Down Home Cooking

Like bacon and eggs or burgers and fries, prime rib and popovers go hand in hand. We’ve given the traditional batter a flavor boost by adding Parmesan cheese and plenty of ground black pepper. Serve these airy, high-rising popovers warm from the oven alongside our Prime Rib with Whipped Herb Butter. 

Ingredients

• Melted butter or canola oil for greasing
• 2 cups (16 fl. oz./500 ml) milk
• 8 eggs
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) (2 oz./60 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups (9 oz./280 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more as needed
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (2 oz./60 g) grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 450°F (230°C). Lightly coat the wells of two 6-well popover pans or one 12-well popover pan with melted butter or oil.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and melted butter. Add the flour, pepper, salt and cheese and stir until combined.

3. Place the empty popover pans in the oven and preheat for 5 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and divide the batter evenly among the wells, filling each about half full. Sprinkle a heaping 1 tsp. cheese and a grinding of pepper over each popover.

4. Bake for 12 minutes without opening the oven, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). Continue baking until the popovers are golden brown and firm to the touch, 7 to 10 minutes more.

5. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the popovers cool for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pans and serve warm. Makes 12 popovers.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen

Last night I went down to my local Barnes & Noble to see Feeding You Lies on the shelves. It was surreal seeing years of research and the truth about the food industry smack dab on the New Releases table at the front of the store (see a live video below)… This information is now out and no one can stop it from spreading. Thank you for getting your book this week and sharing it with those that you love! If you still need to get your copy, you’ll find it at Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and your local bookstores.  

And, I’m doing something really fun this week…

If you post a picture of yourself with the book and hashtag #FeedingYouLies, I’m randomly selecting a person every single day this week to receive a personal phone call from me! Can’t wait to see what you are up to… you can even Facetime me from your pantry as you are doing the 48 hour toxin takedown in the back of the book!

I’ll be calling a new person every day this week so you have multiple chances to win.

Here’s how to enter…

1. Take a picture of yourself with a copy of Feeding You Lies. You don’t need to purchase a copy if you don’t have one. Take a pic with the book at your local bookstore or with your friends copy. There is no purchase necessary to enter.
2. Post the photo to Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #FeedingYouLies along with a link to https://FeedingYouLies.com
3. Tell us why you are excited to Spread The Truth about our food in your post.

That’s it! I will randomly select one person each day who we will contact directly to set up our call. I can’t wait to see all of your shining happy faces all over social media this week! Let’s spread the truth about our food.

Xo,

Vani

P.S. Please don’t forget to leave an honest review online after you’ve read the book. I really appreciate this!

A slice of cheese, a slice of tomato, some ketchup, and a little mustard — that’s about all you need for a good burger. But what about for a great burger? One for the ages? One to make your family swoon and beg for more?

For that kind of burger, you’re going to want to sauce it up, my friend. And lucky for you, we’ve got plenty of sauces and spreads for you to choose from.

Any one of these would elevate your burger from ordinary to extraordinary. Take your pick!

What’s your favorite sauce or spread for burgers?

The hot humid weather is back in full force and so is my desire for quick and easy meal solutions. On hot days like the ones we’ve been having lately, I prefer to do any cooking that needs to be done early in the morning to save me from heating up the kitchen later in the day. Today, I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite vegan recipes for the blisteringly hot days of August.

Cucumber and White Bean Ceviche – Traditionally made with raw fish or scallops, I like to make this lime-marinated salad from Peru with cucumbers and white beans for a nice contrast of refreshingly crisp and creamy.

Fire and Ice Sesame Noodles – The evocative name refers to the heat from the sriracha and the cold since I usually serve this dish chilled. You can serve it at room temperature, if you prefer, but “fire and room temperature” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Indonesian Gado Gado – Gado-Gado is an Indonesian main-dish salad of raw and cooked vegetables tossed with a spicy peanut sauce. The flavor improves with time, so plan on making this crunchy salad the day before you need it.

