• Avpullen on December 13, 2013

  The humour is a little over the top but the recipes are solid. I have a lot of favourites from this book - try the 'Not Humdrumsticks' and the 'Unbeleafable Spinach Salad'.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Chili chili bang bang [Spicy, stew-like, loaded vegetarian chili]

  • Tezzy on February 06, 2018

    A meatless chili, jam-packed with a great variety of filling goodness.

• Rockin' Moroccan stew [Moroccan vegetable stew with sweet potatoes, chickpeas and ginger]

  • Tezzy on February 06, 2018

    Probably my favourite meatless main course dish. Very hearty. Very satisfying.

  • NathalieS on May 29, 2017

    I have cooked this recipe many times and it is always a hit with the family, even with the meat lovers!

• A penne for your thoughts [Penne pasta with bacon, mushrooms, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes]

  • Tezzy on February 06, 2018

    A favourite in our house. It is in our standard rotation.

• Chunky avocado salsa

  • Tezzy on February 06, 2018

    Delicious. We use for dipping tortilla chips. Always a hit.

• I got stew babe [Chicken stew with balsamic roasted vegetables]

  • SenseiHeidi on February 07, 2021

    I thought this had a nice flavor and creamy texture. Subbed frozen green peas for the beans. I served the stew with buttered "egg" noodles for an extra hearty dinner. Next time make a crunchy salad/slaw to go with it.

• Kickin' chicken [Spicy baked chicken in a super-simple and extra-flavorful peanut sauce]

  • averythingcooks on July 11, 2018

    Such a simple idea but with a couple of jars in the fridge and some fresh basil, a delicious dinner served over rice can be ready in no time on a busy night.

• Lasagna with Mex appeal [Layered Mexican tortilla casserole]

  • averythingcooks on July 11, 2018

    I've made this a ton of times and just realized I've never commented on it. Cut in half, it is a great dinner for 2 with lunch leftovers for both of us (very much a priority in this house). I do add the cooked meat from 2 Italian sausages (usually 1 hot & 1 sweet) which of course takes it out of the meatless realm but that, with a mix of red, yellow and orange peppers and only black beans in the filling really makes a delicious (and relatively quick to make ) tortilla pie.

• Slaw & order [Classic creamy coleslaw for picnics and potlucks]

  • averythingcooks on August 12, 2019

    This was a good version of coleslaw dressing but I'm not sure it beats Dorie Greenspan's. This one included some grainy Dijon that I would consider adding to hers.

• It's only brocc 'n' bowl [Creamy broccoli and cheddar soup]

  • averythingcooks on December 14, 2019

    This is a "passable" (I am struggling to find the right word here) broc & cheese soup but I currently have 3 other recipes I would choose over this one. I think that I'm not keen on the addition of the dried thyme & dried tarragon and it certainly needed salt at the end. I also added some hot sauce and a good squeeze of fresh lemon. I will happily take it for lunches until it is used up but probably won't make it again.

• Pizzazzy pizza sauce [Traditional tomato-and-herb pizza sauce with pizzazz]

  • averythingcooks on July 03, 2020

    I have always freestyled pizza sauce (using red wine) as needed but I decided to try a recipe for a larger amount. This is a lovely rich sauce (I used canned crushed tomatoes in place of tomato sauce) and although I am not really a fan of dried basil I did like the use of the balsamic vinegar & brown sugar. In addition to using it on last night's pizza, I also froze that equivalent amount and 2 smaller containers for mini- pizzas. This I will probably make again.

• A lotto enchilada [Flavor-packed chicken, black bean and corn enchiladas]

  • averythingcooks on July 26, 2020

    I made a lovely Rick Bayless enchilada sauce with dried chilis but then came here for the very veggie forward filling. I used 1 smallish oven roasted chicken breast with lots of veg (grated carrots, chopped yellow onion, diced red & orange pepper, the corn off 1 cob, a bunch of diced pickled jalapeños, chopped scallions, black beans etc. Our dinner came together beautifully and was delicious.

• Cookies for rookies [Peanut-butter, oatmeal and chocolate-chip cookies]

  • averythingcooks on February 19, 2021

    These are good but certainly not the best version I've ever made. The one change was that I used regular peanut butter (not light). We will happily finish them (because.....cookies!) but a doubtful repeat with so many better ones out there.

