dill

Killer Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

A healthy dose of fresh, peeled garlic cloves, a homemade pickling spice, and hot peppers give these spicy pickles a seriously delicious kick.

Homemade Spicy Pickle Recipe

Let’s be clear about one thing: I am a lot of things, but a mathematician I am not. Instead of adding up numbers or figuring out right quadrangles, I’ve always been more of a visual kind of gal.

I can tell with one sideways glance when a picture frame is slightly askew. Let’s just hop over and fix that. There. Much better. I notice when the grocery store clerk gets a haircut. “Looks great!” “Oh, why thank you.” And it’s second nature for me to pick out the subtle variations of Periwinkle from Azure. Periwinkle for the win.

Therein lies the reason I was an art major.

I suck at math.

So when figuring out exactly how many cucumbers are in a bushel to share for this crazy good spicy pickle recipe, well…you’re just going to have to join me and go with the flow on this one. Even though I did indeed get out my pencil, my calculator, and conferred deeply with Google, my calculations may not be exact science.

But, then, except for baking, when ever IS cooking a science?continue to the recipe… about Killer Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

Creamy Dilled Red Potato Salad

This easy potato salad skips the mustard, egg, and celery to keep things super simple with a sauce of mayo and sour cream (or healthy Greek yogurt) over slightly smashed baby red potatoes to create a super creamy potato salad that’s brightened up with a dose of fresh dill ready to eat any day of the year.

“This is my new favorite potato salad” he declared as he scooped another forkful straight from the mixing bowl and into his already munching mouth.

I gotta admit, I was somewhat shocked by my husband’s declaration.

“But what about my Mom’s Classic Very Best Potato Salad?” I retorted. ‘It’s a total classic! It’s always been our favorite! And it’s one of the most popular recipes on the blog!” And by the way, had he totally forgotten about my German Potato Salad and my Loaded Baked Potato Salad, too?

If I had to guess the reason he loves this potato salad so much, it’s because it’s so perfectly creamy without the extra crunches of celery or pickles, so it’s a more similar bite to his favorite baked potato with just a bit of onion to add a little heat and dill to add that fresh factor. But even better, it’s so simple to make.

It’s creamy. It’s dreamy. And it’s delicious.

continue to the recipe… about Creamy Dilled Red Potato Salad

Crunchy Green Salad with Dilly Chickpeas and Avocado

There are all kinds of salads. Dinner salads. Main-meal chef salads. Caeser salads. Caprese salads. Fruit salads. Seafood cobb salads. A list of salads you may never have enough days to make. Holy crap, does the salad train ever end??

I for one hope not. Because I am a salad QUEEN!

Thanks tp growing up with my mom’s nightly dinnertime routine, dinner simply can’t start without a crunchy green salad to get it all started with. Mom, you raised these tastebuds right!!!

And for lunch? If you ask me my druthers between a salad, a sandwich, or a burger? I’ll take the salad every.single.time.

Why? Because they’re easy to pull together, super fresh and super delicious, and when you make ’em right like this baby here, they just taste so good. And, they’re perfectly primed to make you summer time swimsuit ready in no time.

And this salad is exactly one of those salads I have for lunch more often than not. It’s one of those that doesn’t take much planning and you can really just pull together depending on what’s in the fridge. In fact, that’s how this salad was born.

If you’ve heard anything about the Mediterranean Diet, you’d know that vegetables and good fats are at its core, with leafy greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers all playing a part and avocados taking center stage.

And I ask, when did avocaodos EVER not take center stage?

The Mediterranean diet, Weight Watchers, and so many more nutrition programs promote the obvious health benefits of proteins that come from fresh fish and protein-packed-veggie-sourced proteins like chickpeas, a staple ingredient in my lunch time salad routine.

That’s why this salad has been—and still is—a staple in my lunch time routine.

And one of the reasons I love it so is there’s no dressing involved, just lemon-flavored olive oil (or olive oil with a squeeze of lemon) and an herby quick marination of the chickpeas with dried dill, garlic, the olive oil (and lemon) for some serious flavor.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

5 from 1 vote

Crunchy Green Salad with Dilly Chickpeas and Avocado

I use a lemon-infused olive oil for the dressing on this salad, or instead, you can use extra-virgin olive oil with the juice of 1/2 lemon.

