All the New Recipes I Tried in January! (and there were a lot...)
More cooking chronicles! Hopefully these aren't too boring for y'all, but I genuinely am curious/nosy about what other people are cooking for themselves, so please do feel free to share your recent favorites below, or make your own post! I've already bookmarked several recipes that y'all have shared with me. :D Also, I feel like I should note that for the vast majority of these recipes I end up scaling the recipes down and/or freezing portions, which I do pretty frequently since I live alone!
breakfast
sweet potato and marshmallow biscuits from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
I had an opened bag of mini marshmallows and some sweet potato innards from a recipe below, so I made a half-batch of these, baked some for breakfast and froze the rest for quick future breakfasts! These were tasty and lightly sweet. I liked them, but if I want a scone, I'll probably go with one of my other go-t recipes.
high protein steel-cut overnight oats from pop sugar - vegetarian & gluten free
I have both steel-cut oats and protein powder that I'm trying to use up, so I figured this would be a good way to do both! I didn't use the mashed banana because I didn't have any and all the ones at my corner store were still super green, so I did a drizzle of maple syrup instead. I think this would make a better summer breakfast for me, but I enjoyed! Mine wasn't vegan because my protein powder is whey, but nice that it could easily be made so with that swap.
perfect blueberry muffins from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
I had some blueberries in the freezer from the summer that I wanted to use up, and I've been eying this muffin recipe for ages and finally made it!
Slow Cooker Breakfast Quinoa with Blueberries and Bananas from abbey's kitchen - vegan & gluten-free
This was a fun take on a warm breakfast grain and a great way to use up my blueberries and the last of my quinoa! Not quite sweet enough for me as it was, but perfect with a swirl of maple syrup.
leek, ham, and cheese egg bake from smitten kitchen - gluten free
Had some ham to use up from a recipe below and was craving a savory, protein-packed breakfast option, and this checked both boxes! Given I like egg bakes and I like all the ingredients in this one, I was pretty sure this would be a hit, and sure enough it was!
sides/other
easiest baked mac-and-cheese from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
Technically this isn't a new recipe for me, but I first made this over 10 years ago and it's been a long damn time. I saw that Deb had refreshed the recipe somewhat, so when my sister & her BF requested a mac & cheese side for fried chicken night, I figured I'd give this one another try. Dead easy with a great cheese flavor, and I agree with her assessment that it's a good option when you want something quick and tasty that isn't meant to be the star of the show.
Cheesy Quinoa Cakes from spoon fork bacon - vegetarian & gluten free
Had some cooked quinoa (from the grain salad recipe below!) and came across this old recipe in my bookmarks. Thought it would go great with the chicken above along with some roasted broccoli. Didn't make the aioli because I find mayo gross; I'm sure it would be great with it if you like that kind of thing, but I thought these were tasty without a sauce!
perfect, uncluttered chicken stock from smitten kitchen - gluten free
I opened my last box of chicken stock this week, so I thought I'd try to make my own for the first time! Hard to really say how it turned out because it was my first time making it and I've not yet cooked with it. It seemed a bit underwhelming, but I also kind of think that's to be expected.... Next time I think I'll try a more traditional one with a chicken carcass (since roasting a chicken is on my to-do list at some point!) and probably will add in a few other veggies like a carrot and celery.
jim lahey's no-knead bread from epicurious - vegan (original recipe is NYT but since that's behind a paywall, this one is the same)
I *finally* got a dutch oven and my first project was this no-knead bread that you bake in a dutch oven! It's a fairly dense loaf, and I found it to be a bit saltier than I prefer--which is a SHOCKING statement coming from me as I generally prefer things 1.5x saltier than the average human--but it's got a great crust and was quite fun!
sally lunn bread from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
Had some leftover homemade ricotta from one of the recipes below so I figured I'd whip up some bread to smear it on for a snack! Wanted something that wouldn't require a starter and 800 years of my life + I had an egg yolk in the fridge from something else I'd made earlier in the week, so I figured I'd give this bread a try! Pretty quick and easy, with a sort of brioche/challah vibe because of the egg.
