Top 10 lists appear to be all of the issue at the stop of each yr, so I idea it is probably a laugh to peer what the ten most famous recipes I've put up this past yr were. Not as smooth as I idea it would be, but after stumbling round in Google Analytics for a while ? Does everybody else find this device as unintuitive as I do? ? I sooner or later figured it out.
It's clean for me to look firsthand which recipes my husband, pals and own family enjoyed the most over the yr, but it has been very interesting to discover which recipes have resonated the most with my readers and followers. Some I could have predicted ? My baked quinoa falafel bites were probable my personal favorite recipe of the yr, and my saag aloo (or potato and spinach curry) is actually a brand new traditional. The range of meals which you appear to have loved this past year from my weblog suggests me that I need to stay diverse in my personal kitchen ? An clean component for me to aspire to considering I usually like to attempt my hand at all forms of different substances, strategies and cuisines. So I desire that you'll experience my recipes for this coming year as nicely.
Before sharing my top 10 most popular recipes of 2014, I thought it would also be amusing to percentage with you my own favourite components of the beyond yr.
1. Za'atar I was entranced with this popular Middle Eastern herb and sesame seed blend from the first taste. Tangy, zesty and salty, za'atar bursts with such flavor that it really isn't just an ingredient but a star in itself. In fact, it is usually eaten almost on its own, with bread dipped into some good olive oil and a plate of za'atar. It's delicious sprinkled on fresh tomato slices or hard-boiled eggs, and a great ingredient to add to simple oil or yogurt dressings. It's also ridiculously easy to make at home. Coincidentally, Canada's national newspaper also called it the top ingredient of 2014.
2. Eggplant I never used to think I really cared for eggplant at all, until I was given charge of a giant homegrown one by my Dad a couple of years ago. Challenged to cook with it for almost the first time, I did a simple breading and broiling of some eggplant slices and was instantly hooked on the vegetable. Prepared, gently cooked and seasoned properly, eggplant has a delicate and slightly nutty and buttery flavor and adds a terrific contrast in texture in curries, chilies, and many other kinds of dishes. Since that first experiment, eggplant has featured more and more often in my cooking over the past year, and there will be more to come in 2015. I also plan to explore some of the exotic Asian varieties soon.
3. Coconut Coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut sugar, coconut water … in short, almost anything made from coconuts. I've been treated to some generous samples of all kinds of coconut products in the past year, and I've come to appreciate the health benefits of coconuts and the versatility of ingredients made from coconuts. Coconut oil has a relatively high smoking point that makes it excellent for frying, imparting a mild coconut flavor and fragrance to curries and Asian style soups, but it also solidifies at relatively warm temperatures making it an ideal ingredient for raw treats. I've pretty much abandoned brown sugar in my pantry for unrefined coconut sugar, and coconut milk adds a lovely creaminess to any soup or stew that would ordinarily call for milk or cream, so it's great for vegans too. This year I plan to find out how I can use coconut flour.
4. Peanut Butter and Tahini My husband often has to run out of the house in the morning without time for a proper breakfast, so I like to have quick and easy things like muffins ready for him to grab and go. This past year I've been getting more and more into the idea of preparing raw foods in ready-to-eat packages for him instead. Actually, I like having them around for myself too! Having no-bake foods is easy, yes, but preserving the goodness of raw ingredients without processing or cooking means that he's getting even more of the energy that these ingredients can provide. Nuts, seeds and dried fruit are the basic building blocks of raw treats, but nothing makes raw treats tastier and easier than protein-rich natural peanut butter … or tahini, which is basically what is used in the Middle East in place of peanut butter. Who doesn't love these ingredients?
