Recipe: One Skillet Cheesy Cuban Chicken Rice Bake

One Skillet Cheesy Cuban Chicken Rice Bake

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.7 stars

I was actually looking for a Cuban Sandwich recipe but came across this. Muy delicioso! It didn't taste like a Cuban, per se -- see the tips/suggestions below.

Ingredients: long grain rice, dry broken spaghetti or angel hair pasta, chicken breasts, swiss or mozzarella cheese, pepperoncini or dill pickles, black beans, cilantro, lime juice and zest, red bell pepper, yellow onion, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips:

• Turn on the oven when the chicken goes in the skillet.
• Mix in the black beans about 4 min before the rice is done.
• Add ham to the dish!!!
• Add more dill pickles on top when serving.

Slow-baked Salmon with Lemon and Thyme

Slow-baked Salmon with Lemon and Thyme

Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2011, p. 50

5 stars

Usually, we cook salmon on the stovetop (we've occasionally baked it in the past but not often); however, this recipe has changed our mind and we'll be baking salmon from here on out! Follow this recipe if you want amazingly moist, flaky, perfectly cooked salmon. The secret is to bake it on a low temperature (275 degrees).

Ingredients: salmon, extra-virgin olive oil, thyme, lemon zest, Kosher salt, pepper, lemon wedges for serving

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Chive Pesto

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Chive Pesto

Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2011, p. 54

4.7 stars

I liked the chive pesto, but blog contributor the grandcruman thought the potatoes were better without it. It was a refreshing take on regular roasted potatoes and went nicely with the salmon it accompanied. As you can see, we did not use fingerling potatoes as the grocery store was out of them, but Yukon Gold potatoes substituted nicely.

Ingredients: fingerling potatoes, chives, parsley, slivered almonds or walnuts or pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips:

• Made 1/6 of the pesto recipe since we were limited on the amount of chives on hand

Recipe: Steak and French Fry Salad with Blue Cheese Butter + Poached Eggs

Steak and French Fry Salad with Blue Cheese Butter + Poached Eggs

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.7 stars

A french fry salad? It works!!! We had some sweet potato fries in the freezer so this was a perfect way to use them up (we didn't make the fries). One of my favorite parts of this dish is the dressing -- I loved the surprise of heat from the hot chili oil and ginger. Lots of shortcuts for this one in the tips below.

Oven-baked French Fry Ingredients: russet potatoes, olive oil, smoked paprika, chili powder, pepper, salt

Dressing/Blue Cheese Butter Ingredients: blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, hot chili oil, ginger, butter, basil, salt, pepper

Salad Ingredients: steak, greens, grape tomatoes, walnuts, honey, eggs, olive oil, salt, pepper

Tips:

• Really no need to make the blue cheese butter for the steak -- just use blue cheese crumbles in the salad
• As mentioned above, I liked the hot chili oil and ginger dressing but blog contributor the grandcruman wasn't a fan and said he would just use balsamic dressing next time
• Didn't add the poached egg but would be a nice touch
• If making the compound butter, make 1/8 of it

Recipe: Brown Butter Corn and Feta Orzo with Crispy Prosciutto

Brown Butter Corn and Feta Orzo with Crispy Prosciutto

HalfBakedHarvest.com

5 stars

So good!!! What else can I say? I selected this recipe because it used up many ingredients that we had in our fridge (feta, thyme, chives, corn, jalapeno, avocados -- love it when I find a recipe that uses what we have so it doesn't go to waste!). This could be a main dish or a side dish. Really nice flavors... we had this as a main along with bread as a side.

Ingredients: orzo, prosciutto, shallot, corn, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, avocados, jalapeno, thyme, lemon juice, Champagne or apple cider vinegar, honey, basil, chives, salted butter, extra virgin olive oil

Tips

• Bake the prosciutto so it's super crispy

Recipe: Smoked Gouda Enchiladas

Smoked Gouda Enchiladas

HalfBakedHarvest.com

5 stars

Another successful and delicious enchilada recipe, this one from -- you guessed it, Half Baked Harvest! Of all of our enchilada recipes we've tried, this one took a little bit more time to make the enchilada sauce, and it was SPICY, just how I like it, with the chili powder and chipotle in adobo.

