We love a good Caesar salad for lunch in the summer, but not all Caesar’s are created equal. Considering the salad is mostly lettuce, the dressing is what makes or breaks a Caesar salad. 

This Ultimate Caesar Dressing is low calorie, high protein, and packed with flavor. It only takes a few minutes to put together and keeps well in the fridge for about a week. Once you try this dressing, you’ll never go back to store-bought Caesar dressing again! 

NOTES:

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, substitute capers for anchovies to keep that briny flavor. If you’re vegan, swap out the parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast or for a vegan parmesan.  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender or food processor and blend until smooth. 
2. Toss as much as you’d like into some fresh romaine lettuce.
3. Top with parmesan, grilled chicken, salmon, croutons, or anything else you’d like. 
4. Serve and enjoy! 

If you love crab cakes but need a gluten-free option, these are perfect for you and are easy to make – about ten minutes of prep time and ten minutes of cook time! But give yourself at least an hour as they do need to be refrigerated for at least 30 minutes before cooking.  

Cocktail sauce and tartar sauce both go great with crab cakes, but this remoulade sauce brings in a little Cajun flair and spice that complements the crab cakes really well. These are great for a quick dinner for two at home or as an appetizer for dinner with friends.  

NOTES: 

• You can use fresh or frozen crab meat. You can find fresh at the seafood counter at your grocery store. Frozen or canned tend to be less pricey if you want to keep it budget-friendly. 
• We used avocado oil mayonnaise but whatever you have on hand works! 
• We used tamari in this recipe but you can also substitute coconut aminos, or soy sauce if you’re not gluten-free. 
• I used almond flour but feel free to use regular flour if you’re not gluten-free. 
• When mixing the crab meat into the mixture, do your best to keep the crab pieces together. I used a spatula to fold them into the mixture to avoid breaking them apart. This will help the crab cakes keep their shape.  
• Don’t skip the refrigeration step! Chilling the crab mixture for at least 30 minutes will help the crab cakes stay together and not fall apart.  
• For the remoulade sauce, we used Louisiana Hot Sauce but you can substitute Crystal, Tabasco, or any other Creole/Cajun hot sauce. 
• The sauce also calls for Creole seasoning. Our favorite is Slap Ya Mama, but Tony Chachere’s is a good substitute.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix mayonnaise, egg, Old Bay, lemon juice, tamari, mustard, and parsley in a large bowl. 
2. Gently stir in the crab meat and almond flour. Use a spatula so that the crab meat pieces don’t fall apart.  
3. Refrigerate the crab mixture for at least 30 minutes or overnight.  
4. To make the remoulade sauce, whisk all the ingredients until fully combined and refrigerate until ready to use.  
5. Once you’re ready to cook the crab cakes, preheat your oven broiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease with half of your melted butter, or one tablespoon. 
6. To form the crab cakes, scoop out ⅓ cup of the crab mixture and gently press using your hands to form the cake. You should have about 6 crab cakes.  
7. Brush the rest of the melted butter onto the tops of the crab cakes. 
8. Broil for about 8-12 minutes, or until golden brown.  
9. Garnish with additional parsley if desired. Serve with remoulade sauce and a lemon wedge and enjoy! 

Servings: 6 crab cakes

Did we mention it’s all made in one pan? Easy to make and easy to clean up!

NOTES:

• We used a 6.5-ounce jar of pesto for this recipe. If you have time to make homemade pesto, homemade pesto is always amazing. However, this recipe has so much flavor that even the store-bought version tastes amazing.
• We used chicken thighs, but if you prefer breast use that, but be sure to adjust your cooking time and check that your internal temp is 165.

Serves 8

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl, then mix in lemon juice and ½ cup pesto. Let marinate at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken, onion, red bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Cook for 10-15 minutes at medium heat or until almost thoroughly cooked.
3. In a separate small pan, toast pine nuts over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until fragrant. Then set aside.
4. Add wine and allow to reduce until mostly evaporated.
5. Then add white beans, sun-dried tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes. Cook until white beans and tomatoes have softened, or about 20 minutes. Add additional broth as needed.
6. Top with pine nuts. Serve with additional pesto.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Save this recipe for those days when you don’t have a lot of time for lunch! This pasta salad is packed with plenty of veggies and protein to keep you full! The dressing has lemon and dill which makes for a tangy and herbaceous salad. 

NOTES: 

• For the pasta, we used two 9-oz packages of chickpea rotini. Farfalle or macaroni would also work, or any pasta you like! 
• When making the dressing, start with one tablespoon of lemon juice and add more if you prefer a tangier dressing.  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook pasta according to the directions on the box. 
2. Steam broccoli. 
3. Whisk all dressing ingredients until fully combined. 
4. Add all salad ingredients to a large salad bowl. 
5. Pour dressing into salad bowl & toss to coat evenly.  
6. Garnish with lemon wedges & extra dill.  (optional) 
7. Serve & enjoy! 

This soup has literally 8 ingredients – including olive oil. It’s a great way to use up leftover chicken, or a rotisserie chicken. Cook time is under 30 minutes and prep is so minimal – dicing the onion is the most labor-intensive part!  

You’d expect a soup this creamy to have, well, cream in it. Or at least some dairy! But this soup is dairy-free.  

NOTES: 

• While this soup is incredibly easy, you can end up with scrambled eggs if you don’t temper your eggs. To avoid this, take your eggs out early and let them come to room temperature, or slowly whisk the hot broth into your eggs. 

• We highly recommend zesting your lemons as part of your prep. The zest makes a huge difference even though it’s a garnish. The parsley is optional as well but if you have it on hand, add it because it really amps up the flavor.  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Then add onions. Sauté until soft or about 5 minutes. 
2. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then, add rice. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is cooked.  
3. While rice is cooking, whisk eggs in a medium mixing bowl until eggs are smooth. then add lemon juice.  
4. Whisk in one cup of hot broth into the egg mixture and set aside.  
5. Add chicken to soup pot. Heat for 3-5 minutes or until the chicken is warmed. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then turn off the heat.  
6. Slowly stir the egg mixture into the soup until fully combined. 
7. Garnish with lemon zest and fresh parsley. Serve & enjoy! 

This white bean spread is rich, tangy, and garlicky and is topped with more roasted garlic, tangy sun-dried tomatoes, briny capers, parsley, and crispy prosciutto. Don’t expect leftovers!

NOTES: 

• We served this with a loaf of baked sourdough, crackers, and fresh veggies.  
• We used roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, capers, and crispy prosciutto. You could also opt for roasted red pepper, artichoke hearts, olives, Calabrian peppers, or anything you like! 
• Roasting garlic takes the most time but is so worth it. We used a whole head of roasted garlic. Half goes into the white bean spread and the other half is used as a topping. While fresh garlic has a bite to it, roasted garlic is more mellow, sweet, nutty, and rich.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Peel the papery layers off of the garlic. Cut the top of the garlic off so the tops of the individual cloves are exposed. Drizzle with olive oil and salt then lightly wrap in aluminum foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes.  
2. Leave the oven heated to 400 to bake the prosciutto. Lay the prosciutto on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until crispy. Once cool, break into small pieces and set aside. 
3. Once the garlic has cooled, add about half of the roasted garlic cloves to a food processor along with the cans of cannellini beans, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to taste. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  
4. Spread the white bean spread over a cutting board or platter. Top with the remaining roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, crispy prosciutto, roasted red peppers, capers, parsley, and additional salt and pepper.  
5. Serve alongside toasted bread, crackers, or vegetables & enjoy!