Recipes By Lidey Heuck
187 recipes found
Cider-Braised Chicken Thighs With Apples and Greens
In this hearty one-pot dinner, chicken thighs are browned, then braised in chicken broth flavored with mustard, sage, garlic and a triple dose of apple: apple cider, cider vinegar and apple slices. The addition of a few handfuls of greens makes this a complete meal, in need of nothing else but a nice of hunk of bread to soak up the broth and perhaps a glass of dry white wine.
Pasta With Spicy Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Chickpeas
In this hearty weeknight pasta recipe, chickpeas contribute an earthy, nutty flavor to the classic combination of sausage and broccoli rabe. The addition of Parmesan, butter, and lemon juice just before serving balances the heat from the sausage with a bit of richness, creating a bright and flavorful sauce in the process. This pasta is incredibly versatile: You can use any sturdy greens or even broccoli in place of the broccoli rabe, and feel free to swap in whatever pasta shape and canned beans you have on hand. You can even substitute sweet Italian sausage or ground pork or turkey for the sausage in a pinch; add about 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes to give this dish its spicy kick.
Greek Salad
While diner-style Greek salads made with chopped romaine, crumbled feta and often grilled chicken have become ubiquitous in American restaurants, a traditional Greek salad, or horiatiki salata, is a simpler affair. An assembled salad of large-diced vegetables with Kalamata olives and sometimes capers, this salad has no greens at all, and the feta is served sliced on top of the salad rather than crumbled and tossed into it. A traditional Greek salad dressing usually consists of olive oil and red wine vinegar; this recipe adds garlic and oregano. To make the salad into a satisfying vegetarian main course, throw in a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas.
Cherry Tomato and White Bean Salad
This simple salad makes a bright, tangy companion to grilled meat or fish. Marinating the red onions and garlic in the vinaigrette for 15 minutes not only diffuses their flavor but also softens their bite. This salad travels well and would be an excellent choice for a potluck or picnic. It’s also supremely versatile, and can be dressed up with any soft herb like basil, tarragon or mint, and chile, in almost any form.
Creamy Vegan Polenta
While traditional Italian polenta is typically finished with butter and grated Parmesan, the porridge-like texture of simmered cornmeal makes for a dish that’s creamy and comforting without dairy. This recipe uses a few tablespoons of vegan butter (any kind will do) to lend richness, and substitutes nutritional yeast for Parmesan. Use the nutritional yeast sparingly: The right amount beautifully mimics the nutty, fragrant flavor of Parmesan, but use too much, and it can overpower. This dish is a versatile side, but can easily be turned into a main, like this creamy vegan polenta with mushrooms and kale, with the addition of sautéed or roasted vegetables.
Skirt Steak With Salsa Verde Salad
Salsa verde made with scallions, mint, parsley, capers and garlic becomes both the marinade for the steak and the dressing for the greens in this summery dinner salad. For extra smoky flavor, try grilling the romaine hearts (drizzle with olive oil and grill, cut side down, until lightly charred). Or, if you love bitter greens, substitute roughly chopped escarole leaves for the romaine.
Simple Syrup
A bartender’s staple that everyone should consider having on hand, basic simple syrup is made by heating water and granulated sugar together just until the sugar dissolves, then cooling the mixture to room temperature. Because sugar crystals don’t dissolve as easily in cold liquids as they do in warm or hot liquids, simple syrup is often used instead of sugar to sweeten chilled beverages and cocktails, such as lemonade, Arnold Palmers and daiquiris. This recipe may make more than you need for one batch of drinks, but any leftover syrup will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Baked Eggs With Kale, Bacon and Cornbread Crumbs
This Southern riff on bacon and eggs comes together quickly and with just a few ingredients. Using a store-bought corn muffin to make the toasted cornbread crumbs is a quick shortcut that gives this dish its star power. (Try using these crumbs as croutons in a kale Caesar salad, too!) Curly kale, collard greens, Swiss chard or a combination may be used in place of the Tuscan kale. For a vegetarian-friendly version, this recipe can be made without the bacon: Just sauté the garlic, onion and greens in 3 tablespoons olive oil, and add an additional 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Braised White Beans and Greens With Parmesan
Inspired by the Italian dish of sautéed puntarelle (an Italian variety of chicory) and white beans, this recipe makes a satisfying vegetarian main course or a hearty side dish for roast chicken or sausages. It opts for canned white beans, for the sake of weeknight convenience, and Swiss chard, which is much milder than puntarelle and easier to find in the U.S. Kale or escarole would also work well, if that’s what you’ve got. On that note, grated Pecorino Romano cheese gives the broth a more pungent element, but Parmesan will work in its place. Serve in shallow bowls with toasted country bread to mop up the garlicky broth.
