Brussels Sprouts Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

After eating a lot of bread carbs over the last week, I was in desperate need of some healthy eats. I found this raw Brussels sprouts salad by The Real Food Dietitians and was excited by the ingredients.

Full disclosure: I made some substitutions to use what I had at home but I don't think they drastically changed the flavors or result of the salad.

This recipe makes a hella ton of salad and is good for a large group of people or a party. I made the full recipe and had a lot leftover. And Brussels sprouts are a hearty vegetable with plenty of chew compared to arugula or spinach. If you want to make a smaller amount for 4 people or less, I suggest cutting the ingredient amounts by half.

I highly recommend buying a bag of shredded Brussels sprouts. I think it's really worth it in this case. (Thank you, Trader Joe's!) Since Brussels sprouts are small, shredding them yourself can be time consuming and I don't love that my food processor leaves small chunks behind with the shredder attachment.

I had turkey bacon in the fridge and used that instead. I cut up the turkey bacon into small strips so they got evenly crispy in the oven. Since the bacon will start to get soft once the salad and dressing are mixed, I cooked the bacon until it was very crispy.

For the dried cherries, I also recommend using tart cherries if you can get them. I think they add a nice balance to the bacon and Brussels sprouts. Trader Joe's had three dried cherry options to choose from including tart Montmorency cherries.

I love pecans and already had some. I also think they go great with dried fruit. So, I used rough-chopped pecan halves instead of almonds.

Clockwise: red onions, turkey bacon, pecans, dried tart cherries
(shredded Brussels sprouts underneath)

The recipe calls for 1 cup of sliced red onions and I thought it was a little to much. While I like red onions, I would cut back to 1/2 to 3/4 cup the next time I make this. And to take out some of the bite, soak the sliced onion in cold water while the bacon cooks. Then, drain and pat dry with paper towels when ready to add to the salad.

For the citrus vinaigrette, I used an average sized naval orange and am guessing that it had a little more juice than a small orange that the recipe calls for. I used a Meyer lemon instead of the regular lemon variety since they are in season. I also added about a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest because why waste it?

Vinaigrette ingredients

The vinaigrette recipe calls for 3/4 cup of olive oil, but I only used 1/2 cup. I could taste the extra virgin olive oil in the dressing and didn't want it to get too oily or overpowered by an olive flavor. Last, I used Dijon mustard since I didn't have any yellow mustard. I ended up with exactly 1 cup of vinaigrette after my modifications. I thought the dressing was good, but I think I prefer an all-lemon dressing for more tang and brightness to the salad. And I'd leave out the shallots, since the salad already has a lot of red onion, and use garlic instead.

I skipped the optional goat cheese to be healthier, but I may include it another time.

I thought there's a good ratio of bacon, nuts, and cherries in each bite. There's very little chopping involved in this salad, especially if you get pre-shredded Brussels sprouts. The vinaigrette is the most complicated part of the recipe! I'll definitely make this again.

My Rating (out of 5): 4

11.6.2017 Update: Decided to add my recipe version below which makes a smaller amount.

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette Recipe

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 12 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:

• 4 slices of turkey bacon
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion 
• 10 oz. package of shredded or shaved Brussels sprouts
• 1/3 cup dried tart cherries, unsweetened (such as Montmorency cherries)
• 1/3 cup pecan halves, toasted and rough chopped

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 1/2 small orange, juiced
• 1/2 tsp. orange zest
• 1/2 Meyer lemon, juiced (regular lemon can be substituted)
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. dried thyme, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• Kosher salt and black pepper 

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Chop the uncooked turkey bacon in to small splices. Spread pieces in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread pecan halves on a separate small baking sheet. Place both baking sheets in the oven on a rack placed in the middle. Toast the pecans for 3-5 minutes, making sure to watch that they don't burn. Cook the bacon for 12 minutes, until very crispy.

When the pecans are toasted, let cool. Then, roughly chop the pecans and set aside.

