Which was a good thing, because the Oven-Baked Bang Bang Chicken Wings were already in the oven! That’s how we roll.

If we don’t have an ingredient or element of a recipe my first thought is always “how do you make that from scratch?”

In this case, a key ingredient in Bang Bang Sauce is Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.

There’s an addictive quality to sweet and spicy foods. And salty sweet too. Our tastebuds clearly enjoy getting a workout.

Here’s how the Easy Homemade Thai Sweet Chili Sauce came together!

To begin, bring water and rice wine vinegar to a boil. Then add sugar, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and ketchup and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add in cornstarch and whisk until well combined. Return mixture to a boil over medium heat and allow to cook down for an additional 7-10 minutes.

Thai Sweet Chili Sauce has the right balance of acid, sweet and heat. It’s a wonderful dipping sauce (good-bye Duck Sauce) and pairs perfectly as a glaze with baked salmon, stir-fried shrimp, or fried chicken!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Easy Homemade Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

Thai Sweet Chili Sauce has the right balance of acid, sweet and heat. It’s a wonderful dipping sauce (good-bye Duck Sauce) and pairs perfectly as a glaze with baked salmon, stir-fried shrimp, or fried chicken!

Course Sauce

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger or 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 minced garlic cloves or 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon ketchup
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon natural red food coloring optional

Instructions

• Bring water and rice vinegar to a boil. Whisk in sugar, ginger, garlic, ketchup, red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat. Whisk in cornstarch, then return to a boil and cook down for 7-10 minutes until reduced by almost half. Store in a jar in refrigerator for up to a week.

The post Easy Homemade Thai Sweet Chili Sauce appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The key ingredient are the canned San Marzano tomatoes. They are not at all difficult to find but should not be replaced by regular diced tomatoes.

San Marzano are whole plum tomatoes with very few seeds that are renowned for their balanced flavor. Rich tomato taste that is slightly sweet and less acidic. 

You can simply crush the tomatoes by hand for a ‘chunkier’ sauce or give them a whirl in the blender for a smoother sauce.

This Quick & Easy Homemade Pasta Sauce begins with onion and garlic sautéed in extra virgin olive oil. The tomatoes are added along with dried spices (basil, oregano, parsley, and crushed red pepper flakes), then seasoned to taste with salt and black pepper.

This Pasta Sauce is perfect with Spaghetti & Meatballs, on Pizza or tossed with eggplant in Pasta alla Norma. Enjoy!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Pasta Sauce

This quick and easy Pasta Sauce comes together in under 30 minutes yet tastes like it's been simmering all day.

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste

Instructions

• Hand crush or blend tomatoes to desired consistency. Heat olive oil In a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, add garlic and saute another minute. Pour in crushed/blended tomatoes, dried herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.

The post Quick & Easy Homemade Pasta Sauce appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

For as much cooking as I/we do there remains an incredible gap in my culinary knowledge.

I am drawn to classic recipes like this one. It’s the history that surrounds them that draws me in. Which inevitably leads to recipe inspiration.

Like many of the classic Italian dishes, the origin and precise ingredients of Bucatini all’Amatriciana are often debated.

Amatriciana was thought to be created by shepherds or even peasants. They would have used ingredients on hand or readily available.

Onion is one of the debated ingredients. Would white wine have been included as Bucatini all’Amatriciana? Wouldn’t wine have been considered a luxury!

The ingredients pictured above are for my interpretation of Amatriciana sauce, there is much debate regarding the authentic version.

If you love the history of food as I do you will enjoy this article: The Origins of Rome’s Pasta Classics.

The Ingredients

There are two key elements in Bucatini all’Amatriciana, actually three if you count the bucatini pasta. None of which are complicated.

First is the guanciale, which is salt-cured pork cheek. I found guanciale difficult to source. Even from an International Market. However if you have an Italian deli nearby you may have better luck. You can substitute a good quality pancetta if needed.

The second key ingredient are the canned San Marzano tomatoes. San Marzano are whole plum tomatoes with very few seeds. They have a rich tomato taste. They’re slightly sweet and less acidic. Making them renowned for their balanced flavor.

Simply crush the tomatoes by hand to break them down to bite-sized or smaller pieces.

The Method

• Cook the guanciale until it’s golden brown and crispy
• Remove from the pan and add in the diced onion, garlic and red pepper flakes, sauté until translucent
• Return the crispy guanciale to the pan, reserving about 1/3 of the pork pieces to sprinkle on top of the pasta when serving
• Add the crushed tomatoes.

To Serve

• Pull the bucatini out of the pasta water a couple of minutes before it’s done. Very al dente.
• Transfer to the sauce to finish cooking
• Toss the pasta in the sauce along with 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid to coat each piece. This step alone is what gives this dish deep unctuous flavors throughout every bite.

