Challenge List | Vivian & Amity Cook

Vivian - Spinach and Smoked Gouda Crustless Quiche
Amity - Carmelized Onion Quiche
Amity - also did in muffin tins, with a Ritz Cracker for a crust, tried with Roasted Vegetables, one was spinach and mushroom and Mozzarella, the other was roasted onion/pepper/cheddar

Something Green (10/8/2023)

Tacos (9/27/2023)

Vivian - Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Vivian - Slow cooker Beef Machaca
Amity - Mexican Shriimp Tacos
Amity - Beef Birria and Beef Biria Queso Tacos
Amity - Beef Birria we ended up morphing too

Patties (8/30/2023)

Vivian - Healthy Spinach Latkes
Amity - Cabbage Fritters (Baked or Fried)

Five Spice Powder (8/6/2023)

Vivian - 5-Spice Chicken with Vegetable Stir-Fry
Amity - 5 Spice Chicken Stir Fry

Feta Cheese (7/24/2023)

Vivian - Brocolli Feta Fritters
Amity - Shakshuka with Feta
Amity - Greek Turkey, Rice and Feta Casserole (a Mike Favorite)

Something from the New York Times (7/1/2023)

Vivian - Grilled Zucchini With Miso Glaze
Amity - Thai Curry Vegetables (used 1/2 sugar, lots of lime)

South America (6/20/2023) 100 Recipes!!!

Vivian - Spicy Brazilian Coconut Chicken
Amity - Galinhada Mineira (Brazilian Chicken and Rice From Minas Gerais)

Hoisin (6/10/2023)

Vivian - Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Amity - Hoisin Sauce Noodles with Chicken (poached with excellent new method to me)
Amity - General Tso's Cauliflower

Rice Vinegar (6/20/2023)

Vivian - Spicy Korean Chicken
Vivian - Moo Shu Style Vegetables
Amity - Cold Noodles with Shredded Chicken

Food Network (5/21/2023)

Vivian - Chimichurri Chicken Marinade
Amity - Charlie Bird's Farro Salad

Blueberries (5/7/2023)

Vivian - Crustless Blueberry Pie
Vivian - Blueberry Jam
Amity - Best Blueberry Muffins
Amity - Blueberry Pancakes using Mark Bittman's Everyday Pancakes

Miso (4/21/2023)

Vivian - Miso Maple Glazed Salmon
Vivian - Miso Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Amity - J osé Andrés’s Miso-Roasted Asparagus

Jalapenos (3/31/2023)

Vivian - Asian Jalapeno Chicken
Amity - Baked Jalapeno Chicken (meh)
Amity - J alapeno Chicken (the good one!)

Ground Meat (3/27/2023)

Vivian - Korean Beef Sloppy Joes
Amity - S picy Firecracker Beef

Kale (3/19/2023)

Vivian - Ginger-Sesame Kale Stir Fry (add more kale)
Amity - Adobo Chicken and Kale Enchiladas
Amity - Spicy Kale and Quinoa Black Bean Salad
Amity - Creamy Kale Gnocchi (used Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi)

Almond Meal (3/11/2023)

Vivian - Almond Flour Banana Bread
Vivian - Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies
Amity - Almond Flour Chocolate Cake
(Ellis enjoyed, curious about tring it again, without trying to use grams)

Chinese (3/4/2023)

Vivian - Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Amity - Instant Pot Eggroll in a bowl

Harissa (2/24/2023)

Vivian - Harrisa Chicken
Amity - Harrisa Chicken (a different one)
Amity - Harissa Roasted Vegetables - a favorite!

Wine (2/1/2023)

Vivian - Wine Braised Beef with Mushrooms
Amity - Chicken in White Wine Sauce
Amity - Summer Squash Scampi

Something from Africa (1/26/2023)

Vivian - African Chicken Peanut Stew
Amity - Fried Ripe Plantains
Amity - Jollof Rice
Amity - Nigerian Beef Suya (cooked in the oven, broiled) The beef was wonderful (spicy), but combined with the rice and the plantains, it was definitely a make again meal.

Pick something you pinned on Pinterest (1/14/2023)

Vivian - Chipotle Cocoa-Rubbed Salmon
Vivian - Roasted Balsamic Green Beans
Amity - Healthy Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
Amity - Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Cinnamon (1/7/2023)

Vivian - Cinnamon & Pecan Crusted Salmon
Vivian - Arabic Lentil Soup
Vivian - Coffee-Brined Chicken Drumsticks
Amity - Slow-Cooked Moroccan Chicken
Amity - The Best Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Icing

Comfort Food, with a twist (1/1/2023)

Vivian - Korean Meatloaf with Gochujang Glaze (maybe reduce bread crumbs)
Amity - Green Chile Tuna Zucchini Casserole I like this better than with regular noodles. I added peas too, and a red chili since that is what I had. Yummy..

