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Steamed Mussels in Tomato Sauce

Steamed mussels in tomato sauce is a restaurant-quality, one pot dish that is so quick and easy to make at home in less than 25 minutes. Fresh mussels are steamed in sautéed onions and garlic, cooking wine, and tossed in a delicious tomato sauce. This fancy meal is the perfect appetizer to serve on their own or with a side of crusty bread or as a complete dinner over a plate of spaghetti noodles. However you serve them, they are sure to impress.

If you like these mussels, then you will also love Thai Red Curry Mussels. They are cooked in a Thai-based coconut sauce that's creamy with a little kick and also very very delicious.

Ingredients

To make steamed mussels in tomato sauce, you will need the following ingredients:

fresh live mussels - To prepare mussels, you will need to clean and debeard them. To clean, scrub the mussels with a scrubbing brush to remove any particles and debris. Next, remove the beard. This is a small stringy mass that sticks out of the side of each mussel. Hold the mussel in one hand, and gently pull the beard off using your other hand, pulling towards the bottom of the mussel where the clasp is. Once you've removed all of them, give the mussels one last rise under cold water.
olive oil
onion
garlic
cooking wine - You can use white or red cooking wine.
diced tomatoes
salt and pepper
fresh parsley - optional, for garnish on top.

You will also need a large cooking pot or skillet (I used a cast-iron skillet).

How to Make the Best Steamed Mussels in Tomato Sauce

Sauté onions and garlic. In a large pot or skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes until the hot oil is sizzling and shimmering. Stir in onion and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
Cook mussels. Add mussels and wine. Cover the lid and steam for 6-8 minutes until all the shells are wide open. If you don't have a lid to cover, you can stir occasionally to help evenly cook the mussels. Discard any mussels that don't open.
Add tomatoes. Add diced tomatoes and stir well. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes until the tomato sauce is evenly dispersed into the mussels. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

How to Serve Steamed Mussels

You can serve steamed mussels as a delicious appetizer with a side of crusty bread to soak up all that juicy tomato sauce. You can also serve steamed mussels with tomato sauce over a plate of boiled spaghetti.

Tips for Preparing and Storing Mussels

How to store fresh mussels: It's best to cook mussels the day that you buy them. To store for up to 2 days, transfer the mussels to a bowl or unsealed container and covered with a clean damp cloth or paper towel. Drain any water that collects in the bottom of the bowl every day. Do not store the mussels in water as they will die from it.
How to tell if mussels are fresh: Fresh mussels should be alive with their shells closed. They should have a fresh salty ocean smell, and not a fishy smell. If they smell fishy, I would not suggest eating them. If your mussels are store in the refrigerator, give it a smell just before cooking to ensure freshness.
How to store cooked mussels: You can store cooked mussels for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, heat in a skillet over low heat until warmed through. You may have to add a little water if the sauce has thickened up too much in the refrigerator. I would not recommend freezing mussels.

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Pesto Penne Pasta

Quick and easy pesto penne pasta is a simple and light Italian pasta dish made with just five ingredients in under 15 minutes. Freshly cooked pasta is packed with flavour when tossed in pesto, fresh cherry tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. It is best served fresh for an easy weeknight dinner, and serve any leftovers cold as a pasta salad the next day for lunch.

Pesto penne pasta is one of the easiest and quickest pasta recipes you will make... like ever. If you are all about those quick and easy meals, then you will also love these other pasta dishes that take less than 20 minutes to prep and cook: Spaghetti Carbonara, Avocado Basil Pesto Spaghetti, Stovetop Mac and Cheese with White Cheddar, and Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta Bake.

Pesto Penne Ingredients

To make easy pesto pasta, you need the following simple ingredients:

penne pasta - or substitute with your favourite kind of pasta. I like the penne shape because it traps so much delicious sauce inside.
basil pesto - it's really easy to make fresh basil pesto homemade in just 5 minutes, or you can easily use store-bought pesto as well.
cherry tomatoes
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

You will also need a large cooking pot and a mixing bowl.

How to Make the Best Pesto Penne Pasta

Make the penne pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add penne pasta and a little bit salt, and cook till al dente (fully cooked but still firm) about 8-10 minutes, or according to package directions. Do not overcook the pasta. Turn off the heat and reserve at least ¼ cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta in a colander and let it cool for 1 minute.
Toss in pesto. Transfer pasta into a large mixing bowl and add pesto and reserved pasta water (¼ cup or more, if desired). Season with salt and pepper and toss well to coat. Stir in cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese.
Serve. Serve immediately. Sprinkle extra parmesan on top, if desired.

Tips

Toss in a mixing bowl. When mixing the pasta and pesto together, make sure to use a mixing bowl rather than just mixing in the post. The pot is too hot and will cause the basil in the pesto to turn black.
How to customize. You can customize this penne pasta by adding in cooked meat or vegetables such as chicken, shrimp, zucchini, or broccoli.
How to serve. Serve pesto penne pasta with a side of crusty garlicky bread such as pull apart garlic bread, rosemary garlic focaccia bread, ciabatta bread, or tomato focaccia bread. You can also pair it with a fresh salad on the side such as an easy Greek salad, Mediterranean chickpea wedge salad, or tomato cucumber avocado salad.
How to store. Pesto pasta is best served fresh or cold as a pasta salad. Store any leftovers an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. I would not recommend reheating, as this will also cause the basil to turn black when heated. You can serve leftovers as a delicious pasta salad.

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Chinese Hot Pot at Home

Chinese hot pot at home is a warm and comforting meal to enjoy with family or a small group of friends. It's one of the most popular social gatherings in China because it's delicious, easy to prepare, and completely customizable to fit all dietary preferences. So whether you are vegan, a meat lover or seafood lover, you can enjoy hot pot easily at home. Plus, making hot pot at home is so much cheaper than ordering at a restaurant, and it always tastes better. And with all of staying home this year, Chinese hot pot at home is a great way to celebrate Chinese New Year this year.

What is Chinese Hot Pot?

Chinese hot pot is a social meal with a simmering pot of soup base at the middle of table over a portable burner and an assortment of raw ingredients on the table that are cut into bite-sized pieces including vegetables, meat, seafood and noodles. All the food gets cooked at the table as you eat, and since the ingredients are cut into small pieces, they cook quite quickly in about one minute. Once cooked, you remove your item and dip it into a delicious personalized dipping sauce and eat.

Hot pot has traditionally been enjoyed during the winter months, but it has started to become more common for people to eat it all year round. When we were travelling across China back in 2018, we had hot pot almost every day. Different regions in China use different flavours in their hot pot soup base. From spicy, to mild bone broth, to seafood-based, there are so many variations to enjoy.

And contrary to popular belief, hot pot is relatively healthy as it's less processed. Everything is boiled (rather than deep fried), so you can get lots of nutrients from your food. But do watch out for portion control because hot pot is so crave-worthy and it's hard to track how much you have eaten, so you will almost certainly eat more than you should.

Required Hot Pot Equipment

To make Chinese hot pot at home, you will need the following equipment:

portable burner - since hot pot is cooked at the table, you will need a portable burner to enjoy the simmering soup at the table. You can use either a portable induction burner or a portable gas burner. You can also use a special hot pot set that includes pot with a built-in burner.
hot pot cookware - a round stainless steel pot that is about 11 or 12-inches in diameter and relatively shallow, about 3.5 to 4 inches deep. You can also use a dual hot pot that has a separator to allow you to make two soup flavours at the same time (as we did here). One pot is enough to feed up to 6 people. To feed more people, you will need a second pot and a second burner.
chopsticks - you will need a set of extra long chopsticks for dipping and retrieving food from the communal hot pot, and a set of regular wooden chopsticks per person for eating.
hot pot strainer scoops - hot pot strainer scoops are also helpful for retrieving food from the communal hot pot, especially for items which are harder to pick up using the extra long chopsticks.
eating accessories - you will need small bowls for eating and dip bowls for the individual dipping sauces.

How to Make Hot Pot Soup Base

It is super easy to prepare a hot pot soup base from scratch. We prepared two different hot pot soup bases using our dual hot pot -- a mild hot pot and a spicy hot pot. To prepare, simply add all the ingredients for each of the bases into each compartment of a dual hot pot and mix well to combine. Then, place the dual hot pot on a portable induction burner or portable gas burner and bring to a simmer over medium heat. You can also just make one soup base and use a round stainless steel hot pot instead.

If you have a hard time finding the ingredients for the soup base, you can easily use store-bought soup base that you can find at your local Asian grocery store or online. To prepare a store-bought hot pot soup base, simply add one pouch into hot water or broth.

Ingredients in Tomato-Based Hot Pot Soup Base

To make a tomato-based hot pot soup base, you will need the following ingredients:

olive oil
chicken broth - you can substitute this with vegetable broth or bone broth.
water
tomato + tomato paste
green onions
garlic
ginger
bay leaves

Ingredients in Spicy Chili Hot Pot Soup Base

To make a spicy chili hot pot soup base, you will need the following ingredients:

spicy red chili oil
chicken broth - you can substitute this with vegetable broth or bone broth.
peanut butter
water
dried red chili peppers
green onions
garlic
ginger
bay leaves

Ingredients in Hot Pot

Making Chinese hot pot at home is extremely customizable and you can use almost any ingredients that you have on hand. Hot pot typically consists of a variety of vegetables (including leafy greens, root vegetables, and mushrooms), meat and seafood, noodles and tofu. There are no rules when it comes to the ingredients to use in hot pot, although it's a good idea to pick a few items from each category to keep it interesting. When preparing the ingredients, be sure to cut everything into small, bite-size pieces for quick cooking.

Vegetables

Choose from a variety of vegetables, preparing about 2 cups total per person. We like to include at least one leafy green and mushroom when picking our vegetables.

leafy greens - such as spinach, baby bok choy, napa cabbage, and watercress.
root vegetables - such as potato, sweet potato, yam, daikon and lotus root.
mushrooms - such as shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms.
other vegetables - such as broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes.

Meat and Seafood

Choose from a variety of meat and seafood, preparing about 1 cup total per person. Make sure to use only thinly sliced meats for quick cooking.

beef
lamb shoulder or leg
pork
chicken
shrimp
mussels
oysters
meatballs and cakes - such as fish balls, shrimp balls, fish cakes and beef balls.

Noodles and Tofu

Choose one or two of noodle and tofu dishes, and prepare about ½ cup per person.

rice vermicelli noodles
udon noodles
rice cakes
firm tofu
tofu puffs
wontons
dumplings

How to Make Hot Pot Dipping Sauce

The hot pot dipping sauce might be the most important pot of the whole hot pot experience. In addition to the hot pot soup base, it really determines the flavour of your meal. You can completely customize it to your liking and make it spicy, savoury, sour, or slightly sweet.

To make an easy peanut-based dipping sauce, you will to heat the following ingredients in a shallow saucepan over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes until well blended and smooth:

soy sauce
peanut butter
satay paste
sesame oil
sugar
water

Once you divide the peanut dipping sauce into the dip bowls, you can stir in some optional toppings. Some popular ingredients to add are: vinegar, minced garlic, red chili oil, sambal oelek or chili garlic sauce, finely chopped cilantro, and white sesame seeds.

Whenever we have leftover dipping sauce, we save it and use it in a batch of noodles the next day. It's so delicious.

Tips for Making Chinese Hot Pot at Home

How to set up the hot pot table. Set up your table with the burner and hot pot in the center, and the ingredients on plates around the pot. You can group ingredients together in a single plate or platter to save space. For instance, group meat together, group seafood together, and group vegetables or vegetarian items together.
Order of cooking hot pot ingredients. There is no order of cooking the hot pot ingredients, and you do not need to add in all the ingredients at once. Some families like to cook seafood first as it takes longer to cook, but it's a personal preference.
Reload with hot water. While making and eating hot pot, keep a kettle with a few cups of hot water ready to reload the soup base to replenish it when the liquid starts to evaporate too much.

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Brioche Bread

Brioche bread is buttery, soft and pillowy with a beautiful golden brown crust. It is a delicious pastry-like bread that is so rich in flavour. The best part? You can make brioche with just 20 minutes of actual prep work. It's the perfect bread to enjoy on it's own with butter and jam, in a sandwich or for French toast.

What is Brioche Bread?

Brioche bread is French bread that is made rich with butter, eggs, and milk. It's high fat and protein content gives it the softest and fluffiest texture, which classifies it somewhere in between a pastry like croissants and regular bread. It can be used in so many ways, as burger buns, sandwich bread, and french toast.

Brioche is often compared to challah as they are similar in texture, but they have their differences. Brioche bread is made primarily of butter and milk whilst challah is made with canola oil and eggs for enrichment.

Ingredients

To make brioche bread, you will need the following ingredients:

all-purpose flour
yeast - active dry yeast.
butter - softened butter, cut into cubes.
milk
eggs
sugar
salt
egg white - for egg wash.
salt flakes - optional, for garnish on top. You could also use sesame seeds, or leave it as is.

You will also need a kitchen scale (or measuring cups and spoons), mixing bowls, and a 1.5 lb. loaf pan (10x5-inch loaf pan).

How to Make the Best Brioche Bread

Prepare the dough. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk well to combine milk, eggs (remove 1 egg white from the eggs, about 2 tablespoons and set aside), yeast and sugar until fully dissolved, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup flour and mix well until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, add remaining 3 cups flour, diced butter and salt. Mix evenly with a spatula. Pour in the egg flour mixture and stir well to combine until it forms a shaggy dough, scraping down the sides of the bowl (there should be no dry flour particles visible).
First rise. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let dough rise at room temperature (preferably in a warmer area) for 1 hour until doubled.
Knead the dough. You can use a stand mixer or knead by hand. To knead by hand, knead the dough on a clean lightly floured surface for 8-10 minutes until it changes from a sticky shaggy dough into a smooth and soft dough ball. Apply a little bit of flour on your hands if needed and slap and fold the dough to further build gluten and distribute butter evenly in dough.

Tips for Kneading Dough

How to knead dough: Knead the dough by pushing it down and outward using the palms of your hands. Fold the dough in half toward you and press down. Repeat this motion by pushing the dough down and outward, and then folding over towards you. This helps build up gluten strength in dough that is responsible for making the bread fluffy.
How to test if dough is well-kneaded: A well-kneaded dough is smooth and can hold its shape. You can test the dough by giving it a firm poke with your finger. The indentation should bounce right back. If it doesn't bounce back and stays like a dimple, keep kneading for a few more minutes.

How to Shape Brioche

Flatten the dough, divide it into 9 equal pieces with a bench scraper, and shape them into smooth balls by cupping the dough in your palm and making circular motions. It should take less than 30 seconds to roll each piece into a smooth ball.

Arrange dough balls in a zigzag pattern in a lightly oiled 1.5 lb. loaf pan (10x5-inch loaf pan). When baked, the dough balls can be pulled apart from the loaf. This is a classic way of shaping brioche. You can also braid the brioche as in challah bread and bake it in the loaf pan or in a sheet pan.

Cover with cling wrap and let it rise until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes depending on the room temperature. The dough will rise up to the rim of the loaf pan. Brush the reserved egg white evenly over the top and sprinkle with salt flakes. The egg white creates shine and makes the salt stick to the top.

Bake the brioche in a 375 F preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until the crust turns golden brown. Then, transfer the loaf onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before slicing, about 30 minutes.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to store: Store brioche in a bread box or an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
How to freeze: You can also freeze brioche in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator or kitchen counter.
How to reheat: To reheat refrigerated or frozen brioche that has been thawed, place in the air fryer or oven at 300 F for 5-10 minutes. You can also cut into slices prior to freezing and toast single slices in the toaster or toaster oven directly from frozen using the freezer setting.

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Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs

Sticky honey garlic meatballs are a delicious and flavourful 30-minute meal to add to your weekly dinner rotation. These tender and juicy Asian meatballs are baked, tossed in a sweet and sticky honey garlic sauce, and topped with green onions and sesame seeds. They are a quick and easy weeknight dinner to prepare over a bowl of steamed rice, or on their own as a bite-sized appetizer on game day. They are seriously so good and loved by everyone who tries them. A total crowd pleaser.

Meatballs are always a go-to weeknight dinner because they are so quick and easy to make and are ready in under 30 minutes. Some of our other favourites for busy weeknights are classic Spaghetti and Meatballs and Baked Turkey Meatballs.

Ingredients

To make sticky honey garlic meatballs, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

ground beef - you can also switch things up and easily substitute the ground beef for ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork.
breadcrumbs
onion
green onions
egg
soy sauce
brown sugar
garlic powder
salt and pepper
honey garlic sauce - the honey garlic sauce takes less than 5 minutes to make with a combination of rice vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, cornstarch (or flour), and water.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, large half sheet baking pan, meat thermometer, and a shallow saucepan.

How to Make the Best Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs

Prepare the meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, combine beef with bread crumbs, onion, green onions, egg, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well to form into a uniform consistency. Take 2 spoonfuls of beef mixture at a time and roll into 1.5-inch thick meatballs. Transfer the meatballs into a large half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper and lightly coat with some oil to keep them from sticking, if needed.

Bake the meatballs. Bake in a 400F preheated oven for 15 minutes until fully cooked, and set aside. The internal temperature should reach 160F, as read on a meat thermometer.
Prepare the honey garlic sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, add vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, cornstarch and water. Whisk well to combine until cornstarch and sugar dissolves. In a shallow saucepan, stir in sauce mixture and heat over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring until thickened to a desired consistency.
Serve. Add the meatballs to the saucepan and toss well to coat evenly. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds and serve warm on its own or over a bowl of steamed rice or fried rice.

How to Cook Honey Garlic Meatballs in the Air Fryer

Preheat the air fryer to 375 F, about 3 minutes. Place meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket and lightly spray with cooking oil to coat evenly. Air fry the meatballs for 12-14 minutes until browned and the center of the meatball reaches 160 F as read on a meat thermometer. Shake the basket halfway during cooking to brown evenly.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to store: Store sticky honey garlic meatballs in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply reheat in a shallow saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat until warmed through (or in the microwave). You may need to add a little water if the sauce thickened up too much in the refrigerator.
How to freeze: You can freeze the meatballs before tossing them into the sauce. Bake and let them cool down, then transfer into a freezer-safe airtight container or freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to reheat from frozen: Allow the meatballs to thaw overnight in the refrigerator first, then reheat on the stove over medium-low heat until warmed through. Prepare the honey garlic sauce and toss the meatballs in.

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Pesto Hummus

Calling all pesto lovers! Smooth and creamy pesto hummus is a healthy, delicious and flavourful dip that is easy to make in just 5 minutes. This keto and gluten-free appetizer is made with a handful of traditional ingredients including chickpeas, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice, with the addition of basil pesto. Make extra because this stuff is crave-worthy.

Pesto hummus is my new favourite way to use up any leftover pesto I have in the fridge. It's a quick and easy way to to incorporate more healthy snacks and appetizers into your diet, and it's also pretty amazing spread on sandwiches and wraps.

If you like this dip, then you will love creamy hummus, roasted red pepper hummus, or avocado hummus.

Ingredients in Pesto Hummus

To make easy pesto hummus, you will need the following ingredients:

chickpeas - one 400 ml (or 15 oz.) can of chickpeas or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas.
reserved canned water - this is the secret to getting really creamy hummus.
tahini sesame paste
basil pesto - you can substitute this with your favourite kind of pesto such as sun-dried tomato pesto or avocado basil pesto.
garlic
olive oil
lemon juice
salt
toppings - chickpeas, sesame seeds, olive oil, and pesto.

You will also need a blender or food processor.

How to Make the Best Pesto Hummus

Hummus is one of the easiest dips to make. It is a simple, throw everything into a blender recipe that requires almost no prep, other than measuring ingredients. To make this pesto hummus, place all the ingredients (chickpeas, reserved liquid, basil pesto, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt) into a blender or food processor. Puree until well blended and creamy.

Pour into a serving bowl, drizzle some olive oil on top and garnish with reserved chickpeas, roasted sesame seeds, and a few spoonfuls of pesto.

Tips

How to serve: You can serve pesto hummus as a dip or spread in almost any kind of bread. Some of my favourites are sourdough crackers, pita bread, naan flatbread, or sourdough. Or keep this snack completely gluten-free by serving it with fruit and veggies.
How to store: Store pesto hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
How to freeze: You can freeze hummus in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. To serve, let it thaw in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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Biang Biang Spicy Noodles

Biang biang spicy noodles is a flavourful, spicy noodle dish that is simple, quick and easy to make with just a few ingredients and in less than 10 minutes. Toss thick and chewy, wide hand-pulled noodles with a few classic Asian seasoning with a drizzle of sizzling hot oil on top, and toss to combine. These homemade vegan noodles are so much better than takeout.

What are Biang Biang Spicy Noodles?

Biang biang noodles are a popular Chinese dish from the city of Xi'an in the Shaanxi province of China. They are made with wheat flour hand-pulled noodles that are pulled to a long and wide shape, and served with a spicy, oily sauce. The word "biang" is actually an onomatopoeia that describes the sound of noodles smashing against a counter when being pulled. Another interesting fact about this dish is that the Chinese character for "biang" is one of the most complex characters written with 58 strokes! For comparison, most Chinese characters are written with about 10 strokes on average.

We had the pleasure of trying delicious authentic Xi'an noodles on our travels across China a couple of years ago.

Ingredients

To make flavourful biang biang spicy noodles, you will need the following ingredients:

dry hand-pulled wide noodles - you can use homemade hand-pulled noodles or store-bought noodles.
soy sauce
black vinegar
fresh scallions (spring onions)
garlic
dry red chili flakes (or chili powder)
white sesame seeds
ground Sichuan pepper - optional.
ground cumin - optional.
vegetable oil

You will also need measuring spoons, medium cooking pot, and spider strainer or colander.

