Chana masala is one of my favorite menu items at Indian restaurants. It’s a hearty, saucy chickpea and tomato dish with warming spices. I bet you have the ingredients to make this easy homemade version in your pantry already!

I shared this recipe back in 2014, and wanted to revisit it as we’re all spending more time at home. I thoroughly enjoyed the fragrant 20 minutes I spent over the stove for this recipe.

To make this chana masala, you’ll need onion, ginger, garlic, and several good-for-you spices, including coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Garam masala is the traditional spice blend for chana masala, but if you don’t have that on hand, you’ll find alternatives below.

I’d like to start cooking Indian recipes more often. Which one would you like to see next? For more pantry-friendly recipes, check my healthy pantry recipes roundup.

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Meet my favorite couscous salad, featuring pearled couscous and colorful summertime produce. This Mediterranean-style salad is light, refreshing, and overflowing with colorful rounds of thinly sliced raw zucchini and yellow squash. That’s right, raw squash! It’s so good.

This salad is a simple, light summer dish full of vegetables, whole grains, chickpeas and feta. I came up with this recipe six years ago for Free People’s blog, and it’s become one of my mom’s go-to potluck dishes. So, I thought I’d update it to meet my 2019 standards.

This salad is just the kind of meal I’m craving during this hot summer weather, and it would be perfect for your Fourth of July parties. If you’re looking for more Independence Day recipes, I’ve got you covered. I’ve listed a few of my other favorite salads below, too!

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Here’s my meatless version of classic chicken noodle soup, made with chickpeas instead of chicken! This soup is exactly what I want to eat when I’m feeling under the weather or craving some familiar, comfort food flavors.

It seems like everyone has caught at least one cold this winter season, me included. As a longtime vegetarian, I haven’t eaten chicken noodle soup in years.

Every time I get sick, I wonder why I don’t have a restorative soup recipe, but don’t have the energy to figure it out. Eventually, I get well again and move on to more exciting meals. So it goes.

We finally broke the cycle and I’m excited to share this recipe with you today. It’s the perfect meal to bring to your friend who isn’t feeling well, and it’s simple enough to pull together if you’re not feeling well yourself.

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I never knew I’d be so excited about a raw carrot salad. Then again, I’m not sure I’ve ever had French carrot salad before! Have you? Carrot salads are ubiquitous in France and we’ve been missing out.

I’m generally a fan of big, bold flavor, but French carrot salad (salade de carottes râpées) is a delicate balance of sweet raw carrot, tangy lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard and herbs. This carrot salad is a lesson in restraint and tastes more complex than it is.

I discovered this carrot salad at French Market in Kansas City. The girls behind the counter always have French accents, so you know the place is legit.

They offer a variety of pre-made salads and sandwiches, and I couldn’t resist the glowing orange carrot salad. Their version includes chickpeas, which offer some protein and bulk.

I was really surprised by how much I loved that fresh, crisp-tender, sweet-and-savory carrot salad, so here we are. French carrot salad is a lovely side dish to offer at picnics, in packed lunches, with sandwiches, and so on.

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Raise your hand if you love falafel! I’ve gone back into the archives to highlight my all-time favorite homemade falafel recipe. Making falafel at home can be tricky, but this recipe is easy.

Six reasons to love this healthy falafel recipe:

1. These falafels are golden brown and crispy on the outside. The insides are tender, delicious, and full of fresh herbs.
2. They’re baked instead of fried, so they contain significantly less fat than fried falafel. And your house won’t smell like fried food for days. Winning!
3. Once your chickpeas are sufficiently soaked, the falafel mixture comes together in no time. If you have someone to help shape the patties, they’ll come together even faster.
4. These falafels are gluten free and vegan, so they’re a great party appetizer.
5. These falafels freeze well, so they’re a fantastic protein-rich option to keep on hand for future salads and pita sandwiches.
6. On that note, this recipe is easily doubled! See recipe notes.

Are you convinced yet? Let’s make some falafel!

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The best hummus is lusciously creamy, yet somehow light and fluffy. It’s beautifully smooth and swirled, and begging to be scooped up onto a wedge of pita bread. It’s nutty and tangy, thanks to the tahini, with notes of bright, fresh lemon and mellow garlic.

