This seaweed salad is colorful, delicious, and boldly flavored with sesame dressing. If you enjoy seaweed salads at Japanese restaurants, try this fun twist on the concept. Many prepared seaweed salads are colored with food dyes, but this one obtains its lively color from veggies.

If you’re relatively new to seaweed, like I am, this salad offers a great introduction. It calls for arame, which has a more mild and sweet flavor compared to other seaweed varieties. The crisp textures of cabbage and bell pepper, combined with soy sauce and ginger, contrast beautifully with the seaweed.

This salad is the perfect way to incorporate nutritious seaweed into your diet. Seaweed’s nutritional benefits vary depending on the specific variety, but they are often a good source of fiber, iodine, potassium and magnesium, among others. I try to consume a wide variety of whole foods, so seaweed is a welcome addition.

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This homemade sesame dressing offers bold flavor for your homemade salads. It requires just four core ingredients: toasted sesame oil, tamari or soy sauce, lime juice, and a dab of Dijon mustard.

If you have the time and energy, add freshly toasted sesame seeds, fresh ginger, and garlic. They ramp up the flavor, but this dressing is already delicious in its simplest form.

Make this sesame dressing when you’re craving a green side salad. It’s easy to whisk together from basic pantry ingredients, and it tastes so much better than store-bought dressings.

I created this dressing recipe to serve over this seaweed salad, but it goes with so much more. Below is a full list of suggestions for making your own salad tonight!

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This Kalamata olive-flavored white bean dip is the recipe you didn’t know you needed. Sure, it’s not the most appetizing-looking appetizer out there, but it’s delicious and easy to make. It’s a nice alternative to hummus and a lovely way to savor Kalamata olive flavor without feeling overwhelmed by the saltiness.

This recipe was inspired by an appetizer we ordered at Lidia’s, a local Kansas City restaurant owned by renowned chef Lidia Bastianich. Some white bean dips are downright unappetizing—they can be gloppy, too salty, or flavorless—but not this one. The Kalamata olives lend welcome richness in both texture and flavor.

To make this recipe, you’ll need just a few basic ingredients—white beans (I used Cannellini, but Great Northern would also work), pitted Kalamata olives (plus a splash of brine), olive oil, salt and pepper, and an optional sprinkle of fresh basil. You’ll find serving suggestions and the full recipe below.

This white bean dip is a great impromptu recipe to whip together when guests are on their way. I’m always scrambling before guests arrive, so I like to have a repertoire of easy recipes that I can pull together in no time. This one is a winner! I hope you’ll bookmark it to make soon.

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Have you experienced cashew butter? It is sublime and somehow much more delicious than a handful of toasted cashews. A spoonful of homemade cashew butter tastes like a treat. It’s nearly as enticing as cookie dough, as far as I’m concerned—sometimes, I add a few chocolate chips to achieve the full cookie dough effect.

This homemade cashew butter recipe is easy to make in a food processor. The trick is to lightly toast your cashews before blending for the best flavor and texture. Even then, cashew butter has a more neutral flavor than most other nut butter. It’s quite versatile.

Homemade cashew butter contains no additives like sunflower oil; it’s made simply with cashews and a dash of salt to enhance the flavor. Since it is so fresh, it offers better flavor than store-bought options.

Store-bought cashew butter can be quite expensive—I often balk at the nearly twenty-dollar jars at Whole Foods. Making it at home can cost half as much. We could get into a philosophical debate about time versus money, or make cashew butter in the same length of time. Let’s make some already.

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Make this cilantro lime dressing recipe the next time you prepare a Mexican meal. It’s bright, sunny and fresh! This dressing is boldly flavored with fresh lime, olive oil, cilantro, garlic, honey, cumin and Dijon mustard. You can make it creamy or spicy if you wish.

Drizzle this dressing over crisp greens with sliced avocado and toasted pepitas for a perfectly simple side salad. You’ll find a longer list of salad toppings to choose from below.

I improvised this dressing to make a green salad with leftovers from my Fajita Veggie & Halloumi Bowls, and I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you. It’s almost as versatile as my favorite Lemon Vinaigrette and suits some flavors even better.

This dressing comes together quickly in the food processor and keeps in the refrigerator for up to one week. Sometimes having a vibrant sauce on hand makes all the difference!

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Looking for a wholesome, make-ahead breakfast recipe? Muesli is the answer! Muesli is essentially homemade oat cereal, which originated in Switzerland. Just add milk, and maybe some fresh fruit. It stores well in the freezer for up to six months.

Not all mueslis are created equally—some are bland and blah. Not this one! This nutritious muesli recipe offers loads of texture and flavor. It features old-fashioned oats, nuts and seeds, optional coconut, and chopped dried fruit.

Toasting the muesli in the oven makes a world of difference. It brings out the savory, nutty flavors in the oats, nuts and seeds and makes your kitchen smell lovely. The oven’s heat also firms up the oats a bit, offering even more texture. It’s absolutely worth the effort!

