30-Minute Meals

Creamy Zucchini Pasta With Avocado Spinach Sauce

Creamed spinach Tagliolini | cookingwithcassandra.com

Toss out that packet of spaghetti and swap it for zoodles. These zucchini noodles are ten times healthier than store-bought spaghetti: they are low-carb, nutrient-packed, and are better for the gut, too. If you’re someone who doesn’t hesitate before digging into regular pasta, I’m sure your body will thank you for changing things up a bit. With a bit of spiralizing and sauce-making, you’ll have a hearty bowl of soft zucchini pasta with the creamiest avocado spinach sauce that’s just as healthy. We get the cream entirely from the avocado, and the blended spinach turns into a...

Oven-Baked Dijon Mustard Salmon

Dijon Salmon Dish | cookingwithcassandra.com

Whenever I am in a pinch, I know I can rely on seafood recipes. Fish, prawns, and mussels cook very quickly and all they need are some basic ingredients and add-ins to taste amazing. Seafood is so versatile: it can be deep-fried, baked, grilled, steamed, smoked, or fashioned into a creamy chowder. There’s more to seafood than just traditional fish and chips. You could even eat it raw. I can’t say no to a fresh plate of sushi! Whichever method you go for, seafood always makes for a sophisticated choice for any meal. I’ve got a new salmon recipe I’ve been putting on...

Best Baked Caesar Chicken

What do you get if you cross a Caesar salad with your favorite summer roast? Baked Caesar chicken! Because of its low fat content, chicken breast is known for having a tough, dry texture when cooked. Generally, people tend to associate chicken breasts with clean eating which means boring. But today, let’s forget about bland and dry baked chicken. This delicious anytime dish is cooked with love, and it shows. Smothered in a luscious homemade Caesar dressing, topped with parmesan, and baked to perfection, this chicken will melt in your mouth. It’s guaranteed to get people...

Summer Berry Salad With Candied Almonds & Goat Cheese

Berry Salad on Platter | cookingwithcassandra.com

Call me obsessed, but anytime I get to add berries to a dish, I’ll do it. I mean, what’s not to love? They’re juicy, bite-sized and rich in antioxidants! Plus, they bring back all of those happy childhood memories of snacking on blackberries by the pool with my family. This summer berry salad is loaded with blueberries, blackberries, arugula, cucumbers, avocados, goat cheese and sugared almonds. Sweet, refreshing and just a hint of balsamic vinegar to top it off! It is the perfect side dish to go with a seafood or red meat dish. Recipe Ingredients Let me preface this by saying that...

Easy Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Pasta salad with cherry tomatoes | cookingwithcassandra.com

Growing up, I was surrounded by loads of Mediterranean food influences. I had a family full of amazing cooks and I was always served the best dishes from scratch, and now that I’m older, I realize that I was incredibly lucky to have had someone cook for me. In Mediterranean cooking, we use a lot of flavorful plant-based foods like legumes, grains, and herbs. But, we also love our sauces and dressings. People tend to think of Mediterranean food like Italian, but it actually is a melting pot of European, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African cuisines. This Mediterranean pasta salad...

Simple Shirazi Salad

Shirazi Salad | cookingwithcassandra.com

I’m so excited to share another Persian recipe with you guys because whenever there’s food involved, it’s always a good idea to go back to your heritage, am I right? With that said, I love trying new things and tasting food from different cuisines. What is your favorite dish from your culture or heritage? Let me know by commenting on this blog post – I’d love to know! Shirazi salad or Salad-e Shirazi is a vibrant, colorful salad that is commonly served in any Iranian household, including my own. It is known for this really uniform look since everything is cut to about the same...

One Pan Parmesan Crusted Chicken With Potatoes And Zucchini

Parmesan Chicken with Potatoes | cookingwithcassandra.com

Here is a one-pan meal that I can never get sick of, and for good reason: parmesan crusted chicken. It features oven-baked chicken tenders that are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Together with the baby potatoes and zucchini, the garlicky parmesan crust is so delicious, people will be grinning from ear to ear. Say cheese! Why I love this recipe: It’s a one-pan recipe, which means less time spent cleaning and more time spent relaxing. I count it as a blessing when I’m having an extremely busy day and still want to put something yummy on the table that’s...

Baked Garlic Parmesan Salmon

Need to throw together a quick seafood dish with the simplest ingredients? This parmesan crusted salmon recipe will satisfy your criteria and your appetite. This baked salmon filet is coated in a garlicky, cheesy herb crust. It is one of my favorite fish recipes, along with this lemon butter salmon. And since you only need to bake a large salmon filet once (instead of individually cooking a filet for everyone at the table), you can use the spare time to complete the meal with side dishes, like: A side of roast potatoes and cauliflower (a source of healthy carbohydrates)Asparagus...

Healthy Strawberry Summer Salad

Strawberry Summer Salad | cookingwithcassandra.com

Every summer, my husband and I host barbecue parties for our family and friends. Because I like having variation, that means needing to think of different sides and fixings for each party. One of my must-haves is a salad – it’s healthy, refreshing and helps to balance the “heaviness” of all the grilled meats. But you’ll never see a boring salad at my party! I love serving steak salads (like this delicious steak salad with yogurt dressing), but when I need to fix something quick and easy, this strawberry summer salad is a great option. You really can’t go wrong with this salad. It’s...

Overnight Zucchini Bread Oatmeal

Zucchini Bread Oatmeal | cookingwithcassandra.com

From the popular peanut butter-banana combo to the annual pumpkin spice, there are many ways to upgrade boring oatmeal into a delicious treat. My latest conquest involves zucchini bread overnight oats, which turned out to be surprisingly good. All it takes is some creativity and courage to experiment with new things! What is zucchini bread? Zucchini bread, typically made by baking a bread mixture of grated zucchini and walnuts, is well-loved for being adequately sweet and moist. When baked in a loaf, this summer squash makes a heartwarming treat for any time of...

Healthy Lime Cilantro Cauliflower Rice

Let’s start by getting a clearer picture of cauliflower rice. Essentially, it’s cauliflower that is pulsed in a food processor and broken down into tiny bits until its size resembles cooked rice or couscous. It doesn’t taste like rice one bit. Cauliflower rice retains its taste, but its granules turn light and fluffy. Making cauliflower rice can get technical, especially since we’re trying to replace a carb with a vegetable. But don’t worry, with my expert tips and tricks, you’ll be fully equipped to make the best cauliflower rice. Is this cauliflower recipe healthy? Yes!...

Authentic Greek Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki mixture | cookingwithcassandra.com

Okay, before I proceed to rave about this Greek godsend, let’s say this together: Tzatziki is pronounced sat-see-kee. Not tuh-za tuh-zi-kee, nope. Sat-see-kee. I had to learn that the hard way. Oh, if you could just see the waiters trying to stifle a smile for all the times I proudly requested “more of that delicious tuh-za tuh-zi-kee for my kabobs”. It wasn’t until I was on the phone later that night, telling a friend how darn good it was, when she laughed, “You know it’s pronounced sat-see-kee, right?” LOL. I never made that mistake again. Anyway, if you’ve never...