Recipes to Try While You’re Staying Safer at Home

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Our team shared some of their favorite comfort food recipes.  If you try one of them, let us know how it goes! Or if you have a favorite be sure to send it our way, we’d love to try.

 

1. Arroz con Gandules
  • 1 cup of rice
  • 1.5 cups of water
  • 1 packet of Sazón Goya “con culantro y achiote”
  • 1 can of pigeon peas (gandules)
  • 1 TBSP canola oil
  • 4 oz tomato paste
  • 1 cup red sofrito (find at Cermak)
  • Add adobo seasoning, cilantro, and garlic to taste
  • 1/4 pound country ham (optional)
  • 1/4 cup chopped green olives (optional)
  1. Heat oil in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ham to pan; cook until brown, about 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in sofrito; cook, stirring occasionally, scraping up brown bits from bottom, about 5 minutes. Add sazón, garlic, cilantro, adobo, cook for about 30 seconds.
  3. Add rice to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until coated in oil and toasted, about 1 minute.
  4. Stir in pigeon peas, tomato paste, olives and 1½ cups water; using a wooden spoon, stir once and bring rice mixture to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until water is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Gently stir rice from bottom up.
  5. Lower heat to medium low and cook, covered, until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.

2. Cranberry & Apple Salad

  • 1.5 c fresh cranberries, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp champagne vinegar (Or whatever tasty balsamic is on hand)
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 c olive oil
  • 1/2 c chopped walnuts
  • 1 large apple, chopped
  • 1/4 c green onions, sliced
  • 1/4-1/2 c goat cheese, to taste
  • romaine lettuce or spinach mix
  1. In a small bowl, combine cranberries and sugar. Cover and refrigerate a few hours to overnight.
  2. Whisk lime juice, vinegar, honey, salt & pepper.
  3. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly.
  4. Toss the salad with the dressing and garnish with cranberries, walnuts, apples and cheese.
  • large bundle curly green or purple kale
  • 1-2 Tbsp melted coconut or avocado oil
  • Seasonings of choice (i.e. pinch sea salt, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp curry powder, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast, etc. // measurements listed per 1 large bundle kale)
  1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (107 C). Use convection bake if you have it to speed cooking time and help chips crisp up even more.
  2. Rinse and thoroughly dry kale, then tear into small pieces and discard any large stems.
  3. Add to a large mixing bowl and drizzle with oil and seasonings of choice. Toss thoroughly to combine, using hands to distribute the oil and seasonings evenly.
  4. Spread the kale over 2 large baking sheets (use fewer or more if adjusting batch size), ensuring the kale touches as little as possible to help them crisp while baking.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the pans around and lightly toss/stir kale to ensure even baking. Bake for 5-10 minutes more, or until kale is crispy and very slight golden brown. Watch closely as it can burn easily.
  6. Remove from oven and let cool slightly – chips will crisp up even more once out of the oven.
  7. Enjoy immediately! Best when fresh. Store leftovers covered at room temperature for 2-3 days

 

  • 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
  • 2 cups (454g) warm water (110°F-115°F)
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast or instant yeast
  • 1 cup (227g) sourdough starter, ripe (fed) or discard; ripe will give you a more vigorous rise
  • 7 cups (843g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup (43g) Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons, 57g) butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid), optional; for enhanced sour flavor
  • semolina or cornmeal, for coating
  1. Combine all of the dough ingredients, except the cornmeal/semolina, in a large bowl.
  2. Mix and knead — by hand, electric mixer, or bread machine — to form a smooth dough. The dough should be soft and elastic, but not particularly sticky; add additional flour if necessary.
  3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and set it aside to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it’s noticeably puffy. For most pronounced sour flavor, cover the bowl, and immediately place it in the refrigerator (without rising first). Let the dough chill for 24 hours; this will develop its flavor.
  4. Gently deflate the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, cover it, and let it sit for a few minutes, to relax the gluten. Divide the dough in half. Working with one piece at a time, roll 1/2″ thick, and cut in 3″ rounds. Re-roll and cut any remaining scraps. Repeat with the remaining half of dough.
  5. Alternatively, divide the dough into 24 pieces (total). Shape each piece into a round ball, then flatten each ball into a 3″ round. For a somewhat more even rise as the muffins cook, flatten each ball slightly larger than 3″, and trim edges with a 3″ cutter (or trim all around the edge with a pair of scissors). Muffins with cut (rather than flattened) sides will rise more evenly.
  6. Place the rounds, evenly spaced, onto cornmeal- or semolina-sprinkled baking sheets (12 per sheet). Sprinkle them with additional cornmeal or semolina, cover with plastic wrap, and let them rise until light and puffy, about 45 to 60 minutes. If the dough has been refrigerated overnight, the rise time will be about 2 hours.
  7. Carefully transfer the rounds (as many as a time that will fit without crowding) right-side up to a large electric griddle preheated to 350°F, or to an ungreased frying pan that has been preheated over medium-low heat.
  8. Cook the muffins for about 10 to 12 minutes on each side, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a muffin registers 190°F. The edges may feel a bit soft; that’s OK.
  9. Remove the muffins from the griddle, and cool on a rack. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for 4 or 5 days; freeze for longer storage.
6.  Bon Appetit Bruleed Maple Pumpkin Pie

