Source: http://jenniferskitchen.com/2012/10/greek-garbanzo-salad.html
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 13 points each
Drew Rating: 4/5
Sara Rating: 4/5 (5/5 as a side dish)
Modifications: Served as a main dish over a bed of lettuce
Notes: This was a very tasty salad and very easy to prepare. The fresh oregano was a nice touch and since I grow my own, I always have plenty at hand. Since I was making this as a main dish, I served it over a bed of lettuce but it would be fine on it's own as a side dish. It's a great summer recipe as everything is raw and you don't need to cook anything. A simple modification I might try in the future would be to use cucumbers instead of celery. I always seem to have more cucumbers than I know what to do with during the summer. This actually tasted better as leftovers since it allowed the chickpeas to marinate in the lemon juice, oil, and herbs. It makes plenty so you will enjoy it for a few days. Overall, a very nice salad that we will definitely be making again!
Sara’s Comments: I think this would shine with a simple piece of grilled fish or other light entrée. Great mix of textures and flavors. Not enough bulk for me for dinner though, and eating more just gets monotonous.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Chicken Dopiaza
Source: http://indugetscooking.blogspot.in/2013/09/chicken-dopiaza.html
PointsPlus: 6 servings @ 9 points each (Includes 1 cup basmati rice)
Drew Rating: 4.5/5
Sara Rating: 4.5/5
Modifications: Fresh methi (fenugreek) instead of dried, Boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of bone-in
Notes: Let me just start out by saying I loved this dish. This type of dish is really everything I love about Indian cuisine. It's sweet, salty, spicy, and rich. It took a little work to make but I prepped everything in advance which made the cooking go smoothly. Our local groceries didn't carry methi (fenugreek) so I was referred to a local Indian grocery called Rice 'n Spices. Unfortunately they didn't have it dried either, only the seed, but they did have it fresh so for a $1 I bought a bunch. I think it worked out as well, if not better, than the dried but I had to use a lot more, about 1/2 a cup. The only thing I would change in this recipe is that instead of using chicken breasts, which turned out a little dry, I would get thighs. Another problem I had is in the recipe it calls for you to grind the gravy into a paste. I ran it through a food mill which really turned it into a broth when I probably should have just used a blender or food processor. It turned out a little more liquidy than the picture shows, but it was fine as it all gets absorbed by the basmati rice I made with it. I recommend this dish to anyone who likes Indian food and even if you don't, give it a try. It might just be a gateway dish to a whole new cuisine!
Sara’s Comments: It was good, just the right amount of spice. As I finished the bowl, the spice was just hitting my comfortable max.
PointsPlus: 6 servings @ 9 points each (Includes 1 cup basmati rice)
Drew Rating: 4.5/5
Sara Rating: 4.5/5
Modifications: Fresh methi (fenugreek) instead of dried, Boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of bone-in
Notes: Let me just start out by saying I loved this dish. This type of dish is really everything I love about Indian cuisine. It's sweet, salty, spicy, and rich. It took a little work to make but I prepped everything in advance which made the cooking go smoothly. Our local groceries didn't carry methi (fenugreek) so I was referred to a local Indian grocery called Rice 'n Spices. Unfortunately they didn't have it dried either, only the seed, but they did have it fresh so for a $1 I bought a bunch. I think it worked out as well, if not better, than the dried but I had to use a lot more, about 1/2 a cup. The only thing I would change in this recipe is that instead of using chicken breasts, which turned out a little dry, I would get thighs. Another problem I had is in the recipe it calls for you to grind the gravy into a paste. I ran it through a food mill which really turned it into a broth when I probably should have just used a blender or food processor. It turned out a little more liquidy than the picture shows, but it was fine as it all gets absorbed by the basmati rice I made with it. I recommend this dish to anyone who likes Indian food and even if you don't, give it a try. It might just be a gateway dish to a whole new cuisine!
