2011 Favourite Recipes

Happy New Year! I compiled this list of favourite recipes before leaving on the great holiday adventure of 2011 (aka how many people can I visit in the span of 10 days without going crazy while in the car?). For some reason, internet access wasn't a high priority on the trip, so this list got delayed. Rather than trying to narrow down this list to 10 or 20 or some other reasonable number of favourites, I'm just going to give a list of the recipes I remember the most fondly. Narrowing things down was never my strong point! The recipes below are a bit Indian heavy as I fell in love with the 660 Curries cookbook this year.

Main Dishes
Beef Enchiladas with Chipotle-Pasilla Chili Gravy - Comfort food in a pan.
Butter Chicken - It was a good year for Indian food, although sadly it's made me much more hesitant to go out for Indian food.
Butternut Squash Risotto with Pistachios and Lemon - A relatively simple and quick way to cook squash in a deliciously rich risotto.
Cardamom Scented Chicken with Garlic and Ginger - This smells amazing and tastes just as good.
Cashew Chicken with Cilantro Sauce - The only reason not to make this is if you hate cilantro, otherwise if you haven't tried it yet, you're really missing out!
Hot and Sour Rhubarb and Crispy Pork with Noodles - Pork belly, rhubarb, and plenty of greens. The meat melts in your mouth and the rhubarb provides a nice bit of tang without overwhelming the dish.
Korean-Style Salmon with Bok Choy - Quick and easy, but a full satisfying meal.
Lamb-Almond Dumplings in a Tomato Cream Sauce - Indian-flavoured lamb meatballs that are super moist.
Maple-Brined Boneless Pork Loin Roast with Rosemary and Apples - I seem to have dropped my vegetarian streak at some point this year. I was completely surprised at just how delicious and moist a piece of pork can be.
Pad Thai - The only complaint that I have with this recipe is it has ruined my appetite for cheap pad thai.
Polpettone Braised in Tomato Sauce - Giant, tender meatballs in a rich sauce.
Rabbit with Rosemary and White Wine - Cooking a rabbit dish started out as a joke. I wish all jokes were this delicious. It's now rivaling duck as my go-to protein of choice when dining out.
Saag Paneer - A restaurant classic that's surprisingly easy to make at home.
Shrimp and Avocado in Tamarind Sauce - Creamy avocado with tangy tamarind is a truly beautiful thing!
Shrimp with Basil Peanut Pesto - Quick, easy, and tasty.
Southeast Asian Squash Curry - A recipe found out of desperation to use up squash that turned out amazingly well.
Sun-dried Tomato Gnocchi with Porcini Mushroom Broth - I absolutely loved this broth and the gnocchi were deliciously light.
Texas Red Chili - Chili the way I think of chili.

Soups, Salads, and Sides
Beer Cheese Soup - It might sound less than appetizing, but think of it as cheese fondue soup. Best served in a bread bowl.
Broccoli Cheese Soup - A relatively healthy broccoli cheese soup that doesn't taste healthy at all? I keep waiting for the CSA box to send us more broccoli just so I can make this again, but so far I haven't had much luck!
Buttery Basmati Rice with Spinach and Onions - I have never been this excited about a rice dish.
Cilantro Jalapeno Dressing - I found myself wanting to eat more salads after having a bit of this dressing. The heat seems to increase over time so be careful if you don't plan on using it all within a day or two.
Sweet and Sour Red Peppers - A perfect Chinese appetizer or side.
Tomato Pesto Mozzarella Salad - Summer in a salad bowl.

Desserts
Basil, Hazelnut, and Chocolate Cupcakes - One of my friend's named this my best dessert to date. The recipe looks intimidating, but it's not that bad.
Big Crumb Coffee Cake with Rhubarb - Quite possibly my favourite coffee cake to date. I made it again for the holidays with apples and cranberries, doubling the cake base and halving the crumb and it was perfect (although a bit too much cake for my pan!).
Chocolate Pumpkin Cake - A perfect holiday cake. Moist and filled with holiday spices.
Double-shot Mocha Cupcakes - Who knew vegan cupcakes could taste so good? These cupcakes also come together quickly making it a great base for last minute desserts!
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting - This new dessert upstaged some of my classic desserts at a party.
Salted Peanut Butter Cookie - I may be biased towards these because they were my main source of sustenance while I was in the hospital for two days, but the fact that I still want to eat them is probably a good sign!

Miscellaneous
Bagel-Egg - If I could only have one breakfast for the rest of my life, this would be it. It has everything, runny egg yolks, delicious bagel, bacon, and of course cheese.
Buttermilk Biscuits - Finally, a biscuit recipe I love and make again and again. I picked up some Lily White flour over the holidays solely for this recipe!
Creamy Lemony Eggs with Prosciutto - Melt in your mouth scrambled eggs. It takes a bit more work, but the results are worth it.
Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers - The hardest part of this recipe is having the patience to make cute shapes. These little crackers do not last long around me.