Category: Savory

Honey Garlic Herb Roasted Brussel Sprouts

A step up from the simple and classic oven roasted brussel sprouts. These Honey Garlic Herb Roasted Brussel Sprouts are garlicky, savory, a little sweet, and have a small kick of heat. Great even for those that don’t like the bitter taste of brussel sprouts!

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Raise your hand if you love brussel sprouts! If you don’t, don’t worry about it. There’s a chance you just haven’t have the right brussel sprouts. I’d give these Honey Garlic Herb Roasted Brussel Sprouts.

To be honest, I hadn’t eaten brussel sprouts until I started dating my fiance and a family friend made me try them at our first Thanksgiving together. It was….. okay, to say the least. But it shocked me because I just always assumed brussel sprouts were as bad as all my friends growing up said they were but it was just okay.

That’s when I realized that brussel sprouts are fine, I just think there’s one superior way of cooking them. And that is by oven roasting them. As far as brussel sprouts go, there’s nothing better than super brown and crispy roasted sprouts, and layering them with a sweet and salty glaze will help cut any bitterness that the sprouts may have.

This recipe is super easy but I include a trick for how to get the BEST roasted sprouts. That is preheating your baking sheet along with the oven so that it is already ripping hot when you place the brussel sprouts in the oven. You also want to leave your sheet unlined and place the sprouts face down so there’s continued and direct contact between the hot metal and the open face of the sprout.
In the last five to ten minutes of baking time you want to turn the sprouts over so that they cook evenly. And with just that, you’ll always have the most perfectly roasted brussel sprouts.

You should always toss brussel sprouts in salt, pepper, and oil before you roast them. That’s how you get your classic roasted brussel sprouts.
But here’s how you get your Honey Garlic Herb Roasted Brussel Sprouts.

After the sprouts are cooked, saute the garlic and butter together for about 30 seconds and then stir in honey, herbs de provence, and crushed red pepper and then toss the roasted brussel sprouts in and coat!

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Honey Garlic Herb Roasted Brussel Sprouts

A step up from the simple and classic oven roasted brussel sprouts. These Honey Garlic Herb Roasted Brussel Sprouts are garlicky, savory, a little sweet, and have a small kick of heat. Great even for those that don't like the bitter taste of brussel sprouts!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 125kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 Pound Brussel Sprouts
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¼ tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Clove Garlic, finely minced or grated
  • ¾ Tbsp Honey
  • ½ tsp Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning)
  • ½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400° and place a baking sheet in the oven while it preheats (make sure it is an unlined baking sheet)
  • Trim the stem end of the brussel sprouts and remove any outer leaves, them cut the brussel sprouts in half, lengthwise.
  • Toss the brussel sprouts in the olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
  • Once the oven has reached 390°, remove the baking sheet and arrange the brussel sprouts face down on the sheet (please do this carefully as the pan will be very hot and make sure the pan is still an unlined sheet. The sprouts should not stick to the pan as they bake and preheating the pan will help to really roast the sprouts)
  • Place the brussel sprouts in the oven at 400°. Bake for 20 minutes and then flips the sprouts so they are face up. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes (remove when the sprouts are roasted to your preference. I did the full 10 minutes)
  • Once you remove the brussel sprouts, heat up the butter in a pan and cook the garlic for about thirty seconds (do all of this on a medium low heat)
  • Add the honey, herbs de provence, and crushed red pepper. Stir thoroughly.
  • Immediately add the roasted brussel sprouts and toss until they are coated.
  • Serve warm!

Enjoy this recipe with my Crispy Smashed Potatoes or any of my other dishes!

Cheesy Asparagus Parcels

Asparagus smothered in a garlic butter all wrapped in a cheesy pillowy pastry cushion! These Cheesy Asparagus Parcels are the PERFECT side dish to impress!

Baked Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

Baked Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

A simple alternative to an authentic dish! Baked Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki is the easiest way to achieve the flavor without the traditional roast!

Potato Pastry Pinwheels

These Potato Pastry Pinwheels are the perfect finger food for any potluck or as a passed appetizer! It is salty, spicy, and a little sweet from the pastry! This recipe is simple and utilizes store bought dough!

