Pepper-Shrimp-and-Noodle Salad with Crunchy Spring Vegetables
Martha Stewart Living, Apr 2021, p.99
5 stars

So delicious!!! Lots of veggies and loved our additions -- definitely adding this to the rotation. So flavorful and loved all of the textures. We've made a recipe like this before, but this was GOOD.

Couldn't find a link to this recipe online.

Ingredients: ramen, shrimp, natural peanut butter, cucumber, radish, cilantro, mint, ginger, garlic, hot sesame oil, vegetable oil, unseasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Used crunchy peanut butter since we didn't have creamy which the recipe called for
• Used avocado oil instead of vegetable oil
• Used 4 garlic cloves instead of 10-12
• Added edamame
• Added tofu -- make 2x next time
• Made 1.5x the dressing, but note didn't increase the amount of avocado oil
• Served with vegetable egg rolls

Recipe: Lentil Stew with Potatoes and Chorizo

Lentil Stew with Potatoes and Chorizo

Food & Wine Magazine, Dec 2024/Jan 2025, p. 54
4.9 stars

This was another recipe where I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. In fact, we were not looking forward to making this recipe. It was GREAT!!!! It's a dish where I looked forward to eating the leftovers. Super simple with lots of flavor.

Ingredients: Spanish chorizo, Yukon potato, carrots, yellow onion, dried brown lentils, sweet mild pimenton, chicken broth, garlic, olive oil, Kosher salt

Tips/Notes:

• Used 2 tsp of a mix of sweet and hot paprika vs. just sweet; use more if you use more veggies
• Used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth
• Used plant-based Spanish chorizo

Recipe: Tofu Cashew Nut

Tofu Cashew Nut

Better Homes & Gardens Aug 2021, p. 92

4.9 stars

The title of this recipe is actually Chicken Cashew Nut -- it's a recipe from Pepper Teigen and Garrett Snyder, authors of The Pepper Thai Cookbook.

I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out because I knew we were going to make some substitutions, but it turned out GREAT. Love all the flavors and textures and especially the flavor of white pepper and sesame oil that came through. It's just like cashew chicken but with tofu!

Ingredients: jasmine rice, chicken, cashews, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, yellow onion, scallions, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet chile jam, garlic, dried red chiles like chile de arbol, light brown sugar, sesame oil, dry sherry, cornstarch, white pepper, red pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Used TWO blocks of tofu instead of chicken
• Used sweet chile sauce instead of jam
• Take out the chiles before serving
• Made rice and also quinoa
• Add sriracha at the table
• Next time, make 2x the sauce as there is more tofu than chicken called for

Recipe: King Ranch Casserole

King Ranch Casserole

Food & Wine Magazine, Feb 2025, p. 48

4.8 stars

Really delicious, not hard for a weekday meal, but it's not super healthy -- though we tried to make it healthier!

Ingredients: corn tortillas, rotisserie chicken, red bell pepper, yellow onion, diced tomatoes and green chiles, chicken broth, heavy cream, sour cream, salsa macha verde, unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, Monterey Jack cheese, chili powder, ground cumin, Kosher salt

Serve with avocado and fresh cilantro

Tips/Notes:

• Instead of rotisserie chicken, added a can of drained black beans and 1.5 cup of cooked quinoa
• Instead of rotel, used one can (about 14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes and a 4 oz can of chopped hatch chiles
• Used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and because of the greater quantity of tomatoes and hatch chiles, cut down the broth to 2 cups
• Cut up the corn tortillas
• Cooked everything in a large casserole dish

Recipe: Chocolate-Amaretto Pudding Cake

Chocolate-Amaretto Pudding Cake

Food & Wine Magazine, Feb 2025, p.42

4.8 stars

I'm starting to bake again(!) and decide on this "easy" recipe because of its description: "At first glance, pudding cakes may look like classic cakes with a breadlike crumb, but they actually bake into two different textures."

I loved that this had a cake-like texture on top and then a gooey pudding/lava-like cake at the bottom -- and chocolate chips that added crunchy texture throughout when eating it cold. It was an interesting process making this as there were essentially 3 "layers" I created, including the coffee and almond extract that were poured on top.

Ingredients: all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa, dark chocolate chips, coffee, sour cream, amaretto, vanilla extract, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, baking soda, Kosher salt, water

Ingredients for serving: vanilla ice cream, fresh berries

Tips/Notes:

• Used decaf coffee
• We were out of amaretto, so used almond extract (did research and used one-eighth amount of almond extract)