Sara’s Comments: It was good, just the right amount of spice. As I finished the bowl, the spice was just hitting my comfortable max.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Farro, Cranberry and Goat Cheese Salad
Source: http://www.lifesambrosia.com/2012/11/farro-cranberry-and-goat-cheese-salad-recipe.html
PointsPlus: 8 servings @ 9 points each
Drew Rating: 4/5
Sara Rating: 4/5
Modifications: Served as a main dish over a bed of lettuce rather than a side
Notes: Merry Christmas! At least that is what this dish screamed to me when I ate it. I thought it tasted really good and would make a great side dish at the holidays. As far as a main dish I don’t think it was a huge success because it was a lot of the same thing every bite. Serving it over a bed of lettuce is really the only thing that saved it as a main dish. The farro was interesting and I have never cooked with it before. Compared to what I've eaten before, think of bigger grains of rice but more pillow-y or bread-y with just a hint of the bran. It is supposed to be similar to wheat berries or Israeli couscous but I haven't had either of those before either. Unfortunately this recipe just called for it to be cooked per package directions and Wegman’s only had this in stock in bulk. A quick search of the web led to this site which recommends for 1 cup of farro bringing it to boil with 2.5 cups of salted water and then letting it simmer for 15-30 minutes. I let it go 25 and it was OK; the full 30 might have been better. Since this recipe calls for it to be cooled, I ran it under some cold water when it was done to save some time. I had started dinner late and it was already about 8PM at this point. While it did cool it down, it washed all the salt off so it lost some seasoning and it didn’t cool it down enough anyway. As soon as I added it to the goat cheese it all melted together. Not that this didn’t taste good but instead of the nice picture with all the little chunks of goat cheese, it formed a kind of cheese sauce and made it a little goopy. So for next time I would serve it as a side dish, particularly around the holidays, and cook the farro ahead to allow time in the fridge to really cool off.
Sara’s Comments: I really liked the flavors but there seemed to be a little too high ratio of farro to other stuff. I think it would be better as a side dish.
PointsPlus: 8 servings @ 9 points each
Drew Rating: 4/5
Sara Rating: 4/5
Modifications: Served as a main dish over a bed of lettuce rather than a side
Notes: Merry Christmas! At least that is what this dish screamed to me when I ate it. I thought it tasted really good and would make a great side dish at the holidays. As far as a main dish I don’t think it was a huge success because it was a lot of the same thing every bite. Serving it over a bed of lettuce is really the only thing that saved it as a main dish. The farro was interesting and I have never cooked with it before. Compared to what I've eaten before, think of bigger grains of rice but more pillow-y or bread-y with just a hint of the bran. It is supposed to be similar to wheat berries or Israeli couscous but I haven't had either of those before either. Unfortunately this recipe just called for it to be cooked per package directions and Wegman’s only had this in stock in bulk. A quick search of the web led to this site which recommends for 1 cup of farro bringing it to boil with 2.5 cups of salted water and then letting it simmer for 15-30 minutes. I let it go 25 and it was OK; the full 30 might have been better. Since this recipe calls for it to be cooled, I ran it under some cold water when it was done to save some time. I had started dinner late and it was already about 8PM at this point. While it did cool it down, it washed all the salt off so it lost some seasoning and it didn’t cool it down enough anyway. As soon as I added it to the goat cheese it all melted together. Not that this didn’t taste good but instead of the nice picture with all the little chunks of goat cheese, it formed a kind of cheese sauce and made it a little goopy. So for next time I would serve it as a side dish, particularly around the holidays, and cook the farro ahead to allow time in the fridge to really cool off.
