goat cheese

Grilled Zucchini With Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts

When the garden overfloweth, it’s time to heat up the grill for a turn-eth on the coals-eth for an easy side dish of grilled zucchini topped with creamy goat cheese and pine nuts.

Zucchini are the David Copperfield of the vegetable kingdom.

One minute you’re gazing upon 3-inch still-room-to-grow zucchini when BOOM! with the slight of mother nature’s hand that cute little mini squash has suddenly turned into a 4-pound gargantuan with enough flesh for 324 loaves of zucchini bread or 41 pepperoni stuffed zucchini boats.

That’s veggie magic folks.

And this zucchini side dish is magic too. It’s healthy. It’s easy. And like the Italians do, it can be plated and set on a table to be ,served warm or at room temperature so it’s perfect for serving at a potluck or party.continue to the recipe… about Grilled Zucchini With Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts

Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata with Goat Cheese

Frittata egg breakfasts are usually a meal to share, but this two-egg, single-serving recipe packed with fresh asparagus, mushrooms, green onion and a sprinkling of goat cheese is the perfect way to enjoy a quick and healthy breakfast idea for one.

When I used to hear of people making frittatas, it sounded so glamorous, so exotic. It was a recipe you’d save to serve for company at a languid weekend brunch with mimosas and sunshine. Sure, frittatas can be exactly that. But they can also be one of the quickest, easiest breakfasts for one you’ll make all week, and that’s why a version of this ingredient combo hits my breakfast table at least once or twice a week.

When I started making frittatas for breakfast it was entirely by accident and purely because as a distracted multi-tasker who put my standard scrambled egg combo of asparagus, mushroom and green onion to cook on the stove, then started doing the dishes, and promptly forgot all about my eggs.

And so when I turned around I was happily surprised to see there was a sight to behold, a puffy mass of softly souffleéd egg cooking gently away in my pan.

This egg scrambling “mistake” wasn’t the first time I’d made a frittata (this one is SO GOOD!) but it is the one that made me realize this frittata-making situation just might be the easiest, hands-off way to make a fresh and fast, healthy grab-and-go breakfast each and every day of the week.

continue to the recipe… about Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata with Goat Cheese

Roasted Beet, Avocado and Goat Cheese Spinach Salad with Chicken

With a bit of planning and beginning of the week meal prep, your mid-week lunch can be a fresh tasting and totally fast to make bed of fresh spinach salad topped with make-ahead chicken breast and sliced avocado, tossed with everyone’s favorite salad combination of beets, goat cheese and pecans.

While I can often be found finishing off the leftovers of recipes you’ll find here on the blog, more likely than not, what you’ll most often find me eating for lunch is going to be a version of this salad, right here.

And yes, I totally agree, this spinach salad does look “so good”. I’m pretty dang happy with it too.

If you’re like me, this is one of those salads that once you hit midweek you feel pretty chuffed about and praise “hallelujah” for having a bit of forethought to do some basic beginning-of-the-week meal prep, because usually by the time Wednesday rolls around, my resolve is beginning to dissolve.

I cleaned out my fridge on Monday and this is a sampling of what survived the scourge (pecans, spinach) plus a few of the things I meal prepped (pickled beets, salad dressing and baked chicken) to be ready for a lunch situation just like this .

How Do You Make a Spinach Salad?

I’m defnitely a fan of the famed wilted spinach salad with warmed bacon dressing, but that’s more of a style I prepare to accompany dinner rather than serve as dinner, or in this case, lunch.

So this is how I do it…continue to the recipe… about Roasted Beet, Avocado and Goat Cheese Spinach Salad with Chicken

Spinach Salad with Turkey and Spiralized Apples and Butternut Squash

Leftover turkey breast shines in this spinach salad with spiralized butternut squash and apple in a sesame-tinged dressing for a full meal dinner or super easy and delicious lunch with mega crunch.

There’s nothing better than helping someone in need, and if you’ve ever had a newborn, you know you need all the help you can get. So when Ali of the food blog Inspiralized asked me if I’d be interested in sharing a recipe on her site while she was on maternity leave, I said yes in a heartbeat, because sharing recipes is a whole lot more fun than changing diapers.

