The leading authority on basketball cupcakes and Basil-Lime martinis…
Recipe here.
These were a surprising hit with everyone. The puddings have an interesting texture that is somehow dense, yet fluffy at the same time. The flavor is outstanding and the sabayon is divine. I was worried that a dessert with squash in it might not go over well with the kids, but they loved it! We had a little sabayon left over, which was fantastic over fresh raspberries. Mmmm…
Greek Farro Salad
3/4 cup farro, cooked according to package directions, drained, rinsed and set aside to cool
1 and 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and slice into bite-sized half-moons
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved
4 ounces fresh feta cheese, cut into large dice
1 batch of my friend Arnie’s Greek salad dressing
Gently toss all ingredients together until lightly coated with dressing. You may not need ALL of the dressing, so reserve a few tablespoonfuls and adjust as needed.
These were delicious and VERY quick and easy. They were inspired by this recipe. If you don’t already have some adobo seasoning on hand, I highly recommend mixing up a batch. It’s great to season lots of things, but is perfect for spicing up chicken to add to tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, salads, etc. The flavor is wonderful.
Flexitarian Tacos
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 cups frozen corn, thawed and drained of any residual moisture
1 5-ounce package baby spinach
1 can (or about 1 and one-half cups) cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
8 small flour tortillas
3/4 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (3 ounces)
3/4 cup store-bought refrigerated salsa
(the ONLY acceptable store-bought salsa, if you live in Central Texas, is Rose’s Just Right Fresh salsa…there are no words)
a few teaspoons adobo seasoning (scroll down for recipe), to taste
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Sprinkle chicken thighs liberally with adobo seasoning on both sides and then grill them, either outside on a grill pan. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large, wide saute pan over VERY high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn has started to brown slightly around the edges. Lower the heat in the pan to medium and add the spinach. Stir occasionally until the spinach has wilted. Add the beans to the pan and continue cooking until warmed through. Remove from heat.
Cut chicken into thin strips.
Fill tortillas with some of the veggie mixture and then top with cheese and salsa, as desired. The carnivores can add a bit of chicken to their tacos, as well.
I’ve marked this recipe as gluten-free, because you could easily substitute corn tortillas for the wheat.
“Recipe” here.
So, I feel guilty even calling this a “recipe,” because it is so simple, but it was delicious and was a fantastic way to use up some leftover Halloween candy. It’s a kind of make-your-own Chubby Hubby. This was quite good and would be fancy enough to serve for a casual dinner party with friends, but takes mere minutes to compose (although it must sit in the freezer for a while afterward.)
Recipe here.
I was prepared for this to be healthy and I figured that Vegetarian Girl would like it, but I have to say that I was VERY pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was and at the fact that ALL of us liked it. It was rich without being too heavy and was VERY flavorful. I was afraid that the squash wouldn’t cook well and would stay unappetizingly crunchy, but they didn’t. I did use a bit more dough than the recipe called for, because of the package size of the dough that I bought, so I might double up accordingly on the toppings next time, but it was quite, quite good. I didn’t serve it with the arugula, but did some kale chips, instead. This will be a definite repeat. I’ll probably add a bit more thyme next time, too.
Recipe here.
OK, so there are very few recipes that would actually live up to a promise like that, but this is one of them. This was moist and light and VERY flavorful. Quite tasty. The Meyer lemons are a fun novelty, if you can find them, but this would also be fantastic if you made it with plain old regular lemons.
I have a long, narrow loaf pan that I bought from The Baker’s Catalogue that I used for this and it made lovely little dainty-sized slices. It’s ceramic, rather than the metal recommended in the recipe, but it still worked fine.
FYI – Meyer Lemons are a little darker in color and sweeter in flavor than regular lemons.
Recipe here.
Made these for Boy’s birthday breakfast. Pray for me; I officially have two teenagers in the house!
These were absolutely delicious. They are considerably sweeter than most pancakes recipes (many recipes don’t even contain any sugar,) and so, consequently needed MUCH less syrup over the top of them, but the almond flavor was outstanding and we will DEFINITELY be making these again.
Wondering what to do with the remaining mascarpone (mine came in an 8 oz container) and the remaining almond paste (ditto – 8 oz container?) You can freeze them both (chop/crumble the almond paste first) for a future batch…or you can buy some puff pastry and sliced almonds and make these. You’ll have just enough almond paste. Then, the other 4 ounces of mascarpone? Try this!