Tortillas (12/24/22)

Vivian - Kung Pao Chicken Tacos
Amity - Mexican Shredded Chicken (Vivian made this in an early challenge, but I couldn't resist)
Amity - we did this Spicy Mexican Chicken first, but it was meh. But used it for Mexican rice and it was great. Everything is better with Salsa and chese. Pulled this out of the fridge, salsa and black beans and extra chili peppers made it GREAT in tortillas after t was frozen for a bit.

Shredded (12/7/22)

Vivian - Mexican Shredded Beef
Amity - Cole Slaw (great on top of BBQ Sandwiches, you can sub yogurt for some of the mayo)
Amity - Easy Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker (I want to try this with Chicken)
Amity - Latkes, I merged the NYT version and a little of this one and some others. I skipped the baking powder and we used matzah meal. (The meatball version first). Excellent1

White Beans (12/1/22)

Vivian - Tuscan White Bean and Kale Soup (Ribollita)
Amity - Healthy Slow Cooker Chipotle Bean Chili
(best discovery, using smoked paprika or chipotle chili in chili)
Amity - Broccoli Cheese Bites
(I still want to try these savory cottage cheese muffins)

Cheese (11/14/22)

Vivian - Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole
Amity - Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Garlic (11/2/22)

Vivian - Slow Cooker Korean Beef
Amity - Garlic Soup

Eggs (9/20/22)

Vivian - Baked Eggs with Spinach, Tomatoes and Garlic
Amity - Eggs Benedict

Broccoli (9/11/22)

Vivian - Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Amity - Crack Broccoli (Ellis says no nuts is better)
Amity - Coconut-Gochujang Glazed Chicken With Broccoli

One pot dish (8/22/22)

Vivian - Filipino Adobo Chicken
Vivian - BBQ Beef and Cabbage
Amity - Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet
Amity - Smoky Potato and Chickpea Stew (will add apple and some lemon juice when I next make it)

Quickly sizing

them up:

Bold and Blue
(favorite)
Bold
(would make again)
Bold and Purple
(needs tweaking)
Regular
(not bad, not craving them)
Red
(a dud)

Challenges

Type of item: Soup, chili, dip/spread, vegetable side dish, breakfast, condiment, salad, appetizer, Thanksgiving, snack food, sauce, gazpacho,

Method: Shredded, slow cooker, meatballs, sheet pan meal, buddha bowl, 3 ingredient recipe, marinade, carb substitute, made in a muffin tin, shredded vegetable, stir fry, something stuffed, healthy fries, casserole, pickling, low carb dessert, one pot dish, shredded

Spices: Cinnamon, one you've never tried, curry powder, smoked paprika

Flavoring: Balsamic Vinegar, mustard, ginger, mocha or coffee, basil, garlic

Ethnicity: Indian, Mediterranean, Thai

Ingredient: Noodles, gochujang, jam, nuts, tofu, seafood, chilis, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, salsa, eggs, cheese, tortillas

Meat & Meat alternatives: veggie burger, :meat or seafood burger, chicken

Nuts & Beans: Chickpeas, pistachios, white beans, nuts, peanut butter, powdered peanut butter

Vegetables: Cauliflower, spaghetti squash, eggplant, spinach, root vegetables, summer squash, asparagus, cabbage, green beans, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, brocolli

Fruit: Lemon

Offbeat: Pinned recipe, Comfort food with a twist, make something from the cookbook, ancient or before 1600, celebrity recipe, something from recipetineats, copycat recipe,

Tomatoes (8/8/22)

Vivian - Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup
Vivian - Parmesan Tomato Zucchini Bake
Amity - Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Amity - Slow Cooker Chicken Ragù With Herbed Ricotta

Chicken (7/19/22)

Vivian - Halal Cart Chicken
Amity - Easy Healthier Crockpot Butter Chicken

Salsa (7/8/22)

Vivian - Roasted Cherry Tomato Salsa
Amity - Mango Salsa (a keeper, best fresh. I added a red pepper and extra red onion)
Amity - Pineapple Salsa

Artichoke Hearts (6//24/22)

Vivian - Spinach Artichoke Crustless Quiche
Vivian - Creamy Tomato Artichoke Chicken
Amity - Spinach Artichoke Strata

Gazpacho (6/12/22)

Vivian - Real Spanish-Style Gazpacho
Amity - Easy Gazpacho from Canned Tomatoes
(Okay, used less oil, and added spicy V8 and it was okay. Added spicy Cholula more salt and a little sugar, and I really like it. I also used 1/2 campari tomatoes. Very happy, but I may add more salt and Cholula.) (Also, with a nod to this Traditional Gazpacho Recipe. Broke out my immersion blender.

