Purple Cauliflower Salad

It is just me or do colorful foods taste better? Purple cauliflower is one of those bougie food items that aren't totally necessary but gosh darn it, it sure does look cool. This warm salad is full of flavors and textures that keep it interesting because life is too short for boring sides!

Whole30 Crab Cakes with Lemon Balsamic Salad

You might have seen the Whole30 diet floating around lately and after hearing so much hype about it, I decided to try it for myself. Whole30 focuses on "whole" foods like veggies, fruits, and proteins while excluding grains, legumes, and dairy. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Yeah, that's what I thought too until I was literally having dreams about yogurt and coffee creamer about three days in...

Easy Summer Appetizers With TRISCUIT

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MadeForMore #Walmart #CollectiveBias

TRISCUIT crackers and I go way back, you see, I've never been much of a potato chip kinda gal so my mom would pack some crackers along with her famous grape and cheese kabobs (a genius invention if you ask me) in my lunches. To this day I still enjoy snacking on TRISCUIT crackers but instead of mindlessly eating them out of the box (which I often do) I decided to get a little creative and combine my favorite seasonal ingredients to make some party pleasing appetizers.

I headed over to my local Walmart and picked up my favorite flavors including: TRISCUIT Original Crackers, TRISCUIT Cracked Pepper & Olive Crackers, and my new favorite, TRISCUIT Smoked Gouda Crackers. With endless choices of seasonings and spices they provide the perfect base to build any small bite.

Some things to keep in mind when creating your appetizers is you want a balance of flavors and textures - sweet + savory, rich flavors + fresh herbs, crunchy + smooth, you get the idea. To assemble each recipe simply follow the steps starting with one and working your way up. For mine I used similar ingredients with different proteins and it only took me a little over 30 min. to assemble all three so whipping these bad boys up for a party would be easy!

A new spin on the classic deviled egg, this is the ideal breakfast food bite.

Not Your Mamma's Deviled Eggs

makes 15 appetizers

1.TRISCUIT Original Crackers
2.3-4 hard boiled eggs, sliced thin
3.4 strips of crispy bacon, chopped (optional for my vegetarian homies)
4.about 1 TBS of capers
5.Sprinkle of Paprika (optional)
6.Hand full of fresh dill for garnish

The perfect balance of tart, savory, and slightly sweet.

Maple Apple Bacon

makes 15 appetizers

1.TRISCUIT Smoked Gouda Crackers
2.1 green apple, sliced thin
3.3-4 strips of crispy bacon, crumbled
4.drizzle of pure maple syrup

*Side note: I learned through many a fallen apple that you should slice the apple thin, place it on the cracker, then top with bacon (duh Annie).

One of my all time favorite ingredients, smoked salmon, pairs perfectly with cream cheese, salty capers, and refreshing cucumber.

Salm I Am

makes 15 appetizers

1.TRISCUIT Cracked Pepper & Olive Crackers
2.Schmear of cream cheese
3.1 cucumber, skinned and sliced then in halves
4.1 fillet (8oz) of smoked salmon, flaked
5.About 1 TBS capers

What are some of your favorite flavor combinations? Are you more sweet or savory? For more inspiration on awesome apps, check out the TRISCUIT webpage and show off your creations with #MadeForMore.

Crispy Fish Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing

Do you ever have those days where everything just makes you mad? Mad that your AC went out during a Texas summer, mad that you're stuck in this crappy apartment, mad that there wasn't perfect lighting during a photoshoot (even during the golden hour), mad at your job, mad at yourself - I have been having many a mad days. But they usually feel a little less crappy when the dinner you make turns out jusssst right.

Our life is kind of in a weird limbo right now, uncertain whether or not we should chase our dream of venturing out to the Pacific Northwest or endure another year in Houston. Either option involves moving and packing and new job finding which of course comes with it's own little bothers.

Lately I've been taking all my stress out on cooking and baking all the things (I've just been to lazy and hot to blog about them). I saw this fish salad on Pinch of Yums Blog and I HAD to try it out, it looked so fresh and tasty for the summer times. I prepared mine a little differently and breaded the fish with panko bread crumbs to make it extra crispy and used sunflower seeds in place of pepitas because I happen to have them on hand but you could go pretty crazy with the garnishes.


Crispy Fish Salad

Recipe inspired by Pinch of Yum

serves 3-4 depending on hunger level

For the Slaw...
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mayo
3-4 cups shredded purple and green cabbage

1.Pulse the slaw ingredients (in order, starting with oil and ending with lime juice) until chopped/chunky. Add the sour cream and pulse again until just combined (you don't want it totally smooth green - just like an herb-loaded creamy sauce). Toss the sauce with the cabbage. Let it sit in the fridge while you prep the other ingredients.

