Spinach & Strawberry Salad

March 27, 2023 Amanda Plott

Yes, I'm a huge salad fan. I love all the veggies and different ways to dress up your leafy greens with one dressing or another. Plus, there's just something refreshing about indulging in a crisp cool salad when it's upwards of 80... 90... 100 degrees. Which we’ve already gone over 80 here!

So I guess what I'm saying is... be prepared for the montage of salad recipes that are sure to come this way through the next few months. Strawberry and spinach salad is actually one of my old favorites. I think it was one of the first salads that I ever had feta cheese on. It could even be when I fell in love with feta cheese…

Japanese Egg Salad

March 21, 2023 Amanda Plott

It doesn’t get any more simple than this right here. This Japanese Egg Salad is made with just 4-5 ingredients and takes hardly any time at all to make and the end result is creamy, light, and delicious! So what makes this egg salad Japanese? The secret is in the mayonnaise! This egg salad uses kewpie, which is the Japanese version of mayonnaise. But, don’t worry! You can find it at most grocery stores.

American mayonnaise is made with whole eggs and white vinegar. Kewpie is made with egg yolks and rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Kewpie eggs up being sweeter and has less tang. It’s also a lot richer and creamer too!…

Marinated Chickpea Pita

March 14, 2023 Amanda Plott

It’s Spring break week here and we’re sticking pretty close to home which I’m totally fine with. Spring time is one my more favorite times of year. I don’t care for the allergies that come along with it, but I do enjoy the brighter lighting of the sun, the blooming trees and flowers, and also the berries that start to pop up. With Spring rolling in, I always like to lighten and brighten things up myself, and that’s where this Marinated Chickpea Pita comes in.

This Marinated Chickpea Pita is light, and bright, and full of flavor. Being as this is made with mostly whole ingredients and seasonings, there isn’t much to do here to make it much better-for-you. Though I did go with a wheat pita in place of a regular one…

Skinny Antipasto Pasta Salad

March 5, 2023 Amanda Plott

I've been making Antipasto Pasta Salad for almost my entire adult life. It's one of those things that is readily asked for in the Spring and Summer in my house and everyone can find something about it at that they love!

The original idea for this pasta salad came some years ago back when I was in high school. There was a great italian restaurant that we used to go to on occasion that served something similar as an appetizer and we were all hooked on it…

Apricot Chickpea Salad

February 8, 2023 Amanda Plott

So, I’ll be honest here in saying that I never really buy or use apricots a whole lot, and I’m not entirely sure why either. They taste good, fresh or dried so it’s not that I don’t like them. I just never really think to use them. But, this salad dressing just sounded really good to me for son reason or another. It’s sweet, but tangy, and yet has just a little bit of a kick from the ginger in there. It’s really one of my new favorite things on the planet.

This salad is a really good mix of textures and tastes. You really won’t miss meat here. And you won’t miss the dairy either. Somehow everything else going on really keeps you from focusing on what’s not there so that you instead focus on what is there. And that’s a lot of goodness!…

Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

December 1, 2022 Amanda Plott

After the rush that was last week, I've kept it pretty simple this week. And nothing is more simple than a grilled cheese. This Air Fryer Grilled Cheese takes it a step further, leaving you making the famous American sandwich hands free in the air fryer. The best part is that you get a perfectly crisp toast on the outside and an ooey-gooey melted cheese on the inside. You truly can’t go wrong here.

There isn’t a whole lot here to healthify or make better-for-you while also keeping with the classic. I started this sandwich off with Texas toast, because there’s no other way to have the sandwich if you’re aiming for traditional. But, you could definitely swap the bread out for something whole wheat or sprouted grain. Today though? I want CLASSIC…