Latest Posts » Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen

Halal Cart-Style Rice

August 22, 2014 by Ashley 6 Comments

Dino found a homemade version of the street cart rice that he loves so much from Rafiqi's. Since we had some more chicken thighs in the freezer, he made a batch of this rice to go alongside his Halal Chicken on a Pita AKA Rafakey 2.0.

This is a simple and delicious side dish that's full of flavor. The house smelled insanely good while he was making it, and it went perfectly with the marinated, cooked chicken.

Halal Cart-Style Rice
Serious Eats

Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 ½ cups long-grain or Basmati rice
2 ½ cups chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the turmeric and cumin and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes without disturbing. Remove from the heat and allow to rest until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

KFC Cole Slaw

August 21, 2014 by Ashley 6 Comments

A good friend of ours came to stay at our house, and I wanted to make a batch of Deviled Fried Chicken for dinner. I also made Southern Buttermilk Biscuits but wanted another side dish to go with everything. When the thought of cole slaw hit me, I decided to see if I could find a KFC copycat recipe.

This slaw really does hit the spot. It tastes just like KFC's slaw, maybe even better! It's nice and cool and creamy, and if you use the shredder blade attachment on a food processor, it comes together in a snap.

KFC Cole Slaw
Top Secret Recipes - Todd Wilbur

½ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup milk
¼ cup buttermilk
2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 ½ tablespoons white vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
8 cups finely chopped cabbage (about 1 head)
¼ cup shredded carrot (1 medium carrot)
2 tablespoons minced onion

1. Be sure the cabbage and carrots are chopped up into very fine pieces (about the size of rice).

2. Combine the mayonnaise, sugar, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl and beat until smooth.

3. Add the cabbage, carrots, and onion, and mix well.

4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Serves 10 to 12.

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

Charred Lemony Baba Ganoush with Naan Crisps

August 20, 2014 by Ashley Leave a Comment

Stonefire sent me a sampler pack of their new line of Naan Crisps a while back to try out. I was really excited to develop a recipe to use with them, but after attempting to just taste all of the flavored varieties, well… they disappeared. And quick.

The crisps are great because they're made without any artificial preservatives, and the texture is nice and crispy and light as air. The Everything flavor is like an everything bagel without the heaviness of, well, a bagel. It's nice to be able to enjoy that flavor in smaller portions. The Garlic Parmesan are really garlicky, which was perfect for me and my garlic-loving husband.

Charred Lemony Baba Ganoush with Naan Crisps

I was really into the Tandoori Spice flavor - I think it would be great dipped into a chutney of some sort. Really, really good. I managed to save the Original Naan Crisps to pair with a gorgeous Charred Lemony Baba Ganoush, and it was delicious!

Grilling the eggplant until the skin is charred gives it a wonderfully smoky flavor. The addition of both lemon zest and juice brightens the dish and adds a nice bit of tang.

Optionally, you can refrigerate the cooked eggplant, covered, until you want to make this dish. This method comes in handy when you're grilling other things but want to take advantage of the flame for a future meal. I've made this twice now, and both times refrigerated the cooled eggplant for a day or two before making this recipe.

Nutter Butter Icebox Cake

August 17, 2014 by Ashley 1 Comment

This summer has been surprisingly dessert heavy in my tiny kitchen. Between potlucks, birthdays, BBQs and my recent urge to keep making things with my (now depleted) stash of frozen homemade pie crust... yeah.

And that leads us to the fact that it has also been a delicious summer! And this icebox cake is no exception.

We already know that chocolate and peanut butter are besties. But this icebox cake brings it to an all-new, no-bake level of decadence.

This cake isn't healthy. It isn't pretty. But it is absolutely delicious! And highly addictive!

We ate this cake over the course of several days, and it just kept getting better and better the longer it sat in the fridge. Make sure you keep some cookies separate to sprinkle on top of your cake right before eating, because the crispiness is just wonderful.

My store didn't have regular sized Nutter Butters, but they had the mini ones, which worked out perfectly. I'll most definitely be making this again when I need a low maintenance, make-ahead dessert.

Nutter Butter Icebox Cake

Wishes and Dishes (Adapted from Cookies and Cups)

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup ice-cold water
1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant chocolate pudding
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 cups coarsely chopped Peanut Butter sandwich cookies (such as Nutter Butter)
extra cookies and whipped cream for garnish

Whip your heavy cream on medium high until soft peaks form, about 1 ½ minutes. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together sweetened condensed milk and water until combined. Add in chocolate pudding and whisk vigorously for 5-6 minutes until mixture becomes thick.

Fold in your whipped cream into the pudding mixture and stir until completely incorporated.

In a 2.5 – 3 qt casserole dish spread ⅓ of the pudding mixture on the bottom. Top with 2 cups chopped cookies. Repeat this process again and finish with pudding mixture.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Garnish with whipped cream and more cookies.

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

Halal Chicken on a Pita AKA Rafakey 2.0

August 16, 2014 by Ashley 2 Comments

This is Dino's revamped version of his favorite NYC street cart food. The meat was absolutely delicious, and the 2 sauces are the perfect accompaniment (extra, extra, extra white sauce!).

He made this for our Supper Club's Street Food night back in July, and it was a huge hit!

Dino's notes:

Rafiqi’s Delicious Food carts are numerous and abundant in NYC. The delicious odor of garlic and middle-eastern herbs permeated my afternoon commute one day back in 2004 and I’ve been a Rafiqi’s addict ever since.

Rafiqi’s chicken is spicy, it’s tender, it’s packed with flavor, and best of all- it tastes exactly like that amazing smell which drew me in- enticing me to wait on a very long line on a scorching, muggy day back in 2004.

I had a rather successful attempt at recreating the chicken on a pita back in 2006, however, the times I’ve tried since then didn’t work out so well. While the chicken was yummy, it didn’t have the depth of flavor you get at Rafiqi’s. I nailed the white sauce though, and that is the cornerstone of the meal!

Magical Blueberry Vanilla Chia Seed Jam

August 14, 2014 by Ashley 1 Comment

Chia seeds are a staple in my home. I make this Easy Overnight Oatmeal Chia Breakfast Pudding at least once a week. The way they expand and turn into a gel makes them a wonderful thickening agent.

Which is why I sought out a recipe to turn some blueberries that I had on hand into a quick and tasty jam.

This jam comes together really quickly, but I have to warn you - the blueberries stain EVERYTHING. I rarely need to wear an apron in the kitchen, and apparently this was one of the times I should have. I totally ruined one of my favorite shirts. And it stained the underside of a butcher block that was hanging out nearby, some of my backsplash (which pretty much came clean) and was a huge mess when my son ate it. Dang.

But this jam is delicious! The vanilla flavor pairs really well with the blueberries. The texture is nice and jammy from the chia seeds, and it makes a nice amount. It was delicious in the peanut butter and jam spirals that I made for my son's lunchbox, and awesome on toast in the morning.

Just... yeah... watch out for those stains.

Magical Blueberry Vanilla Chia Seed Jam
Oh She Glows

Yield: ~ 1 cup

3 cups fresh blueberries
3-4 tablespoon pure maple syrup, to taste (or other liquid sweetener)
2 tablespoon chia seeds
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a medium-sized non-stick pot, bring the blueberries and 3 tablespoon of maple syrup to a low boil. Stir frequently, and reduce heat to low-medium to simmer for about 5 minutes. Lightly mash the blueberries with a potato masher or fork, leaving some for texture.
2. Stir in the chia seeds until thoroughly combined and cook the mixture down until it thickens to your desired consistency, or about 15 minutes. Stir frequently so it doesn’t stick to the pot.
3. Once the jam is thick, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Add more maple syrup to taste if desired. Enjoy on toast, English muffins, oatmeal, vegan overnight oats, oat bars, tarts, cookies, banana soft serve, smoothies, and more. The jam should keep for at least a week in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars

Cantaloupe-Basil Agua Fresca

August 12, 2014 by Ashley 5 Comments

To go with our Supper Club’s Street Food dinner, I wanted to make agua fresca. For this recipe, I decided to use my juicer instead of blending and straining, and it worked out beautifully!

