Welcome to One Creative Cook!
Simple, adaptable recipes and travel-inspired tips to help you create delicious meals—no matter your kitchen setup or skill level!
Hi,
I’m Reem, the voice and creator of One Creative Cook.
I’m a pro chef turned full-time traveler, living out of a suitcase with my husband, exploring the world, and sharing my tried-and-true recipes.
With 15+ years of professional experience and plenty of time cooking on the road, you’ll find restaurant-quality recipes made simple and adaptable.
Every recipe on this site has been tested in real-world cooking spaces. From short-term rentals and friends’ kitchens to holiday parks and campfires, I know the challenges of cooking with minimal equipment. I’m here to show you that you don’t need a fancy kitchen setup to cook great food.
Wherever you are, I hope my recipes inspire you to get creative and make something delicious!
What You’ll Find Here
🍽️ Diverse Recipes – From restaurant-inspired meals like crispy duck breast with easy pan sauce to simple, travel-friendly dishes like one-pot pesto chicken fettuccine.
📸 Step-by-Step Instructions – Easy-to-follow steps and process shots to guide you every step of the way.
🔄 Adaptable Techniques & Ingredients – Every recipe comes with substitution suggestions, so you can swap ingredients and equipment, adjusting based on what you have on hand.
🔥 Kitchen Hacks & Tips – Whether it’s boiling eggs in a kettle or making stock from kitchen scraps, I share my best tips from years of home & professional cooking experience.
🌍 Mediterranean & Global Influences – Born in Iraq and raised in Toronto, I grew up with the flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine, learning from my mom’s incredible cooking. Combined with living in one of the world’s most diverse cities and doing lots of traveling, I was exposed to a variety of global cuisines—you’ll find a little bit of everything here!
How My Recipes Are Created
👨🍳 Tested for Years – After making the same dishes hundreds—sometimes thousands—of times in restaurant kitchens, I’ve learned exactly what works. From perfecting hollandaise for brunch to balancing the best tomato sauce, my recipes include the techniques and shortcuts that only come from experience and repetition.
🏡 Made in Real-Life Kitchens – Every recipe on this blog is cooked in real-world kitchens, using whatever equipment is on hand. I adapt as needed, and my photos and instructions show exactly how I make it work. In my grapefruit mezcalita recipe, I even used a traditional Mexican chocolate whisk to juice the citrus!
🌱 Focus on Seasonal Produce – Traveling gives me access to incredible local markets and fresh ingredients. Whether it’s pumpkins for pie during peak season in Canada or zesty guacamole with ripe avocados in Mexico, I always try to cook with what’s fresh and available.
FAQs
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Most of my recipes can be made with minimal equipment, but some call for tools like an air fryer or immersion blender. I usually include alternative methods so you can make the recipe even if you don’t have those exact tools.
That said, a few recipes outside the minimal equipment category do require specific tools—like an oven for baking rotisserie chicken pot pie or dark chocolate chunk cookies—but I always aim to keep things as adaptable as possible!
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Recipes in the category of minimal equipment require just a few basics:
Essential prep tools – A knife, cutting board, bowl, mixing spoon, and sometimes a whisk.
One piece of cookware – A single pot, pan, grill, or sheet tray.
One heat source or none – Whether it’s a stovetop, campfire, microwave, BBQ, oven, or no heat at all, you’ll only need one.
Equipment swaps available – If a specialized tool is listed, I always provide a substitute. For example, if you don’t have an immersion blender for Caesar dressing with capers, you can whisk it by hand in a bowl.
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I focus on local, seasonal ingredients, but every recipe includes substitutions so you can work with what’s available in your area. I break recipes down into a formula so you can swap ingredients without losing the essence of the dish.
For example, when I couldn’t find pita bread in Mexico, I used corn tortillas instead—because at the end of the day, it’s about using what you have on hand and trying something new.
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Recipes tagged as minimal ingredient have 10 ingredients or fewer, including salt and pepper.
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Yes! I studied Culinary Arts at George Brown College in Toronto. While I learned the foundations of classic French cuisine there, my real education came from working in restaurants—nothing builds confidence and skill like cooking under pressure during a busy service.
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Most of my travels have been through North America and Asia. My husband and I have taken long road trips across Canada and the U.S., and we’re currently based in Mexico. Over the past decade, we’ve explored Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Taiwan—and even got married on Sairee Beach in Koh Tao, Thailand!
More recently, we visited Australia and New Zealand and had short stops in Shanghai, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. While I haven’t traveled much through Europe, I’ve visited Germany multiple times to see family who moved there from Iraq. I’d love to explore more of Europe, Africa, Central and South America, and Japan and Korea in the future!
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We met while working at the same restaurant shortly after I finished chef school and hit it off right away. With my background as a chef and his front-of-house skills, we made a great team and eventually co-managed a restaurant in Toronto.
Now, he’s my chief editor, trusty taste tester, and biggest supporter!
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I was born in Baghdad, Iraq, during the Gulf War, but I only spent my first five years there before moving to Jordan for a couple of years and then settling in Canada by age seven.
Despite the wartime challenges, my childhood memories are filled with warmth—our home had a chicken coop, fruit trees, date palms, and grapevines, and food was always at the center of it all. My mom’s home-cooked meals and traditional Iraqi recipes still shape the way I cook today.
You can really see that influence in my mom’s simple chicken soup and Iraqi-style grilled cod recipes!
Let’s Get Cooking!
You don’t need a fancy kitchen or special equipment to make delicious food—just a little creativity and the right techniques! Whether you're cooking at home, in a tiny rental kitchen, or over a campfire, you’ve got this.
Wherever you are, make yourself at home. If you ever have a question, need a substitution, or just want to say hi, I’d love to hear from you! You can contact me here.
Ready to cook? Search for a recipe below or explore the latest recipes!
