Cauliflower Steak

From: Blue Zones Kitchen One Pot Meals by Dan Butner

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: I put less cherry tomatoes and no grapes. This recipe is basically roasted cauliflower. I am of the opinion that roasting vegetables makes delicious. This recipe is no exception. The spice blend was good,and the cherry tomatoes add a like, especially fresh out of the oven. It could be also that the tomatoes were extra delicious being fresh from the garden a few moments before. I didn't make the vinegrette. I don't think it needs it. I am a big fan of smoked paprika. 

Bean Risotto

From: Blue Zones Kitchen One Pot Meals cookbook

Ingredients:

Directions:

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Grade: This is a tasty recipe. I like the chewiness of the farro and the white beans. It makes a good combination much like beans and rice does. The flavor is good and not overpowering. I ended up putting a bit too much lemon, but even with that, it was tasty. I would make this recipe again. I used spinach instead of dandelion greens as that is what I had. I try not to have dandelions! I used dried oregano and thyme, but I always have fresh rosemary on my garden. I did oresoak the farro, but the package said I didn't need to if I cooked it 30 minutes. 

Mushroom & Walnut Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce

From: Blue Zones Kitchen One Pot Meals cookbook

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Hot Mama Grade: B

Hot Mama Notes: This recipe is a lot of work. I like the crock pot option. If I decide to make this again, I would choose that option. 

My youngest kid really enjoyed the taste of this spaghetti sauce, though he said it would taste better with ground beef in it, ha! My other kid at home who doesn't like mushrooms didn't really care for it. I thought it was OK. Way too much work for what you get. I doubt will be making this again. 

Spanakopita Pasta

From: Blue Zones Kitchen One Pot Meals cookbook

Ingredients:

Directions:

Hot Mama Grade: C-

Hot Mama Notes: This recipe was not that good, and it was a TON of work. And I had to buy a bunch of new ingredients to make recipes from this cook book. And I have every spice known to man and a very well stocked pantry and kitchen. And it wasn't tasty. I live Spanakopita, but I didn't feel like this recipe was a good representation. Sad! I had to substitute individual spices for herbs de provence. I had to buy wheat spaghetti, miso, tofu, nutritional yeast, and parsley.

I was excited to use my immersion blender. It worked well. 

Update: No one really liked this food, and I ended up throwing most of it away. What a waste of food, time, and energy. 

Wintermelon Boba

From my many boba experiences and nyt for reference

Ingredients 

Wintermelon tea, brewed

Heavy whipping cream 

Boba, cooked

Brown sugar

Directions

Cook boba per package directions. It was 15c of water for 1.5c boba. Boil water, add boba, wait for it to float to the top. Cover and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 min (I did 4). Then turn off heart and simmer 2 to 5 min (I did 3 I think). I removed the pot from heat as I have an electric stove that retains heat. Quench boba for 20 seconds in cold water then remove to dry bowl. Coat with simple syrup and wait a minimum of 30 minutes or a max of 5 hours, at room temperature only. No frig or they get hard. Instead of simple syrup, I added brown sugar (about a cup) to the water that came with the Boba from the quench bath.

I divided the Boba into 3 glasses, and put in the Wintermelon tea and cream along with alot of ice. Add in a boba straw and voila! Boba! 

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: the kids loved it! It was very delicious. Even making boba tea yourself is not cheap. I used an entire bag of 3-minute boba, and I think it was about 6 dollars. The Wintermelon tea brews up a large batch, and it freezes well. Heavy cream isn't cheap, either, but it is still much cheaper than going out to get boba! 🤣😁❤️😊

The Boba aren't sweet by themselves. And I thought I overcooked them as they were quite gooey coming out of the simmering water. But after sitting for 30 minutes, they firmed up to be a good consistency. 

Baked Salmon - Italian Seasoning

From: https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/best-easy-healthy-baked-salmon/#wprm-recipe-container-25580

Ingredients 

4 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each

▢2 tablespoons olive oil

▢½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

▢¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper, just a pinch if using finely ground black pepper

▢2 teaspoons minced garlic

▢1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning blend , OR herbs de provence, or ¼ teaspoon each dried thyme, parsley, oregano, and basil

▢1 medium lemon

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a large baking pan. Arrange salmon fillets on the baking sheet and season generously with salt and pepper.

Stir together olive oil, garlic, herbs, and juice of 1/2 lemon. Spoon over salmon fillets being sure to rub all over the tops and sides of the salmon so it has no dry spots. Thinly slice remaining 1/2 of lemon and top each piece of salmon with a slice of lemon.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until salmon is opaque and flaky when pulled apart with a fork. You can broil the last 1-2 minutes if desired.

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: This recipe was really tasty. I like the Italian seasoning! 

Shortbread Jammers

From nyt

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: I used all regular flour as I had no rice flour. These are super tasty and easy to make. Buttery goodness! Yum! I used roots brand raspberry vanilla jam. Deliciousness. The blueberry lavender jam would also be an excellent choice.