tomatoes

Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

This 5-ingredient pasta salad recipe has all of the flavors of traditional Caesar salad with the addition of kale and sweet roasted cherry tomatoes for an easy and healthy potluck pasta salad.

Most often you’ll hear me professing my love of making and using homemade dressings. I make a lot of them. Why? Because they’re easy and healthy and I know exactly what’s in them.

But sometimes, I need a pasta salad recipe in a hurry, something I can throw together quick. That’s when I turn to my pantry and the impromptu creating begins.

Since nobody-never-ever says no to a quick and simple healthy-ish pasta salad, having this potluck salad recipe with store-bought dressing on hand is my golden unicorn.continue to the recipe… about Kale Caesar Pasta Salad

Tomato Basil Soup

This tomato basil soup recipe, homemade with fresh tomatoes roasted in the oven, adds a healthy and deliciously creamy flavor you won’t find in any old can.

If I think back to my childhood, tomato soup is at the top of the list of my all-time favorite comfort foods. But unlike my ultra creamy macaroni and cheese or my mom’s spaghetti recipe, tomato basil soup is on the lighter side of the comfort food scale.

Even better, when you have a stash of roasted tomatoes in the fridge, it’s an easy recipe to whip up for an easy dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day.

I’ve seen some recipes for this soup that call for canned tomatoes, but I use fresh tomatoes roasted with garlic and herbs in my tomato soup. Earlier this week I shared my recipe for roasting the tomatoes here, and since I had a jar left over, I decided to update the photos and post for this recipe too.

Soup at our house is a regular menu item, in fact, my husband has gone on an all-soup diet more than once. It’s also likely that our early marriage was built on tomato soup with grilled cheese. Because can one even eat tomato soup without a grilled cheese sandwich for dunking?continue to the recipe… about Tomato Basil Soup

Easy Quick Roasted Tomatoes

While there’s nothing quite like biting into a garden-fresh tomato, quick roasted tomatoes in the oven create a savory sweetness that’s delicious made into a simple roasted tomato sauce on pasta, made into soup, or served as appetizers, no matter what time of year.

You could say I’m obsessed with roasting tomatoes.

Even when they’re at their most flavorful, summertime prime, it’s highly likely that sweet cherry tomatoes, Italian plum roma tomatoes, and just about every other variety I pick up (minus the big beefsteaks) typically find their way into the oven at some point for a quick roast to pull out their most jammy-sweet flavor.

But the real appeal of roasting is when we’re eating those dead-of-winter tomatoes. You know the ones. The tomatoes who left their taste at the door.

I love long, slow-roasted tomatoes at a low temp in the oven, but sometimes there’s no time to wait. When it comes to quick and easy, no-fuss roasted tomatoes, the big return on the little time invested is totally worth it, because a roast in the oven for less than an hour is all that’s needed to release the super sweet powers of any noble tomato. continue to the recipe… about Easy Quick Roasted Tomatoes

Saucy Greek Baked Shrimp

This healthy Greek-inspired shrimp recipe in a saucy tomato base with feta can be cooked and served as a one-pot skillet dinner, or in a baking dish as a fast and easy-to-make appetizer that’s the first thing to disappear.

Don’t forget the bread.

That’s my big tip about this recipe. Don’t forget to add a few crusty sourdough slices to your shopping list. Bread is key if you’re a dipper like me. Because while you might first be attracted to this recipe because of the lure of perfectly baked shrimp (which they are), it’s every last drop of the sauce you’ll be sopping up that will have you making this recipe on repeat.

As we move from the heat of summer into fall’s cozy-up-comfort mode, this Greek flavored shrimp is the PERFECT transition recipe.

This tomato sauce is light and bright so it won’t bog you down, yet it includes the warming flavors of cinnamon and allspice to make you feel all cuddly and content.

