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Staff Favorites: The 106 Best Recipes of 2016

November 21, 2016
Photo: Jennifer Causey
While all Cooking Light recipes have to meet high standards, nutritionally and taste-wise, a few stand out in each issue. These favorites are discovered during our testing and tasting phases for the magazine. Judged on flavor, practicality, and creativity, many of these recipes have become staples in the kitchens of our staff. We're proud to present this year's tried-and-true staff favorites.
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Butternut Squash Queso Fundido

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Butternut Squash Queso Fundido

Butternut squash adds distinct flavor (and color) to this satisfyingly cheesy dip. To make it vegetarian, sub vegetable stock for the chicken stock. If you prefer, you can roast a halved, seeded butternut squash at 350° for 45 minutes or until soft. Scoop 10 ounces of flesh, and use in place of the puree.

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Workout Recovery

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Workout Recovery

We were amazed at how delectably creamy the sweet potato becomes in the juicer, plus it's a bit higher in calories and loaded with potassium to balance and replenish your electrolytes after exercise.

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Tangy Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Tangy Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Classic lemon squares can contain up to 36 grams of sugar per piece. By putting a tangy cheesecake spin on ours, we’ve cut the sugar down to only 6 grams per pop. Your sweet tooth will agree that these bars are good enough to enjoy year-round.

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Chicken Yakitori

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Chicken Yakitori

Kids will love swapping forks for skewers to build their own kebab bites. The sweet-savory glazed chicken is perfect served with basmati rice and crisp steamed veggies.

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Skillet Chicken with Seared Avocados

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Skillet Chicken with Seared Avocados

The tiniest bit of sugar helps the avocado halves char in the pan, adding robust toasty flavor.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

We love the heat level in this slow cooker take on tikka masala to fend off winter chill. If the spice kick is too much for your family, you can cut the red pepper down by half without losing any of the dynamic flavor layers.

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Apple-Sunchoke Salad With Smoked Trout and Cider Vinaigrette

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower
View Recipe: Apple-Sunchoke Salad With Smoked Trout and Cider Vinaigrette

Sunchokes, the knobby, thin-skinned tubers also misleadingly referred to as Jerusalem artichokes (they're not artichokes and have nothing to do with Jerusalem), offer beguilingly nutty, sweet flavor. North Carolina chef Scott Crawford (of Standard Foods in Raleigh, NC) makes these root veggies shine in this elegant salad featuring 2 apple varieties—one sweet and one tart—and salty smoked trout.

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Fava Bean and Mushroom Crostini

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Fava Bean and Mushroom Crostini

Nutty fava beans get the spotlight here in this festive spring appetizer. Lemon and goat cheese balance the deep umami notes from the mushrooms.

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Slow Cooker Barbacoa Brisket

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Slow Cooker Barbacoa Brisket

Traditional Mexican barbacoa involves wrapping meat in banana or avocado leaves and slowly cooking it over hot coals, partially steaming the meat to tender perfection. This slow cooker version replicates the flavors and a bit of that traditional method: Chipotle chiles, ground cumin, and oregano offer bold, smoky flavor, and the beef brisket steams to tenderness as it cooks gently in the slow cooker. For tacos, serve the saucy barbacoa in tortillas with green and red onion, cilantro leaves, jalapeño slices, and fresh lime wedges. Or build yourself one awesome burrito bowl with those same components by putting them over brown rice or quinoa instead of in tortillas.

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Salmon in Smoky Tomato Broth

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Salmon in Smoky Tomato Broth

This delicate broth is a grade-A example of how to build big flavor—fast. Keep this recipe on deck for last-minute company.

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Dad's Grilled Leg of Lamb

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Dad's Grilled Leg of Lamb

Barton Seaver likes to serve this to his own family with turnips glazed with brown sugar, vinegar, and butter. Haricots verts also make a good companion. Look for a boneless, butterflied leg of lamb, preferably Colorado or Icelandic, and trim any excess fat.

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Golden Chicken with Cilantro-Cashew Pesto and Coconut Rice

Photo: Christopher Testani
View Recipe: Golden Chicken with Cilantro-Cashew Pesto and Coconut Rice

Tart lime and tangy yogurt provide a necessary fresh, bright kick to balance robust earthy notes from spices like curry.

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Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs with Polenta

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs with Polenta

This Asian twist on an Italian-style favorite just plain works. The four sauce ingredients create an instant, incredibly balanced barbecue-type lacquer, full of vinegar and chile punch, caramel notes, and umami richness.

