Kestrel's Reviews
229 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title | Date | Rating | Recipe Title 
Website: Smitten Kitchen
This recipe is easy but I found it labour intensive. After oven-roasting vegetables, cooking grains, grating cheese, and sautéing onions and garlic, it then comes together quickly and is baked in the oven. If I make this again I would make some of the components ahead. I subbed quinoa for the rice and used a mixture of good quality cheddar and smoked mozzarella as the cheese and also increased the cheese somewhat. I found this was a nice way to eat zucchini and it had a very mild flavour that probably most people would enjoy. Could be eaten as a brunch, lunch, or dinner dish. While this recipe was fine, I probably won't make again.
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The Lighthearted cookbook
By Anne Lindsay
Key Porter Books Limited - 1988
Very good muffins. I used cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg as the spices, and omitted the raisins.
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Website: David Lebovitz
This cake comes together quickly and is delicious. Like the previous reviewer, I didn't use the glaze (which I'm sure would be very good), opting to sprinkle on some coarse sugar instead. I used 2 loaf tins about 4.5 x 13 inches and it needed about 40-45 minutes. Don't tell anyone, but I used the oil from my sundried tomatoes for most of the olive oil, and it tasted great. Also I used ground almonds and omitted the other nuts completely. I successfully froze the second loaf for later. Will definitely make this one again.
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Still Life with Menu Cookbook
By Mollie Katzen
Ten Speed Press - 1988
As the author notes, these are very easy and quick to make (I skipped the processor and mixed mine totally by hand). I made a half recipe, and my yield was much higher than that stated in the recipe at 11 medium sized scones. I used sifted red fife for the whole wheat flour and skipped the egg topping. These are barely sweet and very tasty. I would definitely make them again. Baked about 12 minutes 400 F with convection.
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Sweet: Desserts from London's Ottolenghi
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh
Ten Speed Press - 2017
These are so so good. I made my meringues way ahead of time as I was sure they would last well in an airtight tin. I did the chocolate hazelnut coating the night before and they held up well. That being said, these are quite fragile and are really finicky to dip and coat so be sure to have plenty of time set aside to finish them. They are very sweet, but are as light as air and the flavours blend beautifully. Everyone loved these! These are worth the time and are definitely on my repeat list for special occasions.
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The New Vegetarian Epicure: Menus--with 325 all-new recipes--for family and friends
By Anna Thomas
Knopf - 1996
I really love this vegetable stew. It's another great way to use garden veggies late in the season. I use a light chicken stock and I often substitute some green beans for the kale. The amounts given can be adjusted according to what you have; I sometimes add a few more tomatoes. The white wine adds a lot to this recipe and I always include it. Don’t freeze as texture will suffer.
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Canada's Best Bread Machine Baking Recipes
By Donna Washburn, Heather Butt
Robert Rose - 2008
This makes a very nice bread, but I do make several changes. I use ground flax for at least half the flax seed called for, and I use half white and half whole wheat flour. I also increase the yeast by 1/2 teaspoon to 1.5 teaspoons for the 1.5 lb loaf. This results in a grainy loaf, very good with soups etc.
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Website: Orangette
These were nice scones. I used white whole wheat flour in mine along with organic apricots. I also added some coarse sugar on top. Very easy to make.
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Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life
By Jamie Oliver
Hyperion - 2008
I made this with my last 2 honey nut squashes (mini butternut) from the garden. It was straightforward to make and took about an hour from start to finish. The only other changes I made were to use my own roasted tomatoes for the sundried tomatoes, and to sprinkle the goat cheese on top. This is a very nice and tasty dish, it is quite filling, and would be a good choice for a vegetarian supper.
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Chasing smoke
By Sarit packer and itamar srulovich
Pavilion - 2021
This recipe was fantastic and quite easy to pull together. I did my eggplants in a cast iron pan on the stovetop and that worked out well (cut eggplant in half, sear in olive oil med high heat for 3-5 minutes with lid on, cook on other side 3-5 min, flip over again, lower heat, lid on for another 3-5 min). The only problem was the egg yolk, so I poached one whole egg sous vide for the top. Very delicious. Great use of eggplant, tomatoes, chillies, parsley from the garden.
