1. Salted Coffee Brownie Cookies
Jesse Szewczyk / BuzzFeed
I first came across these cookies when they popped up on my Instagram explore feed and instantly became my new FOMO cookie. The picture was stunning with perfect flakes of salt and a crinkly texture — I knew I had to make them.
The recipe is actually quite interesting (and unlike the usual cookie-making method). You melt a ton of chocolate with some butter, then combine that with eggs, brown sugar, instant coffee, baking powder, and just the ~tiniest bit~ of flour. The batter comes out super soft, almost like cake batter, but firms up in the fridge. As they bake, you give the sheet pan a few taps to deflate them and create crinkles, and they come out super fudgy, soft, and chewy — like a meringue meets a brownie meets a cookie. I absolutely loved the texture and will definitely be making them again. — Jesse Szewczyk
Get the recipe here.
2. Sweet Potato and Spinach Breakfast Skillet
I am in LOVE with this sweet potato skillet for breakfast! It's from the Goodful Healthy Eating Challenge, and it's such a filling, quick, and easy meal for busy mornings. I didn't have spinach, so I used shaved brussels sprouts instead, but most greens would probably work as a good substitute. AND it's really balanced and nutritionally sound — lots of protein, carbs, and fat. 👌— Arielle Calderon
Get the recipe here.
3. Mexican Skillet Lasagna
While I cannot say with certainty that this qualifies as either "lasagna" or "Mexican," I can tell you that it's delicious. I made it after my coworker Tom recommended it, and it didn't disappoint. There's basically no prep work involved; you just open a few cans/containers and dump things into a pot. (This is my favorite type of recipe!) It comes together so quickly (it's GREAT for weeknights) and the leftovers hold up really well (another thing that is very important to me). It's also pretty cheap! I mean honestly, just a win all around. Definitely recommend!
(Note: I made it with twice the amount of chorizo because it was available by the pound, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to have four ounces per serving instead of two. I just added a bit more water to the pot to account for the increase in meat.) — Rachel Wilkerson Miller
Get the recipe here.
7. Honey Garlic Shrimp With Cauliflower Rice
Hannah Loewentheil / BuzzFeed
I often find that recipes labeled "20-minute meals" actually take significantly longer, but this quick-marinated shrimp was done in about 20 minutes flat. The marinade calls for honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and olive oil, and it's so tasty. I make shrimp a lot at home, and it's easy for it to turn out bland, but this recipe is anything but. While the shrimp marinated for 15 minutes, I roasted some broccolini (but you could choose whatever veggies you like best), and I sautéed some quick cauliflower rice with garlic and scallions. Once done marinating, it takes about 3 minutes to cook the shrimp. Throw it all together, and it's an easy, foolproof weeknight meal that I'll be definitely be making again. — Hannah Loewentheil
Get the recipe here.
8. Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry
I had a bunch of veggies I needed to cook, so I whipped up this fast and delicious stir fry using stuff from my fridge!
First, press some extra firm tofu, cube it, and toss it in a few tablespoons of cornstarch. Then stir fry the tofu in a few tbsp of grape seed oil on pretty high heat until golden brown and remove it from the pan. Add additional oil, if needed, and stir fry about half a head of chopped broccoli, one large carrot cut into thin strips, and half a yellow onion, thinly sliced.
While that's cooking, mix up a really easy sauce with a few tablespoons of spicy peanut sauce, soy sauce, grated ginger, and red pepper flakes (adjust it to your liking! If you want it a bit sweeter, add a little bit of honey.) Once the veggies are cooked, throw the tofu back into the pan, toss in a big handful of baby spinach, and pour on the sauce. When the spinach wilts and the sauce thickens, it's good to go! Perfect on its own or over a bed of rice or quinoa. — Cates Holderness
9. Pistachio Rosewater Cake With Labneh Frosting
Jesse
I'll admit, I'm a sucker for anything with pistachio and rose. Literally my Instagram feed if filled with things garnished with them both — so when I came across this recipe from Molly Yeh's new cookbook (which is actually entirely about yogurt) I knew I had to make it.
The recipe itself has a good amount of ingredients in it, and ones that aren't necessarily the easiest to find. I found luck by hitting up my local spice shop for everything. I picked up a bottle of rosewater, some rose petals, and some almond meal (just make sure the rose petals you get are culinary grade — you can get some here).
Making the cake is easy: It's a single layer topped with a simple frosting — but because this is a YOGURT cookbook, the frosting is made with labneh. Labneh is just a fancy word for super thick yogurt (even thicker than Greek yogurt) and makes a frosting that tastes kind of like cream cheese frosting, but lighter. Basically all you have to do is take regular ol' Greek yogurt and place it in a strainger lined with cheesecloth overnight. The excess water will strain out and you'll have labneh!
As for the taste, the cake is subtle with just the slightest hint of rose. I had it for breakfast with tea and will certainly be making it again. — Jesse Szewczyk
Get Yogurt by Molly Yeh here.
And here's the recipe:
Pistachio Rosewater Cake With Labneh Frosting
INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
11⁄2 cups roasted unsalted shelled pistachios
3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
11⁄2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons rosewater
For the labneh frosting:
11⁄2 cups labneh
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon rosewater
1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
Dried rose petals, for topping
PREPARATION
Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper; set aside. Place the pistachios in a food processor and pulse until they’re coarsely chopped. Scoop out 2 tablespoons and set them aside for the topping. Blend the remaining pistachios until they’re finely ground. Add
the flour, almond meal and salt and pulse a few times to combine. makes one 9-inch cake
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then add the lemon zest, almond extract and rosewater. Add the dry mixture and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the pan and use a spatula to smooth the top. Bake the cake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (begin checking for doneness at 50 minutes). Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the labneh frosting: In a medium bowl, stir together the labneh, sugar, rosewater, vanilla and salt until the mixture is smooth. Cover the top of the cooled cake with the frosting. Top with the reserved pistachios and a few sprinkles of dried rose petals. Enjoy!
Reprinted with permission from Short Stack Editions Vol. 32: Yogurt, by Molly Yeh
