Meet the best 7-layer dip I’ve ever had. I’ve sampled my fair share of them, and wow, this recipe is the winner! Every layer is delicious on its own and builds on the last. The end result is creamy and cheese, of course, but it’s also perfectly balanced. Fresh avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, green onion and salsa offer fresh and bright flavors that cut through the cheddar cheese, sour cream and refried beans.

Store-bought ingredients yield great results, so you don’t have to turn on the stove to make this one. Each layer contains a fun little surprise, like a splash of salsa in the refried beans to loosen the texture and a burst of freshness from jalapeño in the sour cream. All seven layers come together quickly, too, so you can enjoy your appetizer after about twenty minutes of assembly.

Bring this 7-layer dip to your next watch party. Football season is in full swing (go Chiefs!), and I’ll make this recipe again this weekend. I’ve enjoyed the leftovers for lunch, so you don’t need a big occasion to make this recipe. I hope you love it as much as I do.

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I consider myself a pickle connoisseur, and I dare say that these pickled jalapeños are the best. These pickled jalapeños are fresh and lightly crisp, with the perfect level of heat. They’re so much better than their store-bought counterparts, which have been sitting on the shelf for who knows how long.

To make this recipe, you’ll need fresh jalapeños, vinegar, water, an optional garlic clove, and salt. That’s it—the rest of the magic is due to the method.

These pickles will taste fully pickled after a four-hour rest in the refrigerator, so make them earlier in the day or the night before you need them. They retain their lovely flavor for about one month in the refrigerator.

These pickled jalapeños offer the perfect spicy pop to my meals! I hope you love them as much as I do.

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Make this cilantro lime dressing recipe the next time you prepare a Mexican meal. It’s bright, sunny and fresh! This dressing is boldly flavored with fresh lime, olive oil, cilantro, garlic, honey, cumin and Dijon mustard. You can make it creamy or spicy if you wish.

Drizzle this dressing over crisp greens with sliced avocado and toasted pepitas for a perfectly simple side salad. You’ll find a longer list of salad toppings to choose from below.

I improvised this dressing to make a green salad with leftovers from my Fajita Veggie & Halloumi Bowls, and I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you. It’s almost as versatile as my favorite Lemon Vinaigrette and suits some flavors even better.

This dressing comes together quickly in the food processor and keeps in the refrigerator for up to one week. Sometimes having a vibrant sauce on hand makes all the difference!

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These vegetarian enchiladas are a hearty and satisfying dinner. Make them on a weeknight and you’ll enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day. Or make it on the weekend and invite friends over to make a party out of it! You could make a double batch and freeze the extras—you’ll find freezing instructions below.

You’ll love the fresh filling in these enchiladas, made of sautéed bell pepper, broccoli, onion, spinach, black beans and warming spices. These enchiladas are nicely cheesy, but not overwhelmingly cheesy like many restaurants make them.

This enchilada recipe has become quite popular since I published it nearly eight years ago. I used my spinach artichoke enchiladas as a blueprint and covered them with my go-to homemade enchilada sauce, of course. They’re just fantastic and I hope you’ll give them a try, if you haven’t already.

If you’ve never made enchiladas before, you can do it! You’ll find a detailed recipe, step-by-step photos, and an instructional video below.

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These hearty bowls feature roasted fajita veggies and halloumi cheese over beans and cilantro-lime rice. This recipe makes an amazing vegetarian dinner! I’m so excited to share this recipe with you and hope the photos speak for themselves. This vibrant meal is almost too delicious for words to capture.

The bowls are a very abstract take on Mexican fajitas, which typically feature strips of bell pepper and onion cooked with steak, served with tortillas and toppings on the side. These roasted fajita veggies offer similar flavor and texture.

Halloumi cheese hails from Cyprus, an island country in the Mediterranean—far, far away from Mexico! I love halloumi because it offers a salty, creamy, chewy and almost meat-like texture once roasted. I’ve used it in place of bacon to make vegetarian BLTs. Conveniently, the veggies and cheese roast in the oven simultaneously on separate pans.

While you can absolutely serve these components with tortillas, I felt that the flavors shined more over black beans and cilantro-lime rice. The recipe for that component comes from my cookbook, Love Real Food. Try the Grilled Veggie Skewers with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce on page 160 once it’s grilling weather outside!

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This hearty salad features a few of my all-time favorite ingredients. Here we have massaged kale, quinoa, spiced sweet potatoes, and black beans served with a dollop of creamy avocado sauce. I added crumbled feta and toasted pepitas for good measure.