How to Make the Best Biang Biang Spicy Noodles

Make the noodles. In a medium cooking pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add hand-pulled noodles into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Stir the noodles with chopsticks to prevent them from sticking together. If you use store-bought noodles, refer to the package for cooking instructions (may take longer to cook). Drain the noodles well with a spider strainer or colander and place it in a bowl. (You do not need to rinse the noodles under running water).
Add seasonings. Add all seasonings over the noodles including soy sauce, vinegar, scallions, garlic, chilli flakes, Sichuan pepper, and cumin. Set aside.

Add oil. In a small pot, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat for 2 minutes until the hot oil starts to sizzle and smoke. Then, pour the hot oil over the scallions and chilli flakes on top of the noodles. You should notice the spices sizzle immediately and become fragrant.

Stir well with chopsticks to coat the noodles evenly with the oil and seasonings and toss together.

Tips

How to serve: Serve with vegetarian steamed buns, wonton soup, egg and chive dumplings, or a Chinese garlic cucumber salad.
How to store: Biang biang spicy noodles are best served fresh. Once the noodles start going cold, they will stick together and get stiff. If you happen to have leftovers, you can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but the noodles may clump together. To reheat, steam the noodles or heat in the microwave.

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40 Best Valentine's Day Dessert Recipes

Valentine's Day is all about the rich and decadent desserts, am I right? We have rounded up our 40 best and most popular Valentine's Day dessert recipes from romantic chocolatey and fudgy treats, to heart-shaped cookies perfect for a Valentine's themed holiday cookie box, to festive cakes made for indulging, to indulgent date night dessert ideas. So if you are wondering what to make for yourself and your loved ones this Valentine's, then you have come to the right place.

Best Valentine's Day Desserts

Valentine's Day Heart Sugar Cookies

Valentine's Day heart sugar cookies are crisp on the outside, soft inside, and made festive with red and pink royal icing decorated on top.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

These Red Velvet Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are delicious, moist, rich, and perfectly sweet. Top these Valentine's cupcakes with festive sprinkles.

Raspberry and White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Cute raspberry and white chocolate heart-shaped shortbread cookies literally melt in your mouth. They are the perfect Valentine's Day treat or for Date Night.

Cute raspberry and white chocolate heart-shaped shortbread cookies literally melt in your mouth. They are the perfect Valentine's Day treat. | aheadofthyme.com

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries are fancy, decadent, bite-sized treats that are loved by all. They are so simple and easy to make at home. One of my favorite date night dessert ideas.

Red Velvet Macarons

These homemade Red Velvet Macarons with cream cheese frosting are like the beloved cake but in bite-sized form - bold red color and a hint of cocoa flavor.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

Molten chocolate lava cakes are rich and fudgy with a classic gooey chocolate center that flows out like lava. So simple and easy to make. Perfect for Valentine's Day or a date night dessert.

Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Heart Cookies

Shortbread and chocolate are a match made in heaven. Cut our these cookies into any shape that you like and dip in chocolate.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

This White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake is so decadent, made with a creamy white chocolate cheesecake batter swirled with homemade raspberry sauce.

Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberry Cupcakes are made with real strawberries in both the tender cake batter and the creamy strawberry buttercream frosting. A picture-perfect treat!

Red Velvet Cookies

Red Velvet Cookies with white chocolate are moist and chewy, deliciously chocolatey with a cake-like texture, and are striking red. Ready in 20 minutes!

Strawberry Shortcake

Classic Strawberry Shortcake is a small, layered cake featuring fluffy crumbly biscuits, a fresh strawberry filling, and homemade whipped cream.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

Dark chocolate raspberry truffles are so much easier to make than you think. It's as simple as combining quality chocolate, cream, raspberry jam, and cocoa.

Nutella Crepes

Nutella crepes with berries are sweet and indulgent. These French pancakes are an easy to make blender recipe that will have you craving breakfast all day.

Persian Love Cake

Persian Love Cake is a rich, moist, and nutty almond cake loaded with floral and citrus flavors, topped with a lemon glaze, pistachios, and rose petals.

Lofthouse Cookies

Lofthouse Cookies are super soft, moist, and thick, classic grocery store cookies made of a cakey sugar cookie, sweet buttercream frosting, and sprinkles.

Nutella Mousse Cups

Nutella mousse cups are rich, creamy, airy, and delicious. No bake and whipped together in just minutes with a few ingredients before it's ready to chill.

Oreo Brownies

Oreo Brownies are a fudgy, rich and decadent dessert that is quick and easy to make from scratch in about 30 minutes using simple ingredients.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Rose Petal Buttercream

Light, airy and fluffy vanilla cupcakes with rose petal buttercream icing is the cutest treat for Valentine's Day. They are super quick and easy to make.

French Macarons with Vanilla Buttercream Filling

Easy French macarons with vanilla buttercream filling are sweet, light, airy, and delicate cookies that melt in your mouth. Beginners can make them too!

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies are a soft, tender, and chewy Christmas cookie that is easy to make with no chilling required. The perfect holiday cookie!

Classic New York Cheesecake

Classic New York Cheesecake is stunning, delicious, rich, and creamy. Plus, it's surprisingly easy to make from scratch - even for beginners!

Fudgy Brownies

Fudgy brownies are rich, sweet, moist, and decadent. Plus, they're easy to make in one bowl (meaning less cleanup!) and ready in about 30 minutes.

Madeleines

Classic Madeleines are soft spongy mini cakes with a signature shell shape and dusting of sugar on top. Making French butter cakes is easier than you think!

Vanilla Cake Pops

The cutest bite-sized treat to serve at any event are vanilla cake pops from scratch -- luckily, they are actually simple and easy to make. Add pink or red food colouring to the chocolate coating, or use red and pink sprinkles to make them festive for Valentine's Day.

Double Chocolate Loaf Cake

This fudgy double chocolate loaf cake is delicious, moist, and rich. It's easy to make with a quick one-bowl batter that's ready for the oven in 10 minutes.

Strawberry Muffins

Strawberry Muffins are tender, fluffy, and delicious! They are golden-brown and crisp outside while moist and cake-like inside and loaded with strawberries.

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are rich and chewy chocolate cookies with a smooth and velvety chocolate ganache filling topped with crunchy pistachios.

Baked Jelly Donuts with Strawberry Jam

These melt-in-your-mouth, homemade baked jelly donuts, coated in sugar and filled with sweet strawberry jam, are so soft, fluffy, spongy and airy.

Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Cake

Chocolate and vanilla marble cake is delicious, moist, fluffy with the perfect golden brown crust. With two classic cake flavors, this loaf cake has it all.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft and chewy, easy to make, and so satisfying. Enjoy these cookies in under 20 minutes with no chilling required!

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Bars

Decadent caramel pecan cheesecake bars with a graham cracker crust, cheesecake filling, and caramel pecan topping is perfect for any special occasion.

Decadent caramel pecan pie cheesecake bars with a graham cracker crust, cheesecake filling, and caramel pecan topping is perfect for Thanksgiving this fall. | aheadofthyme.com

M&M Cookies

Festive red and green M&M cookies are super soft and chewy with the crispiest edges. Quick and easy to make in under 20 minutes with no chill time. Switch up the M&M's with red and pink for Valentine's Day.

Festive red and green M&M Christmas cookies are super soft and chewy with the crispiest edges. Quick and easy to make in 20 minutes with no chill time. | aheadofthyme.com

Salted Caramel Sauce

Homemade salted caramel sauce is sweet, salty, and buttery. It's so simple and easy to make at home in just 10 minutes with 4 basic ingredients.

Flourless Banana Brownies

Flourless banana brownies are rich, fudgy, moist, delicious, and gluten-free. Make this quick and easy dessert is ready in just 30 minutes.

Easy Small Batch Almond Biscotti

Small batch almond biscotti are crunchy, crumbly and packed with almonds, perfect for dunking into tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, and they are super easy to make.

Small batch almond biscotti are crunchy, crumbly and packed with almonds, perfect for dunking into tea or coffee, and they are super easy to make. | aheadofthyme.com

Lemon Drop Cookies

Italian Lemon Drop Cookies (Anginetti) are light, cake-like, classic Italian cookies with citrus flavor throughout. Quick and easy to make in 30 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Homemade chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy, have perfectly crisp edges, and are loaded with chocolate chips. This classic cookie is quick and easy.

Caramel Cheesecake Brownies

Caramel cheesecake brownies are totally indulgent and worth the effort, so toss that prepared brownie mix away and bake this with a few easy ingredients.

Glazed Brown Sugar Bundt Cake

No one will be able to resist this perfectly sweet and moist, glazed brown sugar bundt cake. Made with Greek yogurt for major decadence and richness.

Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies

These perfectly soft, chewy and a little crumby chocolate chunk peanut butter cookies literally melts in your mouth. Make them in under 20 minutes.

Burnt Basque Cheesecake

Easy no crust burnt Basque cheesecake is the easiest one bowl recipe. It is perfectly caramelized on the top and edges and creamy yet firm on the inside.

Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze

Inspired by Starbucks lemon loaf, this moist, homemade lemon loaf with lemon glaze has the perfect balance between sweet and tangy, and so so flavourful.

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

The best classic soft and chewy peanut butter cookies are puffy and thick, stay soft for days, and melt in your mouth. Make them in under 20 minutes.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Fluffy soft and moist, these are the best banana chocolate chip muffins ever. Prep this easy one bowl recipe in less than 10 minutes with a few ingredients.

Whipped Shortbread Cookies

Whipped Shortbread Cookies are sweet and buttery cookies that melt in your mouth. These light tea time treats have crisp edges and a crumbly center.

Chocolate Cake Pops

Easy to make and decorate, bite-sized chocolate cake pops are packed with chocolate and sprinkles are the perfect treat. Use red, pink and white sprinkles to make it festive for Valentine's Day.

Butter Cookies

Butter cookies are a classic cookie with a crisp, slightly crunchy texture that melts in your mouth on the first bite - and every bite after!

M&M Cookie Bars

M&M cookie bars are soft and chewy, have crisp edges with a gooey center, and are loaded with M&M's and chocolate chips. The easiest way to bake cookies!

Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies with Maple Cinnamon Glaze

Melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter thumbprint cookies with raspberry jam and a drizzle of maple cinnamon glaze are the best holiday cookies and easy to make.

No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

Smooth and creamy no churn vanilla ice cream with strawberry jam and toasted peanuts is easy to make, no ice cream maker required and better than storebought.

Easy Homemade Apple Hand Pies

Easy homemade apple hand pies/turnovers are the perfect treat -- stuffed with tender apples and cinnamon and wrapped in crispy, flakey, buttery crust.

Easy homemade apple turnovers are the perfect fall treat -- stuffed with tender apples and cinnamon and wrapped in crispy, flakey, buttery crust. | aheadofthyme.com

The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Grab a tall glass of milk and start dipping the best homemade, soft-centered, chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies you will ever try.

Caramel Brownies

Caramel brownies are rich, moist, and decadent. Baked from the thickest and indulgent chocolate batter and topped with a homemade creamy caramel sauce.

Slice and Bake Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Easy slice and bake pecan shortbread cookies are sweet, nutty and buttery shortbread cookies packed with finely chopped pecans that melt in your mouth.

Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Twist Bread

Soft and fluffy sourdough cinnamon roll twist bread is buttery and layered with cinnamon sugar. Prep it the night before and freshly bake it right before serving for that fresh out of the oven experience.

Healthy Banana Bread

Healthy banana bread is delicious and moist and contains no refined sugar or butter. Quick and easy to make with 10 minutes prep and few pantry staples.

Cut Out Shortbread Cookies

Cut out shortbread cookies are soft, buttery, and melt in your mouth. Made with a simple 5-ingredient cookie dough and decorated with optional royal icing.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies

Brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip banana bread cookie bites are thick, fluffy, pillowy, cake-like little bites of banana bread heaven.

Pecan Toffee Bars

These pecan toffee bars combine the flavours of shortbread topped with crunchy nuts to create magic. Prepped in under 10 minutes with only 6 ingredients.

Jam-Filled Thumbprint Cookies with Almond Glaze

Soft, buttery, melt-in-your mouth jam-filled thumbprint cookies with almond glaze are the cutest, festive treat to make.

Linzer Cookies

Sweet buttery linzer cookies are a classic cookie with flaky shortbread and fruit jam. The perfect festive holiday treat that melts in your mouth.

Shortbread Cookie Bites

Funfetti shortbread cookie bites are little bites of buttery melt-in-your-mouth shortbread packed with festive sprinkles for a fun holiday treat.

How to Make Ahead and Store Valentine's Day Dessert

You can make or prepare most of these Valentine's Day dessert recipes ahead of time. You can store the cookies at room temperature for a few days and the cakes for about 1-2 days (depending on the recipe). You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Confirm storing instructions by checking each recipe.

To reheat any of these desserts and serve them warm as if they just came out of the oven, you can warm them up in a 300F preheated oven for about 5-15 minutes. I would check on it every 5 minutes until warmed through. If heating from frozen, let it thaw first and then reheat.

Did You Make Any of These Valentine's Day Dessert Recipes?

Please leave a comment and rating below, and let me know what you thought of this round up of Valentine's Day dessert recipes. Be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.

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Raspberry and White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Raspberry and white chocolate shortbread cookies are sweet, buttery, and literally melt in your mouth. They have two layers of buttery and flaky shortbread, a layer of white chocolate with raspberry jam in between, and a generous dusting of confectioners' sugar on top. These heart-shaped cookies are the perfect festive Valentine's Day treat.

I love holidays. I literally use each and every holiday as an excuse to bake up a storm and indulge in delicious desserts and treats. So for Valentine's Day this year, why not give your loved ones something that you took time and poured your heart into and baked with love? I prefer cookies over a stuffed animal any day.

Some other popular Valentine's Day treats to make are Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes, Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles, and French Macarons. For more Valentine's Day dessert recipes, browse our top 40 Valentine's Day Desserts.

Ingredients

To make these raspberry and white chocolate shortbread cookies, you only need a handful of ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. Like all other shortbread, you need just 5 basic ingredients:

butter
Confectioner's sugar (icing sugar)
pure vanilla extract
salt
all-purpose flour

For the filling:

white chocolate - if you don't have any white chocolate, you can just omit it from the recipe. The cookies will still be amazing.
raspberry jam - or any type of jam that you like. Try homemade strawberry jam.
more confectioners' sugar for dusting on top.

Equipment Used

measuring cups and spoons
mixing bowl
hand mixer (or stand mixer)
rolling pin
heart-shaped cookie cutters - I used a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter and a 1-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter in the middle. You could also use the mini heart cutout from this linzer cookie cutter set.
half sheet baking pan lined with silicone baking mat or parchment paper
wire cooling rack

How to Make the Best Raspberry and White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

This recipe is super easy to make. At first glance, it may look hard but it's really not. Shortbread is easy to make, chocolate is easy to melt, and jam is easy to spread. So let's get started.

Make the dough. Cream together the butter and icing sugar until it is light and fluffy. I used a hand mixer to do this, but you can use a stand mixer if you have one. Next, add the vanilla extract and salt and continue to mix until fully combined. Lastly, slowly add in your flour, continuously mixing. Once all the flour has been added, use your hands to form a ball of dough.
Chill the dough. Shape the dough into a disc and cover it tightly in plastic cling wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Cut out the cookies. Lightly dust your surface and rolling pin with flour. This will prevent any dough from sticking to either the surface or the rolling pin. Roll out your dough about ¼ inch thick. Use a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out your heart shapes and use a 1-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out a smaller heart shape in the middle of half of the cookies. If you don't have a mini heart cookie cutter, you can use a knife to carve out a heart shape in the center. This will be a little challenging and will take more time.

Second chill. Line your baking tray with parchment paper and place your cookies half an inch apart. If your oven is still preheating, place the tray with your cookies in the refrigerator and chill for another 10 minutes.
Bake. When the oven is ready and preheated to 350 F, bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the edges just start to brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.

How to Assemble Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

Melt the white chocolate. You can melt the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave.
- On the stove: Bring 2 inches of water to a low simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Then, turn the heat to low and place a medium heatproof bowl on the mouth of the pot. Make sure that there is a gap of a few inches in between the bottom of the bowl and the water (You can also place a bowl on a steamer attachment on top of your pot). Add the chocolate and stir constantly as it melts. Stir until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted. This should take a few minutes.
- In the microwave: The second way to melt chocolate (and an easier way) is in the microwave. Place the medium heatproof bowl of chocolate into the microwave and microwave in 30 second intervals. Remove the bowl at each interval and stir well. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir until completely smooth.
Dust tops of cookies. Meanwhile, use a mesh strainer to dust confectioners' sugar on the cookies that have the center cut out.

Add layer of white chocolate on cookies. Spread a layer of melted white chocolate on the bottom halves of each cookie cookies (ones that are not cut out), leaving a small ⅛-inch border around each of the cookies. You can use a knife or use a piping bag with a round piping tip to pipe the chocolate onto the cookies. Let the chocolate set slightly for 5-10 minutes.
Add layer of raspberry jam. Add a teaspoon of raspberry jam on top of the chocolate once it has set slightly. You can use a spoon or use a piping bag with a round piping tip to pipe the jam onto the cookies.

Sandwich the cookies. Carefully place the tops of the cookies on the jammy bottoms. Be careful not to smudge the sugar on top. You can fill the open centers with more jam using a piping bag and round tip, if desired.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to store: Store in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
How to freeze: To freeze unassembled shortbread cookies, arrange them in a single layer in an airtight container. Then add a layer of parchment paper and place another layer of shortbread cookies on top. You can also freeze assembled cookies, but note that the confectioners' sugar will melt when the cookie thaws, so it will not be as pretty. I would recommend freezing the cookies unassembled, and then adding confectioners' sugar once thawed.

More Shortbread Cookies Recipes

Tried this recipe?

This post was original published in 2016. It was completely updated in 2021 with new photographs and tips.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

Molten chocolate lava cakes are rich and fudgy with a classic gooey chocolate center that flows out like lava when pierced with a fork. They are a decadent individual portioned treat that is surprisingly so simple, quick and easy to make at home with just a few ingredients and in about 20 minutes. If you thought molten lava cakes taste good at the restaurant, wait until you try homemade. So. Much. Better.

Why You'll Love This Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe

Perfect dessert for all occasions. These fancy little cakes are the perfect treat to make for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, birthdays, or really for any occasion. They're rich, decadent, and a crowd favorite.
Quick and easy to make. When you bite into a gooey lava cake that is oozing with chocolate, you make think it was really hard to make. But you will be surprised that these delectable treats come together with just 10 minutes of prep and just over 10 minutes in the oven. It's one of the quickest, easiest, and most simple desserts you can make. Perfect to satisfy a last minute late-night craving.
Individual dessert for easy serving. Whatever occasion you are celebrating, it's all about individual desserts these days so these molten chocolate lava cakes fit right in. Some other individual-sized desserts that you can enjoy all to yourself and not have to share are Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Individual Apple Crisp, Baked Jelly Donuts, and Apple Hand Pies.

Ingredients in Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

To make these easy molten chocolate lava cakes, you will need to the following pantry and refrigerator staples:

semi-sweet chocolate (or 1 cup chocolate chips), coarsely chopped
butter - unsalted butter, cut into small cubes for easy melting.
eggs + additional egg yolks - you will need 4 large eggs in total. 2 full eggs, and 2 egg yolks from the extra 2 eggs.
vanilla extract
confectioners' sugar - I like the melt-in-your-mouth texture of confectioners' sugar, but you can also use granulated sugar.
all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
toppings - try a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, a dusting of more confectioners' sugar, fresh fruit, chocolate chips, or salted caramel sauce. I love these cakes with ice cream. There is something about the combination of hot, oozing chocolate and vanilla ice cream that just hits the spot every time.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, hand mixer or whisk, and ramekins. If you don't have ramekins, you can use a 12-tin muffin pan instead and make 6 smaller lava cakes. Follow the same steps except bake for 8-10 minutes.

How to Make the Best Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

Prepare ramekins. Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease four 6-oz. ramekins or three 8-oz. ramekins with non-stick cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess cocoa powder. This will help the lava cakes come out easily when inverted.

Melt chocolate with butter. Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium heat-proof bowl and set aside to allow it to slightly cool. You can melt the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave.
- On the stove: Bring 2 inches of water to a low simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Then turn the heat to low and place medium heatproof bowl of chocolate with butter on the mouth of the pot. Make sure that there is a gap of a few inches in between the bottom of the bowl and the water (You can also place a bowl on a steamer attachment on top of your pot). Stir the chocolate constantly as it melts. Stir until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted. This should take a few minutes.
- In the microwave: The second way to melt chocolate (and an easier way) is in the microwave. Place the medium heatproof bowl of chocolate and butter into the microwave and microwave in 20 second intervals. Remove the bowl at each interval and stir well. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir until completely smooth.
Combine ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer or a whisk to beat together the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla extract, sugar, and salt, on low speed, until combined, about 1 minute. Pour in the melted chocolate into the egg mixture, along with the flour. Use a rubber spatula and fold it in until fully combined. Note that the batter will be thick but should not be lumpy.
Bake. Place the prepared ramekins on a quarter sheet baking pan and divide the batter between them. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges look solid and firm. The tops will still be soft with a slight jiggle in the center.

Serve. Allow the molten chocolate lava cakes to cool in the ramekins for 1 minute, then cover each with an inverted plate and use an oven mitt to flip them over (invert) and release the cakes onto the plate. Add toppings (such as a scoop of vanilla ice cream, dusting with powdered sugar, garnishing with fresh fruit like fresh berries, or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce or chocolate sauce) and serve immediately.

