Blog - Page 60 of 144 - Chelsea's Messy Apron

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

The best Sweet and Sour Meatballs boast an irresistible sauce complete with sweet peppers, juicy pineapple, and aromatics. Serve these saucy meatballs over rice for a hearty, filling and tasty meal.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

My family adores these meatballs, a perfect blend of tender, juicy flavors with a well-balanced sauce.

We mix sugar, vinegar, and typical ingredients, along with a few “secret” additions for extra depth. These include Worcestershire sauce for umami, sesame oil for a nutty touch, and mandarin oranges for sweetness.

Ingredients

Meatballs:

Ground Beef: Main ingredient.
Panko Breadcrumbs and Egg: Binders.
Dried Minced Onion, Coconut Milk, Ground Ginger, Salt, and Pepper: Flavor enhancers.

Veggies:

Oil: For sautéing your sweet and sour meatballs.
Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Bell Peppers: Flavor and crunch.
Mandarin Oranges, Pineapple: Sweetness.

Sauce:

Sugar, Rice Vinegar, Pineapple Juice, Ketchup: Sweet and sour base.
Worcestershire, Soy, Oyster Sauces: Depth and flavor.
Cornstarch and Water: Thickening.
Sesame Oil: Nutty flavor.

How To Make Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Mix ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, and seasonings for meatballs; form and cook.
Sauté onions, garlic, ginger, peppers, and add fruits.
Combine sugar, vinegar, sauces, and cornstarch mixture for the sauce; cook until thick.
Toss meatballs in sauce with veggies.
Serve hot.

STORAGE

Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
Freeze: Freeze in a sealed container or bag for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Thaw if frozen, then reheat in the oven or microwave until warm.

Meatballs Tips

Avoid Overmixing: Mix ingredients just until combined to keep meatballs tender.
Keep Ingredients Cold: Cold meat and ingredients make rolling easier. Use oiled hands for easy shaping.
Uniform Size: Roll meatballs evenly, about 1 and 1/4-inch wide, for consistent cooking. A mini cookie scoop can help.
Use a Meat Thermometer: Ensure meatballs reach 160°F for safety and doneness.
Grease Pan: When broiling, line and grease the pan to prevent sticking.

Pair These Sweet And Sour Meatballs With

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

by Chelsea Lords

Delicious Chocolate Chip Pancakes are made with miniature chocolate chips and buttermilk. These pancakes have a crisp exterior with a soft, interior.

We love Chocolate Chip Pancakes for breakfast! To make an entire breakfast spread, serve them alongside this Egg Skillet or these One-Pan Breakfast Potatoes and Bacon.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Pancakes, Waffles, and French Toast are all favorites at my home — we make at least one of them every Saturday for breakfast. My kiddos go crazy for Saturday morning breakfast!

While we typically stick these plain Homemade Pancakes, it’s fun to change up the flavors — sometimes adding overripe bananas (like in these Banana Pancakes) or fresh, juicy blueberries (like in these Blueberry Pancakes).

Today though, we’re going for a total breakfast treat — Chocolate Chip Pancakes! These pancakes are sweet, light, fluffy, and completely crave-worthy. Add a splash of good maple syrup (or our homemade pancake syrup) for the perfect finishing touch!

Make your own Buttermilk

I’m a huge fan of buttermilk in pancakes; it gives them a wonderful lift, texture, and flavor.

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can still make Chocolate Chip Pancakes! They do have slightly less lift with DIY buttermilk as opposed to regular, but it still works great (I’ve tested both). Here are the instructions:

Pour 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar or lemon juice into the bottom of your liquid measuring cup. Fill up the rest with whole milk and give it a quick stir. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before adding it to the recipe. This DIY buttermilk procedure can be increased or decreased proportionately.

For this pancake recipe, I add 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon vinegar to a liquid measuring cup and add milk until reaching the 1 and 1/4 cup line.

QUICK TIP

If you use buttermilk in this recipe, you can use any leftovers in this Air Fryer Dutch Baby, Banana Chocolate Chip Cake, this Cornbread Recipe, or these Banana Cupcakes!

Toppings for Chocolate Chip Pancakes

The best thing about making your own pancakes–chocolate chip or otherwise– is that you get to pick exactly how you want them topped! Below are some ideas:

A pat of butter
A drizzle of peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc.
Pure maple syrup
Vanilla Sauce
Buttermilk Syrup (great way to use up leftover buttermilk)
Whipped Cream
Fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.)
Toasted coconut
Jam (any flavor would be delicious!)
A sprinkle of powdered sugar
A drizzle of Nutella® (or similar chocolate/hazelnut spread)

I hope you enjoy these syrup-drenched, chocolate-studded, absolutely perfect pancakes!

Tips for the Best Chocolate Chip Pancakes

QUICK TIP

My number #1 tip: Do NOT overmix the batter. Too much stirring is going to start the gluten development in the batter and make the pancakes flat and tough (not light and fluffy). As soon as you don’t see flour streaks, stop mixing. Remember, lumps in the batter are a good thing and they’ll be eliminated as the batter rests.

Let the batter stand at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes before adding to the griddle. This gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid and allows some of those stubborn lumps (that you didn’t overmix!) to take care of themselves.
Pay attention to the temperature: Really pay attention while you cook the pancakes. If they’re browning too quickly, turn the heat down a bit and cool the pan for a minute. Sticking a lot? Add a bit more butter to the pan. As long as you keep monitoring and adjusting the temperature as needed, your pancakes will turn out fine.
Invest in a griddle: If you make pancakes often, and have space, I highly recommend an electric skillet or griddle; we use ours a couple of times a week! A griddle makes pancake-making so much easier!
Before your pancake batter hits the hot pan, run a cold stick of butter on the pan to grease it. This gives the pancakes an evenly distributed layer of fat to cook in.
- I like to hold the stick of butter with tongs to keep the heat away from my fingertips. Use the tongs as an extension of your hand, and run the butter across your skillet or griddle.
Use your favorite type of chocolate. We like miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips best in these pancakes — they disperse more evenly which means there’s chocolate in every bite! That said, you can use whatever chocolate chips you have on hand or like best — dark, milk, semi-sweet, or even white chocolate!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes FAQs

1How do you keep the chocolate chips from burning in the pancakes?

I’ve found using miniature chocolate chips solves this problem!

That said, regular chocolate chips still work, but you may want to add the chocolate chips after the batter is on the griddle. Once the pancake has puffed up a bit, press chocolate chips evenly into the pancake. Cook and then flip. Once there’s just the slightest bit of batter over the chocolate chips, it will seal them in and you can rest assured that they won’t burn.

If chocolate chips are popping out as you’re cooking the pancakes, press them in gently with the tines of a fork or with the back of the spatula.

And one more tip: If the chocolate is burning, the heat on the griddle may be too high.

2What does milk do in pancakes?

Milk (or buttermilk) in pancakes is the main liquid structure. It is what dissolves the dry ingredients.

Milk makes the batter smooth and will also contribute to the lovely golden color of the cooked pancakes.

3Why aren't my pancakes fluffy?

There are a few contributing factors:

Using old ingredients (old butter, flour, etc.)
Overmixing the batter
Substituting low-fat or different ingredients

For the best results, read the recipe carefully and follow the directions exactly.

4How do you make Chocolate Chip Pancakes from scratch?

There is a more detailed step-by-step process included in the recipe card below, but here is a quick overview of the process.

Start by mixing together wet ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
Combine the two, being careful to not overmix.
Add dollops of the batter to a heated and buttered griddle.
Cook, flip, and finish cooking.
Keep cooked pancakes hot while cooking the rest by storing them in a warm oven.
Serve and enjoy!

More easy breakfast recipes

Quiche Lorraine with bacon
Healthy Breakfast Cookies no baking required
Dutch Baby also called German pancakes
Strawberry Scones with Greek yogurt
Soft-Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars with chocolate chips

Cauliflower Smoothie

by Chelsea Lords

Stick with me here — we’re adding vegetables to a breakfast smoothie, but I promise you can’t taste them! This Cauliflower Smoothie is sweet, filling, and tastes like a cinnamon roll in smoothie form.