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Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery)
By Moosewood Collective
Fireside - 1990
We really enjoyed is soup. Made a few changes due to our pandemic supplies, omitting the celery and using powdered ginger. I also decreased the peanut due to personal taste, and used my home made chicken stock for the water. The soup was delicious and makes a very nutritious meal. Definitely will repeat this one
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Dinner in an Instant: 75 Modern Recipes for Your Pressure Cooker, Multicooker, and Instant Pot®
By Melissa Clark
Clarkson Potter - 2017
A pretty good soup that was ready in just over an hour. I did omit the kombu as stated in the headnote. I found the final soup tasted good with just a hint of the ginger and spices coming through, so in future I will probably increase the ginger. Also, the soup was quite salty (even with low salt stock), so next time I would probably decrease the stock a bit and increase the water.
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Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals
By Jamie Oliver
Hyperion - 2009
I agree this is a lovely dish, and it’s very adaptable. I used the jalfrezi curry paste from the author's website and changed the vegetables according to what I had. My version had carrots and potatoes from my veg garden instead of the squash and cauliflower. I added green peas at the end instead of the chickpeas, and served with rice. I had to omit the cilantro but I’m sure it would be a good addition. Will definitely repeat this.
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Jamie's Ministry of Food: Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2008
I agree this is a lovely dish, and it’s very adaptable. I used the jalfrezi curry paste from the author's website and changed the vegetables according to what I had. My version had carrots and potatoes from my veg garden instead of the squash and cauliflower. I added green peas at the end instead of the chickpeas, and served with rice. I had to omit the cilantro but I’m sure it would be a good addition. Will definitely repeat this.
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750 Best Muffin Recipes: Everything from breakfast classics to gluten-free, vegan and coffeehouse favorites
By Camilla V. Saulsbury
Robert Rose - 2010
Very easy, adaptable recipe. Muffins are grainy without being too heavy. They freeze well, will definitely make again. This recipe contains 2 eggs; I used 1 plus a flax egg substitute which worked well.
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Website: Cooking Light
Excellent recipe! Very easy and adaptable. Beans are delicious. Can use cooked dried beans in place of canned. I recommend this highly!
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Grains for every season
By Joshua McFadden, Martha Holmberg
Artisan - 2021
Delicious granola! I also made a half recipe since it makes a lot. In my convection oven this took about 40 minutes. Will definitely repeat this.
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River Cottage Veg: 200 Inspired Vegetable Recipes
By Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Appetite by Random House - 2013
A delicious easy tart that makes good use of heirloom tomatoes. My only change is to bake the tart much longer than stated. Perhaps there are differences in puff pastry, but mine takes at least 40 min to be fully cooked. I increase the initial bake time accordingly to about 30 min, and the second to about 15 min.
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Website: Food.com
These were great. I did omit the ranch dressing and increased the salt a little. I have also adapted this recipe to reduce the oil to 2 tbsp, and that worked fine. Good tomato taste, will definitely make again.
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The River Cottage Cookbook
By Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Simon Wheeler
Ten Speed Press - 2008
This makes a really good tasting ketchup, and uses tomatoes and peppers from the garden. It's a fair bit of work, but very easy to make. I kept mine in jars in the freezer for longer term storage, but this could be processed in a water bath if needed. I found this excellent with roasted potatoes.
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The New Vegetarian Epicure: Menus--with 325 all-new recipes--for family and friends
By Anna Thomas
Knopf - 1996
One of my favourite soups. It’s essential to use flavourful squash, and I use light chicken stock so mine isn’t vegetarian. Other than that I often make it as written. I also do a variation with squash roasted with ginger and soy sauce. Both are delicious.
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Anne Lindsay's light kitchen
This quick cucumber salad goes with everything. A great summer dish, very quick and simple.
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A Bird in the Hand: Chicken Recipes for Every Day and Every Mood
By Diana Henry
Mitchell Beazley - 2015
Really liked this dish. I used chicken thighs and made a smaller amount but otherwise followed the recipe. It took about 1.5 hrs from start to finish. I think this could be streamlined somewhat; for example, chicken goes in and cooks 15 minutes before the shallots then later the chicken comes out and onions cooked further...I will change that next time I try it, hopefully making it quicker with no loss of flavour. Love the addition of pears at the end.
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A Bird in the Hand: Chicken recipes for every day and every mood
By Diana Henry
Mitchell Beazley - 2015
Really liked this dish. I used chicken thighs and made a smaller amount but otherwise followed the recipe. It took about 1.5 hrs from start to finish. I think this could be streamlined somewhat; for example, chicken goes in and cooks 15 minutes before the shallots then later the chicken comes out and onions cooked further...I think I will change that next time I try it, hopefully making it quicker with no loss of flavour. Love the addition of pears at the end, and the fact that it uses ingredients that I usually have in stock.
