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30 Minutes or Less

One-Pan Hunan Chicken

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close-up overhead image of hunan chicken in a skillet.

Seriously flavorful and delicious restaurant-style hunan chicken! Bites of tender chicken and stir-fried veggies tossed in a savory hunan sauce. Super quick and easy to make, ready in just 15 minutes!

overhead image of hunan chicken in a skillet with sesame seeds and sliced green onion on top.

What is Hunan Chicken?

Hunan Chicken is a healthy, popular Chinese-American dish made with pieces of tender chicken stir fried with veggies and tossed in a tangy, sweet, and spicy sauce. This dish originates from the Hunan province of China and is traditionally hot, spicy and loaded with chilies. In this Hunan Chicken recipe, you can control the spice level by adding as much chili paste as you like.

close-up image of hunan chicken in a skillet.

What You’ll Need To Make Hunan Chicken

Chicken Breasts – This dinner recipe starts with one to two pounds of boneless and skinless chicken breast. To prepare them, start by patting each chicken breast dry with a paper towel, then thinly slice them into bite-sized pieces. Once cut, season them well with salt and black pepper, before coating in corn starch, then stir-frying!

Corn Starch – Coating this hunan chicken in corn starch before cooking will help each piece cook up a whole lot crispier and delicious! However, if you don’t have corn starch, you can certainly use arrowroot starch or tapioca starch instead. And if you’d like to cut down on the amount of corn starch, you can leave it off the chicken pieces, and instead add just a tablespoon of starch to the sauce ingredients. You’ll need at least a tiny bit of starch in this recipe, to help thicken up the sauce.

Soy Sauce – Any kind of soy sauce you’d like will work! If gluten-free, be sure to use tamari instead of soy sauce. Tamari is the gluten-free equivalent to soy sauce. Or, for a healthier option, use 1/3 cup of coconut aminos instead.

Fish Sauce – Most hunan chicken recipes are made with oyster sauce, which is a thick, dark sauce made of soy sauce, oyster extract, and sugar (lots of sugar!). So to make this classic recipe just a bit healthier, I swapped out the oyster sauce for a tablespoons of honey, plus a teaspoon of fish sauce. The honey helps to sweeten things up, and the fish sauce gives this dish its signature briny flavor. I also figured, while neither oyster or fish sauce are super common in most kitchens, fish sauce would be a bit easier to get your hands on!

hunan chicken on a plate over rice.

Tips and Tricks

  • If you have a wok, use it! Wok’s cook quickly, and heat to a higher temperature, which is perfect for this stir-fry recipe. However, if you don’t own a wok (it’s ok, I don’t either), use either a large stainless steel or cast-iron pan instead.
  • Once done, if the sauce isn’t as thick as you’d like it to be, then add in some corn starch. But don’t simply add the corn starch in by itself. Instead, whisk 1 tablespoon of corn starch with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl until dissolved. Then, pour that corn starch slurry into your sauce and give it 2-3 more minutes to thicken.
  • Serve this hunan chicken however you’d like! I enjoyed mine over cauliflower rice for an extra healthy meal. Though it also tastes delicious over white rice, brown rice, or even quinoa!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Paleo: Turn this into a paleo chicken stir-fry by using tapioca starch instead of corn starch, and coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce.

Make it Vegan: Make a hunan tofu by replacing the chicken breasts with a large block of extra-firm tofu, cut into 2-inch cubes! Also, leave out the fish sauce, and replace the honey with maple syrup.

Hunan Chicken
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Hunan Chicken

5 from 3 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

15

minutes

Seriously flavorful and delicious restaurant-style hunan chicken! Bites of tender chicken and stir-fried veggies tossed in a savory hunan sauce. Super quick and easy to make, ready in just 15 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

  • salt and black pepper, to taste

  • 1/4 cup corn starch, or tapioca starch

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil

  • 1 cup broccoli florets

  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced

  • 1 zucchini, sliced

  • For the hunan sauce:

  • 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

  • 1/3 cup soy sauce, or tamari if gluten-free

  • 1-2 tablespoons chili paste

  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil, optional

Directions

  • Season chicken with salt and pepper, then toss in a bowl with corn starch until evenly coated.
  • Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken 2-3 minutes per side or golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
  • Add broccoli, bell pepper, and zucchini to skillet – sauté for 5-6 minutes or until tender, but still crisp.
  • While veggies cook, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Add cooked chicken back into skillet along with the sauce, reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes or until sauce has thickened.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Garlic and Herb Olive Oil Dip

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bread being dipped into garlic and herb olive oil dip.

