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The Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook
A New York Times Bestseller

AK August Recipe of the Month

Welcome to the AK Recipe of the Month! During the month of August, we’re all making Tony’s Ridiculously Easy Homemade Salsa. Share your feedback on the blog and photos on social for a chance to win a $100 Target gift card, and don’t forget to check out this month’s charity.

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dipping a chip into homemade tomato salsa

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  • says:

    Loved Loved Loved these Brownies. Super fudge even with me cutting the coconut sugar down to 1/4 cup!! Still sweet and delish!!

    • replied:

      So happy to hear that!

  • says:

    So delicious! It took some time to find all the ingredients but it was so worth it. These are richer and slightly less sweet than a traditional brownie and both my husband and I love them. The zucchini is undetectable but makes me feel better about eating them :). This is my first time participating in #AKRecipeoftheMonth! Can’t wait for the next one. 5 stars!

  • says:

    This recipes looks yum! I usually check comments before making an online recipe, just to get info and/or recipe change ideas. I don’t find related comments here, though. Looks like the comments attached to this brownie recipe are for an Asian noodle dish!

    • replied:

      Hi! We update this specific post each month to show the current Recipe of the Month 🙂 You can find comments for the correct month’s recipe on that specific recipe (here!)

  • says:

    The brownies were amazing! #AKRecipeoftheMonth

  • says:

    Can I post a review in more than one place or would that disqualify me?

    • replied:

      Yes, you can! We will not disqualify you 🙂

  • says:

    This recipe turned out delicious!! I added some shredded chicken and spring greens and it was the perfect summer salad. Super easy to make too. #AKRecipeoftheMonth

  • says:

    Made this recipe tonight and it was such a hit! Even the boyfriend loved it which says something because it was a lot of veggies lol. I used cut chicken breast and cauliflower rice. Will definitely be making this again!!

    • replied:

      So happy to hear that! Perfect dinner 🙂

  • says:

    Made this for dinner last night. My entire family loved it, especially my 17 yr old son who loves spicy food!
    My 11 yr old daughter sipped milk through the whole meal and loved every bite.
    Thanks!

    • replied:

      Amazing! So glad it was a hit!

  • says:

    New tonall this!

    • replied:

      Welcome!

  • says:

    I made this exactly as written and it was a huge hit in my house! The cashews are a must. My family ate it with rice and I used cauliflower rice for myself. Thank you for this wonderful recipe; the sauce was perfect, sweet and spicy.

    • replied:

      So happy to hear that!

  • says:

    This was very yummy! I made the recipe into muffins and they took about 18 minutes in the oven to finish, but I left everything else the same. They’re healthy without tasting too healthy, they’re the perfect amount of sweetness. I’ll make these again! #AKRecipeoftheMonth

    • replied:

      Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!

  • says:

    YUM ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #AKRecipeoftheMonth

    • replied:

      So glad you enjoyed!

  • says:

    Just made this recipe and I love how healthy all the ingredients are!

    • replied:

      So good! Glad you enjoyed 🙂

  • says:

    As soon as I saw this recipe drop, I knew I needed to make it! Who doesn’t love carrot cake? I’ve made a few of your cakes and breads and they all turn out incredible, so I knew this one would be no different. I made it vegan, as we were having guests for coffee who eat only plant-based. Followed the recipe exactly, but to make it vegan, I used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, vegan cream cheese, and vegan butter. I also added about 1/4 c. drained, crushed pineapple, as suggested in your recipe. I didn’t have raisins, so left those out. Perfect bread – not too sweet and the frosting is to die for! Will be making this again soon, and may try a gluten-free version for a family member, using your suggestions in the recipe. Also, I love that this recipe had weights as an option for measuring, as I really love baking with my scale for precise measurements. I ordered your cookbook a couple of weeks ago and can’t wait to get that – I think you mentioned on Instagram that you have weights in that, too! Thanks for another great recipe! Love making the #AKRecipeoftheMonth whenever I can!

    • replied:

      Amazing! I’m so glad the vegan version turned out beautifully. Yes, the cookbook has weights in it, too — thanks so much for preordering!

  • says:

    #AKRecipeoftheMonth

    Made the carrot cake banana bread! Didn’t frost it yet because I may freeze it! Doubled the recipe and did muffins and a loaf of bread! So good!!

    • replied:

      Amazing! Glad you loved it!