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Bucatini Puttanesca

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Bucatini Puttanesca

Tomatoes simmer with anchovies, olives, and capers for a tangy, rustic meal sure to please all tastebuds. Bucatini are long noodles with a hole through the center that captures some of the sauce. As a substitute, use thick spaghetti.

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Roasted Tomato Mac and Cheese

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Roasted Tomato Mac and Cheese

The gorgeous tomatoes are the icing on top of this creamy, decadent mac and cheese. You’ll love the artichokes, too. Make this dish gluten-free by using the brown rice elbow pasta and brown rice flour options listed in the ingredients. 

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Asparagus and Peas with Warm Tarragon Vinaigrette

Photo: Dylan plus Jeni
View Recipe: Asparagus and Peas with Warm Tarragon Vinaigrette

Fresh spring produce needs little embellishment, although a quick toss with bacon never hurts.

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Pork and Chive Dumplings With Red Chile Oil

Photo: Christopher Testani
View View Recipe: Pork and Chive Dumplings With Red Chile Oil

The pleating of these dumplings is a bit more advanced; if guests have trouble, they can make half-moons and skip the pleating. Make the chile oil up to 5 days ahead; store in the fridge, but bring to room temperature before serving.

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Spinach, Herb, and Cheese Phyllo Rolls

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Spinach, Herb, and Cheese Phyllo Rolls

This kind of dish is traditional street food in Greece. The key is to think of it like a sandwich, an Eastern Mediterranean sandwich: There is an ideal balance between the crust and the filling. Freeze leftover rolls up to 6 months. To reheat, cover loosely with foil and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes, turning after 5 minutes.

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Carrot Cake Gelly Shots

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Carrot Cake Gelly Shots

Dessert meets cocktail: Bourbon-y spiced carrot gelatin delivers familiar warming flavors, and creamy vermouth is absolutely the "frosting" on the cake.

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Crunchy-Chewy Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Crunchy-Chewy Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This has been Pittman's go-to "house" cookie for years—when she tells the kids she's making cookies, it's these guys, made with no-frills, good ol' whole-wheat flour. The good news is that they work with other flours, too (like brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, white whole-wheat flour and whole-wheat pastry flour). They're wonderfully crisp around the edges and chewy in the middle; that soft center comes from using all brown sugar (no granulated) and a drizzle of honey.

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Whole-Grain Veggie Burrito Bowl

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop: Lindsey Lower
View Recipe: Whole-Grain Veggie Burrito Bowl

This is a Tex-Mex riff on the Korean rice dish bibimbap, in which various toppings are arranged over a bed of rice. Here, burrito bowl must-haves such as smoky black beans, fresh pico de gallo, and slaw top brown rice.

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The Cheeseburger Salad

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: The Cheeseburger Salad

Classic burger elements become a fast, fun salad for the entire family—a deconstructed take on a diner favorite. Instead of four burger patties, we cook just two, then chop and sprinkle them over the top. A handful of crushed potato chips adds crunch. Kick up the dressing with a pinch of ground red pepper.

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Waffle Iron Turkey Melt Panini

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Waffle Iron Turkey Melt Panini

This playful turkey melt's abundant crisp crevices and gooey interior will have the whole family wondering, "What can we waffle next?"

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Charred Eggplant with Chermoula

Photo: Christopher Testani
View Recipe: Charred Eggplant with Chermoula

While not Israeli in origin (chermoula is actually a Moroccan condiment), this dish speaks to the many culinary influences of Israel's North African and Middle Eastern neighbors. The sauce is wonderfully complex—bright, herbaceous, and spicy. Israel has a vegetable-centric cuisine (they are eaten at every meal); cooking vegetables over an open flame until deeply charred is a favorite cooking method.

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Matzo Ball Soup

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Matzo Ball Soup

This staple Passover food can be enjoyed whether you're celebrating a Jewish holiday or not. Featuring soft, dumpling-like matzo balls made from matzo meal and eggs, this soup is the ultimate comfort food. While requiring a bit more effort than a jarred version, this homemade alternative is easy and definitely worth the results. Enjoy it as is, or garnish with parsley leaves. If you're making this for a crowd, make sure to start the day before so that it's served fresh and hot, and double the recipe to make sure everyone gets seconds.