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The Lighthearted cookbook
By Anne Lindsay
Key Porter Books Limited - 1988
I always come back to this recipe when I want a tasty, easy stir fry with chicken. Works every time and tastes great.
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Bread Machine Baking Revised
By Lora Brody, Millie Apter
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2011
This book is full of really good bread recipes and I've made many of them. All the breads can be baked in the oven rather than the machine.
This makes a very good bread. I used olive oil for the butter and soy milk powder since that's what I had. This makes a fairly small loaf so I make the larger recipe option.
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Website: Food.com
Great bread that rose very well in my bread machine. I made the following changes based on what I had and my preferences. Used olive oil for the butter, replaced 1 cup of flour with whole spelt flour to increase the fibre a bit, omitted the vanilla and the milk powder (didn't have any of those). I will definitely put this bread into my regular rotation.
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Website: Genius Kitchen
Great bread that rose very well in my bread machine. I made the following changes based on what I had and my preferences. Used olive oil for the butter, replaced 1 cup of flour with whole spelt flour to increase the fibre a bit, omitted the vanilla and the milk powder (didn't have any of those). I will definitely put this bread into my regular rotation.
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Website: Allotment Garden Recipes
www.allotment-garden.org/recipe
This makes a good chutney with the apple and raisins balancing out the beetroot and the ginger adding a spicy note. It's ok when first made, but I think it improves with a few days of aging.
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Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Jonathan Lovekin
Chronicle Books - 2011
Like the other reviewers, I found this to be really good. It's very easy to make. I used a combo of potatoes and eggplant in mine along with the tomatoes, onions and cheese. I had to reduce the amount of cheese substantially since about 30 g was all I had. I imagine it would be very rich with all the cheese, but we found the reduced amount to be enough. Mine turned out of the pan perfectly, much to my surprise!
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Website: David Lebovitz
Made this as instructed with apricots and peaches. Made 2 smaller galettes and froze them to bake off later as outlined in the recipe. On baking day, I thawed them on the counter for a few hours and baked; my smaller ones took about 35 minutes. Very easy to make and good. My frangipane was not really detectable so next time I would add more almond extract (I went with the lower amount) and possibly increase the amount by around 50%. Good tart though, worth a repeat.
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The Moosewood Cookbook
By Mollie Katzen
Ten Speed Press - 1977
One of my favourite ways to cook squash. I raise the oven temp to 400 to shorten the cooking time and use various types of squash such as acorn and butternut. I also score the flesh of the larger ones such as bigger butternut. I've added the optional currants/walnuts and both are good. Timing for me is usually to bake unfilled squash about 20 minutes, then filled about 15 minutes more.
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Another good way to prepare squash. I use the rice option (sometimes brown or a combo with wild rice), and I think that other grains such as quinoa or barley would probably work. Same cooking times and temps as the other stuffed squash recipes in this book; 400 for 20 min then 15 stuffed.
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Website: Smitten Kitchen
I made a half recipe to take to a group function. Mine rose a lot and wasn't all that attractive; It would probably look better if made in the pan called for; I think it needs the surface area to place the berries. Tasted nice though and very easy. Not sure if I'd make this again.
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Website: Smitten Kitchen
As noted by the other reviewers, this loaf is excellent. When I first made it, I used cherries, rhubarb and toasted almonds instead of the strawberries, rhubarb and pecans; otherwise I followed the loaf ingredients as written. This combination remains my favorite. I now use frozen cherries if I have to, and increase the fruit content a little. Green apples make a good sub for the rhubarb when it's out of season. I use cinnamon sugar or coarse sugar for the topping instead of the butter topping in the recipe. I like that this loaf is not too sweet, can be made with oil instead of butter, and uses a bit of whole wheat flour.
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Advent
By Anja Dunk
Quadrille - 2021
These were easy to make and very good. I made the quark the day before in my instant pot (buttermilk on yogurt setting for 8 hrs, drained overnight). I mixed the butter, egg, and quark in my stand mixer, then added that with fruit to dry ingredients. I forgot the lemon zest, I’m sure it would be a good addition. Baked about 22 min, turning once. She says they store for a week in a sealed container so I will try that. A good alternative to making traditional stollen which takes a full day to bake and cool.
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Fast, Fresh & Green
By Susie Middleton
Chronicle Books - 2010
Excellent stir fry that I make often. Very easy.
Note: I have the kindle book so I don't know the page number.
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The New Vegetarian Epicure: Menus--with 325 all-new recipes--for family and friends
By Anna Thomas
Knopf - 1996
Very easy to make although a little time consuming, with a nice combination of spices. I usually serve the stew over couscous and top with sautéed onions and chard. I use Yukon gold potatoes or homegrown gardens types instead of russet. A nice vegetarian meal.
