Travel-inspired recipes are a significant part of our cooking style. This eggplant involtini with mojo sauce recipe is brought to you from a city near and dear to my heart: Madrid, Spain! (I studied abroad in Madrid in college and recently traveled to Spain.) It’s the creation of guest author Katie Schmidt of Whole Nourishment, an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach previously living in Madrid. While she was there, I caught up with Katie to ask her about life in Madrid and a healthy Spanish recipe....

How to make shrimp and grits Tanorria taught us all the secrets to making the best shrimp and grits: creamy grits, veggie gravy, and shrimp. Her original shrimp and grits recipe uses Andouille sausage, which is classic in a Cajun shrimp and grits. For sharing here on the A Couple Cooks website, she created an new spin sans sausage. Here are some of Tanorria’s tips and tricks for a next level shrimp and grits recipe....

Greetings, Manjula, thank you for this recipe. I often make it as a side dish with Thanksgiving dinner. As you said, it goes with nearly everything. I think it harmonizes well with the typical turkey, dressing, cranberries, and so on. And for those who don’t eat the turkey, it provides a different, interesting dish to enjoy! I have made it many times, and everyone loves it, even people who are skeptical about Indian food....

Green beans are one of our top vegetables for side dishes, because they’re fast, easy and versatile. Here’s our latest idea for highlighting these crunchy slender green veggies: Garlic Green Beans! Pairing tender steamed green beans with savory garlic butter makes them sing on your plate. Seasoned perfectly, they make an impressive side for about anything: chicken, fish, pasta or any veggie main. This platter disappeared very quickly at our house!...

Love fresh basil? Us too. Here’s our new favorite way to use it: this Basil Cocktail! The peppery green herb adds a beautifully fresh flavor to this drink. It’s a lemon lime gin drink: crisp and cool, with a sweet tart flavor. When Alex handed it to me and I took the first sip, I was sold. There’s nothing better than basil in the summer, and we think this is just the way to use it....

Here’s a recipe to celebrate all things green: green hummus! It’s a bright, fun twist on good old hummus. Alex and I have made this green hummus several times as a lunch recipe. Since we eat simply at the office, it’s great for munching on with some vegetables or pretzels. We first made it in honor of St. Patrick’s Day (yay green foods!). But because it was so delicious, we now make it for all sorts of other occasions as a party appetizer....

When it comes to pizza toppings, there’s one that is always, always a hit in our house. Goat cheese! This Goat Cheese Pizza is a true masterpiece, pairing soft pockets of chevre with tangy, garlicky tomato sauce. Shower it with a few sliced onions and a sprinkle of fresh basil, and we promise: the slices will be gone in a flash! This one is a massive crowd pleaser. And side bonus: our son loves it because it reminds us of the game Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza!...

After weeks of watching our garden expectantly, our green beans are finally here! We jumped at the first opportunity to use them with a new recipe idea. Sometimes, recipes don’t work out on the first try, requiring a bit of tweaking. But every so often, they’re an instant hit – which was the case with this green bean potato salad. We loosely based it on a green bean salad from The Herbal Kitchen, made a few of our own adaptions, and gave it our preliminary taste test....

Who knew you could grill Brussels sprouts? You probably did, but we’re not sure how we went so long without this trick! The mighty Brussels sprout is a near and dear veggie over here, and our Crispy Brussels Sprouts are a fan favorite. But make room in your heart for these Grilled Brussels Sprouts! They’re tender and blackened, with a hint of smoky flavor. Toss them with a balsamic sauce they’re positively delightful!...

As someone who loves a good cup of java, when something new enters the market, I’m keen to try it out for myself. I’ve always been a Starbucks fan and been a loyal patron over the past twenty-plus years. Even though I’ve gone through various diets, including low calorie and keto ones, I’ve always found plenty of options. When I first saw Nitro cold brew coffee, I thought it was stout beer....

I love fun strawberry recipes here, like my strawberry ice cream, strawberry oatmeal bars, strawberry brownies, and strawberry cookies. Flavored milk is always more delicious than the plain kind. I mean, that’s how my parents made me drink milk as a kid! Strawberry-flavored milk has always been my favorite, so making a healthier, lower-sugar version is a no-brainer. My strawberry milk recipe is quick, delicious, and rivals anything from a carton....

Potato salad recipes Frequently asked questions Interestingly, there are a few nuances to boiling potatoes: whether to boil them whole or cut, and whether to peel them or leave the peel on. It all depends on the style of potato salad. As cookbook authors who’ve made many potato salad recipes, here are the best practices for each type! Boil large potato cubes for 8 to 15 minutes, until fork tender. Then peel if desired....

Frequently asked questions But before start: you can’t simply sprinkle a bit of the white powder into your dish on its own. You’ll need this special step: a cornstarch slurry! As two cookbook authors, this is one of our top tips for working with this ingredient. Cornstarch must be heated to around 203°F for the thickening to occur. This is the temperature where “starch gelatinization” happens: the process where the the particles of cornstarch absorb water....

Here’s a coffee drink that’s one part espresso, one part foam, and equal parts delicious: the Macchiato! This espresso drink is like a lighter version of a latte, ideal for when you want a jolt of caffeine without all the extra calories. There’s a certain coffee shop that’s tarnished the macchiato’s name by causing some confusion about what it really is. Here we’ll clear up those murky waters and show you how to make a macchiato…the classic way....

Frequently asked questions A sourdough starter is essential for making sourdough bread. You can order one online or find one from a friend, but why not make it at home? It’s simple and requires very little hands on time. Wait for 5 days, and you’ll have grown your own starter—out of thin air! Buy it: To shortcut the process, you can buy a sourdough starter instead. We’ve tested this one and it works well....

How much do you love tacos? If you make tacos as much as Alex and I do (which is very often!), you’ve probably wondered the best way for how to warm tortillas. Well, we have a trick that we use all the time that not only warms the tortillas, but gives them beautiful char marks too. And the light char adds a subtle smoky flavor that amps up the taco even more....

What brand of grinder are you using please? WAO REALLY NICE nice hyderabadi dish , what does salan means?? Very spicy &good recipe thanks to you mam Excellent recipe. What can I replace kalanji with? Shefali, do without I was born in the wrong country! This dish was superb, as are all of your recipes. Can you tell me what region is this dish from? I am big fan of yours…I didn’t try any hydra bati dishes yet…but the mirchy ka salad is delicious…Thank you somuch manjula Hi....

Looking for a Japanese eggplant recipe? Here’s a hands-off way to cook it that makes it taste so irresistible, you won’t be able to stop sneaking bites. Try roasted Japanese eggplant with garlic and ginger! We picked up this veggie at our farmer’s market and couldn’t stop ourselves from devouring the entire platter. Roasting eggplant makes it lusciously tender, and beautifully paired with a sauce of garlic, ginger, soy sauce and Sriracha....

Looking for more keto cake recipes? Try my keto pound cake, keto strawberry cake, or keto coffee cake! With a light, delicate crumb and vibrant lemon flavor, my low-carb lemon pound cake is every bit as good as my traditional lemon loaf, just with half the carbs. Why I love this recipe 2 grams of net carbs. Compared to nearly 50 grams of carbs in regular lemon pound cake! Customize the lemon flavor....

Love keto desserts? Try my keto pudding, keto chocolate chip cookies, keto chocolate mousse, and keto cake next. Having spent holidays in Australia, the holiday desserts are a little bit different from those in the northern hemisphere. One of the most iconic holiday desserts is the pavlova. A traditional pavlova is made with egg white and caster sugar (superfine sugar), but I wanted to make a keto-friendly version! My sugar-free pavlova ticks all the bosses....