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).

Recipe: Brothy Pasta with Chickpeas

Brothy Pasta with Chickpeas
Bon Appetit Magazine, Oct 2019, p. 28
4.5 stars (with additions)

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

Ingredients: chickpeas, whole peeled tomatoes, orecchiette or other small pasta, small onion, garlic, rosemary, parsley, Parmesan,  red pepper flakes, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips:

• Used cannellini beans instead of chickpeas.
• Added Italian sausage.
• Great with bread on the side.
• Use less water next time.

Recipe: Feel-Better Chicken and Rice Soup

Feel-Better Chicken and Rice Soup
Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov 2019, p.16
4.5 stars

This is not just any chicken coup -- this is an amped-up Asian version that has a unique flavor because of the addition of sweet potatoes, cilantro and also umami from the soy sauce.  Only 10 ingredients including salt and pepper!

Ingredients: chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, garlic, ginger, cilantro, jasmine rice, lemon juice, soy sauce, salt, pepper

Tips:

• Added carrots, celery and jalapenos
• For small chopped up sweet potatoes and carrots, it only needs 15 min to cook so the vegetables don't get mushy
• Used a rotisserie chicken so used chicken broth for the soup base
• Added a tad more soy sauce that it called for

Recipe: White Pesto Pasta

White Pesto Pasta
Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov 2019, p.18
4.5 stars

This is a good one dinner dish (meaning -- great to have for one dinner but not leftovers). It's creamy, tasty and super simple to make.  I'm keeping this recipe because it uses a 1/2 cup of ricotta, and I often have ricotta left over from other recipes.  It was great with leftover chicken and parsley.

Ingredients: tube or rod-shaped pasta like rigatoni, walnuts, Parmesan, ricotta, lemon zest, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, oregano, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Don't use 1 cup of pasta water -- start with 1/2 a cup; otherwise, the sauce will be too thin.

Recipe: Steak and Spring Vegetable Stir-Fry

Steak and Spring Vegetable Stir-Fry
Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2019, p.24
4 stars

For a relatively quick, weeknight meal, this is a pretty good Asian dish. For me, it's tad bit on the sweet side which is why I only gave it 4 stars.  I do love the sugar snap peas in the dish!

Ingredients: cooked rice, sirloin steak, asparagus, sugar snap peas, ginger, scallions, cornstarch, soy sauce, vegetable oil, oyster sauce, mirin, unseasoned rice vinegar, Kosher salt

Tips/Changes:

• Substituted broccoli for the asparagus
• Used brown rice
• Added sriracha at the table to taste

Recipe: Instant Pot Red Bean and Quinoa Soup with Taco Fixins

Instant Pot Red Bean and Quinoa Soup with Taco Fixins
Bon Appetit Magazine, Oct 2019, p.14
5 stars

This tastes better than it looks, AND you don't need to have a InstaPot to make this.  We made this in a regular Dutch oven/pot with the tweaks below.  This is super flavorful with creaminess from the avocado, saltiness from the queso fresco, acidity from the pickled onions, spiciness from the chipotle in adobo, and so many more flavors!  It's also a HEALTHY dish -- plant-based and love that there's quinoa in it!  Good dish to make on a ski trip.

Soup: red onion, garlic, cumin, red beans, red quinoa, chipotle in adobo, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, lime

Assembly: red onion, red wine vinegar, Kosher salt, sugar, lime wedges, sliced avocado, sour cream, cilantro, queso fresco or Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, hot sauce, tortilla chips

Tips:

• Didn't use a InstaPot as noted above.
• Used 2 cans of red beans in stead of dried beans.
• Had tortilla chips on the side.

Recipe: Cheddar Chive Mini Popovers

Cheddar Chive Mini Popovers

3 stars

KerryGold.com recipe

I love popovers, plus we had chives that we needed to use so I tried out this recipe.  It wasn't as good as other popover recipes I've tried.  These were denser (not light/fluffy).  They were fine -- and I'd make them again if we need to use up chives in the future but wouldn't serve these at a dinner party.

Ingredients: eggs, milk, cheddar cheese, flour, unsalted butter, chives, salt

Tips/Notes:

• This says that it makes 12 mini popovers. I used a regular muffin pan, and this made 12.
• The popovers had a slight green hue to them because the chives are blended in the batter.
• Served these with Magic Crispy Chicken and Skillet-Roasted Cauliflower with Panko.

Recipes: Magic Crispy Chicken

Magic Crispy Chicken

4.5 stars

Bon Appetit Magazine, June/July 2019, p.38

I was craving fried chicken -- this recipe didn't satisfy my craving 100% but was really delicious and pretty fast for a weeknight meal.  It's a better version of "Shake and Bake."  The side sauce was delicious!

Ingredients: chicken, panko, egg yolk, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, extra-virgin olive oil,  honey, cayenne pepper, chives, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips:

• Our cayenne pepper has lost its oomph -- didn't taste any heat so may add red pepper (or get new cayenne for next time)
• Served this with Cheddar Chive Mini Popovers and Skillet-Roasted Cauliflower with Panko

Recipe: Spicy Pork Bowls with Greens

Before adding gochujang

Spicy Pork Bowls with Greens
Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2019, p. 26
4 stars

Another good, easy weeknight recipe that's pretty healthy.  We've made some other really delicious Asian dishes like the Spicy Green Beans and Tofu Stir-Fry with Ground Bison, the Better-Than-Take-Out Stir-Fried Udon or the Weeknight Mapo Dofu with Ground Pork recipes which is why I didn't rate this as 5 stars; however, we'd make this again!

