Tag Archives: Easy

Homemade Granola with Cardamom & Chia Seeds

Cardamom & Chia Granola
Freshly toasted homemade granola

History repeats itself–breakfast history, particularly. Let’s hurtle back to the turn of the 20th century. Before that, Americans were farm-workers, and they needed serious sustenance in the mornings. Eggs, meat, puddings, pies, and cheese were standard 8am feast materials. But around this time, desk jobs came into fashion, and sedentary lifestyles combined with the fatty fare to give the country a bad case of indigestion. Enter: homemade granola.

Within a few years, two companies, Kellogg and Post (recognize the names?) were both selling grain-based cereals meant to help wean their countrymen from scrapple, bacon, and sausage for breakfast. That’s when granola (then known as granula) entered the scene, too–it was simply one crispy baked cereal on a burgeoning shelf of health-food products. Sounds a little bit like today!

This granola has a couple of ingredients that are coming into their own today, just as grain-based breakfasts were gaining popularity back then.

First, we’ve got buckwheat. You might have seen buckwheat flour or buckwheat noodles (aka soba) at the grocery store. Whole buckwheat groats are the nutritious little seeds from which that flour is made; when toasted they become crunchy and nutty. Although “wheat” is contained within the word, buckwheat is naturally gluten-free and contains a ton of protein and amino acids. That plus the protein in the almonds makes this a nutritionally beneficial and satisfying breakfast.

Cardamom & Chia Granola

Next up, coconut oil. Solid at room temperature, the buttery oil delivers a subtle hit of coconut. Many people believe that the high dose of saturated fat in unprocessed coconut oil is good for you!

Chia seeds used to be famous only for the topiaries they could grow. Today, health-foodies snatch them up for their high calcium and omega-3 content.

Almonds, oats, maple syrup, and flakes of sea salt round out this marvelous granola that’s no less delicious for being right on trend–both today and way back in time.

Cardamom & Chia Granola | Blue Apron


So get ready to jump in by making this deliciously fragrant granola, which will fill your kitchen with aromas reminiscent of chai tea. Serve with yogurt or with milk, and if you choose milk, you may find yourself slurping the chai-like remains straight from the bowl.

Cardamom Granola | Big Girls Small Kitchen

Get the recipe below.

Continue reading “Homemade Granola with Cardamom & Chia Seeds”

5 Not Boring Weeknight Chicken Recipes

Because chicken is a mainstay of our dinner tables, as it has been on dinner tables for a long time, we know you’ve probably eaten your share of chicken cutlets and roasted chicken thighs. So today, we’re going beyond that. Here are five amazing chicken dinners you’d be hard-pressed to call boring.

What’s your favorite?

1. In Satay


Is anything better than peanut sauce?

2. As Croutons


Croutons on a kale salad, natch.

3. For Filling Lettuce Wraps

Kind of like an inside-out salad. Or something.

4. In BBQ.

Doesn’t matter that it’s winter. Let the ‘cue come to you.

5. Part of This Complete Chicken Wedge

Along with bacon, apple, walnuts, and cheese.

We’re delighted to be part of Food Network’s Comfort Food Feast. This week’s theme? You guessed it: chicken! See everyone else’s comforting chicken recipes below:

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with Green Chilies
The Heritage Cook: Gluten-Free Fried Chicken Cutlets with Madeira Gravy
Weelicious: Roast Chicken with Caramelized Lemons
Devour: Giada’s Top Chicken Dinners
Taste With The Eyes: Griddled Gochujang Chicken Sandwich, “Kimchi” Slaw and Seaweed Mayo
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Italian Chicken Stew with Olives and Kale
Red or Green?: Oven-Fried Tortilla Chicken Drumsticks
Virtually Homemade: Chicken Puttanesca
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Spicy Deep Fried Chicken
Domesticate Me: Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders with Sriracha Honey Mustard (Gluten-Free!)
Dishing with Divya: Couscous with Chicken and Vegetables
In Jennie’s Kitchen: How to Roast a Chicken
FN Dish: Winning Chicken Dinners

Beyond Dinner: Five-Ingredient Pear Crisp

In January, the desserts on our mind are not the gooey decadent ones of December or the chocoholic sweets we’ll be feeding to our loved ones come Valentine’s Day. No, this time of year, we’re thinking fruit for dessert. Winter’s apples, oranges, and pears satisfy our sweet tooth after a good meal without threatening our commitment to healthful eating. We didn’t make our New Year’s resolutions that long ago!

