Chickpea, Butternut Squash & Green Pea Curry

September 11, 2015 Amanda Plott

I've had this love-hate relationship with curry lately. I made a new vegetarian version of it a few weeks ago and it turned out great. I then made it again about a week ago and it was horrible. So, I went back to the drawing board.

I wanted to keep this version of curry somewhere between summer and fall with flavors and vegetables blending over from both seasons. So, I decided to use fresh green peas and spinach as an ode to summer, while the butternut squash was my fall inspiration.

This curry is full of flavor, but not very spicy if you ask me. The sweetness of the peas and butternut squash naturally tone down the spicy kick of the curry. So, if you're not one for hot and spicy things, this curry is right up your alley!...

Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup

September 1, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own. #NaturallyCheesy #CollectiveBias

Things are pretty crazy around here right now as I'm sure it is everywhere else. Somewhere between schedules, fitness, and seasonal changes, I seem to have gotten lost and have little to no spare time. With cooler weather starting to roll in, the light changing, and the days getting shorter, I'm all the more ready for fall and the peace and comfort that comes with it. Bring it on.

What puts you more in the mood for fall than a nice warm bowl of soup? Not just any soup though, but cheesy wonderful soup! This broccoli cheese soup is comfort food at it's finest. It's so easy to toss together, tastes amazing, and is full of vegetables. That's right, full of vegetables...

Skinny Brown Bag Taco Popcorn (On the Cob or Not!)

August 26, 2015 Amanda Plott

I've got to admit, I'm not exactly a huge fan of popcorn. Ugh! I know. I really wish I was. But, I do have a lot of popcorn fans in my family. ... Okay, so pretty much everyone else but me is a huge over-the-top popcorn lover.

As the season has it, I happened to get popping corn on the cob in my local produce box the past couple of weeks. I've had it sitting with my other dry produce on the counter for a while, looking at it and waiting. I was trying to decide what exactly I wanted to do with it when popped. Personally, if I'm going to eat popcorn, I like for it to have a really fun and amazing flavor. I find that it helps get me more interested in it.

Yes, I'm the one always wanting cheddar, ranch, or any other seasoning on my popcorn...

Simple Berry Skillet Cobbler (Sponsored)

August 24, 2015 Amanda Plott

This post was brought to you by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. I received compensation to write this post … but, all opinions expressed are my own. #PurelySimple #CollectiveBias

I'm a southern girl, so cobbler is in my blood and I'm pretty sure that cast iron is part of my very fiber. What's funny is that I actually got my current cast iron, which belonged to my parents, by total accident; it was left over at my house and they needed one so they were forced to buy a new one and I got to keep the one left behind. Score!

There isn't much better than a pre-used and well seasoned cast iron, any southern girl will tell you that! Okay, except maybe cobbler. Cobbler is greater than cast iron. It actually seems like one of the first things that the grill master of the family makes in his new cast iron products, whether it's a skillet or a dutch oven...

Fig, Chia & Flax Granola Cereal

August 21, 2015 Amanda Plott

While it's still pretty warm here in Texas, I'm trying to start sneaking in fall flavors where I can and as I can without burning myself up with the oven or stove too much. This granola cereal is the perfect end to the summer and beginning transfer into fall; one of my most favorite seasons! The warm spice of cinnamon, pecan, and fig warm the tastebuds while the crisp of the granola and cool milk keep me grounded into the last few days of summer.

A moment of honesty? Before today, the only fig that I ever had was in the form of a jelly or within that familiar sandwich cookie that we all know and love. I had full intentions of using fresh fig here, unfortunately my local grocer was all out - so I had to go with dried figs.

Avocado Caprese & Olive Oil Caviar

August 19, 2015 Amanda Plott

I got to have some extra fun in the kitchen today with my lunch. With it still being rather hot here in Texas, I've been trying to keep my lunches pretty light and fresh. Caprese salads are always one of my staple go-to keeping it cool sort of lunches. They're easy to make, taste great, and are pretty healthy to boot.

I've had this little jar of olive oil caviar sitting on my counter for a while now. It's something that I haven't tried before and one of those things that I was nearly so excited to use that I couldn't think of a use for application that I felt would do it's genius justice. Then... it struck me!

Traditionally a caprese salad is drizzled with a little bit of olive oil, so I thought this would be the perfect way to show off the olive oil caviar in a simple and extremely tasty dish that takes little time and effort to toss together; using the olive oil caviar in place of the drizzle...