Ingredients: rice, pork tenderloin, carrots, collar greens or Tuscan kale, sambal oelek, light brown sugar, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, seasoned rice vinegar, scallions, gochujang, sesame oil, vegetable oil, Kosher salt

Tips

• Used kale instead of collard greens
• Used half the amount of pork (as we are trying to limit our overall meat consumption)
• Added tofu
• Added Sriracha at the table as well as the gochujang
• Need to make double the amount of the soy sauce, seasoned rice vinegar and sesame oil dressing

Recipe: Ginger-Scallion Ramen Noodles

Ginger-Scallion Ramen Noodles
Bon Appetit Magazine, Apr 2019, p.64
4.5 stars

Really easy weeknight recipe to make -- just a lot of "hot" flavors ~ ginger, garlic and scallions. I love the texture of the ramen.

Ingredients:  ramen, ginger, garlic, scallions, grapeseed/neutral oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, black pepper, ,sugar, Kosher salt, sesame seeds

Tips:

• Added broccoli 
• Added firm tofu (seared it separately)
• This is a bit of an oily dish so didn't need the chili oil but added Sriracha at the table

Recipe: Sausage and Ricotta Baked Cannelloni

Sausage and Ricotta Baked Cannelloni
Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2019, p.95
5 stars

Restaurant-worthy and most delicious pasta that we've made in a long time.  Instead of rolling the filling into cannelloni, we basically made this into an amazing lasagna.

Ingredients: green Swiss chard, sweet Italian sausage, whole-milk fresh ricotta, fresh pasta sheets, extra-virgin olive oil, store-bought marinara sauce, grated Parmesan

Bechamel ingredients: unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, whole milk Parmesan, cayenne pepper, ground nutmeg, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Used hot instead of sweet Italian sausage
• Add red pepper
• Add oregano
• Add parsley on top

Recipe: Weeknight Steak and Rice Noodle Salad

Weeknight Steak and Rice Noodle Salad
Bon Appetit Magazine, Apr 2019, p. 64
4.5 stars

I loved this dish but blog contributor thegrandcruman was not as big of a fan because of the fish sauce.  I think this is a good rendition of a cold vermicelli dish found on almost all Vietnamese restaurant menus.  Really tasty to me especially with our modifications below.

Ingredients: skirt steak, rice noodles, Napa cabbage, Persian cucumbers, daikon, mint, dry-roasted peanuts, lime juice, fish sauce, honey, vegetable oil, serrano chiles, garlic, Kosher salt, flaky sea salt

Tips:

• Substituted kale for the Napa cabbage
• Used regular cucumbers
• Not a fan of peanuts so left them out
• Seared some firm tofu with togarashi and added it to the dish
• Made gyoza for the side

Recipe: Better-Than-Takeout Stir-Fried Udon

Better-Than-Takeout Stir-Fried Udon
Bon Appetit Magazine, Apr 2019, p.61
5 stars

This dish was delish!  I love chewy udon noodles -- they're my fave.  This recipe is easy to make for a weeknight meal.  It reminded us of Pei Wei's Dan Dan noodles.

Ingredients: green cabbage, instant udon noodles, ground pork, scallions, ginger, red pepper flakes, mirin, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, vegetable oil

Tips:

• Used kale instead of cabbage and used more than the 4 cups it called for
• Added Sriracha to taste at the table
• Next time, need to double the recipe so there are more leftovers!
• Also add shiitake mushrooms and cucumber

Recipe: Garganelli with Speck, Peas and Scallion Cream

Garganelli with Speck, Peas and Scallion Cream
Food and Wine Magazine, Apr 2019, p.30
5 stars

Delicious, restaurant-worthy dish.
We've made other dishes with peas and mint similar to this one, but this recipe had the most depth of flavor with the garlic and scallion cream.  This is a "I can't wait to eat the leftovers" dish.

Ingredients: garlic, scallions, bronze-cut garganelli pasta, sweet peas, speck, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, mint, lemon zest, lemon juice, unsalted butter, heavy cream, Kosher salt

Tips

• Added red pepper
• Added a little salt as the speck did not impart enough salt to the dish
• Used bronze-cut penne pasta

Recipe: Baked Goat Cheese Salad

Baked Goat Cheese Salad
Food and Wine Magazine, Sep 2018, p. 60
4 stars (5 stars if you love goat cheese)

This recipe was a "Top 40" recipe in the "40 Years of Food & Wine" magazine issue.  I'm not a huge goat cheese fan, but thought we'd give this a whirl.  I thought it was an upscale take on a salad (though we didn't make the croutons this time).  I'd try it again, but what I'm really wanting to try next is a polenta crouton recipe.  If anyone has a good one, let me know!

Ingredients: lettuce, croutons, goat cheese log, plain dry breadcrumbs, dried thyme, red wine vinegar, thyme sprigs, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tip:

• Used panko for the breadcrumbs