I’m a home cook. I love to make dinner recipes that my friends will beg me for. It’s fun to try new and different recipe ideas at home instead of buying them from the store. Here are some easy dinner recipes your friends will be jealous of.

Risotto with lemon and artichoke

  • Makes 5 servings
  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes

This easy, meal-prep-friendly risotto is a great way to enjoy a rich rice dish with anti-inflammatory herbs and vegetables like artichokes, lemon, and mint. This recipe is dairy-free, so it doesn’t use any dairy to make it creamy. Add cooked chicken, shrimp, or tofu for even more protein.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups broth from vegetables 
  • 4 teaspoons of olive oil, split
  • 1 can or jar of artichoke hearts (14 ounces), drained and cut into quarters.
  • 4 ounces sugar snap peas, cut in half and cleaned 
  • ½ medium onion, diced
  • 1½ cups Arborio rice 
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup of fresh chives, chopped
  • 1/4 cup of fresh mint, chopped
  • 12 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper 
  • Half a lemon’s juice
  • 1/3 cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Bring the broth to a low simmer in a large pot over medium heat. Remove from the heat and set aside once warm.

2. In the meantime, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the artichoke hearts, sugar snap peas, and onion and cook, stirring every so often, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the artichoke has started to brown and the onion is soft and clear. Put the mixture in a small bowl and put it to the side.

3. Heat the last 2 tablespoons of oil in the same pan over medium heat. Stir to coat the rice with the salt and rice. Cook for two-three min, stirring constantly. The rice may start to sizzle or crackle. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the broth 1 cup at a time, stirring after each cup, until the liquid is absorbed (5 to 8 minutes per cup). Stir the risotto for another 20to 30 minutes, until it gets thick and creamy. Taste the risotto to make sure the grains are not too firm. If it needs to cook longer, add up to 1 cup of water, 1/3 cup at a time, and stir until the liquid is absorbed.

4. When the risotto is done cooking and all the liquid has been absorbed, mix in the chives, mint, pepper, and artichoke heart mixture. After that has been mixed in, add the lemon juice and parsley.

5. Split the risotto into five medium-sized containers. 

The risotto can be stored in the fridge or frozen for up to 3 months. To serve, heat for 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave and stir. Before you reheat frozen risotto, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.

Tip: To change things up, try substituting different herbs. For example, use chives instead of scallions, fresh basil instead of mint, or cilantro instead of parsley. You can substitute dried herbs for fresh ones. Use one teaspoon of basil and one teaspoon of parsley. If you don’t have fresh snap peas, you can substitute a half cup of frozen peas.

Nutrition:

Per serving, there are 430 calories, 14g of fat, 2g of saturated fat, 7g of protein, 68g of carbs, 6g of fiber, 3g of sugar, and 0mg of cholesterol.

Chickpea taco bowls from Chipotle

  • Makes 4 servings
  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes

This recipe for a taco bowl is a filling meal that doesn’t need tortillas. It has seasoned chickpeas, savory black beans, tangy greens, and creamy avocado. 

The recipe is easy to change. You can add or take away toppings depending on what you feel like eating that day. The “taco seasoning” is a mix of spices that is easy to make and can help reduce pain and swelling.

  • Beans with garlic and lime 
  • Avocado Crema
  • ⅓ cup Anti-Inflammatory Multiuse Spice Blend 
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 12 diced yellow onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder or 1 chopped chipotle pepper in adobo from a can
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 cans of chickpeas (15.5 ounces each), drained and rinsed 
  • 4 cups arugula
  • 2 cups cut-in-half cherry tomatoes
  • 1 large avocado, sliced or diced

1. Cook the black beans the way it says to.

2. While the beans are cooking, follow the directions for making the avocado crema and spice blend.

3. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2–4 minutes, stirring every so often, until the onion is soft. Stir in the chipotle, spice blend, and water. Cook for 2 minutes more, or until the mixture smells good. Add the chickpeas and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes, until the chickpeas are heated through and mixed in with the rest of the ingredients.

4. If you want to serve it right away, put 1 cup of arugula in each of 4 bowls and top them with a single serving of the chipotle chickpeas, black beans, 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes, and 1/4 of the avocado. Put avocado crema on top.5.If you want to save the chipotle chickpeas and black beans for later, divide them between 4 medium containers. Put the arugula, 1/4 of the avocado, and 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes in 4 large containers. The avocado crema should be kept in 4 small containers.

To serve, heat the chickpeas and beans in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes and then put the dish together as described in step 4.

Tip: You can make these bowls your own by changing the ingredients to give them a different taste. You could try adding corn, tortilla strips, cheese, chopped tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, or salsa.

Per serving, there are 634 calories, 29g of fat, 6g of saturated fat, 25g of protein, 78g of carbs, 28g of fiber, 13g of sugar, and 0mg of cholesterol.