lunch

How to Make the Best Minestrone Soup

My Grandma’s easy minestrone soup recipe is one of the healthiest vegetable-loaded soups you’ll make, and it tastes far better than any of those Olive Garden copycat recipes thanks to the secret ingredient in the savory broth.

Easy Minestrone Soup Recipe

“It is well worth the time and effort.”

But then, isn’t most anything when it’s done with love?

My sweet Grandma Frieda passed away when I was a senior in college and while there are many things that remind me of her, as a recipe maker it’s the cookbooks I inherited from her that I see most often. And this recipe for minestrone soup that graces the pages has always been one of my favorites.

continue to the recipe… about How to Make the Best Minestrone Soup

Juicy Roast Turkey Breast

The best way to cook roast turkey breast isn’t in the crockpot, but in the oven instead, and it only takes 30 minutes to cook!

Thanksgiving isn’t the only time of the year to talk turkey. Sure, it’s a popular protein over the holidays, but it should totally be considered as a dinner contender any time of year.

Turkey. It isn’t just for sandwiches anymore.

Turkey has so much more to offer than just a side dish to mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. Especially when it’s cooked as a roasted turkey breast like this easy-to-make recipe.continue to the recipe… about Juicy Roast Turkey Breast

How to Make Homemade Sloppy Joes

Forget the cans of Manwich sloppy joe sauce, because my mom’s homemade sloppy joes recipe is just as easy to make and sixty-four (or more) times as good, especially knowing there’s a generous helping of vegetables inside this homemade, ground hamburger-ed, comfort food, beef-ey sandwich.

Remember the days when licking your plate was encouraged? They still are. And your fingers, and your chin too.

I originally published this recipe in the earlier days of le FoodieCrush blog, and after making it time and time again, I felt it was time for a little refresh. It’s totally worthy.

One of my favorite dinners as a kid was always Sloppy Joes, and the memories of stealing tastes of this burger/veggie mixture as it simmered on the stove still renders the same take-a-bite-then-burn-the-top-of-my-mouth-oh-no-it’s-now-become-a-blister result today as I hear the subliminal retort of my mom echo in my adult ear to “leave it alone or there’ll be nothing left for the rest of us to eat.”

Guilty as charged. But, sorry mom, I still can’t help myself. And if you’re a fan of easy recipes and you make this one, my mom will tell you it’s okay that you taste-test your way through the making of it, too.

And I’m here to attest, the top-of-the-mouth-blisters are totally worth it.continue to the recipe… about How to Make Homemade Sloppy Joes

Matzo Ball Soup with Chicken Meatballs and Homemade Chicken Broth Recipe

Matzo Ball Soup with Chicken Meatballs is an easy and homemade way to celebrate Passover or any matzo ball craving—with a twist.

I’m not Jewish. But I am definitely a matzo ball lover.

It all started with late night jaunts to the classic Canters Deli where I became an obsessive fan of matzo ball soup with all the fixins’ — noodles, matzo ball, kreplach, chicken and carrots. What the crap is a kerplach, you ask? It’s sort of a jewish tortellini and pretty darned good.

But oh, THE BROTH. That delicious broth that brought me back to my senses in those wee late night hours. If only I could replicate it—the broth, not the late hours. But I’m no Jewish mother—although my husband will say I do have the stereotypical tendencies. Sadly, those secret, Old World ways of chicken broth making may never make it to my stove.

But I do have a delicious recipe that hits home and curbs my matzo ball craving every time. And what better time to share with you than in celebration of Passover and Easter weekend? Yum. You’ll soon be a believer.

This ingredient list looks long, but is really easy. If you’re making your own broth, the key is a long, slow simmer for all of those veggie and chicken flavors to marry in holy matzo-mony.continue to the recipe… about Matzo Ball Soup with Chicken Meatballs and Homemade Chicken Broth Recipe

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Ricotta Cheese

This easy pasta dish comes together in less than 15 minutes with a fresh tomato sauce made even healthier with whole wheat pasta and spinach that’s topped with ricotta cheese. This is where healthy meets happy!

I’ve grown tomatoes in my garden for years. But the past few seasons have seen a steady downward spiral of yield thanks to my neighbor’s growing trees and some dastardly devilish varmints who snatch up the lessening fruit they finally yield. My tomato crop at the end of summer has turned into a total bummer crop instead of my oh-so-wishful bumper crop.

