Gluten-Free

Authentic Canned Black Beans

Authentic Canned Black Beans

Click here and read how a can of store-bought black beans reminds me of the beans I was served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the highlands of Western Honduras. Just open, heat, and serve these beans with your favorite Central American recipe!

Tina’s Indian Fruit Salad

Tina’s Indian Fruit Salad

Tina’s Indian fruit salad showcases an array of unique flavors as an assortment of berries, mango, and apple is seasoned with Himalayan pink salt, toasted cumin, mandarin juice, basil, and black pepper. Try it and see how this recipe brings out the best of fruit! (more).

Thai Chicken with Basil

Thai Chicken with Basil

My Thai Chicken with Basil has a distinctive, unami like flavor, as it sautés onion, garlic, basil, jalapeños, and chicken in a savory fish, soy, and coconut sauce. Naturally low in carbs and packed with protein, this recipe is chock-full of flavor and will satisfy (more).

Oat Cream Coffee with a Vanilla Twist

Oat Cream Coffee with a Vanilla Twist

There is nothing like a cup of coffee to jumpstart your day.  Needless to say, I’ve had plenty of time to hone this recipe, and as luck had it, I stumbled across two secrets: turbinado sugar and a 3:1 ratio of oat milk to creamer. (more).

Hearty Black Bean Stew

Hearty Black Bean Stew

This hearty black bean stew was inspired by Feijoada, a stew made of bean, beef, and pork, the national dish of Brazil. But here I’ve added my own touch, like sautéing veggies in bacon drippings and seasoning beans with adobo, saffron, and red pepper flakes. (more).

Puchero, My Fall Mexican Casserole

Puchero, My Fall Mexican Casserole

My puchero is a fall casserole that I’ve adapted from my Mexican host mom’s signature recipe. My version calls for butternut squash, plantain bananas, carrots, yellow crookneck squash, and Yukon potatoes. It takes its name from squishing the veggies between your fingers, puch, puch, puchero. (more).

Bacon-Wrapped Cheese and Honey Dates

Bacon-Wrapped Cheese and Honey Dates

These savory dates, also known as Devils on Horseback, are far from frightening. In fact, they’re the opposite, ushering in a taste of heaven. Stuffed with honey goat cheese, dried apricots, glazed pecans, and drizzled with honey butter, they’ll be the hit of any party! (more).

Citrus, Bacon & Pecan Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Citrus, Bacon & Pecan Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

With my Citrus, Bacon & Pecan Salad, each bite is a burst of flavors, varying between the crisp crunch of honey-glazed pecans and hickory-smoked bacon, with the creamy accent of goat cheese, all topped off with tangy orange segments and a sweet maple vinaigrette, which (more).

Honey-Glazed, Toasted Pecans

Honey-Glazed, Toasted Pecans

These Honey-Glazed, Toasted Pecans are a prize topping for a salad or a treat in of themselves. With only three ingredients and 8 minutes to make, it will become a staple in your household as they are mine! Try them on my Citrus, Bacon & (more).

Creamy and Dreamy Refried Beans

Creamy and Dreamy Refried Beans

These Creamy and Dreamy Refried Beans are enhanced by the flavorful drippings of hickory-smoked bacon and key spices like red pepper flakes and earthy cumin. Serve with my Naturally Sweet Banana Smoothies and my Honduran Baleadas or Bean Tacos for an authentic Central American dish! (more).

The Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs Ever

The Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs Ever

After years of making mediocre scrambled eggs, by a stroke of luck, I stumbled across this recipe for the Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs Ever. One fortuitous day, by sheer accident, I discovered the golden method revealed in my post and whipped up the airiest scrambled eggs! (more).

The Freshest Ever Greek Salad

The Freshest Ever Greek Salad

With my Freshest Ever Greek Salad, every bite is a burst of flavors—with either a crisp crunch of cucumbers, mixed with a nutty note of black olives and an earthy hint of oregano, or a salty touch of feta cheese, coupled by juicy, sweet tomatoes. (more).

Roasted Corn and Pepper Salad

Roasted Corn and Pepper Salad

My Roasted Corn and Pepper Salad features twice-cooked corn, once boiled, and once roasted, which gives this dish its rich, buttery flavor. This mouthwatering corn is then given a little kick with the complement of ground black pepper, my secret ingredient. And to round it (more).

Gourmet Caesar Salad Dressing

Gourmet Caesar Salad Dressing

This Gourmet Caesar Salad Dressing stands apart from all others, with its unique base of sour cream, buttermilk, cream cheese, and mayonnaise, a creamy foundation that’s enriched by hints of nutty Parmesan cheese, tangy Worcestershire sauce, and savory anchovy paste. Give it a try and (more).

Tangy Apricot and Curry Chicken Salad

Tangy Apricot and Curry Chicken Salad

This showstopper of a salad is a gorgeous dish to serve with alternating warm and cool tones of orange-speckled apricots and green-dappled celery and chives. Given a chance, it will bring out the artist in each of us! I find this salad as tasty as (more).

Savory English Pea with Prosciutto Soup

Savory English Pea with Prosciutto Soup

This savory English pea soup is a cousin to split pea soup, only you don’t have to mess with a bulky ham hock and lengthy cooking times—what a bonus! In its stead, caramelized shallots, crispy prosciutto, and buttery garlic take the place of ham off (more).

Green Chile and Cheese Enchiladas

Green Chile and Cheese Enchiladas

This mouth-watering dish is one of my favorites to date with the winning combination of fire-roasted green chiles, mildly sweet corn tortillas, and melted cheddar cheese. Yet the secret ingredients are the creamy chive cream cheese, tempered by sour cream, and the earthy black olives. (more).

Salsa Verde, Green Tomatillo Sauce

Salsa Verde, Green Tomatillo Sauce

I find that salsa verde can be unpleasantly acidic, but here, I temper the typical sour note by omitting the lime juice and pairing it with ripe, charred tomatillos and a dash of salt instead of sugar. Use this as a dip on chips or (more).

Naturally Sweet Banana Smoothies

Naturally Sweet Banana Smoothies

I was first introduced to this luscious banana smoothie while in the Peace Corps in Honduras. Ever since, it’s been a longtime favorite and is easy to make, taking only 3 minutes to prep and using only 3 ingredients. Plus, it’s naturally sweet, consisting solely (more).

Classic Fresh Lime Margaritas

Classic Fresh Lime Margaritas

Sometimes I feel that I have the best hobby in the world. What can beat taste tasting margaritas until I hone the perfect combination of sweet limeade, sour lime juice, and briny sea salt? This recipe took various iterations to perfect, but my family was (more).

Zesty Mexican Cobb Salad

Zesty Mexican Cobb Salad

This nutrient-rich Mexican cobb salad is packed with protein and fiber with over 65 and 27 grams, respectively. Plus, it’s delicious with buttermilk dressing offsetting the smoky achiote chicken, sweet corn, seasoned black beans, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, and mozzarella cheese. What a slice of heaven! (more).