Recipe: Cheddar Cornbread Waffle BLT with Chipotle Butter

Cheddar Cornbread Waffle BLT with Chipotle Butter
HalfBakedHarvest.com
5 stars

Wow - this was as good as the title of the recipe sounds. Restaurant worthy (it could be served at a restaurant), and I enjoyed every single bite. Each bite had some much flavor and texture!

Ingredients: buttermilk, sharp cheddar, bacon, tomatoes, arugula, avocado corn kernels, jalapeno, eggs, all-purpose flour, stoneground cornmeal, honey, baking powder, salt, Kosher salt, pepper, maple syrup, salted butter, chipotle chiles in adobo

Tips/Notes:

• Lightly char the corn next time to give yet another dimension of flavor/texture
• We would've liked more spice (the jalapeno was not hot) so have a couple of jalapenos and/or a serrano on hand
• This recipe made 6 waffles
• Great with a bourbon cocktail!

Recipe: Avocado and Bulgur Salad

Avocado and Bulgur Salad

Bon Appetit Magazine, Aug 2022, p.15

5 stars

Delicious, restaurant-worthy salad. Love the different textures and flavors!

Ingredients: bulgur, arugula, avocados, scallions, pistachios, cilantro, ground cumin, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest and juice, jalapenos, Kosher salt, pepper 

Tips:

• Yes, use all of the scallions
• Added different mixed greens to the arugula

Recipe: Saucy Tofu Noodles with Cucumbers and Chili Crisp

Saucy Tofu Noodles with Cucumbers and Chili Crisp

Bon Appetit Magazine, Feb 2022, p.46
5 stars

Great flavor (just look at the list of ingredients!) and pretty easy for a weeknight meal -- there are a number of steps, so it's easier to make with two people cooking it.

Ingredients: ramen, extra-firm tofu, shiitake mushrooms, cucumbers, shallot, ginger, garlic, cornstarch, unseasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, light or dark brown sugar, tahini, toasted sesame oil, black (Chinkiang vinegar) or balsamic vinegar, chili crisp, vegetable oil, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Used the alternative balsamic vinegar instead of black Chinkiang vinegar
• Serve with gyoza or vegetable eggrolls next time

Recipe: Peach and Prosciutto Sandwich

Peach and Prosciutto Sandwich

Bon Appetit Magazine, June 2022, p. 56

4.8 stars

Super easy weeknight meal especially during the summer. We made them open-faced sandwiches vs. in a baguette, and we used white peaches (YUM!). This could also be a summer appetizer.

Ingredients: baguette, peaches, cheddar, prosciutto, basil, red wine vinegar, chili crisp, Kosher salt

Recipe: Potato Soup with Sage Butter and Rye Crumbs

Potato Soup with Sage Butter and Rye Crumbs

Food & Wine Magazine, Mar 2019, p. 95

4.8 stars

Easy soup recipe that is so flavorful and restaurant-worthy! 

Ingredients: rye bread slices, Yukon Gold potatoes, leek bulbs, fresh sage leaves, butter, white verjus, heavy cream (optional), sea salt, water

Tips:

• Toasted the rye bread twice in a toaster instead of in the oven
• Used white wine vinegar instead of white verjus (researched online and found that this is a good substitute)
• Made 1/4 of the sage butter and made it in a small mixing bowl instead of making the food processor oily. Honestly, I don't think the sage butter is truly needed! I think we could just blend the sage into the soup next time to cut the butter calories out.
• Did use the heavy cream -- blended it in (vs. stirring it in)

Recipe: Breakfast-for-Dinner Burritos

Breakfast-for-Dinner Burritos

Martha Stewart Living, May 2022, p.55

4.8 stars

I love having breakfast for dinner!!! These breakfast burritos were super easy to make (especially for a quick weekday meal) and flavorful. 

Ingredients: tortillas, eggs, bacon, Yukon Gold potatoes, scallions, hominy, cheddar, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper, salsa or hot sauce

Tips

• Yes, use the amount of scallions it calls for!
• Added New Mexico chile powder to add some flavor/complexity to the potato mixture
• Definitely add salsa on top -- nice addition

Recipe: Spinach and Ricotta Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

Spinach and Ricotta Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

AllRecipes.com

5 stars

Not, it's not Christmas in June! But I did have puff pastry, spinach and ricotta on hand so thought we'd try this out. I'll make these any time as this is my kind of appetizer -- spinach and ricotta... kind of like spanakopita but better IMHO.

The only thing that makes this "Christmas" is the recipe recommends arranging the pinwheels in a Christmas tree layout after baking which we didn't do and decorating with cherry tomatoes to look like tree ornaments.

Ingredients: puff pastry, spinach, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, red onions, nutmeg, salt, black pepper, oil, cherry tomatoes

Tips:

• Used a shallot instead of 2 red onions -- 2 red onions would have been TOO much!