We really enjoyed the flavor combination - especially with a shot of vodka stirred in! Rum wasn't as good. QC is a hard job, but we were more than happy to do it. The basil flavor didn’t really come through much, so next time, I think I’ll tear the basil into pieces before adding it to the liquid.

This beverage is light and refreshing, great for a warm summer evening. Spiking optional 😉

Cantaloupe-Basil Agua Fresca
Bon Appétit June 2012

Serves 8

15 cups chopped cantaloupe (about two 3 ½-pound melons)
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
¾ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

Working in batches, purée cantaloupe in a blender until smooth.

Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl; line sieve with cheesecloth. Strain purée into bowl; gather cheesecloth into a bundle and squeeze any remaining juice into bowl. Repeat process with fresh cheesecloth, straining into a large pitcher (you should have about 5 cups juice).

Add lemon juice, basil, and 2 cups cold water to pitcher. Let steep at room temperature for 1–2 hours. Fill glasses with ice. Divide agua fresca among glasses.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
One serving contains:
Calories (kcal) 110
Fat (g) 0.5
Saturated Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 0
Carbohydrates (g) 27
Dietary Fiber (g) 3
Total Sugars (g) 23
Protein (g) 3
Sodium (mg) 50

Big Flavors Rating: 3 Stars

General Tso's Wiener + Wieners Gone Wild! Cookbook Review

August 11, 2014 by Ashley 4 Comments

A friend of mine saw my Banh Mi on a Bun Hot Dog Topper post a while back and told me that her cousin owns a publishing company and had recently written a cookbook devoted entirely to hot dogs.

I asked her to put me in touch with her to see if I could do a review/giveaway, and she happily obliged.

It wasn't until afterward that I found out that the title of the book was absolutely perfect: Wieners Gone Wild! Out-of-the-Ballpark Recipes for Extraordinary Hot Dogs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/qebM5AyXah/

This book beyond exceeded my expectations! It elevates the everyday hot dog into something worthy of a special occasion. The book is bright and colorful, full of drool-inducing recipes and photos along witty commentary that makes it a super fun read.

The book starts out with some background on hot dogs and sausages. Next is an entire section dedicated to homemade condiments and buns.

I haven't ever tried making my own buns, but I'm excited to try it out once the weather gets a bit cooler here in New York. I also love the idea of making my own mustards (bonus points for versions spiked with bourbon and whiskey!).

The hot dog recipes are broken down into 4 sections. Slumdogs: Down 'n' Dirty Wieners includes dishes that ride the line of trashy comfort food in such a perfect way.

Things like Porked (a hot dog slathered in pulled pork and mac & cheese), the Drunk Dog (a beer battered, deep fried hot dog topped with tomatillo-tequila salsa) and the Thanksgiving Dog (a hot dog on top of cornbread and stuffing topped with gravy and cranberry sauce). My husband is going to be all over that one come November!

Next up is Show Dogs: Wieners Dressed to Impress. This one really pushes the boundaries and presents a lot of unexpected topping combinations.

Things like the Salty Dog (a hot dog topped with homemade fried clams, spicy coleslaw, tartar sauce and pickles), the Caesar Dog (a hot dog wrapped in a Parmesan crisp lounging in garlic bread, topped with Caesar salad) and the the Apple Pie Dog (a hot dog topped with a savory mixture of sautéed apples, onions and thyme, drizzled with ginger honey mustard and baked in a pie crust). Lots of fun and exciting options in this section.

In Dogs That Bite: Spicy Wieners Gone Wild, there are options that really crank up the heat. The Soul Dog (a hot dog inside a homemade buttermilk biscuit bun topped with spicy bacon-barbecued onions, all nestled on a fluffy bed of cheesy grits), the Nacho Mama's Dog (butter filed hot dog topped with guacamole, salsa, olives, cheese, onions, crushed tortilla chips, sour cream and hot sauce), and the Hair of the Dog (hot Italian sausage with hash browns and bourbon ketchup) are all bold options.

Finally, Dogs with Passports: Wild Wieners from Around the World has fun with international flavors. This section includes recipes like the Bark Bourguignon (short ribs draped over top of a hot dog with sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions, nestled into a popover), the Tiki Terrier (a hot dog marinated in a simple homemade teriyaki sauce, topped with grilled pineapple salsa), and the Paella Dog (chorizo sausage topped with Spanish rice and sofrito sauce).

This book is a lot of fun, and I think I've bookmarked nearly every recipe as "to try". I've been totally crushing on Applegate hot dogs lately, so this book couldn't have come at a better time.

You can feel free to substitute turkey or veggie dogs in these recipes if you like, too. Check out the giveaway at the end of the post to enter to win your very own copy of this wonderful cookbook!

Platter of fried hot dogs sprinkled with chives.

The theme for my Supper Club's July dinner was Street Food. I knew I wanted to try out one of the fun recipes from this book, since hot dogs are the epitome of street food, especially here in New York.

I chose to make one called General Tso's Wiener, which is a hot dog rolled into an egg roll wrapper, deep-fried and topped with a spicy-sweet sauce.

It turned out fantastically! The dogs were nice and crunchy on the outside, and the sauce was the perfect accompaniment.

I doubled the recipe and had a bit of sauce leftover, which would be perfect over some chicken or tofu.

These wieners were a huge hit, and pretty darn easy to put together. Don't be afraid of the deep-fryer! Give this recipe a try!

My only note is that you need to wet the top edges of the egg roll wrappers with a bit of water to get them to seal closed so they don't make a mess when you fry them.

Platter of fried hot dogs sprinkled with chives, with one cut in half.

And now, for the giveaway! Do you want to win a copy of Wieners Gone Wild? To enter to win, leave a comment below telling me your favorite hot dog topping. The contest will close on Friday, August 22, 2014 at 12 noon (Eastern Standard Time). Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be contacted via email to get mailing information. U.S. residents only. Good luck, everyone!

Peanut Sesame Noodles

August 8, 2014 by Ashley 2 Comments

We had an Asian inspired dinner party a few weeks ago, and I wanted a simple side dish to go with some ribs that I had marinating. It had been a while since I made peanut noodles, so I looked up a new recipe to try out. It was a big hit!

The sauce for these noodles is creamy with just the right amount of heat. We all enjoyed the combination of crunchy veggies on top, and the colors were beautiful.

This dish comes together pretty quickly. You can cut all the veggies and make the sauce while you boil the water and cook the pasta. I used whole grain spaghetti and it worked out really well. It was interesting having this be a little warm when we ate it - I'm used to eating these type of noodles chilled. But they were great cold as leftovers, too. Yum!

Peanut Sesame Noodles
Gourmet June 2002

Makes 6 side-dish or 4 vegetarian main-course servings
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

The secret to this Chinese favorite is not to let the noodles sit in the sauce very long — toss them together a few seconds before serving.

For peanut dressing
½ cup smooth peanut butter
¼ cup soy sauce*
⅓ cup warm water
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

For noodle salad
¾ lb dried linguine fini or spaghetti*
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into ⅛-inch-thick strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ⅛-inch-thick strips
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Make dressing:
Purée dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.

Make salad:
Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain in a colander, then rinse well under cold water.