Potatoes and pastries often make a great marriage of flavor when it comes to cooking. I love making this potato pastry pinwheels be all kinds of parties. They’re one of the easiest and tastiest side dishes you can make for a home party or even for a potluck. They’re great for picnics as well! Kids will love them and so will adults.

This is a 4 ingredient recipe (along with some light seasonings) and is super simple to make. All you need are potatoes, half an onion, Pillsbury Crescent Rounds (not the Rolls!), and cilantro. As far as seasonings go, you’ll just need salt, chili powder, and olive oil.

Chop the potatoes and onions finely but to a uniform size. You’ll want to sweat the onions for a bit in the oil before you add the potatoes in to cook them. Wait until they’re slightly translucent and then add the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are soft, but still hold their shape. Add the spices after the potatoes, and add the cilantro at the end.

You want the potato filling to cool COMPLETELY before you spread it among the pastry. The crescent rounds sheets have premarked lines on them, indicating the 8 rounds. You’ll want to roll the sheets out so they’re at least 10 inches long (vertically) and you should place it so the lines are vertical.

Spread half of the stuffing on each of the pastry sheets. Make sure to spread all the way to the side edges but leave the top edges empty so rolling is easier.

Roll the pastries tightly, as you would cinnamon rolls and refrigerate the logs so it is easier to cut them. Cut them with a thin bladed serrated knife. The pastry has 8 precut lines, you should double up on those lines and cut 16 pieces per long instead of 8.

Place the logs on a pastry sheet and bake in a 350° oven for 15 minutes. Let cool and enjoy your potato pastry pinwheels on their own or with a spicy dipping sauce of your choice!

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Potato Pastry Pinwheels

These Potato Pastry Pinwheels are the perfect finger food for any potluck or as a passed appetizer! It is salty, spicy, and a little sweet from the pastry! This recipe is simple and utilizes store bought dough!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 32 Pinwheels
Calories: 74kcal

Ingredients

  • 1½ lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes (peeled and finely diced)
  • ½ Onion (finely diced)
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
  • 2½ Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 Sprigs Cilantro (finely chopped)
  • 2 Tubes Pillsbury Crescent Rounds

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
  • Peel and finely chop the potatoes and the half onion.
  • Sautee the onion in a pan with the oil until the onions are slightly translucent.
  • Add the potatoes, salt, and chili powder and cook until the potatoes are soft.
  • Stir in cilantro and put aside to cool completely.
  • Work with the pastry dough one tube at a time. Unroll the pastry dough and roll out with a rolling pin until it is about a 10 inch square.
  • Spread half of the potato stuffing onto each of the rolls. Spread the filling all the way to the side edges but leave some space at the top and bottom to make rolling easier.
  • Roll the dough tightly, as you would cinnamon rolls and put the log in the refrigerator for a few minutes while you prepare the other rolls.
  • Remove the chilled log and cut it into about 15 or 16 pieces. (note, the rolls will have lines in them indicating 8 slices, you should double up on those so that you get thinner pinwheels) (refer to photos above).
  • Bake for 15 minutes

Check out some of my other recipes!

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip is truly one of the best, well loved dishes around! This recipe stays true to the classic creation but offers a unique way to achieve creaminess.

Easy Buttery Garlic Knots

Easy Buttery Garlic Knots

Soft, fluffy and easy to make, these buttery garlic knots are perfect with any italian dish or soup! Eat on the side with a salad or just as a snack! Top with parmesan or flaky salt!

Bread Bonda (Fried Potato Balls)

Bread Bonda (Fried Potato Balls)

Bread Bonda is an Indian recipe for fried balls stuffed with potato, onion, and cilantro! Easy to make with household ingredients.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Crispy and creamy! Sweet and salty! These crispy smashed potatoes are herby, garlicky, and incredibly satisfying.

Panko Crusted Tenders with Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce

These Panko Crusted Tenders with Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce are crispy, juicy, and have the perfect kick of spice! Enjoy on their own or with rice!

