Super flaky, mile-high biscuits! The Parmesan and black pepper make these SO GOOD! Serve warm for the best biscuits ever!
I skipped breakfast and lunch today.
Instead, I had 4 biscuits.
That’s right. FOUR WHOLE BISCUITS. Hot from the oven. With extra butter slathered on.
I’m sorry but wedding schmedding. When I have a piping hot, mile-high, super-flaky biscuit loaded with fresh Parmesan, nobody is saying no here. NOBODY.
I was honestly just supposed to have 1 or 2 (for recipe testing and all) and then freeze the rest but we all know that’s not happening. Thank goodness for sweater weather.
So don’t mind me. I’m going in for a 5th biscuit in just a second. You know, for further recipe testing.
Parmesan Black Pepper Biscuits
Yield:12 biscuits
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Super flaky, mile-high biscuits! The Parmesan and black pepper make these SO GOOD! Serve warm for the best biscuits ever!
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a large bowl, combine flour, Parmesan, baking powder, pepper, salt and baking soda.
Grate butter using the large holes of a box grater. Stir into the flour mixture.
Add buttermilk and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut 2-inch square biscuits, or use a 2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter. Place biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet; place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Remove biscuits from freezer. Place into oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve warm.
Did you Make This Recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious.
Let Simply Recipes help you make gift-giving a breeze this year with our Gift Guide for the Baker in your life! Featuring ten stellar gifts chosen by our editorial team, crossing people off your list has never been easier.
These quick and easy baked sea scallops are topped with panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a simple lemon-butter sauce.
Baked Scallops
Scallops are one of my favorite foods, some of my popular scallop recipes are Seared Scallops over Risotto, Blackened Scallops with Horseradish Sauce, and Scallop Tostadas to name a few. I also find them incredibly convenient; they cook in less than 20 minutes, and they go beautifully with vegetables of your choice, pasta or crusty bread.
This Pear and White Wine Sangria is what you need for your holiday parties! Make it ahead and let guests serve themselves. It's made with pear nectar, white wine, ginger beer, and warm holiday spices. Cheers!
If you have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, make this White Turkey Chili! It's made with white beans, green chilis, garlic, and of course, turkey. A winning combination that's sure to warm you up on a chilly winter night.
In this installment of Eat Your Food! from our writer Nick Evans, he feeds his kids sGinger-Soy Steamed Salmon with Spicy Maple Sauce. Regardless of whether you have tiny mouths to feed, this cooks quickly in a steamer basket and makes for a well-rounded, flavorful dinner.
The best kind of comfort in a bowl! It’s so cozy and heartwarming, using a whole chicken for the most amazing homemade broth!
So we packed our bags and left LA to head to Manhattan for Thanksgiving this year.
And I kid you not. It was the coldest Thanksgiving in New York’s City history since 1901.
It was a whopping 17 degrees F on Thursday. And all I really needed at that point was a piping hot bowl of this chicken and rice soup!
Instead, we froze our butts off, watching Charlie Brown go by in the parade.
But now that I’m home in 70 degree weather, I’m still whipping up this soup. AKA. My favorite soup of the month, of course.
The best part is that you get to simmer an entire whole chicken, creating the most amazing homemade broth ever. It’s cozy, comforting and incredibly heartwarming for any kind of weather.
And while, yes, the broth is bomb.com, the fresh dill and lemon juice really let this soup shine.
Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup
Yield:6-8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
The best kind of comfort in a bowl! It’s so cozy and heartwarming, using a whole chicken for the most amazing homemade broth!
Place chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves and 8 cups water in a large stockpot or Dutch oven; season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until chicken is fork-tender, about 1 hour. Remove chicken and shred; discard skin and bones. Set aside. Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids.
Return broth to the pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer. Stir in rice; cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Stir in chicken, carrots and celery. Cook, covered, until the rice is tender, about 10 more minutes.
Stir in dill and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately.
Did you Make This Recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious.
Stuck in a salad rut? Try one of these ideas for side salads that go beyond plain lettuce! From grains to fruit to beans, there are lots of ways to change up your salad game.
This hearty black bean soup is what you need on a cold and dreary day! Made with ham hocks, sweet potatoes, bell pepper, onion, cumin, and chili. Garnish with cilantro, sour cream, and avocado.
Here is (literally) everything you need to know about cooking dried beans at home. With a few tips, beans are really so easy, and there are literally hundreds of ways you can use them! The texture can't be beat, and you can always freeze what you don't use.
Tofu! Familiar to some and bizarre to many. It can be baked, fried, sautéed, marinated, scrambled – in short: it can really do it all. And newsflash: you don’t need to be a vegetarian to enjoy!
Tofu is super high in protein and low in fat, and is a great alternative in many dishes that have meat. It can be cooked in a flash and served in SO many ways (see below). Gosh, it’s just the best.
Watch how to cook tofu:
In these examples, we used this soy ginger sauce recipe. It’s our favorite to use with tofu!