And I’m pretty sure we can all agree that shrimp are totally right any time of year.continue to the recipe… about Saucy Greek Baked Shrimp

Caprese Pasta Salad with Garlic Marinated Tomatoes

This easy caprese pasta salad recipe steeps cherry tomatoes in a garlic-infused oil that becomes the dressing over any type of pasta with sliced mozzarella, capers, lemon, and basil making it a healthy potluck recipe that’s perfectly ripe for brunch, lunch, or a dinner everyone will love.

This is a re-do of one of my favorite tomato pasta salad recipes I published my first year of blogging. I’ve been making this caprese pasta salad on repeat ever since the clock struck summer, but it’s very likely that many of you haven’t ever even seen it, and that’s a darn shame because it’s just too good to miss.

So after looking at it so many times already this summer, I thought it could use a refresh. And so here it is once again, with a spit shine, some new photos, and a video to show you easy it will be for you to make it too.

I’m a huge fan of summer’s fresh tomatoes, especially when my garden starts producing my beloved cherry tomatoes I pop straight into my mouth like candy. So back in August of 2011 when I spied this recipe on the Martha Stewart Living cover peeking over the others on the grocery store rack, there wasn’t a question whether the issue would be coming home with me.

And that’s why this salad has been in my summer recipe-making-repertoire ever since.continue to the recipe… about Caprese Pasta Salad with Garlic Marinated Tomatoes

BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado

This easy, creamy BLT pasta salad recipe is loaded with healthy tomatoes, arugula, and avocado, plus crispy bacon that’s all topped with a super simple-to-make Ranch-style dressing made with mayo and Greek yogurt.

You could say my collection of pasta salad recipes here on the blog are my children, and just like any mother of kids, it’s nearly impossible to choose just one as my most favorite. But, if you’re a fan of a creamy pasta salad, or an ultra simple-to-make pasta salad that’s loaded with healthier goodness (plus bacon!), this pasta salad is for you.

Once the garden tomatoes come into harvest, BLT sandwiches are a staple at our house. And the only thing that makes them even better is adding avocado for them to become BLATs. Bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato sandwiches that are now a BBQ pasta salad staple.

So when my daughter requested I make a pasta salad that included her beloved bacon in the BLT mix, avocado was an obvious addition to make.

continue to the recipe… about BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado

Grilled Corn Salad with Tomato and Avocado

When fresh corn and tomatoes are at their summer best, this easy salad with creamy avocados that’s simply dressed with a hint of Mexican jalapeño, lime juice, and garlic, is a healthy recipe that’s sure to become the star side dish of every potluck and barbecue you make it for.

Corn. It’s my husband’s veggie kryptonite. Me? Avocado and tomato are what light my fire.

And the combo of all three is what’s kept this summer salad in regular rotation on our dinner table, and we’re barely into June!

The simple flavors of this salad is in it’s combination of fresh, sweet corn on the cob (that’s even sweeter after a sear on the grill) added to creamy avocado and juicy tomatoes, is hands down this summer’s salad-facsimile of the little black dress—because it literally goes with everything.

Playing With Fire by Michael Symon

This side salad recipe comes from Iron Chef and The Chew Host Michael Symon’s new cookbook Playing With Fire:BBQ and More from the Grill, Smoker, and Fireplace where he shares loads of tips, tricks, and totally achievable grilling and barbeque recipes that any home chef can master.

continue to the recipe… about Grilled Corn Salad with Tomato and Avocado

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

One-Pot Mexican Shrimp with Orzo and Zucchini

This easy shrimp, zucchini, and orzo pasta recipe straddles the line between a one-pot pasta a 30-minute meal dinner. But with a healthy dose of zucchini and a bit of heat from Mexican flavors, it should actually fall into the wonder-pot category, because it’s all the healthy flavor bites all in one.

When readers share their biggest challenge with cooking and eating more healthily, 98% of them have exactly the same problem. (btw, email me yours!)

It isn’t lack of desire.

It isn’t lack of recipe ideas or inspiration.

And it isn’t a lack of skill.

The number one challenge is always the same: Finding the time to shop, prep, and cook homemade meals with real good real food.