  • 1 cup sweet unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sweet creamy peanut butter (do not use reduced fat versions – I use Jiff or Peter Pan brands)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar or 1 cup light muscovado sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Have ready at least 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
  3. Cream butter until smooth.
  4. Add peanut butter and both sugars and beat until combined well.
  5. Add egg and beat well.
  6. Stir in flour and baking soda gradually until well combined.
  7. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
  8. Using a meatball scooper or a spoon, scoop out small portions of dough and drop onto parchment lined cookie sheets, leaving 2″ gap between each cookie.
  9. Bake for about 15 minutes or until cookies are just firm around the edges- don’t overbake- if you wait until they are brown on top, they will be too hard.
  10. Slide parchment sheet, cookies and all, carefully off pan and onto your counter, set a new piece of parchment paper onto your baking sheet and repeat until all dough is baked.
  11. Meanwhile, as the next batch bakes, remove baked cookies from the parchment and let cool completely on wire racks.
  12. Wipe off the crumbs from the old sheet of parchment and you can reuse it for your next batch.
  13. These will keep about 3 days stored in a cookie tin (for crisp cookies) or an airtight plastic container (for softer cookies).
  • 2 cups frozen blueberries
  • 1 frozen banana
  • ½-1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk (or for extra creaminess use Unsweetened Almondmilk Cashewmilk Blend Vanilla)
  • ¼ cup or 5-6 leaves of fresh basil
  • 3 Tablespoons 2% plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  1. Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Start with ½ cup of almond milk and add more if needed to reach the desired consistency.

 

9. Cheesy Popovers

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Cheddar
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons minced chives
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  1. Special Equipment: 24-cup mini muffin tin
  2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and melted butter. Whisk in the flour and salt and fold in the cheeses and chives until evenly incorporated. Cover batter and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  4. Put a mini muffin pan on the middle rack in the oven to warm for 10 minutes.
  5. Remove muffin tin from oven (careful, hot!) and pour the batter into the cups of the hot tin, filling almost to the top. Lightly sprinkle with cayenne. Bake the popovers until crisp and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Kabobs

  • 2 lbs. Chicken Breast (cut into large bite-size pieces)
  • 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
  • 3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Pepper

Tzatziki Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt
  • 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
  • 3 Garlic Cloves (finely minced)
  • 1 large Cucumber (peeled, grated, and squeezed to release water from cucumber)
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill (chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon Salt (or more to taste)
  1. Cut chicken breast into large bite-size pieces.  In a medium bowl, make the marinade by mixing Greek Yogurt, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, oregano, spices, and red wine vinegar.
  2. Toss the chicken in the marinade and refrigerate and let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes – 2 hours.
  3. Once the chicken is marinated, thread the chicken on the skewers. Add peppers and onions, if so desired.
  4. Preheat the grill to a medium- high heat. To ensure the chicken kabobs don’t stick to the grill, lightly brush the grill with olive oil
  5. Cook until chicken registers 165 degrees, about 6-10 minutes, turning at least once.
  6. In a medium bowl, mix together Greek Yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, cucumber, dill, and salt. The key is to squeeze out as much water from the grated cucumber as possible. I used Fage 2% Greek yogurt but the fat-free version works well too.
  7. Taste for seasoning and salt accordingly. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  8. Serve with warmed Naan bread and a Greek Salad.
  • 2 pounds chicken breast, fat removed
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 fresh jalapeños, seeded and diced
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 cans green chilis (4.5 ounce)
  • 1 cup salsa verde
  • 2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed (15 ounces)
  • 1 (32 ounce container) of chicken stock
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons season salt, garlic salt or salt based cajun seasoning
  1. Place the chopped onion, diced and seeded jalapeno peppers, and minced garlic in the bottom of your slow cooker.
  2. Top with Chicken breast and spices.
  3. Add undrained cans of green chills and salsa verde.
  4. Add the cans of drained and rinsed white beans and chicken broth.
  5. Let mixture simmer on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
  6. Before you serve, remove the chicken breast and shred, add the shredded chicken back to the crock pot.
  7. Squeeze lime juice into the soup and sprinkle season salt, stir, and let simmer an additional 20-30 minutes.
  • 1 cup Split Pigeon Pea (Toor dal) washed
  • 2 cup Spinach (Palak) chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
  • 1 Green Chili Pepper sliced (optional)
  • 1/2″ Ginger finely chopped
  • 4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
  • 1 Tomato large, chopped
  • 3 cups Water
  • 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne or Red Chili powder

Instant Pot Method

  1. Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode and heat oil in it. Add cumin seeds, green chili, ginger and garlic.
  2. Saute for 30 seconds until garlic turns golden brown, then add chopped tomato and spices.
  3. Add the lentils and water. Stir well. Press CANCEL and close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position.
  4. Press MANUAL or Pressure Cook mode for 3 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, do a quick pressure release.
  5. Open the lid and add chopped spinach and garam masala. Press SAUTE mode. Simmer for 2 minutes until the dal starts boiling and spinach is mixed with the lentils.
  6. Spinach dal is ready to be served.

Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method

  1. Heat oil in the pressure cooker on medium-high flame. Add cumin seeds, green chili, ginger and garlic.
  2. Saute for 30 seconds until garlic turns golden brown, then add chopped tomato and spices.
  3. Add the lentils and water. Stir well.
  4. Cover the lid, turn the heat on high flame and pressure cook it until your hear two whistles. Turn off heat and let the pressure release naturally.
  5. Open the lid and add chopped spinach and garam masala.
  6. Turn stove on and simmer for 2 minutes until the dal starts boiling and spinach is mixed with the lentils.
  7. Spinach dal is ready to be served.