YUM! This was SUCH a delicious meal. I had planned on only making the black bean & quinoa salad and grilled chicken, but The Boy was with me at the supermarket and saw corn on the cob and requested this corn, which he loves. It sort “went with” the meal, so I acquiesced.
Black bean and quinoa salad recipe here. This recipe is delicious, but makes a ton, but it also keeps in the fridge fairly well for a day or two and makes a great lunch the next day. If you’re not a fan of leftovers and you’re not feeding a crowd, I’d recommend making a half-batch. It was quite good and pretty simple.
The corn recipe, basically, is here, but I used Penzey’s Arizona Dreaming for the seasoning this time. A universal hit, every time. Have served it for company and always have people ask for the recipe. Boy, in particular, LOVES this stuff.
The chicken is just boneless, skinless thighs sprinkled liberally with this fantastic Adobo seasoning mixture (scroll down) and then grilled. I really love this spice blend and am planning to use it more in the future. It’s great on chicken that you’re planning to put in any kind of Mexican dish (enchiladas, tostadas, fajitas, etc.) Achiote/annatto can be a little bit hard to find, but try a Latin market (or the Latin aisle of a large supermarket.) If you’re in Austin, Central Market has whole annatto seeds (in their bulk section) that can be ground in your spice-dedicated grinder.
What? You don’t have one of those?!!?! $20 can fix that. You NEED one. How else can you make garam masala?
*This meal is gluten-free, if you use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Recipe here.*
Yum, yum, yummity yum yum yum.
This is the first thing that I’ve made in a while (other than spring rolls) that the whole family has agreed upon. Usually, I’ll make a vegetarian dish that Boy won’t enjoy because it isn’t satisfying enough for him, or I’ll make a meat dish and two hearty side dishes, hoping that Girl can make a meal out of just the sides, and then she won’t feel like she’s really eaten a “meal,” but rather just snacked on sides.
This is spicy and warm and filling enough to be satisfying for all but the most stalwart carnivores and is definitely healthy and wholesome enough to satisfy any vegetarian. This definitely “feels” like a main course.
I, of course, made a few VERY slight modifications to the original recipe:
I used russet potatoes because I couldn’t find organic Yukon Golds and didn’t want to use “pesticide” potatoes, but I discovered that russets take a bit more time and liquid to cook than gold potatoes, so be aware of that if you decide to change up your potatoes, too.
I added another cup of chickpeas that I had leftover, just to bulk up the protein quotient for Vegetarian Girl.
I added just a bit of garam masala when I added the curry-ginger-garlic mixture, just to add a bit more flavor and some brightness (a few of the epicurious reviewers mentioned that the masala was a little bland.)
I also sauteed the onions in the pan BEFORE adding the curry-ginger-garlic mixture because I am personally not wild about onions that are not thoroughly cooked. The only raw onions that I can tolerate are red onions or green ones; white or yellow ones must be thoroughly cooked and softened for me.
I also added a bit more water to the dosa batter, because several epicurious reviewers had mentioned that the batter, as specified, was a bit too thick. I agree and think the extra water is crucial. Getting the hang of making the dosas is a little bit tricky (I had to throw the first one away,) but keep experimenting (make another batch of batter, if you need to,) and you’ll get it. I think if I hadn’t needed to throw the first one away, and if I hadn’t added extra water, then the batter probably would have made four dosas, but I ended up with 5 (made 6 and threw one away.
* This recipe is originally from November 2009 Gourmet magazine. There is a new issue out called Gourmet Quick Kitchen that has recently reprinted it.
Recipe here.
YUM! I made this as part of a Tropical-themed dinner to be served while viewing the PBS broadcast of “South Pacific,” which I DVR’d a couple of weeks ago.
I made “Younger Than Spring (time) Rolls” and this tropical dessert. I love having a “theme” when planning a menu. It’s corny, but it’s just so fun!
I’ve attempted a ginger creme brulee before, but like the flavor of the recipe better, and it was easier to prepare. The sliced mango on top was a delicious touch, and I highly recommend not omitting it, if you can get your hands on a perfectly ripe one.