That’s why having a stocked pantry, along with a couple of long-lasting fresh ingredients plus a few freezer staples is my way to successfully challenge that challenge.

continue to the recipe… about One-Pot Mexican Shrimp with Orzo and Zucchini

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.

0 from 0 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

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.

Thanks for reading and subscribe to FoodieCrush to have each post delivered straight to your e-mail box.

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One-Pot Penne Pasta with Turkey and Spinach

30-minute, one-pot pasta meals recipes that are healthy, tasty, and easy enough to make any night of the week make me look a whole lot just like this → 💃💃💃 because guess what?

You many think because I’m a food blogger, I’m in the kitchen every day, whipping up recipes so that I never have to think twice about what’s for dinner. But the reality is that most days I’m NOT cooking, and when I suddenly realize that it’s not just 5:00 somewhere…it’s 5:00 RIGHT HERE…I panic. Because if I haven’t taken the time to think ahead and do a bit of meal prep, just like my teenager, I’m left wondering what’s for dinner, too.

See, I’m betting I’m a lot like you. A gal who is always juggling my roles as a spouse, mom, daughter, sister, friend, business owner, mentor, volunteer, and wanderer-of-the-aisles-at-HomeGoods-deal-shopper as I continually work on finding the right balance so that my own needs don’t get lost in the shuffle in this circus act called life.

The saving grace? Simple, healthy, bold-flavored, all-in-one meals like this one-pot pasta that don’t require a bunch of hard-to-find ingredients or have too many steps. And bonus points go to the recipe if I can scavenge my pantry for most of it. continue to the recipe… about One-Pot Penne Pasta with Turkey and Spinach

Melted Mozzarella Caprese Crostini Toasts

Whether you take the fancier route and name them crostini, or keep it real and call them toasts, these Italian crostini caprese appetizer bites with roasted tomatoes, prosciutto, and melted mozzarella cheese on sliced baguette are so easy to whip up everyone will be calling for more.

This recipe is brought to you by Cache Valley Cheese

Today I’m taking two favorite recipes (caprese and grilled cheese) and combining them for a simple finger food twist for the old appetizer plate.

This bite-sized appetizer is one of those that you’re going to come back to making time and time again. And here’s why:continue to the recipe… about Melted Mozzarella Caprese Crostini Toasts

Creamy Tuscan Pasta Salad

Whether it’s a holiday celebration or a simple family gathering, an easy to make pasta salad is always my favorite for feeding a crowd. This recipe combines the Tuscan flavors of three different salamis, provolone cheese and classic Italian white beans, with black olives, tomatoes, spinach, onion and egg noodles all tossed up with a creamy-style dressing.

This post is brought to you by Applegate

My mom and I have our favorite place to go for lunch. At this point, there really isn’t much point in even looking at the menu, because our orders are always the same: French onion soup and pasta salad of the day. It doesn’t matter what pasta salad they’re serving as the special that day, we know it’s always going to be good and that my mom is always going to ask for extra dressing. It’s just what she does.

So when I was thinking about creating a recipe using Applegate Naturals® Genoa Salami Trio, I didn’t have to go very far out of my mom’s and my favorite food comfort zone and fork-twirl my pasta noodle in a simple Italian-style Tuscan pasta salad with a creamy dressing. And a little extra for my mom, of course.

It also has the festive colors of the season sporting red, green and white. Well actually, of any season given it transitions smoothly no matter which month it makes an appearance in.

continue to the recipe… about Creamy Tuscan Pasta Salad

Slow Cooker Healthy Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili with Quinoa

Comfort food chili cravings never tasted so healthy, until now. This easy slow cooker chili is protein-packed with lean ground turkey, light and dark kidney beans, plus quinoa for an extra safety-net protein source that will keep you filled and full all day long and into the night.

It’s 5:30 p.m. and the sun has set behind the mountains and the sky has already settled into dark. There’s a chill is in the air and comfort food is what we’re all craving now. Turkey Pot Pie? Mac and Cheese? Sausage Lasagna? All delicious in their own right, but not exactly the lightest of fare.

