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Need recipes!

Runcarla

Veteran

Fabbers have provided some great recipes in the time I’ve been on board. I regularly make Angie’s famous chicken recipe (to rave reviews every time) and Laurie’s potatoe, zucchini, tomato casserole with Parmesan cheese recipe has become a fave, as has Kyle’s decadent chocolate truffle desert.

Next month (February) I’m going to try a ‘no repeat dinner’ challenge for the entire month in an effort to get out of a cooking rut, so I’m putting out a call for favourite dinner recipes that 1) don’t have a million weird ingredients, and 2) won’t break the bank.

I cook for a family of 4 hearty eaters. At least 1 meal a week will be a soup, and at least one will be meat free. I’m also interested in BIG, interesting salads.

Please help a girl out, and post or link one or two of your all time favourites!

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32 replies

Latest reply was from Rabella Rob

Indigoprint

Veteran

I like Wyse Guide.
He is a blogger from Iowa and his tastes reflect Midwestern tastes. He recently had a cabbage hash recipe that sounded good and last spring he had a fresh pea salad that my family really liked.
Maybe some of his recipes might sound good to you too.

cat2

Veteran

For big salads, I like a wilted spinach salad. You can find various versions online. I also like a wedge salad with Everything spice blend (the blend of seeds that are on a bagel). Also various versions available. And various white bean salads .

Suz

(website)

Veteran

So, there is a cost to it, but we swear by the New York Times cooking page (and app.) If you pay, you get access for a full year to the entire archive of their recipes over time. In recent years, Melissa Clark has offered some fantastic one-pot or sheet pan meals that are easy, delicious, and offer incredible variety. (Among many other things.) We have tried so many new combinations!

She's also put out a book called Dinner in One that you might enjoy -- various one-pot/pan meals including sheet pan, dutch oven, slow cooker, soup pot -- with multiple variations. Examples: Roasted Chicken “Tagine” with Dates, Olives, and Lemon; Sheet pan salmon with miso and green beans, Spiced Brussels Sprouts with Paneer and Tangy Lime Dressing. All these recipes are easy to prepare and cook. The book is great because she has sidebars like "veg it up" (with suggestions for added or substituted veggies) "make it vegan" (with suggestions), "add a protein" (ditto). I think it could be a fantastic gift to yourself and your family this month! We've been using it for a year (in addition to the Times online) and have enjoyed almost every recipe we tried.

For your young men, you might want to increase portion sizes some, or add extras to the meal to round it out some. But you'll know better if you try it.

Style Fan

Veteran

I like Chef Billy Parisi on YouTube. His recipes do not have weird ingredients or break the bank. I love his Homemade Lentil Soup and Traditional Greek Salad, a.k.a. Horiatiki Salata. He has many recipes for meat eaters, but we are mostly plant-based.
I am a much better cook because of Chef Billy. I have started to enjoy cooking some days.

MsMary

Veteran

Here are some of our favorites:

Ina Garten's Crispy Chicken with Lemon Orzo

Cowboy Caviar -- part salad, part side dish

Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs

Moo Goo Gai Pan

Pasta Aglio e Olio

Pork Shoulder Ragu with Pappardelle

judy

Veteran

That's quite a challenge Runcarla!

Youtube (I have premium so I don't see any ads tho...totally worth it!) will be your best friend, if you need recipes, there are so many good ones. Sip and Feast https://www.youtube.com/@SipandFeast also Carla Lalli Music https://www.youtube.com/@CarlaLalliMusic123
also Alison Roman https://www.youtube.com/@alisoneroman

I find videos the most helpful for recipes because you actually see what it is supposed to look like, and there is so much more information exchanged than in a print recipe.

And yes to the NY Times cooking page. So many helpful recipes! (the comments are often a good resource and funny too, about how people have adjusted the recipes).

Just adding that I recently did a Rancho Gordo bean order. So exciting to open a box of 8 packages of new kinds of beans. Whatever way you cook them...slow cooker, instant pot, or in the oven or on the stove top, their quality and taste for the heirloom beans are really good, and a very inexpensive way to feed a crowd. I personally prefer doing them on top of the stove in a dutch oven so I can taste and smell them as they cook. https://www.ranchogordo.com/co.....loom-beans

Good luck!

kerry

Veteran

I love all the recipes at Damn Delicious …

But this is the favourite

https://damndelicious.net/2019.....ried-rice/

Good kimchi makes all the difference but any will kind will do in a pinch. It’s also a clean-the-fridge type dish as you can substitute almost any of the veggies.

