Chicken Nigella Caesar Pasta Salad

Our Nigella Caesar makes chicken breast juicy and brown nicely. It's also a delicious sprinkle and makes such an easy homemade dressing, only needing water and oil. This dressing is awesome to have on hand, not just for a twist on a traditional Caesar salad, but also as a marinade and sauce. In this recipe, it gets used both ways — to marinate our chicken and to coat the pasta salad. We used some summer staples like fresh tomatoes, cucumber and arugula to bring it all together. We also dabbled with some lentil gluten-free pasta for some extra protein, but feel free to use your own favorite pasta. Enjoy this salad warm or as cold leftovers, if you have any!

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Rooster Spice Asparagus

Songkran (สงกรานต์) is the traditional Thai New Year water festival which starts on April 13 every year. Traditionally, the throwing of water is said to be a symbol of luck to bring good rain for the crops. Well, we are swimming in good luck with a bountiful asparagus harvest this year and one of our favorite go-to blends, Rooster Spice! We designed this spicy chili powder drawing inspiration from Indonesian sambal, Sriracha, Thai nam phrik, and Vietnamese tuong ot toi. Rooster Spice has limitless possibilities, but here we combine the seasonality of asparagus with the celebration of Thai New Year. Enjoy!

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Gluten-Free Fennel Ricotta Tomato Tart

Every little bite of this delicious tart screams summertime. The beautiful, bright flavors and buttery crust can be enjoyed either hot or cold. The peppery, gluten-free crust requires no rolling. It comes together easily with parmesan cheese. We filled the tart with a spinach and ricotta mixture, seasoned with our Italian Sausage Mix. Don't let the name mislead you, there's no sausage to be found in this mix but rather kickin' red chile flakes, black pepper, fennel seed, basil, oregano, and other Italian classics.To bejewel the tart, sprinkle some halved heirloom cherry tomatoes and little dollops of goat cheese. Bake this tart until golden brown. Make it extra special by sprinkling some fennel pollen before serving your wedge. Fennel Pollen is delicate, sweet and fragrant and compliments the bursts of tomato perfectly.Fennel Pollen on before baking or if the tart is still very hot — its flavor is heat sensitive! One of our favorite things about fennel pollen is how the fennel flavor is so forward yet somehow light and delicate. It makes for an excellent garnish and an elegant flavor enhancement.

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Tadka Carrot and Cauliflower Salad

Sometimes we crave something hearty and filling, yet light enough to be healthy. This flavorful salad is able to achieve both! Tadka is a South Asian technique, also known as tempering, that uses hot oil or ghee to extract the essential oils out of spices. The result is a rich, flavorful, and aromatic oil — perfect to use as a dressing. For ours we use a base of Brown Mustard Seed, Yellow Mustard Seed, Cumin Seed, Turmeric, India Red Chile Flake and Asafoetida. These spices get lightly sautéed in oil, then a squeeze of lime juice and salt is added. The sauce melds together to coat the salad beautifully. The crunch from the mustard seeds and the umami from the asafoetida really makes this recipe stand out. Making this salad is quick, easy, and the ingredients are completely versatile. Beets, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale — any shreddable veggie would be delicious in this salad!Asafoetida is a great spice to use, especially if following a low-FODMAP diet. The flavor is nearly identical to that of onion and garlic, but it actually comes from the dried giant fennel resin. There is truly no spice like it!

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Nigella Caesar Artichoke Toast

Now that I sling spices instead of hash, it is nostalgic to look at old recipes from my professional chef days. This recipe and I go waaay back and it remains a brunch favorite. Over time, it has evolved into a slightly healthier version. Our vegan Nigella Caesar blend brings all the flavor of a classic Caesar dressing, without the extra egg. Nutty nigella seeds add crunch and bring the umami along with Worcestershire powder and garlic. These bold flavors pair perfectly with the leeks and artichoke hearts in the spread. This makes a delightful topping for toast or flat bread. For added brunch magic, we garnished the toast with a kale Caesar salad and a poached egg. Finish it off with a sprinkle of Pacific Flake Sea Salt for crunch and enjoy!

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Tea Picnic

This post is for those of us who like the crusts cut off. The extra effort and attention that goes into making these beautiful tea sandwiches shows in every detail — the sweet shapes, the colorful combinations and, as always, the thoughtful flavor pairings. Make a platter for friends or a plate for yourself and enjoy a lazy summer picnic while the weather is fine. Since we're taking this picnic over the top, we've suggested some tea pairings as well. You can check out easy methods for cold brewing here!A bold curried egg salad is seasoned with our French inspired Vadouvan Curry, served on whole wheat bread and a cherry tomato topper. The flavor is deep and rich in this toasted blend with cumin, cardamom, mustard seeds, black pepper and fenugreek seeds. With a squeeze of lemon juice and watercress, these sandwiches go great with a malty Indian black tea like our Keemun black tea. For a cooling crunch with spectacular flavor, we seasoned the cucumber sandwich with our Orange Tarragon. This blend has chives, shallots, garlic and black pepper, adding many layers of flavor to the cream cheese spread complimenting the cucumbers. These cucumber sandwiches are anything but boring! Pair them with a cup of Rwandan Green Tea which is a vegetal green tea that will cut through the rich cream cheese and compliment the cooling cucumber. Because no picnic is complete without dessert, we made a sweet finish, open-faced mascarpone sandwiches. The creamy mascarpone gets its speckles from Madagascar vanilla beans that not only smell amazing, but go great with berries and a sprinkle of lemon zest. To finish off our tea picnic we paired a bold cup of Earl Grey with this sandwich. This classic tea is scented with bergamot, a perfect combo with the vanilla bean and sweet blackberries.

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Ranch Broccoli Salad

Ranch Seasoning is a summer favorite, and whether you like it as a dressing or a dipping sauce best, there is no substitute. In this salad, we chopped the classic crudité and dressed it with an easy DIY ranch dressing with buttermilk and mayonnaise. Bacon bits and crispy onions add an extra layer of flavor to take this salad over the top. A perfect salad to whip up for picnics and cookouts, it is a great summer go-to salad with plenty of hearty veggie crunch. Our Ranch Seasoning is salt and preservative free so you can adjust salt to taste and add as much of this bright and tangy seasoning as you like.

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Asparagus Mimosa

The complement of texture and flavors that come together in this simple dish are a celebration of spring. Tender asparagus is kissed with Provencal Seasoned Salt and a little char from the grill. Watercress is nested in and the salad is topped with finely grated hard boiled eggs. The fine, fluffy eggs are said to resemble mimosa flowers for which the salad is named.To keep it simple and bright, our vinaigrette combines Lemon Herb Pepper, white wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard. This dish is light, simple, and familiar. Easy to make ahead and serve cold. You can also add bacon, capers, radishes or other garnishes.

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Tostada Salads with Limón-Chile

Here's a great way to eat healthy and enjoy every bite, colorful tostada salad toppers turbocharged with Limón-Chile! Tostadas are a fried corn tortilla kept flat for easy loading of ingredients and we made two different salads to top this crunchy treat. Our first one was a shrimp salad, tossed in a creamy avocado and tomatillo dressing. To make the flavors sing, we garnished generously with Limón-Chile seasoning to add warm heat and tart 'pops' of flavor. For the second tostada, we kept it vegan with roasted Delicata squash. The cooked squash adds sweetness that contrasts with all of the textures in the raw vegetable medley. We lightly tossed the salad in olive oil and added our Limón-Chile, giving it a nice tang from the lime salt and sunny Marash chiles.Create your own tostada bar at your next neighborhood cookout! The sky's the limit with these crunchy canvases.

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