And now that the fall season is here, the wrangling and jostling for the T.V. remote has begun. The World Series? (go Dodgers!). The Voice? (I’m with J-Hud Productions). More tears and tissues while crying with This Is Us? (I mean, seriously!) Or finally, a new Walking Dead? (My Smudge and I are convinced our Big Daddy should be Negan for Halloween.)

Our television viewing habits are as hotly debated as what sounds best for dinner.

But tonight, there’s one less argument to make because Big Mama (that’s me) thought ahead (for once) and put dinner in the slow cooker. And just like that, a healthy dinner is served. And surprise, AliSmudge and Big Daddy don’t even complain that it’s oh-so good for them. But why would they? This homemade turkey chili is delish! And better yet, it’s so simple to make.continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Healthy Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili with Quinoa

Turkey Bolognese Lasagna Toss

Turkey takes over for traditional pork, veal, and beef in this rich and delicious homemade bolognese sauce to create a short cut lasagna dinner that cuts the calories, without sacrificing flavor.

It’s raining. The leaves on the mountain outside my front window are in the most vibrant change of fall colors I’ve seen in ten years. We pulled the tomato plants this weekend and I’ve harvested all my basil to make pesto before frost does it for me. There are days when comfort food is absolutely called for. And that’s when a rich, delicious lasagna raises its hand and squeals, ” PICK ME!”

I love a good lasagna with a rich, delicious meaty sauce with loads of cheese layered throughout and then melted on top. I mean, is there anything better?

But the thing is, my skinny jeans don’t always agree. My solution? Put all that rich flavor in a healthier turkey bolognese sauce and instead of layering my lasagna, toss it together instead.

I borrowed this lasagna toss idea from my Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup where the creamy ricotta mixture is added on at the end as an accent instead of playing equal parts to the noodle and sauce equation. I’m a cheese girl through and through, so that way, I meet my comfort food cravings but my jeans won’t revolt. continue to the recipe… about Turkey Bolognese Lasagna Toss

Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta Recipe

Busy weeknights call for simple recipes that can be pulled together in a flash, and nothing’s simpler than a basic, homemade basil pesto pasta recipe that even a kid can make and clean up after too.

There are definite skills one should pass along to the younger generation, the secrets to succeed in life. At our house, one of those skills is keeping up with the daily family chores (I LOVE what the former Dean of Freshman at Stanford has to say about why!!!) and whether Smudge likes it or not, she’s getting a good education in this area. She used to think “getting” to do the dishes was fun — she got to wear an apron and play with bubbles as she twirled about to whichever song is on replay over and over in her head — but these days, that shine has certainly worn off.

With summer’s laziness giving way to back-to-school’s busier nights of homework, two soccer teams to practice with, basketball practice and her other basic daily chores, Smudge’s dish washing time has gotten the squeeze right along with the time I have in my schedule to create time-intensive dinners, if I remember to get anything ready for dinner at all!

That’s why keeping super simple, basic recipes like this one in my back pocket are always weeknight saviors, for days when the basics are really all that’s needed. And craved. Like my basic pesto pasta just yearning for a twirl around the silver twines.

continue to the recipe… about Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta Recipe

Microwave Egg Caprese Breakfast Cups

This hot homemade ham, egg and caprese-flavored breakfast can be in yo’ belly in just two minutes thanks to a quick cook in the microwave. Yes, this is how you can easily cook eggs in the microwave.

Hi! I’m Heidi and I’ll be serving you today. What can I get you?

One of the recent requests here on le bloggity blog is for more easy recipes for quick breakfasts please!

I totally get it. We all know that a good breakfast is the key to setting up your day for success so if you could create a weekend-tasting breakfast in the time it takes to pour a bowl of cereal, I’m betting you’d totally be into this breakfast that fully supports your snooze button needs. (Have you seen my list of 19 healthy breakfasts when you don’t have time to eat?!!)

And that’s why the microwave is your egg cooking friend.

continue to the recipe… about Microwave Egg Caprese Breakfast Cups

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.