But I’m not going to let my less-than-stellar farmer skills get in the way of eating fresh tomatoes however I can. Between farmers markets and the farmer down the street, I’m keeping flush with my tomato loving ways.

This warm pasta dish is one of my favorite simple lunch or dinner recipes, and one reason I’m bound to this end-of-summer crop. It’s a bit like a caprese pasta but uses ricotta cheese instead of mozzarella.

The “sauce” is made with fresh tomatoes steeped in olive oil and garlic then added to the warm pasta so there’s hardly any cooking to do at all. It’s the perfect recipe for when you’re short on time but still want real good, real food on the table.

continue to the recipe… about Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Ricotta Cheese

Easy Quiche Lorraine

This classic quiche lorraine recipe is an easy make-ahead breakfast, brunch, or lunch made of creamy egg custard, bacon and cheese filling.

Growing up, my dad’s usual weekend breakfast spread for the rest of us was bacon and eggs. A fancy dish like quiche was totally foreign to me, and I only knew of it because I loved the B-52’s and their quiche lorraine song. I thought quiche was only for chic occasions because it’s all fancy-French and must be finicky to make.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Quiche is basically the French version of my dad’s classic American breakfast of bacon and eggs but whisked into custard that’s baked in a buttery crust.

When visiting Paris earlier this year, quiche was served at every corner bistro at every time of day, and along with me and my daughter, my husband hungrily and happily proved that yes, real men do eat quiche.continue to the recipe… about Easy Quiche Lorraine

Greek Cobb Salad

This Cobb salad with a twist loads all of my favorite Mediterranean salad ingredients plus the best Greek marinated chicken ever into one savage salad to make a complete, healthy meal in one big bowl.

This Greek Cobb salad is like the Woodstock of salads, bringing so much to one place to deliver peace, love, and joy with a trancelike glow that makes an incredible memory for anyone who experiences it. And just like Woodstock, you too will have wished you’d been there to eat it even if you didn’t.

I heard back from so many of you on my email list where I shared this healthier turkey sausage pasta dinner, when you answered my question, do you want more healthy recipes? The answer was a resounding, YES! like this reply from reader Ann, who wrote:

“Hi I would love any help cooking delicious meals “heart healthy”. I must live a low sodium diet/low fat/etc.., but I miss all the yummy comfort foods I loved. Any help would be appreciated!!”

I admit, this mediterranean Greek Cobb salad may not be everyone’s idea of typical “comfort food”—aka fried, buttered, and gooey-leyed cheesed—but to me, anything that shines with my favorite mediterranean flavors is a comfort to my taste buds—and a whole lot healthier too.continue to the recipe… about Greek Cobb Salad

Lemon Chicken Stew

A one-pot dinner is a must-make meal for any new mom and dad. And with a lemony twist on the classic chicken and rice soup—this time with orzo pasta that helps thicken this flavor-filled cooking bonanza—my Lemon Chicken Stew, is a spunked up contribution to a virtual baby shower for my fellow food blogger Liz at The Lemon Bowl.

Every mom needs to catch a break, especially in the kitchen. While I’m a lover of the cookin’, I’m not much of a fan of the washin’.

That’s why this lemon chicken stew is the perfect one-pot dinner—with leftovers for the next day—for any new mom and dad ready to pucker up and kiss those newborn baby toes.

One pot, that’s all. Dinner is served.

I met Liz of The Lemon Bowl when we were visiting the farmers who put Dole Salads onto dinner tables across America, and I was immediately drawn to her wit and punchy personality. This girl has charisma to spare.

So when a group of food bloggers invited me to join in her virtual baby shower party I was more than happy to join the party.

In my opinion, baby butt wipe warmers and all of the other needless baby junk can easily be bypassed at the typical baby registry. What really counts as a present is keeping mom and dad out of the kitchen so they can grab some zzz’s and spend their time where they should and shouldn’t be: away from the dish soap, and instead, snuggling with their baby love.

Liz already has a toddler to keep her busy, so with a new babe on the way, I had a feeling a dish that is a minimizer in the kitchen but is full of comfort is a sure winner in these new parentals’ cookbook.

Did I mention it’s her birthday this week too? This is a serious double header.continue to the recipe… about Lemon Chicken Stew

Curry Lentil Soup with Butternut Squash and Greens

Simple vegetarian soups are easy to come by, but this healthy curried lentil soup recipe serves a purpose, too.

