I can’t give up avocados.

Not just yet. Last week my life changed with a simple little sandwich of whole grain bread + avocado + parmesan – broiled and topped with a fried egg. Thanks to reader Kelli for the suggestion – it is a combination worth trying!

But as much as I loved that sandwich, I needed something new and I had been wanting to combine basil + avocados for quite some time now. Originally I set out to make a avocado inspired pesto, but the feta cheese in the refrigerator caught my eye and I decided that it would be the perfect addition to the spread.

It turned out to be a very tasty addition.

The spread is delicious and so very versatile – it was delicious eaten with crackers and veggies and was just as scrumptious on a burger, I imagine the same would be the case on a sandwich.

I have always loved a good egg salad. I mean, I absolutely love eggs so it is only natural for me to love them in every form. When I came across a recipe for a Cucumber-Basil Egg Salad on the epicurious app (do you have it? you should!) it just sounded like my new favorite egg salad recipe.

The basil and cucumber add a fresh flavor to the egg salad and I decided to use a blend of mayonnaise and greek yogurt after it worked so well in the spring chicken salad. It is the perfect egg salad for spring and summer. Serve over greens with bread or crackers.

Southern California is known for its lack of real seasons, and I hear time and time again, “I just could never live without the change of seasons.” To which I reply with, “Yes, I know. Seventy-five and sunny most of the year is awful.”

I might miss the seasons (fall and spring only) at some point, but I haven’t noticed yet – I’ve been enjoying the weather just the way it is.

But now that spring has arrived for the rest of the world, it is time to embrace all of the lovely spring foods and produce.

This Spring Chicken Salad is wonderful – it has the bright and light flavors that we love in the spring and is so versatile – serve it over greens, on toasted bread, in a wrap or even mixed into pasta salad! I hear scooping it straight of the bowl with crackers is also delicious…

The inspiration came from Bon Appetit’s Three Pea Chicken Salad – I wouldn’t have thought to add peas to chicken salad on my own, but it was such a wonderful addition. I’m hooked! As an added bonus, this recipe is on the lighter side, without tasting anything like it. Greek yogurt replaces most of the mayonnaise but it isn’t evident at all, in case you live with someone who doesn’t like greek yogurt like me.

(source)

Pesto is one of those staples that everyone should always have on-hand. It comes in handy for so many things and adds such fresh flavor to everything it meets!

While homemade pesto is usually better, I rely on prepared pesto from the store a lot. Here are some of the ways I use it:

• Tossed with pasta (tortellini is my absolute favorite, but any pasta is good)
• Spread on a tortilla, topped with a little cheese, rolled up and microwaved for 30 seconds
• As a sauce for pizza
• Thin with a bit of olive oil and serve with roasted vegetables
• As a sandwich spread
• On meat, chicken or fish
• Blend into white bean dip
• As a crostini topping with parmesan or goat cheese
• Mixed into shredded chicken with a touch of mayo (recipe)
• Tossed with a grain, topped with goat cheese crumbles

What is your favorite way to use pesto? 

We have done a very poor job of utilizing the LA Farmers’ Markets since moving here.

So last Thursday I decided that I wasn’t going to plan every single meal of next week like I normally do. I would go to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market (considered one of the best in LA) Sunday morning and make dinner out of our findings! Sadly, this is kind of my idea of living on the edge…

The farmers’ market was amazing, and I now vow to visit more often. It was the perfect way to spend Sunday morning and I was able to buy all of the vegetables and fruit I needed for the week!

Soon after we started browsing (and people dodging/celebrity spying) I spotted some pak choi (bok choy) and had just seen a recipe on Fake Food Free that I wanted to try out (Ginger Soy Pak Choi) so our meal immediately took an Asian twist.

Then we were at the Oyster Boys stand and I over-heard one of the Oyster Boys describing Thai Mussels…um, done. Actually, we decided it over a few oysters. Um, yum.

So following his instructions, we combined coconut milk and veggies in a large pot and let the mussels cook away. Can we just take a second to discuss how amazing fresh lemongrass smells?! I almost didn’t want to throw it in the pot.

The thai mussels were incredible – the flavors so complex and spicy, creamy and fresh – all at the same time. And so easy! Mussels always strike me as complicated or a lot of work, but they really aren’t!

There is something about rye bread and salmon that just works. Don’t you think?

I suppose smoked salmon and cream cheese is the same way. Any way it is combined is usually a way that I’ll like.