Servings 1 salad

Ingredients

1 cup canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons lemon-flavored olive oil or regular olive oil with the zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon dried dill
1/2 clove garlic pressed
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chopped lettuce like red leaf or romaine
1/2 cucumber peeled and sliced
Handful of cherry tomatoes sliced
1/2 avocado cut into chunks
Sliced shallot or red onion
Feta cheese
Fresh basil leaves

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix the chickpeas with the olive oil, dried dill, garlic, and kosher salt and pepper, adjust the seasonings to taste, and set aside.
In a serving bowl, layer the lettuce, chickpeas, tomato, cucumber, avocado, shallot, and feta cheese. Drizzle with more lemon flavored olive oil and season with more salt and pepper and a few torn fresh basil leave and enjoy.

More Salads That Make a Meal

Citrus Shrimp and Avocado Salad (the best for using up leftovers from this shrimp recipe)
Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
Autumn Cobb Salad
Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe
Chopped Mexican Kale Salad Recipe
Avocado and Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad (perfect for using up this meal-prepped chicken)
Roasted Beet, Avocado and Goat Cheese Spinach Salad with Chicken
Outrageous Herbacious Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
30 Days of Healthier Salads That Make a Meal

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How to Make a Healthy Tzatziki Sauce and Dip

This easy to make 5-ingredient Greek yogurt tzatziki sauce recipe is not only great with grilled meats, fish and gyro sandwiches, but makes a terrific, healthy dip for vegetables of every color.

This post is in partnership with Oikos Greek Nonfat Yogurt who has compensated me to create a recipe using their product. All opinions are my own.

Just yesterday, I happily discovered I have something in common with the famous food philosopher Alice Waters. Yep. Me and Alice Waters. It’s like we’re twins, living the same foodie ways, and it all stems from our refrigerators. Because apparently, she…like me…is a condiment junkie. Okay, so it’s a stretch, I know, but hey, when you’re 6 degrees of separation from the queen of slow food, you take what you can get.

Condiments are just as important to a dish as the dish itself. They’re the flavor builders. The meal toppers. And they’re all the things that make my mouth go “ZING!”, and that’s why tangy Greek yogurt fits really well into the condiment category for me.

Besides being a favorite part of breakfast parfaits or acting as the base to my fave afternoon bowl of fruit and nuts, nonfat yogurt does double duty in so many more ways. It subs for buttermilk to tenderize chicken, it’s a lower fat alternative to sour cream or mayo-based sauces for grilled meat and fish, and it’s my healthier stand-in for mayonnaise in any classic mayo-mixed sandwich. I even use it on my summer BLT’s.

But while yogurt is a great sub for other ingredients, there is one recipe that can not, should never, would totally not be PC to flip the tables on, and that’s to replace yogurt in the classic Greek tzatziki sauce.continue to the recipe… about How to Make a Healthy Tzatziki Sauce and Dip

Puff Pastry Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Quiche

Thanks to a few staples you can keep in your fridge and freezer, this quick and simple quiche comes together fast thanks to a puff pastry crust filled with custard-ey eggs, smoked salmon, and crème fraîche or goat cheese.

This post has been updated with new photos and a few tweaks to the recipe. Enjoy!

Keeping long-lasting basic ingredients on hand in the fridge, freezer, and panty easily solves the “what’s for dinner” question. And with this super simple, quick quiche recipe, you won’t have to ponder that question for breakfast, brunch or lunch either.

We’ve definitely been on a breakfast kick and quiche has been top of mind. And I don’t mean breakfast for breakfast, but for dinner instead. One of my favorite things growing up is when my dad would break out the big electric frying pan in the evening and sauté mushrooms and bacon for Grandma’s Eggs. What kid doesn’t think breakfast for dinner is some sort of cosmically altered universe? And it’s an easy way for mom and dad to look like we’re ‘breaking the rules’ and going against society.

What rebels we are.
continue to the recipe… about Puff Pastry Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Quiche

Creamy Bowtie Pasta with Salmon and Asparagus

You know how moms are, always, always, always telling others what to do? “Giving” their advice? Even when nobody asked. “Sharing” their opinion. Even when everybody already knows what it is.