Add pasta, scallions, bell peppers, and sesame seeds to dressing, tossing to combine, and serve immediately.

Optional: use Gluten Free

Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars

Rock the Lunchbox Review + Giveaway {CLOSED}

August 7, 2014 by Ashley 21 Comments

This post was created in partnership with Stonyfield. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

I was really excited to hear that Stonyfield teamed up with a bunch of my favorite brands for a Rock the Lunchbox campaign. They asked us to have our kids to draw their dream lunch, and then we needed to transform that dream into a (healthy) reality.

My two-year-old and I have been going on lots of outdoor adventures lately, and packing lunches to avoid the overpriced, less than healthy options that we sometimes come across has been key. And when he has his very own lunchbox, it feels even more special for him.

The assortment of goodies that arrived in my mailbox definitely rocked! I’ve had my eye on the Laptop Lunch site for quite some time so I was stoked when they sent over one of their Bento-ware lunch boxes.

There were also some really great (re)zip reusable storage bags from Blue Avocado which are the perfect thing to help people stop wasting plastic baggies (so many plastic baggies!). Some things just travel better in sandwich bags, and these ones are durable and eco friendly.

I’ve been a big fan of Honest Tea for years, and was thrilled to receive some of their Honest Kids juices for my son to try out. There was also a reusable lunch tote from Eco Bags as well as coupons for goodies from Stonyfield, Annie’s, Rudi’s, Applegate and Organic Valley to help inspire me to pack some healthy choices in my his new lunch box.

Ian was so excited to dive into his new pack of Crayola crayons - and he got right to work drawing up the lunch of his dreams.

When I asked him to draw his dream lunch, I figured I’d need to ask him to interpret his drawing for me (he is only 2, after all). What can I say, even in art school, analyzing abstract art was never my strong point.

Blueberry muffins. All kinds of flavors. A really good muffin for the snake. A round muffin.

Yeah. Abstract is right! I decided not to take a trip to the pet store across the street to buy a snake to include in his lunchbox. I also determined that baking muffins in the middle of a heat wave didn’t sound like a stellar idea either. But I did want to work with his ideas of blueberries, "all kids of flavors" and spirals/circles as a theme. I figure snakes are kind of spiral-y, and Ian loves spirals and things that look like wheels.

I decided that instead of blueberry muffins, I’d make a quick blueberry jam with chia seeds (recipe coming soon!) and make peanut butter & jelly spirals for him. I used a multigrain flatbread and cut it into several pieces. Sticking with the spiral theme, I rolled up a few pieces of Applegate Uncured Genoa Salami (a recent favorite in our lunches!) and skewered them with little animal picks that I picked up several years ago when I was on a bento lunch kick.

I also added some cucumber rounds, a few slices of cheddar cheese, skewered some grape tomatoes and poured in some of Annie’s Cheddar Snack Mix. I gave him a Stonyfield YoTot Strawberry-Beet-Berry pouch so he’d have something nice and cold to go with everything, and lunch was ready to go!

He was sooooo excited for his new lunchbox. He went right for the pouch and had a blast skewering the spirals with the food picks. I didn’t even see him eat the tomatoes - they disappeared so quickly! And he loved picking out the little bunnies and pretzels in the snack mix to eat them one by one.

I knew this would be a lot of food for him for one lunch, so when he was full, I just snapped the lid back on and popped it in the fridge for him to finish the next day. As a bonus - he loves the alphabet and he was so happy to keep closing the lid to spell out L-A-P-T-O-P-L-U-N-C-H-E-S. Adorable!

After he was done eating, I looked over and he was hugging the lunch box. Just hugging it and smiling from ear to ear. It totally melted my heart. I think I made his dream lunch a reality!

And now, for the giveaway! Do you want to win the same fantastic Rock the Lunchbox assortment for yourself or your little one? To enter to win, leave a comment below telling me your favorite healthy lunch item. The contest will close on Friday, August 15, 2014 at 12 noon (Eastern Standard Time). Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be contacted via email to get mailing information. U.S. residents only. Good luck, everyone!

UPDATE – The winner has been selected via random.org – CONGRATS to Ellyn!

Healthy Cookie Dough Dip

August 7, 2014 by Ashley 2 Comments

One of my husband's childhood friends had a big BBQ with a bunch of their classmates. It was a great mini reunion for friends who don't get to see each other too often, and it was nice to meet everyone's families.

It was also a great time to bring an experimental, healthy dessert to a big crowd to see if it really was as good as it sounded.

Enter this cookie dough dip. Made with chickpeas.

Yep - this stuff uses the texture of puréed chickpeas to give it that cookie dough texture that we all know and love. And you know what? It totally works.

This stuff was a huge hit with the grown-ups and kids at the party. It was a big conversation piece, since everyone there wanted to know how I made it. One guy absolutely loved it, until he heard it contained chickpeas, upon which he swore off another bite. Ever.

Hey, more for the rest of us!

Depending what type of milk, chocolate and sweetener you use, this dessert can be totally vegan. I didn't end up using any milk in mine, and I preferred the taste after it sat in the refrigerator for a bit.

I'm not so sure I'd call it healthy since it still contains a good deal of sugar, but it's definitely healthier than eating straight cookie dough. Which I definitely do. Yum!

Note Katie's directions below the recipe on how much sweetener to use. I doubled the recipe and tried to lowball the sugar, but definitely had to add more to make it really taste like cookie dough. All in all, it was a great dish, great for a party!

Healthy Cookie Dough Dip
Chocolate Covered Katie

1 ½ cups chickpeas or white beans (1 can, drained and rinsed very well) (250g after draining)
⅛ teaspoon plus 1/16 teaspoon salt
tiny bit over ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup nut butter of choice (You can get away with using only 3 tbsp. If you use peanut butter, it’ll have a slight “pb cookie dough” taste, so if you don’t want this, try the Deep Dish Cookie Pie instead. Just don’t bake it.)
up to ¼ cup milk of choice, only if needed
Sweetener of choice (see note below, for amount)
⅓ cup chocolate chips, or these: Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips
2 to 3 tablespoon oats* (Ground flax will also work)

Add all ingredients (except for chocolate chips) to a good food processor (not blender), and blend until very smooth. Then mix in the chocolate chips. (Some commenters have had success with a blender, but I did not. Try that at your own risk, and know the results will be better in a high-quality food processor such as a Cuisinart.) If made correctly and blended long enough, this should have the exact texture of real cookie dough!

Sweetener Notes: I used ⅔ cup brown sugar when I first made this for the party. Liquid sweeteners (agave, maple, etc.) are fine as well, as is evaporated cane juice. You can easily get away with less sugar– some people will be perfectly fine with just 3 tablespoon for the whole recipe! And if you don’t want any sugar, be sure to check out the “no-sugar” version linked above. (You can also use stevia, if you like the taste of stevia-sweetened desserts. Try 2-3 packets of NuNaturals stevia, and add more sweetener if needed. I wouldn’t recommend serving an all-stevia version to party guests, though.)

*Optional: use Gluten Free

Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars

Baked Italian Meatballs

August 5, 2014 by Ashley 2 Comments

Pantry staples flavor thisPantry staples flavor this spin on classic baked Italian meatballs that come together in a snap! Easy and delicous!!

A dear friend of mine recently moved back home after several years away. To welcome her back, I invited her over for a home-cooked meal.

I don't know what inspired me to make up a new meatball recipe to try out on an Italian friend, but I went for it. And she loved them! So did my (also Italian) husband.

The Worcestershire sauce added a really nice depth of flavor that was different from other meatballs I've had.