This is a recipe that I worked on for French Meadow, but it was so good I just had to share with you!

In the way that my favorite recipes do, this is one that comes together in minutes and can also be made ahead of time. The salmon mixture needs a spin in the food processor and the bread simply needs to be toasted until crisp. I love the extra touch that the chive garnish adds, especially if you’ll be serving it for others.

Compound butter is something that seems (and sounds) fancy.

But its totally not. (Shhh, no one needs to know that.)

It’s really easy to make and can be used with whatever herbs you have on hand. I’m just a little obsessed with sage + butter so I stuck with that.

The steps are easy:

Chop up sage.

Heat butter + sage until sage is crispy.

Combine with butter.

Freeze.

Slice.

Spread on anything you can think of. Hot bread is AMAZING (not that I would know or anything…) but it would be fabulous on your favorite meat or fish as well.

This spread is a favorite of mine.

It is slightly spicy, chock-full of vegetables and it contains cheese, so you know it’s got to be good.

The recipe inspiration comes from a favorite restaurant back in Wisconsin, High Rock, except that they have this special, secret hot sauce (Gilly’s hot sauce) that gives it kick. I don’t have Gilly’s hot sauce as it’s a home-made specialty so I had to use some jalapeno hot sauce, but it gives the same affect. Any type of hot sauce would work. Next time I think I might just try it with sriracha…

I can at least promise that sauteing garlic in olive oil will have everyone wondering what you are up to and when exactly it will be ready to eat. Isn’t it amazing how a simple ingredient cooking can bring everyone around to the kitchen?

It really has been a while since I’ve shared a recipe with you all.

Trust me, I really miss the kitchen. Between the wedding, the move and the apartment search, I haven’t had my own kitchen for over a month!

The end is in sight though and I’ve got a huge list of things that need to be made. I’m baaaack!

Anyway, brown butter is pretty much amazing. I’m convinced you could drizzle it over anything and whatever it was would taste delicious.

When you combine brown butter with squash and sage however, you are instantly transported to fall and all that comes with it. Crunchy leaves, pumpkin lattes, and brown boots. Any squash (or vegetable for that matter) would work although the acorn squash that I used was especially delicious.

And it felt like fall while I was eating it, even though I haven’t busted out my brown boots quite yet.

Hi Guys! I’m currently in the middle of moving our entire life across the country so Lindsay (Pinch of Yum) is here for the day! 

I made the small mistake of looking at the pictures and write-up that Lindsay sent me for this guest post as I was in the middle of packing up our apartment and we had absolutely no food left. Ok, exaggeration, we did have food left, but pretzels lose some of their appeal after looking at these quesadillas. Right?

Thanks so much to Lindsay for helping me out during a very crazy part of life. Lindsay is Twin Cities blogger/teacher/amazing photographer who is always coming up with my kind of recipes. I can only hope that someday my pictures are as good as hers!

Hello friends!  I’m Lindsay from Pinch of Yum.

When Emily (the smart and healthy-conscious nutritionist) asked me to do a guest post, I panicked.

Nutritionist?  Post?

Time to get healthy.

But then something weird happened during my favorite part of the day: snacktime.  I wasn’t even trying to come up with a healthy recipe, and it just showed up on its own.

During a moment of extreme hunger, and an attempt to use up the last of the tomatoes from my neighbors garden – which were gifted, not stolen, although I had been eyeing them – these little Tomato Corn and Basil Quesadillas were born.

Talk about a perfectly fresh and filling snack!

And then I remembered that, actually, I kind of like to eat healthy snacks.

Especially healthy snacks with melted cheese.

Oh, yes.

Tomato Corn and Basil Quesadillas (makes 1 quesadilla)

• 1 whole tomato, chopped
• 1/3 cup corn
• 4 leaves fresh basil, cut into ribbons
• 2 tortillas
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• hummus, optional
• salt and pepper

1. Put the chopped tomatoes in a strainer and mix with the corn.  Add salt and allow juices to drip out for a few minutes.  Press on the mixture to make sure most of the moisture gets out.  Add ¼ cup cheese to the mixture and stir.
2. Preheat a skillet or a Panini press to medium-high heat.
3. Spread a tortilla with hummus (optional) and top with the tomato mixture.  Top with the remaining cheese and basil leaves, and place the other tortilla on top.  Grill for a few minutes on each side until cheese is melted and outside of tortilla is toasted/grilled.  For a more crispy outside, add a little butter or olive oil to the pan before grilling.
4. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut into wedges and serve!