The sheet meals here are super easy and versatile. Pot pie recipe is also yummy.

This site is great for salads that eat like full meals.

https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/blt-salad/

Our favourite soup recipe - even made a soup-eater out of decidedly non-soup-eater daughter lol - is so easy

4-5 links good sausage - chopped, sautéed in a bit of oil
onions & garlic
2 carrots - peeled and sliced
2-4 potatoes - peeled and diced
1 red pepper - diced
28 oz can diced tomatoes
8 cups veggie stock
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 bunch chopped kale

NancyW

Veteran

https://www.splendidtable.org

This is a public radio program in the US. Francis Lam interviews chefs and cookbook writers. The interviews are usually quite interesting - and of course all the interviewees are passionate about food. The website includes recipes.

Style Fan

Veteran

We love The New York Times' "The Stew." It is plant-based. Apparently, it broke the internet.

https://www.alisoneroman.com/r.....d-turmeric

JamC

Veteran

I love to eat and enjoy variety so am always tying new recipes, many become favorites and are repeated more often. I don’t eat meat so most meals are vegetarian with occasional fish. I like the idea of a No Repeat (except leftovers) February and May join you!

Like Suz, we almost exclusively try new (and usually quick and easy) recipes from the New York Times cooking pages and app! The notes by readers are helpful to suggest substitutions.
Many sheet pan meals are favorites like broiled turmeric salmon with corn and green beans, or one dish like crisp gnocchi with brussel sprouts.

Another repeat are the cheesy bean burritos from half baked harvest.com.

And agree with Judy that Rancho Gordo beans are amazingly delicious and easy to cook following stove top directions found on their site. So many great recipes there like Cassoulet with summer squash and corn.

Have fun expanding your recipe box!

April

Veteran

This was a big hit with my hearty eaters: https://cooking.nytimes.com/re.....e_code=1.Q

No highly specialized equipment required for this, but it made me discover that I did not, in fact, own a broiler-safe 13x9 pan. (All those Pyrex lasagna pans in my cupboard? Nope.) I own one now; good thing to have.

Another thing we adore is not really a recipe but a technique. Slice shiitake caps about a quarter-inch thick and pan fry in neutral oil, high heat, until crispy. (We used to deep-fry but that's a whole event. With pan-frying you'll actually get a crispier result with just a light coating of oil.) Drain and salt. These have become quite common on restaurant menus but in the 1990s, the only place I saw them was in my own kitchen.

And what are Crispy Shiitakes for - anything you like. Sprinkled on a hearty salad (preferably with Angie's dressing recipe), any grain dish, etc. Salty umame crispiness, what could be bad?

With your soup night, try these: https://thefoodieandthefix.com.....-biscuits/ If "whole wheat pastry flour" is too hard to find, there are plenty of recipes for the same thing that just use AP flour.

Finally, if you're up for a project (think "overnight marination") and a hearty result, this is pure deliciousness.

Please say you'll do running posts on how your challenge is going!

Indigoprint

Veteran

So fun, all these great food ideas. I like NYtimes recipes too. On my way to the kitchen...

Sara L.

Veteran

I just wanted to add that I use a Google spreadsheet to track and store recipe links and comments (I'm cooking for 5 so I don't always remember who liked what). Before I would make a recipe off the web, not save or print out the recipe, and then not be able to find it a couple months later when I wanted to make it again.

I frequently google recipes based on the ingredients I have on hand - I'll search for "chicken, tomatoes, kale, insta pot" and see what pops up.

Jules

Veteran

So sadly the original recipe appears to have disappeared from the internet, but I never followed it exactly anyway. It’s a salad of kale (originally arugula), with roasted butternut squash, apples and rutabaga (you can skip the latter, and sub in different squash or even sweet potato), feta, toasted pine nuts (I use pecans or walnuts), and a warm dressing with shallots, lime juice, ginger, white balsamic vinegar and other typical vinaigrette ingredients. But honestly you can use any oil and vinegar type dressing with Dijon and honey or maple syrup to taste. It makes a delicious hearty dinner salad using winter produce. Hopefully that’s close enough to a recipe for you! Add some chicken breast for additional protein (I believe you’re an athletic family).

April

Veteran

Chiming in again to say that I must concur with several of the commenters on the New York Times site regarding the recipe for Cauliflower and Farro - cut the farro by a third and use more cauliflower.