Sara’s Comments: I really liked the flavors but there seemed to be a little too high ratio of farro to other stuff. I think it would be better as a side dish.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Korean Beef Bowl
Source: http://kitchensimplicity.com/korean-beef-bowl/
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 12 points each
Drew’s Rating: 4/5
Sara’s Rating: 4/5
Modifications: None
Notes: When I first started eating this dish I wasn’t in love with it. As with many dishes though the more I ate it the more I liked it. It’s at the point where thinking back and remembering how good it was, is making me crave some more right now. Yup, it was that good and really easy to make. It had a nice balance of sweet (maple syrup), sour and salty (soy sauce), crunchy (some of the beef got caramelized in the maple syrup as it reduced), and creamy (we make a creamier style of rice). Being a very straightforward recipe, it was nice quick weeknight meal and a cheap way to get some beef into the weeknight variety. I’m sure some of my friends would be happy to know that you could easily swap the red pepper flakes for your favorite bottle with the rooster on it. The only real way I think this dish could be elevated is to buy your own meat and grind it yourself because store bought ground beef can be sketchy sometimes. A great side veg for this would be to stir fry some broccoli or green beans with some sesame oil, soy sauce, and minced garlic. Will make again for sure!
Sara’s Comments: Really good for quick meal with beef. Liked the sweetness from the maple syrup, it was unusual and delicious! Only reason it’s not a 5 is that it’s not the most attractive dish and I don’t think I’d serve it for company.
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 12 points each
Drew’s Rating: 4/5
Sara’s Rating: 4/5
Modifications: None
Notes: When I first started eating this dish I wasn’t in love with it. As with many dishes though the more I ate it the more I liked it. It’s at the point where thinking back and remembering how good it was, is making me crave some more right now. Yup, it was that good and really easy to make. It had a nice balance of sweet (maple syrup), sour and salty (soy sauce), crunchy (some of the beef got caramelized in the maple syrup as it reduced), and creamy (we make a creamier style of rice). Being a very straightforward recipe, it was nice quick weeknight meal and a cheap way to get some beef into the weeknight variety. I’m sure some of my friends would be happy to know that you could easily swap the red pepper flakes for your favorite bottle with the rooster on it. The only real way I think this dish could be elevated is to buy your own meat and grind it yourself because store bought ground beef can be sketchy sometimes. A great side veg for this would be to stir fry some broccoli or green beans with some sesame oil, soy sauce, and minced garlic. Will make again for sure!
Sara’s Comments: Really good for quick meal with beef. Liked the sweetness from the maple syrup, it was unusual and delicious! Only reason it’s not a 5 is that it’s not the most attractive dish and I don’t think I’d serve it for company.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Verde Chicken Enchilada Pizza
Source: http://www.lifesambrosia.com/2013/09/verde-chicken-enchilada-pizza.html
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 26 points each
Drew’s Rating: 3/5
Sara’s Rating: 3/5
Modifications: I used a store bought pizza crust instead of homemade.
Notes: I didn’t read the recipe carefully when I selected it and didn’t notice that it wanted cooked, shredded chicken so I had to start out with that which added about 20 minutes to poach it with a little salt and whole peppercorns added to the water. I didn’t make the pizza crust for this recipe either since the package I bought for the Greek Pizza was a two pack. Unfortunately, while it worked OK for that recipe, I think for this recipe it really would have worked better with the homemade, deep-dish style crust. Another thing I would have changed is instead of the store bought shredded Mexican cheese, I should have bought a brick of Monterey Jack and shredded it myself. The store bought cheese formed a hard crust on top which doesn’t really go well on pizza. Maybe just switching the Mexican with the Mozzarella would have worked too. Pizza cheese should be hot and bubbly, not hard and crusty. I also have a bit of an issue with the Kraft Recipe Makers Verde Chicken Enchilada mix. While the sauces tasted OK mixed in with the pizza, eating it by itself as a dip for crust didn’t work because it doesn’t taste very good like that. You will have a lot leftover sauce so plan on making two pizzas or just store the leftovers; I don’t recommend using them as dipping sauces. Overall the taste was OK and it was very thick and filling earning it an average rating. I’m on the fence whether to try this again because while I’m sure it would taste better with the homemade crust and freshly shredded cheese but doing that does add a lot of time. And definitely not without some leftover chicken to start with!
