Simple Mango Salad + Lime Dressing

September 1, 2022 Amanda Plott

It may be cooling off outside finally, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t love salads any less. I was in need of a good ‘tropical’ style of salad to pair with something else that I’ve been working on for a couple of weeks now and this Simple Mango Salad + Lime Dressing slid into fill that role perfectly. This small and simple salad is deceiving. It’s delicate and delightful while being big and bold in flavors. And one of the best parts is that it only takes a handful of ingredients to make.

Being as it’s got just the limited ingredients, it doesn’t take long at all to make - including the homemade dressing which, let me just tell you, is SO good. That being said, there isn’t a whole lot here to substitute for lighter alternatives…

Pistou Soup

August 14, 2022 Amanda Plott

I know what you’re thinking… Soup? In the Summer?! Yeah, yeah. Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part, but sometimes you have to lure the cooler weather in by enticing it with appropriate foods. I don’t know, maybe it’s working. It’s at least coming off the triple digits for a few days here. That being said, this Pistou Soup is very light and definitely is more of a Spring or Summer soup because of that.

It starts off with a base of onion, leek, and celery and is then layered with some potato, green beans, peas and more! Like I said, this is soup that’s packed with vegetables while also being meatless. The soup is topped off with a pistou, which is basically a pesto that’s made with basil, garlic, and some cheese too…

Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookie

August 11, 2022 Amanda Plott

Once again I find myself wanting something I’m not willing to turn the oven on for, so I decided to try my hand at making cookies in the air fryer. Can it be done? As it turns out - it totally can! But I decided I would make one BIG cookie instead of several little ones. Mostly for ease since I have a perfectly sized push pan that fits into the basket of my air fryer just barely.

This Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookie is super easy to make, and let me just say that it’s soooo good too. The air fryer gives it a unique texture that is gooey here and crisp there. And this cookie is LOADED with chocolate chip goodness. And when I say loaded, I mean completely full to the point that if you don’t like a lot of chocolate then you should consider having the chocolate chips…

Jalapeño Cheddar Bread Machine Bread

August 5, 2022 Amanda Plott

It’s H.O.T. Hot. It’s the long stretch here at the end of Summer and I can’t wait to get to the other end of it when we hopefully roll into the cooler weather of Fall. With it being the heat of the Summer, I’m still in avoiding-the-oven mode for the most part. But, that being said, I haven’t made any fresh homemade bread in a while and my bread machine was starting to collect dust. We can’t have that!

So I busted my bread machine out and decided to make a savory flavorful bread to have on hand for lunches this week. This Jalapeño Cheddar Bread Machine Bread is super easy to make since the bread machine does literally almost all of the work for you. The mixing, the kneading, the baking - yep… all of it…

Caprese Jar Salad

July 27, 2022 Amanda Plott

It’s salad season, and right now, I’m all about these jar salads. I love having a few ready made lunches on hand in the fridge that are put together and just need a good shake up to enjoy. They make for great grab-and-go lunches too since you can eat them straight out of the jar. This particular one is based one of my all time favorite salads, a caprese.

A caprese salad is tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and usually some sort of greens to go along with it. I started this one off with an Italian based dressing along with some basil pearled couscous to make the salad just a touch more filling…

Artichoke Salad

July 24, 2022 Amanda Plott

I was looking for something light and bright, and that didn’t involve the stove, for dinner and maybe even lunch this week. This Artichoke Salad has some big Mediterranean vibes and it really is so simple and delicious to make. It also ends up being gluten free and vegetarian too! One of the best parts is, that this salad can be made ahead of time, and any leftovers make a great grab-and-go lunch.

This Artichoke Salad starts off with its namesake - artichokes. It’s then got loads of other tasty bits like roasted red bell, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans. It can be served as part of a main meal or even as a side. I decided to serve mine over some baby spinach and baby kale and topped it all off with a few pieces of shaved parmesan…