At this point, I could probably whip up this pasta salad in my sleep. It’s always in heavy rotation at my house during warmer months because it is hands down my husband’s favorite dish I make. Can’t say I blame him though- what’s not to love about creamy pasta with bacon? Personally, I love that this recipe allows me to get my pasta fix without actually eating that much pasta (the whole recipe only contains 1/2 box of pasta, which you’d never guess if you didn’t look at the recipe).
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I am not a vegetarian or vegan, nor do I follow a gluten-free, keto, paleo (the list goes on) lifestyle. I love a juicy burger as much as the next meat-eating gal, and cheese is and will forever be one of my main food groups. That being said, I love vegetables and am not opposed to eating meals without meat or dairy.
Yet I have never gravitated towards vegetarian and vegan recipes or cookbooks until I discovered Power Plates, a vegan cookbook that has quickly and surprisingly become one of my favorites. The cookbook is written by Gena Hamshaw, a registered dietitian, food blogger, and cookbook author. Since Gena is a registered dietitian she has carefully made sure that each meal is balanced- pairing protein, healthy fat, and complex carbs together to help you sustain energy throughout the day. Her recipes leave you feeling full and satisfied, but not weighed down or overly stuffed. On top of this, and most importantly to me, her recipes are so flavorful that you don’t feel like you’re missing out on anything.
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This is my favorite salad of all time. That may not be a powerful statement to those who know me well since I don’t actually like most salads (I’m a sautéed vegetable kind of girl). However, you’ll have to trust me and try this salad. Somehow, simple ingredients like crisp cucumber, creamy avocado, and a simple balsamic dressing come together to make something wonderful.
I’ve made and failed at making cacio e pepe more times than I’d like to admit. I’ve created several dishes worth of watery pasta with clumps of cheese that refused to melt. Even after the first, second, and seventh failed attempt, I kept trying because some years ago I ate a wonderful plate of cacio e pepe and dreamed of recreating it.
However, it was also a matter of pride. How hard could it be to make a dish comprised of cheese, pasta and pepper? Unfortunately, I found out this simple dish can be easy to mess up. Making a silky sauce from dry cheese and water is a skill that needs to be learned. Read more
This was my all-time favorite dish as a kid. I mean what is not to love about pasta covered in cheese and zucchini? So of course when I left for college it became one of the first recipes I learned to make on my own.
Not only do I still love the taste of this dish but the ingredients are cheap and it is easy to make. The only downside is that it does not warm up well. If you are going to make zucchini pasta cook for enough people to eat it one in sitting. No judgement on how many, or few, servings you find in this recipe (I’m always confused as to how Ben & Jerry’s calculates four servings in their ice cream pints but I digress). Read more
life after five 