First up were Lentil "Meatballs" with Lemony Pesto. The recipe is slightly more involved than the ones I usually choose for myself, and in preparing the meal I made a pretty big mess. The end result was totally worth it though, and I bet I can make it in a more streamlined way next time around.
I couldn't find basil at the grocery store (I swear, everyone is making pesto every week...there is never any there when I shop,) and I didn't want to prune my own tiny plant down to a stalk, so I substituted more parsley and greens in the pesto. Otherwise I followed the recipe pretty closely.
Next, I took care of an excess of squishy bananas the best way I know how: combining them with generous amounts of butter, sugar and chocolate to make Double Chocolate Banana Muffins. The result was much closer to a cupcake without frosting and made excellent mid-morning snacks as long as they lasted. With this recipe, I feel I have restored my baking credibility after last month's miss with the peanut butter banana cookies--phew!
I don't remember quite how I came across this recipe on the internet, but it sounded too good not to try: White Pizza Quinoa Casserole. The ingredient list was full of things I like, but don't always have on hand which was the perfect excuse to make a trip to Trader Joe's and spend a little too much money.
Overall, a good recipe but I felt like there was a little something missing. Maybe it's been a bit too warm to really enjoy a cheesy baked casserole, or maybe it needs a little extra flavor from some meat, like pancetta? With the weather getting warmer, a remake of this recipe will have to wait until fall, but I think it's worth a shot.
The fourth new recipe this month was Crunchy Mandarin Salad with Miso Chicken. I have made various renditions of this before, but this was my first attempt with this particular recipe (found on a loose sheet of paper with handwritten notes at my aunt's house) and adding chicken.
The salad was a winner, and the chicken marinade smelled wonderful. I highly recommend toasting the almonds and ramen noodles that get sprinkled on the salad for a bit of extra flavor. I also made the dressing in a jar, and dressed each serving as I ate them throughout the week. The next time I make the chicken, I will let it sit a bit longer than the recommended two hours, and maybe by then I will have learned how to not overcook chicken. I am so afraid of it being pink in the middle that most of my chicken dishes turn out a bit dry.
It doesn't look like it in the photo, but I promise there are leafy salad ingredients under all of the toppings!
I will be very impressed with myself I can keep up a new recipe per week through the summer. My desire to cook tends to wane when it gets warm, and my diet shifts to lots of salads and frozen treats. Technically, a new kind of homemade popsicle every week would count, right?
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