Check out some of our other favorite breakfast smoothies for your next delicious drink — these Green Smoothie Recipe, Immune Boosting Smoothie, or Oatmeal Smoothie recipes are each packed with good ingredients and best of all, totally tasty!

Cauliflower Smoothie

I know, this is going to require some trust on your end, but really, you can’t taste the cauliflower in this smoothie. Instead, it acts as a thickener and is a hidden way to add satiation and nutrients to a smoothie. This isn’t a recipe where you’ll finish and already be raiding the fridge/pantry for something else to eat; it’s surprisingly filling.

In just about every smoothie (and acai bowl recipe) I’ve shared on this site, we rely on frozen bananas for thickness and consistency. That’s a real bummer for anyone that doesn’t eat bananas. So today, I’m debuting the first banana-free smoothie, and thanks to cauliflower we still have a totally craveable consistency!

Can you taste the cauliflower?

While I’ve never been able to taste the cauliflower in this smoothie (we’ve made this recipe a lot lately!), I will say you can detect that there are cauliflower chunks if the smoothie isn’t well blended. Be sure to use a high-powered blender and thoroughly blend the smoothie until it’s 100% smooth. You may need to blend this smoothie longer than usual to get that smooth consistency.

Cauliflower Smoothie Ingredients

Medjool dates: To get a great natural sweetness in this smoothie, we rely on dates. The dates blend up nicely and add nutrients and sweetness to the smoothie. (By the way, did you know dates are actually a fresh, not dried fruit?!) If you’ve got some leftover dates, use them in these Granola Bars or Gluten-free Zucchini Muffins!
Frozen cauliflower: it’s important the cauliflower is frozen– not fresh– for smoothie consistency and coldness.
Milk: Any milk works, but we prefer plant-based milk in this smoothie. Personally, macadamia nut milk is my favorite and unsweetened vanilla almond milk is a close second.

QUICK TIP

To ensure the dates blend up nice and smooth, we soak them in boiling water first. Start the smoothie prep by getting the dates soaking and they’ll be soft and ready by the time everything else is in the blender. They only need a few minutes in the boiling water to soften. Be sure to remove any pits from the dates before blending!

Ingredients, Continued

Almond Butter: Almond butter adds lots of flavor, protein, and good-for-you fats, helping to ensure this smoothie is satiating. As far as almond butter goes, I recommend a slow-roasted and lightly salted almond butter you enjoy eating straight from the jar. If it’s not a tasty almond butter on its own, it won’t add a whole lot to this smoothie.
Old-fashioned oats: This is another addition focused on satiety. The oats add thickness, nutrients, and make sure this smoothie is very filling.
Flavor enhancers: Vanilla, cinnamon, and a tiny pinch of salt add loads of flavor and emphasize the “cinnamon roll” taste of this cauliflower smoothie. Why salt? It helps intensify and balance all the ingredients in this smoothie — a little goes a long way!
Ice: The ice ensures a super cold and a thick smoothie.

Cauliflower Smoothie Tips

If needed, add a little maple syrup, stevia, or honey to further sweeten this smoothie. (I find the dates sweeten it enough, but it can vary depending on the sweetness of the dates used.)
Measure: While it is much easier to just eyeball a smoothie and throw it all together, I highly recommend measuring ingredients the first few times, so you get proportions/quantities right. Throwing random quantities in a blender can often end up giving you way too much smoothie or tasting, well, nasty.
Blend. I mentioned this previously, but before transferring the smoothie to a glass, give it a quick stir to be sure everything is smooth. If you’ve got any chunks, blend it again.

More smoothie recipes

Cherry Smoothie only four ingredients
Banana Smoothie with cinnamon
Peanut Butter Protein Shake with chocolate protein powder
Mango Smoothie with lots of tropical fruit
Pumpkin Protein Shake with pumpkin puree

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Cauliflower Smoothie

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

Stick with me here -- we're adding vegetables to a breakfast smoothie, but I promise you can't taste them! This Cauliflower Smoothie is sweet, filling, and tastes like a cinnamon roll in smoothie form.

Print Recipe

Cauliflower Smoothie

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Drinks, Protein Shake, Vegetarian

Cuisine American, Healthy, Vegan

Keyword cauliflower smoothie

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings 2 servings

Chelsea Lords

Calories 384kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $2.12

Ingredients

▢ Packed 1/4 cup pitted large Medjool dates (~3 dates)
▢ 1 cup milk Note 1
▢ 3/4 cup frozen cauliflower florets
▢ 2 tablespoons dry roasted and lightly salted almond butter Note 2
▢ 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (scale up or down to personal preference)
▢ Very tiny pinch of fine sea salt
▢ 6 large ice cubes

US - Metric

Instructions

SOAK DATES: Set dates in a small heat-safe (glass) bowl. Pour 1 cup of very hot (or boiling) water over the dates. Let stand for about 4-5 minutes or until the rest of the smoothie is ready to go. This ensures the dates blend up nicely. Once they've soaked, thoroughly drain and make sure the pits have been removed.
SMOOTHIE: Meanwhile, assemble the rest of the smoothie. Add remaining ingredients (including the dates) to a large blender jar. Blend until completely smooth. Give the smoothie a quick stir with a spoon to ensure there are no chunks. (Blend again if there is!)
ENJOY: Divide between two glasses and drizzle additional almond butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired. Enjoy immediately. Leftovers don't store well.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Any milk works here. We like using plant-based milk best. Personally, macadamia nut milk is my favorite and unsweetened vanilla almond milk is a close second. To keep this smoothie vegetarian or vegan, don't use dairy milk.

Note 2: I recommend a slow-roasted and lightly salted almond butter you enjoy eating straight from the jar. If it's not tasty almond butter on its own, it won't add a whole lot to this smoothie.

Nutrition Facts

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta

by Chelsea Lords

This simple, one-pot Chicken Pot Pie Pasta is packed with delicious ingredients including rotisserie chicken, tender veggies, and creamy orzo pasta. Plus: minimal chopping, minimal cleanup, and minimal hands-on time — we employ a few shortcuts to have this meal ready in 30 minutes or less!

We love easy pasta dishes! Be sure to try this Zucchini Pasta Sauce with spaghetti or this Olive Garden copycat Pasta e Fagioli next!

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta

My boys beg for Chicken Pot Pie (or this Ham Pot Pie) when the weather is cold, and they absolutely love this Chicken Pot Pie Soup. I’m not complaining– those are some of my favorite dishes too! That said, pot pies and even pot pie soup are fairly time-consuming recipes to make. And there’s a good amount of clean-up involved from making those recipes.

For this recipe, I aim to include all the components we know and love from pot pies in a quick recipe with minimal clean-up. So minimal, in fact, that there is only one dish to wash! That’s right; this is a recipe that can be made in ONE pot! (Wait! Is that you I hear cheering?!)

This ultra-filling dish is loaded with veggies, is creamy and hearty, and best of all, it is seriously tasty! And even though it’s creamy, we’re doing it in a lighter way — we’re actually not using all that much butter (2 tablespoons for the whole recipe!), plus no heavy creams or half-and-half. So, yes, it’s creamy, but in a lighter way than a typical Alfredo sauce.

So, if you aren’t already running to the grocery store to grab the ingredients, I’ll also mention here just how kid-friendly this dish is. My kids can’t seem to get enough of it!

How To Have This Dish Ready In 30 Minutes (Time-Saving Tips)

To truly ensure a 30-minute meal, we rely on some grocery store shortcuts that I’ll discuss below.

