I think that we all remember the at-home cooking phase the world went through during the “initial” wave of quarantine. We were all baking loaves of bread, making all kinds of pasta, and whipping up some heavenly coffees. Well, having fully indulged in that phase, I learned a lot of easy and mouth-watering recipes that I’d love to put together once more! Here are four of my absolute favorite recipes that you should try this spring too!
- Chicken, Tomato & Cucumber Dinner Salad
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The front runner of my go-to recipes has to be this “Chicken, Tomato & Cucumber Dinner Salad”. It takes no more than 30 minutes to make and is super easy to cook!
Ingredients:
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided into 1 Tbsp. and 4 Tbsp.
1 – 1.25 pound chicken breast tenders
Salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon sugar
1 medium cucumber, cut in thin ribbons
2 tomatoes, sliced
½ cup pitted green olives, halved and/or sliced
4 ounces feta cheese (optional)
Recipe:
Step 1: In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium heat. Then lightly place in the chicken tenders with salt and pepper.
Cook chicken in hot oil for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until no pink remains.
Step 2: For the vinaigrette, in a screw-top jar combine remaining oil, vinegar, thyme, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of each salt and pepper; shake to combine.
Step 3: Last but not the least, get creative with arranging the chicken, cucumber ribbons, sliced tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese on a fancy dinner plate. And don’t forget to drizzle that vinaigrette over your salad.
This recipe is extremely easy to get creative with as you can always substitute the chicken for fish, add a little side of pasta salad to level, or simply wrap up the salad in a tortilla for a healthy to-go burrito!
- Homemade “Absolutely Delicious” Panzerotti
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When I say, “deep-fried!”, you say, “pizza!”, and together we’ll make the world’s best dish! Making panzerotti might take time, but it’s an easy recipe. I recently made this for my family dinner and got so many compliments!
Ingredients:
(Dough)
500 grams flour
300 millilitres water
1 teaspoon sugar
35 grams olive oil
5 grams yeast
10 grams salt
Recipe:
Step 1: mix the ingredients above and let the dough rest for two hours. Then pick apart small rolls and then let them rest for another 30 minutes.
And that’s it! Roll out the dough balls, fill in your favorite stuffings, and gently fry them until they turn into a nice, crispy golden color!
My Favorite Stuffing: Sauteed, spicy corn and capsicum with pizza sauce and vegan cheese!
- Rainbow Yogurt
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Ever get food cravings in the middle of the day? So do I! Especially during that weird time between lunch and dinner or after the afternoon nap on pleasant spring days! Well, I’ve got your back! Instead of ripping through a bag of chips, try this amazingly quick and healthy snack.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup granola – divided
3/4 cup plain yogurt – we like Stonyfield 100% Grassfed Whole Milk Yogurt (vanilla), divided
1/2 cup grapes
1/3 cup blueberries
2 kiwis – peeled and sliced
1/3 cup pineapple – chopped
2 mandarin oranges – peeled and separated
4 medium strawberries – sliced
Recipe:
Wash and dry all of the fruit. Slice them into rough pieces. In two tall glasses, start by adding (dividing between the two) 1/3 cup of the granola, then layer with 1/2 cup of the yogurt, and all of the grapes, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple, mandarin orange, and strawberries. Add the remaining yogurt and granola on top. And voila! Enjoy a very healthy mid-day snack!
This is one of my favorite snacks during the spring and summertime and I hope that you all will love it too!
- Hazelnut and Chocolate Cold Brew Coffee
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Coffee is the one thing that I think I can’t live without. I need it first thing in the morning and need it at least four more times after that too! Let me let you in on my secret coffee recipe to get that cold brew Starbucks coffee to feel at home!
Ingredients:
Cold Brew Coffee
Milk (or creamer)
Ice
Hazelnut Syrup
Chocolate Syrup
Recipe:
Step 1: Get your favorite coffee tall glass and spread the hazelnut and chocolate syrup on the inside
Step 2: Fill the glass 3/4 way up with ice and add the desired amount of coffee (I usually go all the way up, leaving only a little space for milk).
Step 3: Add milk or creamer
Step 4: *optional* froth some milk and add it on top with more hazelnut syrup for a gorgeous finish!
P.S. you can probably find plenty Tiktoks on how to make fancy coffees at home!
Even though the world might start to get back to normal, I think I am going to cherish the new things I’ve learned over the past year and continue to make delicious food at home! I hope you all can find the motivation to stay home and cook up some homemade recipes!