Creamy Cauliflower Soup With Rosemary Olive Oil
This soup turns a short list of vegan ingredients into a sublimely silky soup. Infusing olive oil with fresh rosemary is a trick you’ll want to keep up your sleeve: The results are delicious brushed on roast chicken, drizzled over roasted winter vegetables or even just sopped up with a nice piece of bread. The croutons here are optional, but they transform an elegant and delicate first-course soup into a satisfying lunch.
Cheesy Baked Orzo With Marinara
A vegetarian weeknight pasta that’s as comforting as it is easy, this dish will win over adults and kids alike (red-pepper flakes optional!). While fresh mozzarella can become tough and chewy when baked, shredded low-moisture mozzarella melts beautifully. Serve this with a simple, lemony arugula salad or a Caesar salad for ultimate weeknight comfort.
Tuna Melt
Legend has it that the tuna melt was accidentally invented in the 1960s at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Charleston, S.C., when the cook didn’t notice that a bowl of tuna salad had tipped over onto a grilled cheese. We may never know if this story is true, but there’s no doubt that the tuna melt has become a classic American diner food. This recipe adds chopped cornichons and whole-grain mustard for a satisfying crunch and vinegary element. Extra-sharp Cheddar is a must, and as with grilled cheese, the key to achieving perfectly melted cheese and golden bread is to toast the sandwich over medium-low heat. If you prefer an open-face tuna melt, skip the top piece of bread and place the sandwich on a sheet pan under the broiler until the cheese melts.
Pasta With Cauliflower, Bacon and Sage
A comforting dinner for a cold night, this hearty pasta has all the makings of a crowd-pleaser like fried sage leaves, crispy bacon and nutty roasted cauliflower. This recipe demonstrates the magic of starchy pasta water: Swirled with lemon juice and Parmesan, it creates a luxurious sauce without the addition of cream or butter. Add more pasta water than you think you need, so the pasta stays moist as it absorbs the sauce.
Vegetarian Chili With Butternut Squash and Moroccan Spices
This Moroccan-inspired take on vegetable chili is not so much spicy as it is spiced, using ingredients you’re likely to have stocked in your pantry. In place of the same old kidney beans, this recipe uses butternut squash, cauliflower and chickpeas, making it a lighter, fresher update on the classic dish. Like any good pot of chili, this is even better reheated the next day.
Creamy Vegan Polenta With Mushrooms and Kale
While it may be difficult to imagine many classic Italian dishes without a generous sprinkle of Parmesan, polenta’s creamy nature means it’s easy to make without butter or cheese. Nutritional yeast, when used in moderation, mimics the nutty flavor of Parmesan, but use too much, and it can overpower. Just a tablespoon or two does the trick here, along with a few tablespoons of vegan butter. (You can use olive oil, but vegan butter works best to achieve the richness of traditional polenta.) The red wine braised mushrooms and kale take the place of meat, but the polenta would be equally delicious served with simply sautéed greens or roasted root vegetables. Leftover polenta can be reheated over medium-low with a splash of broth or water.
Roasted Fish With Romesco Salsa
Spanish romesco sauce is made by blending roasted red peppers, tomatoes, almonds, garlic, parsley and breadcrumbs into a smooth and smoky sauce. In this zippy weeknight recipe, the same ingredients are roughly diced to form a chunky and tangy salsa that’s spooned over simply roasted fish. Good-quality red wine vinegar can be substituted for sherry in a pinch. The bread and almonds are added to the salsa at the last minute so they retain a bit of their crunch. Serve this dish with sautéed greens drizzled with olive oil, and couscous or rice if you want more a little more heft.
One-Pot Smoky Fish With Tomato, Olives and Couscous
Flaky white fish and pearl couscous simmer together in a rich, smoky tomato sauce for a punchy one-pot dinner that comes together in just half an hour. The sauce relies heavily on pantry ingredients (think anchovies, roasted red peppers, crushed tomatoes and paprika); if you like more green on your dinner plate, a lemony arugula salad is a nice complement to the smoky flavors in this dish.
