Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

May 4, 2023 Amanda Plott

So… just hear me out. Pickle flavored stuff has kind of become the trendy thing these days and let me just say, I don’t mind it at all. I love me a good pickle. Dill pickle that is. None of that sweet bread and butter nonsense. This Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is pretty amazing. It’s light, tangy, and super easy to make too.

I know it might sound a little weird at first, but I promise it’s one of the best pasta salads I’ve ever had. And I’m southern so I’ve had a lot of different kinds of pasta salad. I lightened this pasta salad up and made it a bit better-for-you but first subbing in a whole wheat pasta. I also kicked the sour cream out and used a plain fat-free greek yogurt instead. And obviously a light mayonnaise was the way to go…

Cheeseburger Gnocchi

April 28, 2023 Amanda Plott

I’ll be honest in saying that anytime I’ve had gnocchi before, it’s usually been in an Italian soup or as part of a Mediterranean sheet pan. Which, both are amazing. It did make me wonder though - why don’t I use gnocchi more often as a part of other cuisine styles? Enter Cheeseburger Gnocchi. Gnocchi are lovely little pillows of pasta that are usually made at least partially with potato or some other vegetable. It kind of makes them a really good filler or substitute for traditional pasta.

This Cheeseburger Gnocchi starts off with the gnocchi which is sautéed quickly in a pan and then set aside. After that? It’s cooking up all the meat and veggies. I kept this light by using a whole lot of onion and a lean ground beef instead of, well, not lean. After a quick simmer, the cheese and cream is added and you end up with a perfectly cheesy burger dish!…

Vegetarian Cheeseburger Crunch Wraps

April 11, 2023 Amanda Plott

Who doesn’t love a good crunch wrap? While they’re tasty from the taco franchise that we all love to hate and hate to love, you can absolutely make them at home quickly, easily, and in a way that is sooo much better for you. Today I doubled down and flipped the script making a crunch wrap that not only had a cheeseburger twist, but is also meatless!

These Vegetarian Cheeseburger Crunch Wraps are layered very similar to a standard taco crunch wrap except I’ve used cheeseburger toppings and condiments in lieu of taco ones. We’re talking pickle, ketchup, mustard, burger ‘meat’, cheese, and even lettuce and tomato too…

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins (Flourless!)

April 2, 2023 Amanda Plott

Did you know that you can make muffins without flour of any kind? Yep! It’s completely possible. These magic Peanut Butter Banana Muffins are made entirely without flour of any sort. And yet they still come out as if they were any other standard muffin. Crazy right? Peanut butter (or any nut butter), eggs, and banana are the main ingredients here to make these things work.

Basically, you whip it all up together in a blender and then fold in the chocolate chips. Bake them and you’re done. It’s just that simple and no one will ever guess that they’re gluten free because some how or another they still come out light and as fluffy as any other muffin out there…

Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles

March 30, 2023 Amanda Plott

Yes, I’m still very much so in love with my waffle maker. I love sweet waffles. I love savory waffles. I love waffles. With Spring kicking in the door lately, I’ve turned my attention to the bright and vibrant flavors of lemon and berries. These Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles are a perfect transition into Spring. Light and citrusy and made from scratch.

I lightened these waffles up firstly by swapping regular milk for unsweetened almond milk, because you aren’t going to be able to tell the difference here. I also used a whole wheat white flour in place of regular just to get the added bonus points for the whole wheat in there.

PB&J Rice Cake

March 18, 2023 Amanda Plott

Peanut butter and jelly at it’s snacking finest with this PB&J Rice Cake! I found these fun rice cakes recently that are shaped and textured a bit differently than the old school ones so I picked a few of the strawberry flavored ones up. But then it’s - what to do with them. Well, when I think strawberries, I tend to think of strawberry jam. And when I think of strawberry jam, I think of PB&Js!

This PB&J Rice Cake is a fun take on a PB&J that is lighter and pretty filling too. It would be great as an afternoon or after school snack, or even as a part of a light lunch! So, it starts out with a strawberry rice cake on the bottom which is covered with some peanut butter and then topped off with fresh strawberries, peanuts, and some strawberry jam too…