This recipe is brought to you by Kroger

My best friend is one of the most enthusiastic people I know. She is a PhD. She is a dreamer. She is a CEO. She is an avid, and I mean AVID animal rescuer. She travels, she mentors, she’s curious, she’s beautiful, she loves mimosas, and in business and in life, she is the ultimate planner.

And my best friend has Stage 4 Metastatic HER2 Positive Breast Cancer.

Wait. Hold up. This is not part of Kim’s plan.

Stage 4. Cancer. Those words…they’re so scary to hear. I have no idea what it’s like to live with them banging about in your brain, rattling your heart, day in and day out.

Ironically, I received her call about the cancer diagnosis on a Saturday morning while at a Kroger retreat in Detroit. She had been to the doctor the day before. She told me the cancer was back. She told me she wished that five years ago her insurance would have allowed her to have the double mastectomy she wanted, instead of just the one she did have. I’ll never forget that phone call as I paced the floor, talking to Kim, my head spinning out and my heart breaking for my friend.

And now, here I am, sharing our story and a very special recipe in a post sponsored by Kroger’s Sharing Courage breast cancer awareness program for women, their families, and their support systems. And each and every one of them are very important stories to tell.continue to the recipe… about Curry Lentil Soup with Butternut Squash and Greens

Italian Chicken Wrap

You may see pinwheel wrap sandwiches so often at the store or the quick mart you don’t even realize how easy they are to make at home. But this healthy Italian Chicken Wrap sandwich has a few secrets up it’s tortilla that’ll make it so you’ll never want a take-it-with-you lunch any other way again.

This recipe is brought to you by DeLallo Foods

It seems that lunches are the meal that can make or break your best eating intentions.

I know you know what I’m talking about. And I know that if you’ve said it to yourself once, you’ve said it 4053 times.

“This week I’m totally taking my lunch every day.”

But then it’s the night before and you’re too tired to pull a lunch together, or your morning is in a frenzy, or your delicate ingredients have all gone bad.

And then there you are. Once again, your intentions are dashed, leaving you staring emptily at the vending machine or forking over $13.84 for a lame something or another that really is just not that good. And worse, that marginal lunch is both taking away from your budget’s bottom line while adding too many calories to your very own bottom that soon won’t fit into your jeans if you keep this up young lady. (oops, did I say that out loud?)

But this easy Italian chicken wrap lunch is different. And here’s why.continue to the recipe… about Italian Chicken Wrap

Greek Chicken Gyro Salad

Greek food and especially gyros are one of my favorite kind of meals, but since I’m not much of a fan of lamb, it’s my marinated Greek chicken and chickpeas that adds the protein to this easy Greek gyro style salad with a yogurt tzatziki sauce perfect for a meal prep lunch or dinner.

This Greek gyro chicken salad is one of those types of salads that makes a statement, declaring that Mediterranean dishes are just as good in a bowl as they are stuffed in a pita or grilled on a skewer.

This Greek salad is far from contrived, or uppity, or way too out there. It’s just a good, basic salad that covers all the major food groups. I love that this salad can be prepped ahead for take-to-work or school lunches—proven by my Ali Smudge who is obsessed with it.

On busy weeknights, it makes for a super fast dinner. It’s ready to roll for everyone at to eat together, or parceled out as your peeps filter in for meal time.

Because doesn’t it seem that’s more the case than ever these days?continue to the recipe… about Greek Chicken Gyro Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing

This Chinese Chicken Salad takes the healthier high road than the heavier versions I always see at those popular food chains that everyone loves. But this one with crunchy romaine, wontons, and an almond crunch, topped with protein-packed chicken breast, pasta noodles, and a flavor-flav sesame dressing.

Lighter fare that totally satisfies is what I’m craving now. And as summer’s flowy skirts and loose-fitting shift dresses morph into fall’s jeans and thigh hugging pants, it seems lighter food is part of my weekly anthem.

Goodbye my fave potato salad and chocolate drizzled ice cream cones dripping down my chin. Hello meal planning, gym going, and my fave weight loss plan.

And that’s where my all-time favorite—and healthier—Chinese Chicken Salad comes in.

I’ve updated this recipe post because I refer to it all the time and it needed some updated love.

