Last week we ran Food editor Kelly Brant's favorite recipes of 2015. This week brings staff and reader favorites.
These are the recipes we considered the best of the year. They are the ones that received the most positive feedback, lost copy requests and raves by tasters in the newsroom.
This navy bean and ham soup makes a delicious, warming lunch on a cold winter day.
Navy Beans Navarre
3 cups dried navy beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups diced cooked ham
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped onion
2 carrots, chopped or julienned
2 bay leaves
2 (16-ounce) cans diced tomatoes in liquid
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon ham soup base, such as Penzeys OR Better Than Bouillon (see note)
Salt to taste
Hot sauce, optional
Soak beans overnight. Drain.
Traditional method: In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add ham, garlic, onion, carrot, bay leaves, tomatoes and pepper. Saute until vegetables are soft. Stir in beans, broth and soup base. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until beans are tender, adding broth as necessary, about 1 1/2 hours.
Pressure cooker method: In an 8-quart pressure cooker, heat oil. Add ham, garlic, onion, carrot, bay leaves, tomatoes and pepper. Saute until vegetables are soft. Stir in beans, broth and soup base.
Lock lid in place and bring to full pressure over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, just to maintain pressure and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let pressure drop naturally. Once all steam is gone, open lid.
Discard bay leaves. Season to taste with salt. If desired, serve soup with a dash or two of hot sauce.
Makes about 12 servings.
Note: Look for soup base on the aisle with the canned stock and broth. If you can't find it, add a couple of chicken, beef or ham bouillon cubes instead.
Recipe by Joe Riddle
From Front Burner: Cozy navy bean soup melds ham, vegetables, published Jan. 14.
These chocolate and coconut sweets rival the real thing.
Almond Joy Treats
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk (preferably not a light version)
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
About 1 pound shredded unsweetened coconut
¾ cup almond butter
12 ounces dark chocolate chunks
1 tablespoon coconut oil
In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, sugar, agave nectar and vanilla and simmer until slightly darker and condensed, about 30 minutes. Let cool.
Stir in coconut and almond butter. Form mixture into balls and place onto a cookie sheet. Freeze on cookie sheet for at least 15 minutes, until firm.
Melt chocolate chunks and coconut oil together in top of double boiler or microwave. Dip each coconut ball in chocolate; let rest on counter or in refrigerator until the chocolate coating sets.
Yield will vary depending on the size of the balls.
Recipe by Katie Doherty
From Idea Alley: Oat muffin options: Sweet or breadlike, published Feb. 11.
For a quick weeknight dinner the whole family will love, it's hard to beat tacos. This version calls for ground beef, but ground turkey or chicken work well too.
Sloppy Tacos
1 ½ pounds ground beef sirloin
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce (see note)
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt (see note)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
½ cup diced avocado
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
4 tablespoons sliced black olives, well drained
12 taco shells, warmed according to package instructions
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Stir in the tomato sauce and spices. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. To serve, fill each taco shell with ¼ cup of beef mixture, some diced avocado, shredded lettuce and black olives.
Makes 6 servings.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home
From Cooking With Diabetes: Sauce, spices make quick tacos sloppy, scrumptious, published March 11.
This strawberry twist on banana pudding was a favorite with everyone who tasted it.
Strawberry Pudding
48 Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies (2 packages)
1 ½ pounds strawberries, hulled and sliced, plus more for serving
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream
Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with half of the cookies. Layer the sliced strawberries over cookies and around the perimeter of the dish; set aside.
In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer.
In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk and mix until smooth.
In a third bowl, beat heavy cream to stiff peaks.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and gently mix to combine. Pour mixture over the cookies and strawberries. Using rubber spatula, spread to smooth. Cover with the remaining cookies. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with additional sliced strawberries, if desired.
Makes 24 servings.
Recipe adapted from foodnetwork.com
From Strawberry soiree by Kelly Brant, published May 20.
"If, like me, you wish they made Nestle Crunch bars in dark chocolate or dreamed of a bittersweet chocolate Hershey's Krackel and that those candies had a whisper of peanut butter, this recipe is your answer," wrote Brant in June.
Chocolate Crunch
Vegetable oil spray or butter, for coating dish
1½ pounds bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
4 cups crisped rice cereal
Coat a 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray or butter; set aside.
In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Add the peanut butter and honey and stir until smooth.