collard greens with cornmeal dumplings from smitten kitchen
I've been wanting to make this recipe since Deb posted it and the second my sister requested fried chicken for one of our dinner nights, I knew I'd be making this as one of the sides. The greens themselves were tasty, but the dumplings were like rocks and super disappointing! I ended up just throwing them straight into the compost and if I made again, I'd just make a side of cornbread and ditch the dumplings.
mains
zucchini, ham and ricotta fritters from smitten kitchen
I had some chopped ham from making the smoky soul stock for the collard greens recipe above, so I took a look through Deb's archive and when I saw this recipe combining SO many things I love, I knew I had to try it. I whipped up some of the site's rich, homemade ricotta which I've been making for years because it's so much tastier than store bought IMO. Essentially a savory pancake and OMG such a delight! I expected to enjoy it, obvi, but it was even better than I expected.
Butternut Salad with Farro, Pepitas and Ricotta Salata from smitten kitchen - vegetarian & gluten free (with quinoa as I made it)
I made this with quinoa & feta instead of farro & ricotta salata since those were items I already had in my fridge/pantry, and the swaps worked great! Another delicious vegetarian meal.
roasted butternut squash soup from cookie and kate - gluten free
I only used half my roasted butternut squash in the previous recipe and soup sounded like a great way to use up the rest! I swapped half a red onion instead of shallot (since I had half from the previous recipe as well) and I also tossed in some roasted carrots & fresh sage that were about to go off. I didn't have veggie stock so I used chicken instead, and since it wasn't veggie anyway I used butter, but I liked that this could be easily made vegan if I remake it! Which I probably will at some point because it was really easy and comfortingly delicious, especially with a bit of toasted sourdough.
3-Ingredient Baked Caesar Chicken from the kitchn- gluten free
Super quick and easy to throw together! I overcooked the chicken, but that's totally my bad, as I forgot to reduce the temp from roasting veggies right before this. :( Still edible though!
foolproof cacio e pepe from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
I've never actually had this before, so I have no idea how what I created stands up, but it was tasty, so I have no complaints! Probably, personally, won't be something I make again because if I'm craving cheesy pasta, I want mac & cheese, but this was good!
Broccoli Rubble Farro Salad from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
Deb makes a lot of recipes with farro and I'd never had it before so I grabbed some from the bulk bins at my local grocery store and decided to make this recipe that I've heard rave reviews about and OMG it was really, really good! Relatively few ingredients overall but the combination is magical, and I'll definitely be making again!
garlic parmesan wings from the kitchen - gluten free
I bought 3 lbs of chicken wings for the above chicken stock recipe and then realized my instant pot was only big enough for a 2/3 batch, which left me with an extra pound of wings! I've never been a big chicken wings person, but when I get them I get garlic butter parmesan wings, so I figured I'd attempt making them for myself! These were BOMB. Like, so good. My sister thought the parmesan was a bit overpowering, but I thought it was perfect--though, to be fair, I accidentally used about 1.5x the parmesan amount because I forgot I was halving the recipe until I'd already grated extra cheese...
crispy cheesy pan pizza from king arthur- vegetarian
This was King Arthur's 2020 recipe of the year, and it's been an eon since I've made pizza from scratch, so this shot to the top of my list. My sister and her BF are in my covid-pod and they came over for dinner, which gave me an excuse to make it. It requires an overnight rise, but other than that foresight, it was really easy and the crust came out amazing, the perfect combo of crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
crispy, juicy fried chicken from the kitchn
I've never made fried chicken before and was excited to attempt it! The seasoning blend for this was amazing and came out great, but the frying process was a bit of a disaster. The chicken was either burned on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside, or it was perfectly done on the outside and undercooked on the inside... I was using a thermometer to check the inside of the chicken, and it was telling me I'd hit the right temp even when it wasn't done, so I think I need to adjust my probing technique, LOL. I looked up tips, and everything they suggested I'd done, so we'll see if it goes any better if I try it again...