Try freshly made mirepoix (a combination of finely chopped onions, celery, and carrots) from the produce section of the grocery store. You can even find it in the frozen vegetable section of the store; this is a huge time saver! If you don’t want to purchase this mix, you can use a food processor to quickly chop equal amounts of onion, carrot, and celery. Going the food processor route adds an extra dish, but isn’t too much more time consuming.
Use pre-minced garlic (or a garlic press) as another time saver.
We rely on a bag of frozen veggies to further add to the simplicity and minimize prep for this dish. We use a blend of carrots, corn, peas, and green beans to keep with the chicken pot pie theme.
Rotisserie chicken. Pre-cooked and seasoned chicken is a total time saver on its own, but to save even more time on the chicken, you can purchase rotisserie chicken meat already pulled from the bones and shredded or diced — a lot of grocery stores sell this conveniently prepared chicken!
Use room-temperature milk. If the milk isn’t straight from the fridge, it will heat much more quickly in this recipe. Before starting this Chicken Pot Pie Pasta, I measure the milk and then set it aside to come to room temperature.

Let’s talk pasta

The pasta portion of this Chicken Pot Pie Pasta is none other than orzo pasta!

Although orzo looks a bit like rice, it’s not a grain (it’s a common misconception that rice and orzo can be interchanged, but they are different and won’t cook the same in this recipe). Orzo is a type of short-cut pasta that merely looks like larger grains of rice. It also goes by the names risoni and risi, and they’re all the same thing: small pasta made from durum and semolina wheat. In Italian, orzo means barley…and that’s what it looks like, too! You’ll find orzo on the pasta aisle of most grocery stores.

I would not recommend any substitutes for orzo pasta in Chicken Pot Pie Pasta. The orzo takes on a risotto-type creamy consistency that is not well duplicated with different (larger) pastas.

QUICK TIP

We’re only using a portion of the box of pasta, not the entire thing! Use leftover orzo pasta in some of our favorite dishes — this Creamy Pesto Orzo, this Orzo Pasta Salad, or this Lemon Chicken-Orzo Soup.

Optional Biscuit Topping

Personally, the pastry part of a chicken pot pie is my favorite element! So, naturally, I had to come up with some way to add that into this dish–but shortcut style, of course! And that means store-bought biscuits. If you love flaky biscuits, you’ll love them with this Chicken Pot Pie Pasta.

They’re totally optional and not necessary, but a fun addition. Other alternatives — a crusty baguette or baked puff pastry dough.

To ensure ultra-easy and tasty biscuit topping, we use the air fryer. Lightly spritz the biscuits with cooking spray and air fry for 5-6 minutes — so simple! If you don’t have an air fryer, bake them in the oven according to the package directions.

Recipe Tips

Prep everything before you start cooking. This is a dish where the cooking goes pretty quickly, so you want to make sure to have everything ready to go before starting.
Allow time for the mirepoix to get tender. We sauté the mirepoix at the beginning of dish preparation, but the onion, carrot, and celery don’t get much softer throughout the rest of the cooking, so take the time, in the beginning, to ensure it’s nice and tender!
Choose high-quality stock or broth. The better the stock, the richer the dish will taste. We love Swanson’s Chicken Stock® best (not sponsored).
Go with whole milk. While 1% or 2% milk will work, I highly recommend whole milk in this recipe — we don’t find it creamy or flavorful enough with lower fat percentages of milk.
Cook in a large, nonstick pot and stir often. The orzo cooks up better when stirred frequently in a nonstick pot. Without stirring, it can catch and clump at the bottom of the pot.

Tips, Continued

Seasonings. This dish doesn’t have a whole lot of seasoning because it’s relying on the chicken stock (which has plenty of seasonings already), the Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. That said, you still might need a pinch extra at the end — don’t be afraid to add more salt and pepper until the flavors sing.
Add some fresh herbs. This Chicken Pot Pie Pasta is rich and hearty, so it benefits from fresh herbs to cut through the richness. We love flat-leaf Italian parsley and/or fresh thyme best.
If the dish ends up too thick, add an extra splash of milk.

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta Storage

This dish keeps nicely for 4-5 days in an air-tight container in the fridge.
I don’t recommend freezing this dish because of the dairy and pasta in it. The milk solids will separate as the dish thaws, resulting in a grainy texture with separation. Additionally, the orzo doesn’t freeze and thaw very well.
To reheat leftovers: Add Chicken Pot Pie Pasta to a pot and slowly increase the heat while stirring frequently. Add in a splash of milk to thin out the dish and increase the creaminess. You may also need to add a touch more seasoning. Don’t boil or reheat it at a high temperature; this may cause the ingredients to separate or become grainy.

More simple 30-minute meals

Rotisserie Chicken Tacos in crispy corn tortillas
Chipotle Chicken Salad with a sweet chipotle-lime vinaigrette
BBQ Chicken Sandwich Recipe with rotisserie chicken
Vegetarian Gyros with crispy chickpeas
Ground Beef Naan Tacos with a simple cucumber sauce

General Tso Chickpeas

by Chelsea Lords

These General Tso Chickpeas make an amazing meatless meal with carrots, broccoli, snow peas, a sweet bell pepper, and an array of aromatics. The spicy, tangy sauce that coats these chickpeas and veggies is so quick to whip together and loaded with flavor. Serve these General Tso Chickpeas over rice or cauliflower rice for a low-carb (high-protein) meal.

We love transforming chickpeas into a meal — try this Vegetarian Tikka Masala, Chickpea Curry, or Chickpea Salad next!

General Tso Chickpeas

We love General Tso chicken, but it can be a process to make– marinating and frying chicken in addition to making the sauce and sautéing veggies. So today, we’re leaving out the meat and making a simplified, quick, 30-minute variation on General Tso using veggies and chickpeas. It also happens to be loads more nutritious without sacrificing flavor!

So even though there isn’t chicken, this meal is still very satiating — chickpeas are known for their high plant-based protein content. In just 1-ounce of chickpeas you’ll get 3 grams of protein, which is comparable to similar foods like lentils and black beans. Between those protein-filled chickpeas and all the veggies, you’ll be amazed just how filling this meal is while also curbing your General Tso cravings!

Is General Tso spicy?

First things first: General Tso Chicken is known for having a kick and General Tso Chickpeas are no different. That said, it is easy to scale the spice up or down. Just know that you are sacrificing some flavor when reducing the spice.

For the spice part of General Tso, we’re using a chili garlic sauce. A little goes a long way, so if you’re worried about this dish being too spicy, I’d recommend starting with less. You can always add more if you’re craving more flavor or spice.

If these General Tso Chickpeas end up being too spicy, you can counteract it by adding a bit of extra brown sugar.

QUICK TIP

What’s the difference between Sambal Oelek, Sriracha, hot sauce, and chili sauce/paste? Chili garlic sauce is like sambal oelek with a few additions (like vinegar, garlic, sugar, and other seasonings). It’s similar to Sriracha, but a bit chunkier, spicier, and less sweet. Read up more on the differences here.

What is General Tso sauce made of?

Cornstarch: This ensures the sauce will thicken nicely and give the dish a good glossy coating.
Chicken stock: I recommend a good, robustly flavored stock; Swanson® is our favorite. If using low-sodium stock or broth, you may need to add a pinch or two of salt to this dish.
Rice vinegar: Also called rice wine vinegar (the two are the same!), it gives the sauce a tanginess.
Hoisin sauce: This is a thick and very fragrant sauce that is sweet and salty and really forms the base flavor for these General Tso Chickpeas.
Toasted sesame oil: This oil has a strong aroma and flavor — a little goes a long way! We add some to the sauce and then a little drizzle as a finishing oil to add a nutty and toasty flavor to the dish.
Chili paste: This is the exact sauce I use in this recipe; I like it because it’s readily available at regular grocery stores (shouldn’t need a stop at a specialty shop!). It packs a wallop — a little goes a long way! It adds that classic spicy heat in General Tso and we love the flavor.
Brown sugar: It adds in some sweetness and balances the spiciness a bit. Feel free to play around with this addition– less for a more spicier and more for a less spicy/sweeter dish.

