I developed a love of cooking in college and it’s grown even stronger over the last few years. There’s something about cooking that’s so relaxing to me, and trying new recipes has become a great creative outlet. I typically try to cook one new recipe a week, although when life gets hectic or I’m feeling particularly exhausted it sometimes ends up being more of a biweekly thing. I find recipes through a variety of sources, but mostly using Pinterest, cooking blogs, and my collection of cookbooks. I wanted to be sure that I could link all of the recipes I’m sharing, so all of the recipes below were sourced from Pinterest and some of my favorite cooking blogs.
I know everyone’s looking for ways to occupy their time and de-stress while we’re social distancing, so I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite recipes I’ve tried over the last couple of months. These are all recipes that I’ve personally made and loved! I’ve linked each recipe below and included some notes about tweaks I made or tips I found helpful. Keep reading for a list of recipes I tried and loved in February and March!
Bangin’ Good Shrimp from Skinnytaste
Guys, this recipe is a GAME. CHANGER. If you’ve ever had Bang Bang Shrimp, you know how delicious it is. This recipe is lighter take on the classic Bang Bang Shrimp, but it’s just as delectable. Since I first made this recipe I’ve made it pretty consistently because it’s so easy and the sauce is straight up addicting. The recipe calls for lettuce wraps but I’ve now made this with lettuce wraps, over rice, and as regular tacos so the sauce is definitely very versatile. The tacos were my favorite but every variation I made was delicious. I eliminated the scallions from the original recipe because I have a weird thing about the texture of them, but I’m sure it’s delicious with them too!
Brussels Kale Caesar Salad from Pinch of Yum
This is one of those recipes that I know I’m going to make over and over again. I’ve been trying to make an effort to make my own salad dressing more often because I’m always in the mood for different types but I don’t exactly have the fridge space to store 7 different bottles of salad dressing at once. I was SO excited when I saw this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs, Pinch of Yum. Kale caesar salads are my FAVORITE but I feel like they never taste as good at home. Enter this recipe. It takes less than 5 minutes to throw together and it’s seriously delicious. I ditched the cheezy croutons for the sake of time and used all kale instead of a mixture of kale and brussels, but other than that I kept everything the same. I’ve found that it tastes best if you let the dressing rest on the kale for 10-15 minutes before eating so it can really settle in. I can’t recommend this one enough!
Zucchini Meatballs from Skinnytaste
I just made these for the second time earlier this week and can confirm that they are insanely delicious. This recipe really nails the meatball taste and texture without all the meat. They’re great on top of spaghetti with some marinara but honestly just as good on their own. Darian even suggested trying them with some tzatziki to add more of a Greek flair, so I might try that next time. This is one of the more time consuming recipes on the list, but it’s definitely not complicated – just takes a bit more time! If you’re short on time, you can grate the zucchini and store in an airtight container a day or two beforehand. Tip: if you’re like me and don’t keep Italian breadcrumbs on hand, you can use 1 cup of bread crumbs + 1/2 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes + 1/2 tsp black pepper + 1/2 tsp garlic powder + 1/4 tsp dried oregano + 1/4 tsp dried basil to create your own!
Magnolia Table Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins from Modern Glam
I seriously cannot stop making these banana muffins. It’s gotten to the point where I buy bananas, immediately leave them on the counter, and count down the days until they’re brown enough to make banana muffins. The recipe is super easy to make and you probably have most of the ingredients in your cabinet already! They’re a great texture and keep incredibly well – although they usually only last about a week in our house before they’ve all been gobbled up. I’m not a fan of sugar on the outside of muffins so I omitted the extra granulated sugar, but other than that this recipe is perfect as is. I always pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds before eating so the chocolate chips get nice and melty!
Three Cheese Baked Ziti from Pinch of Yum
This is by far the most complex and time-consuming recipe on this list, but let me tell you, it was SO WORTH IT. I’m very picky about my baked ziti and I was amazed at how great this recipe was. The key is to use mascarpone cheese instead of ricotta – it’s much creamier so it keeps the ziti from getting that dry texture that sometimes comes with ricotta. I left the pancetta out of the sauce to make it vegetarian and used all mozzarella cheese instead of a combination of mozzarella and provolone because I already had lots of mozzarella in the fridge! Other than that, I kept everything the same and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. The recipe makes a full 9×13 pan, so it can feed a large family or make plenty of leftovers if you’re making it for one or two people. I found that it tasted just as good reheated as it did fresh!
Meal Prep Shrimp Burrito Bowls by Gimme Delicious
I’ve seen several variations of meal prep shrimp burrito bowls and last month I finally decided to give one a try. I’m so glad I chose this recipe because it was as delicious as it was simple! I made this for dinner as opposed to meal prep so I can’t speak to how well it keeps, but I can say that it was the perfect quick weeknight dinner. I roasted the peppers in the oven at 425 for 20 minutes rather than cooking them on the stove because I prefer the taste of oven roasted peppers, but other than that I pretty much followed the recipe exactly. The real winner in this recipe is the shrimp – it’d be great in tacos or as part of a shrimp and grits dish, too!
One Serving Cookie Dough from Savory Experiments
I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t agree that chocolate chip cookie dough is better than actual chocolate chip cookies. I stumbled across this recipe by chance and decided to try it out one night when I was craving cookies but didn’t feel like baking and now I want to make it ALL. THE. TIME. I’ve tried many eggless cookie dough recipes but this is the first one I’ve found that actually tastes exactly like my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. It takes less than 5 minutes to whip up and it’s just one serving, so you don’t have to worry about getting carried away and eating 10 cookies worth of dough. Make sure you read the tip about microwaving the flour for food safety purposes!
Vegetarian Sushi Bowl from Cookie and Kate
I found this when I was looking for some new lunch ideas and I just happened to have most of the ingredients on hand. I’ve made sushi bowls before but they were never quite right, and now I know why – it’s all about the rice seasoning. I was really surprised at how well the combination of flavors satisfied my sushi craving without the incorporation of fish! This recipe is the perfect quick lunch and the combination of rice and veggies is enough to keep you full for a while. It’s also really easy to tweak depending on what veggies you have on hand. Just make sure you don’t forget the spicy mayo – it’s the perfect finishing touch!
I’m definitely going to be making all of these recipes again in the future, and I encourage you to try them out too! Since I’m always trying new recipes, I’ll probably try to make these recipe roundups a regular installment on the blog. If there’s a particular category or roundup you’d like to see, let me know in the comments!