I make my own tomato sauce using Marcella Hazan's famous recipe (can also be used as tomato soup) except I use a stick blender to blend in the soft onion and puree the San Marzano tomatoes. Chunky jarred marinara is not something my family enjoys. I buy enormous cans of San Marzanos and up the quantities in the recipe accordingly.

Joy

Veteran

I like Sunset cookbooks. They are depenabley good. You can pick them up at used book sales.

Inge

(website)

Fun thread and fun challenge, Carla!

Ottolenghi's watercress soup is one of my favourite soups. Served with great bread it works as a meal.

https://www.theguardian.com/li.....oup-recipe

(No worries if you don't have rose water at hand, it works perfectly without too.)

Helena

Veteran

Not a link but I just got the Skinnytaste Simple cookbook and it looks great ... All recipes have 7 ingredients or less!

Rejoiceandbe

The British cookery writer Delia Smith tends to have tasty, no fuss, reliable recipes. Here is an example
https://www.deliaonline.com/re.....ked-salmon

Indigoprint

Veteran

I have the one of the Skinny taste cookbooks too. !
Like her ingredients.

L'Abeille

Veteran

Not fancy but this is my Winter Salad:
Chopped in about 1 inch pieces: cauliflower, broccoli, carrots. Moisten with mayonnaise. Add in dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. Optional add-ons: celery, Granny Smith apple, cheddar cheese cubes.
Keeps well. Great as a side, or for lunch the next day. (That's usually when I add the cheese.)

Kyle

Veteran

We enjoy the Barefoot Contessa’s Winter Minestrone and Italian Wedding soup recipes. We also enjoy her Beef Bourguignon. I was just perusing her site, and there are so many hearty dishes that sound great for a weeknight meal, including more soups and things like meatloaf, pot roast, pasta and chicken. Happy cooking and eating, Carla.

https://barefootcontessa.com

cjh

(website)

Veteran

I made potato soup last night. For about four bowls, chop and sautée six strips of bacon. Add two chopped scallions when bacon is crisp. Cut potatoes in 1” cubes, peeling first is optional. I use about four medium size potatoes, sometimes more. Add to pan. Cover with chicken broth and boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender, usually only 10-15 minutes. Here is where you must make your decisions about seasonings. IMO, more salt is better. Also you can add thyme, chicken rub mix, season salt, pepper, or any other favorite seasoning. When potatoes are cooked, add cubed 8-Oz. block of cream cheese and keep on simmer or lower until cheese melts and texture is creamy.

We almost always serve with cheese and crackers, but sometimes also with fruit or cut veggies on the side.

lisaflex

Veteran

I find alot of wonderful recipes from The Mediterranean Dish. never made a bad thing from the site!
Chicken piccata meatballs are wonderful!
Stuffed peppers with orzo are very easy and good
too many to name!

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Our favorite big salad lately is this Classic Nicoise Salad. We like to make it topped with salmon filet, baked in the oven with olive oil and salt and pepper, in place of the tuna. But canned tuna is also really good and makes it quite economical.

cjh

(website)

Veteran

I fixed pecan encrusted salmon tonight, first coated with a honey, Dijon, garlic and paprika mix, then sprinkled with crushed pecans, then baked. Served with mango chutney, and basmati rice sprinkled with curry powder and dried basil. With this, some leftover green beans, and a fruit salad of chopped apple, mandarin orange, grapes and strawberries with plain yogurt mixed with caramel topping (like for ice cream).

It was really good! My husband prefers salmon grilled with a blackened seasoning, and potatoes instead of rice, but he ate it without complaining.

April

Veteran

RC, will you catalogue your month of dishes for us?

Laurie

Veteran

Aw, Carla, am so touched you've got my recipe on rotation!!

I love making things for company that are better if made, and thus cleaned up, a day in advance. The flavors really meld.

Here is a current winter hit at my house from the NYT. I add a little sour cream or plain yogurt too. If I have a parm rind I throw it in while it cooks.

I love the NYT cooking section. Reader tips and comments are always useful and sometimes I remember to save my own tips and tweaks.

As mentioned, this is a subscription service so can't share the URL. Feel free to PM me if want a copy of recipe emailed or texted! (Also, this is the slow cooker version, but I usually make the stove top version in a dutch oven)

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cjh

(website)

Veteran

Are you still collecting? I made this tonight, sort of. My tahini had an odd lid which popped off and I dropped it causing an oil slick cleaning crisis, so I just gave up on the sauce, but want to try it again.

https://jenneatsgoood.com/lemo.....-recipe-ca

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