Slow Cooker Chickpea and Garden Vegetable Pasta sauce

Prep Time: 23 minutes
Cook Time: 9 hours + 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes
 
Recipe Source: Slow Cooker Revolution

(I found a copy of the recipe online here.)

I made this over the summer, and am finally posting about it. This was really good. The sauce was very tasty on pasta and would probably be good on its own as well. If you like chickpeas this is a good one to try.

It froze pretty well. The zucchini got a little soft, but was acceptable.

I used canned diced tomatoes which made it is a little easier to prepare.

Make Ahead Spinach Manicotti

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Freezer Time: 1 hour before wrapping
Finish Time: 50 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Make Ahead Cook (book) 

This was pretty good. I love the technique in this one, using lasagna noodles and rolling them up. It might make the meal more "carb-heavy" than some people want. I wonder if it would be possible to cut noodles in half and roll them up that way. Hmmm, I might try that sometime.

Honestly, you could change this recipe in many ways. There is a lot of cheese in here, and I'm sure you could use less and add other ingredients to increase the volume. (Vegetables, beans, meat, etc.) I will probably experiment with this one some more because it worked out really well.

The biggest pain of the recipe is freezing them individually and then wrapping up into meal size packets. But that really wasn't too hard. It is worth it to get the 2-4 meals for two people from about 40 minutes total work. The individual wrapping is great since you take out how many you want to make for dinner, and I really love that flexibility.

Make Ahead Vegetarian Chili

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Oven Time: 2-2.5 hours
Grade: B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen (Season 13) 
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (November 2012)

Recipe Source: Make Ahead Cook (book) 

This chili is a good vegetarian chili. But I'm not sure I want to make it again since it was a bit of work and I like Turkey or Beef chili more, and since I'm not a vegetarian, I might as well make the mean chili which is a little simpler to make and has slightly better flavor. If I was still a vegetarian though I would probably make this again.

It had good flavor and texture. It needed a little more salt, but otherwise the flavors were perfect.

It does make 8 large servings and was part of the freezer chapter, so this will feed me multiple time the next month or so once a week.

The version in the book is slightly different from the magazine version, but basically the same. It was just simplified a tiny bit in the book. They call for chili powder instead of toasting and chopping your own, and it also skips using the spice grinder for dried mushrooms. The didn't chop enough in the food processor so I got out the spice grinder anyway.

Update: I liked this less when reheating the frozen leftovers, so I downgraded the grade to a B-. It was filling and fine, but I don't think all the steps and ingredients make it anything special. 

Baked Quinoa with Roasted Kale and Chickpeas

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: 6 Ingredient Solution

This is another great recipe from one of ATK's recent cookbooks. I'm definitely buying this book. (I've had it from the library so far.) It comes from the Vegetarian chapter, which has 9 recipes. (There are more vegetarian recipes in other chapters though.)

There is not much work to do with this: prepping the kale, cutting the tomatoes, rinsing the quinoa and beans, and zesting a lemon. The recipe does call for marinated feta cheese, which I did not have. So I used a tiny bit of olive oil and a little oregano in this as well. You do have to roast the kale for about 6-8 minutes, but that is done while you are prepping other ingredients. It all comes together very quickly (because there are so few ingredients.)

I really liked the leftovers cold. Eating it warm was good too. I will definitely make this again because it is filled with good things, tastes good and is easy.

Black Bean Burgers

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010

I have no idea if this recipe originated somewhere else.  I didn't find it from searching on the various Cook's Illustrated web sites.

These are good.  I subbed roasted peppers for the fresh and also scallions for the shallot.  It all worked well.  The one problem with the recipe was that it said that the breadcrumbs should cook for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.  That would be way too long for me.  They started to burn within 7 minutes.  I prepped other ingredients while they toasted, so this was a pretty quick recipe.

Bean Burritos

Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 0 - 30 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November 2005)

This isn't a very exciting recipe or meal, but I tried it because I wanted something that I could freeze for meals in the future. I scaled up the ingredients a bit to make 10 burritos since that is how many tortillas came in the bag. If it was only one meal for me, the results probably wouldn't be worth the hour of effort, but since it was a lot of meals, I feel the effort is OK.

I reheated one today in the oven for about 20 minutes then microwaved for 30 sec to get the middle. It worked out fine. You probably could just microwave.

I definitely would make these again when I want to have some premade meals in the freezer.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2003)

This was the original Tortilla Pie recipe in Everyday Foods. They came up with a new one this year with ground beef and Spinach, which is also very good. This one is nice for a vegetarian meal. I should try my own version of this. The idea of using the tortillas in a spring form pan is a good one, and there are lots of variations that could be developed.

I skip chopping a jalapeno and just add crushed red pepper. It saves time and adds a more consistent heat, since jalapenos are not always very hot lately. I used 1/2 teaspoon instead of 1 jalapeno, and it worked well. I could use more, for more heat.

This took me a little bit longer to make than it was supposed to, because the beer took a long time to evaporate. I might use a little less next time.

Cold Sesame Noodles

Total Time: 18 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (May 2003)

This is a great quick recipe. I make it with Udon noodles, but regular pasta works. The CI recipe is probably better, but this is so quick and easy that I do like it for a quick meal.

Indian-Style Vegetable Curry

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (May 2007)

This recipe does require a bit of prep (onions, potatoes, serrano, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, toasted spices, and more) but it is very good. I used less oil (1.5 T instead of 4T) and had trouble with the potatoes sticking. I probably should have used more. It is a completely lean dish otherwise, so it wouldn't hurt to use a little bit more.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Rest Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

I modify this recipe a lot, because I don't like overly soupy or cheesy macaroni and cheese. The way they make this recipe is extremely, heavy and too cheesy for me. It is still not even close to being a "light" dish the way I make it, but it is much better.