For the Fish Taco Bowls...
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 lb. cod or other white fish
1/2 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tsp EACH cumin and chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 TBS olive oil
1 egg, beaten
avocado, sunflower seeds, queso fresco, lime wedges, or other extras for serving

1. In a bowl add the cumin and chili powder to the flour. Pat the fish dry with paper towels, toss in the seasoned flour, then egg wash, then panko breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. And add to the hot pan, frying for a few minutes on each side. When the fish is golden brown, remove from pan and sprinkle with the salt.

2.Plate each dish with a scoop of quinoa, a few pieces of fish, a scoop of cilantro lime slaw, and avocado or any other extra toppings you like. Serve with lime wedges and additional salt as needed.

Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich

Hey everyone! If you're a mom I hope you had a great Mothers Day and if not, well a weekend is a weekend am I right? Even though I didn't get to see my mom in person this year, I was able to catch up via skype which is always nice :)

This is a staple meal at our house, it's always super easy to whip up using leftover chicken, I've made it so often I can't believe that I haven't blogged on it yet so I thought it was time!

I've made chicken salad various ways before...nuts, grapes, celery, cardamon, but this version is our absoute favorite. The curry spices with the subtle sweetness of the cinnamon is the perfect balance. I served it with some simple greens tossed in a citrus vinaigrette for a light, fresh, summertime meal.

Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich

makes enough for 2 sandwiches

1 - 1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 mayo (more or less depending on how you like it)
1 TBS yellow curry powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
salt and white pepper to taste
1 medium sized apple, diced small
1/3 cup chopped pecans

English muffin or whole grain bread, toasted (or you could make a lettuce wrap)
greens of your choice

Directions

1.After you've poached the chicken, allow to cool completely then shred into a bowl (if you're not using leftovers).
2.Add the apples and the pecans
3.In a separate bowl, mix together the mayo, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and curry powder, mix well.
4.Pour the dressing over the chicken and mix well. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Grandma's Seafood Pasta Salad

It's funny how all of a sudden you crave something from your childhood. I was fixing myself lunch the other day and suddenly I was in desperate need of my grandma's famous shrimp salad. I remember sitting on the back porch on my Grandparent's farm during the summer and eating this salad (usually from a fancy glass bowl). I can still remember watching her making it in the kitchen, she always had this magical ability to move really slow at a memorizing pace but before you knew it, she had a 6 course lunch laid out on the table.

I actually made and photographed this twice but as it turns out, it's really hard making a mayonnaise based salad look appetizing (plus apartment lighting is super awesome). The first time I made it strictly with shrimp, but for some reason the shrimp haven't been too tasty here in Texas this season so this time around I decided on crab meat instead.

I love this salad because of all the textures going on, the slight crunch of the celery, the freshness of the tomato, and because of the eggs and pasta it can hold up as a satisfying and filling lunch.

Fran the Great's Seafood Pasta Salad

serves 5-6

1/2 pound of macaroni pasta
1 cup shredded fresh crab
1 cup of cooked shrimp
1-2 small Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2-3 stalks of celery, minced
3 hard boiled eggs, diced
1/4 mayonnaise (or a little more just to bind it)
1 tsp dried mustard
salt and white pepper to taste
squeeze of fresh lemon juice (about 1-2 tsp)

Directions:
1.Boil the pasta and drain. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2.Add remaining ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until combined
3.Enjoy now on cracker (or by itself) or chill for 15 min. in the fridge.

Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches Topped with Apple Slaw

Barbecue and I have a somewhat unique relationship.

Now I don't wanna freak anyone out but I have always been a fan of the smell of that tangy smoky sauce. There's something so nostalgic about bbq - it brings back memories of family cooks outs and pool parties and has always remained a summer staple - and who said you can't have a little summer in the dead of winter?

It has always been a challenge in our household to see all the things we can do with leftover chicken. Usually we opt for the chicken salad sandwich route or the go-to casserole recipe but this time we decided to try something new. We wanted something savory yet sweet with a variety of textures. For the slaw we wanted something sweet and tangy to compliment the smokiness of the chicken so I opted for an apple slaw (that - and I was too lazy to run to the store and buy cabbage). I cut mine slightly chunky, just for the added crunchy texture but you could cut them thinner or even shred the apples and add some carrots if ya fancy.


For the chicken...

2 cups of shredded cooked chicken (I used leftover from a whole roasted chicken made the night before)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Directions

1.For the sauce, mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk well to dissolve the sugar.
2.In a saute pan with 1 tsp oil, heat the shredded chicken on medium heat. Add desired amount of sauce and cook until heated through and thoroughly sauced.

recipe from Emeril Lagasse

For the apple slaw...

tops 3-5 sandwiches

2 Large apples, finely julienned
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1-2 TBS mayo or miracle whip (just enough to wet it)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 TBS honey

Mix together and place on top of chicken, all on a toasted bun.