• Sprinkle grated Pecorino Romano cheese into the pasta and stir quickly to incorporate
• Bucatini all’Amatriciana is a beautiful dish to serve family style
• Garnish with fresh basil, remaining crispy guanciale and a handful of grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Buon Appetito!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Bucatini all’Amatriciana

The ingredients are not complicated but there are two key elements in Bucatini all'Amatriciana – guanciale and San Marzano tomatoes, actually three if you count the bucatini pasta.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 ounces guanciale or pancetta cut into 1/4" strips
• 1 28 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes hand crush
• 1 small sweet onion fine diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup grated Pecornio Romano cheese plus more for garnish
• fresh basil leaves to garnish
• 1 pound bucatini pasta
• 1 teaspoon salt for pasta water

Instructions

• Bring large pot of salted water to boil.
• In large skillet, saute guanciale until browned and crispy. Remove from pan and reserve. Add diced onion to pan and saute for 3-5 minutes until translucent. Add in garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add hand crushed tomatoes and about 2/3 of the crispy guaciale; simmer for 10 mimnutes.
• Meanwhile, cook bucatini until very al dente, about 2-3 minutes less than recommended cooking time. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta cooking liquid. Add cooked pasta to sauce along with reserved water. Toss to coat bucatini well. Sprinkle with pecorino romano cheese and stir quickly to incorporate.
• Transfer to serving platter. Sprinkle with fresh basil, remaining crispy guanciale and a handful of pecorino romano.

The post Bucatini all’Amatriciana appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

We found such a bargain on Sea Scallops.  Great big juicy sea scallops.  

I believe the steep price tag is what keeps me from eating them every day.  But I do love them. 

We bought eight (should have bought more) and decided to prepare them two ways. 

This month’s issue of Real Simple has a quick guide to marinades. 

Right there in front of me was a Korean marinade, using ingredients already in our pantry like soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar.

It was a sign and it was soooo delicious. 

Really, really good. 

We literally were dipping chips in it before starting dinner (not sure that’s the kind of thing I should share….no judging).

I decided to use that as a springboard for this dish. 

I’ve been wanting to use udon noodles and they were perfect with this punchy marinade. 

I prepared them according to the package then stir fried them quickly in a little reserved marinade with sugar pea pods and radish for a nice crunch.  I seared the marinated sea scallops in a little olive oil and served them on top of the noodles, sprinkled with toasted seeds (I use a 7 seed blend) and fresh cilantro. 

Such a simple, yet extremely flavorful dish. The Asian Noodles were the perfect pairing for these succulent Sea Scallops.

You might also like our 2nd choice.  Pan Seared Scallops with Basil Pesto Pasta.

Are you a Sea Scallop lover like me? Check out our Favorite Sea Scallop Recipe Roundup HERE. I’d love your feedback in the comments below.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Asian Noodles with Seared Sea Scallops

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 bundles udon noodles
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 8 Sea Scallops
• 1 handful snow pea pods
• 2 radish thinly sliced
• 1 scallion thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. toasted seed blend
• fresh cilantro for garnish

For the marinade/sauce…

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 Tbl. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

For marinade…

• Combine all marinade ingredients, reserve 1/4 cup to use as sauce. Pour remaining marinade into a bowl or zip top bag with scallops. Marinate for 15 minutes.
• Prepare udon noodles according to package instructions. Reserve.
• Meanwhile, remove scallops from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Discard marinade. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear scallops untouched for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.
• Add 1/4 cup reserved marinade into skillet, stir fry udon noodles with pea pods, radish, and scallions until heated through, 2-3 minutes.
• Serve scallops on top of udon noodle mixture; sprinkle with toasted seeds and cilantro leaves.

The post Asian Noodles With Perfectly Seared Sea Scallops appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

This Fresh Herb Vinaigrette is a salad game changer. It’s equally wonderful with fresh basil or cilantro and loves when you throw in a little lemony thyme or fresh oregano. Simple ingredients delivery big bright flavors.

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Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

This Vinaigrette is sure to become your new favorite. Use your favorite soft herbs like cilantro, basil, thyme, parsley or oregano to nuance the flavor profile.

Course Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups fresh herb leaves only cilantro and/or basil are preferred
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 shallot rough chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Store in refrigerator for up to a week.

The post Fresh Herb Vinaigrette appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Do you ever get stuck in a pasta rut? Or better yet a ‘what’s for dinner’ rut?  We have become such fans of Spaghetti & Meatballs that we have it almost weekly.  No complaints, but I was ready for a change.  Enter cream and vodka.  Voila Penne with Vodka Sauce {penne alla vodka}.

This past summer weather was ideal for growing tomatoes and as a bonus the season spanned several months.  Each week the Farmers Market was lined with table after table of this gorgeous fruit.  I’ve shared before that I have a huge soft spot for local farmers and buy something from each of them, every week.  Which is precisely how we have ended up with a freezer full of Homemade Marinara Sauce.

