Recipe: Lunch Nachos with Spiced Cauliflower

Lunch Nachos with Spiced Cauliflower

Bon Appetit Magazine, Mar 2021, p. 37

4.8 stars

Discovered another great weeknight meal -- that's economical too! I was just thinking about the last time we ordered nachos from a restaurant for pick up. It was so expensive and a pathetically small portion. 

I wasn't sure about the spiced cauliflower, but it worked! Added some cholula on top and a margarita on the side, and this was a great dinner.

Ingredients: tortilla chips, refried beans, cauliflower, radishes, carrots, sharp cheddar, avocado, cilantro, plain yogurt, seasoned rice vinegar, ground coriander, ground cumin, paprika, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Heat up the beans fully on the stove
• Either grease the sheet pan or use a silpat mat (we used foil and the nachos and cheese stuck to it)
• Use sour cream or creme fraiche instead of yogurt

Recipe: Chocolate Banoffee Pie

Chocolate Banoffee Pie

Bon Appetit Magazine, March 2021, p. 25

4.5 stars

I hadn't made a pie in a pretty long time. This was good for a chocolate banana pie -- but probably wouldn't make it again unless we have a NEED for a Banoffee pie. I was afraid that it was going to be too sweet, but it wasn't -- the high cacao % in the ganache helped keep the sweetness level down.

The crust was DELICIOUS -- I'm a huge fan of Biscoff cookies, the ones you get on the plane and would use this crust recipe again. One note is that the crust fell apart when eating it so would add more butter potentially to bind it together better. In addition, this ganache recipe was great.

Crust Ingredients: Lotus Biscoff cookies, unsalted butter, sugar

Ganache Ingredients: semisweet chocolate (at least 64% cacao), heavy cream, unsalted butter

Pudding Ingredients: heavy cream, eggs, light brown sugar, milk, unsalted butter, sugar, cornstarch, Kosher salt, chocolate, bananas

Tips:

• As noted above, add a binder (more butter) so the crust holds together better.
• Not sure about the egg step -- I followed the directions exactly constantly whisking the egg yolk mixture with the butterscotch and couldn't get it smooth. It was lumpy like the egg cooked in it.

Recipe: Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Avocado Bacon Salad

Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Avocado Bacon Salad

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.7 stars

Restaurant-worthy salad. I think the dressing was better than any honey mustard dressing I've had at restaurants.

Ingredients: mixed greens, boneless chicken tenders, cherry tomatoes, shaved parmesan, avocados, bacon, pretzel twists, eggs, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Honey Mustard Dressing Ingredients: honey, dijon mustard, tahini, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, extra virgin olive oil

Tips:

• Use 1 egg instead of 2
• Make sure to use very crispy pretzel twists; might consider mixing it with panko to make sure it turns out crunchy 
• Also, 1 cup was a little too much pretzel

Recipe: Creamy Polenta with Burst Cherry Tomato-and-Red Wine Ragout

Creamy Polenta with Burst Cherry Tomato-and-Red Wine Ragout

Food and Wine Magazine, Feb 2021, p.82

5 stars

Lovely side dish (and not just because I love polenta) that's restaurant-worthy. We had this with some leftover brisket. 

Polenta Ingredients: uncooked coarse-ground polenta, whole milk, water, garlic, thyme, Kosher salt, black pepper

Ragout Ingredients: cherry tomatoes, kale, dry red wine, garlic, red pepper, basil, butter, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips:

• The polenta was a bit salty. Recommend 1.5 tsp of Kosher salt instead of 1 Tbsp in the polenta.
• If making this for a dinner party, double the amount of ragout.

Recipe: Homemade Cheesy Gordita Crunch Tacos

Homemade Cheesy Gordita Crunch Tacos

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.9 stars

I love this taco -- only issue for me is that it's double the carbs! Basically, it's 2 tortillas per taco... but it's worth it! Delicious and super flavorful. Plus, it's EASY.

Taco Ingredients: ground meat (chicken, beef or turkey), yellow onion, chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, dried oregano, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

"Doritos" seasoning: onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, grated parmesan cheese, Kosher salt

Assembling Ingredients: soft tortillas, hard taco, shells, shredded Mexican cheese blend, "Doritos" seasoning,  ranch dressing, romaine lettuce, sharp cheddar, cilantro, avocado, limes, hot sauce

Tips:

• Used already prepared (bottled) ranch dressing
• Used ground bison

Recipe: Roasted Cherry Tomato Caprese

Roasted Cherry Tomato Caprese

Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov 2017, p.44

4.7 stars

We had this for Easter dinner along with steak and wine -- a lovely meal!

Ingredients: cherry tomatoes, fresh buffalo or cow mozzarella, thyme, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, flaky sea salt; Country-style bread brushed with oil and toasted

Tips:

• Instead of fresh buffalo or cow mozzarella, we used... BURRRRATA!!!!!!

Recipe: Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange

Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange

Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2011, p. 132

5+ stars

I honestly wasn't sure if this was going to be a good dish or not but decided to give it a chance. It looked easy (almost too easy and simple), and from reading the recipe, it looked like it would be too soupy or liquidy. It wasn't. This was an AMAZING pasta dish. I kept saying during dinner that it was restaurant-worthy (this would be $22 per person in a restaurant) and there was no reason for us to go to an Italian restaurant again because it was so good.

The key is to make homemade pasta.

We served this with a Soft Lettuces with Prosciutto, Peas and Poppy Seeds salad (see in the background of the photo). Definitely will be serving this at a dinner party.

Ingredients: 12 oz egg tagliatelle or fettuccine (preferably fresh), prosciutto, heavy whipping cream, orange juice and zest, Parmesan, butter, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Make only 1/2 the zest (the recipe doesn't say where to use the other half?!)

Recipe: Soft Lettuces with Prosciutto, Peas and Poppy Seeds

Soft Lettuces with Prosciutto, Peas and Poppy Seeds

Martha Stewart Living, Apr 2021, p. 96

5 stars

Restaurant-worthy salad -- and incredibly EASY to make! This is going into our salad rotation for sure. In reading the recipe, I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. It turned out to be a wonderful, balanced, delicious salad that I can't wait to have again. We had this with the Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange pasta dish.

Ingredients: spring lettuce, prosciutto, English peas, poppy seeds, shallot, white balsamic vinegar, lemon zest and juice, mayonnaise, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Use a little more shallot than the teaspoon that it calls for
• Couldn't find fresh English peas so used frozen peas