Shortcut Prep Recommendations

Use shredded/matchstick carrots instead of peeling and slicing whole carrots. If using matchstick carrots, add in at the same time you add in the sauce.
Use pre-chopped broccoli. You may still need to cut down larger florets, but it still saves time.
Use jarred garlic and/or ginger paste.
Make the sauce ahead of time. The sauce can be made in advance; simply shake or whisk once more before adding it to these General Tso Chickpeas.

General Tso Chickpea Tips

Taste and adjust. Depending on the soy sauce and chicken stock used, you may not need any additional salt/seasoning or you may need a pinch to bring the flavors alive. With regular soy sauce and regular chicken stock, we found this dish perfectly seasoned to our liking!
Prep ahead. This dish cooks quickly once you get started, so it’s best to have sauce and veggies prepared before the cooking begins.
Cook until the sauce thickens. You’ll know the sauce is thickened and finished cooking when you can drag your wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan and it leaves a clear track. Cook times may be slightly different depending on the pan used (nonstick holds less heat and cooks slower than a cast iron skillet), so just cook until you can get that thickened sauce.

STORAGE

General Tso Chickpeas Storage Tips

Storage: Keep leftovers in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container or gallon size bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating in a skillet or the microwave.

More veggie-filled recipes

Vegetarian Enchiladas with black beans and corn
Caprese Quinoa Salad with a balsamic vinaigrette
Carrot Soup with a pumpkin seed topping
Buddha Bowl with a kale pesto
Vegetarian Tacos with a cilantro sauce

Funfetti Cookies

by Chelsea Lords

Soft and chewy Funfetti Cookies loaded-up with rainbow sprinkles! These cookies are the perfect mash-up of classically soft sugar cookies and Funfetti cake flavors.

QUICK TIP

In 1989, Pillsbury introduced Funfetti, a white cake mix filled with colorful sprinkles, and it quickly became a favorite in America. Many people, including myself, grew up loving Funfetti cakes. While there are recipes using Pillsbury’s Funfetti mix, this recipe is different. We’re making Funfetti-inspired cookies with our own ingredients, adding sprinkles to a white base. It’s easy! For recipes using the boxed mix, check out Cake Batter Cookies or Edible Cake Batter.

Funfetti Cookies Recipe

These cookies are soft, chewy, buttery, and stuffed to the brim with sprinkles! I love sprinkles — I mean does it get more fun than all the colors of the rainbow packed into a thick sugar cookie-esque treat?!

Funfetti Cookies are a bit crispy on the edges but thick and a little gooey in the middle, making them super soft. They’re very chewy and sweet – an amazing cookie!

Making these cookies is quick and easy; you just need a bowl and a spoon, no mixer! The only extra step is chilling the dough, which doesn’t require your attention. I think the best cookies need some chill time. It makes them taste better and gives them a great texture. The flavors also get better as they sit together. More details on this below.

Why chill the cookie dough?

These cookies (like many cookies) benefit from chilling time. Here’s why:

For texture reasons, we melt the butter for this recipe. However, baking cookie dough with melted butter in it makes the cookies spread and become thin, hard, and crispy. This is because the fat (butter) hasn’t had a chance to re-solidify. The longer the fat stays solid, the less the cookies will spread.
The sugar in the dough gradually absorbs liquid, so when you chill the dough, the sugar more time to absorb liquid–which further prevents spreading.
The dough flavor develops as it sits. Maybe it’s not quite like a fine wine that needs to age for years, but chilling time allows the flavors to strengthen in this cookie dough.

Rolling out the perfect Funfetti Cookies

While it’s not necessary to use a food scale to make these cookies, you’ll be surprised at what a difference it makes. It might sound like extra work, but I find the process goes even faster than using measuring spoons to create each cookie dough ball. With a spoon, scoop out the cookie dough, place it on the food scale and remove or add more dough (to reach the desired weight), roll it up, and repeat! The more even the sizes of cookies, the more perfectly they will all bake. Plus, they’ll all look so nice — like straight out of a bakery!
Instead of rolling a perfectly round ball, try shaping the dough so it’s taller and skinnier. When the cookies bake, you’ll get that perfectly thick and chewy center as well as the crisp edges. Using this technique, the bottom of the cookie ball bakes first, which will push out and become the crisp edge. The top of that tall cookie dough ball then becomes the thick and chewy center. Perfect texture every time!
Press the edges inwards. Working quickly, right out of the oven, use the back of a large spoon or metal spatula to press the edges of the cookies in towards the center. This creates really great crispy edges and ensures the cookie has a nice chewy center. It also makes the cookies prettier. You’ll need to work quickly, as the cookies set up fast and resist being pressed inwards after sitting out for more than a minute or two.

Let’s chat sprinkles

Mix gently. When stirring the jimmies into the dough, stir gently with a wooden spoon to get even dispersion and avoid mashing and breaking up sprinkles or dying the dough.
Use sprinkle jimmies, not nonpareils. Here’s a breakdown of different types of sprinkles, but essentially the jimmies won’t dye the cookie dough and they bake up nicely. Nonpareils will bleed color into the cookie dough and may leave you with some funky-colored Funfetti Cookies.
Change up the colors. This is a fun recipe to play around with during holidays or for specific special events — swap out the rainbow jimmies for a color suited to the event.

Funfetti Cookie Tips

Start with room-temperature ingredients. Using room-temperature eggs ensures that the eggs disperse more evenly into the batter. That gives these cookies a better texture (the eggs trap air). Soaking refrigerated eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for about 10 minutes warms the eggs easily. Otherwise, pull the eggs out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before use.
Measure the flour correctly. If you pack in too much flour, these cookies will puff up and end up cakier, rather than soft and chewy. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level with the back of a butter knife. If you press a measuring cup into a bag/container of flour you’ll pack in a lot more than intended.
Leave ample room on the baking sheet. These cookies are large and spread a good amount on a cookie sheet! I only bake 6-8 cookies at a time on a standard size cookie sheet.
Ever so slightly underbake. If you overbake these cookies, the taste and texture is off. Slightly underbaking these cookies keeps them soft, chewy, and flavorful. Remember, the residual heat on the pan continues to bake the cookies for a couple of minutes even after they’re pulled out of the oven.
Let them cool completely: Most cookies are the best right out of the oven, but I think these Funfetti Cookies taste even better after they’re completely cooled! These also taste great the second day when the flavors have gotten more of a chance to meld.

Cookie Storage

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’re best enjoyed within 3-4 days. Freeze cookie dough as opposed to baked cookies (see next bullet point).
Instead of freezing already-baked cookies, freeze the dough! Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to three months. To bake: You can bake these Funfetti Cookies straight from the freezer. There is no need to thaw, but you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, and the center is still soft.

More dessert recipes

Magic Cookie Bars with M&M’s candies
Dessert Cheese Ball brownie-batter flavored
Gingersnap Cookies with an amazing spice blend
Chewy Granola Bars with miniature chocolate chips
Sugar Cookie Snack Mix with powder sugar-coated cereal

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

by Chelsea Lords

These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are crispy and full of flavor. They’re easy to make and everyone loves them. Also, I’m sharing our best honey-mustard sauce recipe for dipping, and it only needs five ingredients!

We’re obsessed with the air fryer these days — try some of our other favorite air-fried recipes like these Southwest Egg Rolls or this Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies.

Not sure about Air Fryers? Check out our Air Fryer Guide!

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

Wow! If this recipe doesn’t convince you that having an air fryer is one of the best uses of kitchen space, I don’t know what will! I mean, maybe this Air Fryer Pizookie already convinced you?! These chicken tenders come together so easily and are cooked ridiculously fast in the air fryer. They’re crispy, crunchy, and loaded with texture and flavor.

However, if you don’t have an air fryer, don’t leave just yet; you can make these in the oven too! They’re slightly less crispy and take just a bit longer, but I’m certain you’ll still be pleased with the outcome!