PRO TIP: Do not overcook as overcooking will cause the center of the chocolate lava cake to completely solidify and not be gooey. If you are not sure how hot your oven runs, I suggest making one first to test. If it has solidified too much, then adjust the bake time lower. Mine turns out perfect at exactly 12 minutes.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to store: Store baked and completely cooled chocolate lava cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, oven or air fryer at 300F for about 5 minutes until warmed through.
How to freeze: Freeze baked and completely cooled chocolate lava cakes in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, place in the microwave, oven or air fryer at 300F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
How to make ahead: Make the batter in advance and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To bake the cakes, place the bowl of batter on the kitchen counter and allow it to come to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Then, divide into greased ramekins and bake.

More Chocolate Recipes

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This post was first published in 2016. It has been completely updated in 2021 with new photographs and tips.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries are one of the fanciest little bite-sized treats that are literally loved by all. And they are actually so simple and easy to make with just 2 ingredients -- strawberries and chocolate. These beautiful desserts are perfect for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day or any special occasion you can think of, or just whenever you are craving something sweet and decadent.

I mean, who doesn't like fruit dipped in chocolate? In fact, I like to dip everything in chocolate like Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies, Vanilla Cake Pops, and Chocolate Cake Pops because chocolate just makes everything taste better.

How to Make the Best Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Prepare the strawberries. Wash and dry the strawberries very well. The strawberries have to be really dry or else the chocolate will not stick on. They have to be SUPER dry.
Melt the chocolate. You can melt the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave.
- On the stove: Bring 2 inches of water to a low simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Then turn the heat to low and place a large heatproof bowl of chocolate chips on the mouth of the pot. Make sure that there is a gap of a few inches in between the bottom of the bowl and the water (You can also place a bowl on a steamer attachment on top of your pot). Stir the chocolate constantly as it melts. Stir until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted. This should take a few minutes.
- In the microwave: The second way to melt chocolate (and an easier way) is in the microwave. Place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals. Remove the bowl at each interval and stir well. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir until completely smooth.
Coat the strawberries. Dip half the strawberries into melted semi-sweet chocolate and place on a quarter sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper. Dip the remaining half into melted white chocolate. (Tip: You can make the chocolate pink for Valentine's Day by adding a drop of red gel food colouring to the white chocolate first).

Add toppings. Use a piping bag and round tip to drizzle the remaining chocolate on top. You can also add sprinkles or coat the chocolate with crushed nuts.
Chill. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes until the chocolate is set.

Frequently Asked Questions and Tips

What kind of strawberries should I use? Use firm and ripe strawberries that are completely red. When preparing them, allow them to come to room temperature (take them out of the refrigerator and place on the counter for about 20 minutes). Wash and dry them before dipping into melted chocolate. The strawberries have to be really dry or else the chocolate will not stick on. They have to be SUPER dry.
What kind of chocolate should I use? Use high-quality chocolate. Since this recipe only contains strawberries and chocolate, you will be able to tell immediately if the chocolate used is not of good quality.
How do I store chocolate covered strawberries? Store chocolate covered strawberries on a plate uncovered at room temperature (away from sunlight) for a few hours, or for up to one day in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze chocolate covered strawberries? No, unfortunately you cannot freeze these strawberries. The chocolate will become too hard to bite, and as it thaws, the strawberries will get mushy and the chocolate will get watery.

More Chocolate Recipes

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This post was originally published in 2017. It has been completely updated with new photographs and tips.

Sweet Chili Chicken Bites

Sticky and crispy, baked sweet chili chicken bites is so much better than takeout and so easy to make healthier at home. Bite-sized pieces of breaded chicken are baked until crispy on the outside and tender inside, tossed in a delicious sweet red chili sauce, and topped with sesame seeds and green onions. These chicken nuggets are an easy dish to prepare for a weeknight dinner over a bowl of steamed rice, or as a crave-worthy appetizer on game day.

Just like Baked Sesame Chicken, I am obsessed with crispy chicken coated in a sticky and sweet sauce, especially when it's healthier than takeout. Since these Asian chicken nuggets are baked rather than deep-fried like what you would get at the restaurant, these are so much better for you. Plus, homemade just tastes way better.

Ingredients

To make these baked sweet chili chicken bites, you will need the following ingredients:

chicken breasts - seasoned with salt and pepper.
1 teaspoon paprika
all purpose flour - to coat the chicken.
eggs - to coat the chicken and help the breadcrumbs stick to it.
breadcrumbs - to coat the chicken.
cooking oil spray - helps the coating get super crispy when baked.
sweet chili sauce - you can use store-bought or homemade if you have access to Asian ingredients. To make homemade sweet chili sauce, you will need rice vinegar, fish sauce (or soy sauce), brown suger, sambal oelek (or chili garlic sauce), cornstarch or flour, and water.
green onions - for garnish.
white sesame seeds - for garnish.

You will also need a mixing bowl and a half sheet baking pan. If you are making homemade sweet chili sauce, then you will also need a shallow saucepan or non-stick skillet.

How to Make the Best Sweet Chili Chicken Bites

Prepare the chicken. Pat dry chicken breasts completely with a paper towel and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place into a medium mixing bowl and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Set aside for at least 5 minutes. In a large ziploc bag, add flour and cubed chicken. Seal the bag and shake well to coat.
Coat the chicken. Prepare a shallow plate with the beaten eggs and another with the breadcrumbs. Dip the chicken, one at a time, into the egg wash and evenly coat it. Then dip into breadcrumbs and fully coat. You can gently squeeze crumbs into each piece to adhere and fully coat. The flour will stick to the chicken, the egg wash sticks to the flour, and the breadcrumbs will stick to the egg wash. Arrange the breaded chicken on a large half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Spray the chicken with cooking oil spray. This helps create a crispy crust on the outside during baking.
Bake. Bake the chicken in a 375 F preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. The internal temperature for the chicken should be 165F.

Air Fryer Instructions

Place chicken bites in a single layer in the air fryer basket and lightly spray with oil to coat evenly. Cook at 375 F for 12-14 minutes until golden brown and the internal temperature for the chicken reaches 165F. Shake the basket halfway during cooking to brown the chicken bites evenly.

Toss in sweet chili sauce and serve. Transfer the cooked chicken to a large mixing bowl and add in sweet chili sauce (or if making homemade sweet chili sauce, add the chicken into the saucepan after the sauce has been cooked and thickened). Toss gently and well to coat evenly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

How to Make Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce

To make homemade sweet chili sauce (instead of using store-bought sweet chili sauce), add vinegar, fish sauce, brown sugar, sambal oelek, cornstarch and water into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine until cornstarch and sugar dissolves. Then, transfer the sauce to a shallow saucepan and heat over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir until thickened to desired consistency.

This sweet chili sauce is sticky, sweet, and slightly spicy and pairs with so many things. You can throw it on meat, noodles, or vegetables, or use it as a dipping sauce for so many appetizers. My favourites to dip into sweet chili sauce are chicken lettuce wraps, fried vegetarian spring rolls, shrimp egg rolls, and fried wontons.

Tips

How to serve: Serve baked sweet chili chicken over a bowl of steamed rice or vegetarian fried rice. For a complete Thai meal with other dishes, pair it with 10-minute chicken Pad Thai, Thai coconut red curry with prawns, Thai red curry mussels or Thai red curry noodle soup.
How to store: Store any leftover sweet chili chicken bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, heat on the stove over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until warmed through. If the sauce has thickened up too much, add a little water to thin it out.

More Asian-Inspired Chicken Recipes

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Sheet Pan Nachos

Oven-baked loaded sheet pan nachos are a crowd pleaser for an easy weeknight dinner or an crave-worthy appetizer to serve on game day. Arrange layers of tortilla chips, ground beef, beans, corn, black olives, and cheese in a sheet pan, bake, and load up with the best nacho toppings like tomatoes, jalapeños, and sour cream. Every bite of these sheet pan nachos are savoury, a little spicy, and packed with so much flavour. The best part? You can make it in under 30 minutes.

It really just takes a few simple steps to throw this meal together. Plus, it's completely customizable with your favourite ingredients. You can switch up the protein, the cheese, and the toppings. I love serving adding Easy Guacamole and Pico de Gallo Chunky Salsa to my toppings or on the side for extra dipping. Or make it a complete Mexican-inspired fiesta with Fish Tacos with Lime Crema, Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema Slaw, or Baked Chicken Quesadillas.

Ingredients

To make easy sheet pan nachos, you will need the following ingredients:

ground beef - cooked with olive oil and garlic, and seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne (optional). You can try this with other protein such as shredded chicken, steak or pulled pork, or leave the beef completely out for a vegetarian version.
tortilla chips
black beans - one 15 ounce can of black beans, or cook ¾ cup of dry black beans.
corn kernels
black olives
cheese - any melty cheese will work. I used both white cheddar cheese and yellow cheddar cheese. Cheddar cheese and Monterrey Jack, or a Tex Mex cheese blend are great alternatives.
toppings - Add whatever toppings that you like. I used tomatoes, jalapeños, green onions and sour cream. Some other toppings to add are avocados, guacamole, red onions, cilantro, ranch or spicy ranchera sauce.

You will also need a non-stick skillet and a half sheet baking pan.

How to Make the Best Sheet Pan Nachos

Cook the ground beef. Heat oil in a skillet for 2 minutes over medium high heat until the hot oil sizzles and shimmers. Add ground beef and garlic. Stir well to cook for 5-7 minutes until browned. Make sure to break up beef into small pieces to help even browning. Stir in seasoning including salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper (optional) until well combined. Set aside.
Bake the nachos with toppings. Arrange tortilla chips evenly on a half sheet pan. Sprinkle cooked beef, black beans, corn, black olives and cheese evenly on top. Bake in a 400 F preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until the melted cheese turns golden brown and bubbly.

Serve with additional toppings. Serve immediately and top with tomatoes, jalapeno, and green onions. Drizzle sour cream on top.

Storing Instructions

How to store: Transfer nachos to an airtight container and store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
How to reheat: Transfer nachos to a sheet pan and heat at 350 F for 5-10 minutes until crispy. I like to add extra cheese when I reheat because we usually finish the really cheesy pieces in the first round.

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Basil Pesto

Fresh homemade basil pesto is vibrant, colourful, flavourful and extremely easy to make at home with just a handful of ingredients and in just 5 minutes. Once you try homemade, you might never go back to store-bought pesto again. Stir it into a big bowl of pasta or serve it on just about anything from meat to bread.

Adding pesto to pasta makes for a super quick and easy dinner, like Pesto Penne Pasta or Avocado Basil Pesto Spaghetti. You can also add it to many other dishes including pizza, sandwiches, salad, or meat and vegetables to give your meal and instant fresh flavour that just can't be replicated with store-bought pesto. It's fresh, herby, garlicky and just so delicious. So make lots because pesto also freezes well.

Ingredients

To make basil pesto, you need to gather the following ingredients:

fresh basil leaves
garlic
pine nuts - you can also substitute with most other nuts such as sunflower seeds, almonds, pepitas, cashews, walnuts, or peanuts. The flavour will be different but still delicious.
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
lemon juice
extra virgin olive oil - use high quality olive oil for the best flavour and results.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons and a food processor. You could use a blender instead but the consistency will not be the same. Traditionally, pesto is made in a mortar and pestle, but you can replicate the texture and consistency well with a food processor.

How to Make the Best Basil Pesto

Homemade basil pesto is so easy to make in just a couple of steps:

Combine ingredients. In a food processor, add basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan. Pulse mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Then, add salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Add in olive oil. Slowly pour in olive oil while mixing on low speed until fully combined. You can stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor occasionally to help mix evenly.
Serve. Transfer the pesto sauce into a bowl and serve immediately. You can serve with extra olive oil on top.

How to Use Homemade Basil Pesto

You can use homemade basil pesto in so many ways:

Pasta - homemade pesto is most commonly used as a pasta sauce that can be mixed into any kind of pasta or zucchini noodles.
Pizza - use it as a topping on your favourite pizza.
Sandwiches - spread it onto a sandwich or grilled cheese to instantly elevate the flavour.
Meat - use it as a marinade or a sauce and drizzle over your favourite piece of steak, roasted chicken, or fish.
Vegetables - drizzle it over roasted vegetables.
Salad - use it a dressing and add it to your favourite salad.
Dip - serve it as is, as a dip or spread it over some toasted crostini or other crusty bread.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to store: Store basil pesto sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
How to freeze: Store basil pesto in an airtight container or freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can also portion out the pesto into an ice cube mold and freeze. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag.

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50 Chinese New Year Recipes

Let's be real, Chinese New Year (or lunar new year) is all about the food. We have rounded up our 50 best and most popular Chinese New Year recipes from main course dishes, noodles and rice, side dishes and dim sum, and everything in between. So if you're wondering what to make for Chinese New Year, then you have come to the right place! You will find some classics as well as some new favourites to try this year.

What is Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year falls on the Lunar New Year and is the celebration of the new year in accordance with the traditional lunar calendar. It is the biggest holiday in China with celebrations lasting for weeks. Some of the traditions that fall during the new year are enjoying delicious food with family and friends, gifting red pockets (money in red paper envelopes), and lighting firecrackers. The Lunar New Year is celebrated in many other Asian countries as well.

Chinese New Year Main Course Recipes

Chinese Hot Pot at Home

Chinese hot pot at home is a warm, comforting social meal to enjoy with family or a small group of friends for Chinese New Year. It's delicious, easy to prepare, and customizable.

Lion's Head Chinese Meatballs

Lion's Head Chinese Meatballs are tender and juicy homemade pork meatballs packed with Asian seasonings and tossed in a sweet and sticky sauce.

Black Cod with Black Bean Sauce

Flaky, oily, and tender air fryer cod with black bean sauce is bursting with flavour and takes less than 20 minutes to make. The perfect Chinese New Year dinner.

Flaky, oily, and tender air fryer cod with black bean sauce is bursting with flavour and takes less than 20 minutes to make. The perfect weeknight dinner. | aheadofthyme.com

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Char siu (Chinese BBQ pork) is a delicious, flavorful, traditional roasted pork dinner slathered in a distinct sticky, sweet, savory barbecue sauce glaze. A classic Lunar New Year dish.

Tigers Prawns in Garlic Ginger Soy Sauce

10-minute tiger prawns in garlic ginger soy sauce is juicy, tender and immersed in incredible Asian flavours. It's the perfect weeknight meal.

Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao chicken is a Chinese chicken dish that is stir-fried with crisp vegetables and tossed in a delicious Asian sauce packed with flavour.

Mapo Tofu

Mapo tofu is quick, easy, delicious, flavorful, spicy, and numbing that is ready in just 20 minutes. Serve it with steamed rice on busy weeknights.

Instant Pot Chinese Braised Pork

Instant Pot Chinese Braised Pork (Hong Shao Rou) is tender, juicy, flavorful, and easy to make in a pressure cooker. Try this Shanghai dinner at home today!

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Beef and broccoli stir fry is a classic Chinese-American dish that is delicious, savory, hearty, and saucy. Better than takeout and ready in 25 minutes.

Honey Glazed Roast Pork

Easy one pan honey glazed roast pork is moist, tender, and juicy, coated with an irresistible honey glaze and packed with potatoes, green beans and apples.

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ) Chicken

Sweet sticky and savoury Char Siu (Chinese BBQ) chicken is a delicious dinner packed with classic Asian flavours with incredible flavour. One of my favourite Chinese New Year recipes.

Asian Five-Spice Roast Turkey

Asian five-spice roast turkey is tender and juicy, marinated with a delicious flavourful Asian rub and has a crispy brown skin. The perfect holiday dinner to include in your list of Chinese New Year recipes.

Ginger and Scallion Dungeness Crab

Ginger and scallion Dungeness crab is the ultimate Asian seafood experience stir-fried to perfection and coated with intense flavours.

Healthy Lemon Chicken

Better than takeout, healthy lemon chicken is a delicious, sticky chicken stir fry coated in a flavourful, sweet and tangy sauce. The best weeknight dinner.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and sour pork is a delicious, quick and easy Chinese stir fry that takes just 30 minutes to make. Serve this homemade takeout over steamed rice.

Air Fryer Jumbo Shrimp

10-minute air fryer jumbo shrimp is juicy and tender on the inside, and crispy on the outside. It's so flavourful and garlicky with Asian seasonings.

General Tso's Chicken

Baked General Tso's Chicken is a saucy, savoury, sweet, spicy Chinese-American takeout favourite made healthier with baked chicken, not fried.

Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

Better than takeout garlic shrimp stir fry is saucy, sticky, flavorful, and delicious. It's quick and easy to make in 15 minutes and great for meal prep.

Spicy Cumin Lamb

Juicy and tender, Xinjiang spicy cumin lamb skewers with a bold cumin and cayenne marinade, are so flavourful and easy to make on the grill or air fryer.

Cashew Chicken

Cashew chicken is a quick and easy chicken stir fry ready in under 30 minutes. It's flavorful, delicious, and so much better and faster than takeout.

Seared Scallops

Garlicky, buttery, and perfectly seared scallops take less than 10 minutes to prep and cook. It's the easiest fancy, restaurant-grade meal to make at home.

Orange Chicken

Chinese Takeout Orange Chicken is a quick, easy, delicious meal ready in 30 minutes. It's healthier than takeout - can be pan-fried, air fried, or baked.

Glazed Honey Balsamic Pork Chops

Quick and easy, glazed honey balsamic pork chops are tender and juicy, seared in thyme and coated with a honey balsamic sauce. Make it in under 30 minutes.

Coconut Lamb Curry

Hearty coconut lamb curry is an easy one pot meal that is packed with flavour. Make it on the stovetop or in the slow cooker and freeze leftovers for later.

Baked Sesame Chicken

Better than takeout, baked sesame chicken with vegetables is delicious, flavourful, sticky and saucy. This healthier Chinese dish is quick and easy to make.

Air Fryer Lamb Chops

Juicy, tender, and delicious 18-minute air fryer lamb chops is marinated in a dijon sauce and will change the way you cook lamb forever.

Orange Chicken Skewers

Flame-kissed, sticky and saucy, grilled orange chicken skewers with a rich, citrus-based marinade are delicious, juicy and so tender. Best weeknight dinner.

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb

This delicious garlic and herb-crusted rack of lamb is tender, juicy, and flavourful. It is surprisingly quick and easy to make at home in about 30 minutes.

Coconut Curry Beef Stew

Warm and cozy, easy one pot coconut curry beef stew is hearty yet creamy, packed with tender beef chunks, potatoes and carrots, and creamy coconut milk.

Pan-fried Garlic Prawns with Soy Sauce

Quick and easy, pan-fried garlic prawns with soy sauce, garlic, and green onions is a simple but flavourful Chinese stir-fry made in under 15 minutes.

Instant Pot Asian Oxtail Stew

Instant Pot Oxtail Stew is filling, nourishing, flavorful, and satisfying. This Asian stew is easy to make in the pressure cooker and is freezer-friendly.

Noodles and Rice Recipes

Steamed Rice

Learn how to make steamed rice that's perfectly cooked, fluffy and delicious in 30 minutes. Cook white rice on the stove, rice cooker, or instant pot.

Vegetarian Fried Rice

Say goodbye to takeout and make flavourful, Chinese restaurant-style vegetarian fried rice at home in 10 minutes, with fully customizable ingredients.

Shanghai Style Fried Noodles

Better than take-out, flavourful and authentic Shanghai fried noodles with chicken, mushrooms, and bok choy is made in just 10 minutes - the easiest dinner!

Spicy Dan Dan Noodles

Toss thin wheat noodles in a spicy chili oil sauce and top with seasoned ground beef to make numbing, spicy Sichuan Dan Dan noodles in under 15 minutes.

Seafood Fried Rice

Quick and easy, one-pan, 10-minute seafood fried rice with tiger prawns is so much healthier, tastier and better than takeout. It's the easiest weeknight meal.

Beef Noodle Stir Fry

This beef noodle stir fry is the 20-minute dinner that you have been looking for - quick and easy, delicious and flavorful, and so much better than takeout.

Hand-Pulled Noodles

Hand-pulled noodles (la mian 拉面) are springy, chewy and delicious traditional homemade noodles that are rolled and stretched into long strips.

Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles

Better than takeout, flavourful stir-fried spicy cumin lamb noodles is packed with marinated lamb, noodles, and crisp bean sprouts. Make it in 15 minutes.

Chicken Chow Mein

Chicken Chow Mein is a classic Chinese noodle dish that is quick and easy to make at home in 20 minutes - faster, healthier, and better than takeout.

Stir-Fried Rice Cakes with Shrimp

Better than takeout, stir-fried rice cakes with shrimp, bok choy, and bean sprouts in a delicious peanut butter sauce is a quick 10-minute one pan meal.

Turkey Fried Rice

Leftover turkey fried rice with turkey, fluffy rice, scrambled eggs, vegetables, and classic Asian seasonings is a one skillet meal made in just 10 minutes.

Stir-fried Rice Noodle Rolls with Peanut Butter Sauce

Better than takeout, quick and easy one pan stir-fried rice noodle rolls with peanut butter sauce is the best weeknight stir fry, ready in under 10 minutes.

Cold Noodles with Peanut Butter Sauce

Easy vegan Shanghai style cold noodles tossed in peanut butter sauce with fresh vegetables and Asian seasonings, are flavourful and ready in 10 minutes.

Zongzi Sticky Rice Dumplings

Zongzi Chinese tamales (粽子) or sticky rice dumplings are stuffed with sticky rice, pork belly, and shiitake mushrooms, wrapped inside reed or bamboo leaves.

Pork Noodles

Pork Noodles is a quick and easy stir fry ready in just 20 minutes (including prep!). It's filling, delicious, flavorful, and better than takeout.