I CRAVE this salad, and it’s one I love to make for ladies lunches or for a simple, and lighter meal for a crowd. Because who doesn’t love a good Chinese Chicken Salad anyway?

continue to the recipe… about Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls

Quick, easy, and totally flavorful, these Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls with brown rice, black beans, and served with tomatoes and avocado are just the right level of adobo spice with a touch of honey to sweeten up meal prep for any lunch or dinner.

When I looked over and read what her t-shirt said, I thought of several people I know who spend at least part of every day feeling exactly the same way.

Hangry. Hungry + angry = Hangry.

Personally, its rare that I ever get to the hangry stage because I work from home, so when I’m hungry, I can dart into the kitchen to make a quick lunch, grab a handful of almonds, or whip up my fave afternoon yogurt + berries + granola snack. But it’s highly likely I’m in the minority.

Enter #hangry.

This rice bowl recipe comes from the new cookbook aimed at solving that dreaded meal-time dilemma of getting nutritious meals in the belly when time isn’t always on your side. The Weekday Lunches and Breakfasts Cookbook: Easy and Delicious Home-Cooked Meals for Busy Families by Mary Younkin of the food blog Barefeet In the Kitchen, serves up super-simple breakfasts and lunches that work for everyone at the table. Or if you’re like me, easy to eat at the desk too.

Filled with recipes for quick, easy, and make-ahead breakfasts and lunches, this is the busy person’s cookbook with freezer storage suggestions and easy to reheat directions galore.

Over on my Instagram stories I took a poll and asked your opinion which recipe I should make from the book, and not surprisingly, this Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls came out on top. And here’s why… continue to the recipe… about Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls

Arugula Salad with Pesto Shrimp, Parmesan and White Beans

This Mediterranean-inspired arugula and pesto shrimp salad is not only super simple to prepare ahead of time for lunch, but because you can meal prep it straight from your pantry and freezer, it’s incredibly easy to make on the fly, too.

This recipe is brought to you by Kroger

Breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day.

Dinner. That’s when families come together.

But lunch? Ugh. Who has time to actually make and enjoy lunch?

Preparing a healthier, real good, real food lunch instead of grabbing your mid-day meal at the drive-thru or the food court—or worse, skipping it all together—is probably one of the biggest hurdles of completing our goals of a healthier day.

Because who hasn’t totally derailed their plans of “this week is the week I’m totally going to stick to the plan” and suddenly the day’s in-between-gaps get filled, appointments and projects and schedules and commitments all roll over and blanket one another, and it’s just that much easier to pick up some lunch instead of make up some lunch.

This is exactly why getting into the habit of shopping ahead of time for your weekly eating plan, adding a few quality ingredients to your freezer and pantry, and doing a bit of easy meal prep at the beginning of the wekk is more important than ever. Because is can all be in the plan, man!

Real Food Ingredients

A big part of my product choices are those that are part of my real good, real food eating plans. Whole foods with minimal or no processing, no added antibiotics, and great, fresh, quality is key. But only at a price point I feel good about.continue to the recipe… about Arugula Salad with Pesto Shrimp, Parmesan and White Beans

Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Broccoli and Tomato

Chicken quinoa bowls have staked their healthy claim on quick and easy meal-prep dinners that are flexible enough to mix and match ingredients for take-to-work lunches that never get boring, too.

This quinoa bowl combines what seems to be my ever-lasting, default flavor combo, inspired by Mediterranean flavors ala Donny and Marie: it’s a little bit Italian, and a little bit Greek goddessness. And it all taste good to me.

Over the years I’ve found myself adopting more and more recipes inspired by the Mediterranean diet to my weekly eating plan. I eat more anitoxidant-rich vegetables and fruits (avocado all day!), healthy legumes and whole grains, and loads of fresh herbs. I don’t eat a whole lot of red meat, but chicken, turkey, and EFA-loaded fish like salmon are my friends and olive oil tinged with lemon is one of my favorite flavorings.

And wine. Yes, wine is heart-healthy too.

I’ve known about the heart-healthy benefits of the Mediterranean style of eating ever since my days designing health and wellness magazines, way back when you had to shop for quinoa in specialty health food stores and when my editors made sure I didn’t sound alike a complete goof when I said “kwin-O-aaa” instead of “KEEEN-wa.” Bless their hearts, they were always looking out for me.continue to the recipe… about Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Broccoli and Tomato

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 3 votes

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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Crispy Parmesan Buttermilk Chicken Tenders (Baked or Air Fryer)

Totally healthy and surprisingly crispy, these juicy chicken tenders are crisped with a panko and Parmesan crunch with directions for baking or cooking in the air fryer.

