Chris Cooks
10-Minute Tomato Salad with Red Pepper Dressing
Bowls (similar) | Platter | Copper Candlestick (similar) | Taper Candles | Wooden Serving Utensils | Plaid Tablecloth (similar) Late summer hits, and it's like the world collectively moves on to fall. But there is still an abundance of tomatoes and bright greens at the market. And it's actually the perfect time of year to […]
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September 15, 2024
Chris Cooks
How to Bake a Potato Perfectly, Every Time
I'm an Idaho boy. I lived there for almost my entire life (until moving to NC a couple years ago). And while there are many areas in Idaho, I grew up deep in the heart of potato farming country and I loved it. Every October our schools would close for two weeks so all the […]
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March 10, 2024
Chris Cooks
Shredded Veggie Salad with Sweet Vinegar & Orange | Chris Cooks
Y'all, doesn't it feel like it's been back-to-back heavy meals for the past 6 months? Not that it hasn't been fun, but my 40-year-old digestive system just can't hang anymore. I'm finding that if I make sure I get some kind of raw vegetable in a few times a day, I feel so much better […]
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February 18, 2024
Chris Cooks
Dairy Free Dessert - Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Parfaits
I am so happy with this one, y'all. When I tell you this is one of the best desserts I've made, I mean it - massive hit with everyone who tried it. Dairy free, grain free, gluten free, and high protein to boot (20grams per serving). Happens to be vegan (depending on how you feel […]
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January 28, 2024
Chris Cooks
My Most Requested Fruit Salad | Chris Cooks
Fruit salad. Yawn, amiright? No! Everyone loves it, and everyone has their version they make that is always a "popular" hit. But a trend I see with a lot of fruit salads is using second or third tier fruits and mixing it with higher and higher ratios of non-fruit ingredients until it's basically dessert. Whipped […]
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July 2, 2023
Chris Cooks
Panzanella Potato Salad - Grain & Dairy Free
I took an International Foods course in college where each week we would make a big feast of foods from a different region of the world. It was the biggest face-roll course I've ever taken (ie, could not have been easier and more enjoyable) and many of the dishes I learned to make are still […]
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June 4, 2023
Chris Cooks
Grain-Free Lemon Basil Granola | Chris Cooks
Something that surprised me when Julia cut out grains was how much "crunch" we lost. That texture experience took a big back seat and I missed it. Of course there are a lot of options being made now, but 8 years ago we had no croutons, no cereal, no crackers. I was desperate for that […]
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April 23, 2023
Chris Cooks
Light & Healthy Easter Brunch
I tell myself that I'm not a brunch person. But what is brunch, but a late breakfast? And I'm definitely a late breakfast person so, I guess I am a brunch person. But particularly on holidays, when the brunch sets me up for the main meal coming later. My approach with brunch is simple. Keep […]
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March 19, 2023
Chris Cooks
5-minute Side: Fall-Spiced Blistered Shishito Peppers | Chris Cooks
Blistered shishito peppers are a great appetizer you can find at a lot of restaurants right now. If you're unfamiliar, shishito peppers are not spicy (maybe one out of a handful has a tiny kick to it), and their flesh is pretty thin. That means you can cook them at a super high heat, and […]
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October 23, 2022
Chris Cooks
Dairy-Free Rosemary Salted Caramel Sauce | Chris Cooks
This is the one, folks. This is the recipe that changed it all for me. I have to be honest - as someone who loves to cook and experience every kind of food, once Jules and Greta developed their food allergies, there were times I would feel a little like my hands were tied behind […]
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September 4, 2022
Chris Cooks
Fire Roasted Salsa | Chris Cooks
Salsa has been tricky for me, which sounds silly. I've made several versions, and historically the best ones I've made have used canned tomatoes. As someone who is trying to move to "fresh" as much as I can, that's been frustrating. But it makes sense, because canned tomatoes usually contain additional things that make the […]
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June 5, 2022
Recipes
Chris Cooks: Watercress Chimichurri
So many diets out there, it's so nice when you come across something that is safe for just about all of them. Chimichurri is one such thing. Chimichurri is a condiment made with fresh herbs, garlic, and olive oil (and a few other things) that is amazing on meats and vegetables alike. I add fresh […]
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January 31, 2021
Chris Cooks
Winter Salad and Sweet Potato Dressing
Salad doesn't always feel "wintery" to me, but once the holidays pass and my body can't take anymore sugar, I just need something fresh. But I also like to eat seasonally, when I can. Serving Platter This Winter Salad features a lot of vegetables (root and otherwise), shaved super thin, and dressed in a sweet […]
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January 10, 2021
Recipes
Veggie Bowls with Fire Roasted Salsa
The battle to eat more vegetables is an uphill one, to say the least. Modern meals are centered around the protein (usually meat of some kind), starch (grain or potatoes), with a small portion of vegetables on the side. We're all familiar with those sad few spears of asparagus tucked next to our 12oz steak […]
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July 26, 2020
Recipes
3 Delicious Toasts to Try for Breakfast or Brunch
I don't eat breakfast often, and when I do it's usually late morning as the first of two meals I'll have the entire day. So when I have do eat that first meal, I love amping up something simple so it's special, but still easy. Huge fan of toast, for that reason. Sometimes I'll pair […]
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July 19, 2020
Recipes
Grilled Sugar Snap Peas and Mushrooms
The flavors of summer are lemon, garlic, fresh herbs, and whatever the grill adds during cooking. This dish takes all of those and applies them to fresh peas and mushrooms, and it's a winner. Make this dish to go alongside any grilled protein, or eat by itself as a light lunch. It just works and […]
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July 12, 2020
Recipes
Stir-Fry with Cauliflower Rice (Vegan, Grain-Free)
The best allergy-friendly meal is one that doesn't taste like it's being restricted. As a non-vegan with vegan and vegetarian friends, it's important to me that, when they come over for dinner, we all enjoy our meal together. When everyone eats the same thing and loves it equally, regardless of their diet, that's a win. This […]
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February 9, 2020
Recipes
Bright and Fresh Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad)
A couple weeks ago, Jules called me up and gave me the news. "Well," she said, "my thyroid numbers are now completely in the opposite direction to where my doctor says I have HYPERthyroidism, instead of hypo." Being a husband who loves his wife, I immediately assumed this meant she was going to die and […]
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June 20, 2014
Recipes
Red Quinoa Salad with Corn and Mint
A couple days after we moved into this house, we were sitting on the swing set outside and had a visit from one of our neighbors. Greta was especially excited about this visit, because it was a 9 year old girl (Greta loooooooves other kids). Eleanor (the girl) was very friendly and excited to meet us. […]
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September 11, 2013
Recipes
Astonishingly Good Grilled Green Bean Fries with Spicy Mayo Dip
Don't you hate it when people say stuff like, "You don't even feel like you're dieting!" and then they share a dish that is clearly diet food? Like last week there was this guy on the internet who was all, "I'm gonna start losing weight, and I'm not going to eat diet foods." But I […]
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September 9, 2013
