KValley
07-09-2001, 02:50 PM
I’ve certainly had ample opportunity to cook these last few days (WEEKS!), with the BB down and DH gone!
From July ‘01
Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries: With some of my favorite ingredients- cranberries, chickpeas, couscous- this proved irresistible! It was so simple to make and the flavors are delightful. I really enjoyed the combination of cranberry, orange, and curry. It was perfect on this HOT day. I will definitely make this again- it would be great picnic fare.
Hortopita- or Greens and Cheese Pie: Although I really like the flavors here- particularly the next day when they had a chance to meld, it is unlikely that I will make this again. It was more effort than was worth it for the flavor, IMHO. Could have been my mood, too. It was a hot evening and I wasn’t in the mood to fuss with phyllo or to press greens until barely moist. I think sliced into small squares, this would be a good appetizer, served at room temperature with a cool, creamy feta dip.
Chipotle-Maple Sweet Potatoes: Oh wow. I loved this. I loved the texture, the rich sweetness of the maple, and the tangy bite of chipotle. Cannot wait to make them again for DH. Suddenly, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce have become a favorite, thanks to the plethora of CL recipes using these in recent months. A great discovery.
Asian Beef Noodle Salad: Another winner from July. This was easy to put together, left a lot of room for variation ( I added broccoli), I love the noodles- something different for someone who rarely eats pasta, but likes the simplicity of it. Very satisfying and minimal cooking for a hot summer night. DH will be happy that I found something to make with beef in it.
From June ‘01
Spicy Cucumber Salad with Peanuts: for the amount of work that this simple salad entails, I wasn’t that impressed with the flavors. The red pepper was overwhelming –and I like things with quite a bit of kick! Cucumbers really are not at the top of my vegetable list, so perhaps I shouldn’t have bothered! I won’t again.
Thai Grilled Chicken
Delicious and so simple. To be honest, it was a last minute decision so I did not let it marinate the recommended 3-8 hours. It was more like 30 minutes. It was still fantastic. I used skinless, boneless chicken thighs and brushed on the marinade while grilling.
From July ‘00
Chickpea-and-Corn Patties: Excellent- very satisfying and quite easy to assemble! I’d reconsider the serving size, however. I made about 2/3 of the recipe and still turned out 4 enormous patties. I think you could get six or eight out of the full recipe. I just loved these- so flavorful. Instead of salsa, I served them with a spicy mango chutney. Also accompanying were the Black Beans with Mango from Vegetable Heaven (reviewed below) and a slightly chilled Beaujolais Villages- a perfect ripe berry thirst quencher for some of these intense flavors.
Banana Walnut Scones: Wanting to do some different with too ripe bananas other than banana bread or smoothies, I came across this scone recipe. Soooo good- look out Starbucks pastry shop!! These are powerhouse energy bars- at only 200 calories, they are filling, rich, crunchy-sweet. One powered me up an early morning hike this morning. Great with strawberry jam. A definite repeat.
From CL Complete
Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake: A trip to the farmer’s market Saturday resulted in a pint of perfectly ripe raspberries. I used some in this crumb cake and transported it to Seattle for my dad’s birthday. It was delicious and not at all heavy. A Late Harvest Riesling was the perfect accompaniment. I will definitely make this again next time I find just the right raspberries!
Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Orange Mustard Glaze: Outstanding- it has now become my favorite Cooking Light salmon recipe. The flavors melded beautifully and brought out the sweet, rich flavor of the salmon. Generally, I prefer my salmon grilled plain, with a little olive oil and rosemary, but this made me reconsider. I served this with the Chile Vinegar Turnip Greens and the Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Cucumber Dressing from July ’01 (I reviewed these last week- both excellent and a good combination- one hot and spicy, the other cool and creamy).
From CL Annual 2000
Quinoa Tabbouleh: I answered comabri’s challenge on a thread two weeks ago to give a food we had previously disliked another chance. For me, this food was quinoa.
Although I did not rush into the streets to do the Happy Quinoa Shuffle, I was pretty excited about the tabbouleh. I served orange peppers stuffed with tabbouleh- microwaved the peppers for a few minutes first- couldn’t have been easier. I sprinkled feta with basil and tomato over the top of the stuffed peppers. The sweet peppers were a great combination with the earthy flavor of the quinoa and delicious with the raisins, cucumbers, tomatoes, and parsley in the tabbouleh. How yum.
Quinoa has the highest level of protein of any grain and as I seek to expand sources of protein beyond meat and dairy products, I will look for other quinoa recipes.
I know that the texture is not something DH would care for, so this is be a great lunch dish for me.
Tuscan White Beans: Very simple and delicious. I put these in a wheat tortilla with chicken breast strips, feta cheese, sweet basil vinaigrette- excellent!
From Vegetable Heaven:
A non-CL review: Black Beans with Mango: still on my black beans kick- I saw this on a thread just before the boards chrash- jazzyjas was looking for the recipe- did you get it? I hope so, because this is a fantastic dish. I love the texture and sweetness imparted by the mangoes, the bite from the jalapeno. It makes quite a bit, so I’ve had the beans various ways over the past several days- warm, cold, plain, with sour cream, with cottage cheese, on a corn tortilla with cheddar melted on top, stuffed in green peppers…
Now, let us consider the amount of leftovers I have in my fridge at the moment. I think I will have to declare a cooking moratorium for a couple of days….
