Somewhere, in the deep recesses of my kitchen drawers, lies a sushi rolling mat. I have used it once, perhaps five years ago, during my first and last attempt at rolling sushi at home. I made some lumpy rolls that day. Sushi is an art form, and it’s not a picture I can paint.

Homemade sushi bowls are the answer to my sushi-at-home conundrum. There’s no rolling involved, which means they’re much easier to make. You can get quite creative with your ingredients, too, since we’re simply piling them on top rather than rolling them up. Best of all, these fresh but hearty bowls keep me fueled for hours.

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Y’all know I’m from Oklahoma, right? I grew up eating cowboy caviar, also called Texas caviar. It’s a classic bean salad recipe popular in the South. You can serve it as a side salad or as salsa. Either way, people go crazy for cowboy caviar at potlucks.

Cowboy caviar is made with black-eyed peas and black beans, chopped tomatoes, corn, bell pepper, onion and cilantro tossed in tangy Italian dressing. I typically think of cowboy caviar as a warm weather salad, but it’s made with ingredients that are readily available year-round.

Cowboy caviar is actually perfect for New Year’s if you’re craving something fresh yet hearty, and trying to hit your black-eyed pea quota!

I have one issue with most cowboy caviar recipes—they’re often swimming in store-bought Italian salad dressing. As such, they can be way too oily and contain some unnecessary preservatives. Instead, I whisked together a simple, homemade Italian dressing from scratch. It’s easy to do and tastes fantastic.

This recipe yields a big bowl of dip, but I don’t think you’ll have any trouble polishing it off. I hope you enjoy this cheekily titled delight!

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Do you enjoy tortilla soup? It’s one of my all-time favorites! Tortilla soup is fresh and flavorful, earthy and a little spicy. Topped with a big handful of crispy tortilla strips, it’s a light but satisfying meal for lunch or dinner. As a bonus, it tastes even better the next day.

Tex-Mex tortilla soups most often include shredded chicken, but it’s not unusual to find vegetarian tortilla soups in Mexico. I can’t call this recipe fully authentic, though. It’s a delicious variation on classic tortilla soup (Sopa Azteca) that you can make at home any time you get the craving.

In Mexico, you’ll find tons of regional variations and personal preferences for tortilla soup. For this recipe, I added black beans for some heft, as well as a red bell pepper because I love the flavor and texture it provides. I tried to keep the remaining ingredients in line with what you might find in Mexico, but to be honest, I have more personal experience with the Tex-Mex variations I’ve sampled over the years.

This recipe is a fully reworked version of an old tortilla soup recipe on the blog. Perhaps you’ve made that one and enjoyed it, but I tried it again recently and just knew I could build in more flavor along the way. If you want a copy of the original, I’ve saved a PDF of the recipe right here.

This soup is closer to the spin on tortilla soup in my cookbook, Love Real Food, which features an irresistible sweet-and-spicy interplay between sweet potatoes and jalapeño. Give that one a try, too!

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Buffalo sauce on Brussels sprouts? Yes. Yes indeed, a very good idea. I only thought to try this combination after, oh, eight failed attempts at buffalo cauliflower. (I think I’ve just figured out the trick to that one, but trust me, you’ll definitely want to give these sprouts a try this weekend.)

These buffalo Brussels sprouts are a fantastic Super Bowl appetizer. They’re fresh and irresistibly spicy at the same time. You can have your fill of these and feel good about it later.

This recipe starts off with a base of golden, roasted Brussels sprouts drizzled with a simple, three-ingredient homemade buffalo sauce. Top them off with ripe avocado or blue cheese (your choice, both optional) and fresh herbs.

These sprouts will offer some balance to a full-blown snack spread. I hope you love them as much as I do!

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Have you had your fair share of peaches this summer? I certainly have not. I’m remedying that with my friend Erin Clarke’s vibrant peach, avocado and arugula salad. Erin rounds out the flavors with salty gorgonzola cheese, crisp toasted almonds, and a zippy lemon dressing.

This simple summer salad is more than the sum of its parts. It’s a combination I wouldn’t have come up with on my own, and it’s so lovely. I couldn’t stop going back for more.

Perhaps you know Erin from her blog, Well Plated. Erin has been working hard on her first cookbook for several years now, and I’m so excited to share that it’s finally here! The Well Plated Cookbook (affiliate link) offers over 130 fast, healthy recipes you’ll want to eat.