While the bacon is cooking, slice the red onion and soak in a bowl with cold water. This helps remove some of the bite.

While the bacon is cooking, also make the vinaigrette. Whisk all of the vinaigrette ingredients, except the olive oil, together in a small bowl. Drizzle the olive oil in a slow stream while constantly whisking to emulsify the vinaigrette. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set aside.

Once the bacon is cooked, set bacon on paper towels to drain excess grease. Also drain the red onions and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the Brussels sprouts in a large bowl with turkey bacon, red onion, cherries, and pecans.

Add 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette immediately before serving and toss to coat well. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper as needed.

Silky Cauliflower Soup

I was in the mood for some healthier food when Smitten Kitchen posted a silky cauliflower soup that she likes to make. The recipe is by Dave Lieberman, and since Deb gave it an endorsement, I gave it a try.

What the recipe has going for it is that it's super easy to make, has only a few ingredients, and I thought the texture had a nice silky feel like the name describes. I also like that there isn't cream or whole milk which keeps the soup light. It's a nice option for lunch or dinner when you don't have a lot of time and you likely have most of the ingredients at home. But with the simple ingredients, the flavors are straight forward and aren't going to have a big wow factor.

(Note, I didn't make the Parmesan crisps mentioned in the recipe.)

After the cauliflower cooked through

I used Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, which has strong flavor, and regular chicken stock instead of a low-sodium version. While the cauliflower and cheese flavors come through, the soup can be one-note without other ingredients to build more flavor. Some reviews called the soup bland. But when I think of bland, I think a dish may need more seasoning with salt and pepper. This recipe doesn't specify an amount of salt and pepper so I added enough to suit my taste.

Soup blended to silky texture with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

The soup could benefit from more flavors by adding celery, using leeks, or adding cayenne. But it's not a terrible option if you need to make something in a jif.  I also made raw Brussels sprouts salad to serve with this soup which you can find out more about here.

My Rating (out of 5): 3

Twice-Baked Butternut Squash with Parmesan Cream and Candied Bacon

I made this Epicurious recipe for Thanksgiving and I think this is going on the menu every year. The candied bacon hazelnut bits are EVERYTHING! You'll want to put it on other things too.

I usually shy away from recipes with multiple components and techniques, especially for Thanksgiving. Some of the techniques I've never attempted before at home...also not a good idea for Thanksgiving. But, this recipe just appealed to me and it's the holidays after all.

The dish wouldn't be the same without the candied bacon-hazelnut. Unless you hate hazelnuts, I wouldn't substitute with another nut. Hazelnuts are what make the candied bits delicious.

Melting sugar from this...

to this.

Cooled candied bacon-hazelnut

All of my squashes were done roasting within 40-60 min, so check on them periodically so they don't get too soft. It's important for the large squash to keep its shape especially after you scoop out the flesh to make shells. You can see where one half of my large squash cracked/split

Also, my large squash gave up a good amount of liquid. This made my filling a little too wet and it leaked around the edges of the shells. So, start with less cream when mixing the filling and add more cream as needed depending on how much liquid your squashes have.

Combining filling ingredients (excluding chives)

Mixed filling with chives

I used Parmigiano-Reggiano which has strong flavor. But another type of Parmesan can save a bit of money.

Ready for a second bake

The only issue I had was with the whipped cream. I made the cream & cheese mixture the day before and chilled overnight so I could save time on Thanksgiving. The mixture was thick when I took it out on Thanksgiving to whip. It quickly overwhipped at medium-high speed and I didn't have any heavy cream left to try to save it. I didn't want to waste it, so I used it as a "butter" topping and dotted pieces of it on the tops with the bacon & hazelnuts.

Whipped cream mixture after overnight refrigeration

This is an indulgent dish with all the cream and cheese but great for dinner parties, holidays or special occasions. There aren't any special ingredients but it looks impressive!