A Meat or Seafood Burger (5/28/22)

Vivian - Hamburger Seasoning
Amity - Bison Burger

Maple Syrup (5/14/22)

Vivian - Maple Balsamic Glazed Salmon
Amity - Turkey Meatballs with Maple Mustard Sauce

Nutritional Yeast (5/1/22)

Basil (4/23/22)

Vivian - Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce
Amity - Tomato Basil Gnocchi
(used cauliflower gnocchi, roasted a little longer, spectacular)
Amity - Potato Basil Frittata
(added onion, garlic powder, onion powder, extra salt to potaoes. They were great!)
Amity - Dump and Bake Basil Chicken Breasts

Thai (4/5/22)

Vivian - Spicy Thai Chicken Skillet
(sauce is yummy, Amity made it too)
Amity - Peanut Sauce for Stir Fries

Sauces (3/29/22)

Snack Food (3/20/22)

Vivian - Sweet and Spicy Mixed Nuts
Amity - Sweet, Salty, Spicy Party Nuts

Smoked Paprika (3/10/22)

Vivian - Beef Cabbage Soup Recipe
Amity - Instant Pot Smoke Beef Chili
Amity - Garlic Shrimp With Smoked Paprika & Honey

Mushrooms (2/28/22)

Vivian - Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Vivian - Balsamic and Spinach Mushrooms
Amity - Gnocchi and Mushrooms (used Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi)
Amity - Easy Roasted Mushrooms
Amity - Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto

Coconut Milk (2/22/22)

Vivian - Vegan Butter Chicken
Amity - Coconut milk hot chocolate
Amity - Coconut Rice Pudding Recipe (copycat Disney Cruise Recipe) -- modified
(used no cream, no condensed milk, no raisins, no shredded coconut, added 1/3 cup coconut sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract), made 7 servings, not 4. Can imagine toasted coconu on top would be lovely.
Amity - Coconut Curried Greens
Amity - Thai Chicken Stir-Fry With Coconut, Chili, and Lime
Amity - Thai Red Curry with Vegetables

Chiles (2/12/22)

Vivian - Black Pepper Tofu
Amity - Creamy Peanut Butter and Lentil Curry
(added a Jalapeno to the cayenne, still not too spicy)
Amity - Spicy Chipotle Turkey Burgers
Amity - Vegan Yachaejeon (Korean Vegetable Pancakes)

Low Carb Dessert (1/30/22)

Vivian - Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Amity - Super Fudgy Keto Brownies (ugh)
(and the verdict is, meh)

Mediterranean (1/23/22)

Vivian - Sunday Morning Shakshuka
Vivian - Chicken Souvlaki
Amity - Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Kirmizi Mercimek Corbasi) -- did a quick squirt of lemon, can also use a drizzle of butter and cayenne, or sumac
Amity - Spinach and Feta Cheese Börek

Pickles/Pickling (1/16/22)

Vivian - Easy Refrigerator Pickles
Amity - Quick 10 Minute Pickled Jalapenos
Amity - Pickled Red Cabbage
Amity - Pickled Beets
(a follow up to the one I love on the beet packages, this is close)
Amity - to get in the mood, I made something Vivian made from Condiments
below, 7/15/21): pickled onions
And now I want to try this one

Seafood (1/8/22)

Vivian - Roasted Chili-Lime Cod
Amity - Baked Salmon
(where Amity decides she likes salmon not a lot, but if she has to eat it, she likes it well done, and not very salmony. Also, she much prefers the recipe below)
Amity - Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon
(Vivian's stand by recipe that Amity made for the first time)

Curry Powder (1/4/22)

Vivian - Pumpkin Curry Soup
Amity - Slow Cooker Yellow Chicken Curry
Amity - Mulligatawny Soup

Veggie Burgers(1/1/22)

Pistachios (12/27/21)

Vivian - Zucchini Noodles with Pistachio Pesto
Vivian - Lemon Asparagus with Pistachios
Vivian - Pistachio Cookies
Amity - Creamy Broccoli Pistachio Soup
Amity - Tried an excellent salad with pistachios and a fun prepared dressing, 1/4 balsamic dressing and 3/4 Brianna's Poppyseed dressing

Casseroles (12/14/21)

Vivian - Roasted Veggie Breakfast Casserole
Amity - Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
(and for those of you without poultry seasoning )
Amity - Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese
Amity - Veggie-Loaded Breakfast Casserole

Copycat Recipe (11/30/21)

Vivian - Copycat Chipotle Barbacoa
Amity - Panda Express Chow Mein (Copycat)
Amity - Copycat Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli
(this absorbed all the liquid, so add more so you have soup!)
Amity - Copycat Panera Black Bean Soup
(used much less lemon, like 1-2 tsp, next time will add hot pepper flakes and 1 tsp of chipotle in adobe sauce. Also will double or triple the recipe)

Healthy Fries (11/16/21) Number 50!!

