Sofrito forms the basis for many Puerto Rican, Caribbean and Latin American dishes. I use it primarily in this amazing Arroz con Pollo but it also adds great flavor to rice, beans, and soups. You can buy it jarred at the store but it’s so easy to make at home. This isn’t a traditional Puerto Rican…
Pumpkin Spice Creamer
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Pumpkin Spice Latte time! Except… do you know what’s in those? Neither do I. Let’s make our own! It’s so simple. Just simmer 2 cups of your favorite non-dairy milk (I like almond) with 2 tbs pumpkin, 2 tbs maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and…
Low Calorie Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing
I hate when half the calories of my meal come from a tiny drizzle of sauce so 99% of the time I use a lightened-up version of whatever dressing my salad calls for. The biggest challenge to this habit hit when, towards the end of Summer, we discovered a new favorite salad that went best…
Vegan, Oil-Free Mayonnaise
One of our closest friends has celiac disease and, a decade before being gluten-free was all the rage, she taught us about rice flour and the unexpected fact that Hefeweizen is gluten-free. She and her husband also recently adopted a vegan diet that excludes expressed oils. We barbecued together this weekend and I was craving…
Skinny Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Several months ago I happened across a take-out side of real, full-fat Ranch dressing. It was something I hadn’t tasted in years and years and I went nuts. I ate two entire raw zucchinis and could have eaten 10 more if they’d been dipped in that magical sauce. It helped that the nutritional information wasn’t…
Whole Wheat Baking Mix
While we were experimenting to perfect our Homemade Baking Mix, Brad had the idea to try a whole wheat version. Replacing half the flour with whole wheat did the trick to create a hearty, flavorful mix that baked up just as easily as the original. I’ve been using this for Rosemary Parmesan biscuits that I’ll…
Make your own Baking Mix
Last year I discovered Skinny Taste’s easy garlic cheddar biscuits and added a box of Heart Smart Bisquick to our pantry. While I appreciate that a “Heart Smart” version with no trans fats is out there, I’d also rather avoid the enriched flour and preservatives. I started making my own biscuit mix and couldn’t be…
Homemade Barbecue Sauce
We were having a really hard time finding a BBQ sauce made without corn syrup and, when I started thinking about making my own, I had just as hard a time finding a recipe that didn’t start with ketchup. After a little trial, error and inspiration from Nate Elston, I was finally able to make…
Make Your Own Chicken Stock
To me, homemade is always better than anything that comes in a package but with our busy schedule, it’s not always practical to make all the components of a meal from scratch. One ingredient we always make ourselves, however, is chicken stock. It’s so easy to make, tastes far better and is less expensive than…