English Muffin Breakfast Casserole
This easy, make-ahead casserole makes creative use of classic breakfast ingredients like eggs, sausage, Cheddar cheese and English muffins. It’s a perfect no-stress centerpiece for a special-occasion breakfast: Simply assemble the casserole the night before and pop it in the oven before breakfast. Just remember to make sure to toast the English muffins until they’ve dried out a bit, which will help them absorb the egg mixture. For a vegetarian version, use vegetarian sausage or omit it altogether.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Muffins
While rhubarb works wonderfully in baked goods, baking strawberries into scones or muffins can be a little bit more of a challenge. Though delightfully sweet and fragrant when fresh, baked strawberries have a tendency to become watery and bland. This recipe solves that problem by macerating the diced rhubarb and strawberries with sugar before folding them into the muffin batter. Doing so not only draws out excess moisture from the strawberries, but also gets a head start on breaking down the fibrous rhubarb. This recipe calls for an ample amount of sugar, which balances the tartness of the rhubarb and helps create wonderfully browned and chewy muffin tops. Finally, the cornmeal in this recipe adds great texture and gives the muffins a rustic finish. Opt for medium-grind or stone-ground cornmeal, if you can find it, but fine cornmeal works well, too.
Asparagus-Potato Hash With Goat Cheese and Eggs
This colorful one-pan breakfast can be easily adapted to use up whatever vegetables you have in the crisper: Use shallots or yellow onion instead of leeks, or substitute green beans, snap peas or even broccoli for the asparagus. Just make sure everything is diced into 1/2-inch pieces so the vegetables cook evenly and quickly. Serve as part of an elegant brunch spread, with toast for a hearty (and vegetarian!) weekend breakfast, or eat it straight from the skillet with a glass of white wine as a quick, clean-out-the-fridge dinner.
Peaches and Cream Pie
This recipe is inspired by the fruit and cream pies at Briermere Farms, in Riverhead, N.Y., a fruit farm and bakery on the North Fork of Long Island. Here, a press-in graham cracker crust is swapped in for the traditional pastry crust, but otherwise the recipe stays true to the signature pie, with a giant mound of fresh sliced peaches concealing a lightly sweetened whipped cream filling beneath. Cream cheese acts as a stabilizer in the whipped cream, allowing you to assemble the crust and filling in advance — but once you add the peaches, the pie is best served within the hour. Perfectionists take note: This pie is a little messy, but that’s part of its charm. If you can’t find ripe, juicy peaches, this recipe is equally delicious made with fresh strawberries or blueberries. The quality and ripeness of the fruit is more important than the variety.
Chewy Peanut Butter-Marshmallow Bars
Classic cereal treats for the peanut butter fanatic, these marshmallow bars call for cornflakes instead of Rice Krispies, making for a wonderfully chewy-crunchy contrast. Cornflakes are delicate, so the key here is to avoid crushing the cereal too much when mixing the ingredients. The end result should be airy and chewy, but not dense, with visible chunks of marshmallow throughout. This recipe comes together quickly, so have your ingredients measured and ready to add to the pot when you begin. Once the chocolate topping has set, these bars pack well for picnics or potlucks, but if you’re concerned about the chocolate melting, you can skip it altogether and finish the bars with a sprinkle of sea salt.
Garlicky Caesar Dip
This dip is inspired by classic Caesar dressing, with plenty of garlic and anchovy to wake things up. (You can even make it dairy-free, if you like, by using vegan cream cheese, substituting 1/3 cup nutritional yeast for the Parmesan, and adding an additional 1/4 teaspoon salt.) Serve it with a platter of raw or lightly blanched vegetables sprinkled with sea salt and dig in. Leftovers make a killer spread on a turkey sandwich, or a stellar accompaniment to grilled steak.
Baked Crab Dip With Old Bay and Ritz Crackers
This crab dip is inspired by a recipe called “ritzy dip” from the “Three Rivers Cookbook,” a Pittsburgh community cookbook published in 1973, in which canned crab is mixed with cream cheese, topped with Ritz crackers and baked. Fresh lump crab meat is the star in this updated version, with lemon juice, scallions and plenty of Old Bay seasoning to spice things up. This recipe doubles easily for larger groups, and the whole thing can be assembled and refrigerated up to a day in advance before being baked.