My Rating (out of 5): 5

Twice-Baked Butternut Squash with Parmesan Cream and Candied Bacon
Source: Epicurious

Yield: Serves 6-8
Active time: 45 mins
Total time: 2 hours, 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1 large (about 5 pounds) and 1 medium (about 3 1/2 pounds) butternut squash
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan (about 3 ounces), divided
• 3 strips bacon (about 3 ounces)
• 4 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped hazelnuts
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons chopped chives, divided

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut both squash in half lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Transfer cut side down to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Poke outside of skin all over with a fork, then roast until flesh is very soft, about 1 1/2 hours for large squash and about 1 hour for medium squash.

Meanwhile, heat 1 cup cream in a medium pot over medium until just beginning to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in 1/4 cup cheese and cook, whisking, until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl and chill until very cold, about 45 minutes (do not freeze).

Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels, reserving bacon fat in skillet. Let cool, then finely chop.

Spread 3 Tbsp. sugar in a thin layer in the center of a medium dry skillet. Cook over medium heat, mostly undisturbed (it's ok to swirl pan gently to get sugar to melt evenly), until sugar melts and starts to turn light brown, about 6 minutes. Quickly stir in bacon and hazelnuts and cook, stirring, until coated and melted sugar is chestnut brown, about 1 minute more. Scrape onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread out to cool, then finely chop.

Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Using a spoon, scoop flesh out of large squash into a large bowl, leaving a 1/2" border around squash shell to help maintain its shape. Transfer large shells to a rimmed baking sheet; arrange a few pieces of crumpled foil around shells to keep them upright. Scoop flesh out of medium shells into same bowl (you should have 6 cups squash); discard medium shells. Using a potato masher or spatula, mix in salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1 Tbsp. reserved bacon fat, and remaining 1 cup cream, 3/4 cup cheese, and 1 Tbsp. sugar until smooth. Fold in 2 Tbsp. chives. Divide filling between large squash shells, then create attractive swoops with a spoon. Bake squash until warmed through, 20–30 minutes.

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed or a whisk, whip chilled cream to medium peaks. Chill until ready to use.

Dollop squash with whipped cream, then top with candied bacon bits and remaining 1 Tbsp. chives. Serve extra candied hazelnut-bacon bits on the side.

Do Ahead
Squash shells can be filled (not baked) 2 days ahead; cover and chill.

Green Bean Casserole Recipe

Green bean casserole is a staple for my Thanksgiving table. Growing up, my family made this using a recipe from the side of a can of Durkee (now French's) fried onions that included canned cream of mushroom soup and canned green beans. To make it fancy, we'd use canned French-cut green beans. The beans were a bit mushy, but I loved it and never made it any other way.

When I was planning for Thanksgiving a few years ago, I came across a green bean casserole recipe that made all the components from scratch. I hadn't planned on using a new recipe but decided to try it. While I didn't do everything from scratch, it was delicious and pretty easy. I've been making it from fresh ingredients since (except the fried onions).

I still like to use store bought fried onions because I really don't like frying. I use French's Crispy Fried Onions (original flavor) or Trader Joe's Gourmet Fried Onion Pieces. I was told by a Trader Joe's employee once that this item is seasonal and they have it in the fall around Thanksgiving. But I can always find French's at the grocery store year round.

I also prefer using haricot verts because they are more tender, thin, and less stringy, but of course regular green beans can be used.

While I'm nostalgic about the recipe from my childhood, this recipe is now my go to for this casserole. Having just made this for this year's Thanksgiving, I decided to write up the recipe.

Green Been Casserole Recipe

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 50 mins
Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 pound fresh haricot verts, trimmed and halved
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 package of cremini mushrooms (10 or 12 oz.), cleaned and thickly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth or stock
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 1/3 cup store-bought fried onions, divided in half

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 tablespoons of salt while you prepare the other ingredients.