Seriously Crispy Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

I think my Smudge pretty much lived on Dino Nuggets from the day she began “choosing” her own solid food as she blossomed into a picky-eating toddler until the time she finally released her hold on those toaster oven chicks by the time she was 5 or 6 years old.

Whether you’ve had McDonald’s chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, chicken strips, or chicken fingers, the question has always been who has the best, and whether you can actually get a good and juicy, crispy piece of chicken without deep fat frying them in a tub of oil that only loads on the calories and the greasy bites. Because while there are times for enjoying a crunchy piece of finger lickin’ good fried chicken, weeknight dinners that need to be ready quick and with minimal mess isn’t exactly that time.

But unlike the deep fried variety, this buttermilk chicken tender recipe made with panko and a bit of Parmesan cheese delivers two wholesome methods to achieve that crispy, crunchy bite by simply baking or air frying for any fast weeknight meal. And they’re so good you just might break them out for the weekend too.

This breaded chicken tenders recipe comes from Aimée Wimbush-Baourgue, the author of the recipe blog Simple Bites, and her cookbook The Simple Bites Kitchen: Nourishing Whole Food Recipes for Everyday, featuring 100 wholesome, family-focused recipes inspired by her modern yet homespun kitchen where everyone is invited to take a seat and dig in alongside her.

Aimée’s food philosophy is one I bet most of us share when she says cooking is an act of love. “Preparing food is one of the most familiar and natural gestures of caring for my family,” she says about her cooking both in her cookbook and on her blog where she delivers nutritious, seasonal, fairly simple but totally delicious meals that are all about balance and both adult and kid-approved.

And as one of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow, Aimée inspires all of us cooks in the kitchen no matter which platform she’s sharing on. And thanks to Instagram, you guys helped me choose this recipe as the one to share from her new cookbook.

Because who won’t admit to loving a healthier crispy chicken tender??

continue to the recipe… about Crispy Parmesan Buttermilk Chicken Tenders (Baked or Air Fryer)

Chicken and Mango Rainbow Veggie Wraps

If you’re still debating whether a wrap is really a sandwich or not, you can use this one as proof that either which way the vote comes in, we all agree that healthy, crunchy rainbow wrap lunches are what make the world go ’round.

This post is brought to you by Almond Breeze

My daughter is mildly amused with the return to my teenage fascination with rainbows.

Chalk it up to reliving the memories of my eighth grade year as she makes her way through hers. Or it may be thanks to my continuing countdown of the quickly fading days of this age of innocence for my lil’ baby. Or maybe it’s thanks to the ’80s boomerang of denim overalls, scrunchies, boom boxes, Polaroid cameras, casseroles, mom jeans and new remakes of Full House, CHiPs and Roseanne.

🌈 Either/or/and/alloftheabove…ahhh, 8th grade. Best year ever. 🌈

This easy, veg-heavy Thai-flavored lunch wrap represents all the things right with eating the rainbow. You’ve heard it a hundred times. At least I hope you have: Eating the rainbow is one of the best ways to ensure you’re getting all the right nutrients in one fell swoop. And it’s just one more reason that eating a healthy wrap for an easy lunch or quick dinner is a good idea.

continue to the recipe… about Chicken and Mango Rainbow Veggie Wraps

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

Crab and Shrimp Seafood Cobb Salad

Fresh snow crab and sweet bay shrimp sub in for the traditional chicken in this light but filling Cobb salad tossed with a tangy red wine vinaigrette.

The old saying may go, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” but the literal translation is: “The toppings are what make a good salad GREAT.”

You get me? Let’s break it down.

Any great Cobb salad’s list of ingredients could certainly stand on their own any day of the week. I mean, who hasn’t sprinkled salt and pepper on a freshly-cut summer tomato and deemed it the best thing they ever ate? Or scooped avocado straight from it’s shell and slipped it down the old pie hole in one creamy bite? And don’t get me started on how salty, crispy bacon bits magically disappear thanks to those nibbling elves before reaching their plated destination.

