tarragon

Roasted Asparagus with Browned Butter and Almonds

Roasted asparagus gets a leg up on the basic side dish with a drizzle of nutty browned butter and the crunch of buttery marcona almonds.

There’s nothing better in cooking than to take an easy, basic recipe and give it just a little twist to move it up a notch.

Basic oven-roasted asparagus is one of my meal-making staples. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s delicious.

But sometimes I’m craving just a bit more flavor. So when I’m feeling flush and lush, browned butter made even more nutty is my asparagus drizzle got-to.

continue to the recipe… about Roasted Asparagus with Browned Butter and Almonds

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

Avocado and Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

This traditional chicken salad recipe is lightened up with Greek nonfat yogurt and creamy mashed avocado for an added boost of protein plus good for you fats that make this salad so tasty no one will ever miss the mayo.

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.

Continuing with tradition is so good in so many ways. But continuing to evolve is even better.

I mean, why use the answering machine when you have voice mail at your fingertips instead? And why tool your baby around in an old-fashioned pram instead of an easy-to-transport collapsible baby stroller? And just think of what we’d all sound like if language didn’t change over time …”If your great umbrage would care to meet my high dudgeon at 12 paces, I would be happy to entertain you at dawn.”

Huh?

So while this chicken salad has a whole lot of the classic flavors (shredded chicken, grapes, celery, pecans, red onion) it has also taken a turn for the healthy by subbing in mashed avocado mixed with Oikos Greek Nonfat Yogurt in place of the typical mayonnaise binder.

This change is good, and good for you, friends.

continue to the recipe… about Avocado and Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

Green Goddess Cream Cheese Veggie Sandwich

Garlic and herb-infused cream cheese flavor a bounty of green vegetables to make a healthy sandwich with loads of flavor.

This post is brought to you by Arla USA

It’s back to school and that means I’m back in the sandwich-making game.

When I was a young whipper snapper going to school, I ate school lunch every day. Flying Saucers were a favorite—fried bologna with a dollop of mashed potatoes and topped with melted American cheese served in the tray that didn’t let anything touch.

There were maybe a handful of kids that took their lunch to school, showing off their Scooby Doo or Barbie lunchboxes with boring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. But not me. PB&J’s were never on my lunch bucket list, and they’ve never been popular with my Smudge either.

I mean, why would Smudge even be tempted by a peanut butter sand when instead she gets layered beauties of freshness like this packed in her lunch every day.

My girl…she’s got it good. And I’m MORE than happy to provide them to her because it sets my mind at ease knowing she’s eating a healthy meal to keep that brainpower powered.continue to the recipe… about Green Goddess Cream Cheese Veggie Sandwich

Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken

A simple balsamic dressing does double duty as a marinade for the chicken in this light and healthy, fresh spinach, avocado and strawberry salad.

The best recipes are made from muscle memory.

These are the recipes you’ve made time and time again, with so much repetition you really don’t even think about what you’re doing when you make it, you just do.

These recipes aren’t really even recipes at all. They’re just the wonderful result of what happens when you take the basics and then add a twist here and a switcheroo there, all depending on what’s fresh and seasonal and hanging out in the fridge.

This spinach salad is exactly one of those recipes and finds itself as my lucky lunch at least once a week. And if I love it that much I’m betting you will too.

Isn’t that the perfect reason to share?

continue to the recipe… about Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken

Sweet Carrots with Tarragon and My Easter Inspired Faves

Glazing. Usually reserved for doughnuts, bone-in hams and the special technique my husband uses to make old and tired 1980’s honey oak cabinets magically transform into bright and white brand spakin’ new kitchen cubpoards. He’s a staining magician, that guy.

But today ‘da glaze is saved for ‘da carrots. Ta-’da.

It’s time for Easter eats and you probably have all of your main dish ingredients scribbled on the back of an envelope ready to push into the dark corners of your purse so that when you get to the store you get to frantically dig for the dang piece of paper. That’s just one of the reasons I use this shopping list app, so I don’t go stark raving maniac in the vegetable aisle.