Blanch the haricot verts for 2-3 minutes until crisp tender. Drain and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and set aside.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to give up some liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, stir to combine, and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute while whisking to smooth out lumps. Add the half-and-half and cook until the mixture thickens, whisking if there are still lumps, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the haricot verts and 2/3 cup of fried onions. Transfer mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with the remaining 2/3 cup of fried onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Make ahead tip: Cook the green beans and mushroom sauce. Mix the beans in the sauce but do not mix in the fried onions yet. Transfer to a baking dish and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, set the dish out on the counter for about 20 minutes to let it come to room temperature. If the mixture seems thick, add a little chicken stock or half-and-half to loosen the sauce. Mix in 2/3 cup of fried onions, top with the remaining onions, and bake.

Cauliflower Tikka Masala

I wish I could say that I have some logic or method for selecting recipes to try. But I don't, and I even boggle myself on why I decide to try something. Vegetarian Gastronomy's Cauliflower Tikka Masala recipe is one of those instances.

I like chicken tikka masala but have never been inspired to make it, even after I finally added a number of spices to my pantry that are used in Indian cooking. But for some reason, I saw the cauliflower version through PureWow's turmeric guide and got inspired. I think I was drawn to another way to cook cauliflower, the recipe looked very doable, and I already have most of the ingredients.

When I'm inspired to make a dish, I usually do a web search to compare recipes and try to find more authentic recipes. Not this time. So, I realized after I was in the middle of making this that it is actually a vegan recipe that uses coconut milk instead of heavy cream. Not a bad thing and I was pretty pleased with how it tasted.

One hesitation I had about this vegan recipe was that it includes red bell pepper, which I didn't see as a common ingredient in non-vegan tikka masala recipes. So I'm not sure what was behind using red bell pepper...texture, flavor, personal taste? Reason for my hesitation is because I dislike bell peppers, especially the green ones. I don't like their flavor and I think their taste lingers well after a meal. But, I don't avoid eating a dish that has them and will eat around the peppers if I have to. And if I actually eat them, I'd rather eat red or orange ones that are roasted or cooked down because they are slightly sweeter. I'm very happy to say that the bell pepper flavor was mild in this dish. Maybe because it was blended up.

I passed on the optional cashew cream. And I don't have mustard seeds and left that out because I hate buying spices for one dish. I also don't think it's necessary to grate the ginger since it goes into the blender anyway, so I just minced it to save time and have one less tool to wash. 

Blended sauce returned to pan with spices added

Cauliflower added in

I served this with yummy jasmine rice to mix with all that good sauce. Finishing the dish with fresh cilantro really finishes the dish. Overall, I liked this dish quite a bit and would make it again. It can be a main dish or a side. I'd probably try it with cream and leave out the bell pepper to see how the flavor of the dish changes.

Cauliflower tikka masala served over jasmine rice

My Rating (out of 5): 4

Cauliflower Tots Recipe

Remember when no-carb diets like Atkins and South Beach were "in" several years ago and cauliflower mash was all the buzz as a mashed potato substitute? Well, these days with vegan, gluten-free, and grain-free diets, I see cauliflower getting renewed attention as a substitute for pizza crust and rice. And Trader Joe's has gotten in on the trend by selling packaged cauliflower "rice" (frozen and fresh).

I picked up a 1 lb. bag of fresh cauliflower "rice" because I wanted to try it but wasn't sure how. Of course, making my own cauliflower rice would be less expensive. But I like the idea of buying a pre-chopped bag because I think the cuts would be more even, and I didn't want to risk some of the cauliflower turning into paste or puree at the bottom the food processor.

A few days later, a recipe for cauliflower "tater" tots came across my email, and I serendipitously had all the ingredients at home already. This recipe is baked, not fried. Nor is it grain-free or vegan. I made some modifications to accommodate what I had on hand.

The tots bake with a nice outer crisp but the inside is soft with the cauliflower giving a little bite just like a tater tot. I love having fun with food and this would be great for parties.