A simple olive oil dip with garlic and herbs! It’s loaded with tons of flavor, and comes together in just a few minutes. Make this easy appetizer for your next party or potluck.

overhead image of garlic and herb olive oil dip on a plate.

What You’ll Need to Make Garlic and Herb Olive Oil Dip

Garlic – Duh! Add plenty of fresh minced garlic to your dip. Heck, you can even add more than 3 cloves if you want. More garlic = more better …or at least I think so!

Dried Oregano – Dried oregano is a pantry staple in my opinion. It freshens up any dish, but is dried so you don’t have to worry about it ever going bad. I used 2 teaspoons in this garlic and herb olive oil dip recipe, but feel free to use as much or as little as you’d like. OR, replace the dried oregano with your favorite dried herb or herb blend.

Garlic Powder – Because there can truly never be too much garlic! A touch of garlic powder works to amp up that incredible fresh garlic flavor.

Olive Oil – For an especially delicious olive oil dip, use good quality olive oil like this! I’m a firm believer that high-quality olive oil tastes better. And since we’re not cooking or heating the olive oil in this recipe, you’ll actually be able to taste it. So, skip the cheap stuff for this particular recipe.

Parsley – Fresh chopped parsley is the cherry-on-top of this dip! While optional, I highly recommend you add some. It adds tons of fresh and delicious flavor.

garlic and herb olive oil dip on a plate with bread on the side.

Tips and Tricks

  • Have fun with this recipe! You can jazz up this garlic and herb olive oil dip however you’d like. Replace the dried oregano with dried Italian seasoning, use as much or as little garlic as you’d like, or throw in some fresh grated parmesan cheese for even more flavor!
  • Serve this dip with any kind of bread. I enjoyed mine with classic french bread – but focaccia, or even sourdough would make for a great pairing. Or, if you’re up for a little fun, drizzle this oil on a sandwich!
  • Prep it ahead of time! Making this olive oil dip for your next party? You can prep it up to one week in advance. Then, simply store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve. Doing this actually amps up the flavor, since the garlic and herbs have more time to marinate in the olive oil!

This Garlic and Herb Olive Oil Dip is….

Garlic and Herb Olive Oil Dip
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Garlic and Herb Olive Oil Dip

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Course: AppetizersDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

0

minutes
Total time

5

minutes

A simple olive oil dip with garlic and herbs! It’s loaded with tons of flavor, and comes together in just a few minutes. Make this easy appetizer for your next party or potluck.

Ingredients

  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • pinch of red pepper flakes

  • 1/2 cup good quality olive oil

  • bread, for dipping

  • fresh chopped parsley, optional

Directions

  • Add garlic, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and red pepper flakes to a medium shallow bowl or plate with high sides.
  • Pour in the olive oil, then stir to combine. Top with an optional sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley, and serve with bread for dipping!

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30 Minutes or Less

Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini

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close-up overhead image of pasta with caramelized zucchini in a bowl with parsley and parmesan cheese on top.

Fresh, wholesome, and delicious pasta with caramelized zucchini! This super simple pasta recipe requires just a handful of ingredients – many of which you probably already have at home. Throw together this easy and healthy weeknight meal in 30 minutes!

fork and spoon lifting pasta with caramelized zucchini out of a bowl.

What You’ll Need to Make Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini

Olive Oil and Butter – The combination of both olive oil and butter are perfect for caramelizing the zucchini in this recipe. Olive oil prevents the zucchini from sticking to the pan, while butter gives it that irresistibly rich flavor.

Zucchini – Use as much or as little zucchini as you’d like in this recipe! Though remember, the zucchini will cook down a ton while cooking, so it’s better to start with more than you may think you need. Thinly slice your zucchini into about 1/8-inch thick rounds. The thinner you slice the zucchini, the faster it’ll cook and caramelize.