Scallion Oil Noodles

Shanghai scallion oil noodles (葱油拌面) is a flavourful, simple noodle dish that is easy to make homemade with 6 ingredients in under 10 minutes.

Lo Mein Noodles

Say goodbye to takeout and make easy Lo Mein Noodles at home, packed with fresh veggies and healthy ingredients, in less than 15 minutes!

Curry Chicken Fried Rice

Flavourful curry chicken fried rice with chicken, mushrooms, peas, rice, and curry flavours is so easy to make in less than 10 minutes on busy weeknights.

Chinese Side Dishes and Appetizers

Roasted Garlic Green Beans (Air Fryer or Oven)

Quick easy roasted garlic green beans are tangy, sour, savoury, and sweet, with a tender and crunchy texture. Make them in the oven or air fryer in minutes.

Pork Dumplings

Homemade pork dumplings are quick and easy to make, with perfect crispy bottoms and a tender, juicy pork filling inside. Easy to meal prep and freeze well.

Air Fryer Short Ribs

Air fryer short ribs are crispy, flavorful, and delicious. The easy marinade ensures they're tender and juicy inside, while the air fryer makes them crispy.

Stir-fried Lotus Root with Green Onions

Stir-fried lotus root is a classic Chinese stir fry dish that makes for an excellent vegan side dish at your dinner table.

Crispy Bottom Shanghai Pan-Fried Pork Buns

Crispy bottom Shanghai pan-fried pork buns are crunchy on the bottom and fluffy and airy inside with a juicy and flavourful pork and spring onions filling. They are one of the most popular dim sum recipes in Shanghai.

Spring Vegetable Stir Fry

Quick and easy spring vegetable stir fry is made with delicious seasonal vegetables, packed with savoury and salty flavour, and takes 10 minutes to cook.

Crispy Fried Vegetarian Spring Rolls

Better than takeout, light and crispy fried vegetarian spring rolls are packed with a tender mushroom and cabbage vegetarian filling in a crunchy skin.

Shanghai Style Vegetarian Steamed Buns

Homemade Shanghai style vegetarian steamed buns is spongy with a juicy, flavourful bok choy and mushroom filling inside bursting with Asian flavours.

Tofu and Mushroom Stir Fry

Quick, easy, and simple, vegan tofu and mushroom stir fry is a delicious meal that is ready in under 15 minutes. Serve it over a bowl of steamed rice.

Chinese Garlic Cucumber Salad

Light, refreshing and crisp Chinese garlic cucumber salad is a quick and easy, simple salad tossed in an Asian dressing and packed with a ton of flavour.

Beef Potstickers (Dumplings)

Homemade Chinese beef potstickers (dumplings) are crispy on the outside and tender and juicy inside packed with a delicious beef filling.

Air Fryer Vegetable "Stir-Fry" with Tofu

Simple air fryer spring vegetable "stir-fry" with tofu is the ultimate easy dinner ready in less than 10 minutes. It's healthy, vegan and gluten-free.

Crispy Bottom Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns (No Yeast)

Crispy bottom pan-fried fried vegetable buns (no yeast) are crunchy outside yet tender inside with a mushroom, carrot and vermicelli vegetarian filling.

Steamed Scallion Buns

Steamed scallion buns (hua juan 花卷) are delicious flower rolls made of a light and fluffy dough layered with green onions that is twisted and steamed.

Shrimp Egg Rolls

Better than takeout, shrimp egg rolls are a delicious, flavourful and easy appetizer to make. They can be deep fried, baked or air fried.

Mini Egg Tarts

Mini egg tarts with a flaky buttery crust and silky smooth rich egg custard filling are a delicious Hong Kong pastry served as dessert with dim sum.

Cranberry Pumpkin Steamed Buns

Cranberry pumpkin steamed buns (baozi) are light, spongy, and fluffy Chinese buns packed with colourful cranberries and pumpkin puree for the best flavour.

For more dim sum recipes, browse our top 25 best dim sum recipes.

Chinese New Year Dinner Tips

Plan your menu ahead of time. You can prepare some of these Chinese New Year recipes in advance. Some can stored in an airtight container for a few days in the refrigerator, and some can even be frozen, according to recipe directions.
Prep your ingredients as much as possible. Once you have decided on the dishes to serve, prepare as much as you can in advance, whether that is chopping ingredients or prepping the dish and storing in the refrigerator until ready for the oven. Any little bit that you can prepare in advance will make things much less stressful on the day.
Set the table the night before. Take out the fancy dinnerware, flatware, glasses, placemats, and napkins and set the table the night before. It's one less thing to worry about on Chinese New Year.

Did You Make Any of These Popular Chinese New Year Recipes?

Please leave a comment and rating below, and let me know what you thought of this round up of Chinese new year recipes. Be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.

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Goat Cheese and Tangelo Winter Salad

It's finally a new year which means that we are all ready for a fresh start to tackle those new years resolutions. One of the top things on most of our lists is to try to eat a little healthier. So what better way to start the year than with a fresh goat cheese and tangelo winter salad with creamy dressing?

The flavour combinations in this healthy and light winter salad are just impeccable. Sweet, tangy goat cheese offers a creamy contrast that pairs with and plays off the tangelos amazingly well. They're paired together with crunchy, thinly sliced radishes, that add a pop of colour as well as a slightly spicy bite, which is why a creamy dressing works really wonders here.

What I love about a salad is that they are completely customizable. You can switch up the greens, the fruit and the dressing and you have something completely different. Some of my other favourites to make in the winter months are Winter Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Mandarin Orange Salad, and Apple Walnut Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Tangelo Winter Salad Ingredients

To make this goat cheese and tangelo winter salad, you will need the following ingredients:

baby romaine lettuce - or any spring mixed greens)
tangelos - tangelos are a winter citrus fruit that, depending on where you live, are in season between December and February, peaking in January. So you should be able to start spotting these at your local grocery store. Tangelos might look like an orange, but they have a much more sour taste, which is not surprising given that they are a hybrid of tangerines and grapefruit.
radishes
goat cheese
salt and pepper
caesar dressing - I used my favourite homemade caesar, but you can switch this out with any creamy dressing you've got on hand. What makes the salad really pop is adding a bit of the leftover tangelo juice to the dressing. It creates this subtle, fruity flavour that I just love. And I have a feeling you will too.

You can also add some protein to this tangelo winter salad. Try some shredded leftover roast chicken (or store-bought rotisserie chicken), baked maple salmon, or grilled shrimp.

How to Make the Best Goat Cheese and Tangelo Winter Salad with Creamy Dressing

Arrange the lettuce. Divide romaine lettuce equally between 6 plates, or arrange on one large platter.
Prepare the tangelos. Supreme the tangelos by trimming off both ends so they will stand up easily on a cutting board. Using a sharp pairing knife, begin cutting from the top of the fruit down to the bottom, following the shape of the fruit, removing only the pith. Carefully slice the segments out, following the natural lines of the membranes which divide each segment. Place tangelo supremes in a small bowl. Squeeze the remaining juice from the membrane into a separate small bowl and set aside.
Assemble the salad. Layer the tangelos, sliced radishes, and goat cheese on top of the romaine lettuce. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Prepare the dressing. Combine caesar dressing (or other creamy dressing) with remaining juice from the tangelos, one teaspoon at a time. Whisk thoroughly, taste, and add more juice as needed to add a subtle tangelo flavour. Serve salad with dressing drizzled on top or on the side.

How to Serve Goat Cheese and Tangelo Winter Salad

Enjoy this feel good (and good for you!) tangelo winter salad with a crusty French baguette alongside your favourite light entrée such as a warm and cozy bowl of soup. It pairs really nicely with light cream of broccoli soup or creamy tomato potato soup.

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Char Siu (Chinese BBQ) Chicken

Sweet, sticky, and savoury, Char Siu (Chinese BBQ) chicken is a delicious chicken dinner packed with classic Asian flavours with incredible depth of flavour. The honey in the sticky glaze creates a beautiful caramelization colour that is iconic on a Char Siu and fermented red beans adds that distinct red colour. Plus, making it at home just tastes so much better than takeout. Marinate it ahead of time and bake it in the oven in just 40 minutes. It's the best dinner on busy weeknights or on any night of the week.

If you like barbecue pork belly, then you will love this chicken version with the same classic Cantonese flavours that will fill your kitchen with the best smells. Serve this Char Sui chicken over a bowl of steamed rice or fried rice with the pan drippings on top, and a Chinese cucumber salad or stir-fried vegetables on the side.

Ingredients in Char Siu Chicken

To make Char Siu chicken, you will need the following ingredients:

chicken - boneless chicken breast or thighs. I used skinless chicken but you can keep the skin on if you prefer.
hoisin sauce
honey
vegetable oil
dark soy sauce
garlic
ground black pepper
fermented red bean curd - this is optional but it's what gives the Char Siu it's iconic red colouring.
sesame seeds - for garnish.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, large ziploc bag or mixing bowl, and a roasting pan (or a quarter sheet baking pan with a wire rack).

How to Make the Best Char Siu (Chinese BBQ) Chicken

Marinate the chicken. Pat dry chicken breasts (or thighs) completely with a paper towel before adding seasoning. Transfer the chicken to a ziploc bag and add in hoisin sauce, honey, vegetable oil, dark soy sauce, and garlic. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Press the marinate around the chicken to coat and place in the fridge to marinate at least 1 hour or overnight.
Roast the chicken. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a roasting pan (or quarter sheet baking pan) with aluminum foil and place the wire rack on top. Arrange the chicken on top of the wire rack. (You can add a cup of water to the bottom of the baking pan to keep the pan from smoking due to the pan drippings getting burnt). Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through baking.
Make the extra glaze. In a small bowl, whisk to combine hoisin sauce, honey, fermented red bean curd and black pepper. The extra Char Siu sauce adds a beautiful caramelizing glaze on the chicken from the browning of the sugar during baking.
Apply the glaze. Remove the chicken from the oven and generously apply the Char Siu sauce over each piece with a silicone brush and place back in the oven for another 3 minutes. Flip the chicken, apply Char Siu sauce again on the other side and bake for another 3 minutes. The internal temperature for the chicken should reach 165 F when measured on a meat thermometer.
Broil. Apply additional char siu sauce, if desired. Turn the broiler on high and broil the chicken for an additional 2-3 minutes to achieve a caramel brown colour and until the edges of the chicken become slightly charred.
Serve. Serve with a bowl of steamed rice and sprinkle sesame seeds for garnish.

How to Store

Store any leftover Char Siu (Chinese BBQ) chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, heat on the stove over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until warmed through. The sauce may have thickened up a bit when stored, so add a little water to thin it out, as needed.

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Beef Potstickers (Dumplings)

Better than takeout, homemade Chinese beef potstickers (dumplings) are crispy on the outside and tender and juicy inside packed with a delicious and flavourful savoury beef filling. This popular Chinese dim sum snack is easier to make at home than you think. Plus, these dumplings are freezer-friendly so you can wrap a big batch and freeze the extras for a quick meal on another day.

What are Potstickers?

Potstickers are Chinese dumplings made with round dumpling wrappers that are filled with a juicy filling consisting of different types of meat and vegetables such as beef and celery, chicken and shrimp, or completely vegetarian as in egg and chive dumplings. They can be traditionally pleated to seal in the filling as in these pork potstickers, or simply folded in half with the edges crimped (like we do here).

Potstickers are given their name because of the way that they are cooked. First, they are fried in oil to get their iconic golden crispy bottoms, and then water is added to steam them until filling inside is cooked and soft.

Ingredients in Beef Potstickers

To make these beef potstickers, you will need the following ingredients:

ground beef
vegetables - green onions, carrots, corn, and peas. Feel free to substitute with different vegetables such as cabbage, green beans, bok choy or chives.
seasonings - fresh ginger, rice cooking wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, sugar, and salt.
round dumpling wrappers - we love making our own Homemade Dumpling Wrappers, but feel free to use store-bought for convenience.
vegetable oil and water - for "steam-frying".
black sesame seeds - for garnish.
green onions - for garnish.
vinegar dipping sauce - black vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onions.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, and a non-stick skillet.

How to Make the Best Beef Potstickers (Dumplings)

First, you will need to make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, add ground beef, green onions, ginger, cooking wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, sugar and salt. Stir with a silicone spatula until evenly combined. Add carrots, corn and peas until evenly mixed. Cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap and marinate for at least one hour in the refrigerator to soak in all the flavours.

How to Wrap Potstickers

Prepare a small bowl of water for dipping your fingers into.
Take one dumpling wrapper at a time and place it in your palm. Dip your finger into water and smear it along the edge of the wrapper.
Transfer a tablespoon of filling into the centre.
Fold the wrapper over into a half-moon shape, and enclose the filling inside.
Press the edges together to seal, or pleat the edges together with your finger. Place the dumpling on a parchment-lined baking tray. Cover with a tea towel to prevent the wrappers from drying out.
Repeat with all dumplings.

How to Cook Potstickers

Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet until hot, about 3 minutes. Place a batch of 12-15 dumplings on the pan and place them approximately ½-inch apart to make sure that they don't stick together. Cook for 3 minutes until the bottom turns golden brown. (To get all sides crispy rather than just the bottom like we did, then cook on both sides until golden and crispy).
Add water into the pan to cover half of the dumplings' height (½-inch deep). The water should start sizzling and boiling immediately. Cover with the lid and cook for 7-8 minutes until almost all the water has evaporated.
Remove the lid and lower the temperature to medium heat. Cook for another 2 minutes until all water has been absorbed. The bottom of the dumplings should be crispy.
Repeat the same steps for another batch of 12-15 dumplings.

PRO TIP: To make steamed dumplings instead of potstickers, simply place the uncooked dumplings on a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water. Steam for 15-20 minutes until tender.

Video on How to Make Potstickers

How to Serve Beef Potstickers

In a small bowl, make the vinegar dipping sauce by combining black vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and green onions. You can also add some Sriracha for a spicy kick.

Transfer the crispy dumplings onto a plate and sprinkle some black sesame seeds and green onions on top. Serve with a side of homemade vinegar dipping sauce or spicy chili oil.

Freezing Instructions

How to freeze dumplings: Place the dumplings in a single layer on large half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for one hour and then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container and use as desired.
How to cook from frozen: You can cook these dumplings straight from the freezer. Follow the same steps in this recipe, but when you cover and cook until the water has evaporated, then add another ¼ cup of water and cover. Keep cooking until water almost evaporates, about 5 more minutes.

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Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

Easy pepperoni pizza rolls are extra crispy on the bottom, tender and chewy on the inside, packed with pepperoni and cheese, and baked until bubbly. Serve with a side of marinara sauce or your favourite pizza sauce for dipping. These pizza rolls are a family favourite and a total crowd-pleaser, so you may want to make a double batch because these will disappear quick!

Once you try pizza rolls, you might never have pizza any other way. I love handheld portions which is also great for meal prep. These pepperoni pizza rolls, like homemade calzones, freeze really well and are perfect for meal prepping lunches or snacks throughout the week.

Ingredients

To make pepperoni pizza rolls, you will need the following ingredients:

pizza dough - made with all-purpose flour, salt, water, instant yeast, sugar and olive oil. I always recommend homemade pizza dough for the best flavour and texture, but you can easily use store-bought pizza dough and cut the time on this recipe down to just 30 minutes, from prep to mouth.
pizza sauce - you can use homemade pizza sauce or store-bought. You can also use marinara sauce.
mozzarella cheese
pepperoni - about 24 pepperoni slices or you can also use salami.
cornmeal - using cornmeal optional but is recommended. Coating the bottom of the pizza rolls with some cornmeal creates a crispy crunchy crust at the bottom, helps seal in the cheese, and keeps the rolls from sticking to the baking tray.
olive oil - to brush the top of the pizza rolls for a crispier crust (also optional).
for garnish - Parmesan cheese and parsley.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons (or a kitchen scale), mixing bowl, and a half sheet baking pan.

How to Make the Best Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

Make the dough. Whisk together flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar and olive oil. Whisk to dissolve and pour it into flour mixture. Stir well with a silicone spatula to combine until no dry flour is visible in the bowl. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes to develop gluten naturally. Knead with your hands until the dough is smooth, about 7-10 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Shape the dough and add toppings. Transfer pizza dough onto a lightly oiled surface and gently flatten into a 10x14-inch rectangle using a rolling pin. Spread pizza sauce on top. Then, sprinkle mozzarella evenly and add pepperoni slices on top (or any desired toppings).

Shape the pizza rolls. Roll up the dough tightly lengthwise into a log and pinch the end edges to seal. Cut the rolled dough into 12 even pieces using a knife or bench scraper, about 1-inch wide each.
Coat with cornmeal. Place cornmeal on a shallow plate and dip the bottom of each roll into the cornmeal. Cornmeal is optional but recommended. It keeps the rolls from sticking to the baking tray and helps create an extra crispy bottom. Arrange the rolls flat, with cornmeal side down on a large half sheet baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush a little bit of oil over the rolls for crispier crusts.

Bake. Bake in a 400F preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Let the pizza rolls cool for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and parsley on top and serve warm with pizza sauce for dipping.

How to Serve Pizza Rolls

Serve these pizza rolls with a side of pizza sauce or marinara sauce for dipping. I also always pair anything pizza-inspired with a big bowl of salad to balance everything out. My favourite salads to serve with pepperoni pizza rolls are Greek salad, Mediterranean orzo pasta salad, cucumber and tomato salad or Mediterranean chickpea wedge salad.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to make ahead: Roll up the pizza dough with the toppings and wrap tightly with plastic cling wrap (before slicing). Store in the refrigerator for up to one day. When ready to bake, slice the roll and bake according to recipe instructions.
How to store: Once cooled, transfer the pizza rolls to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
How to freeze: Once cooled, transfer the pizza rolls to an airtight container or freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to reheat: To reheat, heat in a 350 F preheated oven for up to 10 minutes until warmed through, in the air fryer for up to 5 minutes, or for up to 25 minutes if reheating from frozen. You can also reheat thawed pizza rolls in the microwave.

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Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti carbonara (or Spaghetti a la Carbonara) is a simple and classic Italian pasta that is quick and easy to make in just minutes. Freshly cooked spaghetti is tossed in a delicious creamy Parmesan sauce with pieces of flavourful pancetta (or bacon) throughout. It's a delicious and comforting pasta that is perfect for busy weeknights when you just don't know what to make.

Spaghetti carbonara is seriously one of the easiest and fastest pasta dishes I have ever made. It pretty much ties with these other quick favourites: avocado basil pesto spaghetti, stovetop mac and cheese with white cheddar, and shrimp fettuccine alfredo pasta bake. All take about 20 minutes or less to make.

Ingredients in Spaghetti Carbonara

To make easy spaghetti carbonara, you need the following simple ingredients:

spaghetti noodles - spaghetti is traditionally used, but any long pasta will work. I often use linguine.
pancetta - pancetta is traditionally used in carbonara, but you can also use bacon. Both add a delicious salty flavour to the pasta.
garlic - adds flavour, but it is not typically included in traditional carbonara and can be left out.
eggs - creates a rich creamy sauce which is cooked when tossed with the hot spaghetti.
Parmesan cheese - you can also use Pecorino Romano (which is traditionally used).
ground black pepper
fresh parsley - for garnish.

You will also need a cooking pot and a shallow saucepan.

How to Make the Best Spaghetti Carbonara

Cook the spaghetti. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium high heat. Add spaghetti noodles and cook until al dente (fully cooked but still firm) or according to package directions, about 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and set the pot aside.
Prepare the sauce. While cooking the spaghetti, prepare the sauce mixture by whisking together eggs, Parmesan cheese and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
Cook the pancetta. Sauté the pancetta or bacon (no cooking oil needed) in a shallow saucepan over medium high heat until crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute until fragrant.
Toss in the spaghetti. Turn off heat and transfer the hot spaghetti into the garlicky bacon in the saucepan. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot pasta water and stir vigorously to combine. A vigorous whisking emulsifies fat from the bacon and pasta water, creating the classic creamy carbonara.
Stir in the sauce. Stir in the egg-cheese mixture and toss to coat, about 1 minute. Egg yolk is also an emulsifier which further helps fat disperse throughout the liquid, making the sauce creamy.
Serve. Serve immediately on a plate and garnish with parsley and extra parmesan on top, if desired.

Tips

Do not drain or rinse the pasta. You want to keep all that starch on the pasta to help thicken the sauce and get the right consistency. Plus, you will need to use some of the pasta water in the sauce.
Stir vigorously while mixing the hot noodles together with pasta water into the pancetta. This emulsifies liquid and fat, creating a creamy consistency.
Turn off the heat when stirring in the egg-cheese sauce. The eggs are cooked when tossed in the hot pasta, but if the heat gets too high, the egg mixture will quickly solidify, turning into scrambled eggs.
How to customize. You could add in other cooked meat or vegetables if you want to mix things up. Some suggestions are chicken, shrimp or mushrooms.
How to store: Spaghetti carbonara is best served fresh. To store, transfer cooled spaghetti to an airtight container and store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat for a few minutes until warmed through. You may need to add a little water if the sauce has thickened up too much in the refrigerator.

How to Serve Spaghetti Carbonara

Serve spaghetti carbonara with a side of crusty garlicky bread such as pull apart garlic bread, rosemary garlic focaccia bread, or cheesy garlic dinner rolls. You can also pair it with a fresh salad on the side. Try an easy Greek salad, Mediterranean chickpea wedge salad, or tomato cucumber avocado salad.

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Majoon (Banana and Date) Smoothie

This majoon (banana and date) smoothie is a delicious and healthy, all-natural energy drink made with banana, dates, and nuts, and packed with nutrients. It's the perfect breakfast or post-workout snack. It tastes so good that it almost feels like dessert.