Cauliflower Tots Recipe

Time: 10-15 minutes prep; 55 minutes cook
Yield: Makes about 52 tots (about 6 servings as an appetizer or side)

Ingredients

• 3 cups cauliflower rice, uncooked
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• Nonstick spray
• 1 bunch of scallions, minced
• 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly whisked
• 1 large egg white, lightly whisked
• ¾ cup panko bread crumbs

In this photo, I'm using a jalapeño instead of ground cayenne pepper.
And the parm cheese is not pictured.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high hat. Sauté the cauliflower rice for 2 to 3 minutes, and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Most of the cooked cauliflower should have lost its opaque white color but not mushy. And the salt helps pull out some of the moisture. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cooled, press the prepared cauliflower rice with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to absorb excess moisture. Transfer to a large bowl.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it generously with nonstick spray. The spray and contact with the baking sheet is what gives the tots color. If you don't have nonstick spray, use a vegetable oil to coat the parchment paper.

Add the scallions, parsley, cheese, garlic powder, cayenne, egg and egg white; mix to combine.

Add the panko bread crumbs and mix to combine. Season with salt and black pepper. If the mixture does not bind well when forming the tots, add more bread crumbs as necessary. I needed more bread crumbs and eyeballed about 1 tablespoon more.

Scoop 2 teaspoons of the mixture and form it into a cylindrical shape. (If you want larger tots, 1 tablespoon works but I wouldn't go any larger than that. And of course, you'll end up with a fewer number of tots.) To shape the tots, I found that making a fist around the mixture helped the mixture stick together. I pressed the ends to flatten them out. Then, I lightly rolled the tot in my palm to smooth any bumps. Keeping my hands wet with water kept the mixture from sticking to my hands. I rewet my hands every 3-4 tots. This was the most time consuming part of the recipe. (I wonder how the mixture would work pressed through a large round piping tip into long strands that can be cut in to tot size.)

Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the mixture has been used. Spray the surface of the tots with nonstick spray or brush with a vegetable oil.

Bake for 17 to 20 minutes until they’re golden brown on the bottom. Flip the tots and bake 10 to 15 minutes more to get the other side all golden. Serve warm, with your favorite dipping sauce. Ketchup really adds to the tater tot taste and an aioli makes it gourmet for a party.

Cooking notes: When I first made these, I had half of a jalapeño pepper left over from another dish, so I used that instead of cayenne so it didn't go to waste. I deseeded and deveined the jalapeño and finely chopped it. The tots were not spicy from this amount of jalapeño, so using cayenne pepper adds more heat. I also only had 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and used 1/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano to make up for missing cheese. So you can adjust the amount of cheese to your liking and use other cheeses.

If you want the color of the tots to be less green, you can use less scallions. There were 10 scallions in the bunch I used, so you can really see them throughout. As the tots bake, they flatten a bit on the baking sheet but the shape holds up for the most part.

I love how these turned out and couldn't stop eating them because they are bite size!

Mashed Potatoes with Kale

I know some people have kale fatigue and are sick of hearing about it, but I still enjoy it. So I was very intrigued when I found this Mashed Potato with Kale recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.

I made this dish for the first time for Christmas yesterday and it smells and tastes great! Don't let the kale fool you...I wouldn't call this a healthy dish with all the mascarpone, Parmesan, and butter.

Mascarpone cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano, kale, onions, garlic, unsalted butter

I didn't have enough butter for all of my dishes so I left the butter out when boiling the potatoes (just added butter in the assembly steps). I only had regular chicken stock instead of low-sodium chicken broth, so I cut back the Parmesan to 1/2 c., salt to 1 tsp and black pepper to 1/2 tsp in the assembly steps so the dish wasn't too salty. And it just seems like a lot of salt in the recipe to me, so it's always easier to add salt than take out.

Sweating onions & garlic

Adding cooked kale to mashed potatoes  

The result was creamy mashed potatoes with a twist of texture from the kale. I thought it was still very flavorful even though I cut back on some of the salty ingredients. This recipe makes a LOT and I think you can get more like 8 servings out of it. I took some of the leftovers and divided into big scoops of individual servings, then froze them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Once frozen, I placed them all into a freezer bag. Updated note: I reheated the servings I wanted in a microwave straight from the freezer and thought they were still pretty good for frozen food.

