Butternut Squash Salad + Maple Vinaigrette

September 13, 2022 Amanda Plott

Yes, another salad! This Butternut Squash Salad is a little different though since it’s got a lot of fun Fall flavors packed into it and it’s super easy to make. The homemade maple vinaigrette has to be one of my all time favorites, and it’s easy to see why. This salad starts off with a base of greens. I went with a mixture of baby spinach and a spring blend, but arugula would be a good option too!

After that it’s loaded up with oven roasted butternut squash, cranberries, feta cheese, and YES even bacon! The homemade maple vinaigrette might sound strange, but trust me, you’re going to love it. I used a bourbon aged maple syrup, but you can use any kind you want so long as it’s actual factual maple syrup, and not just flavored like maple syrup. Trust me, there IS a difference…

Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette

February 1, 2020 Amanda Plott

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, I thought it would be fun (and delicious) to make a pink salad dressing. Not just any dressing though, something lightened up and perfect as we come into the end of the cold winter months. Maybe using spring inspired flavors will inspire the warmer weather!

So what makes the dressing pink? Strawberries of course! Strawberries are the base of this vinaigrette, and to be honest, they’re the secret to this dressing as well. The large amount of strawberries used here is what keeps this vinaigrette lightened up and low in calories…

Beet & Pomegranate Salad

December 5, 2019 Amanda Plott

Sometimes in cold weather… you still need a salad to properly get those veggies into your life. You know? This Beet & Pomegranate Salad is a great way to load up on veggies and not on guilt. …Yes, salads can be guilty. And in a sneaky way too! So many people seem to think that all salads must be healthy just because they’ve got veggies involved, but I’m here to say… that just isn’t true!

If you look at almost any menu at any restaurant, the salads is probably not even close to being the lowest in calories. This one though is made with all the GOOD stuff and none of the bad stuff. It’s quick, easy to make, and that even includes a homemade vinaigrette dressing…

Roasted Beet & Butternut Squash Salad (With Beet Infused Vinaigrette)

October 14, 2019 Amanda Plott

I love beets.

And the saddest part is that I went most of my life so far without knowing that. It was just in the past 5 years or so that I came to realize that I love them. I had some roasted beets on a salad and immediately fell in love. Tender and full of flavor with such minimal effort? Sign me up!

Another thing I love about beets? Their amazing natural color. Generally when cooking beets, I find myself discarding the juices. Today though? I got the notion to reuse those juices along with some olive oil to make one of the best and simplest vinaigrettes that I’ve ever had…

Tomocado Salad

July 17, 2019 Amanda Plott

If you’re looking for a light and quick salad to make this summer, then look no further! This ‘tomocado salad’ is as quick and easy to make as they come. What’s tomocado? Tomatoes. Mozzarella. And Avocado. Get it? To-Mo-Cado!

What makes this Tomocado Salad even better is that it’s naturally low carb and gluten free. Plus, I mean… who doesn’t want to gorge on cheese and avocado? I should note too that I’m using the term ‘salad’ here pretty loosely since there isn’t actually any lettuce involved. It’s more of a salad in the sense of that it’s a combination of cold fruits/veggies along with some cheese and herbs…

Rustica Salad

October 30, 2018 Amanda Plott

Well, I guess I spoke too soon about the weather cooling off. It’s been cooler, yes… but we’ve still gotten well up into the 80’s for a couple of days this week. It’s been nice for the most part, crips mornings, warm days, and cool evenings to follow. And while I’m completely set on Fall and Winter meals now, I still needed to toss in a light salad into the mix this week.

I’m calling this the ‘rustica salad’ because that’s the name of the salad that I got the idea for this one from. Of course, I had to put my own spin on it with a homemade dressing and plenty of toppings. The homemade Skinny Balsamic Vinaigrette is one of my favorites. I make a double or triple batch of it up at a time and keep it on hand in the fridge quite often…