Mango season is here! I’m celebrating with a guide to preparing mango, whether you want it sliced or diced. Mango is one of the most popular fruits in the world, but I didn’t grow up eating it and had to learn how to prepare it. I’ve tried all the different methods, and I’m sharing the best way to cut mango today.

Mango tastes sort of like a juicy tropical peach, with notes of honey. Even when it’s ripe, it typically has a light sourness to it, which keeps me going back for more. I love using mango for a burst of sweetness in salads, salsa, and savory entrées—not to mention snacking on them.

Mangoes are at their peak in the summer, typically available from May through September. I’ve been excited to find Ataulfo mangoes (also known as honey or Champagne) on sale at Whole Foods lately. That’s the variety you see here, and they’re particularly buttery and delicious. My preparation methods will work well on any variety and size of mango!

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This classic lentil salad recipe features some of my favorite Mediterranean flavors, including cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, and plenty of fresh parsley in a zippy lemon dressing. The texture is an irresistible combination of tender, crisp and chewy. If you like lentils and tabbouleh salad, this recipe is for you.

I love to keep this hearty lentil salad in the fridge for a light meal, healthy side dish, or ready-to-grab snack. Bring it to your get-togethers and picnics for all to enjoy—this recipe is dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, egg-free and nut-free! I bet your friends will ask for the recipe.

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Pickle lovers, this dip is for you! It’s creamy, tangy, and fresh. It tastes like an easy, grown-up alternative to fried pickles with ranch dressing. If you’re looking for the perfect dip for game days, look no further.

To make it, you’ll need sour cream or Greek yogurt, dill pickles plus some pickle brine, fresh dill and chives. That’s it! It’s so simple to stir together on a moment’s notice and tastes even better the next day.

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This creamy pumpkin dip straddles the line between sweet and savory in the best way. It’s a seasonal riff on my recipe for Baked Goat Cheese that incorporates pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice. If you enjoy pumpkin and goat cheese separately, I’m confident you’ll love this recipe!

The key flavors in this dip are goat cheese, cream cheese, pumpkin purée, pumpkin spice and honey. Then we ramp up the savory side with one clove of garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (optional, for some heat).

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It’s not fall until you’ve made a batch of pumpkin muffins. Right? These muffins fill our kitchen with the wonderful fragrance of pumpkin and spice, which makes it feel like autumn, even when the weather outside is still unseasonably warm.

These gluten-free, almond flour-based pumpkin muffins are tender, fluffy and delicious. My daughter and I have been enjoying batch after batch.

I love these pumpkin muffins for several reasons—

1. They’re easy enough to make with a three-year-old, which means they’re really easy.
2. They’re wholesome but taste like a treat. I feel great about feeding these muffins to our daughter and her cousins.
3. They freeze well for future snacks. Simply defrost one in the microwave until it’s warmed through, and your snack is ready in 20 seconds.

I’ve enjoyed baking with almond flour lately because it lets the other flavors shine, whereas regular flour can dull them. I’ve also been mindful of my blood sugar levels and appreciate that almond flour is lower in carbohydrates than grain-based flours, like all-purpose and whole wheat flour.

I’ll always be a huge fan of my Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, which are made with whole wheat flour and sweetened with maple syrup. This gluten-free recipe has much in common with that one.

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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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This Kalamata olive-flavored white bean dip is the recipe you didn’t know you needed. Sure, it’s not the most appetizing-looking appetizer out there, but it’s delicious and easy to make. It’s a nice alternative to hummus and a lovely way to savor Kalamata olive flavor without feeling overwhelmed by the saltiness.

This recipe was inspired by an appetizer we ordered at Lidia’s, a local Kansas City restaurant owned by renowned chef Lidia Bastianich. Some white bean dips are downright unappetizing—they can be gloppy, too salty, or flavorless—but not this one. The Kalamata olives lend welcome richness in both texture and flavor.

To make this recipe, you’ll need just a few basic ingredients—white beans (I used Cannellini, but Great Northern would also work), pitted Kalamata olives (plus a splash of brine), olive oil, salt and pepper, and an optional sprinkle of fresh basil. You’ll find serving suggestions and the full recipe below.

This white bean dip is a great impromptu recipe to whip together when guests are on their way. I’m always scrambling before guests arrive, so I like to have a repertoire of easy recipes that I can pull together in no time. This one is a winner! I hope you’ll bookmark it to make soon.

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Have you experienced cashew butter? It is sublime and somehow much more delicious than a handful of toasted cashews. A spoonful of homemade cashew butter tastes like a treat. It’s nearly as enticing as cookie dough, as far as I’m concerned—sometimes, I add a few chocolate chips to achieve the full cookie dough effect.

This homemade cashew butter recipe is easy to make in a food processor. The trick is to lightly toast your cashews before blending for the best flavor and texture. Even then, cashew butter has a more neutral flavor than most other nut butter. It’s quite versatile.

Homemade cashew butter contains no additives like sunflower oil; it’s made simply with cashews and a dash of salt to enhance the flavor. Since it is so fresh, it offers better flavor than store-bought options.

Store-bought cashew butter can be quite expensive—I often balk at the nearly twenty-dollar jars at Whole Foods. Making it at home can cost half as much. We could get into a philosophical debate about time versus money, or make cashew butter in the same length of time. Let’s make some already.

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Want to roast chickpeas that are actually crispy? You’re in the right place. I’ve cracked the code, and I’m here to share it with you. These roasted chickpeas are a delightful snack rich in protein and fiber. They’re also great sprinkled over hummus and salads.

To be honest, I never loved roasted chickpeas until I learned how to make them this way. They were always just ok—warm and lightly crisp on the outside but unchanged on the inside. They didn’t feel worth the effort when chickpeas warmed on the stove are nice already.

These roasted chickpeas are legitimately so gloriously crisp that they are popcorn-level irresistible. In fact, they’re so crisp throughout that you should serve them with a drink to help wash them down.

The trick is in the method. I found some helpful clues in a New York Times recipe by Colu Henry and tweaked the method from there. It took ten tries to ensure we had landed on the very best technique, and I found several fun flavor variations along the way. Here we go!

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Friends coming over? Make this baked goat cheese! It’s warm, creamy, tangy but lightly sweetened with honey, and a touch savory.

This irresistible appetizer comes together quickly in a food processor with simple ingredients. We’ll whip the goat cheese with cream cheese, honey, garlic and seasonings. Once baked, this dip is your favorite restaurant-level delicious.

I modeled this recipe after the lovely goat cheese dip at Rye, a restaurant in Kansas City. We visited a couple of times to research the French Blond Cocktail (reportedly Taylor Swift’s favorite!) and I remembered how much I love their goat cheese appetizer.

I asked about the ingredients and came home determined to recreate it. I’ve simplified the ingredients a bit, but this dip is just as nice. I hope you’ll try it!

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