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Cantaloupe Margarita with Hint of Mint

Photo: Hector Sanchez
View Recipe: Cantaloupe Margarita with Hint of Mint

Want to make a bigger batch? Doubling the melon should yield enough juice to make 6 drinks. Process and strain in 2 batches, and then mix up 3 times the rest of the ingredients in a pitcher.

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Fresh Blackberry Granita with Lemon Syrup

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Fresh Blackberry Granita with Lemon Syrup

Make the lemon syrup while the granita freezes, and refrigerate; strain before serving. Top with extra berries, if desired.

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Carnitas Tacos with Pickled Red Onion

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Carnitas Tacos with Pickled Red Onion

The pork gets a big flavor boost from achiote paste, a mix of ground annatto seeds, vinegar, salt, and spices. Find it at Latin markets.

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Spaghetti Aglio E Olio

Photo: Hector Sanchez
View Recipe: Spaghetti Aglio E Olio

"When I cook at home, I use fish sauce in a lot of Italian food," says Quealy Watson of Hot Joy. "I took Latin for four years and read most of Apicius [a collection of ancient Roman recipes]. After seeing the prevalence of garum, a fermented fish sauce, in ancient Roman cooking, using fish sauce in Italian food just made sense. It's essentially anchovy juice." Look for crispy fried garlic at your local Asian market.

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Cranberry-Almond Broccoli Salad

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Cranberry-Almond Broccoli Salad

Broccoli salad is usually drowning in a creamy, often very sweet, dressing and studded with 1/2 pound crumbled bacon, making it more about the creamy dressing and bacon than about the actual broccoli. Ours uses a combination of canola mayonnaise and Greek yogurt to keep the calories in check. We opt for center-cut bacon (a bit less of it) and swap the usual raisins for lower-sugar dried cranberries to pack a subtle punch of tart. The best part of this salad? The longer it sits, the better it gets.

This creamy-crisp salad saves over 269 calories, 5g sat fat, and 121mg sodium over traditional broccoli salad.

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BBQ Chicken Sandwiches With Coleslaw

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches With Coleslaw

Our quick homemade BBQ sauce is lower in sodium than bottled versions, and you can put this meal on the table in less than 30 minutes.

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Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Green Onions and Cilantro

Photo: Hector Sanchez
View Recipe: Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Green Onions and Cilantro

"Brussels sprouts are best when caramelized," says Gavin Kaysen of Spoon and Stable. "Tossing the roasted vegetables with rich, salty fish sauce enhances the sweet notes created by the cooking process.

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Grilled Camembert

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Grilled Camembert

It’s hard to believe there’s anything you can do to make a creamy French cheese any better than it already is, but we found a new way to take it to a new level. As the summer beats on, you can still keep this party starter on the roster—just exchange the cherries for the most seasonal fruit: nectarines, plums, peaches, and blueberries all make a delicious pairings.

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Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

Photo: Hector Sanchez
View Recipe: Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

Dress this staff favorite with cold-smoked salmon atop a creamy filling seasoned with fresh dill. You can easily double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd.

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Bordeaux-Style Strawberries

Photo: Erin Kunkel
View Recipe: Bordeaux-Style Strawberries

In Bordeaux, where châteaus and vineyards abound, a typical dessert is fresh strawberries sliced into a red wine glass and then topped with a great Bordeaux. Here, that regional tradition is adapted to make it more dessert-like. If you're pressed for time, do as the Bordelais do—quick and easy.

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Slow Cooker Beef Lettuce Wraps with Quick Pickles

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef Lettuce Wraps with Quick Pickles

The low, even heat of the slow cooker helps flavor powerhouses like miso, sesame oil, and soy sauce to impart tenderizing moisture, umami depth, and savory personality to common pot roast.

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Spicy Thai Red Curry Beef

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Spicy Thai Red Curry Beef

This single-skillet supper is a quick ticket to rich, exotic flavor. Don't shake the coconut milk before opening; you want to keep the thick cream layer separated.

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Zucchini-Ricotta Pizza

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Zucchini-Ricotta Pizza

Ribbons of zucchini and bright cherries bursting with flavors are the perfect pair for this creamy ricotta base.

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Vietnamese Pork Salad

Photo: Erin Kunkel
View Recipe: Vietnamese Pork Salad

Think of this impressive salad as a deconstructed version of a spring roll. Rice noodles cook in just 2 minutes; be sure to drain and rinse promptly with cold water so they don't overcook.