Caprese Pasta Salad

June 27, 2021 Amanda Plott

As it’s getting hotter and hotter outside I’m craving the cold stuff. The lighter stuff. The stuff I don’t have to turn my oven on to enjoy. This Caprese Pasta Salad is just that. Get it started in the morning when it’s cool out and then finish it off in the afternoon or evening as lunch, dinner, or a side for one of the two. The pasta dish itself is based off one of my all time favorites - caprese!

What’s a caprese? Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and balsamic vinegar in one form or another. I basically turned that into a light, easy to make salad that includes fresh baby spinach and some pasta to make it just a little more hearty…

Tex-Mex Chicken Cakes (Air-Fryer)

June 18, 2021 Amanda Plott

I don’t make it a big secret that I am no fan of seafood. I am not now and have never been. It’s not got anything to do with an allergy or taste or texture. It is simply that I don’t want seafood in my mouth. It’s one of my many strange little quirks. That generally means that for most of my life, I’ve made seafood free alternatives, and these Tex-Mex Chicken Cakes are one of those!

Crab cakes or fish cakes have always intrigued me, but again… being as I’m not a fan of seafood I thought I’d try my hand at making a chicken version. These Tex-Mex Chicken Cakes are super simple to make and you get a lot of bang for your buck with a whopping 14 cakes made with one go of it…

Spring Vegetable Crustless Quiche

April 29, 2021 Amanda Plott

I’ve made a lot of crustless quiches in the past, and with Spring in full swing, I decided to make one that used up the bounty of veggies that Spring offers up such as spinach, mushrooms, and asparagus. Unlike some of my other quiches, I wanted this one to be the absolute start of the plate. So, I stuffed it full of veggie goodness, used more eggs, less milk, and ended up with a low calorie, high flavor dish that was perfectly suited to Spring.

I think one of my favorite things about quiche has to be that it can literally be enjoyed as a meal at any time of day; breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner… any and all! When enjoying with breakfast or as brunch, I serve it with fresh fruit. But if it’s al lunch or dinner option, I dress it up with a soup and/or salad!…

Lemon Poppy Seed Chicken Salad

April 12, 2021 Amanda Plott

It’s Spring and for me that means it’s time to play around with all things lemon and poppy seed. This Lemon Poppy Seed Chicken Salad is a fun twist on a classic chicken salad. That’s chicken salad, not chicken in a salad. Most of the time when you think of lemon and poppy seed, you think of sweet treats. But, not today!

This chicken salad is savory through and through. The bright pop of lemon and the bit of crunch from the poppy seeds really makes this a chicken salad to remember. It’s perfect all on its own or used on a sandwich or as part of a Spring inspired green leaf salad. Though I would absolutely stuff this chicken salad into a tomato too!…

Greek Chickpea Salad

March 24, 2021 Amanda Plott

With warmer weather starting to roll in, I’m craving fresh bright flavors more and more. And this Greek Chickpea Salad is as fresh and bright as one can get. It’s a garbanzo bean based vegetarian ‘salad’ that’s mixed together with bell peppers, onion, feta cheese, and a homemade easy to make vinaigrette dressing.

This dish ends up being naturally meatless, vegetarian, and gluten free too. Plus, there’s under 300 calories in a full serving so you really can’t go wrong with it whether it’s for lunch, snack, or as a side for dinner!…

Everything but the... Celery Snacks!

January 31, 2021 Amanda Plott

Sometimes you just need something simple in your life and these Everything but the... Celery Snacks! are just that. They’re made with just three ingredients and a few minutes of time. That’s it! Plus, you can make them ahead of time as part of meal prepping to have ready and hand for when a snack craving pops up.

Everything seasoning just seems to make everything better. And being as it’s been a long time since I had any ‘ants on a log’ or stuffed celery of any kind, I thought it was time to make this easy and healthy snack! It’s low carb, keto friendly, gluten-free, vegetarian, and a whoooole lot of other things too…