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Grape salad is cool, crunchy, and surprisingly refreshing. Sure, it sounds a little weird (kind of like Pineapple Casserole), but boy does it hit the spot! Walking through a buffet line at a Midwest picnic, you’ll see a lot of white (Potato Salad; Shrimp Salad; Creamy Cucumber Salad). Even items that would usually be green (like Pea Salad) look white, thanks to the plethora of mayo- and cream-cheese-based dressings. Add in fluff salads (which are made with some combination of Cool Whip, Jell-O, sour cream, and mini-marshmallows), and you have a sea of white that all looks more or less the same....

Made with a luscious feta cheese sauce, LOADED with Mediterranean vegetables, and topped with a ridiculously tasty pita chip topping, it’s a fresh twist on everyone’s favorite cheesy pasta casserole. I can’t say with any shred of historical accuracy that Greek mac and cheese is how Aphrodite seduced every god on Olympus, but I think it’s a reasonable theory. (I would also venture a guess that this Greek Layer Dip was also in her arsenal....

This Grilled Shrimp Seasoning is only four ingredients, three if you discount the salt. I bet you have all of them in your pantry right now. It doesn’t require you to marinade the shrimp first. As someone who loves the idea of grilled shrimp marinade (especially if it’s for Coconut Pineapple Shrimp Skewers) but often lacks the foresight or patience to marinate it first, not needing to block off the extra prep time earns this recipe a shiny gold star in my dinner book....

Crispy on top, succulent inside, and bathed in a smoky-sweet honey garlic sauce, this baked salmon recipe outshines much of the salmon I’ve ordered out. Do I sound insufferable? Learning to cook perfect salmon at home will do that to you (for an excellent overview to baking salmon, check out my Salmon Temperature Guide and How to Cook Salmon). Even if you’ve never cooked salmon before, I promise you can make this recipe (and my Pesto Salmon) with rip-roaring success....

Fall off the bone tender, mega meaty, and destined to elicit serious finger licking, these savory Instant Pot Ribs will make you a fast favorite with whoever is lucky enough to share them with you. In my case, the lucky recipient was Ben, who often requests my Crockpot Ribs. I plan to cash in the wife points I earned making this Instant Pot version for his help assembling our new patio table....

In the summer, I make copious amounts of garlic Basil Pesto. It’s handy to have around. We put it on sandwiches, add it to pizzas, and use it to make Pesto Salmon and Grilled Pesto Chicken Skewers. When it comes to pesto’s highest calling, however, a fresh batch of pesto pasta (and baked Chicken Pesto Pasta) is darn near impossible to beat. This easy pesto pasta recipe is ready in fewer than 30 minutes, and it tastes like summer manifested on your plate....

I converted from beet skeptic to beet lover, a transition I wholly attribute to roasted beets. Like other root vegetables (Roasted Carrots; Roasted Sweet Potatoes; Parsnip Fries), when beets are roasted in the oven, their natural sugars caramelize and the flavors concentrate, making them tender and subtly sweet. What’s different about beets compared to most root veggies is that they are a pain to prep…or so I thought. As much as I adore Beet Salad, I rarely made it at home, because by the time I finished the beets, my hands, cutting board, and counter all were stained with telltale red juices....

We are usually more of a Roasted Sweet Potatoes house (I adore sweet potatoes so much, I have a special series about creative, healthy ways to top them in my cookbook), but WOW. Some nights, it’s classic white potatoes that hit the spot. While regular Oven Roasted Potatoes certainly satisfy a spud craving, and Grilled Potatoes satisfies that itch for smoky flavored vegetables, something about roasted fingerlings feels special and gourmet....

Making crepes from scratch is one of those culinary endeavors I considered too fussy for my tastes. I even own a fancy crepe pan, a gift Ben bought me years ago at my request. I harbored romantic pictures of us recreating the piles of crepes I cooked with my host family when I studied abroad in France. Flash forward seven years: the crepe pan has moved into three different homes with us…and never emerged from its forgotten place at the very bottom of our pile of pots and pans....

I jest. I’m sure, if pressed (or if the last Sweet Potato Bite were at stake), I could find one game Ben missed in the last 25 years, but it would be a challenge. In fact, this time of year, our entire communication system shifts to the team’s schedule. Sample conversation. Please note, this actually happened. More than once. Me: “The wedding is the 23rd.”Ben: “What?”Me: (checks schedule on phone) “The Michigan State Game....

