These Are the Cooking Light Editors' Favorite Recipes of All Time

November 01, 2018
Credit: Caitlin Bensel
We asked the staff, "What is your all-time favorite Cooking Light recipe?" Here's what they had to say.
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These Are the Cooking Light Editors' Favorite Recipes of All Time

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Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Editor-in-Chief Hunter Lewis loves this soup from our October 2017 issue. Go ahead and flag this recipe—it's sure to become a family favorite. For convenience, we call for precooked wild rice; if you can't find it, you can substitute 2 cups of your own cooked wild rice or a package of precooked brown rice.

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Classic Lamb Curry

Credit: Randy Mayor; Lydia DeGaris-Pursell
View Recipe: Classic Lamb Curry

Executive Editor Ann Taylor Pittman loves this versatile lamb curry from our November 2001 issue. Lamb curry is a classic dish from northern India and the most popular of all curries. You can vary by substituting other ingredients in place of the lamb and adjusting the cooking time. For example, use an equal quantity of beef or veal, a 3-pound skinned and cut chicken, 1 1/2 pounds shelled and deveined shrimp, or 1 1/4 pounds mixed vegetables, such as cauliflower, potatoes, and carrots.

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Classic Hungarian Tilapia Stew

Credit: Photo: Squire Fox; Styling: Kaitlyn Du Ross
View Recipe: Classic Hungarian Tilapia Stew

Cooking Light's Creative Director Rachel Laserre loves this fiery-fantastic stew from April 2004. You can alter the spiciness by using a milder pepper (such as banana pepper or Anaheim chile) or adjusting the amounts and types of paprika.

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Classic Banana Bread

Credit: Cooking Light
View Recipe: Classic Banana Bread

Brierley Horton, our food and nutrition director, loves this classic banana bread from September 2003. A word of advice? Choose very ripe fruit―the browner the better―for the most intense flavor and a soft texture that mashes and blends easily. 

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Oatmeal-Raisin Skillet Cookie With Miso-Caramel Sauce

Credit: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Oatmeal-Raisin Skillet Cookie With Miso-Caramel Sauce

There's a reason Jamie Vespa, Cooking Light's assistant nutrition editor, goes crazy over this dessert from May 2018. Chewy in the middle with crispy edges, this easy dessert flavored with browned butter is absolutely irresistible. You can swap any dried fruit for the raisins here. Keep leftovers in the skillet and simply cover it.

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Slow Cooker Thai Beef Curry

Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Slow Cooker Thai Beef Curry

Cooking Light's Copy Director Jessica Campbell-Salley is partial to this slow cooker recipe from our October 2017 issue—and for good reason. We start with big flavor from a large amount of curry paste and fish sauce, and we finish with fresh touches of cilantro and lime juice that perk up the taste of the whole dish. Serve over a bed of brown rice or brown rice noodles to catch all the sauce.

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Southern Fattoush

Credit: Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Southern Fattoush

The ubiquitous Israeli bread salad makes a fine gathering place for black-eyed peas and sweet Georgia onions. It's the favorite recipe of Winn Duvall, our associate copy editor.

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Classic Cranberry Sauce

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Classic Cranberry Sauce

This recipe from November 2008 is Production Director Liz Rhoades' go-to cran sauce for the holidays. Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves boost the taste of this traditional whole-berry cranberry sauce. Vary the character by adding toasted nuts or other fruits. 

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Bacon-Goat Cheese Jalapeño Poppers

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey Styling: Claire Spollen
View Recipe: Bacon-Goat Cheese Jalapeño Poppers

Salty bacon, rich goat cheese, savory-sweet jelly, and roasted jalapeño—we can see how this combo from May 2016 won the heart of Digital Content Manager Ashley Kappel. If you already have the grill going, these dreamy little bites are equally easy to cook outdoors.

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Grapefruit-Campari Bars With Shortbread Crust

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Grapefruit-Campari Bars With Shortbread Crust

Chris Michel, Cooking Light's Digital Editor, loves this sophisticated riff on lemon bars from November 2017. This grown-up treat embraces the bitterness in both grapefruit and Campari, balancing the flavor with a rich, buttery shortbread crust. 

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Herbed Chicken Parmesan

Credit: Howard L. Puckett
View Recipe: Herbed Chicken Parmesan

This recipe was a standout favorite, earning more than 100 five-star reviews for its speedy cook time and delicious outcome. A reviewer raved, “As a homey family meal, this is truly outstanding. The flavor is wonderful, and it's easy and relatively inexpensive.” That's probably why our Digital Coordinator, Susan Porch, loves this oldie-but-goodie recipe from November 2003.

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Creamy Potato Salad

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Creamy Potato Salad

This extra-creamy potato salad is Publisher Denis Gallagher's go-to for picnics or cookouts. We slash the fat (but not the flavor) by making a creamy base with Greek yogurt and olive oil mayo. Fresh herbs and multicolored mini bell peppers lend color, while fresh lemon juice gives just the right amount of brightness.

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