Ingredients: flour tortillas, chicken breasts, smoked Gouda cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, chipotle in adobo and adobo sauce, diced green chiles, yellow onion, all-purpose flour, cumin, chili powder, chicken broth, olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper; sour cream, hot sauce

Tips/Notes:

• Doubled the recipe which made about 14 enchiladas (10 flour, 4 corn -- used large and small Pyrex dish).
• Used sauteed diced chicken.
• The recipe doesn't say when to add the chili powder so added it with the cumin.
• We always top our enchiladas with a "salad" -- lettuce, tomato, cilantro, avocado and sometimes radish.

Recipe: Healthier Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup

Healthier Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.8 stars

What a great hearty, healthy, soup for the winter. This turned out so well -- we used the stovetop version of the recipe (there's a slow cooker and Instant Pot recipe too). You'll forget that this is vegetarian! 

Ingredients: carrots, celery, kale, fresh cheese tortellini, yellow onion, tomato paste, Parmesan cheese, whole milk or heavy cream, white wine, vegetable broth, garlic, thyme, basil, oregano, fennel seeds, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper 

Tips:

• Recommend using cream instead of milk.
• Blog contributor the grandcruman thought that the fresh-bought tortellini got too gummy so watch that or we may try different tortellini next time.

Recipe: Crispy Skillet Latke with Kale

Crispy Skillet Latke with Kale

Food & Wine Magazine, Dec 2020, p. 64

5 stars

Best latkes we've made as these were incredibly flavorful. Loved the balsamic vinegar in the kale -- and the chives, lemon zest and sour cream just made this an overall yummy dish. We served this with gruyere bread from Central Market as well as a side salad.

Ingredients: russet potatoes, yellow onion, kale, red onion, eggs, panko, chives, lemon zest, black pepper, balsamic vinegar, vegetable oil, water, Kosher salt; creme fraiche (optional)

Tips:

• Used the food processor grater instead of a box grater
• Added another egg since we had a bit more potato than what was called for
• Used sour cream instead of creme fraiche since we had sour cream on hand

Recipe: Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

BobsRedMill.com

4.8 stars

I've had almond flour in the pantry (to make macarons, actually) and had been meaning to make the cookie recipe on the back of the package. A friend of mine had brought them to a get together a while back, and we were all addicted to them! Love that they're so easy to make.

Ingredients: Bob's Red Mill Natural Almond Meal, dark chocolate chips, toasted sliced almonds, coconut, maple syrup, egg, egg whites, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking soda, sea salt

Tips:

• I like the hint of coconut from the oil but wonder how butter would work instead
• Didn't use the almond extract which is optional but will next time
• Leave out the toasted sliced almonds to make it lower calorie
• Half a batch made 11 cookies

Drink Recipe: Paris Between the Wars

Paris Between the Wars 

Food & Wine Magazine, Dec 2020, p. 72

4.5 stars

You have to like Campari or semi-bitter drinks to enjoy this lovely restaurant-worthy cocktail that's not hard to make but tastes complex (how I like it!).

Ingredients: Campari, blended Scotch whisky (such as Dewar's), lemon juice, simple syrup, dry sparkling wine such as brut Cava, ice cubes, lemon peel strip for garnish

Recipe: Quinoa Grain Bowl with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Chile-Marinated Tofu, Kale and Lemony Tahini-Miso

Quinoa Grain Bowl with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Chile-Marinated Tofu, Kale and Lemony Tahini-Miso

BobbyFlay.com

5 stars!!!!

I was more than pleasantly surprised by how good this dish turned out, but should I be surprised? It's a Bobby Flay recipe where he's all about great flavors. This is easier to make than our Ancient Grains Buddha Bowl which we also LOVE. Very easy to make especially on a weekday, despite the recipe looking long.