The Inspiralizer has become one of my all-time favorite kitchen gadgets because it inspires healthful eating and makes regular old veggies and fruits look totally unique. Plus, it’s really kind of fun to use. If you don’t have one yet, you really should add it to your wish list.

It’s no secret that Ali is an Inspiralizer genius and her two cookbooks are proof in the curly-cued veggie pudding and they’ve inspired me to share this Thai Zucchini Noodle and Quinoa Salad recipe as well as this Caprese Zucchini Salad recipe from her first cookbook.

Now, from her second cookbook, Inspiralize Everything, I’m sharing this totally unique spin (literally) on what to make with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Because you can only eat so many turkey and stuffing sandwiches before the scale totally tips in the wrong direction.

About This Spinach Salad

This salad is the epitome of fall salads and is totally filling all on its own. It’s fresh flavors and veggie crunch will absolutely pull you out of your post-Thanksgiving Day rut, but because I love baking a turkey breast for my daughter’s weekly school lunches (this is my favorite way to bake an always juicy turkey breast) I can make this salad any old time I want.

Spiralized vegetables and fruit are an easy and healthful way to get in your daily 5-a-day in and with this salad, you’ll only have one left to add in.continue to the recipe… about Spinach Salad with Turkey and Spiralized Apples and Butternut Squash

Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Spinach and Goat Cheese

30-minute recipes like this stuffed chicken thighs recipe with a mixture of creamy, melty goat cheese, spinach, artichoke hearts, and sun dried tomatoes that sits right under the crispy skin, not only make boring chicken dinners a thing of the past, but since it’s cooked all in one cast iron skillet, the typicial stack of dishes to wash goes by the wayside, too.

As a recipe creator, it’s part of my job to look through cookbooks. But as a regular-old, home cook, one of my favorite hobbies is to look at them for fun, too. Call me crazy—I’m okay with that—but don’t ever think I don’t find myself one of the lucky few who actually gets to weave a hobby they love into their full-time job. I mean, how many of us can count walking through the grocery store and squeezing avocados or deciding on shrimp or chicken for dinner tonight as the means for their paycheck? So when I receive another new cookbook in the mail, it’s like Christmas at our house. Make that Christmas in the kitchen.

Today’s recipe comes from Megan of the blog Country Cleaver‘s new cookbook Cast Iron Gourmet, with recipes any home cook can easily master. From one-pot dinners, to meals made with just 5 ingredients, or those ready in 30 minutes or less, these cast-iron skillet or dutch oven recipes prove her tagline of “with less fuss and fewer dishes” totally true. And totally my kind of recipes.

Chicken is always a popular recipe to prepare. The best grilled chicken. Oven roasted chicken (proof that garlic, lemon and rosemary are made for one another.) And of course slow cooker chicken. So it’s no wonder that while looking through Megan’s book that’s loaded with a bounty of comfort food recipes and deliciously inspiring photos, chicken is what made me stop and stare.

To put it simply, chicken can sometimes get boring. But not this one. I’ve been ready to add a cheese stuffed chicken recipe to the blog forever, so when this one loaded with my best-loved Mediterranean-inspired ingredients of artichokes, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes caught my eye, it went straight to the top of my to-make-list.continue to the recipe… about Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Spinach and Goat Cheese

Green Salad with Shrimp, Beets, Sweet Pecans and Goat Cheese

Wintertime salads like this one are every bit in season thanks to the always favorite combo of flavors of sweet glazed pecans, roasted beets and goat cheese that are always ready and available. And when fresh grilled shrimp is a topper, you’ve just made yourself an entire meal in one bowl.

This post is in partnership with DeLallo Foods

I love winter. I love the snow. I love the cocooning and snuggling and general laze winter allows us to justify. And while I’m still obsessively checking my Weather app and welcoming every prediction of snowfall as if it was the first of the season—thanks Punxsutawney Phil—I do have to admit I am missing myself some rays of warm sunshine.

Here in Northern Utah the skies have either been weeping with snow, cloudy and gray, or seeped in a valley inversion ever since Christmas. And I have to admit, it’s starting to get to me. I’m not normally one to get the moody blues, not even a tinge of baby blues, but I can tell that missing my source of Vitamin D (Mr. Sunshine) has been messing with my psyche.

