Recipe: Easy Polenta

Easy Polenta
Food & Wine Magazine, Mar 2020, p.36
4 stars

Honestly, I wasn't quite sure about this recipe especially when we started making it and I realized that we literally just needed to boil the broth, whisk in the polenta and then remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for 45 minutes.  Overall, for a no stir polenta, it was pretty good.  Some lumps, but not bad (we could have whisked more "vigorously" to break up the lumps).

Had this with a salad and also Magic Crispy Chicken!  Such a great meal.

Ingredients: polenta, chicken broth, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, butter, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tip:

• Made half the recipe (2 cups of uncooked polenta expands and serves a lot of people -- 8)
• Next time, use 10% less broth

Recipe: Spicy Baked Pasta with Cheddar and Broccoli Rabe

Spicy Baked Pasta with Cheddar and Broccoli 
Bon Appetit Magazine, Mar 2020, p. 27
4.5 stars

I was really curious about this recipe as the heading for the article/recipe was "A Very Persuasive Pasta -- Alison Roman couldn't find a baked pasta she liked. So she made one she did."  I would say she did a great job creating this dish. So good and flavorful. I liked the use of the sharp white cheddar and especially loved the crispy topping.

Ingredients: rigatoni, leeks, broccoli rabe or broccolini, sharp white cheddar, chives, fresh breadcrumbs or panko, heavy cream, extra-virgin olive oil, black pepper, Kosher salt

Tips

• Used penne instead
• Used kale instead of broccoli rabe

Recipe: Black-Bean and Sweet-Potato Stew

Black-Bean and Sweet-Potato Stew

Marthastewart.com

5 stars

Super healthy, satisfying, flavorful vegetarian Mexican-style stew.  You won't even miss that there's no meat in this dish, and the leftovers are great!  What "makes" the dish is the chipotle in adobo which again and again proves to add a nice layer of flavor and heat.

Ingredients: black beans, sweet potato, quinoa, white onion, poblano pepper, chipotle in adobo, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, cilantro, shredded cheddar

Tips:

• Added sour cream as you can see from the photo
• Can also add chopped avocado
• Serve with tortilla chips for crunch

Recipe: Cheesy Spinach-Potato Egg Casserole

Cheesy Spinach-Potato Egg Casserole
Martha Stewart Living, Apr 2020, p. 109
4.5 stars

Breakfast for dinner! This casserole was great -- it has my favorite combination of ingredients.  We basically made the recipe but included more potatoes, cheese and spinach than what it called for.   

Ingredients: eggs, fontina cheese, spinach, onion, milk, thyme, nutmeg, butter, Kosher salt, pepper