Recipes like Pineapple Chicken are the perfect way to use up odd bits of produce threatening to expire, hit every food group in a single pan, taste great leftover for lunch the next day, and best of all, never ever fail to satisfy. Preparing stir fries in the slow cooker (a concept that I readily admit is a misnomer, since no actual stir frying is involved) has the added benefit of being flexible on timing....
Cucumber tomato salad is part crunchy, part creamy, and entirely what I crave when the days are hot and the nights are sunny and long. Like my favorite Creamy Cucumber Salad, it’s refreshing and crisp, never soggy, and is begging to be topped with fresh herbs.The veggies in this avocado salad—cucumber, red onion, and whatever tomatoes in your garden or at the market look best—are lively and complement each other....
The fact that I’m referring to healthy egg salad as “exciting” could be viewed as a testament to just how mundane my lunches have become, but I disagree. With its bright ingredients and layers of texture, I’m happy to report that, while simple, this lovely egg salad recipe is anything but ho-hum. I also happen to see an influx of leftover hardboiled eggs in your future (thank you Easter weekend!...
It’s no secret that I’m a lover of all things chocolate. From Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars to Avocado Brownies, I’ll typically reach for something chocolate when I’m craving something sweet. On my days off from my devoted relationship with chocolate (a little break now and then keeps the love strong), there’s a good chance I’m sneaking a second (or third) honey bar from the pan left dangerously accessible on my counter....
These oven-baked garlic chicken wings nail the appetizer game on multiple levels: One: They are deceptively easy to make (as are these Lemon Pepper Wings). Stir together marinade; pour marinade on chicken; bake chicken. Done!Two: Despite their simple prep, honey garlic chicken wings look and taste impressive (just like these Buffalo Air Fryer Chicken Wings). With their many layers of intense flavor and crispy exterior, your game day guests will be calling for a time out to ask you for the recipe....
This recipe is every bit as cheesy and satisfying as the original but healthier and easier to make (like my cheesy Tater Tots and Potato Skins). Made with fresh jalapeño peppers, stuffed with a decadent cream cheese, shredded cheese, and bacon filling, and sprinkled with a panko topping, these easy jalapeño poppers are baked in the oven to golden, crispy perfection. If you’re looking for a simple, crowd-pleasing appetizer (or spicy side dish) that’s easy to pick up and snack on, this is definitely the recipe for you....
In fact, Ben, who has the happy (or unhappy depending upon the day) task of sampling not only the final versions of the recipes you see here, but also their various testing iterations (some of which are markedly most successful than others), called this recipe “one of the best things you’ve made.” It’s more than a longing for a Caribbean vacation that will have this Jamaican curry chicken hitting the spot....
The farmers market is my happy place and it continually inspires my cooking for a few reasons. Number one, the produce is abundant, affordable, and so fresh it was often picked that morning.Number two, because I wind up with so many veggie impulse buys, I have no choice but to work them into our menu. This minestrone soup is my latest farmers market love story (and this Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup its long-awaited follow-up sequel)....
Put another way, it’s the simple dessert recipe you didn’t know you needed. While I love a decadent Flourless Chocolate Torte or fluffy Lemon Layer Cake as much as the next sane person, sometimes the occasion calls for something a little bit different. Whether it’s a birthday party for a guest who claims not to like cake (ha!), a not-too-sweet dessert for an afternoon tea (or afternoon bubbly), or a lighter-tasting dessert to either a) keep with a breezy summer mood or b) offset a heavier dinner, polenta cake is perfect....
Zucchini spears that are seasoned with Parmesan and herbs and baked to tender perfection, oven Roasted Zucchini is the kind of no-brainer vegetable side dish that you’ll make first from summer necessity. Then you’ll make it again because it’s simple and healthy, and miraculously everyone in your household eats it happily without complaint. (And for a hint of summer smoky flavor, try Grilled Zucchini.) While every now and then I want to get more creative or indulgent with my sides (ahem, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus), most of the time, I want side dishes that are quick to prep, healthy, and will go well with a variety of dishes....