From July ‘01
Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries: With some of my favorite ingredients- cranberries, chickpeas, couscous- this proved irresistible! It was so simple to make and the flavors are delightful. I really enjoyed the combination of cranberry, orange, and curry. It was perfect on this HOT day. I will definitely make this again- it would be great picnic fare.
Hortopita- or Greens and Cheese Pie: Although I really like the flavors here- particularly the next day when they had a chance to meld, it is unlikely that I will make this again. It was more effort than was worth it for the flavor, IMHO. Could have been my mood, too. It was a hot evening and I wasn’t in the mood to fuss with phyllo or to press greens until barely moist. I think sliced into small squares, this would be a good appetizer, served at room temperature with a cool, creamy feta dip.
Chipotle-Maple Sweet Potatoes: Oh wow. I loved this. I loved the texture, the rich sweetness of the maple, and the tangy bite of chipotle. Cannot wait to make them again for DH. Suddenly, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce have become a favorite, thanks to the plethora of CL recipes using these in recent months. A great discovery.
Asian Beef Noodle Salad: Another winner from July. This was easy to put together, left a lot of room for variation ( I added broccoli), I love the noodles- something different for someone who rarely eats pasta, but likes the simplicity of it. Very satisfying and minimal cooking for a hot summer night. DH will be happy that I found something to make with beef in it.
From June ‘01
Spicy Cucumber Salad with Peanuts: for the amount of work that this simple salad entails, I wasn’t that impressed with the flavors. The red pepper was overwhelming –and I like things with quite a bit of kick! Cucumbers really are not at the top of my vegetable list, so perhaps I shouldn’t have bothered! I won’t again.
Thai Grilled Chicken
Delicious and so simple. To be honest, it was a last minute decision so I did not let it marinate the recommended 3-8 hours. It was more like 30 minutes. It was still fantastic. I used skinless, boneless chicken thighs and brushed on the marinade while grilling.
From July ‘00
Chickpea-and-Corn Patties: Excellent- very satisfying and quite easy to assemble! I’d reconsider the serving size, however. I made about 2/3 of the recipe and still turned out 4 enormous patties. I think you could get six or eight out of the full recipe. I just loved these- so flavorful. Instead of salsa, I served them with a spicy mango chutney. Also accompanying were the Black Beans with Mango from Vegetable Heaven (reviewed below) and a slightly chilled Beaujolais Villages- a perfect ripe berry thirst quencher for some of these intense flavors.
Banana Walnut Scones: Wanting to do some different with too ripe bananas other than banana bread or smoothies, I came across this scone recipe. Soooo good- look out Starbucks pastry shop!! These are powerhouse energy bars- at only 200 calories, they are filling, rich, crunchy-sweet. One powered me up an early morning hike this morning. Great with strawberry jam. A definite repeat.
From CL Complete
Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake: A trip to the farmer’s market Saturday resulted in a pint of perfectly ripe raspberries. I used some in this crumb cake and transported it to Seattle for my dad’s birthday. It was delicious and not at all heavy. A Late Harvest Riesling was the perfect accompaniment. I will definitely make this again next time I find just the right raspberries!
Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Orange Mustard Glaze: Outstanding- it has now become my favorite Cooking Light salmon recipe. The flavors melded beautifully and brought out the sweet, rich flavor of the salmon. Generally, I prefer my salmon grilled plain, with a little olive oil and rosemary, but this made me reconsider. I served this with the Chile Vinegar Turnip Greens and the Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Cucumber Dressing from July ’01 (I reviewed these last week- both excellent and a good combination- one hot and spicy, the other cool and creamy).
From CL Annual 2000
Quinoa Tabbouleh: I answered comabri’s challenge on a thread two weeks ago to give a food we had previously disliked another chance. For me, this food was quinoa.
Although I did not rush into the streets to do the Happy Quinoa Shuffle, I was pretty excited about the tabbouleh. I served orange peppers stuffed with tabbouleh- microwaved the peppers for a few minutes first- couldn’t have been easier. I sprinkled feta with basil and tomato over the top of the stuffed peppers. The sweet peppers were a great combination with the earthy flavor of the quinoa and delicious with the raisins, cucumbers, tomatoes, and parsley in the tabbouleh. How yum.
Quinoa has the highest level of protein of any grain and as I seek to expand sources of protein beyond meat and dairy products, I will look for other quinoa recipes.
I know that the texture is not something DH would care for, so this is be a great lunch dish for me.
Tuscan White Beans: Very simple and delicious. I put these in a wheat tortilla with chicken breast strips, feta cheese, sweet basil vinaigrette- excellent!
From Vegetable Heaven:
A non-CL review: Black Beans with Mango: still on my black beans kick- I saw this on a thread just before the boards chrash- jazzyjas was looking for the recipe- did you get it? I hope so, because this is a fantastic dish. I love the texture and sweetness imparted by the mangoes, the bite from the jalapeno. It makes quite a bit, so I’ve had the beans various ways over the past several days- warm, cold, plain, with sour cream, with cottage cheese, on a corn tortilla with cheddar melted on top, stuffed in green peppers…
Now, let us consider the amount of leftovers I have in my fridge at the moment. I think I will have to declare a cooking moratorium for a couple of days….