Let’s Talk Chicken Tenders

Ok, first things first. We use chicken tenders for this recipe. You can use chicken breasts, but you’ll need to cut them into thin strips — so they’re the size of tenders. Depending on the breast size, you can get 3-4 tenders from one breast.

To prepare the chicken tenders, you’ll need to remove the tendons. This may seem like a tedious task (I used to hate it), but wait till you see and try this easy hack!

There are two options at this point:

Marinate the chicken tenders. There are few things as tasty as buttermilk-marinated chicken tenders! The buttermilk acts as a tenderizer and will make the chicken ultra juicy and flavorful. Even as little as 20-30 minutes can make a difference! We’ve also marinated tenders in coconut milk before which yields very tender juicy chicken. There is a hint of coconut flavor though (which pairs so nicely with coconut flakes if you want to add those to the breading).
Use as is. If you want to skip the marinating, no problem, we’ll still get you crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders! Pat the chicken tenders well with a paper towel and proceed with the recipe.

Air Fryer Chicken Tender Breading Notes

Once the chicken is prepped (either marinated and dried or just dried with a paper towel), it’s time to dredge it in the batter, then the breading, and then throw it in the air fryer. Here’s a quick breakdown of the batter and breading in this Air Fryer Chicken Tenders recipe:

First, the batter:

Egg and mayo. These two ingredients contribute flavor and are the main components of liquid in this batter.
Dijon mustard. Here we use Dijon because it’s less intense. If you want to cut down an ingredient though, yellow mustard (used in the sauce) works here too; the flavor is just slightly more pronounced.
Flour. A little flour thickens the breading to ensure it stays on the chicken.
Spices. I like to add the spices to the batter, not the breading, to ensure the chicken gets that spice blend all over it. We use pretty standard spices here — paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt & pepper.

Then, the three-ingredient breading:

Panko. Panko bread crumbs are similar to regular bread crumbs, but they create a much crunchier result. Here’s an article to explain it further. I use panko as opposed to breadcrumbs in pretty much every recipe on this site — you can use leftovers from this package in this Turkey Meatloaf, these Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells, or this baked Chicken Tortellini.
Cornmeal. Our favorite to use is Alber’s® Yellow Cornmeal. It’s got a great fine-ground consistency and adds a perfect flavor and texture to the chicken. We got this idea from a good friend — Carlsbad Cravings!
Flour. We use regular all-purpose white flour for this breading.

QUICK TIP

Once all the tenderloins are battered and breaded, they need to be generously sprayed with cooking spray. This promotes crisp, even browning in the air fryer.

Dipping Sauce Tips

The sauce is a must-have for these Air Fryer Chicken Tenders — it’s got so much flavor and truly makes the chicken unforgettable! I have a few tips to share:

Use good mayo. I highly recommend real, full-fat mayo for the best possible dipping sauce. Hellmanns/Best Foods® is my favorite brand (not sponsored).
For this sauce, we’re using yellow mustard, not Dijon–which won’t taste quite right here.
Sweeten to taste. I wouldn’t consider this sauce overly sweet, but it does have a touch of sweetness. If you’re concerned about that, add the honey slowly and to taste.
Don’t forget to season. A little pinch of salt and pepper goes a long way in rounding out flavors and balancing ingredients.
Add a flavorful honey BBQ sauce. We like Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ® sauce best in this recipe (not sponsored).

Air Fryer Chicken Tender Sides

Nothing hits the spot quite like French fries, so why not throw some in the air fryer while it’s out? If you make fries this way, I recommend cooking them before the chicken and then adding them back in to warm through for another 1-3 minutes. Alternatively, grab a bag of frozen fries from the freezer section of the grocery store — most of them now have directions for air frying! We love Alexia’s® sea salt sweet potato fries (not sponsored).
Some quick roasted veggies are a nice balancing side. We love this Roasted Broccoli or this Roasted Asparagus. Again, either of these veggies can also be thrown in the air fryer.
A quick salad is another nice balancing act. This cucumber salad, Italian salad or Olive Garden salad would make a nice pairing.

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders FAQs

1Can you put raw chicken in an air fryer?

Yes absolutely! It’s a quick and efficient way to cook chicken.

2How do I cook chicken tenderloins in the Air Fryer?

After the chicken has been breaded and generously sprayed with cooking spray, add it to the air fryer. Cook for 7-8 minutes, flip the tenders, spray the other side with cooking spray, and cook for another 6-8 minutes or until golden brown and a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F (carryover heat will bring it up to 165 degrees F).

Layer the chicken in one even layer– don’t stack tenders on top of one another. You may need to cook the chicken in batches if you can’t fit it all in at once.

3How long should you air fry raw chicken?

The time will vary depending on a few factors:

You exact air fryer model
The actual size of chicken tenders (they can surprisingly vary quite a bit)
How much chicken is in the air fryer

Once you’ve done tenders a time or two in your air fryer, you’ll know the exact cooking times, but until then I do recommend checking them a few times near the end by inserting a meat thermometer. A meat thermometer removes any guesswork on your end!

4Can I make this recipe in the oven?

Yes! Totally can do! Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Follow the recipe exactly as written, but instead of air frying, add all the breaded (and sprayed with cooking spray) tenders to a wire rack. Place the rack on top of a baking sheet and place in the fully preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes, flip and bake for another 7-10 minutes or until cooked through (160 degrees F).

More easy chicken recipes

Chicken Melts with Cheddar cheese on French bread
Chicken Chili made in the slow cooker
Rotisserie Chicken Tacos super-fast prep!
Chicken Shawarma Wraps with a speedy Tzatziki sauce
Chicken Ramen Noodles with broccoli and a quick sauce

QUICK TIP

I use, love, and recommend this air fryer (affiliate link). Air fryers do vary a bit from brand to brand, so timing may need to be slightly tweaked for your specific model when making these chicken tenders

Chicken Ramen Noodles

by Chelsea Lords

These saucy Chicken Ramen Noodles with broccoli and a simple stir-fry sauce makes an easy weeknight meal the whole family will be obsessed with!

Try some of our other easy ramen recipes — this Ground Beef Ramen, these Egg Roll Noodles, or this veggie Chicken Ramen.

Chicken Ramen Noodles

This Beef and Broccoli Ramen has been a reader favorite for years ever since it was published! So I decided it would be fun to make a twist on that recipe with chicken and broccoli, instead of beef. And coming from my chicken-obsessed boys, they declared this “the best meal ever.”

I’ll admit they’ll claim meals as the “best ever” rather frequently, but these noodles were slurped up in record time nonetheless!

Chicken Ramen Noodles are easy to make, especially with some recipe shortcuts I’ll share below.

Shortcut Prep Ideas

Chicken Ramen Noodles are fairly quick to make, and here are some ideas to shorten the prep even more.

Yellow onion: A lot of grocery stores have pre-diced onions in the produce section of the grocery store you can use for this recipe. Otherwise, frozen diced onions work too. Cook frozen onions just until water is evaporated. Another option is using a food processor to quickly chop the onion.
Garlic: Use jarred, minced garlic for quicker prep.
Ginger: Again, speed things along with ginger paste. If you don’t have fresh ginger or ginger paste, add 1-4/ to 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (depending on desired flavor intensity) instead.
Broccoli: A lot of grocery stores have pre-chopped broccoli in the produce section of the store. You’ll still need to chop these down a bit, but this does save a bit of time.
Rotisserie chicken: If you’d like to skip cooking raw chicken, add in diced rotisserie chicken with the sauce — quickly warm it through as the sauce thickens. Be careful to not cook it for too long, as it will dry out.
Make the sauce ahead of time: This isn’t really a shortcut, but if you whip up the sauce ahead of time and keep it in the fridge, these Chicken Ramen Noodles come together that much quicker at dinner time.