The meatballs stuck to the pan a bit, so I mentioned that maybe I should have sprayed the pan or lined it before cooking them, but the browned bits were a big hit with the Italian crowd.

Use this information to determine if you want to line the pan or not if you decide to make these beauties. And you should!

My friend told me they're the best meatballs she's had, and that's a major compliment coming from someone who has lived in Italy! (My personal favorites to come out of my tiny kitchen are these Spaghetti con Polpette di Carne).

I think this recipe would also work well with ground turkey, or meatloaf mix (a combination of veal, pork and beef).

I served this over whole grain spaghetti with Oven Roasted Grape Tomatoes, freshly shaved Parmesan cheese and a big batch of My Favorite Garlic Bread.

Baked Eggs with Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprouts Hash

August 4, 2014 by Ashley 3 Comments

This recipe made me realize that I don't use my cast iron skillet nearly enough. It's so simple to toss a few ingredients together and pop 'em in the oven. And topping all that deliciousness with an egg?

Oh. Yes.

The sweet potatoes I got were gigantic, and I didn't cut them very small, so it took quite a bit longer for mine to cook than the recipe indicated. No biggie. I knew what I was getting myself into.

My egg whites didn't look like they were setting, so I ended up overcooking them a bit, but I had some leftovers a few days later and was able to get some nice, runny yolk action that time around.

I really liked the combination of sweet potatoes with the Brussels sprouts, especially paired with the rich, golden egg yolk. The bit of fresh thyme from my garden brightened the whole thing up and really completed the meal.

This dish is simple, sweet and satisfying - the perfect trifecta for a delicious weeknight meal. And you know I'm always on board with breakfast for dinner. I see lots more meals like this one in my future!

Baked Eggs with Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprouts Hash
Spinach Tiger - Angela Roberts

10 Brussels sprouts, sliced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed
1 shallot, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
few sprigs of fresh thyme
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400.

Toss together sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and shallots with olive oil and place in cast iron frying pan or small shallow baking dish.

Cook for 10 minutes, tossing once half way through.

Add eggs over the hash, and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until the eggs are done on top. Put the pan in the top third of the oven, so the heat will cook the top of the eggs.

Serve immediately.

Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars

Big Flavors Turns 8 + Reader Favorites

August 1, 2014 by Ashley 2 Comments

Wow! I can't believe it's been 8 years since I started Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen. I've learned so much and expanded my cooking horizons further than I ever thought possible since 2006!

To celebrate, I thought I'd share the most popular 8 recipe posts from the past year as a little blogiversary roundup. Enjoy!

8. Korean BBQ Party: Sokalbi Gui (Barbecued Beef Short Ribs) - I learned to make these ribs at a Korean cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. They're definitely one of the tastiest dishes to ever come out of my tiny kitchen, so it's no wonder they were such a big hit with my readers.

7. Melt-in-Your-Mouth Buttermilk Chocolate Cookies - these cookies. THESE COOKIES. Nothing beats a sweet treat that seriously delivers on melty, chocolatey goodness. And it's a great way to use up extra buttermilk that you may have on hand. I want to dive right into those pools of chocolate...

6. Apple, Avocado, Cucumber Kale Smoothie - smoothies are always a big hit in my house. I haven't made one in a while, and I may just have to whip up another batch of these beauties soon!

5. Brussels Sprouts in Garlic Butter - a cast iron skillet and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese brings this dish to the next, drool-worthy level.

4. Cilantro-Lime Rice - a great side dish for any Latin meal. As a big fan of Taco Tuesday (or Wednesday, or Thursday, or Friday...), I love having a low-maintenance, flavorful dish to go alongside.

3. Baby Spinach and Cheddar Quiche - my husband LOVES quiche, and I made this one up with things I had on hand one day - and it was a big hit! The texture was absolutely dreamy, and the freshly grated nutmeg added just the right bit of spice.

2. Roasted Okra - I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to try okra. It can be prepared very simply and turned into an addictive side dish. The flavor is nutty and delicious and unlike anything else I've tried.

1. Easy Breakfast Casserole - this was a big hit with my Supper Club for our annual brunch meet-up (where we all wear pajamas and gorge ourselves on homemade breakfast-y items and mimosas). Packaged stuffing mix gives this an awesome texture, and it makes enough to feed an army. Everyone loves breakfast - it's no wonder this was my most popular post from the past year!

Thanks again for all of the support, the wonderful conversations and opportunities. I have a fairly large backlog of posts to get up here soon (plus a few exciting giveaways!), but I hope this holds you over in the meantime.

Is there anything you want to see more of in the next year? Drop me a line in the comments to let me know!

Blueberry-Rhubarb Pie

July 30, 2014 by Ashley 4 Comments

I have a rhubarb plant over at my in-laws' house. I named her Ruby. I tried transplanting part of Ruby over at my house a few years back, but it didn't work out so well.

Moment of silence.

But the rest of Ruby is thriving, and this pie is what I decided to do with the first harvest of the season.

It's always tough for me to make something other than my beloved Rhubarb Custard Pie when I have a batch of rhubarb at the ready.

But this time, I decided to take the method of letting it sit in sugar till it gets watery and then mixed it with fresh blueberries, cornstarch to thicken it up while it baked, and a little cinnamon and nutmeg.

Heavenly.

I had a few discs of whole wheat pie crust in the freezer, and I thought it would be fun to do a lattice for the top of this beauty. There's a wonderful tutorial for making a lattice over on The Kitchn - check it out if you have any questions on how to do it.

You could also cover the pie with another solid piece of rolled out dough with just a few vents cut, or even some decorative cutouts. There are a gazillion ways to prettify it.

Maybe even a gazillion and one.

This pie was a big hit. It was sweet and a little tart, and the combination of rhubarb and berries just screamed summertime. Definitely a great way to end (or start!) the day.

Blueberry-Cardamom Greek Yogurt Ice Pops

July 29, 2014 by Ashley 1 Comment

Blueberries were on sale, so I decided to make a batch of Greek yogurt ice pops to enjoy with my son. I thought that cardamom and honey would play nicely with the fresh berries, and decided to cook ‘em down and make something a bit like a compote out of them first, before stirring them into the yogurt.

The flavor was really nice, but the texture just didn’t quite work for me. It was a bit Icy. I’m not sure if that’s due to the liquid that came out of the berries after cooking them, or if it’s because I used fat free Greek yogurt. Should I have whipped it up in the blender first to help aerate it? Could it have been the new, smaller molds that I used that I’m just not used to yet? Maybe a combination or none of the above…

Either way, my son loved them, and they were a nice, healthy dessert treat. I’ll have to keep experimenting to get the texture right. If you have tips for making popsicles with Greek yogurt, feel free to leave ‘em in the comments below!

Blueberry-Cardamom Greek Yogurt Ice Pops
Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli

6 ounces fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons honey
2 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt (I prefer Stonyfield 0% Fat Plain Greek Yogurt)

Combine all ingredients except yogurt in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until blueberries thicken and reduce, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Stir half of the cooled blueberry mixture into the yogurt until well combined. Gently swirl in remaining blueberry mixture. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Big Flavors Rating: 3 Stars (with potential)

Taco Salad with Raw Walnut Taco “Meat”

July 28, 2014 by Ashley 1 Comment

A few months ago, I saw Beth from Tasty Yummies post tacos with raw walnut "meat" on her Instagram account. I was immediately intrigued and knew that I needed to try it out.

The "meat" is insanely easy to put together, and it has an incredible depth of flavor. My husband and I were really wowed by it - the combination of spices totally makes it taste like taco meat!

I served the "meat" on top of some romaine lettuce, topped with sliced radishes from my garden (first time growing them - success!), raw onions, tomato, avocado and cilantro. I drizzled Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette all over the top and dinner was served.

