This vegan Caesar dressing is creamy and flavorful like the classic! Traditional Caesar dressings obtain their silky texture and bold flavor from homemade mayonnaise (made of emulsified raw egg yolk in oil), Parmesan and anchovy, but this recipe is free of all those ingredients. It’s perfect if you need an egg-free, dairy-free option.

What’s in it, you ask? This creamy vegan dressing is tahini-based, with lemon for tang! I’ve tried a variety of other vegan Caesar concepts over the years with ingredients like capers, cashews, nutritional yeast, or vegan mayo, and this version cannot be beat. I’m firmly on Team Tahini over here.

If you’re looking for Caesar dressing that’s closer to the classic restaurant variety, try my mayo-based Easy Caesar Dressing instead.

The post Vegan Caesar Dressing appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

I honestly crave these roasted red potatoes. They’re golden on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with the characteristically earthy flavor you’d expect from red potatoes. My mom often served red potatoes as a side dish when I was growing up, and this roasted version tastes extra special.

After some trial and error in the kitchen, I’m sharing all the tricks for roasting perfect red potatoes! Here’s a rundown:

• Use parchment paper to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the pan.
• Cut the potatoes into rather large two-inch chunks so you can enjoy the contrast between the creamy interiors and crisp exteriors.
• Toss the potatoes with olive oil and garlic powder for irresistible seasoning. Fresh garlic burns, so powder is a better choice.
• For proper browning, use relatively high heat and roast starting with the flat sides down.

The post Perfect Roasted Red Potatoes appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Meet my new favorite chocolate cake recipe! It’s rich, chocolatey and indulgent, and secretly somewhat wholesome. Almond flour forms the base, which is why this cake is wonderfully tender and well-suited for gluten-free eaters. The cocoa powder largely covers up the almond flavor, though. It’s simply delicious.

This cake is plenty sweet but not too sweet, so it’s perfect if you enjoy dark chocolate. You can play up the almond factor by topping it with sliced almonds for a fun everyday snacking cake, or turn it into a special birthday treat by spreading frosting on top. I prefer this one to most bakery cakes!

The recipe is easy to stir together by hand. I’ve made it with our five-year-old’s help several times. I don’t think you could mess it up if you tried. If you’re familiar with Italian torta Caprese or French chocolate financiers, this cake reminds me a bit of both.

The post Chocolate Almond Cake appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

This hearty lentil curry recipe is perfect on a cool day. Featuring tender lentils and plentiful veggies, it’s nicely spiced with curry powder and cumin. Curious about the spice level? I’d classify it as mild. The dish is lightly creamy thanks to some coconut milk, but not heavy.

Make this curry when you want to warm up and eat your vegetables as the same time. I tested this recipe five times with a variety of vegetables and love the final combination of onion, bell pepper, carrot, potato and cauliflower. You could treat it as a light main dish or a vegetable side dish.

If you’re a fan of dal makhani (the classic Indian lentil curry) or lentil soup but want to try something different, give this dish a try. It yields quite a bit, so you can freeze individual portions for later in the season.

The post Lentil Curry appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Let’s get cozy with cornbread and chili! I’m so excited about how this cornbread recipe turned out. It’ll be my go-to from here on out. It has the same irresistibly crisp edges and subtle brown butter flavor that I love in my honey butter cornbread recipe, but magically tastes even more like corn.

This wholesome cornbread is gluten-free because it uses almond flour instead of regular flour. It’s an easy and nutritious swap that yields amazing cornbread. Does it taste like almonds, you ask? Not at all—the cornmeal is the star of the show here.

If you’re simply curious to try it, or looking for a gluten-free or lower-carb cornbread, this recipe is for you. I hope it becomes your new favorite, too.

The post Gluten-Free Cornbread appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

This creamy chipotle sauce is bold and punchy! It’s the kind of sauce that takes your meal to the next level, and brings together component-based dishes like tacos and burrito bowls. You can also serve it as an irresistible dipping sauce. It offers a thicker drizzle than chipotle mayonnaise and tastes better, too.

To make this chipotle sauce recipe, you’ll need a few basic ingredients. Start with a base of sour cream (use Greek yogurt if you prefer), chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (more on those below), a dollop of mayonnaise for a silky texture, dried garlic granules for intrigue, and salt and pepper.

Chipotle sauce should be somewhat spicy at minimum, but you control the spice level when you make it yourself. I’ve written the recipe below with a range of chipotle peppers. Start with the lowest amount, then taste, and blend in more if you’d like.

The post Chipotle Sauce appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Let’s talk about hemp milk. It’s easy to make at home (no soaking required), and yields a silky-smooth, creamy milk. Hemp milk boasts the most impressive nutrition profile of my alternative milk recipes, offering nearly 10 grams of plant-based protein per serving. While hemp milk can’t compete on the calcium front, it offers an array of nutrients that can be hard to come by otherwise.

I always feel good about sprinkling some hemp seeds into my baby’s food or serving my daughter a glass of this hemp milk. It was our house milk of choice for a couple of years, though she’s grown more particular—fingers crossed that she likes the chocolate variation I made today.

If you take nothing else away from this post, consider adding a sprinkle of hemp seeds to your next smoothie recipe! They’ll blend right in and offer an easy boost of protein.

The post Hemp Milk appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Chickpea fries? Yes! Panisses are an irresistible snack famously served in the Provence region of France. Similar to regular fries, they’re crisp and golden on the outside, but with pillowy-soft interiors that remind me of creamy polenta.

Nutritionally, they’re superior to regular fries, offering a hearty source of protein, fiber and monounsaturated fat. Like French fries, they need to be sufficiently salted to be seriously amazing. I love them with a creamy dipping sauce, like my Creamy Basil Sauce.

Like its cousins, socca and farinata, panisses are made with the simplest of ingredients: chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt and pepper. I worked hard on this recipe and developed two different methods for making panisses—traditional pan-fried and baked. You’ll find the full rundown and a short instructional video below.

The post Panisses (Chickpea Fries) appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

I love granola, and this grain-free granola is no exception. Most granola recipes are oat-based, but this one is oat-free. Regardless, it offers a sweet, nutty crunch that’s reminiscent of my most popular granola recipe. Like any good granola, it’s irresistible.

When I first heard of grain-free granola, I was perplexed by the concept. I’m a big fan of oats and whole grains, of course, and I still am. Unfortunately, I was forced to become more carb-conscious while I was pregnant to manage my blood sugar (gestational diabetes is zero fun).

This grain-free granola livened up my breakfasts and snacks during that time. It’s a kitchen staple for me to this day, and I’m always sad to run out of my most recent batch. I found the original recipe in a book by dietitian Lily Nichols called Real Food for Pregnancy. I couldn’t help but play around with it, so I’m sharing my version and some fun options with you today.

The post Grain-Free Granola appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

This vegetable stir fry tastes as good as it looks! It features perfectly fork-tender, seared vegetables in a glossy sauce that leans more savory than sweet. I love the vibrant combination of broccoli, bell pepper, carrot and red onion shown here, but you can change up the vegetables with the seasons.

Serve it as a simple side dish, or turn it into a full meal by adding rice and protein, like the crispy baked tofu shown here. Add a sprinkle of green onion and just-toasted sesame seeds, and this healthy homemade dish will taste much fresher than takeout.

The post Vegetable Stir Fry appeared first on Cookie and Kate.