I encountered the most delicious hummus at Aladdin Cafe, a local Mediterranean restaurant. That hummus met all of the above characteristics, and I was hoping the owner might enlighten me with his techniques. When I asked, though, he replied, “It’s a secret,” with a sly smile and walked away.

I went home determined to learn how to make magnificently creamy hummus. First, I took the fancy flavorings out of my other hummus recipes to make plain hummus. It was dense, a little gritty, and harshly garlicky. I was so disappointed.

Next, I went to Google and opened up a million tabs to learn everything about hummus. You know me. Ten hummus attempts later, I’m ready to share all of my hummus tips and tricks with you. Get ready to make the best hummus of your life!

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My friend Jessica’s new book is here, and I’m so excited for her! The Pretty Dish is bursting with 150 colorful, flavor-packed recipes in Jessica’s true How Sweet Eats style, and all of them can be made in under 60 minutes. Well, slow cooker recipes excluded. Plus, she included 50 beauty DIY recipes. Homemade bath melts? I’m into that.

Jessica is as bubbly, witty and adorably self-deprecating in person as she is in writing. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and the book’s cover is the most perfect representation of her colorful personality and the vibrant recipes inside.

I was drawn to this chickpea recipe because it’s so simple and reminds me of some of my favorite deli salads. These marinated chickpeas with feta and basil are spicy and garlicky.

They’re a little sweet, too, thanks to the roasted red peppers and a touch of honey. They strike an irresistible balance between the two, and I could not stop going back for more.

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The holidays are almost here, but I’ve been eating like it’s Thanksgiving for the past few weeks. Food blogger problems! I’m seeking balance in the meals in between recipe testing by filling my belly with my favorite veggie-packed meals.

Case in point: This sweet potato, kale, chickpea and farro soup, which is both impossible to describe using fewer words. I shared this recipe five years ago, and it’s still one of my favorites.

I’m counting down the minutes until I can heat up a big bowlful of this soup for lunch. It’s spicy, filling, satisfying, and overflowing with so-called power foods and whole grain goodness. The Thai red curry paste might seem like an unlikely pairing for sweet potatoes, kale and farro, but somehow it just works.

I love this soup because each main ingredient contributes flavor while retaining its texture. The farro stays nice and chewy, the chickpeas don’t turn to mush like lentils might, the sweet potatoes retain their delicate bite, and the kale never wilts into nothingness like spinach tends to do.

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I’m so excited about this paella recipe! I hope you are, too. Paella is a beautiful rice dish hailing from the east coast of Spain, near the port city of Valencia. I tried it for the first time in Barcelona about ten years ago, and none of the American versions I’ve sampled since then have come close—until now.

Paella often includes seafood or meat, but I made this paella vegetarian by mixing chickpeas into the rice and adding extra vegetables. If you were to order this in a Spanish restaurant, it would be called paella de verduras (vegetables). My version is fresh, colorful, and hearty, thanks to brown rice and chickpeas.

This paella is a great party option if your guests are following special diets. It’s vegan/vegetarian/dairy free, gluten free, nut free, and soy free. Although, I’d say it’s a great party option in general! Just add a big green salad and Spanish wine (red or white would work).

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A few weeks ago, I tasted some intriguing hummus at one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants, Eden Alley. Hummus always has some sesame flavor thanks to the tahini component (tahini is ground sesame paste, like peanut butter made with sesame seeds).

This hummus, however, had a more pronounced sesame flavor. I loved it. A few bites in, I realized their trick—they drizzled toasted sesame oil on top. Clever, right? I generally associate tahini with Mediterranean cuisine and toasted sesame oil with Southeast Asian cuisine, but they’re both made from sesame seeds. They go great together.

I looked across the table and declared, “I’m going to make hummus with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds and share it on the blog soon.” Boom! Here we are. You’ll start out by making ultra creamy hummus from scratch, with a little toasted sesame oil blended throughout. Freshly toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil take it to the next level.

Toasted sesame oil is very strongly flavored, so be sure to follow my suggested measurements rather than pouring straight from the bottle. You could cheat and drizzle sesame oil and sprinkle sesame seeds over store-bought hummus (no judgment here).

I brought this hummus over to my friend’s housewarming party last night and it was a hit. As always, please let me know how you like it!

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