With fluffy pita bread, juicy, warmly-spiced chicken, and a shower of Mediterranean toppings, this easy Crock Pot Shredded Chicken recipe is a warm embrace in sandwich form. The inspiration for this easy yogurt chicken recipe hails from my favorite Mediterranean restaurant, which can be found in the cultural mecca of…Wichita, Kansas. Whenever we are together in our hometown, my sisters and I have been known to eat lunch there daily (I once went back for dinner), and even Ben has become intimately familiar with their stellar Mediterranean recipes....
Oven-roasted sweet potato slices that are baked until golden, then piled high with some of the best ingredients of the season (and life in general)—goat cheese, tart apples, sweet cranberries, and toasted pecans—these addictive little rounds are the sort of appetizer I simply cannot stop eating, for many reasons. They’re both sweet and savory. It’s a combo that speaks to my tastebuds. I must listen to my body and help myself to a second sweet potato round....
If you’ve had Roasted Cauliflower, then you already know: it’s transformative. Crispy outside and lightly sweet inside, it (along with Roasted Brussels Sprouts) is basically the vegetable version of candy. Read on for how to make the best roasted cauliflower, plus air fryer cauliflower seasoning ideas. It takes roasted vegetables to landslide levels of crispy—as Air Fryer Zucchini knows.Foods cook more quickly in an air fryer than they do in a standard oven, because the heat is so powerful....
While boneless skinless chicken breast might occupy the default setting in your grocery shopping approach (people rarely complain about juicy Grilled Chicken Breast), it is well worth picking up a pack of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs every now and then instead. Old fashioned baked chicken thighs are equally as make-ahead friendly as they are last-minute healthy dinner material. (Though for the fastest method for preparing chicken, try Pan Fried Chicken Breast....
Classic basil pesto is a green sauce made from basil leaves, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, and good quality olive oil. It tastes herby, nutty, a little grassy, and exceptionally fresh. Pesto is also flexible. While basil and pine nuts are traditional, they are only one version: Use other nuts instead of pine nuts (like the walnuts in the Creamy Basil Pesto from The Well Plated Cookbook).Change the basil for other herbs or greens (like the cilantro and arugula in this Avocado Pesto)....
This easy Cajun shrimp pasta recipe is inspired by a well-loved restaurant of my childhood, Chili’s. Their Cajun shrimp pasta was always one of my go-to orders. Spicy blackened shrimp cooked in a thick alfredo sauce, it was indulgent, heavy on the penne pasta, light on the veggies, and exactly that sort of thing that high school Erin craved. Nowadays, I still love myself a rich, creamy plate of pasta now and then, but my expectations are higher....
This easy recipe has the hearty robustness and juicy tenderness of traditional chicken cacciatore, but is far faster to make. It uses simple, healthy swaps too. Cacciatore (pronounced Kah-Chuh-Taw-Ree) means “hunter” in Italian. Thus, chicken cacciatore means chicken that is prepared alla cacciatore or “hunter-style.”It’s a rustic stew-like dish (like France’s Beef Bourguignon) made with slow-simmered chicken (or rabbit), tomatoes, seasonal vegetables, and a splash of wine or vinegar....
Chocolate crinkle cookies take over the internet every year around the holidays and while I’ll never turn down a cookie, I have to admit they’ve never been my favorite. Given the choice between them and Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies or Brown Butter Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies, I will always choose the latter options. That is until I met these chocolate peanut butter cookies. Say goodbye to the bland, dry, lackluster chocolate cookies of yesteryear and say “hi,” “hello,” and “will you marry me?...
Thick, fluffy pancakes spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, then smothered in a holiday-appropriate maple cream cheese drizzle, these homemade gingerbread pancakes are everything a winter morning should be: cozy, sweet, and best enjoyed in pajamas. Dibs on the last gingerbread pancake if the pajamas have feet! They’re comfort and warmth in pancake form. Their delightful gingerbread flavor comes from the combination of brewed coffee, dark brown sugar, and classic winter spices....
If you’re looking for a slam-dunk side to add to any summer spread, this grilled corn salad is IT. It goes with just about anythingIt’s easy to make aheadBecause this is a corn salad without mayo, it’s safe to serve (and tastes fab) at room temperatureIt can easily be scaled to any quantityIt tastes like a warm, sunny day served on a plate. Likewise, in the realm of easy, healthy side dishes you can add to your weeknight 30-minute meals, grilled corn salad has you covered too....
