Ingredients We’re Obsessing Over Right Now
It happens to everyone (even Audrey). You fall into a meal-making slump, where it seems like you’re ALWAYS making the same thing. We find that the cure to this can often be simple: a new ingredient, encountered at a restaurant, told to us by a friend, or rediscovered from recipes past. Here are the ingredients that we’re adding dashes, dollops, and straight up dousing our recipes with.
{Click the photo or title to get our recipes}
Harissa – Get The Recipe for Hey-O Harissa Noodles
Harissa’s the new hot sauce, yo. Except we love hot sauce, still, too. Our favorite way to use it is cold harissa noodles, which are as easy to make as plain-old noodles and awesome for a spicy side dish, a base for a main, or incorporated into our favorite breakfast, breakfast pasta. But harissa’s got lots of uses, it’s also great in stews, swiped onto crostini, or on top of lamb meatballs.
Shredded Coconut – Get the Recipe: Baked Coconut Shrimp
When we bought a bag for one recipe, and had a ton left over, we realized that a bag of shredded coconut in your pantry is a very good thing. Our favorite easy recipe using shredded coconut is a simple, but oh-so-decadent tasting coconut rice. But we also love shredded coconut on top of our salads and oatmeal, mixed into a butternut squash casserole, crusted on shrimp, on toast with almond butter and banana, and duh, coconut balls, which we’re going to continue believing are healthy.
Kimchi – Get The Recipe: Kimchi Fried Rice
There’s never been more variety when it comes to this Korean superfood. Whether it’s made with cabbages, radishes, or a combination of other root vegetables, we like this funky, chili-infused pickle mixture in any kind of rice dish, on top of grilled chicken tacos, and piled high on a classic burger. You may come across some haters (maybe because of it’s slightly strange smell when opening the can), but add it into one of your favorite simple dishes and they’ll be converted.
Spicy Honey – Get The Recipe: Sweetly Spiced Roasted Carrots
So HOT right now. Chile-infused honey is the perfectly balanced sweet and savory condiment that is versatile and an instant life-saver to dull dishes that just don’t taste quite “right.” In Your Bonnet Ghost Chili Honey or Mike’s Hot Honey are two of our personal favorites. We drizzle this spicy stuff on top of pizza, into salad dressings, and add it to marinades, sauces, and even cocktails.
Dulce de Leche or Caramel Sauce – Get The Recipe: Caramel Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bites
We could bathe in caramel (TMI?). In our opinion, dulce de leche or a classic caramel sauce is the perfect way to make any old dessert or snack a little more fancy and decadent, with LEGITIMATELY no effort on our part. We dollop this creamy, sticky, and sweet but savory sauce on everything from plain vanilla ice cream to cheese and fruit plates (think pear and ricotta with dulce de leche), and even on pancakes at Sunday brunch.
Mandarin Orange Infused Oil – Get The Recipe: Spicy Mango Avocado Salsa
Yes, there are a thousand infused olive oils out there. But guess what? Just that little tweak in flavor can make all the difference. We’ve been obsessing over a batch of salad dressing we made with this; we also love it in marinades for chicken and pork, and surprisingly, are obsessed with mixing it into fruit salad and adding just a smidge of salt.
For more Fete-a-Tete recipes and dinner party ideas, check out our Recipe Index