Sara's Comments: Basically felt like Kraft succeeded in making a homemade meal taste like it wasn’t. Not what I think they intended. It tasted ok, and I would eat it again, but really nothing special, and definitely not worth the work involved. Also, I think their premade sauces failed as dipping sauces for the crust. Too salty and just not that good IMO.
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 26 points each
Drew’s Rating: 3/5
Sara’s Rating: 3/5
Modifications: I used a store bought pizza crust instead of homemade.
Notes: I didn’t read the recipe carefully when I selected it and didn’t notice that it wanted cooked, shredded chicken so I had to start out with that which added about 20 minutes to poach it with a little salt and whole peppercorns added to the water. I didn’t make the pizza crust for this recipe either since the package I bought for the Greek Pizza was a two pack. Unfortunately, while it worked OK for that recipe, I think for this recipe it really would have worked better with the homemade, deep-dish style crust. Another thing I would have changed is instead of the store bought shredded Mexican cheese, I should have bought a brick of Monterey Jack and shredded it myself. The store bought cheese formed a hard crust on top which doesn’t really go well on pizza. Maybe just switching the Mexican with the Mozzarella would have worked too. Pizza cheese should be hot and bubbly, not hard and crusty. I also have a bit of an issue with the Kraft Recipe Makers Verde Chicken Enchilada mix. While the sauces tasted OK mixed in with the pizza, eating it by itself as a dip for crust didn’t work because it doesn’t taste very good like that. You will have a lot leftover sauce so plan on making two pizzas or just store the leftovers; I don’t recommend using them as dipping sauces. Overall the taste was OK and it was very thick and filling earning it an average rating. I’m on the fence whether to try this again because while I’m sure it would taste better with the homemade crust and freshly shredded cheese but doing that does add a lot of time. And definitely not without some leftover chicken to start with!
Sara's Comments: Basically felt like Kraft succeeded in making a homemade meal taste like it wasn’t. Not what I think they intended. It tasted ok, and I would eat it again, but really nothing special, and definitely not worth the work involved. Also, I think their premade sauces failed as dipping sauces for the crust. Too salty and just not that good IMO.
Tortellini in a Pink Alfredo Sauce
Source: http://www.misoginger.com/tortellini-in-a-pink-alfredo-sauce/
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 24 points each
Drew’s Rating: 2.5/5
Sara’s Rating: 2
Modifications: I used eggplant instead of mushrooms and leftover ham steaks for the Prosciutto
Notes: So pretty low rating on this and I will take the blame. I subbed eggplant for the mushrooms since Sara despises them. I didn’t cook them long enough and they were underdone; I should have tasted them and I didn’t. The recipe calls for the mushrooms to be sautéed for 4-5 minutes and I think I cooked the eggplant for 6. I should have gone for 9-10. I also subbed the left over, diced up ham steaks for the Prosciutto. I think this part worked. The taste was good, I always cringe at cooking Prosciutto because I think it ruins it, and using leftovers is always a good thing. Lastly, I seasoned with salt & pepper only when everything was mixed together which left some bites too seasoned and others bland. While it is important to do a final seasoning, I should have seasoned the sauce to taste to get it 95% of the way there and just adding a little, if necessary, at the end. Another thing I would change is I would add the broccoli to the cooking tortellini for the last 2-3 minutes; it was OK but tasted just a little to raw to me and I think a couple minutes in the boiling water would make them much tastier. All that being said I would try this recipe again with the changes I have noted. Another change I would try is tofu instead of the mushrooms. I don’t think it’s a bad recipe – I think I just made it poorly.
Sara's Comments: Felt like too much going on. Not sure the flavors really went well together, with the broccoli, tomatoes, ham, and cream sauce.