Soy sauce: Use reduced or low-sodium soy sauce so this dish isn’t too salty. After all, you can always add some salt at the end, but you can’t take it away.
Chicken broth or stock: Again, I recommend low-sodium products so you can control the amount of salt in this dish.
Corn starch: This helps thicken the sauce. Here is a list of substitutes if needed.
Sesame oil: For a great authentic flavor, sesame oil really delivers! (This oil is typically found with the Asian ingredients area, rather than with the other oils in the grocery store.) We love the flavor of toasted sesame oil best in this meal.
Rice vinegar: This balances the sauce and adds a subtle tang. If you see a label saying rice wine vinegar, it’s the same thing.

Sauce Ingredients, Continued

Honey ensures the dish is not too spicy and adds a nice soft sweetness.
Hoisin sauce is thick and fragrant with a sweet and salty taste; it’s another “secret” to the amazing flavor in this dish.
Ground white pepper is a common spice, found among other spices in the grocery store.
Oyster sauce makes this dish taste like it’s from a restaurant by adding a delicious, rich flavor.
Sriracha® sauce adds heat and flavor to these Chicken Ramen Noodles. You can of course reduce (or even leave out) this if you’re not a fan of heat. And of course, add more or drizzle extra on your bowl if you love the burn!

Chicken Ramen Noodle Toppings

This ramen is delicious right out of the skillet, but here are some of our favorite toppings. Add as many or few as you’d like; cashews and green onions are our favorite toppings.

Sesame oil is a finishing oil that is great to drizzle on at the end. Even though there is some in the sauce, we like to add a little to individual dishes as well.
Sriracha® sauce adds some heat to individual plates for those that like things a bit spicier.
Green onions add a bright, crisp, and fresh aspect to these Chicken Ramen Noodles.
Toasted sesame seeds add a soft sweet taste and smell with a nutty flavor.
Cashews add a great crunch and finishing touch of seasoning. We love dry-roasted and lightly salted cashews best.

More Saucy Asian-Inspired Meals

General Tso Chickpeas with lots of veggies
Asian Ground Turkey with Sriracha-mayo sauce
Korean Beef Tacos with tasty marinated beef
Sweet and Sour Meatballs with juicy pineapple
Asian Chicken Tacos with a mango slaw

Quinoa Salad

by Chelsea Lords

This Quinoa Salad recipe is our all-time favorite! We combine perfectly cooked quinoa with an array of fresh, vibrant veggies and the ultimate lemon vinaigrette for a salad you’ll want seconds of!

We’ve shared so many variations on this Quinoa Salad throughout the years; the most popular being: Greek Quinoa Salad, Thai Quinoa Salad, Sweet Potato-Quinoa Salad, and Citrus Quinoa Salad.

Quinoa Salad

We’re obsessed with Quinoa Salad. Not only is it such a nutritious salad, packed with good-for-you ingredients, but it’s also so incredibly flavorful! It’s nice to feel like you’re fueling your body with good ingredients, but it’s amazing to thoroughly enjoy that process — and that’s what you get with this salad.

Quinoa is one of my favorite “superfoods” and in salad form, it combines with vegetables to make a well-rounded, nutritious meal. Quinoa Salad is fresh, light, a little tangy, filling, and loaded with texture. The veggies work so well with the quinoa and the dressing is the perfect finishing touch.

Quinoa Tips

Make sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking it. Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin which can make it taste bitter. Pour the uncooked quinoa into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold water for 30 seconds to a minute. A lot of packaged quinoa now comes pre-rinsed, so check your package to potentially save a step!
You can improve the flavor of quinoa by seasoning it generously. A little bit of salt goes a long way, so don’t forget to add it in. To 1 cup of uncooked quinoa, I add 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Sea salt has large flakes, so if you use table salt, you’ll use much less.
Let the quinoa steam. Once the liquid is absorbed, don’t rush to cool the quinoa; instead, let it stand (covered) for at least 10 minutes. Letting the quinoa stand allows it to fully “pop” and ensures it doesn’t end up watery or mushy. If the quinoa has cooked through, but there is still liquid in the pot, make sure to drain off that liquid.
Let the cooked quinoa cool completely before adding the other ingredients. (See the “quick tip” below.)

QUICK TIP

To speed up the cooling process: Spread the cooked and fluffed quinoa on a sheet pan in one even layer. Place the sheet pan in the fridge (or freezer) for 10-15 minutes or until cooled to room temperature. My favorite way to make a quinoa salad is with leftover cooled quinoa (the process is so much quicker). So next time you’re prepping food for the week or preparing a dish with quinoa in it, cook up extra quinoa and use it straight from the fridge in this Quinoa Salad.

Other Quinoa Salad Toppings

Beyond the quinoa, below is a quick description of the other salad ingredients.

Baby spinach. To give the salad bulk, additional nutrients, and even more staying power I like adding salad greens. Baby spinach is our favorite with all these veggies and it holds the quinoa and dressing nicely — especially if it’s coarsely chopped first.
Cherry tomatoes. While any tomatoes will work, we love the sweetness and juiciness of cherry tomatoes. Quarter especially large cherry tomatoes or halve smaller ones.
Fresh avocados. The avocados lend an amazing creamy texture making this salad taste indulgent. Wait for perfectly ripe avocados, as they make a huge difference — you can tell an avocado is ripe if it yields to firm gentle pressure (feels slightly soft, but not squishy).
English or Persian cucumbers (sometimes labeled as mini cucumbers). I don’t recommend regular cucumbers because they lack flavor and texture. They also break down more quickly, which isn’t ideal in this salad. You’ll love the crispness of English/Persian cucumbers!
Red onion. We love the bite that red onion adds, but with such a small amount in this salad, it’s very subtle. If you are sensitive to red onion, feel free to reduce or leave it out. Alternatively, it can be replaced with green onions or shallots which are both even milder. And on the flip side, if you love red onion, increase the amount added to this salad.
Feta cheese. This salty addition pulls everything together in this salad. If you’d prefer a dairy-free salad, this quinoa salad is still tasty without the cheese. I made Quinoa Salad all throughout my pregnancy and still thoroughly enjoyed it without the cheese.
Cilantro. I love adding fresh herbs to salad and cilantro is a nice complementary flavor here. If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, we’ve also made this salad with flat-leaf Italian parsley and fresh basil — both are delicious!

Adding Protein to Quinoa Salad

While it may seem this vegetarian salad is missing protein, it’s actually loaded with protein, thanks to the quinoa (and the feta cheese). One cup of cooked quinoa has 24 grams of protein. Plus, when you pair the protein in this salad with the healthy fats (olive oil in the dressing and avocado), you’ll be amazed at how satiating this salad is!

That said, this Quinoa Salad lends well to additional protein being added; I’d recommend leftover shredded rotisserie chicken — a lemon-herb flavored rotisserie chicken if you can find it! A side of grilled chicken is also a great option.

Lemon vinaigrette

As mentioned, Quinoa Salad is drizzled in a light, fresh, healthy, and tangy vinaigrette. Here are a few tips:

Dress to your preference. I love a generously dressed salad, but you may feel differently. Add the dressing slowly and to your personal preference. You probably won’t want the entire batch of dressing on this salad, but then again, you just might want it all! I’d rather you have more than not enough. Leftover dressing stores nicely for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge. (See “quick tip” below.)
- We often use leftover dressing on roasted vegetables, side salads, and raw garden veggies.
Use fresh lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice doesn’t pack the same flavor as fresh, and lemon is the main flavor here, so I highly recommend a real lemon!
Sweeten to taste. If you’d prefer the dressing to be more on the tangy side, reduce or omit the honey. Alternatively, if you’d like a sweeter dressing, feel free to increase the honey.

QUICK TIP

Leftover dressing will separate and solidify a bit since olive oil solidifies at cold temperatures. Simply let the dressing stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes and then shake to re-combine– and it’s ready to use! If you don’t want extra dressing (and prefer a minimally dressed salad) feel free to make a half recipe of the dressing — it halves nicely!

Quinoa Salad FAQs

1Can I make this salad ahead of time?