• Grocery cart chicken chili [Zesty, high-fiber chicken chili topped with cheddar cheese]

  • averythingcooks on July 11, 2018

    This is a really tasty one pot dinner. It is easy to halve and when I make it, I sub out the beans called for (red & white kidney) for one can of rinsed chick peas. I make lots of different & certainly more authentic chilis but this "beanie chicken pot" makes a lot of appearances and it freezes well in lunch sized portions.

• The thigh who loved me [Easy-to-make, extra-tasty, oven-barbecued chicken thighs]

  • averythingcooks on August 03, 2020

    I just wanted a simple pan of boneless skinless thighs where I could do most of the prep this am and then throw them into oven after a full afternoon and this absolutely fit the bill. Fancy? Complex? No to both ...... but T just said “that chicken was really good” :)

• DisKEBOBulated beef skewers [Succulent grilled sirloin skewers for beef lovers]

  • averythingcooks on December 12, 2019

    This balsamic, mustard, garlic and fresh herb marinade is delicious! I used a thick, 1 lb striploin cut into large cubes for the 2 of us and served the meat with roasted little potatoes and a green salad with blue cheese vinaigrette. My husband grilled the skewers to a perfect medium rare and we just had an absolutely delicious dinner. As a side note .....if you are put off by the Looneyspoons writing style (kinda goofy recipe titles etc), get past that - the majority of recipes are really good!

• A wok in the pork [Stir-fried pork tenderloin, vegetables and pineapple chunks in a sweet-and-sour sauce]

  • averythingcooks on August 14, 2019

    This was a nice stir fry using pork tenderloin. I did use red & yellow peppers in place of the green pepper and used an equivalent amount of carrots + broccoli (rather than all carrots). I also had around a cup of crushed pineapple tucked in the freezer and topped up its juice with cider vinegar and a good squirt of sriracha for extra tang & heat. Served over steamed noodles it was a tasty and quick cooking (having done all the prep earlier in the day) dinner.

• Stir crazy [Orange-ginger pork stir-fry with broccoli and peppers]

  • averythingcooks on September 22, 2020

    This was a lovely little stir fry! I had a small piece of pork tenderloin and various veg to use up and so came here. The only change to the sauce was that I used apricot jam in place of the marmalade (which I do a lot). I used a combination of veg (red onion, match stick carrots, broccoli, red & yellow peppers, some hot peppers and a handful of peas). I served it with thin noodles and we both scraped our bowls clean.

• Beijing beauty [Asian-glazed, grilled pork tenderloin]

  • averythingcooks on January 25, 2018

    Nice weeknight dinner - I seared the pork in a cast iron skillet then finished it in the oven basting with the sauce often. Nice juicy pork with a tasty glaze - but next time I will probably add a good squirt of siracha to the sauce.

• Someone pasta meatballs! [Italian sausage and beef meatballs]

  • averythingcooks on June 23, 2020

    Looking to try a new version of meatballs from my books lead me here. I cut it in 1/2 and I followed it pretty closely except for a hot sausage in place of mild and I used 2% milk. I also tend to oven bake my meatballs rather than pan fry so 20'ish minutes at 400 was perfect. They did suggest measuring out the meat in 1/3 cup portions to then make 2 meatballs per portion.....these were a little big for my purpose (meatball subs) so a generous tbsp was a better choice. They are very tasty!

• The ladle in red [Everyone's favorite classic beef chili]

  • averythingcooks on February 23, 2020

    I was looking for a simple but flavourful ground meat chili and this was a great choice. I did use a mix of ground beef and ground pork and added the meat of a large chorizo sausage. I used a mix of red, yellow and orange peppers and a mix of navy and black beans from the freezer. I make lots of different chilies (some very complex) but this was exactly what I wanted for Saturday's dinner.

• Spud light [Very simple, very delicious roasted mini red potatoes and onions]

  • averythingcooks on August 16, 2020

    I made a 1/2 recipe to serve with our steaks tonight. I used a mix of fresh rosemary & thyme and a generous amount of minced garlic. I did microwave my mix of tricolour baby potatoes for a few minutes to help jump start the oven roast and finished with some extra balsamic & salt. Feta would have been a great addition but even without it, was a delicious side.

• Marla's maple pork [Roasted pork tenderloin drizzled with a flavorful maple and orange sauce]

  • NathalieS on May 29, 2017

    It was simple & enjoyable. Easy meal to prepare.