I first tried this Persian-style majoon date shake at a local health store and fell in love. It kept me full for hours, it's packed with energy and nutrients to help you start your day, it's healthy and so good for you, and it's naturally sweetened with no added sugar. So of course I had to go home and recreate it like asap.

Ingredients in a Majoon Smoothie

banana - use a ripe banana for the best flavour and sweetness.
dates - pitted Medjool dates are best in this recipe for their sweetness, but you can also substitute this with any type of date that you have on hand.
nuts - I used walnuts and pistachios, but you can use a combination of other nuts as well, such as almonds or pecans.
milk - I used almond milk, but any kind of milk works. Try dairy milk, oat milk, or cashew milk.
ground cinnamon
vanilla extract - adds flavour. Use a non-alcoholic vanilla extract if you have it, otherwise you can leave this out.
ice

You will also need a measuring cups and spoons and a blender.

How to Make the Best Majoon (Banana and Date) Smoothie

Place all the ingredients (banana, dates, walnuts, pistachios, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and ice) into a heavy duty blender.
Blend on high until smooth, about 45-60 seconds.
Divide between two large glasses or 4 cups, and serve immediately.

Tips

How to customize: You can customize this smoothie by using different kinds of nuts or nut butters, adding in some shredded coconut, or sweetening it more with maple syrup or honey, if desired.
Add toppings: I love adding in some toppings to my smoothies such as granola, seeds, and slices of fruit. Some of my favourite homemade toppings are: gingerbread granola, pumpkin pie granola, and cinnamon apple granola.

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Homemade Pizza Dough

Good pizza starts with good pizza dough. This homemade pizza dough makes the best crisp pizza crust that is soft, airy, chewy, and flavourful. It is a perfect recipe for beginners to make because it is so easy with just 5 simple ingredients and 15 minutes of actual hands-on prep work. Once you try homemade pizza dough, it will be hard to go back to store-bought dough or even pizza delivery.

Easy and delicious homemade mushroom and arugula skillet pizza with a perfectly crispy pizza crust is topped with mushrooms, arugula, and mozzarella cheese. | aheadofthyme.com

This recipe seriously makes the best yeast-based pizza dough. If you bake sourdough and have a batch of sourdough starter going, you can also try our sourdough pizza dough and make some pretty amazing pizza too.

Ingredients

To make homemade pizza dough, you will need the following pantry staples:

all-purpose flour
yeast - I used instant yeast but active dry yeast works as well. You just have to let it sit in the water for a few minutes to activate it first.
all purpose flour
water - use lukewarm or cold water. Hot water will kill the yeast.
salt - adds flavour.
olive oil - adds flavour.

This easy homemade pizza dough makes the best crisp pizza crust that is soft, airy, chewy and flavourful. It's a perfect recipe for beginners. | aheadofthyme.com

How to Make the Best Homemade Pizza Dough

Make the dough. Whisk together flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Combine water, yeast and the olive oil in a small mixing bowl and pour it into flour mixture. Stir well with a silicone spatula to combine until no dry flour is visible in the bowl. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula.

Knead the dough. Transfer the dough mixture onto a clean and lightly greased surface. The oil will help keep the dough from sticking to your hands initially. You can even lightly oil your hands too. Knead with your hands until the dough is smooth and not sticky at all, about 5-10 minutes.

Tips for Kneading Dough

How to knead dough: Knead the dough by pushing it down and outward using the palms of your hands. Fold the dough in half toward you and press down. Repeat this motion by pushing the dough down and outward, and then folding over towards you. This helps build up gluten strength in dough that is responsible for making the bread fluffy.
How to test if dough is well-kneaded: A well-kneaded dough is smooth and can hold its shape. You can test the dough by giving it a firm poke with your finger. The indentation should bounce right back. If it doesn't bounce back and stays like a dimple, keep kneading for a few more minutes.

Shape the dough. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Lightly brush some oil over a large glass container and place each dough spaced apart. Lightly brush oil over the dough ball to prevent from being too sticky and losing moisture.
Let the dough rise. Cover the glass container and let the dough rest and rise for 2-3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. You can leave it in the refrigerator up to 2 days before use. However, you might find the dough starts to smell like alcohol from over fermentation but it's still edible. The dough balls will almost double in size.

How to Use Pizza Dough

You can use this homemade pizza dough to make any pizza that you can think of. Once you are ready to make your pizza, take the dough out of the refrigerator and transfer it onto a floured surface. It is unnecessary to bring the pizza dough to room temperature before cooking because cold dough is much easier to handle and shaped into pizza.

Turn the oven broiler to high, and heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Transfer pizza dough onto a floured surface. Gently press the pizza dough with your fingers into an 8-inch circle. Sprinkle some flour if needed to prevent stickiness. Once the skillet is hot, carefully place the flattened dough onto the skillet. Stretch out the dough a bit more to let it spread over the entire skillet.
Immediately add the pizza sauce and spread evenly over the pizza crust. Place sliced fresh mozzarella cheese and basil leaves evenly on top. Leave the pizza to cook on the skillet for 5 minutes or until the bottom of the crust starts to brown. Transfer the cast-iron skillet to the preheated broiler and cook for 3 minutes or until the crust is blistered and slightly charred. Keep your eye closely on the broil, because the intense heat can make pizza crust burn quite quickly.

You can also bake entirely in the oven as in our BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe.

Some of my favourite pizzas to make are Easy Skillet Neapolitan Margherita Pizza, 30-Minute BBQ Chicken Pizza, Mushroom and Arugula Skillet Pizza, Butter Chicken Pizza, Salami and Mushroom Skillet Pizza and Classic Roman Herbed Potato Pizza. Check them out for full instructions on how to cook the pizza dough.

Quick and easy skillet Neapolitan margherita pizza has an iconic thin and soft crust with a perfectly crisp exterior, and simple and fresh toppings. | aheadofthyme.com

How to Scale Up or Down (Baker's Percentage)

If you are planning to make more (or less) pizza dough, the easiest method to find out how the quantities of each ingredient that we need is what is known as baker's percentage. It's a quick way to helps us to immediately understand the type of dough or bread that we are working with, and to adjust quantities to easily scale the recipe up or down.

Each ingredient in a formula is expressed as a percentage of the flour weight, and the flour weight is always expressed as 100%. Simply multiply the total amount of flour to the percentage of each ingredient to get the amount you need for each ingredient.

The Baker's Percentage for this homemade pizza dough is as follows:

66.6% hydration
1% yeast
2% salt
3% oil

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to store pizza dough: Store the dough balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to freeze pizza dough: To freeze unbaked pizza dough, store each dough ball into separate freezer bags. Push out any air in the bags and seal. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw the dough in your refrigerator overnight or for 10-12 hours.

Quick, easy, delicious and saucy leftover butter chicken pizza with an ultra crispy pizza crust is made entirely in a cast-iron skillet in just 10 minutes. | aheadofthyme.com

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Shrimp Egg Rolls

Better than takeout, these shrimp egg rolls are delicious, flavourful and so easy to make at home. They are well seasoned and packed with shrimp (or prawns) and vegetables, and have the crispiest golden brown skin. The best part? They can be deep fried, baked or air fried AND they are freezer-friendly. So make a big batch of these appetizers and save the extras for an easy dinner another day.

What are Egg Rolls?

Egg rolls as a classic Chinese-American dish that developed from Chinese spring rolls years ago. They are fried rolls stuffed with delicious savoury filling inside including meat and vegetables. Egg rolls are traditionally served as an appetizer alongside some dipping sauce, but there is no reason why you can't eat a big batch for dinner.

Both egg rolls and spring rolls are made from wrappers made out of wheat flour, but the main difference is that egg roll wrappers are fortified with eggs, which results in a chewy and bubbly skin when deep frying.

Ingredients

To make shrimp egg rolls, you will need the following ingredients:

egg roll wrappers - You need one (25 piece) package of egg roll wrappers. Spring roll wrappers work as well but are less bubbly on the coating when deep fried.
shrimp or prawns - 1 lb. of shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed. To prepare the shrimp, cut through the shell along the back with kitchen scissors. Remove the shells and tails, and rinse to remove the veins. Pat dry each shrimp completely with a paper towel.
vegetables - cabbage, carrots, shiitake and mushrooms. You can easily use different vegetables such as beans sprouts or add in your favourite protein such as shredded chicken or beef. The key is to keep the filling thick like a paste, not too soupy or runny. If you find it too runny, drain the extra liquid or add cornstarch to thicken it up.
fresh ginger
all-purpose flour - or you can use cornstarch.
seasoning - chicken bouillon powder, brown sugar, ground black pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
cornstarch water - mix water with cornstarch and use for sealing the egg roll wrappers.
vegetable oil - for deep frying.
egg - optional for egg wash.
vinegar dipping sauce - rice vinegar, fish sauce, brown sugar, Thai chili pepper, ground black pepper, and cilantro.

How to Make the Best Shrimp Egg Rolls

First, make the filling. Coarsely cut peeled and deveined shrimp into small pieces on a clean chopping board (about ¼-inch thick).

Then combine the shrimp in a large mixing bowl, along with almost everything else -- cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, ginger, flour, chicken bouillon powder, brown sugar, pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir well to mix evenly, and drain off any excess liquid from the bowl. The filling should not be too wet as this can make the spring rolls soggy.

How to Wrap Egg Rolls

Place one egg roll wrapper diagonally (diamond shape) on a dry, clean flat surface. Keep the rest of the wrappers inside the package to prevent them from drying out.
Place up to 1.5 tablespoons of filling in a horizontal line near the centre of the wrapper placed approximately a quarter of the way up from the bottom, leaving about 2-inches uncovered on the side corners.
Fold up the bottom so that it covers the filling. The bottom corner should approximately touch the centre of the wrapper. Fold in the two side corners into the centre, folding over top.
Tightly roll the wrapper with your fingers until 1-2 inches remains on top. Lightly brush the remaining corner on top with cornstarch water (mix water with cornstarch in a small bowl) or dip your finger into the bowl and apply it to the top corner.
Roll up the egg roll tightly to seal like a burrito. Make sure all corners are tightly sealed. Place the top edge side down, and cover with a tea towel to prevent the egg rolls from drying out.
Repeat steps with remaining egg rolls. Brush egg wash over each roll if desired.

How to Cook Eggs Rolls

Deep Fry

Add cooking oil into a shallow saucepan and heat over high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the oil starts shimmering and sizzling. The oil should be about ½-inch deep or enough to almost submerge the egg rolls.
Add in a batch of 5-6 egg rolls and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Turn them over a few times so that both sides turn golden brown and cook evenly. Make sure to leave some space in between the egg rolls when deep frying.
Transfer the egg rolls onto a paper towel lined plate (to help soak in the extra oil) and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Repeat steps with remaining egg rolls.

Air Fry

Brush or spray some oil over the shrimp egg rolls and cook in the air fryer at 350 F for 7-8 minutes. Brush more oil on them halfway through. This is to help get that golden colour. It might not turn out as golden as it does when you deep fry, but it will be healthier, as you will be using a lot less oil.

Bake

Brush or spray cooking oil over the shrimp egg rolls and bake in a preheated 425 F oven for 15 minutes. Flip them over and continue to bake for another 10 minutes until crisp and golden.

How to Serve Shrimp Egg Rolls with Vinegar Dipping Sauce

To make the vinegar dipping sauce, combine vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, chili and cilantro in a small bowl. Stir well with a spoon to combine.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to store store egg rolls: Transfer cooled egg rolls into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, heat in a 350 F preheated oven or air fryer for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
How to freeze egg rolls: These freeze beautifully. I prefer to freeze the egg rolls after they have been cooked. Although you can freeze before cooking as well. To store, place the spring rolls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and freeze for one hour. Then, transfer them into a freezer bag or an airtight container, and use as desired.
How to cook frozen egg rolls. You can reheat or cook them directly from the freezer, without thawing. To reheat cooked frozen egg rolls, heat in a 350 F preheated oven or air fryer for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. To reheat uncooked frozen egg rolls, follow recipe instructions but add 5 minutes extra time.

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Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Sourdough sandwich bread is chewy with the perfect air holes inside, and has a crispy crust. It has a delicious signature sourdough taste. Like most sourdough bread, this bread takes just 10 minutes of actual prep work and no kneading. Although it does take longer for sourdough to rise versus traditional yeast, but it is easy to plan ahead and incorporate into your schedule.

We have had our sourdough starter going since the beginning of March and we love to bake with it almost every week. We usually go for an artisan loaf of bread like small batch sourdough bread, green olive artisan sourdough bread, or fruit and nut sourdough bread, but this week we had plans to head up to the mountains and needed to pack a few egg salad sandwiches. Sourdough sandwich bread was the perfect bread to use.

Ingredients

To make almost any sourdough bread, you will need the following ingredients:

sourdough starter - make your own sourdough starter using flour and water. It takes about 7 days to create a mature starter.
all-purpose flour
water
salt

You will also need a kitchen scale, mixing bowl, and 5x9 loaf pan (1 lb. loaf pan).

Need a sourdough starter? Start one today with my complete sourdough starter recipe and guide with frequently asked questions. You can start baking with your fully mature starter in just 7 days.

How to Make the Best Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Prepare the Dough + First Rise

In a large mixing bowl, add sourdough starter, all-purpose flour, salt and water. Whisk to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl (there should be no dry flour particles visible). Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for one hour. Resting helps build gluten strength naturally.
Apply some water on your hands and stretch and fold the dough in the bowl by folding the edges over to the centre, one edge at a time. Wet hands makes it easier to work with the dough and it should take you less than a minute to fold all 4 sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Since this wet dough is over 70% hydration and quite sticky, stretching and folding is a better technique to build gluten strength than kneading. Stretch and fold the dough again, cover, and let dough rest for another 30 minutes.
Drizzle and spread a little bit of oil over dough with your hands to help prevent it from drying out. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and continue to let the dough rest until it almost doubles in size. It takes about 4 to 6 hours for the dough to double in size, depending on room temperature.

Shape the Dough + Second Rise

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface. Flatten the dough into a 5x9-inch rectangle and roll it into a log. Pinch the edges together to seal. (Note that after the first rise, the dough becomes less sticky and easier to handle).
Transfer the rolled dough into a 5x9-inch loaf pan (1 lb. loaf pan) and press it down with the palm of your hand to spread it to cover the entire pan. This also helps distribute air bubbles evenly in dough when it rises
Cover the loaf pan with plastic cling wrap or seal it in a large Ziploc bag. Let the dough rise for the second time for 2 to 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator until it almost rises to the rim of the pan. I often let the dough slowly rise in the refrigerator overnight because bread from slow fermentation tastes better and it is easy to incorporate into your work schedule.

Bake the Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Once the loaf rises to the rim, it's ready for baking. (Note that sourdough bread normally doesn't rise as much as the yeast bread but it is capable of doubling in size). Transfer the loaf pan into a 400F preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown on top.

Remove the loaf out of the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before slicing, about 1 hour.

How to Serve

Sourdough sandwich bread is perfect for making toast like banana toast with granola and honey, or to make easy deli sandwiches like egg salad sandwich or a turkey sandwich.

Tips for Making and Storing Sourdough Bread

How to make sourdough starter: You will need 7 days create a fully mature starter using flour and water. Please refer to my sourdough complete starter guide for help. The guide also includes the top frequently asked questions.
How to store: Store sourdough sandwich bread covered in a bread basket at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Slice and toast in the toaster, oven or air fryer.
How to freeze: Wrap the bread tightly in plastic cling wrap and place into an airtight container or freezer bag, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing, I would recommend slicing the bread in half or in slices so that it is easy to reheat a slice or two at a time.
How to reheat: Toast the frozen sourdough slices in the toaster on the freezer setting, or let the bread thaw to to room temperature first and then reheat in the toaster, oven or air fryer.

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25 Best Dim Sum Recipes

We have rounded up 25 of the best and most popular Chinese dim sum recipes including potstickers and dumplings, steamed buns and spring rolls, and everything in between. So if you are wondering how to make dim sum at home this year, whether for a Chinese New Year dim sum party (even if it's virtual this year) or just because you are craving a delicious appetizer, you are in the right place.

Roundup of the most popular 25 best Chinese dim sum recipes including potstickers, dumplings, steamed buns, spring rolls and more appetizers. | aheadofthyme.com

What is Dim Sum?

Dim Sum is a traditional Chinese meal enjoyed over brunch that consists of a variety of small dishes in bite-sized portions served with hot tea. Dim sum is often eaten family-style, which means that the small dishes are passed around and shared at the table so everyone gets to try a little bit of everything. The most popular items on a dim sum menu include dumplings and steamed buns.

Best Dim Sum Dishes

Crispy Bottom Shanghai Pan-Fried Pork Buns

Beef Potstickers (Dumplings)

Homemade Chinese beef potstickers (dumplings) are crispy on the outside and tender and juicy inside packed with a delicious beef filling.

Spicy Chili Oil Wontons

Easy spicy chili oil wontons, a signature Sichuan dish ready in just 10 minutes, hits every sense of your palate — sour, spicy, sweet and nutty.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls

Better than takeout, light and crispy fried vegetarian spring rolls are packed with a tender mushroom and cabbage vegetarian filling in a crunchy skin.

Shanghai Style Vegetarian Steamed Buns

Homemade Shanghai style vegetarian steamed buns is spongy with a juicy, flavourful bok choy and mushroom filling inside bursting with Asian flavours.

Pork Dumplings

Homemade pork dumplings are quick and easy to make, with perfect crispy bottoms and a tender, juicy pork filling inside. Easy to meal prep and freeze well.

Crispy Bottom Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns (No Yeast)

Crispy bottom pan-fried fried vegetable buns (no yeast) are crunchy outside yet tender inside with a mushroom, carrot and vermicelli vegetarian filling.

Chicken and Cilantro Wontons

Learn how to make homemade chicken and cilantro wontons to celebrate Chinese new year with this easy to follow recipe and instructions on how to fold wontons.

Savoury Chive Pancakes with Sourdough Starter

Don't let your sourdough starter go to waste, use your discard to make this easy one bowl recipe for crispy, light and fluffy, savoury chive pancakes.

Pan-Fried Pork and Shrimp Wontons

Better than takeout pan-fried pork and shrimp wontons are so crispy outside and tender and juicy inside with a savoury pork, shrimp and vegetable filling.

Miso Garlic Chicken Wings

Baked miso garlic chicken wings are crispy, delicious, and easy to make. They're marinated in a savoury Asian marinade, and cooked in the oven or air fryer.

Pork and Sardine Dumplings (Potstickers)

Wrinkly crispy pork and sardine dumplings (potstickers) with vinegar dipping sauce, are filled with pork, canned sardines, green onions and Asian seasoning.

Shrimp Egg Rolls

Better than takeout, shrimp egg rolls are a delicious, flavourful and easy appetizer to make. They can be deep fried, baked or air fried.

Steamed Scallion Buns

Steamed scallion buns (hua juan 花卷) are delicious flower rolls made of a light and fluffy dough layered with green onions that is twisted and steamed.

Air Fryer Short Ribs

Air fryer short ribs are crispy, flavorful, and delicious. The easy marinade ensures they're tender and juicy inside, while the air fryer makes them crispy.

Egg and Chive Vegetarian Dumplings

Fragrant chives with fluffy scrambled eggs, and a dash of flavour come together to create the perfect appetizer — egg and chive vegetarian dumplings.

Zongzi Sticky Rice Dumplings

Zongzi Chinese tamales (粽子) or sticky rice dumplings are stuffed with sticky rice, pork belly, and shiitake mushrooms, wrapped inside reed or bamboo leaves.

Mini Meat Pies with Soy Sauce

Mini meat pies with soy sauce are flakey puff pastries stuffed with delicious and juicy meat inside marinated with Asian flavours.

Chinese Beef Dumplings with Celery

Easy-to-make Chinese beef dumplings with celery can be made in advance for a stress-free meal. Enjoy these steamed, boiled or pan-fried!

Chicken and Shrimp Dumplings

Easy to make chicken and shrimp dumplings can be steamed, boiled or fried and served with a side of soy sauce for dipping.

Cranberry Pumpkin Steamed Buns

Cranberry pumpkin steamed buns (baozi) are light, spongy, and fluffy Chinese buns packed with colourful cranberries and pumpkin puree for the best flavour.

Crispy Baked Asian Chicken Wings

You will be amazed by how crispy these baked Asian chicken wings turn out! We add sriracha for heat, honey for sweetness, and ginger to balance the flavours.

Vegetarian Lumpia (Spring Rolls)

Vegetarian lumpia recipe are delicious, crispy spring rolls packed with a flavourful savoury filling. They can be fried, baked or air fried.

Mini Egg Tarts

Mini egg tarts with a flaky buttery crust and silky smooth rich egg custard filling are a delicious Hong Kong pastry served as dessert with dim sum.

Storing Instructions

How to store: Dim sum is best served fresh. Store any leftover dim sum in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a steamer or air fryer (depending on the recipe).
How to freeze: Most of these recipes are freezer-friendly (either before cooking or after according to recipe instructions) and can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. For instance, you can make a big batch of dumplings and wontons, store in the freezer, and cook directly from frozen when ready to use.

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Did You Make Any of These Popular Chinese Dim Sum Recipes?

Please leave a comment and rating below, and let me know what you thought of this round up of Chinese dim sum recipes. Be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Don't forget to sign up for my email newsletter so that you don't miss any recipes. You can also follow along on Instagram and Pinterest for more recipe updates.

Baked Coconut Shrimp

Crispy baked coconut shrimp is a delicious healthy appetizer that is easy to make at home in about 30 minutes. Juicy jumbo shrimp are breaded in coconut flakes, panko breadcrumbs, and lots of seasoning. These popcorn shrimp are so flavourful, way better than takeout and much healthier because they are baked and not fried.