These Panko Crusted Tenders with Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce are crispy, juicy, savory, and oh so delicious. The way the chicken is cooked still allows for the same juiciness that fried chicken tenders would but it’s much much healthier.
And honestly, sometimes heating up oil, making sure your workspace is safe, and then the clean up and proper disposal of oil is sometimes just too much.

The panko bread crumbs are the best at retaining their crunch when it comes to baking as opposed to using regular italian style bread crumbs.

Double layering the breadcrumbs makes the chicken SO crispy and helps lot in the flavors to make it SO juicy!

When you’re dipping the chicken, be sure to stir the breadcrumbs up every now and then. The grains of the seasonings are a lot more fine than the grain size of the panko and they tend to fall to the bottom of the bowl. So make sure to stir it up!

While the chicken is baking, I suggest taking the time to do some light clean up and prep for the sauce.

The sauce is will cook the most evenly when the raw cane sugar, honey, low sodium soy sauce, gochujang, peanut butter, and water are mixed together properly before being poured into the hot pan.

Also, be sure that once you sautee the garlic and ginger in the oil that the pan isn’t too hot or the soy sauce will burn and become bitter. The sugar, honey, and peanut butter will help counteract that but definitely keep an eye out anyways.

The water in the sauce mixture will ensure that the sauce doesn’t thicken too much before the chicken tenders are tossed in.

I mentioned this in the recipe notes but I’ll mention it again here, this sauce isn’t supposed to douse the chicken generously but rather coat it mildly.
You’ll be able to see in the photos what I mean by that.

Top your Panko Crusted Tenders with Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Enjoy on their own with a vegetable side of your choosing or over a bed of rice!

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Panko Crusted Tenders with Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce

These Panko Crusted Tenders with Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce are crispy, juicy, and have the perfect kick of spice! Enjoy on their own or with rice!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 4
Calories: 390kcal

Ingredients

Chicken Crust

  • 1 Small Tray Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders
  • 1½ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
  • ½ tsp Paprika
  • ½ tsp Garlic Powder
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • ½ tsp Black Pepper
  • 2 Eggs

Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce

  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 Cloves Garlic Grated
  • ½ inch Ginger Grated
  • 1 Tbsp Raw Cane Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Honey
  • ⅓ Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Gochujang (Korean Red Pepper Paste)
  • 2 tsp Peanut Butter (Smooth/Creamy)
  • 1 Tbsp Water
  • 2 tsp Sesame Seeds
  • 2 Stalks Green Onion / Scallions chopped

Instructions

Panko Crusted Chicken Tenders

  • Preheat oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with foil.
  • In one bowl, which the eggs until the yolks and whites are fully incorporated.
  • In another bowl, mix together the panko, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.
  • Dip the tenders into the egg (fully coat) and then dip into the panko mixture (fully coat).
  • Repeat the previous step, so that you have two coatings of egg and panko on your tenders.
  • Bake for 25 minutes. Tenders should be light golden brown.

Spicy Sticky Asian Sauce

  • In a cup or bowl, mix together the raw cane sugar, honey, low sodium soy sauce, gochujang, peanut butter, and water. Set aside.
  • Keep the cooked chicken tenders ready.
  • Heat the oil in a pan and sautee the garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds.
  • Make sure the heat is set to medium low and pour in the sauce mixture.
  • Cook until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Immediately place the chicken tenders into the pan and coat them with the sauce.
  • Sprinkle with sesame seeds, top with scallions, and Enjoy! (note: this sauce isn't supposed to douse the chicken generously but rather coat it mildly).

If you’re looking for more Asian inspired dishes click here.

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Crispy and creamy! Sweet and salty! These crispy smashed potatoes are herby, garlicky, and incredibly satisfying.

Crispy and creamy! Sweet and salty! These crispy smashed potatoes are herby, garlicky, and incredibly satisfying.

Smashed potatoes have all the creaminess as mashed potatoes (without all the gluttony – which isn’t always a bad thing) with the addition of a satisfying crunch!
I love mashed potatoes but I always feel like I am missing substance. It took me a while to realize that the missing element is something crispy and crunchy, so these smashed potatoes will be a go to of mine!

Most smashed potatoes recipes I looked at when it came to developing this one used (Yukon) Gold Potatoes. Gold potatoes are great because they’re really creamy and have a smooth consistency. They even make the best mashed potatoes.