Recipe: Seven-Layer Chicken Burrito

Seven-Layer Chicken Burrito

Better Homes & Gardens, June 2022, p. 64

5 stars

So simple yet so DELICIOUS! This is a great weekday meal. Again/as always... chipotle in adobo adds an amazing layer of flavor!!! I used to like Taco Bell's Seven-Layer Burrito; this beats that by a long shot and is so much healthier. I think this actually has nine layers if you count them all!

Ingredients: flour tortillas, refried beans, shredded chicken, tomato, shredded spinach, shredded cheddar cheese, black olives, chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, salsa, guacamole, sour cream

Tips:

• We made "tacos" as we like the smaller fresh flour tortillas that we get at our local Central Market
• Baked Impossible Chicken Nuggets and diced them instead of using shredded chicken

Recipe: Tempeh Crumbles with Coconut Rice

Tempeh Crumbles with Coconut Rice

Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2022, p. 23
4.2 stars

This was the second time we made a dish with tempeh. It was fine -- not amazing, thus, the 4.2 stars. I felt like it needed more heat and also I added soy sauce at the table. Still, overall a good dish.

Note that we made regular rice instead of coconut rice.

Ingredients: jasmine rice, cucumbers, tempeh, shallots, garlic, chili crisp, unsweetened coconut milk, unseasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, roasted peanuts, basil, grapeseed or vegetable oil, Kosher salt

Recipe: Idaho Potato Braised Vegetable Shepherd's Pie

Idaho Potato Braised Vegetable Shepherd's Pie

GetFlavor.com

5 stars

This recipe by Chef Jeff Mann was featured in Flavor & The Menu's weekly email and on their website. We had to try it because I trust Jeff (I worked with him in the past) -- plus I was looking for a lentil-based dish as we are still trying to eat more plant-based. The dish turned out GREAT; we'll definitely be making this again but with the tweaks below.

The recipe looks like it has a lot of steps, but it's actually quite easy and just takes some planned stovetop cooking time. 

Tips/Tweaks:

• Halved the entire recipe -- it was still plenty of food for multiple meals
• In addition, halved even more (so 1/4 of the recipe) the butter that we cooked the onions in
• Added salt & pepper to the vegetable mixture
• Used 25% less butter and cream for the potatoes
• For the potatoes, the amount of salt seemed like a lot so we added what we thought it needed to taste
• Didn't pipe the potatoes on top
• Skipped the egg wash on top since the cheddar covered the potatoes
• Need to use white cheddar next time (I had bought some but forgot!)

Recipe: Spicy Poblano, Black Bean, and Quinoa Enchiladas

Spicy Poblano, Black Bean, and Quinoa Enchiladas

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.6 stars

We're trying to eat more plant-based, and quinoa is one of the best grains that has protein in it! In these enchiladas, you can't even taste the quinoa!!! The dish was super easy to make -- but see tips below.

Ingredients: tortillas, quinoa, red enchilada sauce, black beans, poblano peppers, cilantro, sweet onion, limes, shredded cheddar, shredded pepper jack, garlic, jalapenos, ground cumin, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Topping Ingredients: avocado, yogurt, pomegranate arils

Tips:

• The filling is so good on its own -- we had a bit left over so froze it. We'll be eating this with chips for a future meal!
• Needs double the amount of cheese both inside and on top.
• The red enchilada sauce is pretty overpowering so you don't taste a lot of the great flavors inside the enchilada. That being said, it was really good and tasted like a restaurant beef enchilada with red sauce (but without the beef).
• Added a "salad" of lettuce, tomato, cilantro and avocado on top. We skipped the pomegranate arils and yogurt.

Recipe: Avocado-and-Beet "Poke" Bowl

Avocado-and-Beet "Poke" Bowl

Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Mar 2022, p. 59
4.8 stars

I love poke bowls, but as we have gone more plant-based, this recipe intrigued me. How can beets mimic the raw tuna? Well, it did! I really liked all of the textures in this dish -- the poke-like beets, the fresh cucumber, creamy avocado, crunchy peanuts...

Ingredients: rice or soba noodles, beets, avocado, cucumber, ginger, sesame oil, lime zest and juice, chile-garlic sauce, seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, dried wakame, scallions, sesame seeds, peanuts

Tips/Notes:

• Make double the sauce next time so there is some to pour over the noodles
• Allow enough time to cool down the beets
• Serve with vegetable spring rolls

Recipe: Broccoli Soup with Turmeric, Peanuts, and Crispy Shallots

Broccoli Soup with Turmeric, Peanuts, and Crispy Shallots

Bon Appetit Magazine, Feb. 2020, p. 71
4.8 stars

I honestly wasn't sure how this was going to turn out even as I was cooking it. It turned out GREAT! Super flavorful with nice textures and complexity, including HEAT from the serrano. The reserved broccoli added at the end was a nice touch, adding to the texture. The soup also had a good consistency, almost tasting like it had cream in it -- it doesn't!