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 24 points each
Drew’s Rating: 2.5/5
Sara’s Rating: 2
Modifications: I used eggplant instead of mushrooms and leftover ham steaks for the Prosciutto
Notes: So pretty low rating on this and I will take the blame. I subbed eggplant for the mushrooms since Sara despises them. I didn’t cook them long enough and they were underdone; I should have tasted them and I didn’t. The recipe calls for the mushrooms to be sautéed for 4-5 minutes and I think I cooked the eggplant for 6. I should have gone for 9-10. I also subbed the left over, diced up ham steaks for the Prosciutto. I think this part worked. The taste was good, I always cringe at cooking Prosciutto because I think it ruins it, and using leftovers is always a good thing. Lastly, I seasoned with salt & pepper only when everything was mixed together which left some bites too seasoned and others bland. While it is important to do a final seasoning, I should have seasoned the sauce to taste to get it 95% of the way there and just adding a little, if necessary, at the end. Another thing I would change is I would add the broccoli to the cooking tortellini for the last 2-3 minutes; it was OK but tasted just a little to raw to me and I think a couple minutes in the boiling water would make them much tastier. All that being said I would try this recipe again with the changes I have noted. Another change I would try is tofu instead of the mushrooms. I don’t think it’s a bad recipe – I think I just made it poorly.
Sara's Comments: Felt like too much going on. Not sure the flavors really went well together, with the broccoli, tomatoes, ham, and cream sauce.
Greek Pizza
Source: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/10/greek-pizza/
PointsPlus: 3 servings @ 20 points each
Drew’s Rating: 4/5
Sara’s Rating: 4/5
Modifications: I used a store bought premade pizza crust instead of making my own
Notes: Using a store bought vs. homemade crust probably saved about 15-20 minutes. I’m sure it didn’t taste nearly as good as one I made myself but it was fine. I really liked the freshness of the toppings on top of the melted cheese. Pretty straight forward recipe, easy to make, easy to find ingredients, and delicious! Will make again!
Sara's Comments: Really liked the flavors of this, would be better with homemade crust (of course!). I think it might have gotten a 5 then. Definitely should make again.
PointsPlus: 3 servings @ 20 points each
Drew’s Rating: 4/5
Sara’s Rating: 4/5
Modifications: I used a store bought premade pizza crust instead of making my own
Notes: Using a store bought vs. homemade crust probably saved about 15-20 minutes. I’m sure it didn’t taste nearly as good as one I made myself but it was fine. I really liked the freshness of the toppings on top of the melted cheese. Pretty straight forward recipe, easy to make, easy to find ingredients, and delicious! Will make again!
Sara's Comments: Really liked the flavors of this, would be better with homemade crust (of course!). I think it might have gotten a 5 then. Definitely should make again.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Here we go again!
First I will admit this is probably the 5th blog I have created and if previous ones are any indicator of future results, all does not bode well for this blog! All kidding aside, this is a continuation of a blog my wife Sara and I started in 2011 called Cooked Through. The premise of that blog was to review the recipes from, cover to cover, a cookbook we loved from America's Test Kitchen. The concept was good but ultimately failed simply because cooking from ATK recipes every week became a bit too much of a chore. ATK recipes are the best but they are often very time consuming. Another issue is we wanted to be able to share our cooking experiences with these recipes but couldn't actually share the recipes themselves due to copyright issues and I think this led to a lack of cohesiveness in the blog.
This led to a change in our cooking style and where we sourced our cooking inspiration. With the increasing popularity of food and recipe blogs and many other cooking sites, we found lots of new material for a blog. The limitless variety of cooking styles and cuisines on the internet means I'll never be bored in the kitchen. The added bonus is that by being able to put a link to the recipes means that now I can finally share a complete experience for my readers. Another factor in this change is that our home responsibilities shifted which put me in the kitchen cooking most of the meals.
So with a new head chef, here is a new blog!
This led to a change in our cooking style and where we sourced our cooking inspiration. With the increasing popularity of food and recipe blogs and many other cooking sites, we found lots of new material for a blog. The limitless variety of cooking styles and cuisines on the internet means I'll never be bored in the kitchen. The added bonus is that by being able to put a link to the recipes means that now I can finally share a complete experience for my readers. Another factor in this change is that our home responsibilities shifted which put me in the kitchen cooking most of the meals.
So with a new head chef, here is a new blog!
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