  • says:

    10/10 This recipe was easy to make and just so warm and comforting for the cold midwest winter (although we are currently having a “heatwave” in Chi ;)) I’ve been having it for lunch all week. i love everything spicy so i added a little bit of trader joe’s bamba sauce and a squirt of lemon, so good! thank you for the recipe! #AKRecipeoftheMonth

    • replied:

      So good! Yes, despite the 60 degrees here haha. Love the extra spice!

  • says:

    Delicious! We have some vegetarian folks in our home so I used vegetable broth and served the meatballs on the side ( baked them in the oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees) …very adaptable recipe… thanks!

    • replied:

      Perfect! Glad it was a hit!

  • says:

    #AKRecipeoftheMonth
    This soup is delish! I made it for my Italian parents and they said it tasted exactly how they remembered it! (My daughter loved the meatballs so much, I made them again and served with pasta and sauce!)

    • replied:

      Amazing! So happy to hear that!

  • says:

    #AKRecipeoftheMonth Italian Wedding soup is a prefect weeknight meal.

    • replied:

      Absolutely!

  • says:

    This turned out delicious! I used ditalini pasta, and it was perfect. Also, it had just the right amount of spice from the red pepper flakes. For the past few months, I’ve been making your minestrone and delivering some to my dad, who can’t get enough. I’m excited to add this recipe to the soup rotation, and I’m sure he will love this one, too! #AKRecipeoftheMonth

    • replied:

      Love it! So glad you loved this one (and hope your dad does, too!)

      • replied:

        My dad loved It! He took one bite and said, “Oh, this is amazing!” I can’t wait to try it with the couscous next. Thank you again for sharing the recipe.

        • replied:

          So happy to hear that!

  • says:

    So damn good! Kind of meditative rolling those little meatballs and made a ton! I felt much more than 4 which was great. Leftovers were awesome. I also used orzo and it was wonderful!

    • replied:

      There’s something so satisfying about rolling them! Glad you loved this one 🙂

  • says:

    This soup was such a hit in my house. My son was sick last week and I made it and he LOVED it! It was even better the next day. Definitely making it again and again! #AKRecipeoftheMonth

    • replied:

      So glad this did the trick!

  • says:

    This soup was so comforting and delicious, and easy to make too! We froze some extra meatballs to make it again soon. We subbed in the jovial brown rice pastina to make it gluten free and it worked perfect!

    • replied:

      #akrecipeofthemonth
      This soup was so comforting and delicious, and easy to make too! We froze some extra meatballs to make it again soon. We subbed in the jovial brown rice pastina to make it gluten free and it worked perfect!

      • replied:

        Love it! Glad you enjoyed!

  • says:

    5/5 stars, well balanced and easy to make ahead and hone left overs. #AKRecipeoftheMonth

  • says:

    Recipe was a hit. We did a separate batch diary free for our little guys and they loved it. Next time I would probably cook the noodles/grain separately so they don’t soak up so much of the brith. Will definitely ask this again!

    • replied:

      Perfect! Glad it was a hit!

  • says:

    Loved this recipe. We made a small batch diary free for our little guys and they loved it too. Next time I would probably do the grain/noodles separately then and so they don’t soak up as much broth. Will definitely make again.

  • says:

    Such a yummy soup! I loved the meatballs and I used cous cous for the grain. I made it for a Valentine’s Day dinner and it was perfect with crusty bread on the side.
    #AKRecipeoftheMonth

    • replied:

      So glad you loved it!

  • says:

    This recipe was great! The only changes I made were to just make medium sized meatballs and used orzo instead of couscous. Would definitely rate this 5 stars and recommend if you are looking for a cozy, filling soup!

    • replied:

      Perfect! So glad you loved it!

  • says:

    This looks delicious!!!!

  • says:

    #AKRecipeoftheMonth
    Not vegan so we added parmesan and sour cream. This option provides much needed variety during the winter months. Thank you for always helping us think outside the box.

    • replied:

      Perfect! So glad you enjoyed 🙂

  • says:

    No vegan so we added parmesan and sour cream. This option creates much needed variety during winter months. Thank you for helping us think outside the box.

  • says:

    AKRecipeoftheMonth vegetarian chili
    Prefect dinner for football sunday.

    • replied:

      Absolutely!

  • says:

    This was a great meat chili alternative. I am not sure if you used hot paprika or sweet paprika so I split the difference. It has a great flavor and the sweet potatoes add a nice touch! I made this for a work chili cook off! Thanks for the awesome recipe! #AKRecipeoftheMonth

    • replied:

      Both are delicious in here! Glad you enjoyed!

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