Just A Few of My Favorite Recipes from Others, Fall 2010- Fall 2011

Every now and then I'll attempt to update my recipe collection and remember all kinds of great finds that I've discovered or that have been passed on to me.  Unfortunately, I've been slacking on this lately, thinking "Oh, I'm never going to forget about THIS recipe."  Then I eventually forget and the blog entry might get deleted by its author and after remembering and frantically searching for the lost recipe my tastebuds begin to cry.

I'll always remember you, tasty noodles with peanut sauce recipe...

So anyway, here are just a few recipes that I'm entering into my files today.  Maybe you'll find something you like as well in this list:

Roasted Red Pepper Pita Pizzas - When I actually buy pita bread, this is part of a quick and fantastic meal.  The best part is the sauce.  I <3 this sauce!  It is sooooooo good.
It is delicious on my favorite homemade semolina pizza dough or even on pasta.  This recipe is perfect for when you're cooking for people who have sensitivities to onions and garlic.

Sweet & Spicy Carrot Bisque - I'm not a huge fan of carrot soup; however, this carrot soup is fantastic.  Topped with a coconut milk reduction and packed with flavor, not to mention a secret ingredient - one very ripe banana - it's definitely worth trying.  Make sure that your banana is ripe, otherwise your soup won't be as sweet as it's supposed to be.  If you DON'T have a very ripe banana, DO NOT MAKE THIS SOUP!

Ina Garten's Curried Couscous  -   This couscous is fast, flavorful, and has just the right amount of sweetness to perfectly balance out a flavorful or slightly spicy meal.  This recipe also works well when you substitute soy yogurt for your vegan friends or your vegan self. This became one of our favorites to serve alongside Veganomicon's  FANTASTIC Chickpea Cutlets (pick up the book from the library or do a google search, I'm not linking to it), oven-roasted asparagus, and my favorite, favorite shredded cabbage & carrot salad with a Nama Shoyu, curry powder & ginger dressing.

Caribbean Coconut Rice - Yup, yet another VT recipe.  This rice is so fragrant and delicious.   We've eaten this with some marinated broiled tofu, and this Hawaiian-style Sweet-and-Sour Roasted Pineapple and Bell Pepper side dish.

Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps  - Yup, this recipe works extremely well even for vegetarians when substituting that weird frozen Worthington Chicken...or Chik'N (?) log for regular chicken.   Serve with your favorite stir-fry or curry and sushi rice with just a drizzle of rice vinegar.  If you make these wraps, serve on BUTTER LETTUCE.  Not iceberg.  Not beat-up green leaf lettuce from your grocery store, either.   I beg you.  Pleeeease.  I haven't made this in a while since all those weird veggie meat products make me feel like death itself, but this is still worth keeping around for when I feel like giving myself a headache via tasty meat analog products.

Whole Foods Market Indian Daal - Since moving to the Valley, I tremendously miss all that glorious ethnic food from Southern California.    I know there are fantastic places about two hours away, but it's just not the same, so I have vowed to learn how to make Indian food.   While not exactly like the daal you might find in an Indian restaurant, this daal recipe will definitely curb your cravings until your next Indian food dining experience.  We made this recipe just last week and loved it.  Then I made it again with brown lentils a few days later, which was still pretty good, BUT if you use brown lentils, it really needs to cook for hours and hours (on the crockpot!).   For our meal, I served this alongside some basmati rice, some curried Delicata, Bhindi Masala (okra), homemade naan, a spicy mint sauce, some cooling raita, and mango lassis.    The only thing we were missing from our meal was Sukhi's Vegan Samosas that we pick up from Costco now and then.  What a fantastic Indian meal, and for about $70 less than what we would spend if we went out to eat as a family!  Oh wait, plus the gasoline it would take to get us there!

Layered Eggplant, Zucchini, and Tomato Casserole -  My boys (3 and 6), were just in love with this dish.  I thought it was quite good and a healthy way to use up your summer harvest in a slightly different way.  When I made this, we had just picked up an assortment of eggplant from the Farmer's Market.  Our favorites were the tender looong, skinny green Raveena eggplants.  They took this recipe over the top.  If ever you see the lovely Raveenas, BUY THEM AND EAT THEM.

Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin.

Giada's Strawberry and Rosemary Scones - My boys gobbled these up.  I thought they were really cute for Valentine's Day.  I really liked the taste of the scones, but in my opinion the lemon glaze was completely unnecessary and just took it to a tooth-rotting level of sweetness.  The glaze is good, I'd just take it really easy when icing the scones, take a taste of it and adjust to your preference.  I'm looking forward to making these scones again without the jam or icing.

Amazingly Yummy Banana Coconut Muffins - Everyone who I feed these to loves them and asks for the recipe.  You might love these as well.  That's assuming you can stand bananas.  And coconut.

Flourless Chocolate Cake - I went a little bit overboard for Thanksgiving last year.  It was our first Thanksgiving away from all family and I cooked like a crazy woman.  I wound up making this flourless chocolate cake, along with four other desserts.  This particular recipe was relatively fast, easy to prepare, and was incredibly delicious.  Additionally, it's always great to have something that's gluten-free for your guests since practically everyone is allergic to something nowadays.   Since that Thanksgiving, I now choose to bake the batter in four 4" springform pans and freeze the small cakes to pull out for the weekend, unexpected company, or for a special family dinner.

In case you're curious, the other recipes I made for Thanksgiving were Paula Deen's Pumpkin Pie with Ina's Perfect Pie Crust (My first pumpkin pie!  It was delicious!),  Jay's Favorite Pear Tart that was just gorgeous and delicious, F&W's Chocolate Cream Pie that was good, but not necessarily worth making for a holiday, and my Grandma Vera's 1960's lime jello salad recipe.

Momofuku's Crack Pie - I make this around Valentine's Day and then once again on Pi Day (March 14).  I double the crust recipe and make individual crack pies in greased and floured mini muffin tins.  In order to get these out of the tins without destroying your creations, refrigerate until firm, and run a sharp paring knife around the entire edge and pop out.  College kids we know will often ask me if I just happen to have these just laying around. Too bad they are quite an intensive little pie, otherwise these most certainly would be hanging out in our freezer, ready to eat...and I would definitely weigh a good 30 pounds more.  

Joy the Baker's Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread - I haven't made this yet, but I know I'll love it.  How could this recipe possibly be bad?  I'm going to try it with my Novel Eats' delicious dough as well.

Can't think.  So hungry.  Must cook.