5 from 6 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.

Are you following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest?

Thanks for reading and subscribe to FoodieCrush to have each post delivered straight to your e-mail box.

31 Days of Summer Produce Recipes to Make in August

These 31 easy, healthy recipe ideas for summer produce are what make the living easy this month!

There’s nothing quite like biting into that first peach with juice dribbling steadily down your chin. Or the taste of summer’s first BLT stacked high with tomatoes still warm from the garden—you know, the one that requires at least five napkins.

Ah summer, there are so many reasons why we love you but your fresh fruits and veg are at the tops of our list.

With a jam-packed calendar of fitting in each and every summer picnic, take-it-to-the-beach day, and potluck soirée, summer’s favorite, fresh seasonal eats are more in demand this month than ever. Thankfully, there’s produce aplenty come each and every August so that seasonal farmers market gems are easily making their way into all of our meals.

For our eighth installment of our 31 Days Series, we’re going seasonal, baby, so it’s all about tender squash, juicy tomatoes, and corn so sweet you could get a toothache. We’re frequenting the farmers market and stocking up like its our job, because this summer bounty won’t be around for too much longer. So grab your best market tote and let’s hit the stalls!continue to the recipe… about 31 Days of Summer Produce Recipes to Make in August

How to Make a Stunning Caprese Salad Platter

Laying all your favorite caprese salad ingredients—like burrata cheese, marinated mozzarella balls, tomatoes and fresh stone fruit—out on a platter instead of layered in a bowl makes this self-serve salad or appetizer the easiest way to choose all your favorite bites.

It’s like everyone’s favorite cheese board mated with all the best caprese-inspired ingredients, and they had a baby. Pass around the cigars, because the caprese salad platter has arrived.

It’s all to common to spy an amazing salad loaded with all of the good stuff, only to dig in, all the good stuff shifts, and then falls to the bottom of the bowl and you’re left diving for that coveted mozzarella ball.

That’s why salad platters have become my new go-to salad serving solution, so you can serve larger portions of each of the ingredients—because my favorite cream-filled burrata cheese isn’t all that chopping friendly—rather than bite-sized bits of bites.

I first shared this salad platter trick with this Ultimate Italian Salad Platter. When you serve this salad family-style in the middle of the table, everyone can add “just a little more” and choose their favorite ingredients, and then nibble at the leftovers until the entire platter is picked clean because it’s just too good to stay away.

ABOUT THE RECIPE

This salad platter is less of a recipe and more an assemblage of toppings. Feel free to adapt and switch up according to your tastes and favorites, or simply by whatever you might happen to have on hand for those unexpected, but totally welcome drop-ins.

Traditional caprese flavors dominate this salad platter with a few sweet bites of fruit tossed in. A few fresh fruity ingredient options are:continue to the recipe… about How to Make a Stunning Caprese Salad Platter

Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad

Summer salads like this Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad with black beans, corn, avocado, and crunchy romaine lettuce topped with an easy 5-ingredient homemade BBQ sauce are more than just a first course, they make the meal.

Someone recently interviewed me and asked me what was the one food I couldn’t live without. Obviously that is a very loaded question for someone who spends their days thinking, creating and obsessing over what to eat and to cook.

I surveyed myself and did the count-off. Chocolate. Cheese. Eggs. Avocados. Wine. Pasta. Oh man, the list goes on and on. But I couldn’t really narrow it down to just one ingredient, because it’s actually a whole dish I crave over and over again, every day.

Salad.

I LOVE salad. Whether it’s a simple lettuce and dressing affair, or a full blown all-in-one-meal-deal like this BBQ chicken recipe situation, salad is the rock to my Gibralter and if I was on a desert island, I’d want to be swimming in my leafy greens.

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Easy Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

These easy and full of flavor healthful chicken gyro sandwiches start with a simple 5-ingredient yogurt lemon marinated chicken that can be pan-fried, baked, or grilled, and then topped with a simple cucumber and dill tzatziki sauce. It’s as easy as that.