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Website: thekitchn.com
I love these wraps. It's a bit of work to make everything, but it is so worth the effort. All the parts can be refrigerated for a few days (except the shredded cabbage which must be prepared fresh). I streamlined by using a bottle of prepared red peppers instead of the fresh ones. I'm pretty sure these are vegan too which is a bonus. A few extra notes:the recipe makes a lot of filling and leftovers can be frozen. Shredded carrots make a nice sub for the cabbage if desired.
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Website: Skinny Taste
Really good, very easy recipe that uses cucumbers from the late summer garden. I also adjusted the sriracha to taste and used a bit more cucumber.
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Website: Epicurious
This worked quite well. My chicken breasts were quite large with bone in and I think this would work better with smaller pieces deboned (recipe didn't specify). Overall the taste was good, and I think it's worth trying again with smaller cuts to get the timing right. I will update this note when I do.
I tried this again with small deboned chicken thighs and it worked much better. I finally got a good cooking thermometer so took the temperature after the minimum cooking time and they were done. Will repeat with different spice blends.
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Website: Grow forage cook ferment
I first made these using butter for the fat and to use up my sourdough starter (unfed). I'm always looking for recipes to use up the excess starter and these are very good. The tortillas came out great; very tasty and pliable without being soggy. I made 8 tortillas instead of 6 and kept the dough in the fridge over several days and just cooked them up when needed. I've also subbed different flours such as buckwheat for some of the wheat flour. I don't buy tortillas any more, I just make these instead...
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Canada's Best Bread Machine Baking Recipes
By Donna Washburn, Heather Butt
Robert Rose - 2008
Excellent bread that uses one cup of sourdough starter. I added a bit more water to the recipe since my starter was a bit thicker than usual.
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Website: Food.com
A really good recipe for socca, one of my lunch time favourites, especially in the winter. I make half the recipe in a smaller cast iron skillet. Preheating the skillet is key as is letting the batter rest to fully absorb the water.
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The Well-Filled Microwave Cookbook (Well-Filled Series , No 2)
By Victoria Wise, Susanna Hoffman
Workman Publishing Company - 1996
I make this to go with the meatballs from the same book. Mildly spicy. Can be made on the stove top or in the microwave.
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Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables
By Joshua McFadden, Martha Holmberg
Artisan - 2017
Delicious way to cook up broccoli and potatoes from the garden. I used lime juice instead of lemon which worked well. Will definitely repeat.
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Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking from London's Ottolenghi
By Yotam Ottolenghi
Ten Speed Press - 2014
My first recipe from this book, and I found it really easy to make and delicious. I made quite a few changes; I mixed up the onion/garlic/pepper base the night before and soaked the beans. I used small red beans instead of chickpeas and also subbed my own Thai chilies from the garden for the red peppers. The next morning I cooked up the sauce and added everything to my crock pot on low. (I skipped the pre cooking of beans as red beans cook faster.) Then had time to head out to my allotment to do a few hours of work. After 5 hrs I turned up to high and propped open for about an hour to reduce liquid somewhat. Delicious on home made rosemary bread.
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Plenty More
By Yotam Ottolenghi
Ebury Press - 2014
My first recipe from this book, and I found it really easy to make and delicious. I made quite a few changes; I mixed up the onion/garlic/pepper base the night before and soaked the beans. I used small red beans instead of chickpeas and also subbed my own Thai chilies from the garden for the red peppers. The next morning I cooked up the sauce and added everything to my crock pot on low. (I skipped the pre cooking of beans as red beans cook faster.) Then had time to head out to my allotment to do a few hours of work. After 5 hrs I turned up to high and propped open for about an hour to reduce liquid somewhat. Delicious on home made rosemary bread.
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Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
By Samin Nosrat, Wendy MacNaughton
Simon & Schuster - 2017
Really enjoyed this salad. I have fennel, parsley, celery etc from the garden, and also added a bit of dill. Used almonds as the nuts. As the previous reviewer said, the currants and nuts go very well together. Excellent salad, a definite repeat for me.
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The Lighthearted cookbook
By Anne Lindsay
Key Porter Books Limited - 1988
A great salad that is substantial enough to have as a meal. I have made it as written but here are my current changes...I use some mayo and yogurt instead of the cottage cheese and yogurt in the recipe, increase the lemon to taste, and usually use only one can of salmon. One of my favourite lunch and picnic dishes ever!
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