It was absolutely delicious, but I will say that it wasn't super filling. Next time, I think I need to add some beans or rice or something a little more filling to go alongside this "meat". It would work for lunch, but was a little too light for dinner for us.

I'll definitely be making this again! It's a great alternative to the standard ground meat taco dishes we've eaten for years!

Raw Walnut Taco “Meat”
Tasty Yummies

1 ½ cups raw walnuts (soaked for 2 to 4 hours)
2 teaspoons tamari or gluten-free soy sauce*
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground chili powder
½ teaspoon ground garlic powder
pinch of ground cayenne or chipotle
sea salt to taste

Add everything to your food processor and pulse/process until well combined, but still a tad chunky, you are looking for the texture of taco meat (roughly ground).

*Optional - use Nama Shoyu (raw soy sauce)

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette

July 24, 2014 by Ashley 3 Comments

Do you ever get sick of the same ol' boring salad dressings? Or hate spending big money on the fancy bottled stuff? Well look no further.

This creamy dressing tastes like bacon and tomatoes and is totally vegan!

I was seriously wowed when I first tasted this stuff. I wanted to put it on everything!

The ingredients were unlike any dressing I've ever made. I would have never thought to add liquid smoke to get that rich, bacon-y flavor, but it makes so much sense. The vinegar and dijon give it a really nice tanginess.

I'm excited to start experimenting with more homemade dressings now!

Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette
Tasty Yummies

Makes approximately 2 cups of dressing

¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic
3 roma tomatoes (could also used about a cup or so of canned/jarred crushed tomatoes)
1 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the tomatoes in half, and scoop out or squeeze out as many of the seeds as you can. Chop the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Add all of the ingredients to your high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste the dressing, season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

Spring Vegetable Potstickers + Sweet Chili Soy Dip

July 23, 2014 by Ashley 2 Comments

I pinned this recipe quite some time ago, and finally got around to making it before we went on vacation a few weeks ago.

Luckily, I assembled these beauties and froze half of them so that I could enjoy them another time without al of the work. But let me tell ya - these beauties are totally worth the work!

Veggies are sautéed together and then tossed with fresh mint and lime juice before being stuffed into wonton wrappers and pan-fried until golden and crispy. The inside is bursting with flavor, and the dipping sauce is the perfect accompaniment.

Addictive doesn't even begin to cover it.

I used coconut oil and really enjoyed the fragrance it added to the veggies.

I haven't made a ton of potstickers, but in my experience, potstickers are fried on one side, and then turned over and steamed with a bit of liquid in the pan to help it un-stick. These seem more like vegetarian dumplings or gyoza to me.

Whatever you call them, they're delicious, and you should definitely give them a try!

Spring Vegetable Potstickers + Sweet Chili Soy Dip
The First Mess

serves: makes about 24

notes: Check the ingredients on your package of wonton wrappers to ensure that they are vegan/free of nasties. You could also wrap the cooked veggies with boston lettuce leaves and nix the sauteeing step for a lighter option, or possibly try some rice paper wraps.

potstickers ingredients:
1 tablespoon grapeseed or coconut oil, divided
1 small shallot, small dice
2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
6-7 stalks of asparagus, woody ends snapped off + small diced
1 cup shelled fresh/frozen peas
1 cup shredded green cabbage
juice of 1 lime
salt + pepper
2 sprigs of mint, leaves chopped
24+ wonton wrappers*

sweet chili soy dip ingredients:
¼ cup tamari or nama shoyu*
2 tablespoon maple syrup/raw honey/agave
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
couple drops of hot toasted sesame oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 green onion, thinly sliced on a bias
2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Heat 1 ½ teaspoons of the grapeseed oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and ginger to the pan. Stir them up and cook until fragrant and shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the asparagus, peas and cabbage to the pan. Sauté until the peas and asparagus are bright green and the cabbage is slightly wilted. Add the lime juice, season the mixture to taste and remove from the heat. Add the mint, stir, and allow the mixture to cool.

Divide the vegetable filling amongst the wonton wrappers, placing about 2 teaspoons of it in the center of each wonton square. Moisten half of the edges with a bit of water and fold the potstickers up, pinching the tops shut as you go.

Wipe out the sauté pan and heat the remaining grapeseed oil on medium heat. Fry the potstickers in batches until they’re golden brown on both sides, about ½-1 full minute per side. Introduce more oil to the pan as needed to finish them up.

For the sweet chili soy dip, whisk all of the ingredients together. Serve the potstickers hot with the dip on the side.

*Optional: use Gluten Free

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

No-Fuss Greek Marinated Shrimp

July 18, 2014 by Ashley Leave a Comment

I developed this recipe for Gourmet Warehouse. I received promotional items, but was in no other way compensated for this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Quick-cooking shrimp are a wonderful weeknight option. There are so many ways you can add flavor, but sometimes you just want someone else to do the hard work for you. So when I was given the chance to try out a few marinades and BBQ sauces from Gourmet Warehouse, I jumped right in.

Their products are hand crafted, small batch mixtures that aren't full of unpronounceable ingredients. I thought that the flavors of oregano and lemon in their Classic Greek Marinade would go perfectly with shrimp.

This marinade packed a TON of flavor in the 2 hours I let it infuse the shrimp. It was garlicky and delicious, and could rival any of the Greek meats I've had out at my local Greek restaurant. The only warning I'd give is that it says to shake the bottle well, which I did, and when I opened it, it sprayed out all over the place. Kind of like shaking up a can of soda and opening too soon. So be careful with it!

Served over brown rice, this was a simple and delicious dinner. I'm glad I still have some marinade left in the bottle to use up later. I'm looking forward to trying out the other samples, too!

No-Fuss Greek Marinated Shrimp
Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
¾ cup Gourmet Warehouse Classic Greek Marinade
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and vertically sliced
Flat leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Place shrimp and marinade in a large bowl and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add shrimp and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through (about 3-4 minutes total).

Serve shrimp over rice or pasta if desired, and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars

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Roasted Sugar Snap Peas with Mint + Sea Salt

July 17, 2014 by Ashley 4 Comments

Sometimes the simplest things can really knock your socks off. Like roasting sugar snap peas with a little lemon, mint and sea salt.

Sounds innocent enough, but when you first take a bite - KABOOM! We're talking BIG flavor here, people.

This was simple and insanely addictive. It was a great way to utilize the mint growing in my garden. The lemon and mint added a nice bit of brightness to the dish, and I'm a sucker for anything with a little (or, preferably, a LOT of) garlic.

These peas were the perfect side dish to some Greek marinated shrimp that I made for dinner (recipe coming soon!). This is definitely something I'll be making again and again.

Roasted Sugar Snap Peas with Mint + Sea Salt
With Food and Love

Takes about 20 minutes + serves 2 hungry souls.

a large bunch of sugar snap peas, about 3 heaping cups
1 cup of mint leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
juice from ½ a lemon
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
generous amounts of sea salt

Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Wash the snap peas thoroughly and trim up the ends.

In a food processor combine the mint, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and black pepper. Pulse until all the mint and garlic is finely chopped. Toss the snap peas in the mint and oil mixture. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread them out in an even layer. Roast for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.

Sprinkle with a generous pinch of sea salt + pop ‘em back. Go for it, there’s good news the entire pod is edible.

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

Spiced Chickpea Tacos with Cilantro-Peach Relish

July 16, 2014 by Ashley 1 Comment

I made these tacos a while back as a quick and easy way to celebrate Taco Tuesday.

Or Wednesday.

