Skinny Mexican Style Caprese Salad

July 21, 2015 Amanda Plott

I've been in love with caprese salads for a long time now. I think that my love of them actually started some years ago when I worked as a waitress in a newly opening restaurant when I was visiting home for the summer one year from college. It was a horrific experience, but only because I am not good at the whole waitressing thing. That job takes a very skilled and specific type of person to do properly. And I am not skilled or specific to customer servicing!

It did give me an entirely new perspective though on restaurants and I have always had another level or respect for those that wait tables.

Anyway, the restaurant had a caprese salad and I felt like eating vegetarian that day; plus, I mean... I got half off meals and they had great food there so I was pretty set on trying almost everything on the menu. It was love at first bite...

Skinny Fall Harvest Salad

October 8, 2014 Amanda Plott

A while back I absolutely fell in love with this Skinny Honey Mustard Salad Dressing that I had made, and have seriously been looking for almost any excuse to make it again. I could almost drink this dressing down by the gallon, I swear. Anyway, I've used it as both a marinade and a dip for chicken, but I was in the mood for a salad today and had my eyes set on this lovely butternut squash that was perched on my kitchen counter.

In keeping with my fall theme, I basically took all of my favorite fall inspired things and threw them into one giant salad together. The end result? A perfectly filling and delicious salad that I more than enjoyed for lunch!

Skinny Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

September 5, 2014 Amanda Plott

I've been doing my best to eat less and less gluten lately. Not for any particular dietary reason other than general health and well being. So, when I planned on making my own honey mustard dressing this week, I was more than surprised to come to realize that almost all dijon or stone ground mustards have gluten in them.

It's mustard! Isn't it just ground up mustard seeds? You would think so! But, apparently not.

The only brown mustard I found that was gluten free was 'French's Spicy Brown', though I'm sure there has to be others out there as well. I just didn't happen to venture down the gluten free isle. Spicy brown would work perfectly for what I wanted it for.

Something it be aware of if you're wanting to actually make this dressing 'gluten free'...

Pesto Chickpea & Avocado Salad

August 8, 2014 Amanda Plott

I really cannot say enough about this salad. I would have never guessed that these 6-ish ingredients would have come together in such an awesome and delicious way. This mighty green salad was tossed together in less than 5 minutes and was unbelievably satisfying. Seriously. I've eaten it about four times already this week.

The lemon juice works to brighten up the pesto and together they actually end up as a rather substantial amount of flavorful 'dressing'. Yes, that's right - you don't need to add any dressing to this salad. The ingredients work together to make their own lemony pesto dressing that is de{light}ful and actually one of my newest favorite things...

Mexican Summer Tomato Salad

July 14, 2014 Amanda Plott

If you're looking for a super easy and fresh Mexican inspired side dish for the summer, this is it! This salad takes all of 5 minutes to prepare and toss together while tasting absolutely amazing with it's bright and bold flavors.

This dish actually reminds a bit of a greek antipasto salad, except that it's meatless and hints towards Mexican roots. There's queso fresco instead of feta, jalapeño in place of peperoncinni and the proud zing of some lime and cilantro added in there...

Rainbow Super Salad with Hummus

June 12, 2014 Amanda Plott

How is it that eating the rainbow always seems to taste sooo amazing? There's something about all those natural bright colors that just set something off inside, making it extremely difficult not to smile when you see all of them together. And when in edible form too? Even better!

After all, who wouldn't want to eat a rainbow?

No big deal. I totally ate a rainbow for lunch.

Sounds pretty epic, right?

Plus, this salad is every bit as tasty as it is nutritious. I'm pretty sure that this is going to be a staple salad in my household throughout the summer months...

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