Ingredients: broccoli, onion, Yukon potato, spinach, serrano, garlic, shallots, dry-roasted peanuts, turmeric, fish sauce, mint or cilantro leaves, vegetable oil, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Used 2 medium potatoes
• Used a ton of spinach (4 large handfuls)
• Used cilantro

Cocktail Recipe: Shadow Woman

Shadow Woman

Food & Wine Magazine, Mar 2022, p. 61
4.8 stars but a strong drink!

This is a strong drink -- but oh so good. Better than cocktails I've ordered in restaurants. I love the complexity of it. I modified it a little bit in that I used pear liqueur instead of pear brandy. The recipe is from the American Bar in the Savoy Hotel in London. 

I modified it to the following and mixed it all in the glass -- didn't strain it.

• 1.5 oz bourbon
• 0.5 oz pear liqueur
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• orange and lemon peel twist
• ice

Recipe: Quick Broccoli Frittata

Quick Broccoli Frittata

Martha Stewart Living, Sept 2021, p. 56

4.6 stars

This was definitely QUICK! 

For a frittata on a weekday night when I don't have much time, this was overall good. There are other frittata recipes I've blogged about that were better but for a quick meal, I'm going to make this again. Plus, we generally have all these ingredients in the fridge.

Ingredients: frozen broccoli florets, eggs, sharp white cheddar, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, avocado, flaky sea salt

Tips:

• Next time, try gruyere instead
• Next time, roast the broccoli to caramelize it a little bit
• Served with tater tots and a salad

Recipe: Italian Wedding Risotto

Italian Wedding Risotto

Food & Wine Magazine, Feb 2022, p. 42

4.7 stars

This potentially can be a 5 star recipe when I remake it. As we are eating more plant-based, I tried Beyond Meat's Italian Meatballs. Not great. So, next time I'm going to try making the meatballs using Impossible ground beef and then will update this blog.

Overall, the risotto was really nice; I would make it again.

Ingredients: pork, panko, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, parsley, egg, chicken stock or broth, extra-virgin olive oil, butter, yellow onion, celery, arborio rice, dry white wine, baby spinach, garlic, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips:

• Used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth
• Used a LOT (3-4 big handfuls) of spinach
• As noted above, will try to make the meatballs using Impossible beef next time

Recipe: Super-Speedy Ziti

Super-Speedy Ziti

Martha Stewart Living, Jan/Feb 2022, p.52

4.8 stars

There is another recipe on this page in the magazine "Baked Ziti with Sausage and Bechamel" that I actually intended to make and wanted to note here as the recipe looks delicious -- however, because of a lack of time, I tried this Super-Speedy Ziti. It was great!

Ingredients: ziti or rigatoni, marinara sauce, sweet or spicy Italian sausage, mozzarella, ricotta, heavy cream, fresh basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Used a jarred Calabrian marinara sauce (could've still used some red pepper)
• Didn't want to over salt the dish; it needed a little Maldon at the table

Recipe: Cheesy Lentil-and-Black Bean Nachos

Cheesy Lentil-and-Black Bean Nachos

Martha Stewart Living, Jan/Feb 2022, p.99

4.8 stars

Easy, delicious weeknight vegetarian meal!

Ingredients: tortilla chips, cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, brown lentils, crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, portobello-mushroom caps, red onion, garlic, serrano, chili powder, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, ground pepper

Ingredients for serving: chopped tomatoes, fresh cilantro, lime

Tips:

• Had green lentils so used them instead of brown
• I thought the liquid was going to be too watery, but it did reduce down!
• Served with pickled sliced jalapenos
• Serve with sour cream next time

Recipe: Crunchy Peanut Butter Cups

Crunchy Peanut Butter Cups

dominosugar.com

5 stars

I found this recipe while reading some industry trade news -- it caught my eye because I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. My sister actually made these while visiting, and they were delicious and overall really easy to make! Only 6 ingredients!  The texture of the peanut butter center was spot-on, just like Reese's. Now I'm thinking about all the variations and flavors we can potentially make!

Ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate chips, all-natural crunchy peanut butter (no sugar added), powdered sugar, vanilla extract, unsalted butter, salt

Tips:

• Made half a batch and it still yielded 17 cups.
• Used a mix of semi-sweet and dark chocolate.
• It's easier and more efficient to fill each paper liner with all of the chocolate, push the peanut butter mixture into the center and then smooth the chocolate on top.
• To chill these faster so we could taste them, we put them in the fridge. If you do this, you definitely need to let them come down to room temperature so it's easier to remove the paper liner from the chocolate.

Recipe: Dal Palak

Dal Palak

Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov 2021, p. 26

4.8 stars

This dish turned about better than I expected especially since we don't cook many Indian-inspired dishes. Not hard, just a few components that I had to manage to get the timing right as I wanted each component to be done and ready to eat at the same time (including the falafel that I added to the side).

Ingredients: steamed rice, masoor dal (red lentils), onion, spinach, cilantro, garlic, ginger, ground turmeric, lime, ghee or unsalted butter, black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seed, small dried chile, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Added at least 2x the amount of spinach and likely could have added 4x
• Baked falafel on the side