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This low-carb dish takes easiness to the maximum. It makes time in the kitchen feel like a relief. Stuffed peppers (and stuffed vegetables generally) may be the dinner I cook most frequently if I kept a tally. It’s just too hard to resist such a nutritious meal in one snug package! Italian Stuffed Peppers and Mexican Stuffed Peppers have been my (and my readers’) favorite way to combine a lean protein, whole grain, and vegetables in a single, scrumptious bundle....

If a single recipe concept could be extended to an entire food group, chili would have my top vote. With all of its delicious potential and recipe variations, from Crock Pot White Chicken Chili to Healthy Turkey Chili to Paleo Chili (another Instant Pot chili recipe), it’s a meal I never grow tired of creating or eating. Chili can feed a crowd if you need it to and tastes fabulous leftover if you don’t....

I’m longing for warm sands and island eats. Since jumping on the next plane south isn’t in the realm of immediate possibility, I’m satiating my taste for the tropics with today’s Caribbean-inspired recipe for jerk chicken tacos. “Jerk” cooking refers to a style of cooking in which the meat (usually chicken) is rubbed in a spice mixture, then slow-cooked over a wood and charcoal fire or grill. It’s popular throughout the Caribbean....

Growing up, vegetables were a source of strife. They usually came from a can, and unless my mom added about half a pound of cheese to the top, I resented their presence on my plate. As an adult, I’ve happily discovered the transformative power of roasted vegetables. Cooking vegetables at a high temperature in the oven (400 degrees F or more) makes their outsides crispy, their insides tender, and gives the vegetables rich, caramelized notes that make them borderline addictive....

I spent the first 3/4 of my life despising mushrooms and have been making up for lost time ever since I saw the light (for that story, check out the video in this Mushroom Soup post). From Grilled Portobello Mushrooms to Mushroom Tacos to Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff, mushrooms have become one of my favorite ingredients to make healthy, satisfying dishes. When it comes to fast sides you can pair with just about any protein-centric main (Baked Pork Tenderloin; Baked Chicken Breast; Baked Salmon in Foil), sautéed vegetables are the answer, especially if your oven is busy....

Mexican food? Always. Wholesome ingredients? Necessary. One pan to wash at the end? GRAND SLAM. Lately, I’ve been growing a bit weary of my own cooking, and it’s been harder to find the energy to make dinner at the end of the day. Do you find the same? Whenever I’m not in the mood for anything, Mexican food turns out to be the answer to everything. When I sat down with a plate of this healthy taco skillet with rice, I realized it was exactly what I’d been craving....

For me, the best dinner recipes are the ones that hit on as many of the following categories as possible: Crowd-pleasing Easy to make Include every food group in a single dish Freezer-friendly Healthy Dirty as few dishes as possible Taste great leftover This teriyaki chicken casserole nails every one the above, and it landed me extra time with a friend. KEEPER. About This Teriyaki Chicken Casserole A few months ago, I discovered the joys of homemade teriyaki sauce....

The simple, yet spectacular bread combines the characteristics I love about English muffins—nooks and crannies to trap pools of melted butter; a toothsome chewiness that makes it hearty—with the convenience and ease of a classic sliced loaf (like this Oatmeal Bread). I owe my introduction to this old-fashioned English muffin bread (and consequently, a debt of gratitude) to my Grammy (she is also the reason we have Grammy’s Lemon Cream Pie)....

A stunner when it comes to presentation, traditional 7 layer salad is made with lettuce (usually iceberg lettuce), peas, tomatoes, bacon, a sweet mayo-based dressing, cheddar cheese, and hard boiled eggs. Layer salad is not tossed.Instead, guests use long tongs to reach down through the salad from the top and grab some of every layer.A salad you stack in a great big trifle bowl might sound odd, but at a hot summer potluck, it hits the spot....

Crispy battered shrimp tossed in that illustrious, creamy, and impossibly addictive “Bang Bang sauce,” they’re a signature dish on the Bonefish Grill’s menu and every reason I’ll ever need to eat there. In fact, the Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos recipe is so popular that the menu includes both an appetizer version (which inspired these delicious Bang Bang Shrimp) and the taco version, which wraps the shrimp inside of fluffy tortillas....