Here I am. Hand raised. I’m a mom! That’s me! Straight up, I’m not even denying I have a slightly (not slight at all) bossy streak, or as I like to call it, “Offering tips to make things better.” Or easier. And better. At least in my eyes.

And the scary part is that I was like this well before my child bearing years, during them, and of course continuing strong even now after them. My poor family. continue to the recipe… about Creamy Bowtie Pasta with Salmon and Asparagus

Poached Salmon With Mustard Dill Sauce

While it may seem complicated to some home cooks, poached salmon is one of the simplest ways to cook this popular fish once you know the poaching secrets, and it’s even better topped with this deliciously easy mustard dill sauce that’s ready to serve in under 30 minutes.

Healthy-ish. Formal-ish. Style-ish. Lately these are words I’ve been adopting with relish.

In their root form, these lifestyle descriptions can sometimes feel too hard to achieve. Because who can truly devote themselves to always eating healthy and acting healthy when wine and cookies beckon? And who has it in them (not to mention the time) to nail each and every detail as the ultimate entertainer? And if anyone expects me to look like I strutted straight out of the pages of a magazine, I hope they’re reading a magazine about how to wear the same uniform day in and day out.

But with that little “-ish” at the end of almost any word, those stricter interpretations become more fluid, somewhat easier, a little less intimidating, and a lot more achievable.

This poached salmon recipe is a prime example of being healthy-ish, formal-ish, and totally style-ish for cooking any time, and because both the salmon and the sauce hold up especially well, its perfect for a simple-ish brunch, lunch or dinner buffet. continue to the recipe… about Poached Salmon With Mustard Dill Sauce

Spiralized Refrigerator Quick Dill Pickles

These quick and easy dill pickles cured in the refrigerator deliver amazing pucker power and are ready to eat in just a few hours time.

My mom always called these dilly cucumbers. For as long as I can remember, they’ve signaled the height of summer. I can vividly remember standing in the kitchen as a kid. It was usually after coming inside from re-enacting Sound of Music with the neighbor kids (I NEVER got to be Gretel), riding my bike and hitting jumps like the boys did or practicing hitting tennis balls against the brick carport wall.

Pokemon Go? Musical.ly? Not even. We were outside doing and going. All. Day. Long.

We didn’t have air conditioning at our house. Instead the swamp cooler in the hallway at the end of the kitchen tried as hard as it might to chug out cold air in the dry, always oppressive, Utah summer heat.

Like we’ve always said, “It’s a different kind of heat. Not humid. Just damn hot.”

continue to the recipe… about Spiralized Refrigerator Quick Dill Pickles

Creamy Yogurt Cucumber Salad Recipe

Greek yogurt spiked with garlic, dill, lemon and mint dresses crunchy cucumbers for a favorite, refreshing and creamy summer salad that’s so simple to make.

Well would you look at that??!! I GOT SERVED!

No, I didn’t run a red light with sirens a-blazing in the rear view, and I didn’t get ambushed on my way into the nail salon by some sketchy looking stalker who then delivered papers to call me to court. Whew. Not this time anyway…another story for another day.

This is a good thing, and one I’m honored to share thanks to a fellow food blogger who I think is tip-top talented. In the words of David Byrne (with a slight alteration to the lyrics), “Wow, how did I get here?“

According to Kristin, it’s from recipes like this cucumber salad that put me in her sights.

continue to the recipe… about Creamy Yogurt Cucumber Salad Recipe

Dilled Red Potatoes and Peas

There are only three steps in this easy recipe for boiled red potatoes and English peas with butter and fresh dill, making this a lovely side for a spring lunch or dinner.

Signs of spring are popping up everywhere.

We cleaned out the last of fall’s remnants of fallen leaves so that now the crocus are sprouting through, piles-of-dead-leaves-free, with their yellow and purple happy faces.

This weekend I bought a mess of Girl Scout cookies. How many samoas and thin mints can be eaten in one sitting with three people? 2 boxes is the answer.

And our new rescue pup Zoee is shedding like there’s no tomorrow. Pair the vacuuming of dog hair with the sneezes of hay fever and we have quite the symphony going on at our house.

Ahhh, spring.

But most of all, spring gets me craving simple, flavorful eats. With the emphasis on SIMPLE.continue to the recipe… about Dilled Red Potatoes and Peas

Dill Cucumber Salad and 5 More Super Simple Cucumber Salads

In our house, when it comes to cucumbers the mantra is “the more, the better.”

