Recipe: Torn Escarole Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Torn Escarole Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Food and Wine Magazine, Dec 2019, p. 66
5 stars

This is a WOW / restaurant-worthy salad.  Lots of complexity and dimension to this salad as you can see from the ingredient list!  Spice, crunch, sweet, salty, umami.... definitely making this again soon.

Main Ingredients: applewood-smoked bacon, escarole, Honeycrisp apples, mild blue cheese like Gorgonzola

Crouton Ingredients: crusty Italian bread, hot chile-sesame oil or olive oil, Kosher salt

Dressing Ingredients: shallot, olive oil, apple butter or honey, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard


Notes/Tips:

• Used a mix of hot chili oil and sesame oil -- definitely use this instead of just olive oil
• Used red leaf lettuce instead of escarole
• Didn't have Gorgonzola (which would've been amazing on this salad!) so used Parmesan

Recipe: Sausage-Spiced Cauliflower Steaks

Sausage-Spiced Cauliflower Steaks
Food & Wine Magazine, Dec 2019, p. 46
5 stars

The description on this said "toasted fennel seeds, black pepper and orange zest lend a sausage-like flavor to these roasted cauliflower steaks." I thought, "Yeah, right ~ sausage-like flavor?!"  It actually DID have that flavor due to the fennel and mix of spices!  This was so good and an easy vegetarian dish that we'll definitely make again.  Didn't miss having meat during this meal!

Ingredients: cauliflower heads, marinara sauce, shredded fontina or provolone cheese, Parmesan cheese, fennel seeds, orange zest, garlic powder, olive oil, fine sea salt, black pepper

Notes:

• We had mozzarella so used it instead of fontina or provolone

Recipe: Easy Cheesy Zucchini Gratin

[Forgot to take a photo!]

Recipe: Easy Cheesy Zucchini Gratin
ibreatheimhungry.com
4.5 stars

This is a low carb, keto side that we made the other day -- really delicious (can't go wrong when there's cheese!).

The recipe is linked above, but I'm including it below in case the blog or link goes away which has happened!

• 4 cups sliced raw zucchini
• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced thin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Grease a 9×9 or equivalent oven proof pan.
3. Overlap 1/3 of the zucchini and onion slices in the pan, then season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
4. Repeat two more times until you have three layers and have used up all of the zucchini, onions, and shredded cheese.
5. Combine the garlic powder, butter, heavy cream, and xanthan gum in a microwave safe dish.
6. Heat for one minute or until the butter has melted. Whisk until smooth.
7. Gently pour the butter and cream mixture over the zucchini layers.
8. Bake at 375F for about 45 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened and the top is golden brown.
9. Serve warm.

Tips/Notes:

• Xanthan gum is optional (it's used as a thickener).
• Bake for less time so the zucchini doesn't get overcooked and mushy.

Recipe: Brussels-Sprout Tacos

Brussels-Sprout Tacos
Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Martha Stewart Living, Nov, 2019 p. 76 and 78
5 stars

I wasn't sure about this recipe, but wow -- this is a new "go to" for when we want to eat a plant-based meal.  This has everything to satisfy: creaminess from the avocado, acidity from the pickled onion, crunch from the peanuts, a little bitterness from the brussels sprouts, spiciness from the chipotle in adobo.  This is one of my new favorite recipes!

Brussels Sprout Tacos Ingredients: corn tortillas, avocado, roasted peanuts, cilantro, red onion, lime juice, Kosher salt

Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts: Brussels sprouts, chipotle in adobo, honey, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Tips/Notes:

• We used flour tortillas instead.
• The chipotle in adobo mellowed out while roasting -- I was expecting a LOT of spice, but it wasn't super spicy.
• Quarter the Brussels sprouts instead of halving them to make it easier to eat in the tacos.
• Add sour cream to the tacos at the table.

Recipe: Ginger-Lemongrass Broth with Noodles, Silken Tofu and Broccolini

Ginger-Lemongrass Broth with Noodles, Silken Tofu and Broccolini
Martha Stewart Living, Oct 2019, p. 116
5 stars (with additions)

I was feeling like ramen, and this hit the spot.

Ingredients: chicken broth, broccolini, wheat noodles, silken tofu, onion, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, cilantro, Thai chile, Thai or Italian basil, sugar, fish sauce, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Had Chinese gyoza/dumplings on the side.
• Forgot the basil (agh)!
• Used ramen noodles.
• The recipe as-is = bland.  Added some white miso to the broth and also soy sauce and sriracha at the table to taste.

Recipe: Tuscan Kale Salad with Gorgonzola Croutons

Tuscan Kale Salad with Gorgonzola Croutons
Food & Wine Magazine, Nov 2019, p. 60
Only the croutons = 5 stars

Overall, we weren't fans of this recipe.  It was... eh and salty!  Granted, we didn't make the recipe as written because 1) I don't like turnips at all and 2) Kale is hard to eat in a salad (it's rough) so we used mixed greens instead.  The only piece of this recipe that I would make again is the croutons, but I need to remember to only make 1/2 a recipe of the croutons -- it makes a ton!

Crouton Ingredients: Gorgonzola cheese, rye bread, butter, extra-virgin olive oil

Tips:

• As noted above, make just 1/2 the amount of croutons

Recipe: Salmon with Citrus-Chile Sauce

Salmon with Citrus-Chile Sauce
Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov 2019, p. 22
5 stars

Easy weeknight meal!
LOVED the flavor of the sauce -- delish.

[Once we make this again, I need to come come back and post more info as I'm writing this post a couple of weeks after making it and can't remember exactly what we thought!]

Ingredients:  salmon, broccolini, endive, grapefruit juice, grapefruit zest, jalapenos, unseasoned rice vinegar, garlic, honey, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, sesame seeds

Tips:

• Added some grapefruit zest (not as much as what the recipe called for).
• Didn't think the endive was necessary.
• Left out the sesame seeds.
• Had a bit of sauce left over so might make a tad less next time.
• Great with panko/togarashi crusted tofu on the side.

Recipe: Sara's Game-Day Chili

Sara's Game-Day Chili
US Weekly, Dec 2, 2019, p. 44
5 stars (with additions)

Sara = Sarah Haines (I didn't know who she was.... she is a GMA3 ~ Good Morning America host).

The recipe as-is was bland -- we added cayenne, ancho chili powder and chili powder to amp up the flavor.  Overall, this is a really healthy chili to make during the winter.  I like that butternut squash and sweet potato is used in it (again, healthy!).  My sister really liked this dish as well. 

Ingredients: green bell pepper, red bell pepper, yellow onion, ground beef, butternut squash, sweet potato, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt pepper

Tips:

• As noted above, added cayenne, ancho chili powder and chili powder (without these, it's bland).
• Used already cubed butternut squash from the frozen section.
• Next time, cook for less than the 30 minutes noted in the recipe (the butternut squash and sweet potato were a tad overcooked).