This crispy chicken mediterranean salad is such a delicious weeknight meal! Lots of spring greens with tomatoes, cucumbers, pepperoncini and more, the dilly lemon dressing takes it over the top! Huge crowd pleaser!

Crispy chicken forever! 

This super crispy chicken is served over greens with a combination of my favorite mediterranean salad ingredients, like tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, red onion, fresh dill and more. It’s salad dinner gold!

Anytime I make a salad for dinner, I compare it to something as good as this. 

I have a few recipes that I keep in my back pocket as “Monday meals.” Things like turkey tacos, a quick pasta, a salad with crispy chicken and smashed potatoes. 

Making crispy chicken at the start of the week is one of my secrets for the week. First, everyone loves it for dinner. I can serve crispy chicken cutlets with roasted broccoli and orzo or I can use them in a salad. 

The leftovers are also SO good – even eaten cold. I use them for my own lunches, whether it be in salads, wraps or even just chopped up with dip. Love.

And I always want to make something nourishing but also comforting at the start of the week, so crispy chicken just fits the bill. 

So it’s no surprise that I make a version of this every single week. Crispy chicken strips, some sort of greens, lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, pepperoncini and a tangy, delicious dressing. 

We love it, crave it and everyone enjoys it.

Much like my crispy lemon salmon salad I shared a few weeks ago, the ingredients are super customizable and the dressing can be made ahead of time. It’s easy. The super thinly sliced chicken strips are ideal for a salad because they are so bite size.

You can easily make this a chopped salad too.

The dressing is very lemony, tangy and filled with a ton of dill. If you love pickles, fresh dill or anything overly dilly – this is your dressing! It is LOADED with dill flavor. It’s almost like a pickley pepperoncini dressing. I can’t get enough! You know I love a super briney vinaigrette. 

And now you know what’s for dinner tonight! (more…)

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These are the best fall salad dressing recipes! Add them to your menu for the week to spice things up and make your salads more exciting. These are some of my favorite recipes to use this season. 

We’re going to spice up your salads today!

The funny thing about having a food blog and sharing recipes is that sometimes the best recipes are inside another recipe! Case in point: all my salad dressings. I touched upon this in my post about my obsession with signature house salads, but dressings are my FAVORITE.

In fact, I have an entire portion of Everyday Dinners dedicated to my favorite dressings and sauces that you can make for the week to elevate your meals and add variety to your life. A good salad dressing is EVERYTHING.

And that’s hilarious, because growing up I hated most salad dressings. To this day, I still don’t like most bottled dressings. That means I am always making my own and have perfected them. These ones below are a dream for fall and will make every salad taste so much better!

Six Fall Salad Dressings

(more…)

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This maple brussels sprouts salad is a dreamy side dish for autumn or your Thanksgiving table. Shredded brussels, dried cherries, parmesan and toasted pine nuts are drizzled with a spiced maple vinaigrette. Delicious!

This is how I’ll be eating green for the rest of the season. 

I mean, does anything sound more autumnal harvest than a spiced maple brussels sprouts salad?! 

I think not. 

This brussels salad is filled with dried cherries, toasted pine nuts, shaved parmesan and a delicious almost-drinkable maple vinaigrette that has a hint of fall flavor. 

It’s crunchy and loaded with texture. And it makes an excellent complement to almost anything else on your Thanksgiving plate! 

Side dishes are all the rage on Thanksgiving at our house. They are what I love the most. And while I will rarely stray from the classics, a good brussels sprouts dish can always fit in somewhere on the table.

Since I didn’t grow up eating brussels sprouts on Thanksgiving (my mom STILL can’t believe I like them), there is no traditional or classic dish for us to make.

Which I secretly love, because it means I can make all sorts of different brussels dishes to try. I’ve made an incredible brussels gratin before, many many brussels sprouts salads and even brussels fritters. 

There are so many good options.

One of these reasons I love this salad is because it’s incredibly easy. You shave, shred or slice the brussels sprouts and that’s it – no cooking required. Plus, the entire salad tastes better as it sits. It marinates in the dressing and all bitterness and bite leave the brussels.

It’s also loaded with ingredients that most people enjoy.

We have:

Toasted pine nuts. Though any other toasted nut you enjoy will work. 

Dried cherries or cranberries.

Shaved parmesan.

And that’s it! It’s simple and easy, but very flavorful.  (more…)

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We love this winter citrus farro salad! It’s hearty and satisfying, is delicious served warm or chilled and the perfect make-ahead lunch.

I’ve got the best winter salad we can enjoy for the next few months!

This hearty citrus farro salad is satisfying and delicious, tossed with arugula, pistachios, radish slices, orange segments and feta cheese.