I mean, I didn’t think editing my book would be sexy, especially when compared to the juicier, most obvious aspects of cookbook writing like recipe testing and recipe photography. I was not, however, prepared for the way editing would fully and completely take over my life. One phase caused me to recoil at the sight of sweet potatoes which, prior to editing my cookbook, were my favorite vegetable. (The two of us have since made amends, but it took months....

I’ve spent the last 3.5 years working my absolute hardest on every aspect of this book for one reason: to give YOU the best recipes and essential tips and tools to make DELICIOUS, healthy food attainable any night of the week. THE WELL PLATED COOKBOOK IS OFFICIALLY FOR SALE AND YOU CAN PURCHASE IT HERE: Boswell Books (my local Milwaukee bookstore; you can get an autographed copy for a limited time) Barnes & Noble Target Indiebound Or anywhere books are sold!...

Our failure to take advantage of our fireplace feels rather criminal. We have a large stack of wood in the backyard for fuel, all of the fireplace tools we need, and plenty of chilly winter nights to merit the flame. My issue is inertia. On my couch, I’m an object at rest, and I will stay at rest, particularly if it’s cold and icky outside (and I have a mug of Hot Buttered Bourbon in my hands)....

This crisp, cool slaw is filled with seasonal goodies and comes together in 15 minutes. It’s an ideal option to add to dinner, and it will bring much needed balance to your plate. I’m all for indulging at the holidays, but I also recognize that my body needs balanced meals between all of the parties and gatherings. Add the fact that it’s often hard to find time to cook dinner during the season, and it can quickly feel like my routine has spiraled....

A firm believer that you don’t need to arm yourself with an array of fancy gadgets to cook a fantastic meal, I generally loathe purchasing new kitchen appliances. Thus, it is no small announcement when I tell you that salmon cooked in the air fryer (this is the model I eventually bought) is something to brag about. Call your mom, text a pic to that foodie friend, and post to social media....

The first thing is that we are absolutely not done with banana bread. Despite this site’s cache of classic healthy banana bread recipes (Oatmeal Banana Bread; Healthy Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips), mash-up banana bread recipes (Zucchini Banana Bread; Pumpkin Banana Bread), and even gluten free banana bread recipes (Paleo Banana Bread), almond flour banana bread is still a recipe we need. Even though my favorite EVER banana bread recipe is in my upcoming cookbook, that recipe is made with wheat flour, which is in short supply right now....

Or, just take a giant bite of muffin, and use big hand gestures combined with a series of MMMMMs to indicate that your mouth is too full for tongue twisters. I like this plan. These almond flour pumpkin muffins are made with pure pumpkin puree, naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and contain no butter and no oil. Even though these muffins are butter free and oil free, they’re still melt-in-your-mouth moist....

You’re thinking avocado ice cream sounds weird. Or disgusting. (To the small group who is thinking homemade avocado ice cream is a stroke of pure genius, jump on down to the recipe. You’ll want to make this IMMEDIATELY.) To those who still need convincing, let’s do a little avocado-ice cream analysis. Avocados are velvety and rich, as is ice cream.Avocados are creamy and luscious, as is ice cream.Avocados are packed with omega-3s, healthy fats, and other wholesome goodness our bodies crave....

Welcome to this fall’s low-maintenance version of apple pie or apple crisp! It has the familiar, warm spices – cinnamon and allspice – that you crave as the temperature dips. Since I cannot help myself, I even added a splash of bourbon to further ensure a warm tummy. These simple baked apples are less work than other apple desserts, yet taste like the real deal. Naturally sweet and quintessentially fall, when apples are baked, their juices concentrate....

As the salmon bakes, the glaze becomes sweet, tangy, and sticky. The inside of the salmon is juicy, tender, and flaky. As further proof that this balsamic salmon recipe is EASY, my husband Ben (who readily admits that his kitchen skills are best used for dish washing and not whipping up Salmon Wellington) made it for me with delicious success. If he can do it, you can do it! For another of his recent dinner hits (and the hilarious story of our first ever Valentine’s Day), check out Salmon Pasta....