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Miso is a common ingredient in Asian cooking. Like other umami-rich ingredients like soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy, and Parmesan, miso is known for imparting an intense, hard-to-put-your-finger-on-it, savoriness and saltiness to recipes. It makes them taste, well, better. I’m no stranger to the importance of umami (it’s why I reach for soy sauce and Parmesan often when cooking salmon—see this Soy Ginger Salmon, Teriyaki Salmon, and Salmon Pasta for a few); however, miso isn’t an ingredient I kept on hand until recently....

This wholesome banana bread is perfect for busy, on-the-go mornings and happy afternoon snacks. It has a subtle, cozy amount of cinnamon, the banana flavor is pleasant and present, but not overpowering. You can fold in walnuts or chocolate chips if you like. The texture is spot-on too. It’s filling, moist, and hearty, without being dense. This easy banana oat bread recipe is good for you too. Thanks to my subconscious’ dedication to banana bread, I’ve baked dozens (hundreds?...

Tender shredded chicken bathed in a homemade maple bourbon BBQ sauce, the slow cooker makes this juicy pulled chicken your pal. Whenever I’m not sure what to make for a party, a crockpot (or Instant Pot) of tender, saucy pulled meat that we can serve sandwich-style is my go-to. As with this Crockpot BBQ Chicken (a close cousin to this BBQ pulled chicken sandwich recipe, but with a different style of sauce), Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, and Italian Beef, using the slow cooker means:...

Whether you need a healthy breakfast, an on-the-go snack, or a kid-approved baking project, you’ll love waking up to these moist raspberry muffins every morning (or these Cranberry Orange Muffins). And, if your house shares our warm sentiments towards raspberry muffins, these are not likely to last as many mornings as you intended. Might I suggest a double batch? Eating a homemade, healthy muffin for breakfast always makes me feel special (thank you, Carrot Cake Muffins)....

In our house, we rely on roasted fresh vegetables about as much as our WIFI. For only a few minutes of chopping, they’re such an easy way to add nutrition and complete a well-rounded meal. From Roasted Butternut Squash to Roasted Brussels Sprouts, often little more than salt, pepper, and olive oil is needed to magically transform a vegetable into caramelized candy. If you ask me, baked spaghetti squash in the oven is an underutilized roasted vegetable, especially since it can be enjoyed in a variety of ways....

Roasting tomato slices deeply concentrates their flavor, turning them into intense bites of heaven. Like these Roasted Red Peppers, the flavor of roasted tomatoes is robust and their texture is soft and a little jammy. Aside from the obvious—inhaling them right off the sheet pan serving them as a side—you can use this roasted tomatoes recipe to level-up everything from sandwiches to scrambles to bruschetta. In addition to being a scrumptious way to use up the tomatoes in your garden, roasting is also an excellent way to enjoy tomatoes year-round....

More specifically, he called to ask if I knew of a healthy way to cook carrots that tasted more exciting than steaming them but that wouldn’t heat up the oven like roasting. When I asked him if he’d ever made sautéed carrots before and he answered no, I launched into what must have come across as an unusually energetic and gushy explanation for anything related to a vegetable. “You MUST try them!...

My love of sides (here’s looking at you Mashed Butternut Squash and Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole) led me to create this recipe for these creamy scalloped potatoes with goat cheese. With just one bite, I knew I could declaredly state that these are my absolute favorite and (dare I say it?…I do!) the best scalloped potatoes recipe. EVER. Today’s modern take is cheesy and indulgent, but without any fuss, largely thanks to the fact that I managed to find a way to make these scalloped potatoes without béchamel sauce....

Technically speaking, what my mom cooked for us was cottage pie, since the difference between shepherd’s pie and cottage pie is the kind of meat used. Shepherd’s pie uses ground lamb, while cottage pie uses ground beef.Most of the time in the U.S., we say “shepherd’s pie” for both.While lamb might be the most traditional shepherd’s pie, I’ve made it both ways, and both are delish! Feel free to use whichever meat you or your family prefer....

I made this dish for new friends when we first moved to Milwaukee. We were new in town, struggling to meet people, and I reached out to two college acquaintances with the hope that (if I bribed them with a crock pot full of Italian food), they might entertain the possibility of being friends with me. Five years later: we’re still gathering around the table together, this time as close friends....