Basically, I keep the amount of pasta and topping, but I cut the sauce in half. I don't really cut the seasonings in half though, because I am using the same amount of pasta. I usually just cut them by about 75%.

Sopa Seca

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

This is a nice vegetarian (if using vegetable broth) casserole made with pasta, diced tomatoes and a little cheese. It is flavored with Chipotle peppers. I like making it with black beans to make it a main dish. The recipe calls for vermicelli broken in half. I found the vermicelli very difficult to manage in the skillet. But I found a one inch long pasta that is the same thickness as vermicelli at a store that has a large pasta selection. This works perfectly, and makes the recipe much easier.

Pizza

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Rise Time: 90 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes ?
Cook Time: minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook


This recipe calls for a food processor and some hand kneading, but I used my mixer and skipped the hand kneading. This worked fine.

Putting the pizzas together was easy for a 3 and 6 year old.




Rolling the dough between parchment paper and a piece of plastic wrap, allows you to roll the crust out fairly thin.












I used the Trader Joe's Pizza sauce and it was pretty good.











Adding cheese.










Putting on special toppings.

Fettuccine with Leeks and Beans

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes (some can overlap prep time)

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (April 2005)

This is a nice simple recipe that is quick to prepare and cook. It can be on the table in less than 30 minutes if you are efficient. I like that the sauce seems like it has more cream in than you'd think. The beans really thicken the sauce and the little bit of cream at the end smooths things out.

Tomato Ricotta Tart

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (July 2003)

This is a great quick recipe that is nice for entertaining, either as a vegetarian entree or an appetizer. When I have made this before, the crust was not as crispy and sturdy as I wanted. This time, I used a crusty Italian loaf for my bread crumbs. I also started cooking the crust alone while I finished prepping the rest of the ingredients. This resulted in a very good, crisp sturdy crust. However, it did burn just a bit on the edges. Not enough to effect taste, but it wasn't as pretty.

I also only use 2 tablespoons of olive oil for the crust, and it works fine with that amount. I only make this in the summer, because it needs good fresh tomatoes. Definitely a winner recipe, I think.

Grilled Pizza

Dough Time: 7 minutes
Rise Time: 90-120 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2005)

This is so very good that I have made it twice this week. I got daring and tried for the first time when I had a friend over for lunch and I wanted to try it again today. It is an easy recipe, although I have trouble getting the rounds rolled out to 9". I tried letting the dough rest and it helped a little, but not enough. Also, this second attempt I didn't use my scale and the dough was more sticky than last time. I think I will have better results using the scale next time.

The other trouble I had was with the dough burning. The bottom gets black when I have it on high, so I need to remember to turn the temp down after the cooking the first side.

I skipped the tomatoes on top this time, but they are a nice touch when you have good tomatoes. I will definitely be using this recipe a lot, and hopefully perfecting my dough technique.

I froze two of the crusts I made, so I can see how that works for a quick meal in the future.

Pasta and Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, and Pine Nuts

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2003)

I like this dish because flavors are good. However, it is a little bit more time consuming than many of my pasta dishes. I will continue to make this, but the Roasted Zucchini and Tomato recipe from Everyday Food is easier and almost as tasty. Perhaps I can combine the best of the two recipes. I like the roasting, but I also like the pine nuts, red pepper and balsamic vinegar in this one.

Veggie Burgers

Prep Time: 75 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A- (would be an A+, but too time consuming)

Make Again: Maybe, but not very often.

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2005)

This recipe makes 12 veggie burgers, which can be frozen. This fact does make the effort almost worth it, because these burgers were some of the best veggie burgers I've ever had. I used to be a vegetarian, and I have tried a lot in my day.

This recipe calls for a lot of ingredients: mushrooms, bulgar, leeks, onions, celery, lentils, panko and more. Luckily I had everything except the mushrooms. I used about half the called for mushrooms, because I am not a big mushroom fan, but you don't notice them at all, so I would probably use the full amount next time.

Zucchini and Chickpea Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (July 2005)

I have modified the recipe quite a bit, to make it lighter, and to use Zucchini instead of Eggplant. The original recipe called for Mint, and I use fresh Oregano.

Roasted Zucchini Salad

4-5 medium zucchini, 1/2" dice
2 1/2 T. olive oil, separated
salt
pepper
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. fresh oregano, minced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Toss diced zucchini with 1 T. olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place on foil lined heavy pan. Roast
3. Roast zucchini for 30 minutes, tossing once or twice.
4. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 pepper in large bowl. Add chickpeas, zucchini and feta and toss to combine. Serve warm or cold.


Update: There is also a curry version of this salad with peas, which I tried. I don't like this one as much, so I will stick with the chickpea feta version of zucchini salad.

Pasta with Pesto, Green Beans and Potatoes

Total Time: 26 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (July 2003)

I had Pesto in the freezer, so I didn't have to make it for this recipe. However, even if I did have to make the Pesto it would still be a quick recipe. I had a lot of down time while making this.

The only think I change is to add a little more green beans (12 oz) and to add them with about 4 or 5 minutes left. The trickiest part of this is getting everything cooked at the same time. Usually something is slightly overcooked, but not so that is is bad.

Stuffed Squash with Bulgar and Feta

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (June 2004)

I like this recipe as a filling vegetarian meal. It is pretty simple to make, although not quick, because you have to saute the filling before stuffing the squash. However, with only 6 ingredients, it doesn't take long to prep.

I do alter the recipe slightly, using a bit less oil and cutting the feta in half. I think you still get the strong feta flavor, and it is enough to bind the stuffing a little. The calories per serving is cut down to about 350 by doing this.