But together, those bites of tomato, avocado and bacon alongside bits of spunky cheese, crunchy romaine, and the sweet bites of snow crab and tender bay shrimp, is when this salad becomes the whole Cobb and nothing but the Cobb. Even though I forgot to show the hard boiled egg in the photos. Grrr. Next time!

If you’re at all familiar with Market Street Grill in Utah, then you’ve likely seen this seafood Cobb salad. It’s been on the menu since 1980, and while it’s had a maybe one or two tweaks through the years, it’s essence has always remained the same.

When I was a server at Market Street Grill, this was always a #1 summer seller. And still today, when my dad orders his usual Grilled Crab and Avocado Sandwich, it’s ~~very likely~~ guaranteed that this salad is what both my mom and I will order every.single.time. Creatures of habit or creatures of really good food? Perhaps a bit of both. And I’m totally okay with that.

About the Recipe

The twist to this Cobb salad is the replacement of chicken with sweet and tender snow crab and bay shrimp. I prefer a larger bay shrimp and look for the biggest I can find, and as always, frozen shrimp thaws just right so frozen in the bag is an easy way to go. You’ll likely need just one 5-legged section of snow crab legs, and because they’re previously cooked, simply thaw or rinse the crab in cold water and then remove the meat from the shell. Or do like I did and buy the crab meat already shelled. You’ll pay more this way, but you only need 1/4 pound of crab (and also of shrimp) to make 2 servings as a main course salad.

In the recipe photos I’m sharing today I totally spaced adding a hard boiled egg. If you’re like me and sad that I didn’t include, add 1 or 2 hard boiled eggs roughly chopped as a layer to the salad. That should certainly do the job.

For years I’ve searched the internet for the recipe to Market Street’s vinaigrette dressing and finally, after a deep dive into Google, I found a version of the recipe on this recipe board. It’s not 100% the same to my buds of taste, but it is certainly delicious at the 99% mark. When making the dressing, be sure to use very lightly cracked black peppercorns rather than fine ground pepper. That in itself is a game changer.

And one more tip: If you’re like me and don’t love the lingering smell of a bacon-saturated home, try cooking your bacon in a cast iron skillet on the grill. It’s a super easy baconless-smelling-home solution.

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.

4.84 from 12 votes

Crab and Shrimp Seafood Cobb Salad

The vinaigrette salad dressing yields one cup, more than you'll need for these salads. Reserve the rest of the dressing for other uses like pasta salad, as a marinade for chicken, and of course, for future salads.

Ingredients

4 slices thick cut bacon diced
6 cups sliced romaine lettuce
1/4 pound bay shrimp
1/4 pound snow crab meat
3-4 cocktail tomatoes diced
2 hard boiled eggs diced (not pictured but essential!)
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
1 avocado sliced
For the Market Street Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

Instructions

In a large sauté pan or skillet, cook the diced bacon until cooked through, drain on a paper towel and cool.
Layer the romaine lettuce in the bottom of a large bowl. Place the salad toppings in rows on top of the lettuce. Serve with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the red wine vinaigrette dressing and refrigerate the rest for later salad making.
For the Market Street Red Wine Vinaigrette
Place the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together, or place in a jar with a fitted lid and shake until combined. makes 1 cup

Bobbing for More Cobbs

If you like a salad that’s more of a main than a side, consider trying one of these Cobb variations to fill your week with:

Autumn Cobb Salad

Taco Cobb Salad

Salmon Cobb Salad with Feta and Spinach

Southern Cobb Salad with Sweet Onion Dressing

Buffalo Chicken Cobb Salad

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

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Greek Pasta Salad with Cucumbers and Artichoke Hearts

During the summer months, I make one variation or another of this Greek Pasta Salad at least twice a month, and because I have the basics down, it’s easy to pull together for get-togethers, potlucks and BBQs.

Just like a signature scent, song, and style, every home cook should have a defining mark that sets us apart from the pack. A signature dish. That one recipe to rely on, to go back to, time and time again. A recipe we know like the back of our hand, to pull out of our back pocket at a moment’s notice and feel 100% confident that THIS dish…this dish will deliver.

Friends, meet my signature pasta salad. My loaded Greek pasta salad. It’s ultimately adaptable and flexible depending on the ingredients I have — or don’t have — in the pantry or refrigerator. continue to the recipe… about Greek Pasta Salad with Cucumbers and Artichoke Hearts

Creamy Chicken Pesto Penne with Broccoli

This creamy pasta combines the fresh bite of broccoli with grilled chicken in a creamy almond milk and pesto sauce, and is equally good served hot or chilled.

