I forgot to gift it, my apologies.
Vegan chickpea noodle soup (no gift link 
) with tiny stars, garlic chives instead of yellow onion, and a liberal amount of crushed red pepper. I like my soup veggies to be very chunky. Nine times out of 10, I will choose soup for dinner. Delicious, fast, easy. Coconut milk would be welcome.
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Gift link for @digga’s delicious dinner.
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I love this recipe! Have subbed tofu and plant-based “chicken,” added mushrooms, and once incorporated some frozen artichoke hearts. Always gets good feedback.
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HALLOUMI CHICKEN PARMESAN WITH ZA’ATAR
I was intrigued by the promise of one of my favorite dishes with a different flavor profile. It was easy, and the sheet pan technique and halloumi worked really well. But the sauce was not a hit around here, the allspice just tasted weird, and I didn’t really get anything from the zaatar.
I can’t find a free version online, so briefly:
Make sauce: olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, a big can of diced tomatoes (should have used crushed), 1 tsp each cumin and allspice, salt and pepper. Simmer 20 min. I used a potato masher to break up the tomatoes and didn’t add cream as directed.
4 small or 2 big halved b/s chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2” thick. Flour, egg wash, then panko with zaatar (per comments, I used about 3/4 C and 1 T respectively and that was just enough). Pan-fry till almost cooked through.
Sheet pan: spread about 1/3 sauce, add chicken, top with rest of sauce and 8oz grated halloumi (freezer for 1 hr before grating). Broil on low, 8-12” from heat, 10min.
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Bummer. I can offer a gift link anyway.
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Allspice is one of those bully flavors.
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I remade this with some changes. No cream at all. No shallot - garlic instead. Used Costco black garlic and cheese ravioli instead of tortellini. Skipped the lemon juice and just did the zest. So, basically, a completely different recipe! 
But crispy prosciutto remained, along with the peas, for a fast and satisfying dinner.
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ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH HOT HONEY AND LIME
This recipe reminded me that of all the chicken parts, I least prefer bone in thighs. I may try this again with either BSL thighs or wings. As it is, the best flavor and crispiness is in the skin and the skin to meat ratio isn’t enough for me. I was wishing for the paprika lime mayo that accompanies the paprika and potato recipe that’s one of my favorites, and then I realized I’d just prefer that recipe altogether over this one. The skin was good though, as evidenced by the photo.
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Yeah, that’s a good way to describe it. Mint is a bully too.
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That it calls for 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp allspice seems way too much in proportion for the “bully” flavor to me. I have the same reaction to more than a small amount of nutmeg in savory recipes.
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Even in sweet!
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Thank you.
No problem. I am glad you posted about it.
CHICKPEA PICADILLO
So this recipe caught my eye recently. We love chickpeas and I had some tofu lingering in my fridge. I bought canned tomatillos - never used them before. I only did 1 pepper and it definitely needs more. With an eye to the comments, I added cumin, cinnamon, bay leaves, raisins, RW vinegar, and olives (all from the regular picadillo recipe). It definitely needed all of those extras and I’m confused why this recipe didn’t include those if they’re more traditional seasonings. This would have been super bland without them. I really like the meaty texture of the tofu and the mushrooms - even the color looks meaty and there is a heft to this you don’t often get with vegetarian recipes. I would make this again with more pepper.
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I’ve found many NYT recipes to be on the bland side, using fewer traditional/authentic ingredients and those that are included are often called for in lower quantities. To the point where I often double most of the seasonings.
As for tomatillos, I try to buy them in the few weeks they are available from only a few vendors in local Massachusetts farmers markets, peel and rinse, then char stove top and freeze. Second choice is doing the same with supermarket tomatillos, when available at the few places ever. Third is to buy canned, drain, rinse, and char stove top just to enhance flavor, because they are already overcooked.
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I almost always read the comments before making any NYT recipe. They’re generally helpful, but of course seasoned cooks like us who know how stuff is supposed to taste will adjust the quantities according to their personal preferences anyway.
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This sounds right up-my-alley. I’ve saved it to my recipe box. Thanks for writing this up and for the sage cooking tips.
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Yeah, I really like the idea, just needed some tweaking. It needed a good amount of salt too. But the basis of the recipe is a good one.
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