I’d have to say I’m just like 97.99% of the rest of the home cooks out there. We’re busy. Our days are full. And that makes our nights even fuller. It’s the reason why one of my most often heard of requests is for more meals that are easy to make, don’t take a whole lot of time or a laundry list of ingredients, but still have that from-scratch, seasonal-eats quality.

Well here is one recipe 97.99% of you and more are going to love. It’s simple. It’s fast. It’s practical with just a few simple ingredients. And it’s totally flavorful thanks to it’s Mediterranean roots. continue to the recipe… about Easy Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Bone-in, skinless chicken thighs cooked in the slow cooker create the luxe flavor in this savory Italian chicken recipe for an incredibly easy weeknight or weekend meal.

You know how the saying goes. It’s what waiters around the world have used for years to push the daily special.

“This meat is so tender it falls off the bone.”

And then sometimes it is. And sometimes it isn’t.

I’m here to tell you, today, right now, that thanks to this slow cooker Chicken Cacciatore recipe, the meat LITERALLY falls from the bone.

But don’t just take it from me, this is the day you’re going to absolutely want to try it for yourself. And like any good salesperson, I’m going to guarantee your going to love it.

continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

30-Minute Caprese Chicken Recipe

With just a few simple ingredients including store-bought pesto and balsamic, you can make this healthy, stand out, one-pan chicken breast dinner in under 30 minutes.

This recipe is brought to you by DeLallo Foods

There are many things that fall brings, but at our house, extra time in the day is not one of them.

Because there’s work. Why, oh WHY didn’t I win the lottery? And there’s school. “Oh mama,” she earnestly vents, “why did it have to start again??” There’s soccer practice, homework, mama-daughter volunteer work, dog walks, another new project for 2017 I’m busily finishing up, and those summer vacations that have turned into fall trips we are trying our darndest to squeeze in before old man winter wraps us in blankets and bribes us to join him to cocoon on the couch.

But we’re doing our best and adapting to the new normal, just like we do every year. And I’m taking one guess that you are too.

Instead of going out, eating at home at the end of days like these is actually a true time-saver. And when we plan ahead with the grocery shopping to avoid the dreaded question of “what’s for dinner?” one-pan recipes like this 30-minute chicken wonder actually make cooking at home, dare I say, enjoyable.

It truly doesn’t get much easier than this.

continue to the recipe… about 30-Minute Caprese Chicken Recipe

Latin Chipotle Quinoa Salad with Avocado

This simple Mexican-style quinoa salad gets tons of flavor from a dressing of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce sweetened over crunchy veggies, black beans and huge chunks of avocado.

Be forewarned, this might be one of those recipes you make once, then the next time you make it you’ll want to adapt it to suit your taste.

Than you chipotle peppers.

I think that challenge might be why they’re one of my favorite flavors, because they always keep me guessing.

I had this salad after picking it up at the grocery store when visiting my sister in Houston. I knew immediately I had to figure it out and share it here. I hope I’ve done it justice.

Word is, I did.

I took this salad to a 4th of July bbq and one of my friends who is gluten-free was SO happy someone had brought something besides pasta salad. Grateful even. I’m just here to make people happy to eat food. It’s my job.

continue to the recipe… about Latin Chipotle Quinoa Salad with Avocado

Roasted Tomato and Burrata Caprese Salad

The sweetness from just-picked garden tomatoes is hard to find year round, so I roast my tomatoes on a foil-lined sheet pan to give them an irresistible candied flavor in this summery caprese salad.

I created this recipe in partnership with Reynolds Wrap as part of their Endless Table series (have you seen their stunning Instagram account yet? Tip: Look at it in grid view!) because I want to share one of my kitchen secrets with you, the secret that produces some of the freshest salad flavors that, SURPRISE! are thanks to your oven!

Caprese salad is probably my hands down, most favorite, go-to salads…ever.