It tastes incredible, looks pretty, is the perfect combination of sweet and savory and hits the spot. 

I can’t get enough of this! 

Sure, the combo of ingredients is one of the reasons that this is so good. The texture and crunch, the chew of the cooked farro, the creaminess of the cheese and the tang of the dressing. 

But there is one other big thing. 

The reason this farro salad is so delicious? The farro is cooked in orange juice! 

I cook the farro in a mixture of water and orange juice. It’s delightful. Sweet but still savory, chewy with a hint of the citrus tanginess. It brings a real depth of flavor to the salad too. Trust me, you’ll want to eat a few spoonfuls of the farro alone. 

Once the farro is finished, I toss it with the arugula. This adds a peppery bite that complements the citrus very well. 

I also make a pomegranate vinaigrette that I drizzle on the base – all over the farro and arugula. This dressing is so delicious! It has hints of maple, red wine vinegar, pomegranate and garlic. It’s wonderful for the season and very versatile too. 

After the dressing shower, I toss the salad over and over before adding the rest of the goods. 

The toppings!!

Let’s just call them the best part. 

Thinly sliced radish, for that extra crisp with a bite.

Orange segments, with all their juicy, refreshing flavor. 

Chopped pistachios, because they are everything. 

And creamy feta! I live for feta. 

Toss it all together and boom, the ideal winter lunch or dinner bowl. (more…)

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This blood orange kale salad is the perfect savory, nutty salad to make during the winter months. Vibrant blood orange pairs with pistachio and pomegranate to bring a lovely salad that works with soups, sandwiches and more.

Blood orange season thrills me!

I love these vibrant, stunning citrus fruits in all their stain-your-hands-pink glory. This salad is filled with tuscan kale, segmented blood oranges, pomegranate arils, roasted pistachios and parmesan cheese. It’s easy and flavorful and so, so pretty!

And yes, more kale today!

Kale in pesto, kale in salad. I’m in a kale mood this month and I love how incredibly versatile it is. 

Plus, finally some blood oranges. It has taken me forever to find them in my area this year and I’m so excited that I finally did. Sure, I love using them for beautiful recipes like this. But we also really like to juice them. This juicer gets a workout this time of year and makes for the most gorgeous glass of blood orange elixir. 

This is such a simple yet flavorful salad. It has so many winter ingredients that I love to eat. We have:

Tuscan kale. It’s definitely my preferred version of kale and I love it in salads.

Blood oranges. I will eat anything that is hot pink! Not to mention, it tastes incredible. 

Pomegranate arils. You already know how much I adore these little winter jewels. 

Pistachios. Chopped pistachios are my go-to in salad. So buttery. 

Shaved parmesan. For some extra savory and rich cheesy flavor. 

The entire salad is drizzled with a blood orange vinaigrette. But honestly, it’s such a versatile dish that you could throw any dressing on top. 

This can be a light lunch salad. It’s filling thanks to the kale, pistachios and parmesan. 

It could also be a starter salad – one you have before a full meal, a soup or heck, even fondue. 

And it is a fabulous base salad! I love to add crispy chicken to this, grilled salmon and even beans. 

The blood orange vinaigrette is just as delicious as the gorgeous juice. It’s easily one of my favorite vinaigrettes of all time. Tangy, briney and bright, this is sweet and savory with that perfect hit of vinegar. I like to use a few tablespoons to massage the kale first, then add the toppings, then finish with more dressing.

This is one of those salads that I CRAVE. The texture is fabulous, the citrusy dressing is so wonderful with the rich parmesan and roasted pistachios. I love to shred the kale into small bits so this almost acts like a chopped salad, which we all know is the best kind of salad.  (more…)

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This sticky salmon kale salad is one of my favorite easy weeknight meals. The salmon is savory and sticky – it practically melts in your mouth. The kale salad is buttery from the avocado and fresh and lemony. Together, they’re a match made in heaven!

This meal is on repeat around here!!

Simple salmon with a sticky pan sauce served with a lemony kale salad loaded with creamy avocado. It’s the best combination when you want a satisfying, delicious meal! 

This is my favorite way to make salmon. When I say I make it this way weekly, I am serious. We adore this!

And it could not be more simple, because the stickiness really only comes from two ingredients: honey and water. 

YES.

That is it.

Now, of course, I add a few other spices on the salmon to change the flavor, depending on what else we are having for dinner.

For this reason, I cover the salmon in smoked paprika and garlic powder, which when combined with salt and pepper, is pretty much my howsweeteats house seasoning. Howsweeteats dust, if you will! 

I love this combo because it’s very sweet and smoky, almost BBQ sauce-like, without being saucy. 

