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Sizzling Garlic Shrimp with Tomato Toast

Tender shrimp in sizzling garlic-chile oil, served with a side of grilled bread rubbed with more garlic and tomato! Otherwise known as Gambas al Ajillo and Pan Con Tomate! One bite and I am transported back to a magical trip to Barcelona John and I took before kids where we spent long days wandering the city on foot, taking in all the Gaudi, cooling down with chilled bowls of gazpacho and glasses of Verdejo wine. We sat  by the beach and ate the famous toasted, broken Fideua pasta paella (bathed in the freshest seafood and sometimes little flecks of spiced chorizo, too) after breakfast sandwiches filled with nutty, rich slices of Iberico ham.

And then I discovered the heavenly combo I’m showing you today at a restaurant called Paco Meralgo, where their speciality is simple, traditional meals done to perfection. This is my attempt to recreate that magic (always with a few twists of my own), and the best part is that this ultra-flavorful meal only takes about 15 minutes to cook, which is why it’s one of our favorites for fast meals all year long and especially when the weather is too hot to be near the oven for long!

See this recipe come to life on my IGTV.

Summer Candy Salad

One of my favorite summer snacks is sweet, cold watermelon with creamy, salty feta, and a splash of olive oil. It’s light and hydrating on a hot afternoon, and that sweet/salty combo is just so tantalizing — but I didn’t think you needed to see a whole recipe on such a simple dish, so this Summer Candy Salad is an ode to that perfect combo! I expand on it with a few more sun-ripened gems you might find cropping up at your farm stand right now (sungolds! cucumbers!), some chickpeas to fill you up, a scattering of pita chips for some lovely crunch, and an easy lemon-honey vinaigrette to tie it all together. Goes beautifully with grilled lamb chops, kofte burgers, roast chicken, or simply on it’s own!

See this recipe come to life on my IGTV.

Grilled Chicken Tacos

I lose my mind for tacos! Let’s make one of my favorite, easy combinations – a juicy, spiced chicken breast, chopped and added to a soft tortilla with the crunchiest of creamy, smoky-spicy chipotle cabbage slaw! A little bit of avocado to mute the heat and squeeze of fresh lime juice makes the whole situation seriously sublime. These are some of our summer entertaining standbys because everything can easily be made as a big batch – or just as easily for a party of 1 or 2. And make extra! The chicken is so flavorful and keeps really well for throwing into salads the rest of the week.

See this recipe come to life on my IGTV.

American French Girl Salad

Inspired by the deliciously simple, ridiculously satisfying salad of shredded carrots, parsley, lemon, and olive oil I love to snack on in Paris cafes! I decided to add a few more of my favorite sweet, crunchy root veg, smashed chickpeas, and a couple soft-boiled eggs to help fill me up and make the Citrus-Caper Shallot Vinaigrette extra glossy. And then I may have added everything bagel seasoning! This is my kind of health food!

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Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Lucious, golden brown, crispy on the outside, and so melting and tender on the inside – cauliflower is the vegetable that eats like a steak! I LOVE roasting a whole head because the presentation is seriously impressive, plus slicing off casual hunks smothered in yummy chile herb tahini sauce is just so hedonistic.

See this recipe come to life on my IGTV.

Roasted Chicken Salad with Walnut & Pistachio Vinaigrette

It’s a new BIG bowl salad, friends!! And this one makes my mouth water every time I think about it. Nutty and crunchy and fresh and filling, layered with golden brown roasted chicken (spatchcock-style!! It cooks in 45 minutes with gloriously juicy meat and crispy skin) and fried shallots. Inspired by my memories of the Roasted Chicken Salad at the Faena Miami Hotel, let’s get in the kitchen and go on vacation!

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Air Fryer Juicy Chicken Breast

Dear Air Fryer, where have you been all my life? If I told you chicken breast and Brussels sprouts could be this juicy, this tender, this crisp, this succulent, this indulgent, this consistently perfect time after time and this easily made, you would immediately say NO WAY!!!  But it’s true. Oh, and there’s also the vinegary shallot butter of my dreams. You’re welcome.

See this recipe come to life on my IGTV.

Cacio e Pepe

One of the simplest, most elegant, deliciously indulgent and ultra-comforting classic spaghetti preparations – Cacio e Pepe! Aka Cheese & Pepper! The sauce is cheesy (pecorino & parmesan, to be exact), silky, velvety, slightly spicy… think grown up mac n’ cheese – but in a little black (pepper) dress. Please do yourself a favor and get some pasta and cheese, crack that pepper, and make this tonight!

See this recipe come to life on my IGTV.

Turkish Kofte Burgers

This is one of my all-time favorite meals that takes me right back to visiting my family in Turkey. On hot afternoons, we’ll turn on the grill and turn out dozens of these juicy, tender, perfectly charred and gently spiced köfte burgers, paired with a giant bowl of fresh, herby, crisp Greek salad. An easy and delicious way to feed a crowd (or party of 1!), this meal is the perfect balance of something filling and flavorful, but still light enough to eat while soaking up the summer sun. Add your icy cold beverage of choice and enjoy a little slice of Mediterranean heaven.

See this recipe come to life on my IGTV.