dessert
banoffee pie from tasty - vegetarian
My sister has been wanting to make/try this for ages for some reason, and when I asked if she wanted me to make dessert for our dinner night, she immediately sent over this recipe. Having spent a lot of time in South & Central America, I LOVE dulce de leche, so I was curious to try! This was delicious, but super rich. We all agreed that, for the flavor profile, we preferred a banana cream pie, but wouldn't turn down a slice of this if it was around!
lemon tea cakes from the kitchn - vegetarian
Another quarantine cookie addition! These were okay, but I overbaked the first batch--the recipe said to bake at 325 but I found mine never browned, causing me to leave them in for too long, as opposed to the batch I baked at 350. Would definitely had another tsp of lemon juice for a stronger flavor, and I'd probably add even more than that if I made them again.
cowboy cookies from the kitchen - vegetarian
Another cookie from the kitchn's quarantine cookie edition! Made a half-batch and used unsweetened coconut instead of sweetened since that was what I had in the pantry, and I thought these were delicious! Definitely one of my favs. I really enjoyed the different textures and the bit of cinnamon in the dough was a lovely touch.
pecan pie rugelach from the kitchn - vegetarian
Another cookie from the kitchn's quarantine cookie edition! I bought enough pecans for the previous cookie to make this one as well later in the month. Made a half batch, and these were a delight. Not too sweet, which makes them perfect for eating for breakfast with some coffee, LOL.
apple crisp stuffed sweet potatoes from abbey's kitchen - vegetarian
I've been craving apple pie for months--I usually have several slices over the holidays from various family meals, but there were less of those this year so I haven't had my fix. I've also been wanting to experiment with sweet potatoes, so I figured this was a good bet! I like this site because it allows you to easily scale down the recipe, which is something I frequently do because I'm usually just cooking for one and don't want 2 weeks of leftovers, LOL. Lightly sweet, this was delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
dutch apple pie from the kitchn - vegetarian
LOL, see above for my apple pie craving... I finally caved and made one for one of my dinners with my sister & her BF since they both love apple pie and would help me eat it, LOL. I think this recipe could have used another half pound or pound of apples, though the ratio was fine as-is, and I ended up not using all of the topping as it seemed like way too much, though I think it would have been fine if I'd just dumped it all on there. Surprisingly, the clove was a smidge more present than I prefer, though that's really just nitpicking. This entry was originally posted here on Dreamwidth. Please comment there using OpenID
breakfast
sweet potato and marshmallow biscuits from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
I had an opened bag of mini marshmallows and some sweet potato innards from a recipe below, so I made a half-batch of these, baked some for breakfast and froze the rest for quick future breakfasts! These were tasty and lightly sweet. I liked them, but if I want a scone, I'll probably go with one of my other go-t recipes.
high protein steel-cut overnight oats from pop sugar - vegetarian & gluten free
I have both steel-cut oats and protein powder that I'm trying to use up, so I figured this would be a good way to do both! I didn't use the mashed banana because I didn't have any and all the ones at my corner store were still super green, so I did a drizzle of maple syrup instead. I think this would make a better summer breakfast for me, but I enjoyed! Mine wasn't vegan because my protein powder is whey, but nice that it could easily be made so with that swap.
perfect blueberry muffins from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
I had some blueberries in the freezer from the summer that I wanted to use up, and I've been eying this muffin recipe for ages and finally made it!
Slow Cooker Breakfast Quinoa with Blueberries and Bananas from abbey's kitchen - vegan & gluten-free
This was a fun take on a warm breakfast grain and a great way to use up my blueberries and the last of my quinoa! Not quite sweet enough for me as it was, but perfect with a swirl of maple syrup.
leek, ham, and cheese egg bake from smitten kitchen - gluten free
Had some ham to use up from a recipe below and was craving a savory, protein-packed breakfast option, and this checked both boxes! Given I like egg bakes and I like all the ingredients in this one, I was pretty sure this would be a hit, and sure enough it was!
sides/other
easiest baked mac-and-cheese from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
Technically this isn't a new recipe for me, but I first made this over 10 years ago and it's been a long damn time. I saw that Deb had refreshed the recipe somewhat, so when my sister & her BF requested a mac & cheese side for fried chicken night, I figured I'd give this one another try. Dead easy with a great cheese flavor, and I agree with her assessment that it's a good option when you want something quick and tasty that isn't meant to be the star of the show.