Pasta – I used gluten-free linguini for my pasta with caramelized zucchini, but any pasta will work!

overhead image of pasta with caramelized zucchini on a plate with a fork.

Tips and Tricks

  • Don’t forget to save some pasta water before straining! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve meant to save pasta water, but totally forgot when it came time to strain it. Reserved pasta water plays a crucial part in the sauce, so make sure you remember it!
  • Cook the zucchini to your liking. I loooove super soft and jammy zucchini, but if you want zucchini with a little more bite, cook it down for just 10-15 minutes. This light and healthy pasta recipe is super easy to customize!
close-up image of pasta with caramelized zucchini in a bowl.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Gluten-Free: Simply use your favorite gluten-free pasta like I did!

Make it Vegan/Dairy-Free: Use your favorite non-dairy butter in this recipe, and leave off any cheese when serving.

Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini
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Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: Uncategorized
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Total time

0

minutes

Fresh, wholesome, and delicious pasta with caramelized zucchini! This super simple pasta recipe requires just a handful of ingredients – many of which you probably already have at home. Throw together this easy and healthy weeknight meal in 30 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1 yellow onion, diced

  • 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced (about 1/8-inch thick)

  • salt, to taste

  • 5 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 pound pasta, uncooked

Directions

  • Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add in the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
    • pasta with caramelized zucchini step 1
  • Add in the zucchini and a big pinch of salt, cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes.
    • pasta with caramelized zucchini step 2
  • While zucchini cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain pasta from remaining water.
  • Once zucchini is very soft and caramelized, add in the garlic and garlic powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant.
    • pasta with caramelized zucchini step 4
  • Add the cooked pasta and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet with the zucchini. Stir everything together, and add more pasta water if pasta seems dry. Serve warm with fresh cracked black pepper.
    • pasta with caramelized zucchini step 5

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Breakfast

Classic Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

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sliced gluten-free zucchini bread on a baking sheet with a knife.

This gluten-free zucchini bread is deliciously moist! It’s super easy to make and loaded with fresh zucchini. Enjoy a thick slice of this gluten-free zucchini bread with a little butter for breakfast or as a snack!

gluten-free zucchini bread on a baking sheet.

The Story Behind This Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread Recipe

My parents were those people that built a garden during quarantine. Anyone else?? And while it took a while to enjoy the fruits (literally) of their labor, oh man was it worth all their hard work! They have strawberries, blueberries, lettuce, every herb you can think of, and a whole BUNCH of zucchini. Like A LOT of zucchini. So when they sent me home a couple weeks ago with a massive bag of homegrown zucchini, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. Though I had never made gluten-free zucchini bread before, so I took a few notes from my gluten-free banana bread recipe, tweaked things a bit, and this incredible recipe was born!

sliced gluten-free zucchini bread on a baking sheet with milk on the side.

What You Need To Make Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

Zucchini – This dark green veggie is loaded vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants! It’s also high in fiber and has been proven to aid healthy digestion. Good-for-you zucchini also flourishes in the summer months! (A big reason why my parents currently have SO much of it right now).

To prep zucchini for this recipe, simply slice off one end and run the zucchini down a cheese grater. Continue to grate the zucchini until you have one heaping cup worth of shredded zucchini. Once grated, you’ll wrap the zucchini in a dish towel and squeeze out as much of the liquid from the zucchini as possible. This summer vegetable holds on to a lot of water, and to avoid a soggy zucchini bread, you’ll want to squeeze out as much of that water as you can. Once the water is removed, you’re ready to use your shredded zucchini in this gluten-free zucchini bread recipe!

Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour – I use and love the King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour for most of my gluten-free baked goods recipes. It’s a solid gluten-free flour that holds its structure when baked and never fails me. However, you can use your favorite gluten-free all purpose flour for this recipe. My one suggestion is to always make sure that whatever gluten-free all purpose flour you use contains xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is crucial to binding and quite literally keeping everything together.

gluten-free zucchini bread step 1
gluten-free zucchini bread step 3
gluten-free zucchini bread step 4

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

  • Make it Nut-Free: Omit the almond flour in this recipe and use an additional 1/2 cup of gluten-free all purpose flour instead.
  • Make it Vegan: To make this a gluten-free and vegan zucchini bread, try using either two flax eggs, one ripe mashed banana, or 1 cup of apple sauce in place of the eggs in this recipe.
  • Add Gluten: Use 2 cups of regular all purpose flour in place of the gluten-free all purpose flour and almond flour.
Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread
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Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Course: SnacksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

45

minutes
Total time

55

minutes

This gluten-free zucchini bread is deliciously moist! It’s super easy to make and loaded with fresh zucchini. Enjoy a thick slice of this gluten-free zucchini bread with a little butter for breakfast or as a snack!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup shredded zucchini

  • 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour, see Notes

  • 1/2 cup almond flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter, melted

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit and lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
  • Wrap the shredded zucchini in a dish towel and squeeze over the sink to remove as much water from the zucchini as possible, then set aside.
  • Mix together the gluten-free all purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
    • gluten-free zucchini bread step 1
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted coconut oil, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until combined.
    • gluten-free zucchini bread step 2
  • Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold together until no flour remains.
    • gluten-free zucchini bread step 3
  • Gently fold in the shredded zucchini until just combined.
    • gluten-free zucchini bread step 4
  • Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
    • gluten-free zucchini bread step 5

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour: I use and love the King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour in this recipe, though you can use any all purpose gluten-free flour you’d like as long as it contains xantham gum.

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Dairy-Free

Healthy No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars

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two healthy no-bake cookie dough bars stacked on top of each other on a baking sheet.

Seriously delicious healthy no-bake cookie dough bars! These bars are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. Enjoy as a guilt-free dessert or sweet snack!

healthy no bake cookie dough bars on a baking sheet.

What You’ll Need to Make Healthy No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars

Almond Flour – Use blanched almond flour for these dessert bars, not almond meal. Blanched almond flour is ground finer and makes for a smoother cookie dough. Looking for more almond flour recipes? Try these!

Peanut or Cashew Butter – Either peanut or cashew butter will work! I used peanut butter because I love the taste. However, cashew butter yields little flavor and works perfectly to hold these no-bake bars together. But whichever you use, make sure it’s both creamy and unsweetened.

Maple Syrup – We use maple syrup in place of traditional refined sugar to keep these healthy cookie dough bars refined sugar-free. The maple syrup in these bars can easily be replaced with honey, or even your favorite sugar-free liquid sweetener for sugar-free cookie dough bars!

Chocolate Chips – I used the Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips to keep these bars vegan/dairy-free, but really any chocolate chip will work! For refined sugar-free chocolate chips, try these date-sweetened Hu chocolate chips.

three healthy no bake cookie dough bars stacked on top of each other.

Tips and Tricks

  • Chill these healthy no-bake cookie dough bars in the freezer for at least one hour before slicing! Don’t rush this step, otherwise the chocolate won’t be fully set.
  • Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Avoiding leaving them at room temperature for too long, because the chocolate may melt.
close-up image of a healthy no bake cookie dough bar.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Nut-Free: For a nut-free version of this recipe, replace the almond flour with oat flour. Also, replace the cashew or peanut butter with unsweetened sunflower seed butter!

Make it Paleo: Make paleo cookie dough bars by using unsweetened creamy almond butter in place of the cashew or peanut butter.

Healthy No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars
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Healthy No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Chilling Time

1

minute
Total Time

1

hour

Seriously delicious healthy no-bake cookie dough bars! These bars are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. Enjoy as a guilt-free dessert or sweet snack!

Ingredients

  • For the cookie dough layer:

  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour

  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut or cashew butter, unsweetened

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil or butter, melted

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • pinch of salt

  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

  • For the chocolate layer:

  • 1 cup chocolate chips

  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut or cashew butter, unsweetened

Directions

  • Line a 9×5-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  • Make the cookie dough layer by mixing together the almond flour, peanut or cashew butter, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl. Add in the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
  • Transfer dough to prepared baking pan and press into an even layer.
  • Make the chocolate layer by melting the chocolate chips and peanut or cashew butter in the microwave in 30 second increments. Stir together until smooth, then pour and spread into an even layer on top of the cookie dough.
  • Chill in the freezer for one hour, then remove and slice into squares.

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