Vegan Black-Eyed Pea Salad

January 3, 2019 Amanda Plott

Who the hell ever said that black-eyed peas had to just be a New Year’s day thing? Yes, I’m deliberately posting this recipe AFTER the first of the year to be a bit of a rebel.

Every year in my house, it’s the same old debate. What do we do with black-eyed peas to make them more edible. Let’s face it, black-eyed peas earned their nickname ‘dirt peas’ for a reason. Over the years, I’d like to think that I’ve come up with a few clever ways.

This year though, with a cold running rampant through the house… something FRESH and light sounded like what we all needed…

Crock Pot Turkey & Cranberry Meatballs

December 23, 2018 Amanda Plott

This is an older recipe that needed it’s photos updated in a bad way. Nothing changed about it except for that! So without further adieu… here’s the original post with brand-spanking-new images!

It seems like I can't seem to have a traditional Thanksgiving anymore. Last year it was decided that we wouldn't be doing the cooking, and instead we went out to a nice restaurant to enjoy the day footloose and fancy-free. This year? We'll be (hopefully) tailgating at the UT game here in Austin. Sounds like a blast, right? Right?!

At first, I was anything but excited when this prospect came across my ears, but after some careful research and lots of thought on it... I soon became pretty excited about it! After all, this will be my first UT game and I've lived here for a good three years now. Plus, my brother is in his last year of college as a Longhorn - which makes the fact that I haven't been to a game yet even more shameful.

So what does all this mean? Game day versions of my usual Turkey Day meal!…

Skinny Jalapeño Popper Deviled Eggs

December 16, 2018 Amanda Plott

Last weekend when my family and I made the 3 hour round-trip out of the way just for a coffee cake, we had the delight of meeting the woman behind said amazing coffee cakes after several years of ordering from her. She was the SWEETEST lady ever and as we were picking up our cakes from her home, she was in the middle of cooking what she called ‘wash day’ dinner.

So what is wash day dinner? Well, it’s a simple old-fashioned southern inspired meal that they used to cook on… you guessed it, wash day! Usually it’s a pot of beans, cornbread, a cobbler, and some deviled eggs. A perfect meal for a cool almost winter day!…

Savory Holiday Monkey Bread

December 10, 2018 Amanda Plott

I love monkey bread. I love that it’s a quick, easy, and delicious way to pack a lot more flavor into any traditional biscuit dough. Usually monkey bread is sweet and is made as more of a breakfast or even as a dessert. Such as my cherry pie version, or my pumpkin spice one! But, not much can beat the strawberries and cream monkey bread.

Today though, I was craving tomato soup and some crunchy bread. It’s chilly out and that traditional meal sounded very comforting. But then! I thought better of myself. Why make a boring plain old grilled cheese when I could make something drinkable, dipable, and fun instead?!…

Mediterranean Snack Box

November 9, 2018 Amanda Plott

I am completely under the weather today. I’m still not completely sure if it’s the weather, allergies, or if I just flat out have a cold. Nothing much is going to keep me from doing my thing though, so on with the show! Whilst my throat, face, and most of my body hurts… I’ve opted to keep the meals this week simple.

This Mediterranean Snack Box isn’t really a recipe, but more so a meal prep option for lunch! Plus, I have a few hummus recipes that would go perfectly in this box. The 5 Ingredient Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is one of my favorites. But that Roasted Beat Hummus has got to be the most pretty!…

Rustica Salad

October 30, 2018 Amanda Plott

Well, I guess I spoke too soon about the weather cooling off. It’s been cooler, yes… but we’ve still gotten well up into the 80’s for a couple of days this week. It’s been nice for the most part, crips mornings, warm days, and cool evenings to follow. And while I’m completely set on Fall and Winter meals now, I still needed to toss in a light salad into the mix this week.

I’m calling this the ‘rustica salad’ because that’s the name of the salad that I got the idea for this one from. Of course, I had to put my own spin on it with a homemade dressing and plenty of toppings. The homemade Skinny Balsamic Vinaigrette is one of my favorites. I make a double or triple batch of it up at a time and keep it on hand in the fridge quite often…