Vivian - Mediterranean Sweet Potato Fries
Vivian - Eggplant Fries (part of 5 Vegetables Fries That Don’t Make Me Feel Like I’m Eating Cardboard)
Amity - Beet Fries
Amity - Healthy Baked Fries (Potato)
Amity - Turnip Fries
(I love turnips, next time I want to try this one, this one or this one)
Amity - Carrot and Parsnip Fries

Thanksgiving (11/8/21)
(Make something you wish you could make for Thanksgiving)

Vivian - Smashed Salt-and-Vinegar Sweet Potatoes
Amity - Easy Tiramisu
Amity - Mustard-Parmesan Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Amity - Fresh Ginger Cake
Amity - Pumpkin Muffins
Amity - Pumpkin Muffins by Sally's Baking Addition (yummy, and we did not do the streusel topping)
Amity - Melting Sweet Potatoes
Amity - Buttermilk-Brined Turkey Breast
Amity - Cider-Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Amity - Whipped Pumpkin Pie

Green Beans (11/2/21)

Vivian - Copycat PF Chang’s Spicy Green Beans
Vivian - Balsamic Garlic Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms
Amity - Milk Street's Sweet and Spicy Ginger Green Beans
humorously, this turns out to be something Vivian made for the Ginger challenge. First rate though, totally happy I made it!!
Amity - Bacon-Braised Green Beans

Powdered Peanuts (10/15/21)

Vivian - PB2 Flourless Chocolate Brownies
Amity - Powdered Peanut Butter Cookies
(want to try with dark chocolate drizzle)
Amity - Asian shredded chicken salad with peanut sauce
(tweaks to sauce, see the note on pinterest.)

Something Stuffed (10/17/21)

Vivian - Spanakopita Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Amity - Bacon Wrapped Cheesy Stuffed Jalapeños
(used pepper jack cheese & Neufchatel, partially cooked bacon, used pieces)
Amity - 4 Cheese Roasted Garlic Alfredo Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Amity - Thai Chicken Salad Wonton Cups

Try something from recipetineats.com (Nagi) (10/8/21)

Vivian - Shredded Mexican Chicken
Amity - Magic stay-moist apple muffins
(even better the next day)
Amity - Zucchini Tian

Stir Fry (9/28/21)

Vivian - Garlic broccoli stir fry with Chickpeas
Amity - Chef John's Caramel Chicken
Amity - Healthier Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry

Appetizers (9/21/21)

Vivian - Gochujang Meatballs
Vivian - Best Bean Dip Recipe (no cheese)
Amity - Spicy BBQ Cranberry Meatballs
Amity - Spanokopita in Won Ton Cups
Amity - How to make Won Ton cups

Cabbage (9/15/21)

Vivian - Cabbage Curry
Amity - Dakgalbi
Amity - Vegan Stir-Fried Cabbage in Peanut Sauce
Amity - Ethiopian Cabbage Stew
Amity - Classic Cole Slaw - rinse off salt better, holds up really well though
Amity - How to Prepare Cabbage for Slaw
Amity Special Mention - Cabbage Soup (even better with added white beans, chickpeas, a little tomato paste and sauce, 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce and 1 tsp brown sugar, and lately I've zucchini and cauliflower rice)

Try a spice you've never used (9/2/21)

Vivian - Chipotle Cocoa-Rubbed Salmon
Amity - Za'atar Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
Amity - Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Za'atar
Amity - Ajika Sweet Potato Fries

Celebrity Recipe (8/21/21)

Vivian - John Wayne's Green Chili Squares
Amity - Oprah Winfrey's Deviled Eggs

Shredded Vegetable (8/14/21)

Vivian - Cheesy Zucchini Tots - Amity really liked them with jarred jalapeno and extra cheese
Amity - Zucchini Bread Muffins
Amity - Mini Hoisin Turkey & Zucchini Meatloaf Muffins

Made in a Muffin Tin (8/1/21)

Vivian - Breakfast Egg Muffins (spinach, tomato and mozzarella version)
Vivian - Mini Meatloaves
Amity - Mini Spinach Feta Quiches
Happy Discovery -- in muffin tins, pour egg & cream mixture, add a little feta and shredded cheese and some pepper. Liked even more than the spinach feta version, puffed up and browned beautifully.
Amity - Double Chocolate Muffins
Amity - Quick and Easy Blueberry Muffins