Lean ground beef, fresh veggies, and brown rice cooked together in a thick, deeply savory tomato broth, this cozy cabbage roll soup is a protein, whole grain, and nutrient-packed all-in-one dinner. The ingredients and flavor profile are inspired by cabbage rolls, which are a common dish throughout most of Europe and much of Western Asia, Northern China, as well as parts of North Africa. Hungarian cabbage rolls are quite popular, and you’ll find versions in Poland, Russia, Ukraine, and more....

To the devotees on the healthy muffin recipe side (a.k.a. the right side—I’m sorry, did I give myself away too quickly there?), these muffins are made of wholesome ingredients, and you’ll feel great starting your day with a warm plate of them. To those on the side of muffins-as-cake, this recipe lives up to its name, Carrot CAKE Muffins. Like these Zucchini Carrot Muffins, they’re moist and just the right amount of sweet, and if the tender crumb of the muffins doesn’t convince you, then the cream cheese frosting on top will....

I’m not sure why, but there’s something magical about dunking a skewer of tender, grilled meat into a rich peanut dipping sauce. (Equally magical is the Thai Peanut Stir Fry That Got Me Married in my cookbook.) While chicken satay is traditionally an appetizer (along with another classic Bang Bang Shrimp), we most often enjoy it as the main event. The juicy strips of chicken are soaked in a flavorful Asian marinade, then grilled on a skewer and served with a peanut dip....

The moment you hear the word “crab” in a recipe name, you know it’s going to be special (it’s one of the reasons guests go crazy for Hot Crab Dip and Crab Artichoke Toasts). The same phenomenon applies to the word “stuffed”: Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast, and Stuffed Salmon stand out from their filling-free peers. Combine CRAB and STUFFED into one bite, and you have an appetizer with the fabulous flair the holidays are all about!...

This recipe was inspired by classic Italian baked pasta dishes such as baked penne and baked ziti. They’re generally served casserole-style and best known for their copious quantities of Bolognese sauce, cheese, more sauce, and more cheese. This Crockpot Pasta Recipe is Healthy and Easy I love to take these classic Italian dishes and give them a wholesome makeover, as I did with this Crock Pot Chicken Marsala and Turkey Bolognese....

THIS IS YOUR LAST SHOT! Your last shot at more than $4,000 worth of Dutch ovens, cast-iron skillets, ceramic bakeware, restaurant-quality knives, grocery gift cards, and great food products! THE EPIC GIVEAWAY celebrating the launch of The Well Plated Cookbook is over in just 6 days. NOW IS THE TIME. For the next 6 days, you can enter the giveaway for the first time, or rack up additional entries (there’s no limit!...

This is an easy, healthy, crispy oven baked fish recipe that’s inspired by a lifelong fish and chips history. I grew up eating fish and chips at my hometown parish fish fry during Lent. I’ve frequented the Best Fish Fry award winners here in Wisconsin where fish fry is sacred year-round,. Fish and chips is the dish I ordered the first time I ever traveled abroad at a British pub in London....

“Foods” was the name of our high school cooking class. It along with “Sewing” and “Parent and Child,” the class in which we carried around a heavy, conspicuously floppy plastic baby that would cry at night and in the middle of class, were the three home economics classes offered by my high school. I’m not sure what my college admissions officers thought when they read “Foods” listed directly beneath “AP Calculus” on my transcript....

Shrimp have a reputation for being fancy and often get reserved for special occasions. However, after creating countless easy shrimp recipes (like this Cajun Shrimp Pasta and Sheet Pan Mediterranean Shrimp), I vote shrimp be categorized as a weeknight dinner superhero. This homemade garlic shrimp pasta certainly makes me feel like a fancy restaurant chef (same with Seafood Pasta), but its quick and simple preparation makes it a deliciously doable recipe that even beginner cooks can serve with confidence and success....

“Get more sleep” always seems to be on my list of resolutions and actions I can take to improve my health. For most of my life, I’ve ignored sleep as a critical component of health. Exercise? Absolutely. Healthy balanced eating? Pour me another Cleansing Apple Avocado Smoothie, please. But sleep? I reasoned that was why God gave us coffee (and Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos). Lately, I’ve been putting more thought into how I spend the last 90 minutes before I climb into bed....