Bánh Mì Tostadas – East meets West in this tasty fusion combo. Tostada means “toasted” in Spanish and is the name of a Mexican dish in which a toasted tortilla is the base for other ingredients that top it. Bánh mì is a popular Vietnamese sandwich that features crisp pickled vegetables, fragrant cilantro, chiles, and zesty hoisin and sriracha sauces.

Soba Slaw – Plus – The Soba Slaw in Quick-Fix Vegan, with its chewy noodles and crunchy cabbage and carrots, is a nice refreshing salad on its own. To make it a heartier meal, however, I usually add some cooked shelled edamame or some diced baked tofu, and a little sriracha sauce to give it some heat.

Chilled Glass Noodles with Snow Peas and Baked Tofu – This light but satisfying salad should be prepared at least 30 minutes ahead of time for the best flavor. Made from mung bean flour, glass noodles are also called cellophane noodles, bean thread noodles, and harusame.

English Garden Salad– Little gem lettuce has spoiled me for other types of lettuce—it’s everything we love about butter and romaine lettuce, all in one compact little head— and it’s perfect for this English Garden Salad.

Chickpeas Nicoise – One of my favorite flavor combos is the one found in a Nicoise Salad:  the melding of creamy potatoes, fresh green beans, sweet tomatoes, and piquant olives hits all the right flavor notes.

Watermelon Paletas– These watermelon popsicles make a refreshing end to a spicy meal or a cooling snack on a hot day.

Pina Colada Squares – These no-bake treats aren’t too sweet if you use unsweetened coconut.

Paleo Vegan Fudge Brownies that are gluten-free, sweetened with coconut sugar, and made egg-less with a flax seed egg replacer. This simple recipe is made quick and easy in your blender and also includes a Keto option.

When I try to describe these paleo vegan fudge brownies intelligibly, I’m almost at a loss for words.

These vegan brownies are rich, decadent, chewy on the inside with the perfect thin layer of crisp on the outside, and taste like a browniegasm is exploding in your face.

They are – in a word – SULTRY.

…which would be amazing enough if these brownies were your standard sugar, wheat, and butter-laiden brownie, but you guys, they’re not!

In fact, they are…

• Vegan (egg-free and dairy-free)
• Grain-free and gluten-free
• Made with all natural ingredients
• Sweetened with coconut sugar for a lower-glycemic treat
• Sprinkled with sea salt for that salty-sweet hyperpalatable bliss.
• Protein-packed with both almond butter and almond flour.

Don’t tell the other brownies I said this, but…this is my favorite brownie recipe I’ve made so far. I’ve been in hot pursuit of perfecting a brownie that is both paleo and vegan, and I daresay, these are surely they!

These are the brownies you make when you’re craving ALL THE CHOCOLATE IN THE WORLD and will not be satisfied until you feel as though your body is calmly submerged in a vat of creamy-smooth-buttery-sweet deeply rich chocolate paradise.

Or am I the only one here who craves such sensations? Bueller?

How To Make Delicious Vegan Fudge Brownies

• We make a couple “flax eggs” to replace regular eggs (don’t worry if you’re new to flax eggs – all you need is ground flax seed…I’ll walk you through the rest in the recipe card below).
• We use almond butter (or cashew butter) as a binding agent and fudge maker.
• …which combined with the coconut oil makes for an incredibly silky-smooth fudgy experience.
• Instead of wheat flour, we use almond flour.
• Rather than using cane sugar, we use coconut sugar
• We double chocolate-it-up by using vegan chocolate chips. Note: I had non-vegan chocolate chips on hand, so I used them but be sure to choose the chocolate chip product you’re comfortable using.

Just like the majority of my other dessert recipes, we simply add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until combined. Bake it up, sprinkle it with sea salt, and you’re in for one incredibly chocolatey experience.

