Cookie and Kate

Whole Foods and Vegetarian Recipe Blog

Our cookbook, Love Real Food, is here! Get your copy ↣Love Real Food

Homemade Ranch Dressing

28 Comments

ranch dressing recipe

I love ranch dressing. There, I said it. As a kid, I adored Hidden Valley, but as an adult, I only get excited about made-from-scratch, real-deal ranch dressing. This recipe is exactly that.

Earlier this year, as I navigated my first trimester, I found myself craving my favorite comfort foods. Naturally, I made my own ranch dressing and happily drizzled it over my salads, and my pizzas, and even my quesadillas (why not?).

ranch dressing ingredients

This ranch dressing recipe is the end result of my experimentation. It features fresh herbs, real buttermilk, and a creamy sour cream base. It tastes gourmet, and it’s certainly not too heavy. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Continue to the recipe »

Roasted Red Peppers

59 Comments

roasted red peppers recipe

Let’s talk about roasted red peppers! Roasted red peppers are one of my favorite recipe components. They offer rich, deep bell pepper flavor and a lovely, tender texture. I love to add roasted red peppers to dips, salads, sandwiches and more.

Homemade roasted red peppers taste the best, no doubt about it. Since it’s bell pepper season, I’m sharing my tested and perfected roasted red pepper recipe. Now that I’ve finally nailed down all the factors, I’ll be roasting my own more often!

red bell peppers

Roasting red peppers is a fairly simple process, though certainly not as simple as reaching for a jar of store-bought roasted red peppers. The downside to using jarred roasted red peppers is that they vary significantly in flavor—grab the wrong brand and you just might ruin the whole dish (been there, done that). Divina and Whole Foods 365 are reliable winners, in my experience.

Grab a helper when it comes time to peel the peppers, and your homemade roasted red peppers will be ready before you know it. They’ll keep in the fridge for over a week, too, and liven up all your dishes in between.

Continue to the recipe »

How to Grill Pizza

20 Comments

grilled pizza recipe

Grilled pizza is so fun to make! I love grilling pizzas on hot days because I don’t have to crank up the oven to high heat. Grilled pizza makes dinnertime feel like an event, and it’s simple enough to manage on a weeknight.

Grilled pizza is especially doable when you start with my Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, which comes together in a flash—no rising time required—and grills beautifully.

pizza dough for grilling

Today, I’m sharing a full tutorial on how to grill pizza. As you’ll see, grilled pizzas differ a bit in technique from oven-baked pizzas.

Choose your toppings wisely (you’ll find suggestions below) and follow my recipe until you get the hang of it. Then, you’ll be a grilled pizza champion!

Continue to the recipe »

Roasted Tomatoes

44 Comments

roasted cherry tomatoes close-up

Have you ever tried roasted tomatoes? Specifically slow-roasted cherry tomatoes, the best of all roasted tomatoes? If not, you have really been missing out! Last summer, our garden produced more cherry tomatoes than we could eat fresh, so I roasted several batches over the weekends.

You might be thinking that it’s hard to beat fresh cherry tomatoes (and I agree), but roasted cherry tomatoes are even nicer. The flavors and textures condense in the oven, yielding spectacularly sweet-tart, rich tomato flavor.

Once roasted, these tomatoes keep in the refrigerator for over a week, so this is a great way to preserve tomatoes a little longer. Commenters report that these tomatoes freeze wonderfully for winter time, too—Chris says you can pull them out of the freezer bag and add them to salads!

cherry tomatoes

Honestly, I eat these tomatoes like candy. I have to stop myself from eating them all straight off the pan. Unlike most other roasted veggies, which I typically serve as a side dish, these roasted tomatoes are the perfect addition to many summer meals. They’ll turn a simple pasta with basil into a highly memorable dinner.

You’ll be happy to hear that roasting these cherry tomatoes require a much lower temperature than normal (just 250 degrees Fahrenheit). While they do require a couple of hours in the oven, you can throw these in the oven on a hot day without overheating your kitchen.

Tomato lovers, gardeners and weekend meal preppers, this roasted tomato recipe is for you!

Continue to the recipe »

Cucumber Tomato Salad with Greek Dressing

15 Comments

cucumber tomato salad recipe

When it’s blazing hot outside, this cucumber tomato salad is exactly what I want to eat. This recipe is crisp and refreshing, light yet satisfying.

This salad features fresh cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, not-too-much red onion, fresh herbs and optional feta cheese. Once tossed in Greek dressing, this basic combination is further proof that summertime produce doesn’t need much help to taste spectacular.

cucumber tomato salad ingredients

Bring this tomato cucumber salad recipe to your next get-together, or serve it at home as a side salad. It keeps well for several days in the refrigerator.

I love leftovers with sandwiches—this salad would be perfect with my Caprese Sandwich, Vegetarian “BLT” Sandwich or Green Goddess Hummus Sandwich. Hope you’ll make it soon!

Continue to the recipe »

Greek Salad Dressing

32 Comments

Greek dressing recipe

Who doesn’t love a great Greek salad? Make your own starting with this Greek salad dressing recipe. This dressing is bold, zippy and delicious. It’s super easy to whisk together at home with basic pantry ingredients.

This Greek vinaigrette is made simply with olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, dried oregano and salt and pepper. We’ll add a touch of honey or maple syrup to balance the flavors. That’s it! The end result tastes just like the dressings I’ve enjoyed in Greece.

Greek dressing ingredients

Homemade salad dressings always taste so fresh and vibrant—they’re simply superior to store-bought dressings and keep well for a week in the fridge. Plus, you can use healthy ingredients, like extra-virgin olive oil, and avoid unnecessary preservatives. Homemade dressings are a win all around, and this one is ready in just five minutes!

Enjoy this dressing on my Chopped Greek Salad, or improvise your own salad with fresh ingredients you have on hand. You’ll find a list of my suggested salad ingredients below, and keep an eye out for a fresh summer salad featuring this dressing later this week.

Continue to the recipe »

Fall Recipes

My dog, Cookie

About ⋄ Contact ⋄ Cookbook ⋄ Recipes ⋄ Shop ⋄ Subscribe

Cookie and Kate receives commissions on purchases made through our links to retailers. Affiliate details »

© Cookie and Kate 2010 - 2021. All rights reserved. Cookie and Kate is a registered trademark of Cookie and Kate LLC.

Accessibility Policy ⋄ Comment Policy ⋄ Nutrition Disclaimer ⋄ Photo/Recipe Policy ⋄ Privacy Policy