Lately I’ve been really good at keeping my head down and sort of numbly going through the motions while ignoring a lot of what else is going on around me. So if you haven’t received an e-mail back from me, fear not, you are not alone.continue to the recipe… about Green Salad with Shrimp, Beets, Sweet Pecans and Goat Cheese

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Egg Casserole

This hearty, filling slow cooker egg casserole recipe with Mediterranean flavors, goat cheese, and prosciutto is simple to put together and can be assembled the night before so it’ll cook while you sleep!

This post is in partnership with KraftRecipes.com. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.

We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief because the finish line is close. The end of 2016 is drawing near and holiday reverie is slowly slipping from our candy cane-grubbed-grasp.

There’s just one downside to the holidays. Okay, make that two.

The first one is that the holidays eventually come to an end. I’m a Christmas girl so holiday time for me is honestly the most wonderful time of the year.

The second—and the one we need to watch out for the most—is the supreme pressure we put on ourselves to make the holiday perfect. We overcommit, over-extend and over-do. This year I say we cut ourselves a little slack and take an easier way out—especially when it comes to cooking. How? By taking a few shortcuts to create a homemade holiday from the heart.continue to the recipe… about Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Egg Casserole

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad With Roasted Beets, Pecans and Goat Cheese

This easy shaved Brussels sprouts salad sweetened with roasted beets and crunchy pecans is delicious as a healthy and vegetarian main dish or served as a side.

Wait. What? How could it possibly be that there are only 45 days left (if I did my math correctly which is not at all likely) before we’re ringing in all the good things, tossing out the bad, and setting goals and making plans for all of the inspiration of 2017 with my new printed planner that will organize your life, inspire you to meal plan, get in the kitchen, and make life just a whole lot easier!!!????

Yes, you heard right, now go check it out!

But seriously. How did we skip through 2016 in a blink of an eye? Where.did.it.go?

I’m not really sure of the answer, but I do know I’ll be following the shreds of this shaved Brussels sprouts salad all the way through 2017 and beyond. continue to the recipe… about Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad With Roasted Beets, Pecans and Goat Cheese

Spinach, Artichoke and Goat Cheese Quiche

This fluffy, savory quiche pie recipe made with eggs, artichoke, spinach goat cheese, and Almondmilk makes weekend brunches a tasty breeze!

This is another recipe I’ve created in my partnership with Blue Diamond Almond Breeze, a breakfast or brunch dish that’s lightened up thanks to Almondmilk.

My friend Kelley makes a really great quiche.

The first time I ate one of her quiche creations was at a local blogging brunch where we all brought something along to add to the potluck party. I was immediately smitten with Kelly’s quiche-ing skills, likely due to the fact I am always enchanted by a baked custard of any kind. And hers was delicious.

Quiche is one of those recipes specially reserved for brunching. Why we don’t eat it for regular old breakfast any day of the week is a mystery to me. It’s mix of humble ingredients combine for a deceptively grand appearance, and is truly a dish with an alter ego.

With Mother’s Day rounding the corner of the calendar, a good quiche is always an impressive entertaining option. Because they require minimal work (especially if you use a store-bought pie dough) any level of home cook can prep ahead and then sit back and enjoy being queen for a day.continue to the recipe… about Spinach, Artichoke and Goat Cheese Quiche

Zucchini and Fresh Corn Farmers’ Market Salad with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

This raw salad gets its spunk from a garlicky-lemon basil vinaigrette that lightly marinates the thin squash peels and freshly shucked corn kernels.

This salad is proof that you don’t always have to have a plan.

Sometimes the best dishes are created on the fly, without intention or strategy. If you just let intuition take over.

Ingredients don’t always lend you inspiration right off the bat. They reveal themselves in good time. I think this salad captures the essence of summer — bright and fresh, lazy and satisfying.

After a visit to the farmers’ market one recent Saturday, FoodieCrush contributor Hayley found herself with a bounty of veggies and no idea what to do with them. Feeling hungry, but not particularly ambitious, she decided to throw together this summer salad.

Hayley loved it so much she knew it needed to be on the blog because with just one bite, she divined three revelations.

“1. Why don’t I shave squash more often? It’s so pretty,” she questioned.

“2. I can’t say “summer salad” without thinking of I Love you, Man.”