How To Bake Tofu
Temperature: 400°F
How long: 35-40 minutes
How to know it’s done: golden brown, slightly crispy at the edges and chewy in the center
Baked Tofu is a great way to prepare a large quantity of chewy bites of tofu that can get tossed with sauce and added to noodle bowls and or a stir fry. This method is also helpful because it frees up stove top space while preparing other elements of your recipe.
Press extra firm tofu for at least 30 minutes. Cut tofu into cubes or slabs and place in a glass dish.
Add a sauce or marinade over the tofu. A variety of oil or soy sauce based marinades work well.
Cover and allow tofu to marinate for about 30 minutes.
Transfer tofu to parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 35-40 minutes, flipping halfway through. Marinade can be reserved and brushed onto tofu during the baking process for extra flavor.
Baked Tofu can be served as a main dish or added to noodle bowls, rice bowls, or salads.
How To saute Tofu
Temperature: medium high heat
How long: 20 minutes
How to know it’s done: golden brown, slightly crispy at the edges and chewy in the center
Sauteed tofu is cooked with a small amount of oil and a bit of sauce to create a delightfully crispy exterior.
Press extra firm tofu for at least 30 minutes and cut into cubes. Add a small amount of oil to a non-stick skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add tofu to pan and brown on each side for about 1-2 minutes for a total of about 15 minutes.
Once all sides of tofu are lightly golden brown, add about 1/4 cup of sauce.
Cook tofu, stirring frequently until sauce has been absorbed into tofu and caramelized around the edges creating a crispy exterior.
Add sautéed tofu to salads, stir fry, noodle bowls, or soup.
How To Fry Tofu
Temperature: medium high heat
How long: 9-11 minutes
How to know it’s done: both sides are golden and crispy
Frying tofu is a very simple and quick way to cook tofu. It achieves a reeeally golden crunchy exterior that makes for a hearty plant-based meal.
Press extra firm tofu for about 30 minutes and cut into triangles. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add tofu to the pan in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the pan. Allow tofu to cook, undisturbed for about 4-5 minutes or until the underside is golden brown and crispy.
Flip the tofu pieces and season the cooked side with salt. Allow the second side to cook for an additional 4 minutes or until the second side is golden brown and crispy. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel. Season second side with salt.
This crispy tofu can be be tossed with a sauce after cooking for extra flavor. We used triangles of tofu, but cubed or sliced tofu works well with this cooking method, too. If cooking cubed tofu, flip onto all sides during the cooking process to ensure even crispiness.
If desired you can add a sauce toward the end of the cooking process and flip tofu over to coat and allow sauce to brown at the edges. If planning to add sauce during cooking process, use slightly less oil while frying to avoid splattering and an overly oily sauce.
How To Scramble Tofu
Temperature: medium high heat
How long: 15-17 minutes
How to know it’s done: tofu pieces are browned and crispy
Scrambled tofu is similar to pan fried tofu, but instead of large pieces, the result is flavorful crispy bits of tofu that can be added to tacos, casseroles, bowls, and salads.
Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add pressed and sliced tofu to the pan. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break or ‘scramble’ the tofu into small pieces.
Once the tofu is scrambled, add some sauce or seasoning to the pan. Cook for about 3-4 minutes stirring or until all the tofu has been evenly coated in the seasoning or sauce and it has started to absorb into the tofu.
Then allow tofu to cook, undisturbed for about 4 minutes. This allows the tofu to become crispy. Give the tofu another quick stir to redistribute the cooking surface, and allow to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until the tofu has achieved the desired crispiness. The longer you let the tofu cook undisturbed, the crispier the tofu will get.
Do You Have To Cook Tofu?
Technically, tofu does not need to be cooked. It is ready to eat straight out of the package.
The most common tofu to eat raw is silken tofu. It’s often used in vegan desserts to achieve a creamy texture. For example, this mind-blowing vegan chocolate pie.
Firm tofu, while able to eat raw, is best used in various cooking applications.
How Do You Press Tofu?
Tofu contains a large amount of water when it comes out of the package. In order to bake, fry, or scramble tofu, it’s best to press out as much water as possible before cooking. The longer you press your tofu, the firmer the texture will be and the easier it will be to achieve a nice crispy texture.
If you make a lot of tofu, you may want to purchase a tofu press designed specifically for pressing out the water from tofu.
If you do not have a tofu press, you can use standard kitchen items to help with this process.
Line a baking sheet with several layers of paper towel
Drain your tofu block and place on top of paper towel lined baking sheet
Place 2-3 more layers of paper towel on top of tofu block
Place a heavy skillet or second baking sheet on top
Weight the skillet down with a few canned goods
Allow tofu to press for about 30 minutes
If pressing longer, place baking sheet set up in the refrigerator while it presses
This pressing method works best on firm or extra firm tofu. It is not recommended to press silken or soft tofu.
How Do You Cut Tofu?
Tofu can be cut in a variety of shapes and sizes. Once you have pressed your tofu, most shapes start by cutting the block of tofu into 1/4 inch – 1/2 inch thick slices.
From there, you can cut the tofu into small cubes, triangles, or leave them as slices for more of a tofu steak. Cubes of tofu are very versatile and can pretty much be used in most cooking applications.