Cheesy Quinoa Cakes from spoon fork bacon - vegetarian & gluten free
Had some cooked quinoa (from the grain salad recipe below!) and came across this old recipe in my bookmarks. Thought it would go great with the chicken above along with some roasted broccoli. Didn't make the aioli because I find mayo gross; I'm sure it would be great with it if you like that kind of thing, but I thought these were tasty without a sauce!
perfect, uncluttered chicken stock from smitten kitchen - gluten free
I opened my last box of chicken stock this week, so I thought I'd try to make my own for the first time! Hard to really say how it turned out because it was my first time making it and I've not yet cooked with it. It seemed a bit underwhelming, but I also kind of think that's to be expected.... Next time I think I'll try a more traditional one with a chicken carcass (since roasting a chicken is on my to-do list at some point!) and probably will add in a few other veggies like a carrot and celery.
jim lahey's no-knead bread from epicurious - vegan (original recipe is NYT but since that's behind a paywall, this one is the same)
I *finally* got a dutch oven and my first project was this no-knead bread that you bake in a dutch oven! It's a fairly dense loaf, and I found it to be a bit saltier than I prefer--which is a SHOCKING statement coming from me as I generally prefer things 1.5x saltier than the average human--but it's got a great crust and was quite fun!
sally lunn bread from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
Had some leftover homemade ricotta from one of the recipes below so I figured I'd whip up some bread to smear it on for a snack! Wanted something that wouldn't require a starter and 800 years of my life + I had an egg yolk in the fridge from something else I'd made earlier in the week, so I figured I'd give this bread a try! Pretty quick and easy, with a sort of brioche/challah vibe because of the egg.
collard greens with cornmeal dumplings from smitten kitchen
I've been wanting to make this recipe since Deb posted it and the second my sister requested fried chicken for one of our dinner nights, I knew I'd be making this as one of the sides. The greens themselves were tasty, but the dumplings were like rocks and super disappointing! I ended up just throwing them straight into the compost and if I made again, I'd just make a side of cornbread and ditch the dumplings.
mains
zucchini, ham and ricotta fritters from smitten kitchen
I had some chopped ham from making the smoky soul stock for the collard greens recipe above, so I took a look through Deb's archive and when I saw this recipe combining SO many things I love, I knew I had to try it. I whipped up some of the site's rich, homemade ricotta which I've been making for years because it's so much tastier than store bought IMO. Essentially a savory pancake and OMG such a delight! I expected to enjoy it, obvi, but it was even better than I expected.
Butternut Salad with Farro, Pepitas and Ricotta Salata from smitten kitchen - vegetarian & gluten free (with quinoa as I made it)
I made this with quinoa & feta instead of farro & ricotta salata since those were items I already had in my fridge/pantry, and the swaps worked great! Another delicious vegetarian meal.
roasted butternut squash soup from cookie and kate - gluten free
I only used half my roasted butternut squash in the previous recipe and soup sounded like a great way to use up the rest! I swapped half a red onion instead of shallot (since I had half from the previous recipe as well) and I also tossed in some roasted carrots & fresh sage that were about to go off. I didn't have veggie stock so I used chicken instead, and since it wasn't veggie anyway I used butter, but I liked that this could be easily made vegan if I remake it! Which I probably will at some point because it was really easy and comfortingly delicious, especially with a bit of toasted sourdough.
3-Ingredient Baked Caesar Chicken from the kitchn- gluten free
Super quick and easy to throw together! I overcooked the chicken, but that's totally my bad, as I forgot to reduce the temp from roasting veggies right before this. :( Still edible though!
foolproof cacio e pepe from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
I've never actually had this before, so I have no idea how what I created stands up, but it was tasty, so I have no complaints! Probably, personally, won't be something I make again because if I'm craving cheesy pasta, I want mac & cheese, but this was good!