I really wanted to make a recipe using red potatoes. I like how buttery and kind of sweet that red potatoes can be. If you boil them enough, they get just as creamy as gold potatoes can be, and their skin is really flavorful. The flavors work really well with the herby, salty flavor of the seasoning.

For the seasoning, you can use a premixed Herb De Provence or Italian seasoning, but if you have all of the individual herbs, I would use them instead.
I’m not the biggest fan of salt but you can feel free to add another 1/2 tsp of salt to the seasoning.

When you boil the potatoes, the result is best if they are boiled until are fork can easily pierce it to the center.

Try to make sure that you don’t smash the potatoes TOO much when you crush them with a spoon. I used a flat heavy wooden spoon to smash my potatoes. You want them to still have ridges and be held together for the most part.

This recipe is named Crispy Smashed Potatoes for a reason, but everyone has varying preferences for how crispy they like their potato skins.
The recipe calls for 40 minutes for the baking time but I would start checking the potatoes at the 30 minute mark and pull them when they are to your preference!

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Crispy and creamy! Sweet and salty! These crispy smashed potatoes are herby, garlicky, and incredibly satisfying.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 170kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 lbs Red Potatoes

Seasonings (use herbs individually or an Herb de Provence seasoning)

  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper
  • 1 Clove Garlic Finely Minced or Grated
  • ½ tsp Dried Basil
  • ½ tsp Dried Thyme
  • ½ tsp Dried Rosemary
  • ½ tsp Dried Oregano
  • 4 Tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450°.
  • Place the potatoes into a pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes they are tender and a fork can pierce them easily to the center.
  • Mix together the salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic, dried basil, dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried oregano, and olive oil in a bowl.
  • Arrange the potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet.
  • Using the back of a heavy bottomed spoon smash the potatos but keep them lumpy (refer to photos).
  • Evenly drizzle the oil seasoning over the potatoes.
  • Place in oven and bake for at least 30 minutes but up to 40 depending on how brown you want the skins.

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Garlic and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Juicy, earthy, and tasty! These stuffed mushrooms are simple and delicious! Perfect for an appetizer or a side dish. Fully vegetarian!

I LOVE stuffed mushrooms. They’re earthy, soft, crispy (with the right topping), and creamy. These garlic and cheese stuffed mushrooms check all the boxes! They’re also even easy to make!

Stuffed mushrooms come with all kinds of mushroom bases. Many recipes use white mushrooms or cremini mushrooms, but I love cooking with portabella mushrooms and I think they have the most flavor out of all the mushrooms that are easy to find at grocery stores.
Feel free to use any other kind of mushroom but be sure to use baby mushrooms!
Just keep in mind that this recipe was created with baby portabella mushrooms in mind.

When it comes to mushroom, please make sure you thoroughly clean them. They’re a LOT dirtier than they look. Usually when I’m cleaning mushrooms I’m trying to keep the stems and caps attached but for this recipe they need to be separated anyways. Which is great because it makes cleaning thoroughly a LOT easier!

You want to try to chop the mushroom stems as finely as possible and keep them uniform with the size of the chopped bell pepper pieces. Both vegetables shrink as the water in them cooks off, which is good. We want that so that they mushroom caps don’t get soggy as we cook them

This is what the cooked mushroom stem and bell pepper mixture will look like. Let the mixture cool a bit before you mix it with the cheese and cream cheese so the cream cheese doesn’t soften too much.

Evenly distribute the stuffing among the mushroom caps and then top it with the seasoned panko bread crumbs. It will help to spoon the panko on and then press it on with your fingers or the back of a spoon. This will make sure that the panko cooks on the stuffing so that it won’t fall off as you eat it.
I wouldn’t use regular bread crumbs, like the kind you would use for chicken parmesan. It’s too finely ground and the panko will get more crispy.

I hope you enjoy these Garlic and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms!