Or Everyday. Because TACOS. (duh)

Spiced Chickpea Tacos with Cilantro-Peach Relish

These beauties are a snap to put together, and totally vegan! They were fresh and filling, and my husband and I gobbled them up. I loved the combo of sweet and spicy, and the fresh peaches were absolutely scrumptious!

The next day, I made a salad with the leftovers by throwing the chickpeas and relish on top of some cooked bulgur, and it was fantastic!

Korean Fried Chicken Wings

July 3, 2014 by Ashley 1 Comment

For our second Supper Club dish, Dino wanted to make hot and spicy Korean chicken wings like the ones he gets from Hell's Chicken in NYC.

Double frying these chicken wings makes them nice and crispy. A sweet and spicy sauce and a dusting of crushed peanuts at the end are the perfect finish.

These were a big hit with our Supper Club, and we love any excuse to bring out the cast iron Dutch oven for deep frying.

Chilled Cucumber Mint Soup with Hot Chili Oil

July 2, 2014 by Ashley 1 Comment

The theme for June's Supper Club was Hot & Spicy, Cool & Refreshing. I think the idea was that each couple would make one spicy and one cool dish, but I decided to add a little of both to my dish.

This soup is cool and refreshing with just a little kick of heat at the end. It's great because you can make it ahead of time and keep it stashed in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it.

Chilled Cucumber Mint Soup w Hot Chili Oil

This was a cool and creamy way to counteract all of the heat that the other dishes generated. It was a great way to use some of the fresh mint from my garden, and it was pretty, to boot!

Bulgur Salad with Balsamic Tomatoes

June 26, 2014 by Ashley 3 Comments

This year, I planted a few varieties of lettuce in my tiny garden. When I saw how full the plants were getting, I decided that a salad was in order.

I wanted to make it heartier, so I decided to add a scoop of cooked bulgur to the greens (I made a batch using the directions on the package - 1 cup bulgur & 2 cups cold water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover and simmer 12-15 minutes, till tender. Drain out excess liquid).

While the bulgur was cooking, I reduced some tomatoes with balsamic, garlic and shallots to make a warm and tangy topping that would also serve as a salad dressing. It turned out great, and I really liked the contrast of warm and cool.

I sprinkled in some fresh herbs from my garden as well, and cucumber and pistachios for crunch. I had some Danish blue cheese that I added to the top, but it was overpowering, so I pushed it aside. I think goat cheese or feta would be great options here, but you could totally leave the cheese out and this is a great vegan meal.

This salad is a nice mix of cool, warm, tangy, crunchy and fresh. It's hearty yet light - a perfect summertime lunch. And it felt awesome to eat something that I grew from seeds. Hooray!

Pan-Fried Barramundi with Lemon-Herb Oil

June 25, 2014 by Ashley Leave a Comment

I picked up some frozen Barramundi fillets at Trader Joe's a while back. I wanted to make something simple and fresh for dinner, so I grabbed some herbs from my garden, a lemon, some garlic and got in the kitchen!

This meal comes together really quickly. You can make the lemon-herb oil while the fish cooks. Any combination of fresh herbs would work here - I picked parsley and chives, but I think basil or dill would also be wonderful choices.

Pan-Fried Barramundi with Lemon-Herb Oil

Barramundi tastes best when it's cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. This meal was simple and delicious. I paired it with some couscous topped with Brazilian Pepper and Onion Vinaigrette that I had leftover from the weekend.

Perfect Potato Salad

June 23, 2014 by Ashley 4 Comments

The title of this recipe is no joke - this stuff rocked my socks off! It's a rich and delicious potato salad that's highly addictive.

I loved the combo of potatoes and hard boiled eggs, and the sweet pickle livens the whole thing up. Running the potatoes through the food mill makes them incredibly smooth - it was a big hit at the potluck I took it to!

I used half Dijon and half yellow mustard - the combination worked really well. I roughly chopped the eggs and pickles before adding them to the salad.

I'll definitely be making this again - it was absolutely delicious!

Perfect Potato Salad
The Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond

5 pounds Russet Potatoes (about 8 Medium Russets)
1-½ cup Real Mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip)
4 Tablespoons Prepared Mustard (regular, Dijon Or A Mixture Of Both)
5 whole Green Onions, Sliced Up To The Darkest Green Part
8 whole Small Sweet Pickles (may Use Dill If That's More Up Your Alley)
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
½ teaspoon Paprika
½ teaspoon Black Pepper
4 whole Hard Boiled Eggs

Cut potatoes in halves or thirds, then boil until fork tender. Drain. Mash potatoes or run them through a ricer or food mill to make them extra fluffy. Fold potatoes together with mayonnaise, mustard, green onions, salt, pepper, and other seasonings you like. Fold in pickles and eggs, then taste for seasonings, adding more salt, mustard, or mayo as needed. You may also splash in juice from the pickle jar if salad needs a little moisture.

Serve with baked beans, coleslaw, pasta salad, burgers … and two pieces of pie.

And that’s an order.

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

Easy Sugar Cookies

June 20, 2014 by Ashley 2 Comments

My toddler loves to help out in the kitchen, and I wanted to find a simple cookie recipe for the two of us to make one afternoon.

This was a great choice because I had all the ingredients on hand, and it wasn't very time consuming (a good thing when you have a 2-year-old's attention span to deal with).

These cookies turned out thick and chewy and delicious! We used a cookie scoop to get them all the same size. My dough was a little crumbly, and it was messy to keep beating it with the hand mixer, so I just smushed it together a bit with my hands and it was fine.

We brought these over to a friend who has 8-week-old twins, and she was thrilled to have something so tasty to snack on. It got 4 big thumbs up from her toddler, too. This is definitely a good, easy recipe to keep around for a quick cookie fix!

Easy Sugar Cookies
Allrecipes -Stephanie

Prep 15 mins
Cook 10 mins
Ready in 25 mins
Makes 4 dozen

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars

Greek Yogurt Mustard Cole Slaw

June 19, 2014 by Ashley 6 Comments

I developed this recipe for Stonyfield. I received promotional items, but was in no other way compensated for this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

To turn the Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken that I made into a knockout sandwich, I decided to make a mustard slaw. I wanted it to be nice and tangy and creamy without being heavy. This is where my idea to use fat free Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise came in. It worked out beautifully.

Cole slaw is one of my favorite summertime sides. This one in particular is great because you can make it ahead of time. We ate this batch for several days and it just got better and better. And using pre-shredded cole slaw mix makes it quick and easy to put together. You could shred your own if you have some cabbage on hand, too. I like to use the shredder blade on my food processor to make that task a lot quicker.

Running around with a toddler day in and day out, it's great to have healthy and delicious options ready in the fridge for impromptu picnics and outdoor play dates. I can see myself making many more Greek yogurt-infused slaws this summer. Yum!

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

June 18, 2014 by Ashley 3 Comments

My husband’s work schedule has been a bit chaotic recently, so I wanted to make something quick and easy for dinner. I’m always on the lookout for new slow cooker recipes, and this is one that I’ve had pinned for quite some time.

It also made me realize that I haven’t been cooking very many chicken dishes lately. I need to remedy that - not that I’m complaining about the variety of dishes I’ve been cooking lately.

Anyhow, this chicken was a huge hit! I used a Sam Adams Boston Ale and Stubb’s Original BBQ Sauce and the flavor was fantastic. I drizzled a little extra BBQ sauce on top of each pile-o-chicken, and topped it with a homemade Greek Yogurt Mustard Cole Slaw (recipe coming tomorrow!). It was a match made in sweet, tangy BBQ heaven.

I saved half of the chicken and froze it - I'll report back on how it holds up over time.

