Chicken tikka is an easy recipe to try cooking Indian food for the first time. Instead of mixing a marinade with a large number of spices, use a pre-mixed tandoori powder or barbeque powder, or mild curry powder. I try not to raid the family spice cabinet and use pre-mixed blends as much as possible. Authentic chicken tikka is chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and grilled in a tandoor.
This breakfast sandwich has two of my favorite ingredients - avocado and egg. You can add any additional toppings (bacon, hummus, pico). Change up the bread (sourdough, english muffin, croissants) or change the preparation of the egg. I have a soft boiled egg in this one, but scrambled or hard boiled works as well or even an omelete. Personally, I like the runny yolk of a soft boiled egg that adds some moisture the mix. Add some leafy sprouts and you have a nutritious breakfast sandwich that can be had on the go.
Mexican food has quickly become one of my favorite cuisines, and my go-to place for a quick meal is always chipotle or Qdoba. Even as their tacos are very good, homemade tacos are just as satisfying and are surprisingly simple to make if you have the right ingredients. I like making my tacos with chicken or beef, but this recipe is super customizable and you can make yours with any of your favorite meats or vegetables.
This one pot recipe is quick and easy and has a bit of everything. Pasta, some vegetables, chicken and cheese - Can't go wrong with this meal in under 30 minutes with minimal effort and very little clean up. You can use leftover cooked chicken that can be added half way through the pasta cooking time. Vary your vegetables (my favorites are spinach and peas) and pasta sauce (I like marinara or arrabbiata) for a different taste and this will never get old.
As a first-grader, these chicken nuggets were a mandatory feature once a week. What’s not to love? Tasty, juicy breaded chicken nuggets and no care in the world about dieting (what’s that?). Then reality struck. Over the past couple of years, I have grown apart from nuggets just because there are better, more nutritious ways to use chicken in a meal. Nevertheless, I thought I would share this recipe just so you have it when you feel like reliving those carefree days. I like to accompany my chicken nuggets with ketchup or marinara sauce.
Almond butter and banana toast are packed with protein and are the perfect post-workout snack for muscle recovery. It also is a super easy dish to make and is a healthy alternative that effectively satisfies any sugar cravings that you may have. To make this dish more into a desert, cover it with foil and bake to turn it into a melted gooey goodness!
Sun butter or any other non nut butter can be used as substitute as well. Other fruits that work well with this combination include mangoes and peaches.
When I was in middle school, my friends and I used to go to Panera every Friday just to eat this sandwich, it was that good! No joke, this sandwich is probably my favorite meal of all time. So I thought in this recipe I would recreate it for you guys using similar ingredients that I have in my kitchen. The bread that Panera uses for this sandwich is black pepper focaccia (which I really like), but unfortunately, I don’t have that in my house, so I substituted it for sourdough bread.
One of my go-to meals at an Italian restaurant right now is pesto ravioli (or any type of ravioli for that matter). Now I have to confess, this recipe is not completely homemade as, while I used homemade pasta sauce, I bought the ravioli in order to expedite making this dish. Nevertheless, you can customize your ravioli by adding different seasonings or adding chicken/fish/shrimp to add some protein to the dish. I added a soft boiled egg to this version, but any protein should work.
This parfait is a combination of overnight oats and a yogurt parfait. It brings together the best of the heart healthy oats and protein from yogurt. I have added chia seeds to the yogurt, you can add hemp or flax instead for added nutritional benefits. Top it off with granola or toasted nuts or eat it as assembled. The best part of this recipe is that it requires very little effort in the morning if you are in a rush.
Usually, when my Dad goes shopping, he goes crazy and buys way too many fruits for us to eat in the week. So, inevitably, some strawberries get soggy and some bananas get overripe. But funnily enough, this is great for smoothies. Instead of wasting these quality and expensive ingredients, the perfect way to make the most use of them is to whip up a hearty smoothie! So this is what I did today and I think it turned out great. This smoothie recipe is a hearty drink that I normally have as a snack or even as breakfast before school if I don’t have time to make eggs or oatmeal.