My Rating (out of 5): 5

Snap Pea and Cucumber Salad

With a hot summer still going strong, I wanted a new, no-cook dish to get my veggies in.  I also like simple.  I had no particular vegetable in mind and just randomly looked online and this salad spoke to me.

Snap Pea and Cucumber Salad from Giada De Laurentis

This recipe is so easy to make and is super fresh with the sugar snap peas and dill.  The dressing is very simple and flavor really comes from the lemon juice and zest.  It brings out the brightness and fresh flavors of the vegetables rather than overwhelm.  

I've had dill in dishes, but I don't think I've ever cooked with dill before.  So this salad appealed to me as an opportunity to do so.  This recipe uses a good amount of dill with 1/4 cup.  I think dill has a lemony & mild flavor so it wasn't too much.  And most of the dill ends up sticking to the plate rather than making it to your mouth, so you want a lot to taste the dill.  

Persian cucumbers are great because they really don't have any seeds and require less chopping because of their petite size.

I wanted a little more dimension to the salad so I added cubed ricotta salata cheese.  It's similar to feta in texture but has a milder flavor and is not as salty.  I first had this cheese in a salad at an Italian restaurant and really liked finding an alternative to feta.

I never really noticed dill's flavor before, so I'm glad I tried this salad & hope to learn of more ways to use it.

My Rating (out of 5): 3

Parmesan Fennel Gratin

I'm slowly accepting that fall is here so I'm getting into all the root vegetables and squashes available right now.  I wanted to do something with fennel, and with a quick search, I picked out Ina Garten's Parmesan fennel gratin on Food Network's site.

Ina Garten's Parmesan Fennel Gratin

I like that the fennel is oven-braised in chicken stock and white wine to soften the vegetable.  The anise or licorice flavor of raw fennel becomes very mild as the fennel cooks.  So if you're not a fan of raw fennel, I suggest trying this preparation at least once before swearing off fennel entirely.

Using panko crumbs for this is key to get a nice, crunchy topping.  Each time I make this, I may bake the dish for more or less time than the recipe suggests to make sure the topping gets golden brown and toasty and the fennel is tender they way I like.  To get maximum topping coverage and crunch, I prefer to lay the fennel down on one of the cut sides rather than with the pointy end facing up.  This way there's more surface to hold the topping.  All the wedges don't end up fitting in one baking dish but I don't mind baking in two dishes at the same time.

I noticed a difference between the Food Network video and the written recipe on how much salt to use.  In the video, Ina uses 1 tsp of salt and makes a larger batch than the written recipe.  So I used 1 tsp of salt for 3 fennel bulbs instead of 2 tsp stated in the written recipe.  I thought 1 tsp was fine since the chicken stock and Parmesan cheese also add salt to the dish.

Even though there's Italian parsley in the topping, I also chop some of the green fennel fronds and sprinkle over the top before serving to add some fresh color.  Great dish for an everyday meal or even Thanksgiving.

This is from the first time I made this recipe.  My kitchen lighting is terrible so color tone isn't captured they way I'd like.

My Rating (out of 5): 4

Roasted Edamame

If you put a bowl of boiled or steamed edamame pods sprinkled with salt in front of me, I'd be a happy girl.  I love these beans just with salt.  But when I saw this PureWow recipe for roasted edamame, I wish I had thought of it sooner.

Roasting the edamame helps dry out water, making the pods not as soggy or mushy as they become when boiled.  What I really liked about this PureWow recipe is the lemon zest.  Roasting with the lemon zest really added a nice zing to the flavor.  I didn't have pimenton (smoked paprika) so I just sprinkled regular paprika which still gave this dish a slightly smoky flavor.  I can only imagine how good it would be with smoked paprika.

I will definitely make this again.  Next time, I'll lay the thawed edamame on a towel to drain more water before roasting, or roast for longer than the recipe suggests to get more char and color on the edamame.

My Rating (out of 5): 4