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken
How Sweet Eats

serves about 8-10

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 large)
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
8 ounces of beer (I used a classic amber)
32 ounces of barbecue sauce

Season chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add to crockpot, then add beer and 24 ounces of barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired. After 8 hours, shred and add remaining barbecue sauce. Toss chicken to coat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb everything. Serve as desired.

Notes from How Sweet Eats:

1. I’ve found that *thinner* barbecue sauce works better (such as Bone Suckin’ Sauce) than thicker sauce (like Sweet Baby Ray’s). If you choose to use a thicker sauce, you may want to add a little more beer (or liquid) in order for the sauce not to burn and thicken on the edges of the pot. This is also the reason I don’t use my homemade barbecue sauce.

2. If you don’t want to use beer, you can try a ginger ale, chicken stock, or even water.

3. This makes a ton of chicken and I usually freeze immediately freeze a container for later.

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

Vietnamese Summer Roll Salad with Peanut Dressing

June 17, 2014 by Ashley 2 Comments

I pinned this recipe a while back and finally got around to making it this past week. It’s basically a big plate of the spring roll filling, without the fuss of wrapping it in rice paper.

The peanut dressing was the perfect accompaniment. I’ll definitely try it with the other dressing option sometime, but it’s just so hard to pass up a good peanut sauce!

This dish took a lot of prep work (all those veggies don’t cut themselves!), but it was totally worth it. I could see prepping all the components ahead of time and just cooking the shrimp right before dinner to make this easier on a busy day. It’s also not a ton of shrimp - we ate all the shrimp the first night I made it, so we didn’t have any for leftovers. Next time, I’d double the amount of shrimp to make 4 servings.

All in all, this was a huge hit. It was delicious, texturally interesting, fresh and healthy. Good stuff!

Vietnamese Summer Roll Salad
Closet Cooking

A salad inspired by the ingredients of Vietnamese summer rolls with shrimp and rice noodles along with plenty of vegetable and herbs in a peanut or nuoc cham dressing.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
8 ounces vermicelli rice noodles, cooked as directed on package
1 tablespoon oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
8 ounces shrimp, shelled and deviened
2 cups lettuce, torn
1 cup cucumber, sliced
1 cup carrot, julienned
1 cup bean sprouts
½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced
¼ cup basil, torn
¼ cup cilantro, torn
¼ cup mint, torn
¼ cup peanuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
2 birds eye chilies, sliced
¼ cup peanut dressing (recipe follows) or nuoc cham

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the shallot and cook until lightly golden brown, about 3-5 minutes, and set aside.

Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 1-2 minutes per side, and set aside.

Assemble the salad, toss in dressing and enjoy.

Vietnamese Peanut and Hoisin Sauce/Dressing
Closet Cooking

A sweet, sour and garlicky peanut and hoisin dipping sauce.

Servings: ¼ cup

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

1 teaspoon oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce**
½ cup water*
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice (~ 1 lime)
1 birds eye chili, sliced (or 1 teaspoon chili sauce)

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
Add the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, water, fish sauce, lime juice and chili and simmer until it thickens a bit, about 5 minutes.

*For a thicker dipping sauce rather than a dressing only use ¼ cup water.

Note: This sauce can come much darker depending on the ratio of peanut butter to hoisin sauce. I prefer the peanut butter to be the dominant flavour but you can experiment with the amounts to get it just the way you like it.

Option: Change the flavours up a bit by using different nut butters like cashew butter or almond butter.

**Optional: use Gluten Free

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

Spinach, Green Onion, and Smoked Gouda Quiche

June 16, 2014 by Ashley 5 Comments

My husband absolutely loves quiche. There are so many different variations, and when I saw this one that included smoked gouda, I knew it would be a winner.

Smoked gouda is basically the bacon of the cheese world. It’s a favorite in my house, and it gives this quiche a nice smoky flavor without the addition of any meat. There’s just enough spinach running through to bulk it up a bit, and the eggs remain nice and custardy.

I thought it was interesting that the crust in this recipe called for softened butter. You make the dough, chill it for an hour, fit it to the pie pan and then freeze it for 15 minutes while the oven preheats. Very different, and it worked out really well.

The only thing I would change next time would be to prick the bottom of the crust with a fork a few times before baking, because it does bubble up a bit. I meant to do that this time around, but got distracted and forgot. It all worked out fine, and dinner was delicious.

I can only see cutting this into 10 pieces if you have other sides to go with it, and even then, you’re going to want to go back for seconds (and thirds!).

This was great with just a few slices of plum on the side. It was a really lovely quiche. It will most definitely be on the menu again and again. Yum!

Gingery Pork Meatballs with Noodles

June 15, 2014 by Ashley 2 Comments

This dish was a big hit at our dinner table! Cooking Light shared the photo I posted on Instagram the day I made it and it got over 800 likes within minutes. Woah!

The meatballs have a lot of flavor, and were super tender. The noodles were fine, but a little dry, so we added some more sesame oil and low sodium soy sauce at the end.

I used a little cookie scoop so I ended up with a lot of meatballs. Since they were smaller, I baked them for a few minutes less than the recipe recommended. It worked out great! They did stick a bit to the foil, so maybe next time I'll spray it with non-stick spray first.

Gingery Pork Meatballs with Noodles
Cooking Light September 2010

Wide rice noodles are available on the ethnic-foods aisle at most major supermarkets and at Asian grocers. If you can't find them, any rice noodle or even spaghetti will work in this dish. You can also use ground sirloin, if you can't find pork.

Meatballs:
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound lean ground pork
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Noodles:
8 ounces uncooked wide rice noodles
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1 cup julienne-cut snow peas
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ cup thinly sliced green onions

1. Place a foil-lined jelly-roll pan in oven. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; stir gently just until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Divide pork mixture into 20 equal portions; shape each portion into a meatball. Arrange meatballs in a single layer on preheated pan. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until done.

3. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Rinse noodles under cool water; drain. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, peas, salt, and crushed red pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add noodles; toss. Place 1 ¾ cups noodle mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 5 meatballs. Sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons green onions.

Amount per serving
Calories: 506
Fat: 15.4g
Saturated fat: 5.1g
Monounsaturated fat: 6.2g
Polyunsaturated fat: 3.3g
Protein: 30.6g
Carbohydrate: 58.8g
Fiber: 3.7g
Cholesterol: 138mg
Iron: 3.4mg
Sodium: 700mg
Calcium: 81mg

Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars

Terri's Favorite Vegetarian Black Bean Burger

June 11, 2014 by Ashley 10 Comments

I pinned this recipe from my friend Terri over at A Girl in the South months ago. I'm glad I finally got around to making them - they packed some major flavor! I loved the combination of cumin with the fresh cilantro and green onion inside the patties.

These burgers are delicate but they hold together beautifully. I used an oval-shaped skillet to fry them, which made it a little tricky to flip them, but it all worked out.

Terri's Favorite Vegetarian Black Bean Burger

I needed a bit more panko for coating the outside of the burgers (it was almost gone after the first 2), and I loved the extra crunch that it gave them.

We topped the burgers with mayo, baby spinach, tomato and red onion. I think avocado would also pair well with the cumin and cilantro in these beauties.

These will definitely be going on the menu again! This time around, I served them with Creamy Balsamic Sorghum Salad and some stuffed grape leaves from a new vendor at my local Farmers Market.

One more note - these call for an egg, but I'm certain that they would still work out well if you were to use an egg substitute if you want to keep these vegan.

