Archives July 2024

July is here! Let’s hear it for long summer days and warm summer evenings. I hope you have fun plans for Independence Day—it’s one of my favorite holidays. Please be safe out there.

If you love to fire up your grill during the summer, I wanted to let you know that one of my favorite recipe writers, Gaby Dalkin, has just released a dedicated grilling cookbook called What’s Gaby Cooking: Grilling All the Things. Great job as always, Gaby!

If you’re looking for Fourth of July recipes, here are some of my favorites. The more salads, the better. Browse with pictures here.

• Dips: Cowboy Caviar (shown above), Mediterranean Tomato and Feta Dip, Pimento Cheese or Strawberry Salsa
• Salads: Favorite Quinoa Salad, Herbed Potato Salad, Layered Panzanella, Mediterranean Bean Salad or my new Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint
• Main Dishes: Caprese Sandwiches, Favorite Veggie Burgers or Grilled Pizzas
• Desserts: Almond Cake with Berries on Top, Mixed Berry Crisp or Simple Blueberry Cake
• Extras: Aperol Spritz, Classic Mojitos, Easy Pineapple Mint Popsicles, Ranch Waters or Strawberry Smoothies

Avocado

Gaby’s Cucumber Salad

Gluten free and vegan

“Made this immediately last night and loved it – my daughter as well! Quick and easy for when you get home from work – served alongside pasta.” – Connie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This white bean dip is a great impromptu recipe to whip together when guests are on their way. I’m always scrambling before guests arrive, so I like to have a repertoire of easy recipes that I can pull together in no time. This one is a winner! I hope you’ll bookmark it to make soon.

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

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

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

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

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Make this cilantro lime dressing recipe the next time you prepare a Mexican meal. It’s bright, sunny and fresh! This dressing is boldly flavored with fresh lime, olive oil, cilantro, garlic, honey, cumin and Dijon mustard. You can make it creamy or spicy if you wish.

Drizzle this dressing over crisp greens with sliced avocado and toasted pepitas for a perfectly simple side salad. You’ll find a longer list of salad toppings to choose from below.

I improvised this dressing to make a green salad with leftovers from my Fajita Veggie & Halloumi Bowls, and I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you. It’s almost as versatile as my favorite Lemon Vinaigrette and suits some flavors even better.

This dressing comes together quickly in the food processor and keeps in the refrigerator for up to one week. Sometimes having a vibrant sauce on hand makes all the difference!

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These almond flour pancakes offer fantastic flavor. Truly, I’d pick these over buttermilk pancakes at a diner. They’re golden, tender and so flavorful that I often enjoy them with just a spread of almond butter on top. Our two-year-old is a fan, too.

Since these pancakes are made entirely with almond flour, they’re gluten free. Of all the wholesome pancake recipes on this blog, these win the “lowest in carbohydrates” award, so they don’t spike my blood sugar. This pancake recipe is a real winner.

If you’re new to almond flour, this recipe is worth buying a bag. I’ve fallen in love with baking with almond flour and have several more recipes coming soon. I’ve realized that regular flour, whether it’s all-purpose or whole wheat, tends to dull other flavors within the recipe, whereas almond flour lets them shine. It’s magical!

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Hooray for June! The sun is shining, and I look forward to fun summertime activities with Grace. I’ve been brainstorming recipes for summer produce (my favorite) and working on our garden. We planted black raspberries a couple of years ago, and they’re starting to yield some berries!

This month, seasonal produce options are expanding to include fresh fruit like blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb and cherries. I think I’ll make a crisp soon. The only question is which kind—blueberry, mixed berry or strawberry rhubarb? Asparagus and spring peas are on their way out, so get your fill of them while you can.

Avocado

Creamy Avocado Dip

Gluten free and vegan

“Another dinner success! This was surprisingly tasty. I honestly passed this up thinking “eh” but then my friends had a fiesta dinner and I was dying for an excuse not to eat their steak or ground beef tacos so I made the refried beans for my tacos. Tonight I made the avocado sauce and pickled onions with it….YUM. And super easy!!” – Erin

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Tart rhubarb balances sweet, jammy strawberry flavor in this irresistible springtime dessert. If you can find rhubarb, you’re in for a treat!

This simple crisp recipe requires only some chopping and stirring and yields delicious results after a 40-minute bake. I’ve modified my original recipe to call for my favorite oat and almond flour-based topping, which happens to be gluten-free.

This flavor combination was inspired by my friend Stephanie. She makes the best strawberry rhubarb pie, and I’m still daydreaming about the pie that inspired this recipe over ten years ago. Stephanie has her flaky pie dough technique down pat and bakes pies for all occasions. Maybe you are lucky enough to have a master pie maker in your life, too.

I am not Stephanie and I do not bake pies. I barely have the foresight or patience to chill pie dough, though I’ve been working on my technique over the years. Crisps are gloriously easy. No waiting. No fuss.

Bring your strawberries and rhubarb home and turn on the oven. This recipe is ready to go! Make it while you can.

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Looking for a wholesome, make-ahead breakfast recipe? Muesli is the answer! Muesli is essentially homemade oat cereal, which originated in Switzerland. Just add milk, and maybe some fresh fruit. It stores well in the freezer for up to six months.

Not all mueslis are created equally—some are bland and blah. Not this one! This nutritious muesli recipe offers loads of texture and flavor. It features old-fashioned oats, nuts and seeds, optional coconut, and chopped dried fruit.

Toasting the muesli in the oven makes a world of difference. It brings out the savory, nutty flavors in the oats, nuts and seeds and makes your kitchen smell lovely. The oven’s heat also firms up the oats a bit, offering even more texture. It’s absolutely worth the effort!

My other trick is adding a maple syrup splash to the mixture before toasting. The subtle sweetness substantially improves the flavor.

You probably have everything you need to make muesli already, so let’s preheat the oven and start mixing. Below, you’ll find many options for adapting the recipe to your pantry.

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