This post is brought to you by Almond Breeze

You don’t find balance, you create it. Everything in moderation. Too much of a good thing, is, well, too much.

These are all sayings to live by. I try. I really do try. But sometimes life gets the better of me and I find that little purple devil-horned emoji dude sitting square on my shoulder whispering in my ear, “You can have it. It’s just one bite. It’s not like it’s gonna kill you.”

But then that one bite turns into a whole meal, and that then turns into one week, and that makes it that much harder to get back on track.

But that’s where this creamy chicken pesto pasta recipe makes its power play. It’s creamy in a totally healthful way that cures my comfort cravings. It’s fresh broccoli and whole grain pasta turn off my guilt-0-meter. And with most of the ingredients simple to stock in the fridge, freezer and pantry, preparing it is far from a weeknight chore.continue to the recipe… about Creamy Chicken Pesto Penne with Broccoli

French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Today is a big day in the world of cheese lovers. It’s National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. Two snaps and let’s celebrate.

I know. They make food holidays out of the oddest of food themes: Bologna Day (October 24). Fruit cocktail day (May 13). Bicarbonate of soda day (December 30). What?

But for pretty much every food lover everywhere, Grilled Cheese Day is officially one to break bread for. I mean, it’s cheese. And I’ve made it my goal to share a cheesy fave every GCDay since I started this bloggity blog back in 2011. So let’s dig into this melty onion, cheesy favorite between two slices of sourdough bread.

Who needs brothy soup anyway?continue to the recipe… about French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

30 Days of Healthier Salads That Make a Meal In April

Happy April, friends!

We’re proud to bring you our fourth installment to our 31 Days Series (you can check out the first one here, the second one here, and the third one here). This month is all about big, bountiful salads—you know, the kind that stick to your ribs and are hardy enough to make a meal of.

We’re craving healthy foods, but ones with substance and staying power, because we don’t want to be hungry two hours later and find ourselves tucking into a bowl of cereal at 10 o’clock at night.

We’ve all been there.

These salads are colorful, healthy, filling, and easy to prepare. We can’t guarantee they’ll help you fit into last summer’s shorts by the end of the month, but we promise they’ll definitely help!continue to the recipe… about 30 Days of Healthier Salads That Make a Meal In April

Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

These light and juicy turkey burgers cooked on the grill are going Greek, with the addition of sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, feta cheese, and a creamy homemade tzatziki sauce, for a healthy lunch or dinner recipe!

This post is in partnership with Kroger

January is all about making easy swaps in the kitchen to prepare dinners that are a bit more healthful—but still cure your cravings.

I mean, I love, love, love a great quinoa salad, and I’m totally down with eating my favorite egg white fritatta nearly every day of the week. And a 10-minute salmon dinner? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But when the burger cravings strike during my New Year-mindful-mode, and I’m somehow able to harness the willpower not to make my favorite garlic burgers, I turn to this burger recipe instead.

continue to the recipe… about Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

Chopped Grilled Vegetable Bowl with Farro and #FreshCoastRetreat

This vegetarian Mediterranean bowl is filled with grilled vegetables and farro, then topped with a garlic yogurt sauce, kalamata olives, feta and hummus.

Recipe inspiration comes in many forms. This recipe’s inspiration came from a mish mosh of veggies in my crisper and a trip to Michigan with a mish mosh of food bloggers.

Similarities in my kitchen and in my life never seem to end.

Thanks to my friends Liz of The Lemon Bowl, Dara of Cookin’ Canuck and Phi of Sweet Phi, the hosts of the #FreshCoastRetreat, 16 food bloggers reaped the benefits of connecting with one another, and the inspiration for this healthy, vegetarian, one-bowl meal was picqued.

But before I share more about the retreat, let’s talk about the recipe for this one-bowl meal.continue to the recipe… about Chopped Grilled Vegetable Bowl with Farro and #FreshCoastRetreat

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This grilled cheese is like everyone’s favorite jalapeño poppers melted between two slices of bread for the ultimate gooey grilled cheese sandwich.

