Tomato Galette

This tomato galette is a must-try summer dinner! Flaky, buttery pastry surrounds the savory goat cheese, herb, and heirloom tomato filling.

There are so many reasons to love this summer tomato galette, but one of the biggest is that it will make your kitchen smell amazing. I mean, it’s not surprising. Roasted tomatoes create a pretty tempting aroma on their own. Add buttery pastry to the mix, and OF COURSE you’re going to be glued to the oven door, anxiously waiting for the minute you can take this tomato galette out of the oven and taste your first slice. Speaking of the oven… I know it might seem crazy to crank it up to 400°F and bake a galette – of…

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Mezze Platter

This mezze platter is perfect for serving a crowd! Filled with fresh veggies, pita, and assorted spreads and dips, it offers a little something for everyone.

If you ask me, a mezze platter is the perfect solution for feeding a crowd. This Middle Eastern tradition of serving a medley of appetizers and small plates before a meal (or even as a meal) ensures that there’s always something for everyone. Folks can munch on fresh veggies, salads, bread, cheese, dips, spreads, and more. I love that you can prep every component ahead of time, so if you’re entertaining, you just have to pull the dishes out of the fridge and assemble your mezze platter when your guests are ready to eat. They’ll love sampling all the different…

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Tabbouleh

This version of tabbouleh - the Middle Eastern herb and bulgur salad - is zingy, fragrant, and SO refreshing. Perfect for a mezze platter or picnic!

Herbs are arguably my favorite fresh ingredients, so it should come as no surprise that I love tabbouleh. Alternatively spelled tabouli or tabouleh, this Middle Eastern salad consists of finely chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes, and bulgur wheat. Don’t let the bulgur’s presence fool you – traditional Lebanese tabbouleh isn’t so much a grain salad as it is an herb salad with grains. The parsley and mint are the real star ingredients, making the salad pungent, fragrant, and intensely refreshing. You’ll find my go-to tabbouleh recipe below. If you love bright, herbaceous flavors, it’s one you have to try. Pack it up…

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Whipped Feta Dip

Lusciously creamy, rich, and tangy, this whipped feta dip is always a hit at gatherings. You only need 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make it!

appetizers

I love serving this creamy whipped feta dip at parties and gatherings because it always surprises people. It looks like any other creamy white dip, maybe a ranch-y sort of thing made with cream cheese or sour cream. But it tastes like something else entirely. Lemon gives it zing, garlic adds bite, and the feta fills it with a delicious salty tang. Set it out with pita and veggies, and I promise, it’ll disappear in minutes. Another reason I love this whipped feta dip recipe? It’s SO easy to make. You just need 5 ingredients, 5 minutes, and a food…

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Muhammara

This recipe is my take on muhammara, the Syrian red pepper dip. Nutty, zingy, spicy, and sweet, it's best enjoyed with warm pita and fresh veggies.

This recipe is my take on muhammara, the Middle Eastern red pepper and walnut dip. I love to make it in the summer, when peppers are abundant and a cool dip sounds like the perfect starting point for a meal or snack. In case you’re not familiar with muhammara, here’s a little background: this punchy dip originated in Syria, and it’s now common throughout the Middle East. Its key ingredients are roasted red peppers, walnuts, breadcrumbs, chile flakes, and pomegranate molasses, which combine to make it thick, nutty, zingy, spicy, sour, and sweet. I still remember the first time I…

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Oven Roasted Eggplant

Learn how to make perfect roasted eggplant! Tender in the middle and caramelized on the edges, it's delicious as a side dish, in pastas, and more.

This roasted eggplant recipe is so tasty that you might find yourself devouring it straight off the baking sheet. Yes, eggplant skeptics – even you. The thing about cooking eggplant is that it’s easy to get wrong. Underdo it, and it’s spongy and tough. Overdo it, and it turns to mush. But get it just right, and eggplant is one of the most flavorful vegetables out there. This roasted eggplant recipe is a super simple way to get eggplant right. It comes out of the oven beautifully caramelized and golden brown around the edges and melt-in-your-mouth tender in the middle.…

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Peach Salsa Halloumi Bowls

These punchy bowls are a fun, refreshing summer dinner! The sweet, zesty peach salsa plays off avocado, grilled halloumi, and fragrant coconut rice.

summer / dinner

On Sunday, I wrote all about how Jack and I love grilling halloumi in the summer. I thought I’d follow up that post with an example of how we like to serve the halloumi once it comes off the grill: in these delicious bowls! This recipe is my kind of summer meal – one that’s fresh and flavorful but still plenty satisfying. It starts with a base of fragrant coconut rice and black beans. Then, I pile on the grilled halloumi, a scoop of peach salsa, and creamy avocado slices. A handful of fresh mint leaves and drizzles of cilantro…

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Grilled Halloumi Cheese

Halloumi, a sheep and goat's milk cheese from Cyprus, is salty, squeaky, and perfect for grilling. Learn how to cook it with this simple guide!

If panzanella is my favorite summer dinner, then grilled halloumi cheese is unquestionably Jack’s. He doesn’t care how I serve it: in a summery grain bowl, in sandwiches, or just plated up with sliced tomatoes and a side of crusty bread. He loves its charred, salty flavor and rich, squeaky texture. I can’t blame him – I’m a big fan of it too! What is halloumi cheese? If you’re thinking, “Wait, cheese on the grill??”, I get it! A slice of cheddar or mozzarella would melt right through the grates. But not halloumi. This cheese, which hails from Cyprus, has a uniquely firm…

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Peach Salsa

Love peaches? Love salsa? Then this peach salsa is for you! Sweet, spicy, zesty, and fresh, it's delicious with tortilla chips or on tacos and more.

When life gives you peaches, make peach salsa! Well, peach salsa and peach crisp and peach cobbler and peach salads and peach pizza and, and, and… It’s peach season, people! I hope you’re eating these honey-sweet, chin-dripping fruits at every chance you get. But today, let’s talk peach salsa. This super-simple recipe is one of my favorites to make at this time of year. It’s sweet and savory, spicy and bright, and it’s an absolute breeze to put together. Dice up all the ingredients, add them to a bowl, and stir to combine! In ten-ish minutes, you’ll have a zesty,…

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Grilled Tomatoes

Tender, juicy, smoky, and sweet, these easy grilled tomatoes are a knockout summer side dish! Italian dressing and fresh basil take them over the top.

Have you tried grilled tomatoes? I hadn’t until just recently, instead reaching for veggies like sweet corn, mushrooms, and zucchini whenever I fired up the grill. But a few weeks ago, I brought a bag of bright red romas home from the market. A variety of paste tomatoes, they’re firmer and denser than the heirloom tomatoes that I like to add to salads at this time of year. So, on a night when I was grilling veggie burgers for dinner, I decided to try grilling the tomatoes too. Seriously, I had no idea what I was missing! Grilled tomatoes are…

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Healthy Blueberry Muffins

We're head over heels for these healthy blueberry muffins. Moist, fluffy, and studded with jammy berries, they're a delicious quick breakfast or snack!

snacks & dips / breakfast

As I write this, I’m just finishing up one of these blueberry muffins, and I’m savoring every bite. It’s moist, fluffy, and packed with juicy berries, with warm depth of flavor from vanilla and cinnamon. It’s not overly sweet and cake-y, like some blueberry muffins tend to be. Instead, it’s lightly sweet and satisfying – perfect for breakfast or a healthy snack. I first shared this healthy blueberry muffin recipe a few years ago, but I thought I’d bring it back this summer. It’s one of my favorites on the blog, and it is blueberry season, after all! If you’re…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.