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Garlic, Herb, and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Juicy, earthy, and tasty! These stuffed mushrooms are simple and delicious! Perfect for an appetizer or a side dish. Fully vegetarian!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 Mushrooms
Calories: 65kcal

Ingredients

  • 16 Ounces Baby Portabella Mushrooms
  • .5 tsp Butter
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
  • 1 Orange or Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped can use ¾ if you want
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning or Herbs de Provence
  • ⅓ Cup Shredded Colby Jack or Mexican Cheese (heaping scoop)
  • 3 ounces Cream Cheese
  • 1½ tsp Cayenne Pepper, divided
  • ½ Cup Panko Crumbs
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • ½ Tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Thoroughly wash and clean the mushrooms, remove stems whole.
  • Finely chop the garlic, mushroom stems. and bell pepper
  • Saute garlic, mushroom stems, and bell pepper in the butter until all liquid has cooked off.
  • Mix together 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp herb seasoning, cream cheese, shredded cheese, and the cooked mushroom stems and bell peppers. Season with a pinch of salt and some black pepper.
  • In a separate bowl, season panko crumbs with 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp cayenne, and a pinch of salt.
  • Lightly toss the mushrooms caps in the olive oil and place top down on a foil lined baking sheet.
  • Evenly distribute the stuffing among the mushroom caps.
  • Top mushroom caps with the seasoned panko. (The best way is to spoon the panko on and pat it in to make sure it sticks)
  • Bake for 25 minutes (or until the panko is golden brown). Time may vary by your oven heat.

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Honey Soy Chili Shrimp

Spicy, tangy, a little sweet, and full of flavor! Honey Soy Chili Shrimp is an easy Asian inspired dish created with ingredients that most home cooks have.

I have two preferred ways of eating shrimp. One is in tacos and another is in an Asian or Asian inspired dish like this Honey Soy Chili Shrimp.

You can enjoy this over a bowl of your favorite rice, such as jasmine, or in lettuce cups with some fried rice noodles. Top with a sprinkling of lime juice and you’re good to go!

The recipe takes about twenty minutes from start to finish. And maybe a little longer if you have to shell and devein them by yourself. I forgot to check if mine were shelled and deveined before I bought them (they were not!). So it took me about thirty minutes total. Not too shabby!

The shrimp can be any size you want, as long as you have about 1 pound of shrimp you’ll have just the right amount of sauce to go along with it. The shrimp can also be fully shelled with tails off but you can also leave the tails on if you prefer!

Almost all the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe

You want to make sure that you don’t cook the shrimp all the way before you put the sauce in, or you’ll end up with tough, rubbery, overcooked shrimp.

I cooked my shrimp on a high flame in some oil for just under 2 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp began developing an orange hue.

Once the shrimp has cooked most of the way through, add the ingredients for the sauce. That is the honey, sriracha, soy sauce (I highly recommend low sodium), grated garlic, grated ginger, and oil of your choice. Let the sauce cook in the shrimp for a few minutes for it to thicken and to cook the shrimp all the way.

Finish your honey soy chili shrimp with scallions and lime juice and it’s ready to serve!

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Honey Soy Chili Shrimp

Spicy, tangy, a little sweet, and full of flavor! This Honey Soy Chili Shrimp is an easy Asian inspired dish created with ingredients that most home cooks already have.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 260kcal

Ingredients

  • 1½ Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 lbs Shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • 3 Tbsp Honey
  • 1 Tbsp Sriracha
  • ⅓ Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce (if you are using regular soy sauce I would use 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/8 cup water)
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, grated
  • ½ inch Ginger, grated
  • 1½ tsp Sesame Oil (or olive oil if you want)
  • 1 tsp Lime Juice
  • 2 stalks Green Onion/Scallions finely chopped
  • 1½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional, this will make the dish quite spicy)

Instructions

  • Heat 1½ Tbsp of olive oil in a pan over a medium high heat.
  • Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes on each side.
  • After shrimp has cooked almost all the way through, turn the heat down to medium and add the honey, sriracha, low sodium soy sauce, grated garlic, grated ginger, and sesame oil (or olive oil) and le
  • Once the sauce has cooked for a minute, taste and add crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
  • Finish with lime juice and top with scallions.
  • Serve in lettuce wraps or on rice.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Perfect as an entree or a side dish, on a chilly day or when it’s warm! Simple and easy but customizable with your preferred toppings.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup is a staple in my house any time of the year. It’s simple, healthy, and tasty! When I’m sick, I like to make it a little extra spicy to soothe my throat, or when it’s cold I love to hunker down with a big steaming bowl.