Recipe Adaptations:

• Replace flax “eggs” with chia eggs.
• Use cashew butter, walnuts butter, peanut butter, etc. in place of almond butter (just make sure whatever nut butter you use is pre-stirred and not super separated).
• Swap almond flour with hazelnut flour.
• To make low-carb and Keto, replace the coconut sugar with zero-sugar sweetener. 
• Replace the vegan chocolate chips with your favorite dark chocolate chips or chunks.
• Use avocado oil or almond oil instead of coconut oil.

Dive on in!

It felt like Friday yesterday, it was one of those weeks! I’ve decided that’s a good thing since it’s like having two Fridays in a row! Are you ready for the holiday weekend? Leaving town or staying put? We will be home, since the kids actually have commitments that will keep us in town, but I’m looking forward to unplugging, perhaps baking, and trying to finish a book that I’ve been working on for way too long, I’m almost embarrassed to tell you just how long! Wish me luck.

Here are Five Little Things I loved this week:

1. Figs

The figs have been so plentiful, it’s been my favorite thing to snack on all day long! Of course, I can’t resist cooking with them, too. If you saw my last post, you know how they pair beautifully with silky burrata. If you’re looking for new ways to enjoy figs, I have lots of ideas for you! Have you tried my favorite galette? Or Fig and Almond Butter Smoothie? Or for something more savory, there’s a Fig, Jalapeño Jam and Blue Cheese Pizza I’m starting to think I can write a whole cookbook on figs.

2. Cilantro: Love It or Hate It?

Cilantro lover here! But that wasn’t always the case. I used to hate it as a child, but now I put it in everything! That part isn’t quite covered in the science behind loving or hating cilantro in this video, so I’m curious, where do you fall in the cilantro debate camp?

3. Golden Girls

Thank you for being a friend…c’mon, sing it with me! I thought it was fun to imagine what the ‘Golden Girls’ house would look like in 2018.

4. Chihuahua or Muffin?

Head over here for the best five minutes you’ll waste today! They take you though the canine or cuisine memes that was started by Karen Zack on Twitter.

5. Battle of the (Veggie) Burger

I love to change things up with a good veggie burger and have been tasting my way through the many options out there. If you followed on Instagram stories this week, I was so excited about Beyond Burgers! Turns out, I’m not the only one searching for the best. Do you have a favorite? Let me know!

I have a feeling I’ll be indulging in a burger this long weekend

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, everyone!

This Midwest 5 Cheese Bake is a delicious, CHEESY combination of cheeses all baked together and seasoned perfectly. Less creamy, more cheesy makes this easy dish different than a typical mac and cheese. 

Look at me, posting 2 pasta dishes in a row! (Last week I shared a Mushroom and Garlic Butter Pasta). I took a pretty long break from pasta in my life…not intentionally, honestly, I just think I get into ruts where I was making pasta dishes all the time, and then I wasn’t. And I do tend to make more pasta in the fall and winter months than I do in the spring and summer. There is no rhyme or reason to my food preferences. It’s usually all based in ease, necessity, and lack of creativity. But here we are again, apparently back in pasta season.

Pasta and cheese season. Merry merry!

This is one of those easy, cozy, everyone-loves-it meals.

Make it as a main, make it as a side, or take it to a potluck…it’s a crown pleaser for sure.

The types of cheeses involved make it different than your standard mac and cheese (no cheddar!) …plus, there’s sour cream and cream cheese involved, which gives it (very) slight tang that I loooooove.

I use mozzarella as the base, and then add some big flavors…provolone, Swiss, Parmesan…and then cream cheese for creaminess. Also, I will say this and please note…grate your own cheese. The pre-grated just doesn’t melt as nicely, due to the coating they use to prevent sticking.

Also I wrote in the recipe to use “Italian Seasoning”, which totally works, but I actually love using the Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute in this. If you have a TJs local to you, hop over and grab some.

It’s really an easy dish to make, which with school starting, any easy dinner ideas are welcome!