My other trick is adding a maple syrup splash to the mixture before toasting. The subtle sweetness substantially improves the flavor.

You probably have everything you need to make muesli already, so let’s preheat the oven and start mixing. Below, you’ll find many options for adapting the recipe to your pantry.

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Love a good paloma? Me, too. The paloma is a delightfully fizzy grapefruit, lime and tequila cocktail hailing from Mexico. If you enjoy a Greyhound, grapefruit margarita or ranch water, this cooling drink is right up your alley.

South of the border, palomas are typically made with grapefruit soda like Squirt or Jarritos, which taste similar to Sprite to me. Up here, bartenders often mix them with fresh grapefruit juice and sparkling water instead. I prefer mine to be less sweet and more citrusy, so I love the made-from-scratch option.

This paloma recipe is made from scratch with basic ingredients. You’ll need tequila, fresh grapefruit and lime, simple syrup (which is very easy to make), and Topo Chico or sparkling water. Make them at home with top-shelf tequila and you’ll enjoy a better paloma for less money than you’d pay a restaurant.

To make this paloma, we’ll shake everything but the Topo Chico in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shaking the ingredients together yields the kind of paloma you’d receive at a fancy cocktail bar. It’s a brief step that is worth the extra effort.

Finally, we’ll pour the mixture into a glass filled with ice and top it with Topo Chico to retain all those glorious bubbles. You can watch how it all comes together in the brief video below.

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Want to roast chickpeas that are actually crispy? You’re in the right place. I’ve cracked the code, and I’m here to share it with you. These roasted chickpeas are a delightful snack rich in protein and fiber. They’re also great sprinkled over hummus and salads.

To be honest, I never loved roasted chickpeas until I learned how to make them this way. They were always just ok—warm and lightly crisp on the outside but unchanged on the inside. They didn’t feel worth the effort when chickpeas warmed on the stove are nice already.

These roasted chickpeas are legitimately so gloriously crisp that they are popcorn-level irresistible. In fact, they’re so crisp throughout that you should serve them with a drink to help wash them down.

The trick is in the method. I found some helpful clues in a New York Times recipe by Colu Henry and tweaked the method from there. It took ten tries to ensure we had landed on the very best technique, and I found several fun flavor variations along the way. Here we go!

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Bored by your dinner plans? This green goddess tahini will liven up any basic meal! I’m always so happy to have it in the refrigerator to serve as an appetizer or snack.

A dollop or two brings together random leftovers and simple meals made with veggies, greens, whole grains or beans. You can also spread it onto your sandwiches or wraps. Green goddess tahini is here to save the day. You’ll find many more serving suggestions below.

This recipe was inspired by a similar dip that I grabbed at Whole Foods before hosting girls’ night (Falafel King brand). A couple of my friends follow dairy-free diets, so I’m always looking for fun options that satisfy our requirements. As the night went on, we all fell in love with this vegan dip—it’s creamy, rich yet fresh, and satisfying. It’s irresistible.

So, I combined my Best Tahini Sauce (truly the best) with the herbs from my Easy Green Goddess Dressing, and here you have it. You can make this recipe with any combination of cilantro, parsley, basil, dill and/or mint. Add a small handful of fresh tarragon if you can find it for that characteristic green goddess flavor. This dip (or sauce) is lovely in any season. I hope you fall in love with it!

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Have you ever heard of a French Blond cocktail? Me neither, until last week! I read that it’s Taylor Swift’s favorite cocktail after she recently requested it at a local Kansas City restaurant called Rye. Once I saw the ingredients—grapefruit, gin, Lillet and elderflower, I knew I had to try it. It’s fantastic. The cocktail is well-balanced, citrusy and floral, not too strong and not too sweet.

I’m generally completely oblivious to both pop culture and football, to the point that when my husband came home from a charity event last year and told me he was on a team with Travis Kelce, I said, “Who is that?” But the funniest thing has happened now that Taylor is dating Travis. Suddenly, I’m fascinated by a couple I’ve never met, I’m paying attention to football, and I’m wondering, who am I? Am I a Swiftie now?

Maybe it’s the sheer proximity of it all, like I’ve been to Rye, where Taylor Swift supposedly ordered this cocktail! My friend’s mom saw Travis at the Apple Store the other day! My husband said that Travis was friendly and great with kids, and the only rumor I’ve heard about Taylor is that she is indeed very nice. Maybe it’s because they seem like a great match, so they remind me of when my husband and I started dating.

Maybe it’s because I, like all of Taylor’s fans, imagine that maybe we could be friends if we met in real life. How crazy is that? Taylor, we have cold Lillet in the fridge if you guys want to come by for a cocktail. Now I’ve really lost my mind. Anyway, go Chiefs!

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