Nutritious sweet potatoes and a classic summer salad come together in this elegant appetizer.

This month’s Recipe Redux theme is “Get your fruits and veggies in shape… Show us how you’re serving the bounty of gardens and orchards in shapes like ribbons, noodles, cut-outs, or other creative cuts.”  When I read this, my first thought was- perfect!  Finally, I had an excuse to pull my spiralizer out of the closet!  My husband Pete actually got it for me as a gift about a year ago and I think he’s (not so) secretly been a little disappointed that I haven’t been cranking out spiralized dishes every night for dinner.  It’s not that I don’t love my spiralizer- on the contrary, the first time I used it to make zucchini noodles (aka zoodles), they came out great!  The sad truth is that as a food blogger, I tend to get so bogged down with my blog schedule, that it’s hard to find time to just play around in the kitchen and experiment with new tools and recipes.  I know my fellow food bloggers can relate!

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Packed with fresh ingredients, my Sunshine State Cioppino is the perfect light post-holiday meal.

This post was sponsored by Natalie's Orchid Island Juice Company.  As always all opinions expressed are my own.


I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  But now that the holiday is over, you may be looking for some lighter dishes.  My Sunshine State Cioppino definitely fits the bill.  Packed with flavor and fresh, nutritious ingredients, it’s the perfect post-holiday clean eating dish.

This dish is a twist on cioppino, a classic seafood stew that originated in San Francisco.  Cioppino was originally developed by Italian fisherman who used whatever fresh seafood they had caught that day including crab, fish, shrimp, clams, mussels, and squid.  It’s typically made with a tomato-based broth that’s infused with wine and served with plenty of crusty bread for dipping.  I decided to make a version of cioppino using fresh Florida seafood.  After all, I’m a Floridian now so why not take advantage of the bounty of fresh, local seafood? 

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A delightful combination of toasted bread and fresh tomatoes, this easy recipe is one of the most widely eaten dishes in Spain.

Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best.   Originating in Catalonia, this tomato bread is one of the most common and well-loved dishes in Spain.

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Did you know that it’s really easy to make your own salad dressing?  My Buttermilk Herb Dressing is simple, delicious and healthy.  Store-bought salad dressings often have a lot of added sugars, preservatives and a surprising number of calories.  However, when you make homemade salad dressing, you can use fresh, natural ingredients and make healthy substitutions as desired.  My Buttermilk Herb Dressing is like a cross between ranch dressing and green goddess dressing- two of my favorites.  It uses fresh herbs, which are abundant this time of year, and it comes together in just a few minutes. By using low fat buttermilk and nonfat Greek yogurt, you can cut back significantly on the amount of mayonnaise used and still have a nice creamy texture.  The fresh herbs, dijon mustard and lemon juice add bright flavor and acidity.  This is a nice versatile dressing that can be used on salads or even as a dip.  Try it with my Butter Lettuce Salad, which features delicate butter lettuce leaves topped with heirloom tomatoes and fresh, grilled sweet corn.  

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