It’s a pretty customizable soup, you can add less corn, or more black beans, so on and so forth. For the chicken, I have always preferred using chicken tenders over breasts because they’re, well, more tender, but also easier to shred and tastier.

You can even make this soup vegetarian as well just by not adding the chicken. Since the chicken is added in at the end, you can split the batch into 2 parts if you’re feeding any vegetarians.

The soup goes great as an accompaniment to other dishes or as a main meal.

I don’t particularly like black beans in my soup so I choose not to add them more often than not. It’s included in the recipe ingredients but the soup is still super tasty without them.

Once you get to the stage where you dump all the canned goods in and it is time to add water to the pot, you can choose to add more or less water than the suggester 2.5 cups. Some people like a thicker soup and some like it more liquidy. If it’s being eaten as a side, I would suggest leaning towards using more water.

My favorite way to eat chicken tortilla soup is with some cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and avocado. Feel free to add some of those or none of those or even sour cream!

I hope you enjoy!

Click here to enjoy some of my other Mexican or Mexican inspired recipes! This soup is great paired with some quesadillas!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Chicken Tortilla Soup

Perfect as an entree or a side dish, on a chilly day or when it's warm. Simple and easy but customizable with your preferred toppings.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Marinate and Rest1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6 bowls
Calories: 250kcal

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1 tray Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders 6 – 7 tenders
  • 2 Sprigs Cilantro chopped
  • 1 Clove Garlic grated
  • ¼ tsp Cumin
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¼ tsp Cayenne
  • 1 tsp Olive Oil

Soup

  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 Cans Creamed Style Corn
  • 1 Can Petite Diced Tomatoes fire roasted if you can find them
  • ½ Can Black Beans (optional)
  • ½ Yellow Onion diced
  • 2 Cloves Grated Garlic
  • 3 Sprigs Chopped Cilantro
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¾ tsp Cayenne
  • ¾ tsp Cumin
  • 2½ Cups Water
  • ½ Juice of Lime

Toppings

  • Shredded Mexican Cheese
  • Crushed Tortilla Chips
  • Sour Cream
  • Avocado

Instructions

Chicken

  • Preheat oven to 400°
  • Marinate Chicken with the cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt, oil, and cayene pepper for a minimum of 1 hour and maximum 24 hours.
  • After marinading, bake for 15 minutes, flipping after 10.
  • Once the chicken is cooked, place in a covered container. (Covering it will make it easier for it to shred)
  • Shred chicken after it has cooled.

Soup

  • Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a medium to large pot and cook onions until slightly translucent.
  • Add garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne to the pot and cook.
  • Add all canned ingredients and 2.5 Cups of Water
  • Cook on high flame until the soup simmers (don't cover)
  • Add the chicken and salt to taste.
  • Top with cilantro and juice of half a lime. Add optional toppings to your desire.

Easy Lasagna Rolls

These Easy Lasagna Rolls are a unique yet simple twist to a classic lasagna. They are flavor packed into perfect serving size pieces!

This is by no means a classic lasagna recipe. There’s no bechamel, there aren’t the classic layers. But give these lasagna rolls a try!

But these lasagna rolls still bring in the same flavors of meat, cheese, pasta, and marinara sauce. It also includes spinach.

Which, I know, is very odd. BUT spinach is one of the simplest veggies to add into a recipe and have it not drastically alter the flavor of said recipe.

My fiance does not like eating vegetables and he was skeptical as first when I told him about this recipe. But now he loves them, so I count these as a success!

Don’t let the idea of the assembly of these rolls scare you out of making them. It’s definitely not as daunting as it looks!

These rolls are easier to serve and won’t fall apart the way that regular lasagna will. The shape makes it easy to reheat as leftovers and pack away for meals for work or school.

Above is how the filling should look. You don’t have to add shredded mozzarella in the filling if you don’t want to. The filling is plenty tasty and moist without it. Sometimes I add it and sometimes I don’t.