I love cooking with shrimp because they cook so quickly and are so flavourful. Baked coconut shrimp is the easiest finger food to serve with a side of homemade spicy mayo or sweet chili sauce, or turn it into a complete weeknight dinner with a side of steamed rice, air fryer french fries or baked sweet potatoes wedges.

Ingredients in Baked Coconut Shrimp

To make baked coconut shrimp, you will need the following ingredients:

large shrimp or prawns - about 1 lb. or 16 pieces, peeled and deveined.
coconut oil
Panko breadcrumbs
unsweetened shredded coconut
seasoning - garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
all-purpose flour - helps the eggs stick to the shrimp, and creates a nice crust.
eggs - helps the bread coating stick to the shrimp.
spicy mayo dipping sauce - made with mayonnaise and hot sauce.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, shallow saucepan, and half sheet baking pan.

How to Make the Best Baked Coconut Shrimp

Toast the breadcrumb coating. In a shallow saucepan, heat oil, breadcrumbs, and shredded coconut over medium heat. Stir constantly and toast until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in seasoning garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined and remove from heat. Transfer bread mixture to a shallow plate and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
Prepare the shrimp. Cut through the shell along the back with kitchen scissors. Remove the veins and the shells (keep the tails on). Rinse to remove the veins and pat dry each shrimp completely with a paper towel.
Dredge the shrimp. Prepare another shallow plate with flour, and another with the beaten eggs. Pat dry each shrimp completely with a paper towel. Dip each shrimp into flour to evenly coat, then dip it into the eggs, and then coat it completely with the coconut breadcrumb mixture. You can gently press the crumbs into shrimp to adhere as much as possible. (The flour sticks to the shrimp, the egg sticks to the flour, and the breadcrumbs stick to the egg).
Bake. Transfer the breaded shrimp onto a large half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 15 minutes until fully cooked through and coating is golden brown. Flip the shrimp once halfway through baking if you want both sides to be crispy.
Serve. Serve immediately with spicy mayo sauce. To make the spicy mayo sauce, combine mayonnaise and hot sauce in a small bowl and stir well to combine.

Tips

Toast the breadcrumbs. Do not skip this step. Toasting the breadcrumb mixture first is what makes the coating super crispy when baked and mimics the texture of deep frying without actually deep frying. It is the same method that I use in my baked crispy chicken strips.
Double up the recipe. This recipe that makes about 16 coconut popcorn shrimps. You can easily double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd (or if you just want to make sure you have leftovers for lunch the next day). If scaling the recipe, make sure to not overcrowd the baking sheet (you will have to bake in multiple batches). Overcrowding your pan will cause the shrimp to steam instead of get crispy.
How to store. Store coconut shrimp in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
How to reheat. Reheat in a 300F preheated oven or air fryer for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.

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Hand-Pulled Noodles

Hand-pulled noodles (also known as la mian 拉面) are homemade noodles that are springy, chewy, comforting and so delicious. These traditional noodles are made with dough that is rolled and stretched into long strips, either thin or wide. They are fun and actually quite easy to make once you get the hang of the stretching technique. Plus, making noodles from scratch just tastes so much better than dried store-bought noodles, and they are cheap to make.

What are Hand-Pulled Noodles?

Hand-pulled noodles, as suggested by its name, are made with wheat dough that is rolled and stretched by hand into long strips. They are made fresh and cooked immediately after pulling. These noodles are surprisingly very easy to make and a great recipe to try especially for beginners.

Hand-pulled noodles are served all over China, and it is a very popular street food. the chef will pull the noodles in front of your eyes and oftentimes performs a noodle pulling dance. We had the pleasure of seeing this in Chengdu (and other cities) when we travelled across China a few years ago.

Ingredients

Making homemade hand-pulled noodles requires just 4 ingredients, all of which you probably have at home, meaning you can literally make these right now. And unlike it's store-bought counterpart, these noodles contain no additives.

all-purpose flour
salt
water
vegetable oil

You will also need a kitchen scale (or measuring cups and spoons), mixing bowl, cooking pot, and a spider strainer or colander.

How to Make the Best Chinese Hand-Pulled Noodles

Make the dough. Whisk together flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add water into the mixture and stir well to combine using a silicone spatula until it forms a shaggy dough (and no dry flour is visible in the bowl). Sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula.
Knead the dough. Transfer the shaggy dough onto a clean and lightly greased surface (The oil will help the dough from sticking to your hands initially). You can also lightly oil your hands. Knead the dough until it is smooth, about 5 minutes. To knead, push the dough down and outward using the palms of your hands. Fold the dough in half toward you and press down. Repeat this motion by pushing the dough down and outward, and then folding over towards you, until the dough ball is smooth.

Note, because noodles are typically very low hydration dough (flour to water ratio is 2:1), it takes longer to knead the dough into a smooth dough ball. However, this small batch dough should be quite easy to handle and not sticky at all.

TIP: A well-kneaded dough is smooth and can hold its shape. When you give the dough ball a firm poke with your finger, the indentation should bounce right back. If it doesn't bounce back and stays like a dimple, keep kneading for a few minutes.

Divide the dough. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces with a knife or bench scraper and flatten each piece into a rectangle with a rolling pin. The rectangle doesn't have to be perfect since it will be cut into strips and the strips will be hand pulled later on. Space each rolled out dough apart on a parchment-lined baking tray and gently brush vegetable oil over the dough to prevent from it from losing moisture. (You can also wrap each dough separately in plastic cling film).
Let the dough rest. Cover the dough with plastic cling film and leave it to rest for 2 hours, or refrigerate it overnight, and bring it to room temperature the next day but setting it out on the kitchen counter for about 20 minutes. Resting for a long period of time helps relax the gluten in the dough completely, which makes it possible to stretch out the dough.

How to Shape Hand-Pulled Noodles

Place the dough on a lightly oiled chopping board and cut each piece into strips. To make wide noodles, cut into 1.5 to 2-inch thick strips. To make thin noodles, cut into ½-inch thick strips.

Hold the ends of each noodle strip using each hand and slowly pull the noodle towards opposite directions. Make sure to pull it slowly to avoid snapping. Gently bounce the noodle against the countertop to help it stretch further.

Fold the noodle and pull again and gently bounce to stretch the noodle.

TIP: For wide noodles, you can stretch the noodle out to your total arm length, across your body. For thin noodles, you can stretch them out about one arm's length.

How to Cook Hand-Pulled Noodles

To cook the noodles, bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large cooking pot over medium high heat. Add the pulled noodles into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the noodles with a spider strainer or a colander and place it into a bowl.

Serve the noodles immediately with seasoning or sauce to avoid the noodles sticking from together. Use the thin noodles to make traditional Shanghai scallion oil noodles or spicy dan dan noodles. Use the flat noodles to make authentic biang biang spicy noodles (also known as Xi'an chili oil noodles) or spicy cumin lamb noodles.

Storing Instructions

How to store noodle dough: Once you have give the noodle dough enough time to rise, you can wrap it tightly in plastic cling wrap and store in the refrigerator for up 3 days before use. To use, allow the dough to come to room temperature before slicing into strips, about 20 minutes.
How to store raw noodles: These noodles have to be cooked immediately once you have pulled them. To store uncooked noodles, you will have to use flour to coat them to prevent them from sticking together, and the texture of the noodles will change.
How to store cooked noodles: Hand-pulled noodles are best served fresh. Once the noodles start going cold, they will stick together and get stiff. If you have leftovers that you want to store, you can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, but the noodles may clump together. To reheat, I prefer to steam the noodles rather than heating directly on a pan as it will release more starch into the pan and change the texture even more.

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Scallion Oil Noodles

Shanghai scallion oil noodles (葱油拌面) is a simple noodle dish that is easy to make homemade with just 6 ingredients in under 10 minutes. Boiled hand-pulled noodles are tossed in a flavourful oily sauce with fried scallions (or spring onions), making them completely vegan. These delicious authentic noodles taste so much better than restaurant takeout.

What are Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodles?

Similar to Shanghai fried noodles, these scallion oil noodles are another signature noodle dish in Shanghai, and is considered one of the most popular dishes in China. It is served in almost any restaurant you go to in Shanghai, and is typically enjoyed for breakfast or lunch. Danny grew up enjoying a bowl of these noodles alongside some steamed buns and wonton soup. It was also one of my favourite noodle dishes that I tried when I visited China a couple of years ago.

Ingredients

To make Shanghai scallion oil noodles, you will need just a few ingredients:

hand-pulled thin noodles - we used homemade hand-pulled noodles, but you can also use store-bought noodles (use thin, dry wheat noodles also called "yangchun noodles").
vegetable oil
fresh scallions - also known as spring onions.
soy sauce
white pepper
sugar

You will also need measuring spoons, medium cooking pot, spider strainer or colander, and a wok or shallow saucepan.

How to Make the Best Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodles

Make the noodles. In a medium cooking pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add hand-pulled noodles into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Stir the noodle with chopsticks to prevent them from sticking together. If you use store-bought noodles, refer to the package for cooking instructions. Drain the noodles well with a spider strainer or colander and place it in a bowl. (You do not need to rinse the noodles under running water).
Make the scallion oil sauce. Heat vegetable oil in a wok or shallow saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes until the hot oil starts to sizzle and shimmer. Add in scallions (they should start sizzling immediately) and cook for 2 minutes until browned. Add in soy sauce, white pepper and sugar, and stir to cook for 1 minute until the sauce starts sizzling and bubbling.

Assemble the noodles. Remove from heat and pour the sauce over the cooked noodles. Stir well with chopsticks to coat the noodles evenly and serve immediately.

Tips

How to store: Scallion oil noodles are best served fresh. Once the noodles start going cold, they will stick together and get stiff. If you happen to have leftovers, you can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but the noodles may clump together. To reheat, steam the noodles or heat in the microwave.
How to serve: Serve with vegetarian steamed buns, Shanghai-style wonton soup, and/or a Chinese garlic cucumber salad.

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Tomato Bruschetta with Balsamic Glaze

Tomato bruschetta with balsamic glaze is an easy appetizer that you can whip up on short notice. Crunchy, toasted slices of garlicky Italian bread are topped with the perfect blend of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and basil, all immersed in olive oil to bring out their intense flavours, and drizzled with a reduced balsamic glaze.

I am not going to lie, this is one of my go-to "show-off" dishes. Why? Well, it looks and tastes on par with restaurant bruschetta, if not better. You will be shocked at how easy it is to make. It basically comes down to chopping up some vegetables and toasting some bread. Yup, that easy.

You can even prepare the toppings in advance and assemble the bruschetta just before serving. It's a total crowd pleaser so be prepared to make extra.

What is Bruschetta?

Bruschetta are an appetizer made of thick slices of Italian bread or sourdough-type bread that is drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with garlic, then toasted and topped with tomatoes and herbs. They are similar to crostini which is made with small, thin slices of toasted French baguettes.

If you like this bruschetta, then you will love whipped ricotta crostini, pea and ricotta crostini with mint, fig crostini with goat cheese, or curried white bean crostini.

Ingredients in Tomato Bruschetta

To make this easy tomato bruschetta with balsamic glaze, you will need the following ingredients:

Italian bread (or French baguette) - sliced into ½ inch slices and brushed with olive oil and garlic powder.
tomatoes
red onion
garlic
fresh basil
olive oil - I recommend using a high quality olive oil.
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar - to make your own balsamic reduction glaze, or you can substitute this with ¼ cup of store-bought balsamic reduction.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, small cooking pot or shallow saucepan, and quarter sheet baking pan.

How to Make the Best Tomato Bruschetta with Balsamic Glaze

Make the tomato topping: In a medium mixing bowl, add tomatoes, red onion, garlic, basil, olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss to combine and store in the refrigerator for one hour (you don't have to wait this long, but letting the mixture sit in the refrigerator will help bring out the flavours).
Make the balsamic glaze: In a small cooking pot or shallow saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium heat. Continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes until the sauce is reduced by half. Pour the glaze into a small bowl and set aside to cool. The glaze will continue to thicken when removed from heat.
Toast the bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, combine olive oil and garlic powder. Brush the top side of each of the baguette slices with the olive oil mixture. Place the slices onto a large half sheet baking tray and toast for 10 minutes, until light golden brown.
Assemble the bruschetta: Top each toasted slice with a spoonful of the tomato mixture. Drizzle the balsamic glaze on top and serve.

How to Make Balsamic Glaze

This recipe also calls for balsamic glaze. It is so easy to make at home, or you can use store-bought. To make it at home, all you need is one ingredient: balsamic vinegar. Simply heat it on the stove to reduce the sauce by half (allow the liquid to evaporate). The glaze will be glossy and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon (similar to liquid honey). Note that the glaze will continue to thicken quite a lot as it cools so you need to remove it from the heat and transfer to a bowl immediately once it's reduced by half.

Make Ahead Instructions

You can make parts of this tomato bruschetta with balsamic glaze ahead of time.

Tomato topping: Make the tomato topping up to one day in advance and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, gentle stir and then add it on top of the toasted bread.
Balsamic glaze: You can make this up to one month ahead. Store it in a clean glass jar or airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Bread: I recommend toasting the bread fresh so that it has the best crunch. You could toast it a day ahead and store in an airtight container, but it will loose it's crunch and could even be a little hard.

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Whipped Ricotta Dip

Light and airy, whipped ricotta dip is so easy to make in just 5 minutes with a few fresh ingredients including fresh herbs, olive oil, garlic, and a touch of honey. Serve whipped ricotta as a delicious appetizer with some bread, crackers, or veggies on the side for easy dipping, or as a spread on sandwiches.

Once you make easy 5-minute homemade whipped ricotta dip, it will be really hard to go back to store-bought. There is so much more flavour in homemade, and you know exactly what is going into your dip meaning no fillers or unnecessary ingredients. If you like this whipped ricotta, then you may like these other quick and easy 5-minute dips: creamy hummus, easy tzatziki sauce (cucumber yogurt dip), or easy guacamole. If you have some more time, try baked spinach dip, caramelized onion dip, or roasted red pepper hummus.

Ingredients

To make whipped ricotta dip, you will need the following ingredients:

whole milk ricotta - use high quality ricotta cheese, since this is the bulk of the dip.
extra virgin olive oil - I also recommend using a high quality olive oil.
honey - add a little sweetness, but you can opt to leave this out if you prefer.
fresh herbs - I used mostly basil and a hint of rosemary. You want to be careful with using rosemary because it is very strong and can easily become overpowering. Some other fresh herbs that I like to use are mint, thyme, oregano and chives.
garlic - you can also substitute this with ¼ to ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
salt and pepper

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, a medium mixing bowl, and a hand mixer (or food processor).

How to Make the Best Whipped Ricotta Dip

Blend ingredients together. In a medium bowl, add ricotta, olive oil, honey, fresh herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about a minute. You can also blend everything together in a food processor. Give it a taste and add extra olive oil, honey, or salt and pepper, if needed.
Serve. Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle some olive oil on top, and garnish with fresh herbs. Serve with slices of toasted french baguette, crackers, or vegetables. You can also use it to make an easy whipped ricotta crostini.

Tips

How to customize: Whipped ricotta dip is versatile and you can customize it by adding in all sorts of ingredients. Some of my favourites to add are lemon zest and lemon juice, grated parmesan cheese, pesto, and finely chopped sun dried tomatoes.
What kind of bread to use: You can serve whipped ricotta with a side of almost any kind of bread. Some of my favourites are french baguettes, ciabatta bread, pita bread, naan flatbread, or sourdough bread.
How to store: Store whipped ricotta dip in an airtight container or covered in plastic cling warp for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
How to use leftovers: You can use any leftover whipped ricotta dip to make whipped ricotta crostini. You can also use it as a creamy pasta sauce.

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Whipped Ricotta Crostini

Whipped ricotta crostini is the easiest appetizer to whip up in just minutes. It is a fancy addition to your dinner menu but will likely be the easiest item. Top toasted slices of French baguettes with creamy herbed whipped ricotta and tomatoes. You can even prepare the whipped ricotta and toppings in advance and assemble the crostini just before serving. It's a total crowd pleaser so you may want to make extras.

What is Crostini?

Crostini literally translates to "little toasts" in Italian. They are small, thin slices of toasted bread (like French baguettes), brushed with olive oil. They are topped with savoury toppings like cheese and vegetables. Bruschetta on the other hand, is made with thicker wide slices of Italian bread or sourdough.

If you like this whipped ricotta crostini, then you will love tomato bruschetta with balsamic glaze, pea and ricotta crostini with mint, fig crostini with goat cheese, or curried white bean crostini.

Ingredients in Whipped Ricotta Crostini

To make this easy whipped ricotta crostini, you need the following ingredients:

french baguette - or other long crust bread, cut into ½-inch slices.
whipped ricotta - made with ricotta, olive oil, honey, fresh herbs (such as basil, mint, thyme, oregano, or chives), garlic, salt and pepper.
cherry tomatoes - or grape tomatoes, in assorted colours
olive oil - use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
salt and pepper

You will also need a measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, and large half sheet baking pan.

How to Make the Best Whipped Ricotta Crostini

Toast the bread. Preheat oven to 350 F. Arrange sliced bread in a single layer on a large half sheet baking pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes until toasted.
Combine toppings. In a small bowl, toss to combine tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Make whipped ricotta. In a medium bowl, add ricotta, olive oil, honey, fresh herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about a minute. You can also blend everything together in a food processor.
Assemble crostini. Add a large spoonful of whipped ricotta onto each toasted sliced bread. Top with a spoonful of the tomato mixture.

Tips

How to customize: You can top this whipped ricotta crostini with whatever toppings that you like. Instead of tomatoes, you can add fruit, grilled vegetables, pitted olives, more fresh herbs, or a drizzle of honey.
Make ahead instructions: Make the whipped ricotta and tomato topping 1-2 days in advance and store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, set the ricotta and toppings on the kitchen counter for about 20 minutes to let them come to room temperature. Meanwhile, quickly slice up the French baguette, toast and then assemble the crostini.

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Homemade Tater Tots with Bacon

Homemade tater tots with bacon are golden and crispy on the outside, yet soft and tender inside. They're loaded with bacon, cheese and seasoning and packed with flavour. These delicious tater tots are a total family favourite and one that the kids love. They are baked to perfection, but you can easily deep fry them or make them in the air fryer.

Plus, these are so much better for you than the frozen tater tots that you buy at the store since we are making everything fresh and know exactly what is going in there. Plus, you have the option to bake these or air fry them. When you use store bought tater tots, note that they are already deep fried before they are frozen.

Ingredients in Homemade Tater Tots

russet potatoes - 1 lb. of potatoes (or 2 large potatoes).
They hold up well during baking, so your beautiful Tater Tots won't turn to mush.
bacon - adds incredible flavour but can be left out if you prefer.
all purpose flour - helps bind the tater tots so that they don't fall apart.
mozzarella cheese - you can substitute with any melty cheese like sharp cheddar cheese.
garlic powder
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
fresh parsley - for garnish.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, box grater, a large half sheet baking pan (or air fryer or shallow saucepan, depending on the cooking method you are using).

How to Make the Best Homemade Tater Tots with Bacon

Boil the potatoes. Place potatoes in a large pot of cold water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes until softened but not completely cooked. Drain well and let cool.
Cook the bacon. Meanwhile, sauté bacon (no cooking oil needed) in a large cooking pot or 4 qt. Dutch oven over medium high heat until crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Save bacon fat in a bowl and chop bacon into small bits
Shred the potatoes. Shred potatoes into thin strips with a box grater. Wash off excess potato starch under cold water and drain well. Squeeze out excess water with a cheesecloth or dish towel and place shredded potato into a large mixing bowl.
Combine ingredients. Add bacon bits, flour, mozzarella, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.
Shape the tater tots. Shape the mixture into 1.5-inch tater tots, and place on a large half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper.

How to Cook Homemade Tater Tots

You can cook homemade tater tots in one of three ways: baked in the oven, deep fried, or in the air fryer.

How to bake in the oven: Spray some cooking oil spray over the tater tots and bake in a 400F preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown, turning the tater tots halfway through baking. Turn the broiler on high for an additional 4-5 minutes to achieve extra crispy browned tater tots, if desired. Keep a close eye on the broiler as things can burn quickly.
How to deep fry: Fill oil about 1-inch high in a shallow saucepan or cooking pot. Heat on medium heat until sizzling hot, about 3-4 minutes. Add tater tots and cook until golden brown and crispy on all sides, about 3-4 minutes.
How to air fry: Add tots in a single layer in the air fryer basket (you may have to cook in multiple batches). Cook at 400 F for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Serve immediately with ketchup or your favourite dipping sauce.

Tips for Storing Tater Tots

How to store: Store cooked tater tots in an air tight container (once cooled to room temperature), and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to reheat: Reheat in a 350 F preheated oven or air fryer for 5-10 minutes until warmed through and crispy.
Make ahead instructions: Shape the tots and line them on your baking pan. Then cover with plastic cling wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to one day in advance. When ready to make them, set the tray out on the counter for about 20 minutes to bring the tots to room temperature. Then cook as per recipe instructions.

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60 Best Super Bowl Recipes

Is it even game day without an assortment of delicious Super Bowl party food? I think not. The food is just as important as the football game. Today, I am sharing over 60 of the best and most popular Super Bowl recipes from creamy dips, piping hot chicken wings, handheld appetizers, pizza, healthier snacks, and more. So no matter which team you are rooting for, you will score big when it comes to the food.

Super Bowl Dips

Baked Spinach Dip

Warm, rich, creamy baked spinach dip is a delicious and easy appetizer that is baked until warm and melty. Easy to make ahead and a total crowd pleaser. It's one of my favourite Super Bowl recipes of all time.

7 Layer Dip

This easy and delicious 7 layer dip is the perfect dip to serve at your next party, made with layers of beans, guacamole, salsa, cheese, and more.