I found this colorful salad on page 116, titled, “Book Club Salad (A Great, Green Party Salad).” Erin’s headnotes are witty, warm and encouraging, just like she is in real life. Here’s what she had to say about this recipe:

“My friend Erika once brought this salad to our monthly book club, and now, five years later, we still won’t let her bring anything else. We refer to it as ‘The Salad,’ and its presence at the table is more mandatory than actually reading the book. This stellar green salad is sized for a crowd, tastes better than any salad I’ve eaten in a restaurant, and is beautiful and adaptable for the seasons…”

She inspired me not only to make ‘The Salad,’ but to join a book club when we’re able to get together again. In the meantime, this salad recipe is easily halved and perfectly suited for any summer dinner.

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Let me introduce you to one of the best meals I’ve had all season! These fresh black bean burrito bowls are made from scratch with simple, wholesome ingredients. While the components initially take some time to prepare, they make great leftovers to enjoy all week long. These bowls pack well for lunch, too.

In fact, these burrito bowls represent how I eat at home. I like to make a few components that play nicely together, and mix and match them all week. That way, I don’t get bored, and I don’t have to start from zero with every meal.

“Tell me more, Kate,” you say. Ok, so maybe you first enjoy these burrito bowls exactly as shown here. You could change up your next bowl by adding some avocado and a fried egg.

Or, you could make a simple quesadilla, top it with pickled onion and cilantro pesto, and serve it with a side of black beans and rice. Another option? Turn these components into black bean tacos (or a burrito). Maybe you have some extra rice, so you warm it up and toss it into your green salad for lunch.

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Would you look at those colors?! This roasted beet side dish is the prettiest recipe I’ve made in a long time, and the leftovers look like an abstract Easter basket.

This recipe comes from a new cookbook called Eat What You Want by Gaby Dalkin. You may know Gaby from her blog, What’s Gaby Cooking. I love Gaby’s fresh, California-style cooking and boundless enthusiasm for all things food-related!

The funny thing is that I’ve never met Gaby in person, but I feel like I know her after watching her on Instagram over the years. We share an affinity for fresh herbs and flaky sea salt, and I turn to her blog and cookbook for inspiration often. When she offered to send me a copy of her cookbook, I said yes, of course.

Her newest book features “125 recipes for real life” and I had a hard time choosing just one to share with you. I’ve been on a beet kick lately, so beets won the draw. This recipe also gave me an excuse to make Gaby’s go-to basil vinaigrette, which I’ve been meaning to try for ages.

This dish features roasted beets over thick yogurt (I used Siggi’s “skyr” instead of labneh), with fresh basil vinaigrette, avocado wedges, and a heavy sprinkling of fresh herbs. Even my husband, who’s not a fan of beets, went back for more.

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Here is my fool-proof, authentic guacamole recipe. It’s creamy, fresh and completely irresistible. I’m sharing it with you today because my friends keep asking for the recipe!

You’ll only need six basic ingredients to make the best guacamole:

1. Avocado
2. Onion
3. Cilantro
4. Jalapeño
5. Lime
6. Salt, and optional ground coriander (that’s my secret ingredient)

You won’t find any funny business in this guacamole recipe. No sour cream or mayonnaise. No peas or preservatives. Just fresh and healthy ingredients!

I knew I nailed my guacamole recipe when my friends would not stop gushing about it at our latest gathering. “I wish I could make guacamole this good,” was exactly what I wanted to hear.

Are you ready to make the best guacamole you’ve ever had? Here we go!

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Any tostada fans out there? If you love tacos, you’ll love tostadas. Tostadas are basically flat tacos with a crispy tortilla base. They’re a little messy to eat—don’t order them on a first date—but so fun and satisfying.

This recipe comes from my friend Maria’s new book, the Two Peas & Their Pod Cookbook (affiliate link). Her beautiful book offers approachable and fresh, everyday recipes that are perfect for busy families.

I knew this recipe would be great because these tostadas share all of the same qualities of a great taco: something hearty (refried beans), something creamy (avocado), something crisp (shredded cabbage and jicama), something tangy (pickled onions), and lots of fresh flavors.

The best part? Maria designed this recipe to be quick and easy enough for a regular weeknight. You could make them today!

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These “breakfast” tacos are a quick and satisfying meal any time of day. They’re full of fluffy scrambled eggs and seasoned sautéed vegetables, and topped with whatever you have handy—hot sauce or salsa, maybe some avocado or guacamole if you’ve got it.

My husband makes great breakfast tacos, and he makes them often. I’m a lucky lady. I’ve been studying his technique as I sip my coffee, so I’m sharing his recipe (give or take) with you today.

These egg tacos are a great way to use up your random leftover veggies. Or, if you’re in a hurry to get home and make them, follow his lead and stop at the grocery store’s salad bar for a variety of prepared vegetables and cheese. Why didn’t I think of that?

Make this flexible recipe a couple of times and you’ll have it memorized. Breakfast tacos will save the day.

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