Carrots are the quintessential Easter side dish addition. You can thank Peter and Bugs for that one. But, let’s get real. They’re expected, trite and too often B-O-R-I-N-G.

Not this time folks.

A simple—aka light—glaze of honey and butter sweetens up the orange little jewels. Tarragon and orange zest gives them the ying and yang of earthy licorice and fresh citrus in each bite. Kosher salt, just like with everything else, brings out all of the flavors and melds them together.

It’s a simple recipe. And for any entertaining cook, that’s the recipe for deliciousness.

continue to the recipe… about Sweet Carrots with Tarragon and My Easter Inspired Faves

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.

continue to the recipe… about Lemon Chicken Stew

Friday Faves and Balsamic Skirt Steak Salad with Stone Fruit

I just stepped out of the orchard. No, I mean literally, I just stepped out of the orchard.

Today I stepped out of a van, into a picturesque Oregon orchard, to photograph, gawk and fondle some of the world’s most coveted pears and peaches grown and harvested by gifting company Harry & David. But more of that to come in a future post…

Ironically I had planned on posting this recipe before I actually visited the orchards, but I’m realizing the visit must have been on my mind when I started craving this salad since the nectarines have been ripening on my kitchen counter for the past week.

Some things happen for a reason. Right?

But first let’s talk about some of my Friday Favorites, stuff I’ve been crushing on this week via the www…

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves and Balsamic Skirt Steak Salad with Stone Fruit

Avocado and Tomato Salad Plus 5 Fresh and Simple Avocado Salads

After an amazingly late summer start thanks to one of the rainiest springs we’ve had in a long time, my harvest is finally coming on. So being the responsible gardener that I am, I’m now surfing the web for new ways to use the bounty I’ve spent hundreds of dollars watering, fertilizing and now plucking from their green, lush vines.

Is it all worth it?

Once I bite into the juicy, warm nectar that has become a home-grown cherry tomato, my response without hesitation is “hell yes.”

At this time of year I find it easy to veer toward the tomato recipes that are more caprese-style, studded with basil and balsamic vinegar. But today I’m going off the grid and putting my balsamic in the back seat.

Inspired by an avocado and onion salad my husband and I came to crave from a favorite Cuban restaurant (and that I always asked for tomatoes to be added to), I’ve embellished their inspiration and made it my own with creamy avocados, onion, homegrown tomatoes and lick-loving licoricey-tarragon—just ’cause I’m an herb-loving kind of girl. Sometimes the salad gets more tomatoes, sometimes more avocado, just depends on what I have on hand. Today, it’s pretty lycopene loaded thanks to my heirloom cherry ‘mater harvest.

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

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Avocado, Onion and Tomato Salad

This simple tomato salad is an easy side dish for any dinner or makes a great lunch.

Ingredients

1 large tomato sliced in thick slices
1/2 avocado sliced
2 slices red onion I prefer mine nearly shaved
6 cherry tomatoes halved
sprig of fresh tarragon
1 T fruity olive oil the best you can afford
1/2 tsp champagne vinegar

Instructions

Put tomatoes, avocado and sliced onion on a small plate, sprinkle with tarragon leaves and dress with the olive oil and vinegar. Add kosher or sea salt and some pepper to taste. The olive oil is really the key and main flavor so add more to taste and make sure its good and fruity to complement the freshness of the other ingredients.

My husband gave grilled avos a try, but didn’t have much success. But I’m inspired to give it another go thanks to Bree’s layering of lots of fresh herbs with spicy arugula, creamy mozzarella and grilled peaches in Bree’s Baked Bree‘s unique Grilled Peach and Avocado Salad. Looks divinely fresh and simple.

Cathy gives a fresh and simple nod to asian flavors, What Would Cathy Eat‘s Soba Noodle Salad with Avocado and Mango marries the sweet notes of mango with the tartness of rice vinegar and sesame oil to create a mellow fusion of delicious.

