Showing posts with label recipe review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe review. Show all posts

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Recipe Review--Pioneer Woman's Stuffed Mushrooms


Even though I'm not generally a mushroom fan, the Pioneer Woman's Stuffed Mushroom's, Baby recipe called to me. They were quick and easy to make. We didn't have sausage, so I seasoned some carne de soya (dehydrated soy protein crumbles sold at our local grocery, Casa del Pueblo) with fennel and other sausage-like flavors. I enjoyed them, which says something considering I'm not a mushroom fan. My husband enjoyed them as well and finished all the leftovers. They're a bit much for two people, but would make an excellent appetizer for a party or other event. I could see them being a big hit with guys watching football games, for example. Overall, a fantastic recipe.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Recipe Review: Gobi Matar Masala


Last week I tried this recipe for Gobi Matar Masala from Vegan Yum Yum. Gobi Matar Masala is a type of Indian dish with cauliflower, tomatoes and spice. It was inexpensive and relatively easy to follow, but ultimately wasn't very exciting. I don't think I'd make it again.

Pluses:
  • If you have all the ingredients on hand, you can get dinner on the table relatively quickly.
  • It is nutritious and inexpensive.
  • The recipe is not difficult to follow.
Minuses:
  • The finished product isn't bad, but its not exceptionally tasty either. I much prefer aloo gobi.
  • The recipe requires a number of spices that novices to Indian cooking may not have on hand (although if you enjoy Indian food, they are worth picking up!).
  • No real protein source, so may leave you craving something more. Could be OK if served with a hearty grain and a big salad.
Bottom Line:
  • If it sounds good to you, give it a try! I'll stick with aloo gobi when I get a craving for Indian style cauliflower.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Recipe Review: Vegetarian Meatloaf

My husband recently made this vegetarian meatloaf recipe posted by Flickr's Moonlightbaker. It was fabulous. The only modifications he made were using only 1 kind of veggie crumbles (Boca, I think, whatever our grocer had on hand), and omitting the onion. The green peppers added a really nice flavor/texture, and the glaze on top was outstanding. The leftovers were really terrific as well. Even my omni husband enjoyed it! Definitely a recipe to make again.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Recipe Review: Simple Dollar's Homemade Pizza


When I found Trent's Guide to Making Inexpensive and Delicious Pizza at the Simple Dollar, I had to give it a try. Trent has two young children, and since this is a recipe he makes frequently, I figured that it must really be inexpensive and delicious (as well as hopefully relatively painless).

I am pleased to report that the guide is fantastic, and his recipe is customizable, inexpensive, delicious and easy-to-follow. So far I've made this pizza twice. Each time I've added a number of herbs such as basil, oregano and rosemary to the dough.

Overall, I thought the recipe was terrific. If you are going to use vegetables with a high water content, such as bell peppers, or frozen vegetables, its best to warm them up first in the microwave so you can drain off the water before putting them on the pizza. Also, while Trent recommended pre-baking the crust for about 6 minutes, if you prefer a crisper crust or you oven is difficult to predict, you may wish to pre-bake it a little longer.


As you can tell from the photos, its not imperative that you get the dough rolled out perfectly symmetrically. Once you're done its fairly easy to cut into "normal" looking pieces. Enjoy!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Recipe Review: Homemade Girl Scout Cookies: Samoas Bars

Recently, Baking Bites, a fantastic baking blog, has posted a series of recipes for making your own Girl Scout cookies. When I saw a recipe for Samoas bars, I had to give it a whirl. (If you prefer more authentic looking Samoas, there are instructions for that too.)

The recipe was fairly straightforward, and aside from the coconut and caramels did not require anything I wouldn't otherwise have on hand. Unwrapping each individually-wrapped caramel took a long time, and next time I would consider making my own caramel sauce. Toasting the coconut was a snap, and I was able to do it at the same time that the shortbread cookie base was baking.

I liked that the recipe had a number of helpful reminders/tips throughout (stop and stir the chocolate frequently when melting, use parchment paper and a wire cooling rack, a ziplock with a hole in a corner can be used as a pipette, etc.) I think it would have gone more smoothly had I followed the directions more closely and waited for each stage to cool completely, but I was impatient and rushed and the cookies turned out mostly OK (a little crumbly, and not as pretty as the Baking Bites ones, but still delicious.)

I definitely recommend this recipe for Samoas fans and will be making it again. If you've never had a Samoa, but love toasted coconut, caramel, and/or shortbread, I'd give it a whirl.