What Kind of Tofu Should I Use?
Tofu comes in a range of firmness from silken to extra firm.
Extra firm tofu has the tightest curds and can stand up to hearty cooking methods, such as pan frying and baking.
Firm tofu is often used in traditional Asian soups such as hot and sour soup and miso soup.
Silken Tofu is perfect for making creamy, vegan desserts or any in any recipe that requires the tofu to be blended.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Kettle Brand. As always, I only partner with brands that I love and truly believe in, allowing me to create more quick and easy recipes to get us through the week without breaking the bank. All opinions expressed are my own.
The coziest, most comforting casserole! With caramelized onions, rotisserie chicken, pasta and the best cream sauce!
So I feel like the end of November/December are pretty much the best months ever.
Why?
Well, the weather starts to cool down (meaning 60s for us Los Angelenos) and the chunky sweaters and Ugg boots start to come out.
That means all the cozy, comforting casseroles also make an appearance at this time, hence, making these the best months of the year, especially when a French onion casserole is involved.
Yes, we just totally casseroled French onion soup!
Now don’t be intimidated by the cook time here. The only hard work per se is caramelizing the onions, which takes 15-20 minutes. After that, you’re using rotisserie chicken (hello, easiest shortcut ever) and other ingredients you typically have on hand for the most heavenly cream sauce of your life.
And let me tell you. Yes, the cream sauce is gold and all but the chips make this casserole what it is. It’s perfectly salty and crunchy, making it the perfect complement to this cream sauce nirvana, and you’ll want chips in every single bite, desperately chasing it around with your fork as best as you can.
French Onion Chicken Noodle Casserole
Yield:6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
The coziest, most comforting casserole! With caramelized onions, rotisserie chicken, pasta and the best cream sauce!
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups Kettle Brand Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper Potato Chips, lightly crushed
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
Melt butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, and cook, stirring often, until golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
Whisk in flour and garlic until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Stir in chicken stock. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
Stir in pasta, chicken, sour cream, 3 tablespoons chives and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with potato chips.
Place into oven and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Serve immediately, garnished with remaining 1 tablespoon chives, if desired.
Did you Make This Recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious.
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies! When was the last time you made these favorite childhood cookies? Don't know? Let's remedy that. Chocolate and peanut butter belong together, and these easy cookies prove it.
When it comes to making Deviled eggs, I keep my ingredients pretty classic, but I love adding little pickle juice to my the yolks for a pop of flavor! Making hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot will give you perfect, easier to peel eggs every time.
Deviled eggs are a classic recipe and perfect for the holidays, potlucks, parties and other gatherings. I have tons of appetizer recipes, but Deviled eggs are my favorite, and what I love most is they are inexpensive and made with ingredients I always have on hand.
A free 7-day flexible meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner and a shopping list. All recipes include calories and Weight Watchers Freestyle™ SmartPoints®.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! A few notes, I will be doing a book signing in Long Island, Sunday, December 9, 2018 from Noon – 2:00 p.m. at Stew Leonard’s, 1897 Front Street, East Meadow, NY. Hope to see some of you there!
If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing these free, 7-day flexible healthy meal plans (you can see my previous meal plans here) that are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc or swap recipes out for meals you prefer, you can search for recipes by course in the index. You should aim for around 1500 calories* per day.
There’s also a precise, organized grocery list that will make grocery shopping so much easier and much less stressful. Save you money and time. You’ll dine out less often, waste less food and you’ll have everything you need on hand to help keep you on track.
Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing!
THE DETAILS:
Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. While we truly believe there is no one size fits all meal plan, we did our best to come up with something that appeals to a wide range of individuals. Everything is Weight Watchers friendly, I included the updated Weight Watcher Freestyle Points for your convenience, feel free to swap out any recipes you wish or just use this for inspiration!
The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan. I’ve even included brand recommendations of products I love and use often. Cross check your cabinets because many condiments you’ll notice I use often, so you may already have a lot of them.
And last, but certainly not least, this meal plan is flexible and realistic. There’s plenty of wiggle room for cocktails, healthy snacks, dessert and dinner out. And if necessary, you can move some things around to make it work with your schedule. Please let me know if you’re using these plans, this will help me decide if I should continue sharing them!
MONDAY (11/26)
B: 6 ounces nonfat plain Greek yogurt (0), 1 teaspoon honey (1), ½ cup blackberries and 1 tablespoon chopped pecans (2)
L: Greek Turkey Meatballs (5) with ⅓ cup chickpeas (0), ½ cup cucumbers (0) and ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes (0) and Skinny Tzatziki (0)*
D: Minestrone Soup (2) with green salad** (0) with 2 tablespoons light balsamic vinaigrette (2) and 2 ounces multigrain baguette (3)
Totals: Freestyle™ SP 15, Calories 1,000***
**Green salad includes 6 cups romaine, ½ cup each: carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, and 2 scallions.
***This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc
From there, you can cut the tofu into small cubes, triangles, or leave them as slices for more of a tofu steak. Cubes of tofu are very versatile and can pretty much be used in most cooking applications.