With just a few simple ingredients Lena for Coconut and Vanilla has created a completely decadent and deceptively simple Couscous and Avocado Salad recipe studded with mint, honey and the delicious crunch of pine nuts. (o ja! recipes are given in both English and German)

And now off to Mexico we go with Cate’s World Kitchen and her healthy, spiced up Black Bean, Quinoa and Avocado Salad, tossed with a freshly homemade tomatillo salsa. She makes it easy to eat right thanks to all the flavor.

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Craving > 5 Updated Chicken Salad Recipes

Chicken Salad. It can so easily go so wrong and seem trite, the catch-all recipe for the catered office lunch or duty-calls bridal shower. But by adding an unexpected and flavorful ingredient, chicken salad can be oh-so-divine.

photo > foodiecrush

Here’s my take on Chicken Salad, crunchy with celery and toasted almonds then sweetened up with sliced grapes and earthed up with curry and tarragon. Served on big old slices of hearty wheat bread, this is one version that has full-fledged-flavored. I add a lot more celery to this recipe than listed below because I like the crunch, so follow the recipe as is or adapt to your own cravings.

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Curried Chicken Salad with Toasted Almonds and Grapes

Ingredients

4 bone-in chicken breasts with skin
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup red seedless grapes halved
1/3 cup almond slivers toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 T orange juice
1 1/2 T curry powder
1 1/2 T fresh tarragon chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub chicken with olive oil and generous amounts of salt and pepper. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until juice of chicken runs clear. When chicken has cooled, remove skin from breasts and shred chicken meat, discarding bones and skin. Mix in large bowl with onion, celery, grapes and almond slivers and set aside.
In a medium size bowl, combine mayonnaise, yogurt, orange juice, curry power, salt and pepper.
Add mayonnaise mixture to chicken mixture and gently combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Serve on a bed of spring or butter lettuce or hearty wheat bread with lettuce.

Nutrition Facts

Curried Chicken Salad with Toasted Almonds and Grapes

Amount Per Serving (6 g)

Calories 0

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

photo > Plum Pie

Plum Pie’s crunchy –thanks to the pecans and apple– and sweetly tart –thanks to the cranberries and tangy Greek yogurt— Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad is light and even healthy, and is a hit with the savory twist thanks to Brooke’s addition of rosemary.

photo > Skinny Gourmet

Studded with some of cooking’s most under-used herbs of caraway (one of my favorites when sauteed with cabbage) and anise seeds and a touch of cumin, Skinny Gourmet‘s Irish Chicken Salad Sandwich on Soda Bread is deliciously sandwiched between slices of her husband’s family recipe for Irish Soda Bread. Looks like she now has another family recipe to hand down.

photo > Heat Oven to 350

Adapted from a Southern recipe for pimento cheese sandwiches, Nicole geniusly added shredded chicken to create a cheesey-chicken-wonderland-on-toast with Heaven to 350 ‘s recipe for Pimento Cheese Chicken Salad Sandwiches.

photo > Closet Cooking

You knew we had to highlight at least one recipe that has some serious spice and is far and above the expected chicken salad. Meet Kevin’s Kimchi Chicken Salad Sandwich. Kimchi sauteed in bacon grease? Woo-hoo, a new favorite is born in the kitchen of Closet Cooking.

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

tarragon

Roasted Asparagus with Browned Butter and Almonds

Roasted Beet, Avocado and Goat Cheese Spinach Salad with Chicken

How Do You Make a Spinach Salad?

Avocado and Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

Green Goddess Cream Cheese Veggie Sandwich

Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken

Sweet Carrots with Tarragon and My Easter Inspired Faves

Lemon Chicken Stew

Friday Faves and Balsamic Skirt Steak Salad with Stone Fruit

Avocado and Tomato Salad Plus 5 Fresh and Simple Avocado Salads

Avocado, Onion and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

Instructions

Craving > 5 Updated Chicken Salad Recipes

Curried Chicken Salad with Toasted Almonds and Grapes

Ingredients

Instructions

Follow @foodiecrush on Instagram

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