That’s why, when we think about how to step dessert up a notch for celebrations or cozy family dinners, we’re still focused on fruit. Bosc pears represent one of the few fruits that are really juicy and ripe this time of year, and so we make the most out of their perfection by topping them with an oatmeal-based crumble topping, which gets crispy and browned in the oven. While the crisp is, well, crisping up, the pears beneath the topping grow sweeter and meltingly soft.

To start, simply gather your five six ingredients: ripe pears, old-fashioned oats, flour, salted butter, chopped walnuts, and brown sugar. The pears and a little bit of the sugar go into the bottom of your baking pan, while the butter, oats, walnuts, sugar, and flour combine to become the crisp topping. Using your fingers to combine the ingredients will result in a bowl full of delicious sweet crumble. (We won’t tell if you try a bite!)

Sprinkle the crumble on top of the pears, and that’s all your prep. Then, while you’re eating dinner, stick the whole pan in the oven and wait for the fragrant scents of pears, brown sugar, and toasting oats to take over your kitchen.

We like to serve with a little whipped cream–but you could try a scoop of your favorite ice cream, too.


Don’t miss the rest of our five-ingredient desserts, like tiramisu and apple turnovers.

Here’s the recipe…Continue reading “Beyond Dinner: Five-Ingredient Pear Crisp”

Five-Ingredient Easy Tiramisu

easy tiramisu

Ending a holiday meal with tiramisu is a good idea. Tiramisu means “pick me up,” and if you’ve indulged in some roast beef like we’re planning to, you’ll definitely need a pick me up after dinner!

Tiramisu is really popular on Italian menus, and so you’ve probably tasted your share of creamy, coffee-tasting goodness. Even though it’s such a simple dessert, we’ve found huge variation when we’ve eaten it in restaurants. It’s always a gamble of an order. When you make the dish at home, you get a chance to really see what it’s about–after all, that’s one of the best, most empowering parts of cooking.

easy tiramisu ingredients

At its base, tiramisu is a “lasagna” of coffee-soaked lady fingers, which grow spongelike as the dessert sits in the fridge, and a sweet and creamy filling. We make it from a combination of whipped cream, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, but traditionally the mixture can also contain whipped egg yolks and/or whites. In some recipes, the coffee is spiked with something boozy, like a sweet wine or some rum, before it’s brushed on the cookies.

To assemble the dish, you just layer lady fingers in a pan, then brush them with a lot of sweetened black coffee.

lady fingers

You whip some cream. Did you know it’s easier to whip cream if it’s really, really cold. Don’t take it out of the fridge til you’re ready to use. Combine that cream gently with mascarpone and sugar.

whipped cream

Then, you simply layer the cream-mascarpone mix on top of the first layer of ladyfingers, top the cream with more ladyfingers and the ladyfingers with more cream. A

tiramisu

At the end, it’s best to store in the fridge for an hour or more so that the flavors can meld and the cookies can soften into spongey goodness.

five ingredient tiramisu

At the end, right before serving, just sprinkle with some cinnamon or cocoa powder–whatever you have on hand.

Festive! Perfect for holiday dinners, right? Here’s the recipe…

Continue reading “Five-Ingredient Easy Tiramisu”

Kitchen Toolbox: Everything You Need to Cook a Meal

What do you need to cook a great meal? The truth is, not all that much!

Chef Matthew Wadiak takes apart his kitchen cabinets in our latest video, to show off exactly what equipment you need to cook all of our meals–really, to cook any meals. Two pans, a pot with a lid, some essential utensils, and a handful of ingredients (like salt and olive oil), and you can make any dinner under the sun. Watch to find out the only things you really need in your kitchen.