Parts of Quinoa Salad can be made ahead of time, but it is best enjoyed shortly after being dressed and assembled. You can prep the quinoa, dressing, and all the veggies (minus the avocado) ahead of time and store them separately in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, chop the avocado (you’ll want the avocado prepped as close to eating as possible) and add it to the salad, along with the dressing.

If you aren’t planning on finishing this salad all in one day, I’d recommend keeping the dressing separate from the salad and only dressing what you’ll be eating.

And you can, of course, always halve the recipe, but you’ll probably want to make a full batch of the dressing to have on hand because it is THAT good. 🙂

2What is Quinoa Salad made of?

This salad combines baby spinach, avocado, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh herbs, cooked and cooled quinoa, and an oregano-lemon vinaigrette.

3Is quinoa healthier than rice?

Quinoa is very nutritious — it’s full of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. From purely a calorie perspective: one cup of cooked quinoa has approximately 40 fewer calories than an equal amount of white rice. From a nutritional profile, white rice has almost 15 times more grams of carbohydrates while quinoa provides 5 more grams of fiber and double the protein.

4Is Quinoa Salad served hot or cold?

This salad is best served cold!

It comes together even quicker if you’ve made the quinoa ahead of time and have it stored in the fridge!

5What can I add to quinoa for flavor?

Add some salt: One of the biggest mistakes with making quinoa is not seasoning it. Just like pasta or rice, quinoa needs salt!

6What does quinoa taste like?

Quinoa has a sweet, almost nutty flavor. It should never taste bitter, but if it does, it’s because quinoa has a bitter saponin coating that needs to be rinsed off before cooking. Either purchase pre-rinsed quinoa or rinse it in a fine-mesh sieve under cool water.

One of my favorite things about quinoa is that it nicely takes on the surrounding flavors. It absorbs the dressing nicely which infuses it with a lovely lemon flavor.

7Is quinoa gluten free?

Short answer: naturally yes. However, a lot of quinoa is produced in facilities where cross contamination could occur. Make sure to check the label on your package!

More Healthy Salad Recipes

Kale and Quinoa Salad with berries
Steak Salad Recipe with an herb vinaigrette
Creamy Balsamic Dressing on a Cobb salad
Chicken Spinach Salad with a balsamic vinaigrette
Panzanella Salad with homemade croutons

Oatmeal Scotchies

by Chelsea Lords

These sweet Oatmeal Scotchies have a thick and chewy center with crisp edges. You’ll love the deep caramel notes with a hint of cinnamon spice and all that butterscotch and crushed toffee!

Try some of our other favorite oatmeal cookies — these Coconut Oatmeal Cookies or these Caramel Oatmeal Cookies.

Oatmeal Scotchies

If you’ve never tried Oatmeal Scotchies, you’re going to love them! These cookies are super sweet and full of deep caramel flavors. They have a few special tricks that make them the best Oatmeal Scotchies ever!

Read through the post and recipe before starting for ingredient notes and tips to help you be successful in baking these. I hope your family loves these as much as mine does!

Oatmeal Scotchies FAQs

1What is a Scotchie?

A Scotchie is a soft and chewy oatmeal cookie typically spiced with cinnamon and made with brown sugar, oats, and lots of butterscotch baking chips. These cookies have deep caramel and toffee notes of flavor. Scotchie is short for butterscotch.

2What kind of oats are best for cookies?

Oatmeal Scotchies are best with old-fashioned oats. You can read more about the differences between steel-cut oats, old-fashioned (or rolled) oats, and instant (or quick) oats here.

3Can you use quick oats in cookies?

While it may seem like old-fashioned oats and quick oats can be interchanged easily enough, they don’t work the same when baking. Because of their small size, quick oats act more like flour, absorbing more liquid which results in a drier, less flavorful cookie. This recipe relies on old-fashioned oats, and won’t work the same with any other oat type.

Unless the recipe specifically calls for quick oats, I would not use them in place of old-fashioned (rolled) oats.

4Why are my oatmeal cookies flat?

A few different things to consider:

Cookies often flatten because the dough did not chill long enough. Since there is melted butter in the batter, it needs a chance to firm up again.
If the melted butter was too hot when you added in the sugars, the cookies will likely end up a bit flat and greasy. Hot butter melts sugars so wait for the butter to cool a bit before adding in the sugars.
If the melted butter and sugars weren’t whisked together thoroughly this can result in flatter cookies.
Oatmeal cookies can also go flat if the flour was under-measured.
One other factor that comes into play is if you live in a high-altitude area.

5How many calories are in an Oatmeal Scotchie?

There are 197 calories in these cookies.

Process shots: images of the butter and sugar being mixed together and eggs, molasses, vanilla, baking agents, and oats being mixed together

Oatmeal Scotchie Ingredients

Four ingredients really make these Oatmeal Scotchies unique and unforgettable: molasses, dark brown sugar, toffee bits, and butterscotch baking chips or morsels. I’ll discuss each of these ingredients below:

Molasses. We use just a little in these cookies, so it doesn’t take over the taste. It gives a hint of toffee flavor without making the cookies taste too much like molasses. This small amount makes the cookies soft and chewy in the middle and adds sweetness. I suggest using dark molasses (also called “robust” or “full-flavored”), like Grandma’s® Molasses. There are many types of molasses at the store, from light to blackstrap.
Dark brown sugar.You can find dark brown sugar close to the light brown and powdered sugar in the baking section of the grocery store. It looks like light brown sugar but is darker because it has more molasses in it. This extra molasses gives dark brown sugar a stronger taste and makes it sweeter.
Toffee bits/crushed toffee. Putting milk chocolate English toffee bits in these cookies isn’t common, but it really makes them special! I like adding the toffee because it makes the caramel flavors in the cookies even better.
Butterscotch baking chips. Butterscotch morsels or baking chips are the classic choice for Oatmeal Scotchies. These morsels can be found in the baking aisle among other baking chips–just down the way from the brown sugar!

Recipe Tips

Don’t forget to chill the dough! The butter has to harden again after melting, so your cookies don’t turn into pancakes! While the dough chills, the sugar and oats slowly soak up liquid, which also helps stop the cookies from spreading too much.
Wait for the right ingredients. This cookie recipe has been tried many times to get it just right. To make the best cookies, use the exact ingredients the recipe says. I know it asks for some unusual ingredients, but it’s better to wait until you have them instead of guessing with other things. Baking can be tricky, and it’s hard to know if different ingredients will work as well as the ones in the recipe.
Start with room temperature ingredients. Using eggs that are the same temperature as your room makes them mix into the dough better, which makes the cookies feel nicer to eat (the eggs help trap air). To warm up cold eggs fast, put them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for about 10 minutes. Or, just take the eggs out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start.
Spoon and level the flour. When measuring flour, use a spoon to fill your measuring cup and then level it off. This way, you won’t use too much or too little flour. If you use too much flour, your Oatmeal Scotchies will be more like cake, and if you use too little, they’ll be too wet and spread out too much.
Leave ample room on the baking sheet. These cookies are large and do spread out quite a bit on a cookie sheet! I only bake 6-8 cookies at a time on a standard-size cookie sheet.
Roll large even-sized balls. If you have a kitchen scale, it makes things easier. Each ball of cookie dough should weigh exactly 40 grams. This way, all the cookies will bake evenly, and you won’t have some that are not cooked enough and others that are burnt!
Slightly underbake. These cookies are best when they’re a little underbaked. They keep getting firmer after you take them out of the oven. When they cool down, they become super soft and chewy!

QUICK TIP

We like these cookies best on days 1 and 2 of being made. They are softest and chewiest on day 1 and get more crunchy, less chewy every day after that. They do last up to a week, but they begin to lose texture and flavor. To store: Place in an airtight container and keep at room temperature. Wait until cookies are completely cooled before adding to the container. The unbaked dough for these cookies freezes wonderfully — read instruction #10 on the recipe card for more details!

More cookie recipes

Gingersnap Cookies with the best blend of spices
Magic Cookie Bars with a graham cracker crust
Brown Sugar Cookies with a crisp sugar coating
Animal Circus Cookies with cream cheese frosting
Avalanche Cookies no baking required!

