However, for those of us who are trying to curb our carbohydrate intake, this version of the recipe is a great choice.
The overnight soaking and fermentation improve the nutritional content as well as the bioavailability of the nutrients present in the dals. Also, legumes are notorious for their lectin content (anti-nutrients). However, the processing in this recipe will reduce their lectin content considerably, making it easy to digest as well as richer in protein content.
Serves: 4 | Lunch, Dinner
Ingredients
1 cup Moong Dal
1/3 cup Urad Dal
Salt, to taste
Ghee
Method:
- Wash and soak the dals separately for 12 hours.
- During this time change the water once.
- Grind the two dals separately and then mix.
- Mix in salt.
- Keep them to ferment for 8-10 hours.
- Steam them in an Idli maker.
- Once done, rub some ghee on the hot Idlis, remove it from the Idli maker, and serve.
2. Raw Garlic Chutney
This recipe is one of the simplest, quickest and most delicious ways of eating garlic. It goes really well with dhokla, rice, idli, etc.
Ingredients
8-10 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Filtered Groundnut Oil
Method:
- Peel and crush raw garlic in a mortar and pestle.
- Add chilli powder and continue grinding.
- Once it becomes a fine paste, transfer the paste to a serving bowl and mix in the oil.
- The chutney is ready to use.
3. Antioxidant salad
Antioxidant salad
Ingredients
Fistful of Baby Spinach
Fistful of Arugula
1/2 cup Steamed Beetroot
1/2 cup Roasted Pumpkin
1/2 cup Cucumber
1/4 cup Pickled Onions
1/4 cup Crushed Walnuts
1/2 cup boiled Chickpeas
Dressing:
1 tbsp Olive Oil
3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Basil leaves
Method:
- Toss everything together and your salad is ready.
4. Liver-friendly green chutney
This chutney is good for the entire family. Coriander, celery, garlic, curry leaves and ginger provide nutrients that support natural detoxification processes of the liver. Sesame is a great source of calcium. The herbs all provide lots of iron. Amla, as well know, is the best source of Vitamin C.
Ginger is anti-inflammatory and stimulates the release of gastric juices in the stomach. Kala namak is a digestive. Chillies boost metabolism. Long story short, this recipe is like a multinutrient supplement but tasty and unprocessed.
Ingredients
1 small bunch Coriander leaves, with stalks
Handful of Mint Leaves
Handful of Curry Leaves
3 tbsp Sesame seeds, soaked overnight
2-3 stalks Celery leaves
Lime juice or 3 Amla or Raw Mango
1 inch pc of Ginger
3-4 cloves of Garlic
Kala namak
2-3 green chillies
Method:
- Soak the sesame seeds overnight.
- Cut amla into small wedges.
- Blend everything together, you can add a little water for consistency.
- Adjust the taste for salt, spicy and tangy.
- Keep this in an airtight container and finish within 3-4 days. If you can make it fresh daily, then that will be the best.
Nothing says lunchtime like a sandwich does. And these recipes help make it as delicious and nutritious as ever thanks to their high fiber content. Each of these sandwiches boasts at least 6 grams of fiber per serving to help you up your intake of this crucial nutrient. Eating enough fiber is important for numerous body functions, including protecting your heart health, promoting healthy weight management and supporting healthy digestion. With ingredients like whole grain bread, leafy greens and hearty legumes, these sandwiches can help you feel full and energized for whatever your day holds. Recipes like our Chickpea Salad Sandwich and Veggie & Hummus Sandwich are some of our favorites that you won't want to miss.
Air-Fryer Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Photographer: Brie Passano, Food Stylist: Greg Luna
Make these sandwiches with your favorite type of apple. Give Granny Smith, Gala or Pink Lady a try. If you don't love arugula, try romaine or spinach.
This vegan chickpea salad sandwich is lemony, bright and surprisingly delicious. It's got all the flavors of a classic tuna salad sandwich—dill, lemon and a bit of garlic—but with chickpeas instead to add a vegan source of protein and a heal
Green Goddess Sandwich
Victor Protasio
This green goddess sandwich is a fresh and satisfying sandwich. The dressing packs a flavorful punch with capers and lemon juice. The cucumber and sprouts add nice crunch, and the seasoned avocado brings in the creaminess.
This pickled beet, arugula and goat cheese sandwich is peppery with creamy notes from the goat cheese and sweet and tangy undertones from the pickled beets. Chopped walnuts add nuttiness and crunch to this easy sandwich.