Creamy Balsamic Sorghum Salad

June 6, 2014 by Ashley 10 Comments

I developed this recipe for Stonyfield and Bob's Red Mill. I received promotional items, but was in no other way compensated for this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

This Greek-inspired grain salad is tossed in a smooth and tangy balsamic dressing made with fat-free Greek yogurt. This one proves that health food can pack a flavorful punch!

I've been a longtime supporter of Bob's Red Mill. I've been buying their chia seeds in bulk from Amazon to feed my Easy Overnight Oatmeal Chia Breakfast Pudding ~~addiction~~ habit for months now. I'm a total fangirl.

When it comes to quality, Bob's really does stand out from the rest of the pack. Their selection is seriously awe-inspiring, and the quality of their products is superb.

But I'll admit that standing in front of their grain assortment at the store can be a bit intimidating.

Between trying to pronounce the names of some of the grains to wondering which new (to me) one I should try next to trying to keep my toddler from pulling all the packages off the shelves... it can get a bit intense.

So when Bob's Red Mill teamed up with Stonyfield and asked me to create a salad using one of their grains with a yogurt-infused dressing, I was all about it!

They sent me an assortment of amaranth, bulgur, buckwheat groats, grande whole grains blend and sorghum to choose from. I wanted to use a grain that I hadn't worked with before. I also wanted one that had a hearty, chewy texture, so I chose sorghum.

Sorghum is a gluten-free grain, and an excellent source of dietary fiber. It holds up really well to the dressing in this salad, and stays nice and chewy, even after sitting overnight (or longer!) in the fridge.

Apparently popped sorghum (called jowar dhani) is a popular snack in Indian homes, and that's definitely something I'm going to try out soon.

This salad recipe is just bursting with freshness. I used a combination of herbs from my garden, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

I think mint and basil play together very nicely here, and a little fresh parsley never hurt anyone ;).

The crunchiness from the cucumber pairs nicely with the sorghum, and the mozzarella just melts in your mouth. I added chickpeas to bulk it up a bit and add some protein.

This would be great as a light lunch or paired with a piece of grilled meat or tofu for a more substantial dinner. And it tastes even better the next day (bonus!).

And now, for the giveaway! Stonyfield is giving away 2 free quart coupons as well as the same 5-pack assortment of grains from Bob's Red Mill. To enter to win, leave a comment below telling me your favorite way to use grains in the kitchen. The contest will close on Monday, June 16, 2014 at 12 noon (Eastern Standard Time). Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be contacted via email to get mailing information. Good luck, everyone!

If you have a product that you feel would be of interest to myself and my readers, you can submit information for review via my contact page.

UPDATE - The winner has been selected via random.org - CONGRATS to Amie P!

Ravioli with Mushroom and Thyme Cashew Cream Sauce

June 4, 2014 by Ashley 1 Comment

Ever since I made sweetened cashew cream a while back, I knew it would be possible to make a luxurious cream-free spin on Alfredo sauce. This was very good news for my lactose-intolerant husband!

This was a big hit at the dinner table. It's hard to believe that a "cream" sauce this rich is totally dairy-free!

Ravioli with Mushroom and Thyme Cashew Cream Sauce

I actually made a different version of this recipe with spinach and cheese ravioli over a month ago, but didn't take good enough notes in the kitchen to write up the recipe. So here is the new and improved version!

This time around, I served it with some butternut squash triangoli. We preferred this sauce with the spinach filling, since the squash added more sweetness to the already slightly sweet cashews. It would be great over fettuccine as an "Alfredo" as well. Yum!

Out-of-this-World Corn Dip

June 1, 2014 by Ashley 3 Comments

Last year, some friends hosted an Oktoberfest party and one of the things that I liked most (other than the fabulous assortment of beer, obviously) was a corn dip that someone brought. I was told that it was key to eat it with Fritos.

Dipping corn chips in corn dip - that's something I can totally get on board with. I am originally from Indiana, after all.

This dip is a cinch to put together, and it's always a big hit. I eased off of the jalapeños when I made it because I was bringing it to a potluck for parents and toddlers. I didn't want to be remembered as The Lady Who Burnt Poor Little Timmy's Mouth.

Next time, I'm going full-on-spicy.

It's hard to explain how addictive this dip is - it's definitely more than the sum of its parts. Bring this to your next potluck or picnic and it's guaranteed to disappear!

Out-of-this-World Corn Dip
Inspired by Charm

3 (11-oz.) cans sweet corn & diced peppers, drained
7-oz. can chopped green chiles
6-oz. can chopped jalapeño peppers, drained and liquid added to taste
½ c. green onion, chopped
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder
16-oz. pkg. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2-3 bags scoop-like corn or tortilla chips

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except chips. Chill two hours to overnight. Serve with your favorite chips for scooping. Makes 6 cups.

Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

Garlicky Lemon-Dill Potato Salad

May 28, 2014 by Ashley 4 Comments

Note: I am honored to be a member of the Stonyfield Clean Plate Club. I received product or coupons for writing this post, but all opinions are my own.

Picnic season is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than to make a flavor-packed potato salad that's actually good for you?

This potato salad uses one non-fat Greek yogurt cup from Stonyfield instead of mayonnaise as the base for the tangy, garlicky dressing.

I sometimes joke that I married into an Italian family so I'd have an excuse to use garlic more often. I took this over to my in-laws' house this past weekend and asked if they thought it was too garlicky, and they got a nice hard laugh. They all loved it!

If you're a little shy on the garlic-front, you could use just 1 or 2 cloves, but really, this salad is worth the bad breath ;).

Foil Packet Salmon with Spicy Carrots

May 25, 2014 by Ashley 2 Comments

I wanted to do something similar to the Foil Packet Soy-Lime Salmon with Green Beans that we love so much. The salmon here is coated with a sweet and salty soy mixture, then topped with carrots and thinly sliced jalapeño.

Wrap it in foil, pop it into the oven, and dinner is almost ready!

The orange plate doesn't do this salmon any justice, but somebody stole my "show plate" and dug in before I even got all of the sides to the table.

I'm not naming names. He knows what he did 😉

The filets I had were a little on the thin side, so they got cooked through more than I would have liked. If you have thick pieces, 18 minutes should be perfect. If they're wide and a bit thin, you should probably take them out after 15.

I served this salmon with steamed rice, which we drizzled with the juices from the packets and a green salad with sesame-ginger dressing.

Banh Mi on a Bun Hot Dog Topper

May 22, 2014 by Ashley 1 Comment

When we grilled a whole chicken a few days ago, I asked Dino to throw on a pack of hot dogs at the end to save for dinner the following evening. I wanted to try out one of the ideas from an awesome column on fun, healthy hot dog toppers that add less than 100 calories from the newest issue of Cooking Light.

And my, oh my, were they puuuuurdy!

I'm a big fan of Vietnamese cuisine, and I love this short-cut spin on a traditional Banh Mi. And I'm totally in love with the flavor of the Applegate Natural Uncured Hot Dogs - they're my new go-to brand. I haven't tried any of their other flavors yet, but these ones are definitely delicious, and organic. Hot dogs don't have to be "mystery meat" anymore - hooray!

This topper combo was spicy, crunchy, tangy, and refreshing all at the same time. I scaled the recipe up and stashed the toppings in the fridge and was able to enjoy these for a few days. Delicious!

I'm looking forward to trying out some more creative hot dogs this summer. Thanks for the inspiration, Cooking Light!

Banh Mi on a Bun Hot Dog Topper
Cooking Light June 2014

2 teaspoons canola mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon Sriracha
2 tablespoons grated fresh carrot
2 tablespoons thinly sliced peeled cucumber
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons chopped dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts

Mix canola mayo with Sriracha, carrot, cucumber, cilantro, and peanuts.

Big Flavors Rating: 4 Stars