I regularly hear that you are constantly on the lookout for healthy, easy crockpot chicken recipes. As a fellow appreciator of keeping dinner simple (but delicious!) and healthy (but by no means “diet”), recipes like this slow cooker honey garlic chicken thighs are some of my absolute favorites to create. The recipe index also suggests that when it comes to picking a slow cooker chicken recipe theme, I have a serious penchant for this entire “takeout/fake out” approach....

Walking around the local shopping mall was the activity of my middle school days. No trip was complete without a stop at Auntie Anne’s. The buttery scent of those soft pretzels still tantalizes me every time I pass by one at an airport or food court. As I’ve grown older, knowing the dough is mass-produced and the “butter” is probably not butter at all makes me far less likely to purchase one....

I’ve been baking Amish strawberry bread for more than a decade. Years ago, I took myself strawberry picking and upgraded to the largest carton, which holds well over 10 pounds. Between all the strawberry recipes there for the baking—Strawberry Oatmeal Bars, Strawberry Cake, Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, classic Strawberry Crisp, Strawberry Scones…I could go on—the big box was a GREAT idea! While my strawberry mood changes from summer to summer (is this an Easy Strawberry Cake season or a Strawberry Smoothie season?...

(Don’t you hope people say that about you too? I do!) Sweet and sour chicken is a homemade riff on the Chinese-American take-out favorite. Like its takeout cousins Healthy Orange Chicken and General Tso Chicken, sweet and sour chicken is made of pieces of crispy chicken thighs or breasts, tossed in a sticky, sweet sauce.The sauce has both more vinegar (the sour) and more sugar (the sweet) than either orange chicken or General Tso, and it features the addition of pineapples, bell peppers, and onion....

These tender pancakes are made with homemade oat flour processed in a blender (that’s right, oatmeal pancakes with no flour!). They are 100% whole grain and naturally gluten free.They also have the best oat-y flavor and a more pleasant texture, thanks to the clever addition of a few extra whole oats at the end. This recipe is an upgraded version of my Banana Oatmeal Pancakes (an absolute favorite among readers)....

While I adore most pumpkin recipes, especially pumpkin desserts like Pumpkin Sheet Cake and Pumpkin Pecan Pie, my attitude toward pumpkin pie is…meh. I try a slice of traditional pumpkin pie every year just to see if it’s improved in the last 365 days. Every year, I’m disappointed by everything about it except for the whipped cream on top. Not this year. THIS is the year of vegan pumpkin pie (and Vegan Pumpkin Muffins!...

Although I’m not doing Whole30 (hence the glass of wine that went along with the Whole30 Italian meatballs), I have a deep appreciation for any recipe that offers me the same wrap-you-up coziness of classic comfort foods but in a lighter, healthier way. These Whole30 turkey meatballs hit the healthy-meets-heartwarming sweet spot! Freezer-friendly, crowd-pleasing, and adaptable to serving out of a crockpot, meatballs are one of my favorite dishes to serve guests, as well as to have on hand for quick weeknight dinners....

Made with cooked sweet potatoes, nut butter, and warm spices, it’s grain free, ultra nutritious, and warm and cozy too. The secret to this bowl’s allure is to heat the cooked sweet potatoes on the stove to intensify their flavor, then whipping them with a hand mixer. Heating gives the sweet potatoes an incredibly rich flavor, and whipping creates a fluffy texture will make you feel like you’re being served at a fancy bed and breakfast (anyone own one and want to invite me over?...

Lemon always reminds me of spring, because every year at Easter, my Grammy bakes a special lemon dessert for our meal (this Lemon Cream Pie is a specialty of hers). This year, I stuck to my family’s tradition of lemon (this Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting was a hit a few years ago), but I wanted to see if I could come up with a signature dessert of my own....

You see, once you realize you can bake a cookie that: Fulfills all of the obvious cookie requirements: lightly crisp at the edges, near-molten in the middle, nuanced with different levels of flavor like cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate. And at the same time: Nails the less-immediate though not-to-be-ignored positives like: One bowl, no dough refrigeration, a healthy ingredient lineup that justifies the extra servings you were going to eat anyway....