Nutrition Month recipe challenge
When I look at a recipe that calls for a long list of ingredients, specialized kitchen equipment, and various intricate steps, I understand how Harry Potter might feel in his potions class: Any misstep could spell disaster!
Fortunately, that was not (totally) my experience with my Nutrition Month recipe challenge. In March, I set out to try a month’s worth of Foodie Friday recipes. In total, I tried 28 new recipes, and am I so proud to share that there were only a few disasters!
What did I learn?
- I am actually quite terrible at following recipes (no, really) – but that can be okay if you have a higher risk tolerance! I’m sure that in home economics class we were taught to read through the whole recipe first, get all the ingredients together, and then get started. Apparently I approach cooking with a little more abandon. This sometimes resulted in …er… surprises.
- I am very good at recipe modifications - this is a skill that can really come in handy! Got a 25 lb bag of dried kidney beans lurking in a closet? Great – sub them into every recipe that calls for beans! Forgot to buy the wheat germ? Just skip it! No grapes at the store for the broccoli salad? Just use baby tomatoes!
- Combine my recklessness with recipe prep and my penchant for recipe substitutions, and small disasters do happen. Consider, for example, the “oatmeal bites” incident of March 30. I liked the power cookies that I made to share on Dietitian’s Day, so I decided to whip up another batch for my book club meeting. I got to the step about the applesauce. No applesauce. No problem - I have canned plum puree! Then the recipe called for orange juice and rind. No oranges - but I have lemon! Look at me go! In my self-congratulatory state, I completed the rest of the required steps, popped everything in the oven, and promptly realized I had forgotten the sugar. After trying to sweeten the cookies with little chocolate sprinkles that didn’t stick and looked mildly suspicious, and knowing I couldn’t show up empty handed, I finally desperately rebranded these cookies as “oatmeal bites.” Groan, I know. However, we did discover that my oatmeal bites were lovely topped with the chocolate covered banana slices someone else brought to the meeting. Saved!
- Some recipe modifications don’t work. For example, one should not consider the grilled caesar salad recipe if one does not, in fact, have a grill. I should know. Baked lettuce is just sad. However, the dressing is lovely!
What recipes would I make again?
Despite a few small but edible disasters, the recipe challenge was a fun experience and my family and I were really pleased with the majority of the recipes we tried. Realistically though, 28 recipes is simply too much to incorporate into the regular repertoire, so below I have listed a few that I am most likely to make again. No surprise, the simpler recipes are the favourites! And true to form, I modified many of these recipes, and have indicated that below as well. Enjoy!
Great simple recipes calling for less than 10 ingredients:
- Potato Leek Soup – I liked this so much I made it twice! (I skipped the milk.)
Delicious baked goods that feature foods from 3 or 4 food groups:
- Morning glory muffins – Tasty with great texture. (I forgot the wheat germ.)
- Pineapple coconut carrot muffins – These went fast! (I forgot to soak the flaxseeds.)
- Power cookies – I will follow the recipe a little more closely next time.
Other items that I will use to (hopefully) impress dinner guests
- Fish Tacos (Cod is quite lovely here!)
Comments