Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs

March 5, 2017 Amanda Plott

I'm a southern girl, born and bred (even through I spent a lot of my youth moving around the continental United States.) Home is where the heart is and my heart is in Texas, so... I'm a southern girl. One thing we have in the south that tends to throw northerners off, is pimento cheese. I've actually got friends that have never heard of pimento cheese!

That always blows my mind. How does anyone not know what pimento cheese is? I practically grew up on the stuff! It's one of my favorite things around the Spring and Summer too. Just a plain ole' pimento cheese sandwich made on white bread that's so soft it sticks to the roof of your mouth like glue... Ooooh yeah. That's the stuff right there...

Classic Cobb Salad

January 21, 2017 Amanda Plott

It's no secret that this week has been kicking my tail, though more so in a humorous way at this point. I couldn't even list out the amount of things that have gone wrong because it's almost been everything that I've been a part of or a hand in. I'm pushing past it though, and rocking it out now that it's the weekend.

Next week will be better because it just has to be.

Food has been my savior this week. There have been few disasters that I've had in the kitchen, with a flop of a recipe and a broken egg splat on my kitchen floor, but still nearly everything has come out tasting amazing. Even if it's not exactly what I had planned out on my menu...

Kale & Apple Quinoa Salad

January 16, 2017 Amanda Plott

So, this salad today is actually somewhat inspired by my dad who is having some health issues at the moment. We're not entirely sure what's going on, but he's been told to eat better for the time being until his next round of testing. One thing he was told to do was to 'stay away from white stuff', which clearly isn't something I stuck to here because I have to have cheese in my life. I literally think I might explode if I didn't have at least a bit of cheese every day.

What can I say? I've got to be honest here! I'm one that believes strongly in that you can enjoy everything as part of a healthy diet as long as it's in moderation. (Except of course if it's something you've been warned of by a professional.)

A few days back now, my dad and aunt were chatting at me on Facebook about how my dad is now eating more healthy and that he had tried quinoa. He wasn't a huge fan. So, I gave him some suggestions and got to thinking that some quinoa sounded really good actually. And here we are with this lovely Kale & Apple Quinoa Salad!...

Roasted Beets

January 11, 2017 Amanda Plott

I got some fresh local beets this past week, and while beets are definitely one of my favorite salad toppings, I hardly ever buy them at the store for myself. I'm not entirely sure why I don't either. I've used them to make some pretty awesome things in the past couple of years, like this Beet Pesto. Or with being added to another salad that I paired with my Skinny Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.

These oven roasted beets have to be one of the most simple, easy to do, and flavorful things you can make. They take just an hour to roast and just two ingredients to make. Plus, the prep work is minimal. Giving you an hour to go about your business doing whatever else you need or want. What better is that these roasted beets can be made ahead of time as part of a weekly meal prep...

Skinny (2 Ingredient) Cream Cheese Rangoon

December 13, 2016 Amanda Plott

This year, we'll be doing things a little different for Christmas. Instead of our usual mass of cooking, we'll be heading out to enjoy some Asian cuisine on Christmas day. Of course, you know I'm always inspired by the goings-on around me and today is no different. With Asian food on my mind I decided that it was high time for some Cream Cheese Rangoon.

I know, I know... Generally you'll find some sort of meat inside of a rangoon, however... I'm not too big on seafood. So, I always make mine with tofu cream cheese. Sounds interesting, right? Tofu. Cream cheese. Trust me, this stuff is amazing. It looks, tastes, and feels just like traditional cream cheese (but with a lot less calories and obviously dairy free!) so I'm often using it in place of standard cream cheese. Especially if it's involving anything with an Asian flare...

Winter Berry & Citrus Salad (With Black Berry Vinaigrette)

December 4, 2016 Amanda Plott

Just because it's winter, doesn't mean you can't enjoy a salad! This Winter Berry & Citrus Salad with Black Berry Vinaigrette is full of winter fruits and flavors to satisfy you on even the coldest and gloomiest of days. I mean... look at those glorious bright colors there, it's a sure-fire way to climb your way out of the winter blues with some winter greens! Hah! See what I did there?

The deep red and green here make me think that this would make for a perfectly seasonal dinner salad or festive side salad to a Holiday meal. What I love most about this salad is that the dressing is completely homemade and super simple to make too!...