“And, 3. I just made a raw salad for dinner. And it was really good. And very adult of me.”

Nice job Hayley, and welcome to grownup-land and the world of raw. Now how about that recipe so the rest of us can enjoy it too?

continue to the recipe… about Zucchini and Fresh Corn Farmers’ Market Salad with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

Beet, Avocado and Fried Goat Cheese Salad

Creamy avocado, earthy beets and crispy fried goat cheese make up this delicious, leafless salad that’s drizzled with a shallot and white balsamic dressing and topped with delicate micro greens.

If you’re a parent, you know the feeling when you hear someone else is having a baby.

Smiles. There’s always lots of smiles. And hugs. Hugs all around.

And then there’s that 10 second shock from nerve endings going on high alert with your own memories of nervousness, wonderment and anxiety about whether or not you’re ready—or capable—to bring a little bootied being into the world. If you’re a woman, there’s also the little nick in the back of your brain of whether you’ll be able to weather the delivery room drama.

Just as quickly, anxiety gives way to the feeling of excitement as the memories of the first time you nuzzled your own little munchkin in that spot of his or her neck, right behind the ear, breathing in that special scent that only newborns possess.

Love seeps its way into your bloodstream and, suddenly, whether you wanted it, craved it or were apathetic about it, you’re now a parent.

And this baby is all yours.

Today, this recipe is in celebration of a dear friend who is having her own baby. It’s a virtual baby shower for Erin, of Naturally Ella.

continue to the recipe… about Beet, Avocado and Fried Goat Cheese Salad

6 Easy Snacks in 5 Ingredients or Less

A crunchy Triscuit cracker holds up to every flavor combination in these six bite size snacks using just 5 ingredients or less.

This post is in partnership with Triscuit and Refinery 29.

I’m a snacker. I think I get it from my grandma Mary Jane. She was never a big eater, but was always snacking on “just a little something.”

My snacking habits started young. It was part of my daily routine, just as much as brushing my hair and mercilessly teasing my little sister.

Every day after school I would get out my homework, and then flip on the kitchen TV (ours was a black and white 13-inch number with rabbit ears and no remote) to watch re-run episodes of The Brady Bunch, Gilligan’s Island, Leave It to Beaver, Eight is Enough, Bewitched and the occasional ABC After School Special.

Then it was time to start my snack fest.continue to the recipe… about 6 Easy Snacks in 5 Ingredients or Less

One-Pan Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce

You might have a secret desire to be Suzy homemaker. Or to be known as the Martha Stewart of your neighborhood. Or strive to be just like whoever that overachiever is on Pinterest who makes, creates and cooks every. single. thing. from scratch.

I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to let those dreams die.

It’s okay to take a short cut here and there.

You don’t have to do it all, every. single. time. Especially when it comes to weeknights in the kitchen when all you’re craving is some simple, easy comfort food.

Hey! Let’s jump on the short cut, one-pan-dinner train together.

continue to the recipe… about One-Pan Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce

Grilled Romaine Salad with Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp

I like to think I have an adventuresome palate. Not that you’ll find me eating deep-fried crickets anytime soon—or should I say again—like that time I did in Thailand. But that is another story for another day.

Boring salads are my nemesis. I’m more into loading it on with a fresh and vibrant variety of flavors when it comes to dressing up the greens. Just one reason why I’m happy to share this salad recipe as part of my partnership with DeLallo Foods and their new line of SaladSavors®.

I’ve been on a grilling charge this month and could see no reason to stop at lettuce. Crunchy romaine hearts are sturdy enough to embrace a charcoal sear so that’s whey they were my top choice as the base of this hearty salad.

Next up, protein. If I’m making a salad for a main meal I need to add a dose of protein to get me through to my next mealtime. Shrimp is one of my favorite salad pairings, and since I was already heating up the grill, a wrap of salty proscuitto around my soon to be crusty crustaceans thanks to the char of the embers was exactly what was in order.

Then it was time for my favorite part, the colorful accoutrements. That’s fancy speak for tasty toppings.

continue to the recipe… about Grilled Romaine Salad with Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp

Goat Cheese Stuffed Fig, Melon and Prosciutto Salad

The journey that led me to this simple Goat Cheese Stuffed Fig, Melon and Prosciutto Salad was just the ticket to a little mental time out.