Easy Basic Guacamole

Incredibly tasty, this easy and basic guacamole takes less than 5 minutes to make. It is the perfect dip for a Mexican-inspired Super Bowl party.

Delicious and easy guacamole is simple to make with just a few fresh ingredients in 5 minutes. This popular authentic Mexican dip is a total crowd-pleaser. | aheadofthyme.com

Caramelized Onion Dip

Caramelized onion dip is creamy, flavorful, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. This easy appetizer is perfect for entertaining, on game day, or for a snack.

Whipped Ricotta Dip

Light and airy, whipped ricotta dip is so easy to make in just 5 minutes with a few fresh ingredients including fresh herbs, olive oil, garlic, and honey.

Bacon Cheddar Cheese Ball

Bacon cheddar cheese ball is an easy to make appetizer and delicious showstopper at holiday parties or game day. It's creamy, cheesy, and nutty.

Pesto Hummus

Smooth and creamy pesto hummus is a healthy, delicious and flavourful dip that is easy to make in just 5 minutes. It's vegan and gluten-free.

Queso Mexican Cheese Dip

Homemade queso Mexican cheese dip is smooth, creamy, delicious, flavorful, and so easy to make. It's so much better than store-bought in every way.

Pico de Gallo Chunky Salsa

Easy 5-minute pico de gallo chunky salsa is packed with fresh tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and lime juice (and optional jalapeños for a spicy kick).

Whipped Feta

Whipped feta is light, airy, and fluffy. It's an easy yet impressive recipe that takes only 5 minutes to make in a blender with 3 simple ingredients.

Classic Hummus

Whip up classic smooth and creamy hummus dip at home in just 5 minutes, by combining chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in the blender. Serve it with veggies or crackers, or use it in a vegan hummus wrap.

Pizza Dip

Pepperoni pizza dip is creamy, rich, comforting, and delicious. This appetizer is easy to make, easy to prepare ahead of time, and easy to eat.

Easy Tzatziki Sauce (Cucumber Yogurt Dip)

Light and fresh, easy tzatziki sauce is a creamy yogurt cucumber dip packed with fresh cucumbers, garlic, dill, lemon juice and olive oil. So easy to make.

Avocado Hummus

Quick and easy avocado hummus is creamy, smooth, healthy, and delicious. Loaded with chickpeas and avocado, it's the perfect blend of hummus and guacamole.

Olive Tapenade

Olive tapenade is a delicious, flavorful, easy dip that comes together in minutes, made with the perfect combination of sharp, tangy, salty, and savory.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This baked spinach artichoke dip is quick, easy, creamy, flavorful, and delicious. This warm dip is baked in the oven and served with bread or crackers.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Smooth creamy roasted red pepper hummus is a delicious, flavourful, vegan + gluten-free dip. This healthy appetizer is easy to make with a few ingredients.

Marinara Sauce

Marinara sauce is rich, vibrant, and loaded with flavor. It's easy to make with a few simple fresh ingredients. Serve as a dip or in pasta and pizza.

Chicken Wings

Game Day Buffalo Hot Wings

Is it even game day without game day buffalo hot wings? This classic appetizer is a total crowd pleaser and one of my most popular Super Bowl recipes.

The Best Breaded Fried Chicken Wings (Air Fryer)

The BEST breaded fried chicken wings -- extra crispy and crunchy outside, tender and juicy inside. You can't even tell they're air fried, not deep-fried!

Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

These sweet and sticky honey garlic chicken wings are baked or air fried until crispy and tossed in a honey garlic sauce. So crave-worthy and so easy to make.

Baked BBQ Chicken Wings

Sweet and sticky, baked BBQ chicken wings are perfectly crispy, so delicious, and smothered in barbecue sauce. They are the perfect game day appetizer.

Miso Garlic Chicken Wings

Baked miso garlic chicken wings are crispy, delicious, and easy to make. They're marinated in a savoury Asian marinade, and cooked in the oven or air fryer.

Honey Mustard Chicken Wings

Honey mustard chicken wings are crispy on the outside but juicy and tender inside. Baked in an air fryer or oven, they have the best texture and flavor.

Jerk Chicken Wings

Jamaican jerk chicken wings with delicious crispy skin and tender and juicy meat are loaded with flavor. They're easy to make on the oven, grill, air fryer.

Crispy Baked Asian Chicken Wings

You will be amazed by how crispy these baked Asian chicken wings turn out! We add sriracha for heat, honey for sweetness, and ginger to balance the flavours.

Super Bowl Handheld Party Food

Sheet Pan Nachos

Oven-baked loaded sheet pan nachos are a crowd pleaser for an easy weeknight dinner or a crave-worthy appetizer to serve on game day. It's one of my favourite Super Bowl recipes of all time.

Pigs in a Blanket

Pigs in a blanket from scratch are a delicious and easy appetizer or snack to make for your next party or gathering - juicy, cheesy, flaky, and buttery.

Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

Fried mac and cheese balls are crispy on the outside, creamy and cheesy on the inside, and have the perfect crunch. Best way to use leftover mac and cheese. It's one of the newest additions to my collection of Super Bowl recipes.

Homemade Calzones

Homemade calzones are delicious little pizza pockets filled with cheese and toppings and baked until golden. This Italian favourite is easy to make at home.

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

Slow cooker BBQ ribs are juicy, saucy, and tender -- the meat literally falls right off the bone. Add this easy recipe to your list of crockpot recipes.

Crispy Air Fryer French Fries

Super crispy air fryer french fries are tender and fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Make this healthier french fry in just 12 minutes!

Jalapeño Poppers

Jalapeño poppers are the perfect appetizer - spicy, crispy, cheesy, and creamy, toasted to golden brown perfection. Plus easy to make ahead and freeze well.

Air Fryer Short Ribs

Air fryer short ribs are crispy, flavorful, and delicious. The easy marinade ensures they're tender and juicy inside, while the air fryer makes them crispy.

Sweet Chili Chicken Bites

Sticky crispy baked sweet chili chicken bites is better than takeout and so easy to make healthier at home. An easy dinner or game day appy.

Turkey and Cheese Sliders

Turkey and Cheese Sliders are quick and easy, made with deli meat and Swiss cheese filled inside soft Hawaiian dinner rolls topped with a buttery sauce.

Baked Coconut Shrimp

Crispy baked coconut shrimp is a delicious appetizer that is easy to make in 30 minutes. They are more flavourful, tastier and healthier than takeout.

Fish Tacos with Lime Crema

Flavourful, easy fish tacos with lime crema is made with seasoned white fish, cabbage slaw, and lime sauce. It takes less than 25 minutes to prep and serve.

Homemade Tater Tots with Bacon

Homemade tater tots with bacon are golden and crispy on the outside, yet soft and tender inside. They're packed with flavour and a total family favourite.

Baked Chicken Quesadillas

Baked Chicken Quesadillas are cheesy, crispy, flavorful, and delicious. This family-friendly recipe is quick and easy to make in just 30 minutes!

Crispy Fried Vegetarian Spring Rolls

Better than takeout, light and crispy fried vegetarian spring rolls are packed with a tender mushroom and cabbage vegetarian filling in a crunchy skin.

Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

Easy pepperoni pizza rolls are crispy on the bottom, tender and chewy inside, packed with pepperoni and cheese, and baked until bubbly.

Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs

Sticky honey garlic meatballs are a delicious and flavourful 30-minute meal to add to your weekly dinner rotation. A total crowd pleaser.

Greek Fries

Homemade Greek fries bring a Mediterranean twist on a classic side dish, crispy fries are topped with crumbled feta cheese, fresh parsley, and lime juice.

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Crunchy, cheesy, and paired with an awesome dipping sauce, these baked mozzarella sticks are just as amazing as what you would find in a restaurant.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers are crispy on the outside, creamy and cheesy inside, spicy, and wrapped in bacon. Easy to make in the air fryer or oven.

Vegetarian Quesadillas

Vegetarian quesadillas are quick and easy, completely customizable, loaded with veggies and beans. Serve this kid-friendly Mexican meal for lunch or dinner.

Chicken Nachos

Chicken nachos are an easy to make when you're craving something filling, crunchy, cheesy, and satisfying. Perfect game day appetizer or late-night snack.

Patatas Bravas

Skip the tapas bar and make Patatas Bravas at home with crispy, roasted potatoes smothered in a homemade sweet and spicy tomato sauce and garlic aioli.

Instant Pot Short Ribs

Instant Pot Short Ribs are rich, tender, and delicious. These short ribs fall-off-the-bone after being braised in a red wine broth in the pressure cooker.

Easy Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Easy homemade chicken nuggets with chicken breast are golden and crisp on the outside and juicy and tender inside. They're freezer-friendly so make extra.

Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema Slaw

Quick and easy shrimp tacos with lime crema slaw are ready in less than 30 minutes and are packed with flavourful crispy shrimp and creamy cabbage slaw.

Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

Baked Sweet Potato Wedges are crispy, delicious, flavorful. Serve as an appetizer or side dish. They are salty, savory, and sweet, with a hint of spice.

Garlic Breadsticks

Soft garlic breadsticks are fluffy, airy, buttery, and delicious. They're an easy recipe that is perfect for beginners at baking bread.

Szechuan Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Mayo

Spice it up and make copycat Szechuan chicken lettuce wraps with spicy mayo from the comfort of your own home with this easy to follow recipe. Plus, it is healthier than the original.

Chili Nachos

Homemade chili nachos are crispy, cheesy, delicious, and flavorful. This modern twist on a Mexican classic are the best way to use up any leftover chili.

Baked Turkey Meatballs

When it comes to menu planning, baked turkey meatballs reign supreme. Say hello to your meal ready in under 20 minutes from prep to table. For a vegetarian option, try quinoa, cauliflower and chickpea vegetarian meatballs.

Baked Crispy Chicken Strips

Juicy long strips of chicken shaped perfectly for dipping and coated with a flawless crispy and crunchy exterior, baked crispy chicken strips are a pleaser.

Korean Beef Steak Tacos

Fusion-style Korean beef steak tacos are made with tender, flavour-packed slices of beef and topped with caramelized pineapple, kimchi, and spicy mayo.

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Try this gorgeous combination of BBQ chicken, scallions, cilantro and gruyere for an explosion of flavour in loaded BBQ chicken stuffed baked potatoes.

Tomato and Mozzarella Tart

Looking for the perfect appetizer or light lunch? Try a tomato and mozzarella tart topped with basil and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

Pizza and Flatbread

Skillet Neapolitan Margherita Pizza

Quick and easy skillet Neapolitan margherita pizza has an iconic thin and soft crust with a perfectly crisp exterior, and simple and fresh toppings.

Garlic Mushroom Focaccia Pizza

Sheet pan garlic mushroom focaccia pizza with a thick pillowy and crispy crust is topped with sautéed garlic mushrooms, melty mozzarella and lots of basil.

Salami and Mushroom Skillet Pizza

Easy salami and mushroom skillet pizza with a crispy pizza crust, mushrooms, salami, and fresh mozzarella is ready on the skillet in about 10 minutes.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Forget delivery and make sweet, tangy, and smoky BBQ chicken pizza from the comfort of your own home in under 30 minutes. The easiest weeknight dinner.

Mushroom and Arugula Skillet Pizza

Easy and delicious homemade mushroom and arugula skillet pizza with a perfectly crispy pizza crust is topped with mushrooms, arugula, and mozzarella cheese.

Butter Chicken Pizza

Quick, easy, delicious and saucy leftover butter chicken pizza with an ultra crispy pizza crust is made entirely in a cast-iron skillet in just 10 minutes.

Mushroom and Spinach Flatbread

Mushroom and spinach flatbread is heaven on a place. It is ready in under 30 minutes, making it a life-saver game day meal or weeknight dinner!

Classic Roman Herbed Potato Pizza

Easy and simple yet flavourful classic Roman herbed potato pizza has a crispy thin crust with layers of tender potato tossed in olive oil and herbs.

Healthier Super Bowl Snacks

Easy Charcuterie Board

This easy charcuterie board is the perfect appetizer to impress with minimal effort- made with cheese, cured meats, crackers, dips, olives, fruit, and nuts.

Easy Tomato Bruschetta with Balsamic Glaze

Tomato bruschetta with balsamic glaze is an easy Italian appetizer topped with tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil and olive oil. Delicious, fresh and simple. The perfect light Super Bowl recipe.

Antipasto Skewers

Antipasto skewers with tortellini are a quick, easy, and delicious appetizer with the best parts of a traditional antipasto platter but easier to eat.

Turkey Pinwheels

Turkey pinwheels are bite-sized finger food perfection and will make back-to-school lunch planning for the kids a total breeze. They are fully customizable and you can wrap them up in a tortilla or in pita bread.

Whipped Ricotta Crostini

Whipped ricotta crostini is a fancy easy appetizer to make in just minutes or prepare in advance and assemble before serving. A total crowd pleaser.

Deviled Eggs

Classic deviled eggs are a simple, easy, and healthy appetizer to make when you need something quick for brunch, picnics, barbecues, potlucks, or Easter.

Vietnamese Salad Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Fresh, light and healthy Vietnamese salad rolls are packed with vermicelli noodles, shrimp, fresh vegetables and herbs and dipped in homemade peanut sauce.

Ba ked Cauliflower Nuggets

Healthy baked cauliflower nuggets are a vegetarian alternative to chicken nuggets. With parmesan panko breading, these bites are baked until crispy.

Veggie Tray

This homemade veggie tray is a quick easy healthy snack or appetizer to make for your next party, with a variety of colorful vegetables and delicious dips.

Baked Apple Chips

One-ingredient homemade baked apple chips are healthy, light, crispy and crave-worthy. Plus, unlike most store-bought chips, these contain no added sugar.

Easy Salted Soft Pretzels

The best quick and easy salted soft pretzels are buttery, salty, and so delicious. They are golden brown and chewy on the outside, yet warm and soft inside.

Egg Salad Sandwich

The best egg salad sandwich is a quick and easy picnic classic loaded with perfect hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, a touch of dijon mustard and green onions.

Homemade Popcorn

Homemade popcorn from scratch is quick and easy to make, a delicious and healthy snack, and is completely customizable with your favorite seasonings.

Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms

Vegetarian stuffed mushrooms are a delicious, flavorful, healthy, and nutritious appetizer. Plus, quick and easy to make in under 30 minutes including prep!

Baked Zucchini Boats with Marinara and Cheese

Baked zucchini with marinara and melted cheese is so quick and easy to make. It's vegetarian, gluten free, and packed with flavour. It's basically pizza but on a zucchini.

Cheesy Baked Zucchini with Marinara will save your weeknight dinner routine (and the kids love it too!). It's low carb, vegetarian, gluten-free, and keto. | aheadofthyme.com

Greek Salad Hummus Flatbread

This bright and colourful Greek salad hummus flatbread is perfect as an appetizer or a healthy lunch or snack.

Curried White Bean Crostini with Toasted Pepitas

Curried white bean crostini with toasted pepitas is the perfect, sophisticated holiday appetizer that is ready to serve in under 15 minutes.

Tuna Melt Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Get your hands on pantry staple canned tuna and make a delicious, crunchy tuna melt grilled cheese sandwich in less than 10 minutes! It's so tasty and easy! For another grilled cheese option, try a roasted broccoli grilled cheese sandwich.

Super Bowl Party Tips

Plan your menu ahead of time. You can prepare many of these appetizers and party food ahead of time. Some can stored in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature or in the refrigerator, and some can even be frozen, according to recipe directions.
Prep your ingredients as much as possible. Once you have decided on the snacks you are going to serve, prepare as much as you can in advance, whether that is chopping ingredients or prepping the dish and storing in the refrigerator until ready for the oven. Any little bit that you can prepare in advance will make things much less stressful when you just want to kick up your feet and enjoy the game.
Set the table the night before. Take out the special party serving dishes, festive napkins and whatever else you need to set up your snack table the night before. It's one less thing to worry about on Super Bowl Sunday.

Did You Make Any of These Super Bowl Recipes?

Please leave a comment and rating below, and let me know what you thought of this round up of Super Bowl recipes. Be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Don't forget to sign up for my email newsletter so that you don't miss any recipes. You can also follow along on Instagram and Pinterest for more recipe updates.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Smooth and creamy roasted red pepper hummus is a delicious and flavourful dip that is both vegan and gluten-free. This healthy appetizer is made with a handful of classic ingredients including chickpeas, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice, with the addition of roasted red pepper. Roast your red pepper ahead of time and spend just a few minutes blending this hummus together. It's so easy to make.

Roasted red pepper hummus is a healthy dip to serve as a snack, appetizer, or late-night snack or as a spread on sandwiches and wraps. And this particular hummus is such a great way to sneak in some vegetables (hello red pepper!). If you like this dip, then you will love creamy hummus, avocado hummus, and pumpkin hummus.

Ingredients in Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

To make roasted red pepper hummus, you will need the following ingredients:

red bell pepper
chickpeas - one 400 ml (or 15 oz.) can of chickpeas or 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas.
reserved canned water - this is the secret to getting really creamy hummus.
tahini sesame paste
garlic
olive oil
lemon juice
salt
toppings - chickpeas, sesame seeds, and olive oil.

You will also need a blender or food processor.

How to Make the Best Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Roast the red pepper. Line a quarter sheet baking pan with parchment paper and lay the halved red peppers cut side down. Roast in a 450 F preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the skins are blackened and have collapsed. Allow the red peppers to cool for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. You can discard the blackened skin if you prefer. Then, chop up up the pepper into small pieces.
Make the hummus. Place chopped red pepper, chickpeas, reserved liquid, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika and salt, in a blender or food processor. Puree until well blended and creamy.
Serve. Pour the hummus into a bowl and drizzle some olive oil on top. Garnish with reserved chickpeas, roasted sesame seeds, and a sprinkle of paprika. You could also add a few pieces of chopped roasted red pepper.

Tips for Making Hummus

How to serve: You can serve this roasted red pepper hummus as a dip or spread in almost any kind of bread. Some of my favourites are sourdough crackers, pita bread, naan flatbread, or sourdough. Or keep this snack completely gluten-free by serving it with fruit and veggies.
How to store: Store roasted red pepper hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
How to freeze: You can freeze hummus in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. To serve, let it thaw in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

More Dips and Spreads

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Homemade Calzones

Homemade calzones are delicious little pizza pockets that are filled with cheese and toppings and baked until golden. They are an Italian favourite that are quick and easy to make at home. Plus, they reheat very well and are great for meal prep.

What is a Calzone?

A calzone is essentially a folded pizza (shaped into a half-circle) to seal in all the fillings like cheese, meats, vegetables and sometimes sauce. It is coated with an egg wash or some olive oil and baked in the oven. It is a hand held food that serves one.

A calzone is similar to a stromboli in that they use the same dough and similar ingredients enclosed and sealed inside the dough. However, their main difference is in the way that they are sealed. A calzone is folded over, crimped and sealed, while a stromboli is rolled up and sliced into 1-inch slices after baking.

Ingredients

pizza dough - made with all-purpose flour, salt, water, instant yeast, sugar, and olive oil.
pizza sauce - it's super easy to make your own homemade pizza sauce in 5 minutes with just a few ingredients. Store-bought works great too.
meat - I used salami, but you can also use pepperoni. Make sure to use meats that are already cooked.
vegetables - I didn't add any vegetables, but it is common to add some in if you want. You can add any vegetables that you like. Some of my favourites are mushrooms and green peppers. Just make sure that any watery vegetables that you use are cooked and well-drained.
cheese - I used both mozzarella cheese and ricotta (ricotta is very traditional in a calzone).
egg - beaten egg for the egg wash on top.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons (or a kitchen scale), mixing bowl, and a half sheet baking pan.

How to Make the Best Homemade Calzones

Prepare the dough. Whisk together flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar and olive oil. Whisk to dissolve and pour it into flour mixture. Stir well with a silicone spatula to combine until no dry flour is visible in the bowl. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes to help it be easier when kneading.
Knead the dough and let it rise. Knead the dough with your hands until the dough is smooth, about 10 minutes. Allow the dough to rest in the bowl for 1 hour, covered, until doubled in size.
Shape the dough. Punch down the dough, divide into 4 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Take one dough ball at a time and flatten each dough ball into an approximate 8-inch circle using a rolling pin. Apply a little bit flour on your hands and the work surface, if needed to keep the dough from sticking.
Add the fillings. Add pizza sauce, salami, ricotta and then mozzarella at the centre of the dough, leaving an inch of space along the edges.

Fold over the calzones. Fold the dough over filling and press the edges together. Then, fold the bottom edge over the top and press down to seal, creating a raised border. Crimp with a fork if desired.

Add air vents and egg wash. Transfer the calzones to a large half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle some cornmeal on the bottom if needed to prevent sticking. Make 3 air vents on the top of the calzones using a knife or scissors. Apply egg wash on top of the calzones.
Bake. Bake in a 375 F preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown. Let calzones cool for 10 minutes as the fillings will be very hot and it will allow the cheese to not be too runny. Serve with marinara sauce.

How to Serve Homemade Calzones

Calzones always go well with a big side of salad. Serve these homemade calzones with a greek salad, Mediterranean chickpea wedge salad, cucumber and tomato salad, or Mediterranean orzo pasta salad. You can also serve with Marinara Sauce for dipping.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to store: Once cooled, wrap the calzones in plastic cling wrap or in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How to freeze: Once cooled, wrap the calzones in plastic cling wrap or place in a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. To eat, allow them to defrost in the refrigerator first, then reheat.
How to reheat: Reheat in the oven or in the air fryer at 350 F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.

More Pizza Recipes

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Baked Sesame Chicken

Better than takeout, baked sesame chicken with vegetables is delicious, flavourful, sticky and saucy. Breaded chicken is baked with broccoli and cauliflower and coated in a sweet and sticky sauce packed with honey and soy sauce. This healthier twist on a classic Chinese dish that is traditionally deep-fried is also so quick and easy to make. It's the best dinner on busy weeknights or any day of the week.