The other thing I like to do is sear the salmon in butter. I find that searing it in a little bit of butter gives it such a fabulous brown color. This alone makes it just look more appetizing, you know? That golden color, a little bit of crust – you can’t beat it!

See how deeply golden my salmon and sticky sauce look? That is just from using the spices and searing it in the butter. Get some color on it! 

So needless to say, I serve this salmon with just about EVERYTHING. I eat it for lunch leftovers. I wrap it up in nori sheets with rice. Serve it with potatoes.

And today, I’m showing you my favorite avocado kale greens that come together so super fast.

Eddie doesn’t love avocado, so in real life, I might just be eating this salad alone. However, he does love kale salad. So he will skip the avocado and throw the salmon on top of the simple lemony greens. It’s still so, so good. 

Fresh lemon, a touch of honey, some dijon – all massaged into the kale. Top it with buttery avocado and boom – you’re done.

I love serving these two side by side. The salmon is savory, hot and sticky. The salad is cold, refreshing and chewy. They work so well together and are a great complement!  (more…)

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This kale steak salad is absolutely delicious! Creamy chimichurri dressing, crispy manchego cheese, tangy green olives and juicy steak over tuscan kale. Feels extra special and fancy!

Valentine’s dinner, coming right up!

I love sharing a delish steak meal for the Valentine holiday and this year is no exception. I sear filet and serve it over creamy chimichurri massaged kale, complete with thinly sliced red onion, castelvetrano olives and manchego cheese crisps.

Holy cow, it is SO DELICIOUS. 

There is a ton of texture in this salad. Tons and tons of flavor. Loads of satisfying goodness, crunch, and a big chimichurri drizzle to finish it all off. 

Sounds completely dreamy right?!

Here’s the thing:

It’s a tad high-maintenance.

I start by making a batch of my chimichurri. I use some of it to make a creamy dressing, which is outstanding. Mix some of it into plain greek yogurt. You can use it as a dressing, dip or spread.

I use the creamy dressing to massage the shredded kale. The flavor is perfect! 

To the kale salad, I add some tangy olives. I live for olives! I have loved them since I was a baby – my mom still talks about how I loved eating them off my fingers. And I also add some sliced red onion for a punchy kick.

It’s a simple salad base, but it has everything the salad needs. 

Because here’s the thing: we’re also making manchego cheese crisps. Remember when I first shared these in my homemade spaghettios? Finely shredded manchego cheese gets piled on a baking sheet and thrown in the oven for a few minutes.

The result is this paper thin crisp of cheese – so savory and delightful – which is also crunchy enough to mimic a crouton.  (more…)

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This cheese tortellini caesar salad is irresistible! Crisp romaine lettuce, greek yogurt caesar dressing, shaved parmesan and crunchy croutons are tossed with tender cheese tortellini. It’s a perfect side dish or base for your favorite protein!

I love when I can share a ridiculously delicious and easy recipe!

This tortellini caesar salad is a classic in our house. Crisp romaine lettuce, greek yogurt caesar dressing, lots of parmesan and crunchy croutons are tossed with tender cheese tortellini. 

You can serve this whole salad chilled or even when the tortellini is still a bit warm.

It goes with everything! 

Last year I finally shared our favorite caesar pasta salad. It’s always a huge hit – I can’t even tell you how often I make it!

It’s embarrassingly easy too. Caesar salad + pasta. Lots of parmesan. Some toasty breadcrumbs! It’s always a crowd pleaser because the ingredients are ones that my entire family loves. 

I serve it as a side dish often. Sometimes I throw in grilled chicken to make it our main dish and a little more filling. I’ve also added roasted chickpeas!

So this is the same, but with TORTELLINI!!!

Oh my gosh, yum. Yes. 

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve had a huge moment with tortellini over the last year. I don’t know why. Well, yes I do. It’s delicious! 

We have loved eating it in soups, cold pasta salads and more. It’s also fabulous in baked pasta dishes. 

So while we didn’t necessarily NEED a written recipe for this… after all, tortellini IS a type of pasta… I still had to share. Because I had to get this on your radar! I had to make a stand alone post for it, because I reference my own recipes constantly for weeknight meals. 

And for some reason, using cheese tortellini over a pasta like penne or fusilli is more filling and fun. It required its own corner of the internet. We needed a place for it to live!

Here we are. This is how I do it! 

I use romaine lettuce and chop it up. The fresher and crisper, the better.

Then, I make my greek yogurt caesar dressing. This is another staple in my fridge. I make it all the time. You can also find the recipe in Everyday Dinners!

Next, I love to throw on some croutons of toasted sourdough bread crumbs. This depends on how much time I have, what I have in my kitchen and what I feel like making. If you have a store bought crouton that you really love, that works too. 