I hear the chanting of “CUKES! CUKES! CUKES” almost as loudly as “USA! USA! USA!” combined with a bunch of screaming at the TV during the final game of the World Cup. What an amazing ride that was!

From cucumber martinis to homemade bread and butter pickles and my crunch-a-licious Greek salad with avocado—and cucumbers, of course—these elongated melons are always around.

When it heats up outdoors, we keep it cool inside thanks to the constant opening of the refrigerator door to dip into our favorite—and insanely easy—cucumber salad. Please don’t report our non-eco-friendly behavior to the energy police. It’s simply a casualty of summer snacking and sometimes that short blast of cold air is exactly what the day calls for.

My husband is a fiend for cucumbers and while he’s known to eat a cucumbers sprinkled with salt in the same fashion others eat bananas, this Dill Cucumber Salad has made its way into his heart. And his cuke-obsessed belly.

We’ve tried to grow cucumbers ourselves, but for one reason or another they are never a success. So I leave the cucumber growing to the professionals and put my cucumber talents where they do best: eating them.

continue to the recipe… about Dill Cucumber Salad and 5 More Super Simple Cucumber Salads

Smoked Salmon Spread

Celebrations call for bites of all sizes, big, small and every other. Luckily, my Smoked Salmon Spread fits the bill no matter how big you’re craving is or the size of your eagerly awaiting mouth.

There’s a beautiful reason to add to today’s celebration, because the lovely food blogger Stefanie of Sarcastic Cooking is soon to deliver a bouncing baby boy.

Babies are not only good for nuzzling and snuggling and the reason to max out the credit card buying an exorbitant amount of needless baby gear for, but also because soon enough they turn into expert taste testers. Which comes in handy when mama is a food blogger.

Stephanie has been a kindred spirit of mine for a long time. Not just because she is a consistent supporter of other food blogs, takes mouth watering photos and develops terrific recipes for my kind of food, but also because she makes food I love to eat.

Like…

continue to the recipe… about Smoked Salmon Spread

Chicken Tzatziki Pizza

I’m always keeping an eye out for a nugget of inspiration to create a new recipe, whether it’s from a local restaurant, a TV show, old family favorites or from definitely from friends.

So when my intern and I were working last week, talking shop about design, food and our never ending to-do list, we realized it was time for lunch. Over lunch is when she shared an idea for a recipe that her friend had mentioned to her, and she was having some major cravings.

Chicken Tzatziki Pizza.continue to the recipe… about Chicken Tzatziki Pizza

The Simplest Alaskan King Crab Legs and a Valentine’s Dinner Round-Up

Hearts, sprinkles, love letters and romantic gestures from someone you’ve admired from afar. Or, maybe not. Valentine’s Day is one of the most anticipated holidays of the year. And the most dreaded.

But fear not the pudgy cherub with his pointy bow that may or may not be misdirected, it matters not whether you have a love in your life, you still need to feed your face.

A favorite of mine and my honey bunny poochie coo (er, husband) for V-day is keepin’ it simple with a bottle of wine and crackin’ crab in front of the Tivo and catching up on last week’s Parenthood.

Some people think crab is something you only get when you go out for that special meal, but honestly, we’re total opposites in that theory. Why spend all your dough on the restaurant mark-up when instead you can grab yourself a couple of extra legs to heat up toot sweet?

continue to the recipe… about The Simplest Alaskan King Crab Legs and a Valentine’s Dinner Round-Up

Zucchini and Dill Pasta Salad

By the looks of so many of my favorite foodie blogs, everyone is searching—and providing—amazing zucchini recipes this week. And with the plethora of veggie madness these plants provide, I say the more recipes the better.

So in an attempt to utilize my excessive zucchini jungle (how does one squash manage to explode into a super-hero size veggie in 24 hours anyway?) I’m discovering as many recipes as possible to incorporate/mask/hide/add zucchini into.

And this is one of my new favorites. It’s a a chameleon of a recipe: serve as a meatless option for a vegetarian main dish or toss in some grilled chicken or canned white tuna for even more extra added protein.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

0 from 0 votes

Zucchini and Dill Pasta Salad

This quick fresh pasta salad is great for summer nights on the patio.

