Cheddar & Creamed Corn Bake
If you’ve never tried a corn bake before, you are in for a treat! This is cheesy, creamy on the inside, and slightly crispy on the outside. I love to make this cheddar & creamed corn bake as a side for a BBQ because it’s so easy to whip together, then leave it to bake while the meat is cooking outside.
Strawberry Yogurt Pancakes
These pancakes are pan-fried until golden, then topped with Greek yogurt, fresh strawberries, and drizzled with maple syrup. The yogurt makes them moist but still fluffy. It is the perfect treat for breakfast or brunch on the weekend alongside a hot cup of coffee.
Virgin Cherry Basil Spritz
This is so fresh and a lovely, vibrant drink to serve on a hot day. Make sure to get cherry juice that is not made from concentrate for the best flavour. The cherry and basil work together so well and it’s the perfect amount of sweetness. If you’re feeling naughty, you can add a shot of tequila or vodka to make it into a cocktail.
Virgin Limoncello Spritz
This is such a refreshing drink to serve your guests on a summer day. I am very lucky to have some lemon trees growing in our complex, so we have more lemons than we know what to do with. So, of course, I had to make a lemon drink, and this virgin limoncello spritz is so perfect to make with fresh, homegrown lemons. You could even make it a cocktail by reducing the sparkling water and adding some prosecco, if you’re feeling naughty.
Marinated Minty Grilled Eggplant
If you don’t love eggplant, try this recipe, then tell me if you still don’t like it. The eggplant is cut into thin disks, grilled for a bit of char, then marinated to soak up all of the minty flavours. It is so delicious, fresh, and they keep a firm texture, so it’s not the smooshy texture most people associate with eggplant. It pairs well with any Mediterranean dish as a lovely side.
Creamy Mango Lassi
Imagine this refreshing, creamy mango lassi on a hot summer’s day. It is bright, fruity, and so quick to make. It is a perfect pair with any Indian-themed dinner party and a lovely cooler for a hot day outside.
Heirloom Tomato Carpaccio
I love using heirloom tomatoes for this because they are so beautiful and colourful, but you can use any tomatoes that you have on hand. It’s a simple appetizer or side dish, but it’s so fresh and vibrant that any tomato-lover will be happy to have this served.
Greek Chicken Meatballs
Chicken meatballs are a great mid-week dinner and are always a favourite. They come together quickly and boast all of the flavours of a trip to Greece. Fry them until golden and then serve with a Greek salad for a full Mediterranean meal.
Miso Butter Charred Cabbage
I’m not even joking when I say that this is the best way to eat cabbage. The miso butter elevates this simple veg to a whole new level, and the char bits give it such a lovely smoky taste. It is a dish that people often tell me is their favourite part of the meal.
Virgin Frozen Cherry Margarita
This is such a yummy drink to serve your guests on a summer day by the pool. It is full of antioxidants from the cherries, and is frozen, so it will cool you down while soaking up the sun rays. It is perfect as it is served virgin, or if you are feeling naughty, you can add some tequila for an alcoholic version.
Caramelised Banana Pancakes
These taste just like banana bread, but for breakfast. The pancakes are made with Greek yogurt, which makes them moist but still fluffy. The bananas are caramelised using their own sugars, fried in butter, then served with the hot pancakes, runny almond butter, and maple syrup.
The Perfect Roast Chicken
This is such a simple way to make a juicy, tender, and flavourful chicken with just a few ingredients. The trick is in the method and butterflying your chicken so that the outside gets beautifully golden and crispy while the inside stays juicy and soaks up all the flavours.
Olive & Feta Checkerboard
This is such a cute way to present an appetizer. It elevates your usual bowls of feta and olives to a whole new level that will have guests commenting on how much effort you must’ve put into it (but really, it just took a few minutes). These make for a great appetizer when you are in a rush and need to get something beautiful out quickly.
Gochujang Garlic Carrots
These are tender, slightly spicy, and full of flavour. It is a great way to use up a lot of carrots, and they are so tasty that people will be eating them up like fries. It pairs well with any Asian dish or Sunday roast as a side.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies
What’s better than fudgy chocolate brownies? A Mexican hot chocolate spiced version. These are chewy, rich, and beautifully spiced with cinnamon. They are studded with chocolate chips, have a delicate crust on the outside, and have crispy edges.
Mexican Elote Fritters with a Lime Mayo
These are crispy fried corn fritters with a creamy, zesty lime mayo to dip into. They are absolutely delicious and make for a great appetizer for your next Mexican food night. I love a homemade mayo, and this brings a zesty freshness to the corn fritters.
Best Beef Birria Tacos
These are a flavour explosion in your mouth! The chilis are not spicy and give the beef the most beautiful smoky flavour. You make the chili marinade, cook the beef until it falls apart, and then shred it up before placing it in a soft corn taco with some cheese and frying them up in a pan to get a slightly crunchy exterior. The result? The best damn tacos you’ve ever eaten.
Mango Avocado Pico De Gallo
This chunky pico de gallo is fresh, sweet, and makes the perfect side for your tacos. I love to serve a big helping of this next to my birria tacos or to scoop up with some nachos. It brightens any dish and is a great spring or summer side dish.
Mixed Berry Crisp
Whenever I see a special on berries, you know I’m buying them and likely getting way more than you can easily eat before they go funky. I end up making a berry crisp often to use up the berries that are past their prime firmness, but still perfectly tasty.
This is such an easy way to use up berries, and it can be made with frozen berries too. It comes out so bright, sweet, and chewy- a perfect dessert for spring or summer!
Guacamole
There’s nothing better than cutting open the perfect avocado. I get so excited when my avos are perfectly ripe and the flesh is buttery. Besides using my perfect avo for an avocado toast, my other favourite thing to do is make fresh guac. It’s so flavourful and makes the best snack with some nachos.