I am all about better than takeout meals, especially ones that take less time to make than it does for your takeout order to arrive. Plus, homemade is just always better. Some other easy Asian takeout dishes that we like to whip up in on busy weeknights are healthy lemon chicken, chicken Pad Thai, curry chicken fried rice, and one pot Thai red curry noodle soup.

Ingredients in Baked Sesame Chicken

To make delicious baked sesame chicken, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):

chicken breasts - 1 lb. chicken breasts (about 2 chicken breasts) seasoned with salt and pepper.
all purpose flour - to coat the chicken.
eggs - to coat the chicken and help the breadcrumbs stick to it.
Panko breadcrumbs - to coat the chicken.
cooking oil spray - gets the breaded coating super crispy when baked.
vegetables - broccoli and cauliflower tossed in olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Feel free to substitute with other vegetables that you like. Carrots also go really well in this dish.
sticky honey sauce - made with soy sauce, honey, black vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, cornstarch, vegetable oil, and fresh garlic.
toppings - sesame seeds and green onions.

You will also need a half sheet baking pan and a wok or skillet.

How to Make the Best Baked Sesame Chicken with Vegetables

Prepare the chicken. Pat dry chicken breasts completely with a paper towel and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place into a medium mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
Coat the chicken. In a large ziploc bag, add flour and cubed chicken. Seal the bag and shake well to coat. Prepare a shallow plate with the Panko breadcrumbs and another with the beaten eggs. Dip one piece of chicken at a time into the egg wash and evenly coat it, then evenly coat in the breadcrumbs. The flour will stick to the chicken, the egg wash sticks to the flour, and the breadcrumbs will stick to the egg wash.
Place chicken on baking sheet. Arrange the breaded chicken on a large half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper. Spray the chicken with cooking oil spray. This helps create a crispy crust on the outside during baking.

Prepare the vegetables. In a large mixing bowl, add broccoli, cauliflower, olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Spread the vegetable mix in a single layer on one half of the same baking pan.
Bake the chicken and vegetables. Bake the chicken and vegetables in a 350 F preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. The internal temperature for the chicken should be 165F. Set the pan aside.

Make the sticky honey sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, add soy sauce, honey, vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir well to mix until cornstarch and sugar dissolves. In a large wok or skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Turn down to low heat and stir in sauce mixture. Stir well until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Keep heat on low heat while stirring.
Toss in chicken and add toppings. Add the cooked chicken and vegetables to the sauce pan. Toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve over a bowl of steamed rice.

Tips

How to serve: Serve baked sesame chicken over a bowl of steamed rice or vegetarian fried rice. It also pairs really well with most Chinese dishes such as shanghai style fried noodles, Chinese garlic cucumber salad and air fryer vegetable stir fry with tofu.
How to store: Store any leftover baked sesame chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, heat on the stove over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.

More Chinese Recipes

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

Quick and easy spaghetti and meatballs is a delicious, rich and comforting 30-minute weeknight dinner that the whole family will love. Tender beef meatballs are simmered in a savoury tomato sauce and tossed with spaghetti noodles. It's a recipe that everyone should have in their back pocket.

You really can't go wrong with a 30-minute meal that actually tastes good. Our family enjoys this one regularly, as well as a few others that we always make including creamy lemon chicken piccata, stovetop mac and cheese with white cheddar, healthy lemon chicken and glazed honey balsamic pork chops.

Ingredients

To make classic spaghetti and meatballs, you will need:

spaghetti noodles - boiled in salted water until al dente.
meatballs - made with ground beef, Panko bread crumbs, fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper.
olive oil
onion
garlic
medium tomato
bay leaves
tomato sauce and tomato paste
salt and pepper

You will also need a large cooking pot. I used my 4 qt. Dutch oven.

How to Make the Best Spaghetti and Meatballs

Boil the spaghetti noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add spaghetti and cook for 8-12 minutes until al dente (firm to the bite), or according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Make the meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well to form into uniform consistency. Take 2 spoonfuls of the beef mixture at a time and roll into meatballs. Set aside on a plate. Repeat until all the beef mixture is used up.

Brown the meatballs. Heat oil in a large pot (or 4 qt.Dutch oven) over medium high heat for 2 minutes until the hot oil sizzles and shimmers. Carefully add the meatballs and gently stir to cook until the meatballs are brown on all sides. Make sure to stir gently to prevent meatballs from breaking apart. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and set aside. Note that the meatballs are not fully cooked at this point.
Make the sauce. In the same pot, add onion, garlic, tomato and bay leaves. Stir to cook for 4 minutes until the onion and tomatoes are soft. Add the meatballs back into the pot and pour in tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir to mix and bring the sauce mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover the lid, turn heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 8-10 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked.
Toss in spaghetti. Turn off the heat and add in cooked spaghetti. Toss well to combine. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and grated Parmesan on top.

How to Serve Spaghetti and Meatballs

Serve spaghetti and meatballs with a side of crusty garlicky bread to soak up all that delicious sauce. Some of my favourites to serve with this are pull apart garlic bread, rosemary garlic focaccia bread, sourdough bread, and sliced french baguettes.

This pasta also pairs really well with a fresh salad on the side. Try an easy Greek salad, Mediterranean chickpea wedge salad, or tomato cucumber avocado salad.

Tips for Storing

How to store: Store spaghetti and meatballs in the pot with the lid on or in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply reheat in the pot over the stove or reheat a smaller portion in a shallow saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed through (or in the microwave). You may need to add a little water if the sauce thickened up too much in the refrigerator.
How to freeze: Freeze the meatball sauce before tossing it in the spaghetti. Let it cool down, then transfer to a freezer-safe airtight container (leave an inch from the top to allow for expansion). Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to reheat from frozen: Allow the meatball sauce to thaw overnight in the refrigerator first, then reheat on the stove over medium-low heat until warmed through.

More Pasta Recipes

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Light Cream of Broccoli Soup

Light cream of broccoli soup is a silky smooth, creamy, thick and cozy soup that you can make in under 25 minutes including prep. This delicious and flavourful soup is gluten-free, packed with vegetables including broccoli, potatoes, onions, and it is made healthier and light with no cream. And, this easy weeknight dinner or lunch is effortless to make ahead and freeze for another day.

I love soups that are healthier for you or when a typically high-calorie soup is given a healthier twist. Some of my other healthier favourites include creamy tomato potato soup, creamless cream of asparagus soup, sweet potato soup, and roasted butternut squash soup.

Ingredients in Light Cream of Broccoli Soup

To make this light cream of broccoli soup, you will need the following ingredients:

butter
onion
celery
garlic
russet potato - this is what adds the bulk of creaminess to this soup.
vegetable stock - I used vegetable stock to keep this soup vegetarian. You can also use chicken stock or beef stock if you prefer. I often use homemade bone broth when I have some on hand.
water
broccoli florets
whole milk - this also adds some creaminess and replaces the heavy cream that is typically used in cream of vegetable soups. This is what makes this soup "light". However, you may find after pureeing the soup that you don't need any milk at all. It is a personal preference.
salt and pepper - to taste.
for serving - I like to add a swirl or milk, some freshly cracked black pepper, and some shredded white cheddar cheese on top (optional). Feel free to substitute with any type of cheese on top, like Parmesan, asiago or gouda.

You will also need a medium cooking pot (I used my 4 qt. dutch oven) and an immersion blender (or regular blender or food processor).

How to Make the Best Light Cream of Broccoli Soup

Sauté vegetables. In a large pot (or 4 qt. Dutch oven), melt butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions, garlic and celery until the onions are soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Then, add the potatoes and mix well to combine.
Add stock. Add the vegetable stock and water. Bring to a simmer.
Add broccoli and simmer. Add the broccoli and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low, cover and continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until the broccoli and potatoes are soft.
Puree. Puree the soup directly in the pot using an immersion blender, or transfer the soup carefully into a blender or food processor and puree, and add it back into the pot. If using a blender, you may have to do this in a few batches.
Stir in milk. Stir in the milk and continue to cook the soup on low heat for 2-3 more minutes. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
Serve. Serve hot with shredded cheddar cheese on top.

How to Serve Broccoli Soup

Serve this light cream of broccoli soup with a side salad like easy Greek salad or Mediterranean orzo pasta salad, and some crusty bread for dipping, like pull apart garlic bread, easy no knead French baguettes or small batch sourdough bread.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to store: Store this soup still in the pot (covered) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or transfer the soup to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
How to freeze: Transfer soup to an airtight container or portion out into freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the kitchen counter.
How to reheat: Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until warmed through. Serve with freshly shredded cheddar on top.

More Vegetarian Soup Recipes

This easy light cream of broccoli soup forms a part of my top 25 most popular vegetarian soup recipes. Follow the link to check them all out.

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This recipe was first posted in 2016. It has been completely updated with new photographs and tips.

Homemade Yogurt

Thick and creamy homemade yogurt is so easy to make at home with just 2 ingredients and a heavy pot. It literally takes just a few minutes of actual hands on prep work to learn how to make yogurt at home. And, you don't need a yogurt maker. Once you make delicious homemade yogurt you may never go back to buying store-bought again.

There are many ways to make yogurt at home. I grew up with my dad making a large pot of yogurt over the stove and then incubating it in the oven with a towel wrapped all around it. It's seriously so easy. So that is exactly how we are going to do it too. You can also make yogurt in a yogurt maker if you prefer.

Ingredients

Homemade yogurt is so easy to make with just 2 ingredients. You will need:

milk - 1 litre (or 4 cups) of milk. You can use milk with any type of fat content. I recommend using whole milk to get the thickest and creamiest yogurt. You can use skim or low-fat milk but the yogurt will be thinner (and thinner than store-bought yogurt that contains thickeners).
plain yogurt - 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt. You have to make sure that your yogurt contains live bacteria culture. This is what will turn the milk into yogurt. You can also use yogurt starter. Once you make your first batch of yogurt, you can then use it to make your next batch.

You will also need a heavy pot with a lid (I used a 4 qt. Dutch oven) and a digital thermometer.

How to Make the Best Homemade Yogurt

Heat milk. Heat milk in a 4 qt. Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat and stir gently until it simmers, about 8 to 10 minutes. Insert a digital thermometer to get a quick reading. The milk should reach 180°F.
Cool down. Remove from heat and stir occasionally. Let the yogurt cool down to 115°F.
Add yogurt. Whisk yogurt (or yogurt starter) into milk and stir well to mix evenly.
Incubate. Close the lid and place the Dutch oven into the oven (not heated) with the light on for 8-10 hours until the yogurt is set. I would move the Dutch oven close to the light to keep as warm as possible. It is recommended to keep the incubation temperature between 95°F to 115°F. Do not let the temperature go above 118°F or it could kill the live bacteria.
Store. Once the yogurt is set, transfer it into the refrigerator to stop further fermentation. You can store the yogurt in the refrigerator up to 7 days. You can also use this yogurt to make your next batch.

How to Serve Homemade Yogurt

Serve creamy homemade yogurt with your favourite fruit and granola or in a fruit and yogurt parfait. Try it with cinnamon apple granola or coconut maple walnut granola. During the holidays, it's all about the pumpkin pie granola or gingerbread granola around here.

Tips and Frequently Ask Questions

Can I use any kind of yogurt? Use plain yogurt and make sure that it contains active bacteria cultures.
What kind of container should I use? Choose a container that will help the yogurt keep warm in oven. I recommend using a 4 qt. Dutch oven and wrapping a clean dry towel around it to keep the temperature steady between 100°F to 115°F.
How do I monitor the temperature? The best way to monitor the temperature is to place a digital thermometer in the milk during incubation in oven. If the temperature is too high (above 115°F), move the Dutch oven to the lower rack and further away from the light. If the temperature drops under 100°F, turn the oven on for 15 seconds and off to generate some heat in oven.
Can I incubate the yogurt for a longer period of time? The longer the incubation time and the higher the temperature, the more sour the yogurt will get.
How to store: Store the yogurt in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

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Coconut Lamb Curry

Hearty coconut lamb curry is an easy one pot meal that is full of incredible flavour. It is packed with lamb, potatoes and carrots, made creamy with coconut milk, and well seasoned with an assortment of spices. You can make it on the stovetop or in the slow cooker. Make an extra batch because leftovers taste even better and freeze really well.

The secret to the perfect coconut lamb curry is cooking on low heat over a lengthy time period. It creates a curry with a more rich depth of flavour and so delicious. Serve it with a side of Basmati rice, naan bread, or rice pilaf. Some other curries to try are one pot coconut curry beef stew, Indian butter chicken, one pot coconut curry chicken and rice, and pumpkin chickpea coconut curry.

Ingredients

vegetable oil
leg of lamb or lamb shoulder - boneless and cut into 1-inch cubes. You could also replace this with stewing beef for a beef curry.
onion
garlic
seasonings - garam masala powder, yellow curry powder, cumin seeds (or powdered cumin), and salt.
coconut milk - I used full-fat coconut milk to get the most creaminess. Lite coconut milk works too and tastes delicious, just not as creamy.
tomato paste
potatoes
carrots
fresh cilantro - for garnish on top. You can also garnish with a swirl of coconut milk.

You will also need measuring spoons and a 4 qt. Dutch oven (or large cooking pot).

How to Make the Best Coconut Lamb Curry

Cook the lamb. Heat oil in a 4 qt. Dutch oven or a large cooking pot for 2 minutes over medium high until the oil starts to sizzle and shimmer. Add in cubed lamb and stir well to cook evenly until browned, about 6-8 minutes.
Sauté onion and garlic. Add onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes until tender.
Add seasonings. Add garam masala, yellow curry powder, cumin seeds, and salt. Stir well to coat the lamb, and continue to cook for 3 minutes.
Add coconut milk. Add coconut milk and tomato paste. Stir well and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cover the lid. Simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours until the lamb is fork tender. Use a fork to check the tenderness of the lamb. If you are able to insert a fork in the center of lamb with little resistance, it's cooked fork tender.
Add vegetables. Add potatoes and carrots and bring to a simmer uncovered. Stir occasionally and cook for 45 minutes until the potatoes and carrots start to soften.
Rest and serve. Remove the pot from heat and let rest for 20 minutes to cool down a little. Serve the coconut lamb curry with Basmati rice, rice pilaf or garlic naan bread and garnish with cilantro.

How to Make Coconut Lamb Curry in the Slow Cooker

You can easily make this curry in the slow cooker. Follow the first two steps of the recipe as written (cook the lamb in a large skillet to brown the lamb, then add onions and garlic and sauté until soft). Then, transfer the lamb mixture to the slow cooker and add all remaining ingredients. Cover with the lid and set to cook for 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. Add water if needed to dilute the curry a bit.

How to Serve Coconut Lamb Curry

I served this coconut lamb curry with a side of Basmati rice. A side of rice pilaf or garlic naan bread also pairs beautifully for a complete meal and for or dipping and soaking up all that delicious curry. To add some more sides to your dinner, this pairs really nicely with roasted vegetables such as roasted cauliflower.

Tips

Customize the curry. You can easily customize this lamb curry by adding in different vegetables. I like potatoes and carrots because they are so comforting in a curry like this. Some other vegetables that work well are cauliflower and broccoli, as they also soak in all the delicious curry juice. Any starchy vegetables work well too such as sweet potatoes and yams.
Let the stew rest. Let the curry rest for at least 20 minutes to cool down and also to let the flavours infuse into the curry. This is really important. In fact, the longer you let it rest, the more flavourful the lamb curry gets.
How to store. Store the leftovers in the pot with the lid on (for easy reheating the next day) or in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
How to freeze. Store lamb curry in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Use it for meal prep. This is an ideal recipe for meal prep because it stores and freezes beautifully. Portion out some rice and curry in meal prep containers and store in the refrigerator to eat throughout the week, or in the freezer to last longer.
How to reheat. Reheat leftovers over the stove on medium heat until warmed through or in the microwave. If reheating from frozen, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator first.

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Healthy Lemon Chicken

Better than takeout, healthy lemon chicken is a delicious, sticky chicken stir fry coated in a sweet and tangy sauce packed with lemon juice and zest for the best flavour. It is stir-fried for a healthier twist on this classic Chinese-American dish that is traditionally deep-fried. Marinate it ahead of time and spend just 15 minutes cooking. The best weeknight dinner.

I am all about quick and easy weeknight dinners, especially delicious better than takeout meals. Which is why this Chinese lemon chicken is always on the top of my list. Some other easy Asian stir fries that we like to whip up in under 30 minutes on busy weeknights are Vegetarian Fried Rice, Shanghai Style Fried Noodles, and Chicken Pad Thai.

Healthy Lemon Chicken Ingredients

To make healthy Chinese lemon chicken, you will need the following ingredients:

chicken breast - 1.5 lbs. chicken breast, about 2-3 breasts.
chicken marinade - made with soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing cooking wine), apple cider vinegar, and cornstarch.
vegetable oil
sugar - helps caramelize the chicken.
lemon juice + lemon zest - because it is lemon chicken.
liquid honey
soy sauce - feel free to use gluten-free soy sauce to keep this dish gluten-free.
cornstarch dissolved in water - helps to thicken up the sauce.
white sesame seeds - for garnish.
green onions - for garnish.
lemon slices - for garnish.

You will also need a measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, and a large non-stick skillet or wok.

How to Make the Best Healthy Lemon Chicken

Marinate the chicken. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the chicken, soy sauce, cooking wine, vinegar and cornstarch. Mix until the chicken is fully coated. Place the chicken and marinade in ziploc bag and squeeze out all the air. Place the bag in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 1 hour. If you have time, let it marinate longer.
Cook the chicken. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium high heat for 2 minutes until the hot oil sizzles and shimmers. Add the chicken to the frying pan and stir fry continuously for about 7-10 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink inside.
Make the sauce. Add sugar and stir to coat the chicken for a minute. The melted sugar will caramelize the chicken, which makes it turn brown. Add in lemon juice, lemon zest, honey and soy sauce. Stir well to combine and coat the chicken.
Thicken the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk to combine water and cornstarch. Pour in the cornstarch mixture and stir well until the sauce starts to thicken and forms into a smooth consistency. Mix evenly to coat chicken. Sprinkle sesame seeds and sliced green onions on top.
Serve. Serve Chinese lemon chicken over a bowl of steamed rice and garnish with extra sesame seeds and lemon slices.

Tips

How to serve: Serve healthy lemon chicken over a bowl of steamed rice. I also like to pair this with a Chinese garlic cucumber salad and green onion dinner rolls.
How to store: Store any leftover lemon chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, heat on the stove over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until warmed through. The sauce may have thickened up a bit when stored, so add a little water to thin it out, as needed.

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This post was originally published in 2016. It has been completely updated with new photographs.

Garlic Mushroom Focaccia Pizza

Sheet pan garlic mushroom focaccia pizza with a thick pillowy and crispy crust is topped with sautéed garlic mushrooms, melty mozzarella and lots of basil. Plus, you don't need a pizza stone to make this because this delicious and easy pizza is made entirely in a sheet pan.

When two of my favourite recipes come together (focaccia bread and garlic sautéed mushrooms), garlic mushroom focaccia pizza is born. The best part is that it is so easy to make. It does take a few hours to let the dough rise, but the actual prep work is minimal.

Ingredients

focaccia pizza dough - made with instant yeast (or active dry yeast), water, all-purpose flour, and salt
olive oil - for coating the dough.
fresh mozzarella
sautéed garlic mushrooms - it takes about 15 minutes to make a fresh batch of these mushrooms.
tomato sauce
fresh basil leaves - lots of basil, about 15 fresh basil leaves.
olive oil

You will also need a kitchen scale (or measuring cups and spoons), mixing bowl, and quarter sheet baking pan.

How to Make the Best Garlic Mushroom Focaccia Pizza

Make the focaccia pizza dough. In small cup, dissolve instant yeast in water and stir to mix together (the mixture should start to bubble and develop a yeasty aroma). In a large mixing bowl, add flour and salt. Pour in yeast mixture and mix with a silicone spatula until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl (there should be no dry flour particles visible).
Knead. Knead the dough for 5 minutes until it turns into a smooth dough ball. Add and spread one tablespoon oil over the dough ball to coat. This helps prevent the dough from drying out.
First rise. Cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours (or in the refrigerator overnight) until the dough at least doubles in size. The gluten in dough will completely loosen over a long period of fermentation, which makes the dough stretch out easily.
Shape the dough. Spread 2 tablespoons olive oil evenly on a quarter sheet baking pan. Transfer the dough into the sheet pan and gently spread it out to all corners. The oil not only makes the dough spread easily and prevents it from sticking to the pan but it also creates a brown crispy crust when baked.
Second rise. Cover the sheet pan with plastic cling wrap and let the dough rise for 1 hour until the pizza dough almost rises to the rim of the sheet pan, about 1-inch thick. If the dough springs back from the edges, allow the gluten in dough relax for a few minutes and stretch it out.
Assemble and bake. When the dough is ready, evenly spread mozzarella cheese, garlic mushrooms, tomato sauce, basil and olive oil on top. Bake in a 450 F preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top turns golden brown. Let the pizza cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

How to Serve Focaccia Pizza

Pizza always goes well with a big bowl of salad. Some of my favourites to serve with this garlic mushroom focaccia pizza are: greek salad, Mediterranean chickpea wedge salad, cucumber and tomato salad, and Mediterranean orzo pasta salad.

How to Store Leftover Pizza

How to store: Once cooled, stack up some of the pizza slices and wrap together in plastic cling wrap or store in a ziploc bag or airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How to reheat: Reheat in the oven or in the air fryer at 350 F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.