Finally, shaved parmesan cheese is key. There is something so deliciously sharp and wonderful about the paper-thin parm slices. I love how they slide into the romaine lettuce. And I will never complain about getting a bigger bite of cheese in a salad. Never! (more…)

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This warm spring quinoa salad is chock-full of roasted vegetables, toasty quinoa and all the crunchy toppings. Golden, crisp quinoa is mixed with chickpeas and kale, then topped with pistachios, feta, radish and a lemon vinaigrette for the ultimate crunchy, warm salad that is satisfying and delish!

HELLO spring!

This warm quinoa salad is filled with chickpeas, kale, crunchy pistachios, creamy feta, radish, toasty quinoa and more. It’s drizzled with an incredible lemon dressing filled with herbs. And you’ll want to eat it over and over again this season. 

It’s the first full day of spring and we have snow on the ground! Crazy for a year where we’ve barely had any snow. 

That means it’s the perfect time of year to combine the seasons; to enjoy a salad that is filled with spring vegetables but also warm and cozy. Yes, we can have both!

If you haven’t heard of the “baked salad” trend, it was making its way around social media a few years ago. The idea of a baked salad doesn’t sound appealing to me, but that’s just because of the name!

The fact is that I’ve been toasting quinoa, roasted chickpeas and vegetables in salads for years. So what’s not to love?

Nothing! This is super delicious and a lovely way to bring in a new season when it’s still cold and gray. 

It’s also a fabulous dish to make if you have leftover quinoa. The cooked quinoa gets so toasty and golden and crunchy in the oven and it’s everything. I could eat quinoa like this all the time.

This is how it comes together!

First, I throw half of the ingredients on a sheet pan to roast them. This includes kale, cooked quinoa, chickpeas and asparagus. I like to roast them at at least 425 degrees F and for about 15 minutes. And I give them a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper – then they are good to go!

I keep the seasons on that part simple because we’re making a delish, refreshing vinaigrette. A wonderful lemony herby dressing that will soak into the salad and give it even more flavor. It’s super easy to whisk up, so I do it while the vegetables and quinoa are in the oven. You can also make it ahead of time too.

There are also a few ingredients that don’t get warm up: chopped pistachios, crumbled feta and diced radish. These things add the creamiest, crunchiest texture to the salad and really elevate the flavor as well. 

I can’t even express how delicious this is! The combination of the warm, crisp ingredients combined with the cool creamy cheese and the crunchy nuts – it cannot be beat. I am such a texture freak and this salad is right up my alley. 

It also gets better as it sits!

The dressing sinks into the quinoa and the kale. It’s tangy and bright and tastes like a big forkful of spring. 

Crunchy, cozy, crisp all while being refreshing and bright. This is how we bring spring into the air! (more…)

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This smoked salmon farro salad is made with peppery arugula, refreshing cucumbers, pickled onions and crisp fresh radish slices. Drizzled in a red wine vinaigrette, it’s full of flavor and will leave you satisfied!

I’ve got spring in a salad for you today.

The colors! This smoked salmon salad is made with farro, arugula, cucumbers, pickled onions, feta cheese and thinly sliced radish. 

It’s an excellent simple dinner or the perfect work lunch! And it is SO satisfying. Anytime I have a meal with smoked salmon for lunch, I’m thrilled. Because it fills me up in a great way that isn’t heavy and doesn’t leave me tired. 

Is it a bowl or a salad? That is the question. 

I consider anything that has a base of a grain to be a BOWL. This is just how my brain works though. There aren’t any real hard and fast rules. It can be a salad or a bowl! Or a salad bowl.

Riddle me that. 

There are so many ways that I love to enjoy smoked salmon. Of course, on bagels and toast. In things like frittatas and even on tarts or pizza. 

I also love to throw it in a salad.

The best part about the salmon is that it’s so incredibly easy to grab for a meal. It’s such a simple way to get a bunch of protein and fat into a meal in a delicious way. 

And that’s always a win!!

Here’s the rundown for this beauty:

I love to use cooked farro here, and it’s even better if it’s leftover farro. Or farro that I prepared at the start of the week. This allows the meal to come together very quickly and easily.

Arugula is my favorite green to use, thanks to its peppery bite. It complements the salmon super well – in fact I will often grab a peppered smoked salmon at whole foods if I can find it. 

A few crunchy, fresh ingredients that scream spring come next. I like to use cucumbers, pickled onions, radish and some fresh herbs.

First, I like to use these because they remind me of the delicious smoked salmon bagel combination! 

And second, the flavor pairs great with the salmon and allows for there to be some refreshing, crisp texture in the bowl. 

Some crumbled feta goes a long way. The creamy texture is ideal and lends itself to a huge flavor boost. The tang can’t be beat.  (more…)

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