It’s finally here and if you’re at all like me, you’ve been patiently waiting like a toddler patiently waits for his or her turn behind 8 other kids for a ride on the slide, or to be told to wait until after lunch for that popsicle. Tantrums, tears and frustration may or may have not all played a part in this waiting game.

But the wait is over and today we’re enjoying a different kind of meltdown. It’s National Grilled Cheese Day!

Since I first started the blog, April has heralded the arrival of one of my favorite themed months: Grilled Cheese Month. See for yourself and check out my other grilled cheese recipes here. This year I’m thrilled to be partnering with Arla to share recipes featuring their cheeses and we’re starting things off with a cheesy classic: grilled cheese sandwiches of course!

This recipe all started with “the pull”. No, not tractor pulls. Not the pull of the moon either.

We’re talking about the determining factor of every perfectly made grilled cheese. It’s “the pull” of melty, gooey cheese when two halves are divided from one.

And this recipe has what it takes to get “the pull” every time.

continue to the recipe… about Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Caprese Avocado Toast Plus 10 Avocado Toasts You’ll Love Forever

Cottage cheese subs in for mozzarella in this healthy and simple avocado toast that’s perfect for a favorite breakfast, lunch and snack, plus 10 more toasts to try.

Does the world really, Really, REALLY need another avocado recipe post?

Likely, not.

I mean, the recipe isn’t really even as much a recipe as it is a formula. Toast. Avocado. Extra stuff you put on top depending upon your cravings and whatever is in the fridge.

And flaky salt. Always flaky salt.

But when I made my breakfast the other day and stopped myself mid-bite to get a snap of it for Instagram, realized that this hum-drum and routine breakfast for me is indeed a blog-worthy recipe/formula to share.

Because often those routine recipes are usually the best. Even if they’ve already cycled through the trend scene.

continue to the recipe… about Caprese Avocado Toast Plus 10 Avocado Toasts You’ll Love Forever

Superfood Salad with Lightened-Up Poppy Seed Dressing

Kale, brussels sprouts, broccoli, quinoa, and salmon are just a few of the superfoods in this powerhouse salad that packs a nutritious punch in just one bowl.

Again this year I’m happy to share that I’m partnering with Blue Diamond AlmondBreeze to share healthful recipes made with almond milk. Today we’re adding Almond Breeze’s new Almondmilk Cashewmilk Blend to the recipe mix for a creamy, healthy dressing to one of my standard lunchtime salads.

This however, is no normal salad. It is simply packed, and I mean PACKED with a bounty of superfoods that should make any normal human being feel, well, superhuman.

In a previous version of my professional life I designed natural health magazines. Each month I designed the pages of those magazines where the article’s authors explained the merits of things from shark liver oil to CLA, from GLA to SAM-e, from whey protein to spirulina and all the vitamins, minerals and healthy alternatives to what is standardly subscribed, or ignored, by mainstream medicine.

We talked a LOT about eating well for good health. It’s a philosophy I’ve adopted in my own life And in my family’s. And it’s a philosophy I’m happy to share here on FoodieCrush, too.

continue to the recipe… about Superfood Salad with Lightened-Up Poppy Seed Dressing

Ham and Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

This easy to make recipe is made with deli ham, smoked gouda, fried egg, tomato, and arugula, and it’s everything you want in a breakfast sandwich!

I once had a boss who had a habit for emphasizing the sensational.

He gauged quality and effectiveness by his gut, his intuition. By his visceral reaction. With a squint of his eyes, he’d push his glasses back up his nose, clench his hands and fist pound the air in front of him as he said the word visceral. “Back when I worked at [insert company name here], we created x, y, z product to get consumers to respond with a VISCERAL reaction.” You always knew he meant business when the word visceral spit out of his mouth with an extra dramatic paused slur in the middle of the word.

After pulling this sandwich from the grill, I had a flashback to those days of hearing that statement over and over. This sandwich. I had a visceral reaction to it. Visceral! My gut, my intuition, it all said that his sandwich, even before tasting it, was a fist-pump-in-the-air success.

My former boss would be proud.

continue to the recipe… about Ham and Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

lunch

Easy Minestrone Soup Recipe

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Crunchy Green Salad with Dilly Chickpeas and Avocado

Ingredients

Instructions

More Salads That Make a Meal

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About This Spinach Salad

About the Recipe

Crab and Shrimp Seafood Cobb Salad

Ingredients

Instructions

Bobbing for More Cobbs

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