Above shows an example of how flexible the lasagna sheets need to be, how much you should fill them, and how they should look when they are rolled. It’s super simple, I promise!

Spreading some marinara sauce on the bottom of the tray will prevent the rolls from sticking to the bottom. I find that adding cheese in the last five minutes will ensure that the cheese doesn’t get dehydrated and that it maintains that stretchy stringy pull.

I hope you can give these lasagna rolls a try and that you enjoy them!

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Easy Lasagna Rolls

A unique twist to a simple lasagna. Flavor packed into perfect serving size pieces.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Marinate1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 12 Rolls
Calories: 290kcal

Ingredients

Meat

  • 1.25 lbs Ground meat of your choice we use chicken because we have someone that doesn't eat red meat in the house
  • 3 Cloves Grated garlic
  • ½ Yellow Onion, diced
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning

Filling

  • 10 ounce Frozen Spinach, thawed
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Cup Full Fat Ricotta
  • 1½ Cup Marinara Sauce divided between 1 and ½
  • 1½ Cup Shredded Mozzarella divided between ¾ and ¾
  • 12 Strips Lasagna Sheets

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°

Chicken

  • In a medium pan, heat 2 Tbs of Olive Oil and sautee onions until translucent.
  • Add grated garlic and ground meat. Add salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and italian seasoning.
  • Cook meat until cooked and all liquid has evaporated.
  • Once cooked, put aside to cool.
  • Make sure meat is crumbled into small bits.

Lasagna

  • Cook lasagna sheets in heavily salted water.
    Usually you should cook till al dente, but the sheets need to be cooked more so they are flexible enough to roll without breaking.

Filling and Assembly

  • Fully thaw the spinach and squeeze all liquid out.
  • Mix the spinach, eggs, ricotta, ground meat, ½ cup marinara, and ¾ mozzarella in a bowl.
  • Lay a lasagna sheet out and spoon ⅓ of a cup of the filling onto the sheet.
  • Spread the filling out leaving about ¾ – 1 inch of space on each sode.
  • Roll the lasagna sheets making sure none of the filling squeezes out.
  • Spread some marinara sauce onto a baking tray and place the rolls in the tray. You should get 12 rolls.
  • Spoon some marinara sauce onto all the rolls and cover and bake for 35 minutes.
  • After 35 minutes, sprinkle some mozzarella onto the rolls. Leave uncovered and bake for 5 more minutes.

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Loaded Chicken Quesadilla

A simple, easy chicken quesadilla recipe that’s packed with hidden veggies and lots of flavor!

This loaded chicken quesadilla recipe is a staple from my childhood. My mom made all the time for my brother and I when we were younger. Apparently, is an easy way for kids to eat delicious food that’s packed with some nutritious veggies.

It’s perfect for dinner or for lunch. You can even make and assemble the quesadillas the night before and pack it for lunch for school or work. (This was a go to for me when I was in school!)

Store the made filling in the fridge until you are ready to make the quesadillas. The stuffing can sit in the fridge for about a week before it starts to go bad. (it starts seeping water and gets weird).

Once you cook the chicken, please make sure it has cooled down thoroughly before you cut it. It will shred instead of cut into chunks if it is still warm.

  • Seasonings for Chicken Marinade
  • Chicken
  • Size of Diced Chicken

When you are dicing the vegetables (the onion, tomatoes, and bell pepper), make sure to chop them to be the same size. This ensures that every bite of quesadilla has an even bite of vegetables. Finely chop the Serrano pepper so nobody is blasted with a wave of spice as they eat. Also, make sure to squeeze every last bit of water out of the thawed spinach before you mix it into the filling otherwise you’ll get soggy quesadillas. You can even add some black beans to the filling if you desire!

  • Veggies
  • Final Stuffing Mix

To make the quesadilla more manageable to cook and eat, I have always preferred to use “Fajita Size” tortillas, or 6 inch tortillas.

As you cook to quesadillas, make sure to get a nice toast on your tortillas so the quesadilla can hold its structure.

Enjoy the quesadillas with your favorite salsa or guacamole! (For those of you that know of the Maggi sauces that Indians eat, I love eating these quesadillas with the “Hot & Sweet” sauce!)