I’d cook with only these ingredients if it weren’t for diversity’s sake. This texture-rich vegetarian salad packs great for lunch. If you like to meal prep for the week, this is an excellent candidate. Given the number of components, this is not the quickest recipe around, but it’s absolutely work the effort.

This recipe has been a reader favorite since it was originally published in 2015 (really, nine years ago?). I developed it during a month-long stay in Austin, Texas with my friend Ali. You could probably say that the Southwestern vibes influenced the recipe.

Today, this salad is getting fresh photos and some slight revisions. Enjoy!

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This fresh pomegranate salsa recipe is bursting with sweet-and-spicy flavor. It’s a fun holiday appetizer or wintertime snack. You can serve it with tortilla chips like any other salsa. Of course, a side of guacamole is always a good idea.

For a special Christmas salsa presentation, try it as shown here, with whipped goat cheese as a creamy base and the salsa arranged in a wreath-like shape on top. This variation goes well with sturdy crostini or crisp toasted pita. The whipped goat cheese component is included in the recipe below, and it’s so easy to whip up.

This year, I’m bringing pomegranate salsa to my friends’ annual Christmas party! Lighter and brighter options are always welcome amongst heavy and sweet holiday fare. Let’s start the pomegranate salsa trend together.

Here in the U.S., pomegranates are typically available from the end of September through January. I hope you have the chance to make this recipe while we can.

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Have you tried a ranch water cocktail? If not, let me introduce you! Essentially a tall tequila soda with extra lime, the ranch water is more than the sum of its parts. If you use a great tequila and Topo Chico, it tastes quite special.

The ranch water is like a bubbly, light and totally unsweetened margarita. If even “skinny” margaritas are sometimes too sweet for you, try a ranch water instead. It’s super refreshing and perfect on a hot day. When I’m at a bar without an exciting wine list, the ranch water is my go-to drink order regardless of the season.

Ranch waters hail from Texas, with Ranch 616 in Austin claiming to be “home to the original ranch water.” I honestly can’t recall when I first tried a ranch water—maybe it was during my month in Austin in 2015, or sometime in between. My brother lives in West Texas and I was delighted to discover ranch waters at his wedding reception a few years ago.

Pre-made ranch water cocktails in cans are becoming more popular, but you can’t beat a homemade ranch water made with good tequila, bubbly Topo Chico and fresh lime. They’re so easy to make. Find my recipe below!

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Brighten your day with this chipotle salsa recipe! Make it for an afternoon snack with tortilla chips, or serve it alongside your favorite Mexican recipes. This chipotle salsa is a little smoky, somewhat spicy (or downright spicy, if you wish), and totally irresistible.

This salsa is based on my go-to red salsa recipe, with the addition of smoky chipotle peppers. Chipotle peppers are vine-ripened jalapeños that are smoked and dried, so they offer great depth of flavor. For this recipe, we’ll use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, so they’re ready to blend into the salsa.

This chipotle salsa requires only seven basic ingredients, and the end result tastes so fresh. You’ll need canned tomatoes, onion and garlic, fresh cilantro, jalapeño and chipotle peppers, and fresh lime.

This chipotle salsa is easy to make and comes together in about 10 minutes. Keep reading for a few more tips and the full recipe. I hope you love this one as much as I do.

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These red and green enchiladas are inspired by my trips to Santa Fe, New Mexico! I love visiting Santa Fe for my fill of saucy burritos, enchiladas and breakfast dishes. Whenever the server asks if I want red sauce, green sauce or both, the answer is always both. They call it Christmas-style or divorciadas (divorced).

Coming to you just in time for Christmas or Christmas Eve dinner, these enchiladas are a festive and delicious main dish. They’re stuffed with vibrant vegetables, spinach, black beans, and enough cheese to qualify as a holiday meal.

I’ve been keeping this recipe on reserve for the holidays, and I just now realized that I poured the enchilada sauce in the wrong fashion. In Santa Fe, they split the sauce down the middle of the enchiladas, so each enchilada features both red and green sauce. Although, my way may be a little easier to distribute (and you can always just eat two enchiladas to get one of each)!

Do as you wish—the ingredients and quantities will remain the same. You’ll find side dish suggestions to round out your meal below. Wishing you a healthy and happy holiday season!

Watch How to Make Christmas Enchiladas

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