I’ve made it with avocado. I’ve made it with cantaloupe. I’ve made it with quinoa. I’ve made it as a spiralized zucchini salad and of course I’ve made it traditional style with burrata and summer’s best heirloom tomatoes because what bone fide cheese lover (me!) doesn’t love burrata (I do!).

But there’s just one issue I have when it comes to making my favorite versions of caprese salad.

Flavorless tomatoes.

We’ve all been there. Tomatoes are out of season but you still have a craving for that juicy, sweet bite. You disregard your better intuition and after making that first slice with the knife, you whimper a bit after discovering you’ve been duped by that shiny red tomato’s outside, revealing a dry, flavorless inside.

That is when my caprese love goes swiftly downhill.

But I have the key to enjoying sweet tomatoes all year round, and all it takes is a scattering of tomatoes on a sheet pan lined with Reynolds Wrap to get the sweet job done.

continue to the recipe… about Roasted Tomato and Burrata Caprese Salad

Rosemary Flatbread with Baked Goat Cheese

Store-bought naan is the shortcut for perfect flatbread and easy dipping in this savory, creamy goat cheese appetizer with roasted vegetables.

Sure, I like to cook. What would a food blogger be who didn’t?

But, like any good cook I also like to eat out, and besides my tried and true family favorites, that’s where I find a lot of my recipe-creating inspiration. It’s where pro chefs test out their culinary chops and people like us get to reap the benefits. And steal a few ideas too.

This flatbread recipe is a riff on a menu item at one of Salt Lake City’s most popular, tried and true restaurants, Café Trio. It’s a popular spot for ladies who lunch (and drink wine), bridal parties and baby showers, just like the virtual bridal shower we’re having today to celebrate the soon to be first baby toes arrival for the lovely Joanne of the food blog Fifteen Spatulas.

Café Trio is what you’d find listed in restaurant directories as “casual fine dining.” Pastas, salads, thin crust pizzas and sandwiches all with an upscale twist.

The restaurant has been around for over 20 years and this flatbread appetizer has never left the menu. After eating it over and over lo’ these many years, it’s obvious why.

continue to the recipe… about Rosemary Flatbread with Baked Goat Cheese

Gnocchi With Pomodoro Sauce

This simple tomato sauce gets tons of flavor from herbs steeped in olive oil that lusciously coats potato pillows of gnocchi, topped with fresh balls of mozzarella.

It’s a lunch I remember with fondness, and regret.

Fondness because it lit my fire for choosing gnocchi as my favorite thing to order on each and every Italian menu for the rest of my eating out days (ask my husband, I am not kidding) and regret because I didn’t go to that restaurant for more gnocchi more often than I did.

That gnocchi dish was truly made of little pillows of heaven. In fact, that was the name of the dish, Pillows From Heaven, roughly translated into English. I’ve since moved away and honestly, the way restaurants go, it’s probably gone too. But I’ll never forget my first time.

But it doesn’t matter much now, because while I still love going out, I’m just as happy making gnocchi at home.

continue to the recipe… about Gnocchi With Pomodoro Sauce

Heirloom Tomato, Zucchini, Caramelized Onion and Feta Galette

Caramelized onions and a spread of Dijon mustard make this rustic summer vegetable pie a favorite for an easy lunch, a light dinner or impressive appetizer.

Welcome, lazy dog days of summer. I’ve been waiting for you to show up.

The time of year I wish I was one of my favorite four-legged furry friends so that it would be perfectly acceptable to lie about the house and languish in the long shadows of the evening as the air conditioner kicks on and off before I wander down the hall to have someone else prepare my dinner, feed me and even get a little scratch on the old belly. And of course since I wouldn’t have thumbs, how could I possibly be expected to do the dishes?

It sounds pretty good. Except I wouldn’t want to eat dog food. No. Not at all. But rustic tarts loaded with summer veggies? That I will do. And friends, it is a FAR cry from dog food.

continue to the recipe… about Heirloom Tomato, Zucchini, Caramelized Onion and Feta Galette

tomatoes

Playing With Fire by Michael Symon

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