Sorry for the long delay with this update! I actually made the majority of the recipes that week I posted it, but just have been busy this month and haven't gotten around to posting pictures until now. If any of you can remember that far back, did you make any of these recipes?? If so, how'd they turn out?
Turkey Chili Verde
I did end up halving this recipe and it turned out great. It was really tasty and quite easy and fast to make. It's definitely a keeper! The only thing that I might change in the future is to add another can of the white beans. Even though I halved most of the ingredients, I still kept the whole can of beans, and even then with two pounds of turkey, it's pretty meaty. Also, if you aren't familiar with tomatillos, you should be able to find them at most any grocery store these days. They look like green tomatoes.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusal Rolls
I actually didn't get around to making these until last week when I had some girl friends coming over for dessert. By that time, I had bought a sugar pumpkin to make puree with so I didn't use the squash as I'd originally planned. I don't have a bread machine or Kitchen Aid, so I had to knead this by hand. I had never done this before, and was worried they wouldn't turn out right. Luckily, there are tips with the recipe on how to check when the dough is ready. An instant read thermometer definitely helped. My worries were unnecessary though because they turned out great and were loved by all! Also, the original recipe comes from Cooking Light so these are fairly healthy as far as things like this go... The only downside to the recipe is that it only makes 12 rolls. =(
Peach, Chicken and Jack Quesadillas
When I originally saw this recipe, I was thinking the Jack in the name meant Pepper Jack, not Monterey Jack. I couldn't find pre-shredded Monterey Jack so I got a Jack-Cheddar blend. However, after making these, I would definitely go with Pepper Jack instead. They were missing some flavor aspect that I think could've been remedied by a stronger cheese. I also tried to go for the health aspect and use wheat tortillas. Bad idea. The wheat flavor is too strong for the other flavors and overpowers them a bit. Overall, these were just ok. Oh and the sour cream is good, but the recipe makes a little too much and then I had leftovers that I ended up throwing out.
Curried Ratatouille and Grilled Stuffed Naan
This was a mixed bag. The good news is the Naan recipe is awesome! I'm not surprised, as it is from my favorite cooking magazine/website. Again, I was worried about making bread from scratch, but it was surprisingly not difficult, and it tasted just like Naan from an Indian restaurant. Also, the grill pan worked great for grilling it. You definitely want to eat all of these on the day they're made though because they don't taste so great the next day.
The bad news is the ratatouille was not so awesome. Even though I seeded the chilies, it was quite spicy. Also, I just didn't love the flavor/vegi combinations. I did add in some sausage so I could use at as a main dish, and that helped, but will have to try a traditional ratatouille next time.
Pecan Crusted Tilapia and Vanilla Rice
I quite liked this recipe. My husband thought there was too much "crust" for the fish, but I thought it was a perfect amount. It was easy to make and I loved the addition of a little vanilla extract to the rice. I also made the Creamy Lemon Sauce that is listed as an optional addition and I would say it didn't add anything to the fish, and actually felt like it competed with the flavors of the crust. Would skip that for sure next time. This crust would also be great on chicken.
Pasta with Brown Butter and Butternut Squash
Yum! I knew I would like this recipe. As I suspected, I couldn't find Tagliatelle anywhere, so I used fettuccine. Also, the crumbled Gorgonzola is not to be left off. It is the perfect flavor to finish the dish. Since it's noted that this should all be eaten on the day it's made, I only cooked half the pasta and then saved half of the squash puree that I ended up using in a variation of the mac and cheese recipe from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfield. Let me tell you, it was fantastic! Probably the best mac and cheese I've ever had. Here's the recipe for that, although we ate it too fast to get a picture. The blend of cheeses seems random because it's what I had in my fridge at the time, but trust me, I would use the exact same mix again!
- 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup nonfat skim milk
- 1/2 cup butternut squash/shallot puree (from recipe above)
- 1/3 cup muenster cheese
- 1/4 cup smoked Gouda
- 2/3 cup cheddar/pepper jack blend or mexican blend
- 1/4 cup mozzarella
- 4 ounces (almost 1/4 cup) reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese (adding this makes it super creamy)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- DirectionsBring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.
While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, cheeses, cream cheese and seasonings and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
It was my dearest husband's b-day in September (actually our birthdays are a week apart so this was sort of my cake as well). I only made it a double layer instead of triple, because I knew we'd have a hard enough time finishing it. It is definitely rich! I was a little rushed towards the end of the process and so the chocolate peanut butter glaze that goes over top was a little too thick and didn't go on very smooth. It still tasted good, but my husband thought it'd have been better without it. It was a good cake, but fell a little short of my expectations.
If you haven't tried any of these, but still want to, my favorites were the Chili Verde, Crusted Fish, Pumpkin Buns, and the Mac 'n Cheese using the puree from the Butternut Squash Pasta recipe. Happy Cooking!