This is a good time to talk about Mother Sauces.  I learned years ago that there are five classic Mother Sauces from which most all secondary sauces are derived.  At that pre-Lemony Thyme period I was certain I would never become a foodie geek….but I listened.  I’ve come to understand that there is something to be said for understanding Mother Sauces.  Here’s an article I found helpful and informative on this topic.

While Penne with Vodka Sauce has a wonderful rich flavor, one serving comes in under 400 calories.  Making this 15-minute dish the perfect weeknight meal.

Vodka Sauce, might be one of the simplest variations of Mother Sauce #5 ~ Tomato Sauce, coming together in mere minutes.  Which is precisely why Penne with Vodka Sauce is being added to our easy weeknight meal rotation.

Begin with your favorite marinara sauce, add vodka and simmer 5-7 minutes (cooking off the alcohol).  The vodka gives the sauce a nice crisp flavor, a bit hard to explain but really nice.  Stir in heavy cream and a pinch of red pepper flakes, toss with cooked penne pasta, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.  Such a rich, yet fresh flavored dish.

Recipe Note:  We’ve found that when making Healthy Choices it’s best to only prepare the number of portions = to the number of people you’re serving.  May seem like common sense but we’ve been guilty in the past of cooking the entire box of pasta vs. weighing out two ounce portions.  Serve Penne with Vodka Sauce with a tossed salad and you’ll find one portion is plenty.

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Penne with Vodka Sauce

While Penne with Vodka Sauce has a wonderful rich flavor, one serving comes in under 400 calories. Making this 15-minute dish the perfect weeknight meal.

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 lb. penne pasta
• 4 cups Marinara Sauce see recipe link in post
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• pinch red pepper flakes
• freshly grated parmesan cheese
• fresh basil

Instructions

• Cook penne according to package instructions.
• Heat marinara sauce over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in vodka. Return to a low simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and red pepper flakes and heat through.
• To serve, toss penne in vodka sauce. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

The post Penne with Vodka Sauce {penne alla vodka} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

This Chimichurri Sauce is bursting with fresh flavor.  It adds just the right pizzazz to grilled meats or roasted veggies.

We chose fresh parsley, oregano and cilantro which we combined with garlic (and sometimes onion or scallion), red wine vinegar (or lemon juice), red pepper flakes (or fresh jalapeño or Fresno chili), salt, pepper & olive oil and gave it all a whirl in the food processor.

Chimichurri Sauce pairs really well with grilled flat iron steak, like the one in our Steak & Potato Salad and is the star of our Shredded Pork Tacos. 

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Chimichurri Sauce

This Chimichurri Sauce is bursting with fresh flavor.  It adds just the right pizzazz to grilled meats or roasted veggies.

Course Sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup diced onion optional
• 1 cup fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (or fresh lemon juice)
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• up to 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

• Place all ingredients except olive oil in bowl of your food processor and chop. With processor running drizzle olive oil through feed hole in top until desired consistency is reached. Adjust seasoning to taste.

The post Chimichurri Sauce appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Zephyr Squash Refrigerator Pickles. 

When life gives you an abundance of squash, it’s nice to have options.  Cooking Light put out an article last week sharing their Top 75 Squash Recipes (I guess I’m not alone).  Spicy Squash Pickles was one of several recipes that caught my eye.  Simple ingredients that come together with ease.

I discovered zephyr squash last summer at my local Farmers Market and made a lovely Zephyr Squash ‘Ribbon’ Salad.  Last week they turned up at the market again, so without a plan I bought a pound (I do my best to buy something from each of the 10 – 12 vendors).  Thank you Cooking Light for the pickle inspiration.  While I used zephyr squash, the recipe originally called for zucchini and summer squash.

To prepare the pickles, place squash slices on a rack, sprinkle them with kosher salt, and let them sit for 30 minutes.  This helps draw out excess moisture.  Once rested, the squash are rinsed and dried between paper towels.

Meanwhile the pickling liquid is brought to a boil.  Simple ingredients:  water, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and red pepper flakes.  The brine is poured over the squash and onion and then into the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.  We let ours go overnight and the flavor was punchy, but not overpowering.

After taking a bite, my taste tester asked “when did you learn how to make pickles?”  To which I replied “apparently yesterday.”  These Zephyr Squash Refrigerator Pickles are really good :)

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Zephyr Squash Refrigerator Pickles

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 13kcal

Author adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 1 lb. zephyr squash cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 2 tsp. kosher salt divided
• 1/3 cup Vidalia onion thinly sliced
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Place wire rack on a baking sheet and arrange squash slices in a singe layer. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Rinse well under cold water then pat dry with paper towels. Place squash and onion in a glass bowl.
• Combine water, vinegar, maple syrup, and red pepper flakes with remaining 1 tsp. salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and pour over squash. Weigh down squash with a plate, then cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Notes

Per Serving (1/4 cup pickles) = 0 WW Pts+

The post Zephyr Squash Refrigerator Pickles appeared first on Lemony Thyme.