Place the crisped rice cereal in a large mixing bowl. Pour in chocolate mixture and, using a heat-safe rubber spatula, gently stir to thoroughly coat cereal in chocolate mixture. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth top.
Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 2 hours.
Cut into 1½- to 2-inch squares.
Makes about 45 pieces.
Recipe adapted from Mast Brothers Chocolate: A Family Cookbook by Rick and Michael Mast via Tasting Table
From Front Burner: Dark chocolate treat fills gap in candy bars, published June 3.
In an effort to save money and eat less meat without feeling the cut, Brant created this taco filling that was an immediate hit at her house and with readers.
Beef and Quinoa Taco Meat
1 small onion, finely diced
½ red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 hot chile pepper, seeded and minced
½ pound ground beef
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 cup cooked quinoa
Water, as needed
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the onion, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper with the beef, breaking the beef into crumbles, until the vegetables are tender and the beef is no longer pink. Drain off fat. Stir in taco seasoning and quinoa and cook just until heated through. If mixture seems dry, add water a tablespoon or so at a time to create desired texture.
Makes enough to fill about 12 taco shells.
From Front Burner: Beef-quinoa tacos cut cost, keep taste, published July 29.
We originally enjoyed this vegetarian taco filling as soft tacos, but found it is equally good as a crunchy taco.
Lentil Soft Tacos
Vegetable oil, for stove-top method
1 onion, diced
2 cups dried green or brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
2½ tablespoons taco seasoning
2 to 6 cups warm vegetable broth, depending on cooking method
Warmed corn or flour tortillas
Desired toppings such as cilantro, diced tomatoes, crumbled cheese, sliced avocado and/or salsa
Editor's note: We prepared this recipe using the stove-top method.
To prepare on the stove-top: Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion until it softens and begins to brown, about 6 minutes. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Cook until spices are fragrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute. Add 4 cups of the vegetable broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, adding more broth as necessary until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Uncover lentils and cook until mixture thickens, 6 to 8 minutes.
To prepare in a slow cooker: In a 4-quart slow cooker, combine the onion, lentils, taco seasoning and 2 cups vegetable broth. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours or high for about 3 hours, or until lentils are tender, but not falling apart.
Serve stuffed into warmed tortillas with desired toppings.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Recipe adapted from 5 Ingredients or Less Slow Cooker Cookbook by Stephanie O'Dea
From Making more with less by Kelly Brant, published Oct. 7.
Staff and readers alike raved about this roasted turkey with the funny name.
Spatchcocked Turkey
1 turkey or turkey breast
Olive oil or melted butter
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Lay turkey breast side down on a work surface. Using poultry shears, remove backbone by cutting along both sides beginning at the tail end. It will take some force to cut through some of the bone; be sure to have the bird on a steady work surface.
Set backbone and any giblets aside for stock or gravy.
Open up the turkey and use the tip of a knife to score alongside the keel bone (the dark oblong bone in the middle of the breast). This makes it easier to flatten the bird.
Cut away any large pieces of fat and excess skin. Remove only the skin that is not covering flesh.
Turn breast side up.
Using the heel of your hands, press firmly down on the breast. You should feel and hear a crack as the breast bone breaks.
If working with a whole bird, pull the thighs outward so the turkey lies flat, with the wings facing inward. Tuck the wing tips under to secure.
Place the turkey on a sturdy rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle turkey with olive oil or melted butter. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Roast, rotating sheet halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the bird reaches 165 degrees, 1 to 2 hours depending on size of turkey. Let stand 20 to 30 minutes before carving.
From Front Burner: Spatchcocking bird trims roasting time, published Nov. 25.
Vegan baked goods can be a bit, um, lacking. But these cookies were a hit with vegans, omnivores and self-described cookie monsters.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cran-cherry Cookies
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
6 tablespoons warm water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup coconut oil, softened but not melted
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole rolled oats
¾ cup cherry-flavored dried cranberries
¾ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking mat.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, combine the flaxseed and water. Mix on lowest speed until well emulsified. Let stand several minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
To the bowl with the flaxseed mixture, add the coconut oil, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix on medium-high speed until well combined.
Gradually add the flour mixture. Mix on medium-high until the dough is smooth and sticky. Stir in the oats, cranberries and chocolate chips. Chill dough 15 minutes.
Shape dough into walnut-size balls or drop dough by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of space for the cookies to spread.
Bake 8 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Recipe adapted from loveandlemons.com
From Cookies for everyone by Kelly Brant, published Dec. 2.
Food on 01/06/2016