Broccoli Rubble Farro Salad from smitten kitchen - vegetarian
Deb makes a lot of recipes with farro and I'd never had it before so I grabbed some from the bulk bins at my local grocery store and decided to make this recipe that I've heard rave reviews about and OMG it was really, really good! Relatively few ingredients overall but the combination is magical, and I'll definitely be making again!
garlic parmesan wings from the kitchen - gluten free
I bought 3 lbs of chicken wings for the above chicken stock recipe and then realized my instant pot was only big enough for a 2/3 batch, which left me with an extra pound of wings! I've never been a big chicken wings person, but when I get them I get garlic butter parmesan wings, so I figured I'd attempt making them for myself! These were BOMB. Like, so good. My sister thought the parmesan was a bit overpowering, but I thought it was perfect--though, to be fair, I accidentally used about 1.5x the parmesan amount because I forgot I was halving the recipe until I'd already grated extra cheese...
crispy cheesy pan pizza from king arthur- vegetarian
This was King Arthur's 2020 recipe of the year, and it's been an eon since I've made pizza from scratch, so this shot to the top of my list. My sister and her BF are in my covid-pod and they came over for dinner, which gave me an excuse to make it. It requires an overnight rise, but other than that foresight, it was really easy and the crust came out amazing, the perfect combo of crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
crispy, juicy fried chicken from the kitchn
I've never made fried chicken before and was excited to attempt it! The seasoning blend for this was amazing and came out great, but the frying process was a bit of a disaster. The chicken was either burned on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside, or it was perfectly done on the outside and undercooked on the inside... I was using a thermometer to check the inside of the chicken, and it was telling me I'd hit the right temp even when it wasn't done, so I think I need to adjust my probing technique, LOL. I looked up tips, and everything they suggested I'd done, so we'll see if it goes any better if I try it again...
dessert
banoffee pie from tasty - vegetarian
My sister has been wanting to make/try this for ages for some reason, and when I asked if she wanted me to make dessert for our dinner night, she immediately sent over this recipe. Having spent a lot of time in South & Central America, I LOVE dulce de leche, so I was curious to try! This was delicious, but super rich. We all agreed that, for the flavor profile, we preferred a banana cream pie, but wouldn't turn down a slice of this if it was around!
lemon tea cakes from the kitchn - vegetarian
Another quarantine cookie addition! These were okay, but I overbaked the first batch--the recipe said to bake at 325 but I found mine never browned, causing me to leave them in for too long, as opposed to the batch I baked at 350. Would definitely had another tsp of lemon juice for a stronger flavor, and I'd probably add even more than that if I made them again.
cowboy cookies from the kitchen - vegetarian
Another cookie from the kitchn's quarantine cookie edition! Made a half-batch and used unsweetened coconut instead of sweetened since that was what I had in the pantry, and I thought these were delicious! Definitely one of my favs. I really enjoyed the different textures and the bit of cinnamon in the dough was a lovely touch.
pecan pie rugelach from the kitchn - vegetarian
Another cookie from the kitchn's quarantine cookie edition! I bought enough pecans for the previous cookie to make this one as well later in the month. Made a half batch, and these were a delight. Not too sweet, which makes them perfect for eating for breakfast with some coffee, LOL.
apple crisp stuffed sweet potatoes from abbey's kitchen - vegetarian
I've been craving apple pie for months--I usually have several slices over the holidays from various family meals, but there were less of those this year so I haven't had my fix. I've also been wanting to experiment with sweet potatoes, so I figured this was a good bet! I like this site because it allows you to easily scale down the recipe, which is something I frequently do because I'm usually just cooking for one and don't want 2 weeks of leftovers, LOL. Lightly sweet, this was delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
dutch apple pie from the kitchn - vegetarian
LOL, see above for my apple pie craving... I finally caved and made one for one of my dinners with my sister & her BF since they both love apple pie and would help me eat it, LOL. I think this recipe could have used another half pound or pound of apples, though the ratio was fine as-is, and I ended up not using all of the topping as it seemed like way too much, though I think it would have been fine if I'd just dumped it all on there. Surprisingly, the clove was a smidge more present than I prefer, though that's really just nitpicking. This entry was originally posted here on Dreamwidth. Please comment there using OpenID