Yesterday morning I drove up the canyon toward my photo shoot destination. The radio signal weaved in and out as it typically does, making the radio music that served as unacknowledged background filler a total distraction to the much louder brain noise churning through my head as I catalogued my mind’s daily to-do list.

I realized I hadn’t been hearing the tunes at all when the crackle was nearly as annoying as the same 23 songs I hear whenever Smudge and I are in the car together.

Our musical conversations tend to go something like this, “Mom, can you put it on 6?” and we listen to Taylor Swift belt out the blues about some bad-boy boyfriend she can’t seem to hold onto. “Mom, can you change it to 5?” and we hear Bruno Mars in his big-brimmed hat cry about being locked out of the pearly gates.

Heaven forbid One Direction or the Cups song comes on for the 9,374th time this month. Total freak-out ensues. And I must admit, I totally egg it on.

But yesterday I needed a break. A break from the chatter, a break from the radio and a break from the noise that was inside my head. So I turned off the tunes, or lack thereof, and practiced a little car meditation. As my engine wound up as it climbed the hill to the summit, I worked on my mind winding down.

continue to the recipe… about Goat Cheese Stuffed Fig, Melon and Prosciutto Salad

Heirloom Tomato Caprese Frico Cups

Simple, summery and a great little appetizer with a salty parmesan bowl of its own, these Heirloom Tomato Caprese Frico Cups make singing the swan song to summer a little easier.

With the long days turning shorter and my summer escapes coming to a quick end, I’ve been weaning my cravings for simple summer recipes and tank top wearing tan lines and replacing them with thoughts of long oven braises and pulling an ear hugging beanie over my chilly head as I search through my closet for those knit gloves I bought last year that have the touchy things on the tips of the fingers so I can still use my iPhone once the weather turns cold. Those things are genius.

Fall flavors are giving summer bounty a bit of a shove off and I’m not sure how sad I am about it.

Maybe that’s because my garden SUCKS this summer. With a capital S.U.C.K.S.

My stringy and nearly leafless heirloom tomato plants—the ones I was so excited to cultivate so I could pluck juicy mater orbs straight from the vine and take a big old bite out of their still warm flesh—are as lifeless and lilting as a 6 foot, 95-pound fashion model prepping for her fall debut on the catwalk.

Straight up sad I tell you.

And what’s worse is no matter how hard I try, my tomato loving cravings for recipes like Heirloom Tomato BLTs, Pasta with Marinated Tomatoes and my fave weeknight freshie of Avocado, Onion and Tomato Salad have not ebbed the tide. And last year’s post of 55 Fresh and Tasty Tomato Recipes? This year, it’s been a question if I would make it to 56.

Until now.

The thing I love about heirloom tomatoes is how imperfect they are. Let’s just say I can relate. Some are on the pudgy side with a too-tight-in-the-jeans muffin top, some are are cracked and crooked. And for most the color is never quite the same so slicing them to see the rainbow of color inside is always a fun surprise.

continue to the recipe… about Heirloom Tomato Caprese Frico Cups

Grilled Zucchini With Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts

Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata with Goat Cheese

Roasted Beet, Avocado and Goat Cheese Spinach Salad with Chicken

How Do You Make a Spinach Salad?

Spinach Salad with Turkey and Spiralized Apples and Butternut Squash

About This Spinach Salad

Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Spinach and Goat Cheese

Green Salad with Shrimp, Beets, Sweet Pecans and Goat Cheese

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Egg Casserole

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad With Roasted Beets, Pecans and Goat Cheese

Spinach, Artichoke and Goat Cheese Quiche

Zucchini and Fresh Corn Farmers’ Market Salad with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

Beet, Avocado and Fried Goat Cheese Salad

6 Easy Snacks in 5 Ingredients or Less

One-Pan Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce

Grilled Romaine Salad with Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp

Goat Cheese Stuffed Fig, Melon and Prosciutto Salad

Heirloom Tomato Caprese Frico Cups

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

goat cheese

How Do You Make a Spinach Salad?

About This Spinach Salad

Follow @foodiecrush on Instagram

5 Quick and Healthy No-Sweat Simple Meals