Stay tuned to our Kitchen Toolbox series for recommendations on our favorite brands for each piece of equipment!

Like watching cooking videos? Subscribe to our channel on YouTube!

Here’s How: Make Dinner in One Pot

HERE’S HOW is a series where we share the best useful tips from our cooking adventures. We’ll answer questions before you have them and illuminate food mysteries with a blend of science and legend.

Making your whole supper in one pot can lead to extreme feelings of accomplishment. Not only can you brag, “I made that!” you’ll be able to say, “I made that all in one pot.” The after-dinner realization that you have only one dirty vessel to scour will also enhance the deliciousness of the meal you devoured.

Cooking in one pot has another perk as well. With each ingredient that you sauté, sear, or braise, you build up–and keep–tons of flavor. Rather than washing away the little brown bits that accumulate in the bottom of a pan as you brown chicken or onions, you incorporate those bits–known as sucs–into the finished product. And, did we mention you only have one pot to clean?

Next week’s Arroz Con Pollo is a prime example of the type of incredible flavor that results from mastering the one-pot format. Here’s how.

The Order

The very first ingredient should usually be the meat, chicken, or other protein. The idea here is that searing the chicken keeps the flavor of the meat inside while everything else cooks. Plus, the little bits of browning chicken that get stuck to the pan are the first step in building up the flavor.

After that, add ingredients by what cooks the longest. We actually remove the chicken to make space for the next bunch of ingredients, usually flavor-enhancing vegetables like onion, garlic, celery, or carrots. After that, it’s best to throw in any seasonings like spices or tomato paste or salt, then any grain being used with the liquid you’ll use to cook it. Finally, the protein goes back in and we pop a lid on it and cook everything until it’s done.

The Timing


In a one-pot meals, dinner is only as fast as its slowest ingredient. That timing establishes a baseline for when dinner will be done. Any tender but fast-cooking ingredients that should not be overcooked have to be stirred in towards the end. In the case of Arroz Con Pollo, the rice is the ingredient that takes the longest to cook through. But most of the vegetables here–carrots and onions–don’t suffer from being cooked for a while. Likewise, chicken thighs have moist meat that won’t dry out.

On the other hand, the peas, olives, and oregano are more delicate. We wait until only 5 minutes before the dish is done to throw them in. That way, they retain their flavor, freshness, and texture.

Serving Ideas

Many one-pot meals look best right when they’re finished cooking. This means you don’t have to worry about arranging your casserole, stew, or hash in a serving platter, meaning this isn’t “one pot, one serving dish,” but really just one pot. You can set the pot right on the table for a rustic presentation (put it on a trivet or potholder so you don’t leave a burn mark). Garnish with some fresh torn herbs. Then dole our portions into your plates or bowls from there. Enjoy every bite knowing how few dishes await.

Got questions about any of the techniques in our recipes? Leave a comment or shoot us a tweet and we’ll answer your question in an upcoming post.

Dinner Conversation: All the Sandwiches and How Great Packaging Makes Cooking Easy

Herb Chopping by Beauty and Some Beef

Each week, we’ll round up posts, videos, and even playlists to entertain you while you cook, and provide conversation fodder for tonight’s Blue Apron dinner. Today we’re planning for this weekend’s summery sandwiches and luxurious free time for getting busy in the kitchen:

An Herb-Chopping Trick – Beauty and Some Beef

Making Ground Beef Sexy Again – Huffington Post Taste

  • From burgers to meatballs, we tackle all the ways that ground beef, turkey, and chicken can help you make dinner in our weekly column for Huff Post. Don’t miss it!

Yearning for Simple Food – Poor Man’s Feast

All the sandwiches – Wikipedia

How Convenient Food Packaging Makes Eating Well Easy – Medium

  • How having food packaged in the right proportions makes eating well much easier. Moe Arora says he’s more likely to eat those carrots when he’s know exactly how and when they should appear in his dinner. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.