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4 from 1 vote

Loaded Chicken Quesadillas

A simple, easy chicken quesadilla recipe that's packed with hidden veggies and lots of flavor!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Assembly10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Savory
Servings: 14 Quesadillas
Calories: 314kcal

Ingredients

  • 14 Fajita Size Tortillas (6 inches)

Chicken & Marinade

  • 10-12 Chicken Tenders 2 small trays or 1 large tray
  • 4 Cloves Grated Garlic
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 tsp Cayenne
  • ½ tsp Cumin
  • 4 Sprigs Finely Chopped Cilantro
  • 1½ Tbsp Olive Oil extra virgin
  • Juice of Half a Lemon

Filling

  • 1 Bell Pepper, finely chopped any color
  • 1 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 Medium Serrano Pepper, seeded and very finely chopped use only half if the peppers are too spicy
  • 10 ounces Frozen Thawed Spinach squeeze extra liquid out
  • 6 Sprigs of Cilantro, finely chopped
  • 2-3 Cups Shredded Mexican Cheese

Instructions

Chicken

  • Marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour but up to 24 hours. Cover and place in the fridge.
  • Baked the chicken tenders in a 400° oven for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken after 10 minutes.
  • Once the chicken is cooked and cooled, dice the chicken into half inch pieces.

Filling

  • Chop the bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, serrano pepper, and cilantro. Make sure to deseed the tomatoes and serrano pepper.
  • Mix the above veggies, diced chicken, and spinach into a large bowl. (Make sure the liquid in the spinach has been thoroughly sqeeuzed out).
  • Mix in the shredded Mexican cheese (2 cups is enough but it you like it cheesier then you can add up to 3)

Assembly

  • Warm a tortilla on a flat pan on medium high until the tortilla is flexible.
  • Spoon the stuffing onto one half of the tortilla and fold the tortilla over. (Refer to photos above).
  • Flip the tortilla on both sides until the tortilla is toasted and the cheese is melted.
  • Serve with your favorite salsa or guacamole!

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Quick and Easy Guacamole

The easiest guacamole out there!

Guacamole is one of those things that people have very specific preferences about. Two people can make it almost the same way but still swear that theirs is better! I hope you can give this quick and easy guacamole a shot!

Some like it chunky and some like it smooth. It’s like peanut butter!

This recipe is pretty relaxed, it’s more about the ingredients and flavor rather than consistency. So feel free to chop everything as large or as small as you want and mash everything to your preference!

It’s truly the easiest guacamole!

Here are some photos of how I make the guacamole and how I prefer my ingredients!

(Note: These photos were taken for a 2 serving guacamole, but the recipe serves 4)

  • Prepped Ingredients
  • Mashed Peppers
  • Mashed Onions
  • Mashed Tomatoes and Cilantro
  • With Avocados

Enjoy this quick and easy guacamole with chips, pretzels, or even on your favorite salad. The options are endless!

I like it with quesadillas. Check out my recipe!

A quick and easy guacamole for all occasions! Make it to your preference and focus on the ingredients. You’ll be happy with the result!

Print Recipe

Easy Guacamole

the simplest go – to appetizer or snack for all
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Servings: 4
Calories: 170kcal

Equipment

  • Mortar and Pestle (optional)
  • Bowl and Heavy Spoon

Ingredients

  • 2 Avocado
  • ½ Yellow Onion
  • 1-1½ Roma Tomato seeded
  • ¼ Green Chili / Serrano Pepper seeded
  • 4 Sprigs Cilantro
  • ¼-½ Juice of Lemon
  • Pinch Kosher Salt

Instructions

  • Chop the onion into chunks. Seed and finely chop the chili. Seed and chop the tomato. Finely chop the cilantro.
  • Mash the chili to break it down.
  • Add onion and lightly mash or grind. Allow the onion to retain its crunch, so don't over smash!
  • Add the tomato and cilantro and mash if that's your preference. Some people prefer chunkier tomatoes!
  • Add the avocado and mash until you reach your preferred consistency.
  • Add salt and lemon juice to taste.

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