Quinoa Ingredients: quinoa, olive oil, water, salt

Sweet Potato Ingredients: sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper

Chile-marinated Tofu Ingredients: extra-firm tofu, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili paste

Kale Ingredients: kale, celery, olive oil, lemon juice, Kosher salt

Lemony Tahini-Miso Dressing: lemon juice, honey, white miso paste, tahini, toasted sesame oil, water, garlic ginger

Toppings: sliced avocado, sunflower seeds, celery leaves, cilantro

Tips:

• Sauteed the kale a little bit
• Left out the sunflower seeds and celery leaves

Recipe: Pizzettes

 

Pizzettes

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2020/Jan 2021, p. 96

4.7 stars

The photo in the magazine looked amazing, but I wasn't sure how these were going to turn out. They were so delicious and turned out like the photo! As I'm typing this, I'm thinking I need to get a pizzette (not to be confused with pizzelles) right now to have with my coffee. The soft brownie-like texture with the glaze on top, along with the winter spices, citrus and texture of the almonds makes this a new winter cookie favorite for me. I love that this cookie isn't too sweet either.

Cookie Ingredients: raw skin-on almonds, flour, baking powder, Kosher salt, unsalted butter, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, sugar, Dutch-process cocoa powder, egg, egg yolk, bittersweet chocolate chips, lemon zest, orange zest

Glaze Ingredients: bittersweet chocolate, powdered sugar, unsalted butter, Kosher salt

Tips:

• For our oven, we baked these for approx. 11 minutes (5 min + 6 min)
• Because the cookies were on the softer side, we didn't dip them into the glaze but instead, poured the glaze on top

(Find recipe under: Dessert - Pretzel and Potato Chip Moon Pies)

Recipe: Cauliflower and Cheese with Spicy Breadcrumbs

 

Cauliflower and Cheese with Spicy Breadcrumbs

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.9 stars

We had this wonderful side dish with steak and the Charred Focaccia and Steak Salad (without the steak in the salad). The flavors were so unique -- I'd not had a dish like this with flavors of smoked paprika, chipotle chili, gouda, cheddar, thyme, oregano and prosciutto. We loved it and will definitely be making it again. It's not a hard dish to make at all...and is relatively quick!

Ingredients: cauliflower, ciabatta or sourdough bread, prosciutto, smoked paprika, oregano, red pepper flakes, salted butter, flour, whole milk, cheddar cheese, gouda cheese, thyme, chipotle chili powder, onion powder, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• The cauliflower head was more than 3 cups -- maybe 5 cups. I made 1.5x the amount of cheese sauce which actually wasn't needed in the end.
• Used panko breadcrumbs and toasted it on the side in a pan with the extra virgin olive oil, oregano and salt
• The prosciutto didn't crumble (didn't want to overcook/bake it) so chopped it up

Recipe: Pretzel and Potato Chip Moon Pies

Pretzel and Potato Chip Moon Pies

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2020/Jan 2021, p.96

4.3 stars

These cookies were good, but I'd make some changes if I make them again -- see tips below.

Ingredients: pretzels, potato chips, marshmallows, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coconut oil, flour, sugar, unsalted butter, Kosher salt, Pretzel salt or flaky sea salt

Tips

• Don't wait for the cookies to turn golden brown (which means they're overdone)
• Don't use organic marshmallows as I don't think they melted as well. May make my own marshmallows!
• Instead of coconut oil, make a ganache or glaze with oil so the the chocolate actually hardens.

Recipe: Tofu with Rice and Miso-Maple Dressing

 

Tofu with Rice and Miso-Maple Dressing

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2020/Jan 2021, p.43

4.4 stars

A light, flavorful, healthy dish! Only problem was that I didn't feel very full after eating it so I'd recommend serving this with gyoza or maybe another item.

Ingredients: tofu, ginger, scallions, carrots, shelled edamame, garlic, white miso, unseasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, cornstarch, red pepper flakes

Serve with steamed white rice, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds

Tips:

• Make about 60% of the marinade. There was a lot of extra marinade that became a little bit gelatinous.

