Taco Seasoning

This homemade taco seasoning recipe is cheaper and more flavorful than store-bought! It's easy to make with spices you already have in your pantry.

Why buy taco seasoning in a packet when you can make your own?! This homemade taco seasoning recipe uses basic spices that you likely have in your pantry already, and you can stir it together in less than 5 minutes. Once you learn how to make it, you’ll never get the store-bought stuff again! One of the biggest reasons I make my own taco seasoning is that I can tweak the balance of flavors. The recipe below yields a blend I love—it’s savory and smoky with a subtle kick of heat. When you make it, don’t hesitate to adjust it…

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Spanish Rice

This homemade Spanish rice recipe is an easy, delicious side dish! Fluffy and flavorful, it pairs perfectly with Mexican mains like tacos and enchiladas.

I’ve eaten Spanish rice at Mexican restaurants countless times, but it wasn’t until this year that I started making this Spanish rice recipe at home. Today’s post is a PSA: if you’re not already making homemade Spanish rice, it’s time to start. You’re seriously missing out! Spanish rice, also called Mexican rice or arroz rojo, is a type of rice pilaf cooked with onions and garlic, tomatoes, peppers, and spices. It’s commonly eaten throughout northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, and it’s the perfect side dish for a simply cooked protein or Mexican fare like tacos and enchiladas. The…

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Strawberry Compote

Make this easy strawberry compote in just 20 minutes! Bursting with fresh strawberry flavor, it's a delicious topping for ice cream, waffles, and more.

If I’m not eating summer strawberries straight out of the carton, I’m using them to make this strawberry compote recipe. It calls for just 4 ingredients, cooks up in 20 minutes, and tastes so good that I could eat half a batch straight off a spoon. This strawberry compote is lightly sweet, bright with lemon, and bursting with fresh strawberry flavor. It’s thick enough to spread on toast like jam, but it also makes a great topping for ice cream, pancakes, waffles, and Greek yogurt…the possibilities here are endless. And good news! Even though this strawberry sauce is AMAZING with…

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How to Make Hibiscus Tea

Learn how to make hibiscus tea with this easy 2-ingredient recipe! This flavorful drink is delicious hot or iced, and it has amazing health benefits.

I make this hibiscus tea recipe at least once a week. In the winter, I enjoy it hot, the ruby red drink reviving me when the weather is cold and gray. In the summer, I crave it iced. On a warm day, its bold, tart flavor is intensely refreshing. I’m sharing my go-to method for how to make hibiscus tea below. If you’ve never tried it, I hope you’ll give it a go! It’s delicious and SO simple to make. This hibiscus tea recipe calls for 2 ingredients and requires under 5 minutes of hands-on prep. Plus, it has some…

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Mango Salad

This mango salad recipe is about to become your favorite summer side dish! It's bright and refreshing, made with fresh herbs and a zesty lime dressing.

This mango salad recipe is everything I want in a summer side dish. It has a short list of fresh ingredients, you can toss it together in 20 minutes, and it’s sooo bright and refreshing. I love the variety of textures and flavors in this dish. The mango is sweet and slippery, and when you bite into it, it’s almost creamy. I accent it with crisp bell peppers and red onion, plus jalapeños for a kick of heat. Peanuts add crunch, and a zesty lime dressing ties the whole thing together. Generous handfuls of fresh herbs (think spicy basil and…

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Chickpea Salad

Fresh veggies, herbs, and a zesty dressing add bold flavor to this chickpea salad recipe. Healthy and satisfying, it's perfect for picnics and lunches!

You can never have enough chickpea salad recipes in your back pocket, right? I definitely feel that way, and I hope you do too, because even though there are already *several* chickpea salads on this blog, this NEW chickpea salad recipe is a total keeper. It’s filled with fresh Mediterranean flavors—crispy cucumbers play off juicy tomatoes, which in turn contrast with the tender chickpeas. Briny olives and pickled onions add a delicious pop, and handfuls of herbs freshen the whole thing up. A zippy lemon dressing ties it all together. This chickpea salad is healthy, satisfying, flavorful, and fresh. It’s…

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Quick Pickled Carrots

Learn how to make quick pickled carrots! Crunchy, tangy, and refreshing, they're a delicious snack or addition to salads, appetizer boards, and more.

Pickled carrots don’t get as much love as dill pickles or pickled red onions do, and I’m really not sure why. They can add crunch to a salad, acidity to a sandwich, or unexpected depth to a simple crudité platter.  They’re even great straight from the jar. Dripping with fridge-cold brine, pickled carrots are snappy, tangy, earthy, and sweet. You won’t find a more refreshing snack. So, if you’ve never tried pickled carrots before, make this recipe! It’s insanely easy—the prep takes under 15 minutes—and it’s so delicious. These quick pickled carrots keep for up to 2 weeks in the…

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Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Made with roasted tomatillos, this homemade salsa verde is zesty, spicy, and bright. It's SO much better than store-bought. Pass the tortilla chips!

Try this homemade salsa verde recipe once, and you’ll never get the store-bought kind again. It calls for a short list of fresh ingredients: tomatillos, serrano chiles, garlic, onion, cilantro, and lime. They give it an amazing zesty, tangy, bright, and spicy flavor that’ll have you scooping it up with chip after chip (after chip). And speaking of all those chips, another reason I love THIS tomatillo salsa vs. tomatillo salsa from a jar is its amazing texture. It’s thick and silky, which means that it’ll coat a dipped tortilla chip (or even a batch of enchiladas)—no watery salsa verde…

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Homemade Tortilla Chips

Learn how to make homemade tortilla chips with this step-by-step recipe! They're super crispy and flavorful. Enjoy them with your favorite dip!

If you have a bag of stale tortillas hanging out on your counter, don’t toss them. Instead, make homemade tortilla chips! These homemade tortilla chips are crispy, flavorful, and light as air. Made with just 3 ingredients—corn tortillas, salt, and oil—they’re super simple to make, and they taste 10 times better than any store-bought tortilla chips I’ve tried. I can easily devour a handful plain, but the crunchy chips stand up nicely to dips like salsa and guacamole too. They’re the perfect snack for game day, Cinco de Mayo, or a taco night. Keep reading to learn how to make…

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Peanut Noodles

This peanut noodles recipe is a quick, delicious meal! You can stir together the spicy, creamy peanut sauce while the noodles cook. So easy!

Peanut noodles are one of the most crave-able meals. The gooey noodles, the creamy sauce, crunchy veggies, and refreshing herbs… Luckily for us, this peanut noodles recipe is just as easy as it is delicious. You can stir together the peanut sauce in a single bowl, and the only component that requires cooking is the noodles. Even with the fresh toppings, the whole dish comes together in less than 30 minutes. It’s a quick option for a weeknight dinner, and leftovers pack up perfectly for lunch the next day. Ok, I’m craving peanut noodles now. Anyone else? Let’s cook! Peanut…

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Peanut Sauce

You can make this easy peanut sauce recipe in just 5 minutes! Sweet and spicy, it's delicious as a dipping sauce and on noodles, salads, and more.

This peanut sauce recipe is so tasty that you’ll want to eat it straight off a spoon! It has an amazing creamy texture, with a nutty, bright, and spicy flavor from peanut butter, lime, and sriracha. The ingredient list is short and sweet, and you can stir it together in 5 minutes. Try it on peanut noodles, rice bowls, or as a dipping sauce for spring rolls. You’ll be hooked! Peanut Sauce Recipe Ingredients Though this peanut sauce recipe draws inspiration from Indonesian and Thai peanut sauce, it’s not intended to be an authentic version of those sauces by any…

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A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.