What I’ve Been Cooking Up Lately
During these past few weeks I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in the kitchen trying out a lot of new recipes. I’ve gotten a few questions on the recipes I’ve been using so I thought I would share them all in a post. There is a little bit of everything, including main meals, sides, desserts, and cocktails. So whether you’re looking for something new to make or asked which recipes I’ve used, here they are. Enjoy!
Little Gem Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese & Herb Dressing
At our house, we rarely buy iceberg lettuce so we had to opt for a romaine wedge salad. We had it as a starter for a steak and asparagus dinner and it was perfect! There is just something about homemade dressing that is so much fresher, but you can always use a premade dressing to make it even easier. I actually think the romaine looked better than an iceberg wedge but that’s just me.
We had quite a few bananas that were past their prime, so I had to whip up a healthy recipe before those bananas turned into banana bread. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with banana bread…except for the fact that you can’t resist it when it smells up the entire house. These energy bites are a great way to use up overripe bananas in a healthier way. The combination of banana, peanut butter, chocolate, and cinnamon is to die for. This way you can get all the flavors of banana bread with less of the guilt.
One of our absolute favorite meals in our house is stuffed peppers because they are both beautiful and delicious! We usually use ground turkey but they are so filling that we decided to try it with brown rice instead. Also, because we are getting pretty low on meat around the house with so many things being out of stock in stores. All the Mexican flavors make you feel like you’re having tacos with bell peppers as the shell!
Okay so this one doesn’t even need an explanation, anything with raspberry and lemon and I’m sold. But I must say, this is one of the most fluffy and moist cakes I’ve ever made. The whipping of the egg whites gives it that light and airy texture. And whoever was the first to add greek yogurt into cake batter…you really knew what you were doing! I added both lemon juice and lemon zest to the cake batter so the cake tasted lemonly too instead of just the buttercream. Trust me, this cake will not last long.
I’ve actually made this bread twice in the last two weeks, that’s how good it is. This bread could not get any easier with 4 ingredients and no kneading! Odds are that you already have the ingredients needed to make this bread, which are flour, salt, yeast, and water. The hardest part of this recipe is remembering to start it a day in advance so it can rise overnight. This no knead bread is our go-to recipe to pair with any pasta dish from now on!
Recipe At: PinchOfYum.com
Ratatouille
This was my first time ever making ratatouille and it definitely won’t be my last! This meal is so hearty that you don’t even realize it’s all vegetables and no meat. I would definitely recommend spending $15-$30 on a mandoline slicer to save time and get thin and uniform slices. If you want to make it even easier, use a jar of simple pasta sauce for the base. For the last 10 minutes of cook time, sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese for the perfect finishing touch.
Recipe At: LiveEatLearn.com
Lemon Drop Cocktail
You know that fruity girly shot with the sugared rim that you would order in college? Yes, it is still my favorite. Yes, it comes in cocktail form. To make things even better, this recipe is only 4 ingredients. You can serve it in martini glasses and garnish it with a lemon slice to make it look more fancy.
Recipe At: FoodNetwork.com