Chicken & Cucumber Pita Sandwiches with Yogurt Sauce
Cucumbers do double duty in this healthy Greek-inspired chicken pita recipe—they're grated to lend a refreshing flavor to the quick cucumber-yogurt sauce and sliced to provide cool crunch tucked into the pita. Serve these sandwiches for a healthy dinner or light lunch.
Loaded Cucumber & Avocado Sandwich
Jacob Fox
This loaded cucumber-and-avocado sandwich is filled with creamy avocado and crispy cucumbers. Ricotta cheese mixed with extra-sharp Cheddar adds flavor while sliced red peppers offer a splash of color.
Veggie & Hummus Sandwich
This mile-high vegetable and hummus sandwich makes the perfect heart-healthy vegetarian lunch to go. Mix it up with different flavors of hummus and different types of vegetables depending on your mood.
Baked Falafel Sandwiches
This street-style falafel sandwich is herbaceous, tangy and rich. The falafel gets nice and crispy in the oven while the veggies inside keep it simple and fresh. Make the tahini sauce (see Associated Recipes) ahead of time for easy prep. Wrapping the sandwich in foil makes it a perfect bring-along lunch and helps hold it together for eating on the go.
Veggie & Cream Cheese Sandwich
Victor Protasio
The cream cheese in this veggie and cream cheese sandwich adds flavor while holding everything in place. This colorful, well-balanced sandwich is crispy from the cucumber and peppers, sweet from tomatoes and beets, and tangy from the banana peppers.
White Bean & Avocado Sandwich
White beans mash seamlessly into a creamy protein-packed spread for a satisfying healthy sandwich that makes for an easy lunch or dinner. Mix it up by trying it with canned chickpeas or black beans. This vegetarian sandwich recipe is also a fiber superstar: avocado, beans, greens and whole-wheat bread team up to give it 15 grams of fiber, more than half of what most women should aim for in a day.
Egg Salad English-Muffin Sandwich
Brie Passano
When you boil eggs ahead of time, it's easy to create a lickety-split and delightful lunchtime egg salad. And using the flavorful leafy carrot tops in it is like getting herbs for free.
BLATs (Bacon-Lettuce-Avocado-Tomato Sandwiches)
In this healthy BLT recipe, we use a creamy avocado spread flavored with garlic and basil, and add sprouts. Look for sprouted-wheat bread in the frozen section or with other specialty breads at your grocery store.
Copycat Panera Frontega Chicken Sandwich
Will Dickey
Got leftover chicken? This copycat Panera Frontega Chicken Sandwich is easy to make at home. You get smoky flavor and mild heat from the chipotle peppers, while the mayonnaise adds creaminess. The bread is super crispy, with basil adding freshness.
Egg Sandwiches with Rosemary, Tomato & Feta
Photographer /Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke, Food Stylist / Emily Nabors Hall
These hearty breakfast sandwiches are packed with ingredients popular in the Mediterranean diet, including feta, tomato and spinach.
Mushroom Sandwich with Pickled Onion
Eric Wolfinger
This sandwich is a specialty at Dad's Luncheonette in Half Moon Bay, California, where chef-owner Scott Clark makes it with local maitake mushrooms. Using ghee to cook the sandwich components imparts a nutty flavor you wouldn't get by using butter.
Rainbow Veggie Wraps
There's definitely a sushi vibe to these kid-friendly wraps, which are stuffed with vegetables, cheese and hummus and then rolled and sliced. Serve them with store-bought green goddess, a creamy herb-filled dressing, to take it up a notch with ease. They look impressive but they're easy enough for kids to assemble themselves for an easy lunch or dinner.
Piled-High Vegetable Pitas
Fresh, bright flavors come alive in these easy vegetarian pitas. Give yourself enough time to make the roasted vegetables called for in the recipe--or make them a day or two in advance for a healthy meal that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. These pitas would also work well with whatever leftover cooked veggies you have on hand. No need to warm the roasted veggies up; this recipe tastes great chilled or at room temperature.
Spanakopita Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
These grilled cheese sandwiches give you all the flavors of the Greek spinach pie, spanakopita, without dealing with fussy layers of phyllo--perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. The creamy flavor-packed filling works well in more than just a sandwich: try it in a calzone or on top of a roasted cauliflower steak too.