Ingredients

Lemony Zucchini and Bean Pasta Salad
adapted from Donna Hay
Serves 4 as main course 8-10 as a side dish
1 lb. orecchiette pasta penne or farfalle would would work as well
3 medium size zucchini diced into 1/4" pieces
1 15 oz. can organic garbanzo beans drained (I like Westbrae brand)
1/2 lb fresh green beans trimmed and chopped into 1" pieces
1/4 cup fruity olive oil the best you can afford
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon zest from one lemon
1 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 tsp cracked fresh pepper
1/4 cup fresh dill chopped
1 cup or 10 oz package queso fresco cheese crumbled (you can also use any dry, white cheese such as feta)

Instructions

Cook the pasta in a saucepan of salted boiling water according to package directions or until al dente. Drain, rinse and set aside in a large bowl.
Blanche the green beans in a saucepan of simmering water for 1 minute. Remove and rinse with cold water, add to pasta. Add zucchini, garbanzo beans, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper and dill to pasta and beans and toss well to combine. Top with crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese. Refrigerate for one hour for flavors to marry. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

And for those of you with the need to fill your ever-growing zucchini fantasies beyond zucchini bread or recipes of the stuffed squash variety, check out the tasty veggie vittles below.

Expanding on Adrianna’s ever-growing list of veggies-turned-into-fries, A Cozy Kitchen‘s Zucchini Fries are crunchy on the outside, creamy in the middle and by baking instead of frying, prep is way easier than trudging out your once-a-year-oily-mess of a Fry Daddy. Oh, and did we mention she serves them with Garlic Aioli and Sriracha Mayo? Helloooo breath mints! In the best way of course.

Nothing makes zucchini more palatable—and kid-pleasing—than mixing it up with some hazelnut-ty Nutella goodness from A Spicy Perspective. Sommer’s Zucchini Nutella Swirl Muffins look especially drool-worthy, and since she’s done the testing for us, there’s no need to tweak this recipe. Trust the process or you’ll be making it 4 times over like Sommer did.

In 101 Cookbooks‘ savory version of traditional cheesecake, Heidi suggests using a box grater or microplane for best zuch texture (best to avoid the potential for zucchini mush) and if so inclined you could drain the ricotta for an even lighter and fluffier Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake. If that were possible. Delicious!

I was intrigued by the roasted walnuts in this dish, a nut I hadn’t thought to pair with zucchini. Dishing the Divine keeps Zucchini with Walnuts a quick and light side dish thanks to an assortment of fresh herbs. But be sure to heed Paula’s sage advice and don’t let the zuchs get too browned when cooking or you’ll be eating a zucchini pureé.

Still in need some inspiration? Head over to Kalyn’s for her top 20 zucchini recipe list

Thanks for reading. If you liked this post, please subscribe to foodiecrush and follow me on twitter, Facebook and Pinterest

Killer Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

Homemade Spicy Pickle Recipe

Creamy Dilled Red Potato Salad

Crunchy Green Salad with Dilly Chickpeas and Avocado

Crunchy Green Salad with Dilly Chickpeas and Avocado

Ingredients

Instructions

More Salads That Make a Meal

How to Make a Healthy Tzatziki Sauce and Dip

Puff Pastry Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Quiche

Creamy Bowtie Pasta with Salmon and Asparagus

Poached Salmon With Mustard Dill Sauce

Spiralized Refrigerator Quick Dill Pickles

Creamy Yogurt Cucumber Salad Recipe

Dilled Red Potatoes and Peas

Dill Cucumber Salad and 5 More Super Simple Cucumber Salads

Smoked Salmon Spread

Chicken Tzatziki Pizza

The Simplest Alaskan King Crab Legs and a Valentine’s Dinner Round-Up

Zucchini and Dill Pasta Salad

Zucchini and Dill Pasta Salad

Ingredients

Instructions

How to Make the Best Potato Salad

How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad

How to Make the Best Grilled Salmon

The Best Greek Chicken Marinade

dill

Homemade Spicy Pickle Recipe

Crunchy Green Salad with Dilly Chickpeas and Avocado

Ingredients

Instructions

More Salads That Make a Meal

Zucchini and Dill Pasta Salad

Ingredients

Instructions

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5 Quick and Healthy No-Sweat Simple Meals