And yes, you can certainly adjust the cheeses to suit your own preferences. You just boil some pasta and mix the other ingredients in with the warm pasta. Spread it all in a 9×13 dish…

And bake it until the top is golden and all the cheeses are melted!

It is one of those dishes that is best served immediately, because that cheese pull is EVERYTHING!

I combined two of my favorite foods – Chicken Parmesan and Lasagna to make this delicious Chicken Parmesan Lasagna, the perfect family-friendly dish to feed a large crowd!

Chicken Parmesan Lasagna

You’re going to need a really deep baking dish to make this!! This extra deep lasagna has 5 layers of noodles (I used no-bake), with two layers of breaded chicken cutlets (yeah baby!) in between all that saucy, cheesy goodness!

I partnered with Pyrex to create this mouthwatering dish in their new line of baking dishes Pyrex Deep which are up to 50% deeper which means there’s room for more layers!

On Sundays, I love having my family over for dinner. I usually get together with my Mom, brother, sister in law and my nieces, sometimes my aunt, uncle and cousins come too. I made this dish last night, and my family loved it! I assembled everything ahead and popped it in the oven when they came, which gave me more time to spend with them instead of in the kitchen. Portions here are very generous! I served this with a big tossed salad and dinner was done.

How To Make Chicken Parmesan Lasagna

Tips and Variations

This tastes great for leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. If you wish to bake and freeze, this would make a great freezer meal. Simply cut it into portions once it cools and freeze them in individual freezer-friendly containers to reheat for lunch or dinner.

To Make Ahead and Refrigerate: May be prepped 24 hours in advance before baking. Prepare and refrigerate, tightly wrapping with foil. To bake, cover with foil and bake in a 400F preheated oven in the center rack 50 to 60 minutes. Uncover, add the remaining cup of mozzarella and bake until melted, 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest 15 minutes before serving.

To Freeze and Serve: Prepare unbaked lasagna in a freezer to oven safe Pyrex Deep baking dish, cover tightly with foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours before baking. To bake, cover with foil and bake in a 400F preheated oven in the center rack 50 to 60 minutes. Uncover, add the remaining cup of mozzarella and bake until melted, 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest 15 minutes before serving.

If you wish to simplify this recipe, you can use the breast meat of a rotisserie chicken and shred instead of breading the chicken. It won’t be as high, but it will still be tasty.

I whipped up my homemade marinara sauce to make this, but you can also use your favorite jarred sauce, you will need two jars.

A few reasons to love the new Pyrex Deep:

• New Pyrex Deep baking dishes are the deepest glass baking dish sold in the US
• Holds up to 50% more than your current glass bakeware
• The deeper size lets you bake your favorite layered recipe – without it spilling over in the oven – and a plastic lid makes for easy storage
• Let’s you add more layers to your favorite recipes to feed a large crowd, so you can have chicken parmesan AND lasagna all in one dish!
• You can find it at PyrexHome.com and Walmart.

Chicken Parmesan Lasagna

I combined two of my favorite foods – Chicken Parmesan and Lasagna to make this delicious Chicken Parmesan Lasagna, the perfect family-friendly dish to feed a large crowd!

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 4 (32 ounces) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise to make 8
• 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat, you can also use GF crumbs)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• olive oil spray

For the lasagna:

• 15 ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese, I like Polly-o (almost 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil, plus more for garnish
• 4 3/4 cups homemade or jarred marinara sauce (from about 2)
• 9 ounce box no-boil lasagna noodles, I used Barilla
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 3 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a large baking sheet lightly with spray.
2. Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Beat the egg in another bowl.
3. Dip the chicken into the eggs, then into the breadcrumb mixture. Discard the remaining crumbs.
4. Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet, lightly spray the top with oil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, do not turn. When done, remove from the oven and reduce oven temp to 400F.
5. Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, parmesan cheese, and basil in a medium bowl.
6. In a 9 x 13 x 3-inch Pyrex Deep baking dish, ladle 3/4 cup of marinara on the bottom of the dish.
7. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles across the dish (they will expand as they cook), top with 3/4 cup sauce, 4 pieces of chicken, 1/4 of the ricotta cheese mixture, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, 3/4 cup spinach.
8. Repeat the 2nd layer, skipping the chicken.
9. Repeat the 3rd layer with the chicken, and the 4th layer without the chicken.
10. For the 5th layer, spread the last 3 sheets of pasta noodles with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce on top.
11. Cover with foil and bake in a 400F preheated oven in the center rack 50 minutes.
12. Uncover, add the remaining cup of mozzarella and bake until melted, 5 minutes.
13. Remove from oven and let it rest 15 minutes before serving.

To Make Ahead and Refrigerate: May be prepped 24 hours in advance before baking. Prepare and refrigerate, tightly wrapping with foil. To bake, cover with foil and bake in a 400F preheated oven in the center rack 50 to 60 minutes. Uncover, add the remaining cup of mozzarella and bake until melted, 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest 15 minutes before serving.

To Freeze and Serve: Prepare unbaked lasagna in a freezer to oven safe Pyrex Deep baking dish, cover tightly with foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours before baking. To bake, cover with foil and bake in a 400F preheated oven in the center rack 50 to 60 minutes. Uncover, add the remaining cup of mozzarella and bake until melted, 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 10 servings, Serving Size: 1 slice

• Amount Per Serving:
• Freestyle Points: 8
• Points +: 12
• Calories: 454 calories
• Total Fat: 16.5g
• Saturated Fat: 7.5g
• Cholesterol: 140.5mg
• Sodium: 830mg
• Carbohydrates: 34.5g
• Fiber: 3.5g
• Sugar: 5.5g
• Protein: 44.5g

All images and text ©Gina Homolka for Skinnytaste

Photo Credit: Jess Larson

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Pyrex. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Skinnytaste possible. All thoughts are my own.

Today’s 5 star secret recipe comes from Canlis, a longtime Seattle institution.  This fine-dining restaurant offers Pacific North West fare in a mid century-modern home.

A menu highlight is the Canlis salad, which is in some measure a basic steakhouse salad: chopped romaine with bacon and croutons and cherry tomatoes, all cloaked in a thick, lemony dressing that recalls Caesar. But a strong scent of the Middle East flows through it as well, with heaps of chopped mint and oregano mixed in with the greens. These combine with the bright, eggy taste of the dressing to elevate the entirety far beyond the confines of a salad to be eaten simply with meat and potatoes. A Canlis salad, properly prepared, is a revelation.

Enjoy!

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Canlis Salad

2  heads of romaine, outer leaves discarded, chopped
4  slices bacon, chopped
1  cup cubed fresh Italian bread
1  egg
¼  cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½  cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½  cup scallions, thinly sliced
¾  cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
1  tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, roughly chopped
12  cherry tomatoes, halved
¾  cup freshly grated Romano cheese

Wash the lettuce in cold water, dry thoroughly and put in the refrigerator to chill.

In a large pan set over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until it is nearly crisp, then remove to a bowl. Drain off all but one tablespoon of fat, then add the bread cubes to the pan and toss to coat. Bring heat to low and toast, tossing the bread occasionally with a spoon until it is crisp. Remove to another bowl.

Make the dressing. Place a whole egg in its shell into a coffee cup, then pour boiling water over the top. Allow the egg to cook for 60 seconds, then remove it. Rinse with water until cool. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil, then crack the coddled egg into the bowl and whisk again, vigorously, to emulsify. Add salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.

In a salad bowl, combine cold lettuce, scallions, mint, oregano and the reserved bacon. Toss with enough dressing to coat the lettuce, then top with the tomatoes, the croutons and a goodly shower of cheese.

Serves 4-6

Source: NY Times