Recipe: 30 Minutes Coq Au Vin Chicken Meatballs

30 Minutes Coq Au Vin Chicken Meatballs

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.6 stars

My new favorite chef is Tieghan Gerard from HalfBakedHarvest.com. Her recipes are for one, GREAT, and they just all look incredibly delicious (see her Instagram account). I've been going to her site more often than Bon Appetit or Food and Wine's magazines and sites.

We had ground chicken in our freezer so this recipe caught my eye especially during these semi-cold winter days. Loved this dish -- good flavor!!! While it took a little bit more than 30 min, it doesn't taste like a simple, 30 min dish.

Ingredients: ground chicken, egg, carrots, mushrooms, Panko bread crumbs, bacon, yellow onion, garlic, tomato paste, red wine, chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, Parmesan cheese, Kosher salt, pepper

Serve with mashed potatoes.

Tips:

• Because I was craving polenta, we made polenta instead of mashed potatoes; we'll do mashed potatoes next time. 

Recipe: Smoky Potato and Kale Soup

Smoky Potato and Kale Soup

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.6 stars

Not a great photo of the soup above since it's covered by Manchego cheese (yum!) that we decided to use to top the soup. This was so flavorful and not hard to make. Another HalfBakedHarvest delicious recipe!

Ingredients: Yukon gold or russet potatoes, kale, whole milk, chorizo, yellow onion, chicken broth, lemon, garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper, Manchego

Recipe: Pork-and-Brisket Chili

Pork-and-Brisket Chili

Food and Wine Magazine, Nov 2017, p.101

4.5 stars

Found this recipe in my huge stash (I have a mountain of recipes I've collected over the years, pulling out pages from magazines). We were in the mood for chili, and this sounded good and complex compared to what we've made before. It was delicious, and made enough to feed a crowd (but we're not having any parties during these pandemic times so had leftovers that we froze for a later date!).

The recipe took quite some time -- the recipe says that the active time is 1 hr 45 min, but I think it took longer.

Beans ingredients: dried pink beans, yellow onion, carrot, celery, garlic, Kosher salt

Chili ingredients: boneless pork shoulder, brisket, yellow onions, green bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, light brown sugar, mustard powder, ground cumin, jar of Hatch chiles, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, oregano, vegetable oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Serving/topping ingredients: sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced scallions

Tips:

• Cut the boneless pork shoulder into 3/4" pieces instead 1.5" inches
• Used 2 yellow onions instead of 3
• Used 5 garlic gloves instead of 10
• Add crushed red pepper if the green Hatch chiles are mild
• When making the beans, cook for 1.5 hours instead of 1 hour

Recipe: Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

 

Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.2 stars

This salad was good, not amazing compared to some others we've made. However, it's pretty fast to make and uses up pesto (which we usually have on hand) and has burrata as the cheese (one of our favorites!). The dressing tastes almost like a Caeser dressing but without the umami that comes from anchovies.

Salad Ingredients: chicken breasts, basil pesto, ciabatta bread, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, burrata cheese, garlic, red pepper flakes, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper, fresh herbs like chives, thyme and basil

Parmesan Tahini Dressing: tahini, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, grated Parmesan, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Recipe: Picadillo

Picadillo

Bon Appetit Magazine, Sept 2020, p. 60

4.8 stars

Easy weeknight taco dish. I love that it includes poblanos and potatoes! This was one of blog contributor the grandcruman's favorite leftovers this past week. The dish was a tad watery (from the chicken stock), but we think that's the way it's supposed to be.

Ingredients: ground beef chuck, Yukon gold potato, onion, tomatoes, poblano chile, cilantro, garlic, chicken stock, cumin, vegetable oil, Kosher salt, pepper; tortillas and Mexican cheese

Tips:

• Used less salt -- instead of 1 Tbsp, use about 5/8 of a Tbsp.
• Broiled the poblanos so we could easily remove the skin.
• Added jalapenos!
• Need to add red pepper next time for a little heat.