Roasted Buffalo Chickpea Wraps
This vegetarian riff on a Buffalo chicken wrap adds the spicy Buffalo tang you love to crunchy roasted chickpeas all tucked into an easy-to-make wrap with carrot, celery and blue cheese. Make and take a wrap for a healthy packable lunch or serve them up on game day for a protein-packed snack everyone will devour.
Collards & Portobello Grilled Cheese
Meaty portobello mushrooms and sautéed collards turn this easy grilled cheese recipe into a healthy meal. If you don't have Dijonnaise on hand, make your own by stirring 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard into 3 tablespoons mayonnaise.
California-Style Breakfast Sandwich
Evan de Normandie
This fresh-tasting bagel breakfast sandwich comes together in minutes with just a few ingredients. Creamy avocado pairs with crunchy onions and sprouts for a filling, healthy breakfast with layers of flavor.
As Americans continue to combat grocery shopping pain points, celebrity chef Lexy Rogers has several tried-and-true tactics to feed more people with less.
The former "MasterChef" contestant, who finished ninth in the culinary competition on season 11, is also a budget-savvy mom of four known for feeding her family on a shoestring budget of $40 a week.
Rogers shared a simple recipe from her new cookbook, "Break Bread on a Budget: Ordinary Ingredients, Extraordinary Meals," with "Good Morning America" below.
The cover of Lexy Rogers' new cookbook.
Simon & Schuster
The cookbook reveals some of Rogers' best-kept, budget-friendly secrets and helps spread her mission of teaching cooks of every skill level how to make simple, soulful meals the whole family will enjoy.
Hot Honey Sautéed Chicken
A bowl of white rice and hot honey-sauteed chicken.
Simon & Schuster
"I'm a sucker for Chinese food, except for the extremely Americanized type of Chinese food. My favorite thing to order is General Tso's chicken. This recipe is my attempt to satisfy my Chinese food cravings while spending half the amount and waiting a quarter of the time."
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 3 to 6
Ingredients
4 cups water
2 cups rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons butter (divided)
2 pounds chicken tenders
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Fresh chopped chives for garnish (optional)
Directions
1. In a saucepan over high heat, bring water and rice to a boil.
2. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, add salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon butter.
3. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed and rice is fluffy when forked.
4. While rice is cooking, coat chicken in cornstarch.
5. Combine chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic, honey, soy sauce and vinegar in a small bowl and place to the side.
6. Melt remaining butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and place chicken in the pan.
7. Cook for 3 minutes on one side, or until browned, and flip.
8. Pour sauce into the pan and continue to cook for another 3–4 minutes on medium-low or until the chicken is cooked through (165 F).
9. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives, if using.
10. Serve with rice.
Budget tip: Freshen your leftovers by adding your cold, dried-out rice to a skillet with a few tablespoons of canola oil. Fry and add 1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce to make fried rice.
Recipe excerpted with permission from "Break Bread on a Budget: Ordinary Ingredients, Extraordinary Meals."
These recipes are some of our best, with four and five star ratings from the real cooks who love them. Not only are they verified to be delicious, they all contain anti-inflammatory ingredients to help you feel your best. Anti-inflammatory eating patterns can help reduce the symptoms of inflammation like digestive issues and discomfort, mental fog and high blood pressure. Each of these recipes contains inflammation-fighting foods like fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats that are nutritious as well as delicious. Take it from our readers, recipes like our Chicken, Avocado & Quinoa Bowls with Herb Dressing and Ginger-Tahini Oven-Baked Salmon & Vegetables are sure to become staples of your routine.
Chicken, Avocado & Quinoa Bowls with Herb Dressing
Arrange the toppings individually on these protein-packed grain bowls so each bite has a contrasting taste and texture. Make big batches of the salad dressing, quinoa and roasted chicken thighs and you'll have healthy meal-prep lunches or dinners for days. Though the chicken thighs take just 15 minutes to prep, you can also make the salads with leftover chicken or store-bought cooked chicken to make prep even faster.
Turmeric Rice Bowl with Garam Masala Root Vegetables & Chickpeas
This fragrant turmeric rice bowl topped with leftover spiced roasted root vegetables and chickpeas is inspired by flavors from India for an easy, vegetarian dinner.
Air-Fryer Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers are a classic family meal--and they're fun to eat, too. Instead of roasting the sweet peppers in the oven, use an air fryer to get them crisp-tender but not soggy.
Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts & Gnocchi
In this healthy dinner recipe, chicken thighs, Brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes and packaged gnocchi are all roasted on the same sheet pan for a complete meal that couldn't be easier to make. And though it's simple, this dish gets tons of flavor from seasonings, including garlic, oregano and red-wine vinegar. It all adds up to a dish that's ready to go into heavy weeknight rotation in your house.
Roasted Salmon with Smoky Chickpeas & Greens
In this healthy salmon dinner, you'll get a dose of greens and green dressing! Chowing down on 6 or more servings of dark leafy greens a week can help keep your brain in top shape. This dish features the Test Kitchen's current go-to method for doctoring a can of chickpeas: spice them up and roast until crispy.
Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Layering apple slices into grilled cheese sandwiches adds a little crunch to a favorite soup dipper. And creamy butternut squash soup with ginger, cumin and turmeric is a nice change of pace from grilled cheese's usual tomato soup partner. If you have a sensitive palate, you can cut back on the spices. Be sure to use seasonal squash for the best squash flavor. Serve the duo for a comforting and easy weeknight dinner for the family. The soup keeps well in the fridge, so save leftovers for lunch or dinner later in the week.
Ginger-Tahini Oven-Baked Salmon & Vegetables
The tahini sauce does double duty in this healthy salmon recipe, serving as a glaze for the fish and also as a drizzle for the entire dish at the end of cooking. The green beans are cooked just slightly in this recipe, to still be crisp. If you like your green beans tenderer, look for thinner beans or haricot verts in the grocery store; they'll cook more quickly. This sheet-pan dinner recipe is not only delicious--it also comes together with just 25 minutes of active prep time, and there's only one pan to clean up afterwards!
Sheet-Pan Roasted Salmon & Vegetables
This dish is packed with flavor and fits perfectly into a Mediterranean diet.
Crispy Fish Taco Bowls
The adobo sauce in a can of chipotles lends earthy heat to the crema that tops these bowls. Don't toss out the unused peppers! Freeze them in an airtight container and pull them out to add to sauces, marinades or chili.
Easy Tuna Cakes with Greens & Lemon Dressing
Antonis Achilleos
Dried herbs, white beans and canned tuna come together in these easy tuna cakes served over greens. A lemony dressing ties this quick dinner together.
Vegan Black Bean Burgers
These easy vegan black bean burgers have a healthy dose of fiber thanks to the combination of black beans and quinoa. Cumin and chipotle chile powder give these vegan burgers a Southwestern spin. Using your hands to combine the mixture creates a soft, uniform texture.
Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowls
This pesto chicken quinoa bowl is packed with herbs from the basil pesto and the Italian spice mix and gets a slight kick of heat from the red pepper. If you enjoy the flavor profile, this dish can also be made with orzo in place of quinoa.
Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas & Spinach
Simmer eggs in a rich tomatoey cream sauce studded with chickpeas and silky spinach for a super-fast vegetarian dinner. Serve with a piece of crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Be sure to use heavy cream; a lower-fat option might curdle when mixed with acidic tomatoes.
Adobo Chicken & Kale Enchiladas
Put out your favorite toppings for these quick and healthy layered enchiladas. We like cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and jalapeños.
Frittata with Asparagus, Leek & Ricotta
Photographer / Jacob Fox, Food styling / Sue Mitchell, Food Styling / Kelsey Bulat
Serve this spring-vegetable-loaded frittata with an arugula salad and a hunk of crusty bread. Tip: This recipe cooks quickly, so be sure to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go.
Roasted Cauliflower & Potato Curry Soup
Karla Conrad
In this healthy cauliflower soup recipe, roasting the cauliflower first adds depth and prevents the florets from turning to mush. A little tomato sauce and coconut milk give the broth a rich, silky texture. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, if desired.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Cherries
Grilling pork tenderloin is a delicious, smoky way to bring out the flavor of the meat. While you have the grill on, cook some green beans in a grill basket to serve alongside this juicy dish.
Low-Carb Eggplant Pizzas
These eggplant pizzas have all the classic flavors of a real pizza without all the carbs. Opt for spicy Italian sausage if you like the heat! Serve these mini pizzas with a green salad on the side to complete the meal.
Tandoori Grilled Tofu with Red Peppers & Broccolini
Spiced yogurt does two jobs here as both the marinade and the sauce for this grilled tofu recipe.