Black Bean Wraps

by Chelsea Lords

These vegetarian Black Bean Wraps with a creamy cilantro-avocado topping and a quick chili-lime sauce are the perfect complement of flavors and textures. These easy-to-make wraps can be ready in about 30 minutes or less and make a great lunch or dinner!

If serving these wraps for dinner, I recommend a salad on the side like this Costco Kale Salad.

Black Bean Wraps

Talk about a flavor explosion! We are completely obsessed with these meatless wraps and luckily, with how often they’ve appeared on our dinner table lately, they’re so quick to make.

These wraps start with a seasoned black bean and veggie mix which is then topped with an avocado, cilantro, and tomato topping. Drizzle on a quick chili-lime sauce and these wraps are ready to be enjoyed.

Below I’ll break down the three components of these wraps (the black beans, cilantro-avocado topping, and sauce) as well as ingredient tips.

Black Beans

The black bean mixture employs a sautéed red onion and sweet pepper, a quick seasoning blend, and (of course) black beans. The result is a fantastic black bean mixture that is honestly good enough to pass as a side dish on its own!

While this mixture isn’t overly time-consuming to make, you can make it even quicker by using leftover made-from-scratch black beans. The quick black bean mixture in this recipe is adapted from that recipe.

A few quick tips:

Save time. Quickly chop the pepper and onion in a food processor.
Toast the seasonings. We’re adding layers of flavor by heating up the seasonings before adding in the beans. This will give the wraps a more robust flavor.
Don’t forget the salt. Be sure to taste the black bean mixture before adding it to the wraps and add a pinch of two more of salt as needed.

Cilantro-Avocado Topping

After the black beans have been prepared, give them a few minutes to cool off a bit and whip up this easy salad topping.

A few quick tips:

Fresh avocado. The avocado lends an amazing creamy texture to these Black Bean Wraps. Only use perfectly ripe avocados– they make a big difference. You can tell an avocado is ripe if it yields to firm gentle pressure (feels slightly soft, but not mushy).
Don’t forget the lime juice. The lime has dual purposes here — it adds a hit of acid and freshness to the wraps, but it also helps the avocado taste fresh and keeps it from browning as you assemble the wraps. If you use a lot of citrus in cooking, this citrus juicer is a game changer! It will transform your limes into juice in seconds!
If you hate cilantro, use fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley instead.

The Sauce

The quick chili-lime sauce is spread on the tortilla to help hold the black beans on. It’s then drizzled over everything to ensure plenty of flavor. If you have any extra sauce after the four wraps are made, you can even use it as a dipping sauce for anyone that wants even more sauce with their wraps. (Trust me, it’s addicting!)

A few quick tips:

We love Hellman’s/Best Foods® mayonnaise in the sauce (not sponsored). It has a robust flavor without being too sweet.
As for spiciness, I’d rate the sauce to be slightly spicy. If you’d like to make it milder, reduce or omit the Sriracha/hot sauce and be sure to use McCormick® seasonings. (We find them very mild.) Alternatively, amp up the heat by adding in 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.

QUICK TIP

Don’t want to make the sauce? Use about 1 tablespoon of low-fat or lite sour cream instead and spread that on first, down the left-hand side of the tortilla!

Black Bean Variation Ideas

Warm Black Bean and Cheddar wraps. Leave off the sauce and avocado topping. Top tortillas with sour cream, black bean mixture, and freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese. Roll up the wraps and warm them through by cooking in a skillet for about 2-4 minutes per side, or until crispy.
Add in some fresh or frozen corn. Stir about 1/2 up to 3/4 cup frozen or fresh corn into the black bean mixture.
More veggies. Bulk up these Black Bean Wraps with more veggies, if desired. You could add some baby spinach or romaine lettuce as well.

More vegetarian recipes

Vegetarian Gyrosmade with chickpeas
Healthy Tacos with black beans and corn
Bean and Cheese Burritos with seasoned rice
Moroccan Stew with couscous
Vegetarian Tikka Masala with a citrus-snap pea topping

Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies

by Chelsea Lords

We’re pulling out the air fryer to make this ridiculously easy Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies! Chicken sausage, carrots, and broccoli are tossed with herbs, and air fried. They’re served on a bed of quinoa and mixed greens with a quick honey mustard sauce that coats everything. This meal is nutritious, filling, and can be ready in under 30 minutes!

Try another favorite air fryer meal — these Southwest Egg Rolls!

Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies

I put off getting an air fryer for so long thinking it would just be another kitchen gadget taking up precious space in the kitchen. Oh, was I wrong! The air fryer has now claimed prime real estate on the kitchen counter because we can’t stop using it. To say I’m totally hooked would be an understatement!

We’ve mostly air-fried lots of veggies as quick side dishes to meals, but egg rolls and crispy Bean and Cheese Burritos have also frequented the air fryer.

Today I’m sharing something I whipped together as a super-quick dinner the other night. The aim of this Chicken Sausage and Veggies recipe is to be ready on the table in 30 minutes or less. We use a few store-bought shortcuts to keep the prep time short, which I’ll discuss below. But first, let’s talk about the delicious honey mustard sauce!

Sauce Tips

Use good mayo. I highly recommend real, full-fat mayonnaise for the best possible sauce. Hellmanns/Best Foods® is my favorite brand (not sponsored).
I know it seems strange and is different than most honey-mustard salad dressings, but we’re using yellow mustard, not Dijon mustard in this dressing. Trust me, it works!
Sweeten to taste. Depending on your sweetness preference, you may want slightly less (or even slightly more!) honey. Add anywhere from 1 up to 3 tablespoons, adding gradually to personal preference.
Make in advance. This sauce can be prepared in advance (it only gets more flavorful as it chills!) and it tastes better slightly chilled. If you’d like dinner prep to go even quicker, whip up the sauce earlier in the day or as part of your meal prepping at the beginning of the week. The sauce will stay good for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge; just give it a quick stir before topping these Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies bowls.

Let’s talk air frying (and an alternate cooking method)

I use, love, and recommend this Air Fryer (affiliate link). Air fryers do vary a bit from brand to brand, so timing may need to be slightly tweaked for your specific model.

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can still enjoy this recipe.

Here’s how to prepare this Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies in the oven:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
Toss carrots with oil and seasoning. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven, and toss with a spatula.
Add the sausage, broccoli, remaining oil, and remaining seasoning. Toss with carrots.
Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the veggies are roasted to desired preference.

Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies Ingredient Notes

As already mentioned, the aim of this recipe is to be a super-fast and convenient weeknight meal. To save time from measuring out a myriad of seasonings, we opt for a seasoning blend instead. If you have a go-to seasoning blend you love, use that! We like using this garlic & herb seasoning blend or this veggie rub is hugely popular at my home. Even if you just season the sausage and veggies with salt and pepper, it’s going to be delicious with the sauce!
Any smoked sausage will work in this recipe. We personally love Aidells® chicken & apple sausage, but smoked turkey sausage also works nicely in this recipe.
To further cut down on prep time, you can purchase pre-cut broccoli florets in the produce section of the grocery store. Keep in mind you may need to cut a few down since sometimes the florets are pretty large in these bags.

Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies Sides

We love serving the sausage and veggies over a bed of mixed greens and quinoa.

To keep this meal super quick and easy, use pre-cooked quinoa packets (here are the ones we’ve tried and enjoyed!) These packets heat through in 90 seconds in the microwave and can be divided into bowls after warmed through.

A big handful of mixed greens added to a bowl and the “sides” for this Chicken Sausage and Veggies meal are done!

More delicious chicken recipes

Chicken Sausage Pesto and Veggies with sun-dried tomatoes
Chipotle Chicken Salad with a chipotle vinaigrette
Chicken Curry Soup with lots of veggies
Chicken Shawarma Wraps with a quick sauce
Teriyaki Chicken Skewers over coconut-lime rice

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