Recipe Roundup: April Edition
This month is kind of a wacky month for my recipe roundup because three of these recipes come from one cookbook: Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem: A Cookbook*. I have a complicated relationship with this cookbook. I love it because everything that I make from it comes out so well, the pictures are beyond beautiful, and the recipes are truly inspiring, but I also find it challenging because many of the recipes include obscure ingredients that, truthfully, I am not willing to drop lots of money on to possibly use just once before they go bad. So I have started adapting when I use the book and so far that has worked out pretty well!
Spinach Salad with Pita, Almonds, & Dates from Jerusalem
Replaced the pita with matzah for Passover. So, so good. Crunchy, satisfying, great balance of salty and sweet. And since it was made with sturdy baby spinach, even though it was already dressed, the leftovers even worked the next day! Note: this recipe calls for sumac, which I happened to have, otherwise I would have used another dried herb in its place such as basil, oregano, or thyme.
Make Again? Definitely! With pita, next time!
Butternut Squash with Tahini Dressing from Jerusalem
This recipe was awesome! First of all, it was super easy to make (did you know you can roast butternut squash without peeling it?! Hello, time-saver!). Second, the tahini dressing was simple to throw together and everyone loved it. The dressing recipe definitely makes more than you need for the dish, so I would recommend using it sparingly and then saving the leftovers for salad dressing.
Make Again? Absolutely! I think this will become a fall/winter staple in our house!
Fried Cauliflower with Tahini Dressing from Jerusalem
I roasted, instead of fried, the cauliflower and didn’t use sunflower oil or pomegranate molasses (because, what?!). I also skipped the green onions because I didn’t have any. Again, the tahini dressing recipe makes way more than you need, so just save the leftovers for other salads. I did a lot to adjust this one and will likely blog the adapted recipe soon because even with all the changes it was delicious! The grown-ups at the table were falling over themselves for this. One of my kids was super into it because of the tahini dressing, the other one not so much.
Make Again? Definitely! In fact, just thinking about it makes me want to add it to my meal plan for next week…
Lavender-Lemon Cake from Eat Real Live Well
This cake was AMAZING. Really, really amazing. I used my go-to yogurt cake recipe as the base, but subbed in some almond flour to add a little more nutritional heaft and density, sort of like a coffee cake. It was so, so good.
Make Again? FOR SURE! I think I might even make it for my own birthday cake next month.
Calzones from The Kitchn
Instead of using my go-to pizza dough recipe for my calzones this time, I decided to use the thin crust pizza dough recipe recommended in the recipe and I actually think it made a big difference. The crust was nice and crunchy along the edges, but soft in the pocket. Added bonus: you don’t need to allow for rising time if you don’t have the time to do that, so it can become a pretty simple weeknight meal.
Make Again? YES!
* This is an affiliate link, which means is that if you were to purchase this cookbook through this link The Balanced Kitchen would receive a small percentage (with no added cost to you!) of the sale price. Thanks for your support!