Kale Salad with Quinoa & Chicken
Toss the cooked chicken into this healthy salad recipe while it's still warm to lightly wilt the kale, making it softer and easier to eat. Using store-bought salad dressing saves time, but you could also make your own tangy vinaigrette.
Set yourself up for a week of super-satisfying lunches with these veggie-packed meal-prep bowls. The chile-lime seasoning blend adds a lot of flavor easily, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and queso fresco finishes the dish.
Cobb Salad with Herb-Rubbed Chicken
Try this satisfying salad recipe for an updated version of the classic Cobb. Kale, feta and strawberries give this chicken salad a colorful upgrade.
Chicken & Kale Taco Salad with Jalapeño-Avocado Ranch
This healthy, super-fast salad recipe swaps out romaine for kale, giving you more than 10 times the vitamin C. Easy flavor hacks like store-bought ranch and pickled jalapeños help make a creamy, tangy and spicy dressing you'll want to drizzle on everything from salad to sliced veggies and shredded poached chicken.
Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Pesto & Shrimp
Cut some carbs and use spiralized zucchini in place of noodles in this zesty pesto pasta dish recipe. Top with Cajun-seasoned shrimp to complete this quick and easy dinner.
Sheet-Pan Sesame Chicken & Broccoli with Scallion-Ginger Sauce
In this healthy sheet-pan chicken recipe, meaty bone-in chicken thighs and broccoli florets are tossed with sesame oil and roasted on the same pan for a delicious and easy dinner with minimal cleanup. While the chicken and broccoli cook, whip together the simple scallion-ginger sauce. The sauce would also be wonderful spooned over salmon, tofu or grain bowls; it is easily doubled or tripled!
Quinoa, Chicken & Broccoli Salad with Roasted Lemon Dressing
Roasting lemons mellows their tartness and creates a layer of caramelized flavor that pairs well with the raw broccoli and savory quinoa in this healthy chicken dinner salad. Even better, the chicken and lemons roast on one sheet pan, making cleanup a breeze.
Compared with a tricky loaf of sourdough, these classic treats aren’t hard to get right, and can similarly scratch the itch for a baking project.
In New York City, you can find a pretzel within minutes of a craving — in warmed glass cases on corner street carts, all over transit hubs, even in the odd department store. They vary in quality but are often forgettable, something to stave off hunger until a better snack presents itself.
But a big pretzel with a soft, dense middle, chewy ends and the perfect combination of tang and salt? That’s a little harder to come by. Unless you make it yourself.
Compared with a tricky loaf of crusty sourdough, pretzels are not hard to get right, and they can similarly scratch the itch for a savory bread-baking project.
Built on bread flour, which has a higher protein content, i.e. more gluten, than all-purpose flour, pretzels’ elastic dough provides the foundation for a tender, chewy texture. A little sugar deepens color and flavor, and active dry yeast gives the dough its rise.
A long rest in the fridge, which smooths out the dough and develops its flavor, also makes it pliable and not excessively sticky.
Arguably the trickiest step is achieving that burnished brown exterior that’s salty with a pleasant bitter edge, the thing that makes a pretzel taste like, well, a pretzel. Traditionally, pretzel bakers dip shaped pretzel dough into a caustic sodium hydroxide solution made with lye, a strong alkali. While a lye bath will produce gorgeous results, it requires rubber gloves and extra care — not to mention a special trip to the hardware store. Dipping pretzel dough into a solution made with baking soda is a common workaround. (That said, its effects are milder than the original.)
Writing in The Times in 2010, the food scientist Harold McGee suggested doing just that. Baking the soda on a foil-lined baking sheet at a low temperature for an hour creates a stronger alkali that mimics lye more closely than plain baking soda and yields a more pronounced pretzel flavor. It also means that the pretzels need only a quick dip on each side, so you don’t have to worry about waterlogged, misshapen dough.
After another short rest (the perfect time to heat your oven), the pretzels are ready for a final zhuzh. An egg wash isn’t traditional, but it lends an appealing gloss and helps the salt stick nicely. Choose a bright white and crunchy bulky salt, like pretzel or coarse sea. Others will taste fine but won’t produce the classic look. Serve the baked pretzels with a grainy mustard, beer cheese or even ranch dressing, but you don’t need them. A warm, fresh pretzel couldn’t be more satisfying just as is.
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