Check out these and other recipe ideas on 
 | Top 10 Recipes of 2014 |
 | 1. Peanut Butter Rice |
It's a bit of a surprise to me that the maximum popular recipe I've posted this yr has been this peanut butter rice with best four components ? One among that's water! But however, we all like actually easy ideas for livening up the ones plain everyday dinner facets that we so regularly have a tendency to forget, and cooking delicate buttery basmati rice with peanut butter makes for an clean and delicious accompaniment for spicy mains.
 | 2. Baked Quinoa Falafel Bites |
On the opposite hand, the recognition of this recipe isn't any wonder to me, as it became surely certainly one of my favourite meals of the year. Baked to a crispy golden-brown with quinoa rather than chickpeas, those are lighter than traditional falafels. And in a tiny bite-size ball, they are best to have around as hors d'oeuvres or snacks or just as a cute light meal, which I did several times this 12 months served with a simple tangy lemon, tahini and yogurt sauce.
 | 3. Saag Aloo |
Over the years I've recreated ? Or improved upon ? The various famous vegetarian dishes located in Indian restaurants, but for some cause it wasn't until this beyond year that I positioned my hand to the the potato and spinach curry known as saag aloo that is one of the maximum famous North Indian vegetable dishes around the arena. Potatoes are baked and then pan-fried until golden, then simmered with fragrant spices, lemon, tomato and sparkling spinach to create a curry you will need to consume time and again.
 | Four. Aloo Gobi with Chickpeas |
On the opposite hand, I've absolutely made the conventional North Indian potato and cauliflower curry known as aloo gobi numerous instances over time. But this yr I determined to fill it out with a few soft buttery chickpeas to make the curry a entire meal in itself. I do not know why I hadn't thought of it earlier than, but it grew to become out that lots of you thought it turned into an excellent concept too.
 | 5. Baked Falafel with Lemon Tahini Sauce |
This was the recipe that brought about the baked quinoa falafel bites later inside the yr. I'd always enjoyed falafels at Middle Eastern restaurants, but I wasn't enamored with the idea of frying them at home, so I got here up with a baked model that become simply as delicious ? Even extra delicious crammed in pitas and served with diced pickles and tomatoes and that excellent lemon, tahini and yogurt sauce.
 | 6. Thai Red Curry Vegetable Soup |
Over the beyond couple of years I've emerge as greater acquainted with ? And adept at ? Thai cooking. Thai curry pastes have such particular tastes and aromas, and so easy to make at home, that I typically have a couple of jars accessible to thrown into a short Thai curry. Although tomatoes aren't pretty conventional Thai elements, I got here up with this Thai-fashion "cream of tomato" soup with crimson curry paste and coconut milk and loaded with vegetables.
 | 7. Raw Peanut Butter Cookies |
This was the yr that I in reality got into wholesome raw, no-bake treats ? Not to keep time, although this is really a plus, but to hold the goodness of raw ingredients. The maximum famous of all ? And who doesn't like a peanut butter cookie ? Were these smooth, moist, smooth and chewy no-bake peanut butter cookies sweetened with dried fruit. Nothing to experience responsible approximately.
 | 8. Spicy Chickpeas in a Tomato Coconut Sauce |
This is the sort of Indian curry I can devour each week ? Easy, colourful, nourishing and delicious. What makes this chickpea and spinach curry a go-to dinner is the addition of coconut milk to the tomatoes to make the sauce a creamy aromatic satisfaction.
 | Nine. Chickpea Quinoa Vegetable Burgers |
This is probably now my very own signature vegetarian burger. Chickpeas, quinoa and fresh vegetables blended into an all-in-one perfect spiced veggie burger served in pita breads with a zesty tomato chutney and pickles made for a dinner that my husband and I lower back to numerous instances during the yr.
 | 10. Beet, Lentil and Vegetable Soup |
There's not anything like a bowl of selfmade vegetable soup to comfort the soul and the frame in cold climate, and the traditional flavors of wintry weather root veggies like beets, potatoes and carrots simmered with a bit dried herbs and a dash of paprika with earthy inexperienced lentils did just the trick this beyond frigid spring. It changed into as easy to make as it was hearty, nourishing and warming.
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