Some Favorite Recipes

Several weeks ago I was chatting with a friend when she mentioned a conversation she'd had with a mutual friend about how they felt like they were always eating the same meals and realized they only had 20-30 meals in their rotation. I was somewhat aghast as we are lovers of variety in our household and would hate ourselves if we only had 20-30 meals. So I offered to send her links to some of our favorites (we've got more in cookbooks that I still need to copy for her), which ended up being about 30 meals, easily doubling my friend's rotation (assuming they like all of these as well).

I ended up sending the links to another friend, who used them in a presentation (she's a dietician) and to the other friend who'd originally complained of having so few recipes. Because I get great joy out of sharing recipes, I decided I'd post the recipes I shared here as well, in case anyone who reads feels a need for some new ideas.

Fruit salad - excellent for summer, I just grab whatever fruit is looking good at the time, cut it up, toss with some lemon juice and serve with some bread on the side.

Falafel with Avocado spread - vegetarian and another one that Gareth loves. I usually double this for our family.

Arugula Salad w/chicken and apricots - Delicious, though I leave off the apricots since Ryan doesn't like sweet and savory mixed.

Peanut-Broccoli Stir-fry - This is a must for trying tofu, and currently Ryan's favorite.

Mediterranean Orzo - Good vegetarian meal. I left out the olives because I'm not a fan. And probably replaced any eggplant called for with zucchini.

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Farfalle - this one is super tasty and makes a lot, so it's good for when you want leftovers

Quinoa-Potato Croquettes - Ryan and I really like these, but I know some of my siblings are less enthusiastic about them. I probably use more garlic than called for.

Cavatappi w/spinach, beans and feta - A good solid recipe. I really enjoyed it the first few times I made it, but haven't been putting it on the menu as much lately. So, good, but we tired of it relatively quickly. I replace the garbanzo beans with white beans.

Chalupa Dinner Bowl - This is a crockpot meal and makes enough for about three meals, so if I make it I divvy it up and freeze two thirds for later use. I also use soft flour tortillas rather than the bowls (less messy). It's essentially a pork taco filling.

Smoked Gouda Mac'n Cheese - It calls for ham, but I usually leave the ham out, tastes good either way, Gareth loves it.

Vietnamese Seitan baguettes - This is a vegan one and delicious. Though it takes fore-thought (if you make your own seitan, which is easy to make, but takes a couple hours to cook), which I usually don't have, so I haven't made it in forever.

Coconut Chicken Fingers - we serve these over rice rather than with dipping sauces. 

Pasta with Zucchini and Toasted Almonds - Simple and delicious, but one I only do in summer due to the tomatoes.

Chicken Curry

Black Bean and Corn Tostadas - Nothing amazing, but tastes good and is easy and meatless.

Spicy Chicken Shawarma

Butternut Squash and Smoky Black Bean Salad - This one entertained Ryan's taste buds. :)

Grilled Veggie and Hummus Wraps - I sub zucchini for the eggplant.

Spaghetti Carbonara w/Leeks and Pancetta - I sub bacon for the pancetta

Potato-Kale Soup - Gareth usually does a good job of eating this one.

Emerald City Salad

Heirloom Tomato and Basil Panzanella - The bread part of this makes a delicious snack as well.

Black bean and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

Bow Ties w/Tomatoes, Feta, Balsamic Dressing - I leave out the grapes.

Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine Sauce - So delicious, and quite easy as well.

Basil Chicken in Coconut-Curry Sauce - One of Ryan's favorites

Bistro Chicken and White Wine Bisque - Needs to be doubled (or at least 1.5x)

Scalloped Potatoes - The "make once-a-year so you don't clog your arteries" recipe.

Gareth's favorite is pasta salad: 1 lb rotini pasta, chopped bell pepper, green peas, tomatoes (in summer), and ham (unless I want it meatless), mixed with some ranch dressing and ground black pepper. My brother adds cheese cubes to this.

We also enjoy veggie quesadillas, where I use whatever veggies we have around, maybe chard, zucchini, onion, pepper, and cook those up and then make quesadillas with them, serving with sour cream and salsa and occasionally guacamole. Great way to get some leafy greens and other veggies in.

Cheese and veggie sandwiches - Zucchini, sliced lengthwise; sweet onion slices; sliced bell pepper - grill or cook these. Then grill slices of sourdough bread until lightly toasted. Spread some ranch or other dressing of choice on inside of bread slices (don't overdo this - only a thin spread is needed; if you overdo it they sandwiches go from delicious to disgusting), place sliced mozzarella and veggies between two slices of bread and then cook sandwich in panini press or grill (we use our Foreman grill for this) until cheese is melty.