Taste the Weekend: Tyler’s Best Recipes for a Flavourful Break

Spring Cobb Salad

Everyone’s favourite Cobb salad just got a spring makeover! This lightened-up version has lots of crunchy in-season veggies and a creamy lemon-dill dressing spiked with raw garlic. A smattering of croutons (homemade is best if you’ve got the time) adds texture, and a healthy serving of eggs and avocado makes this salad hearty enough to be dinner.

Ingredients

FOR DRESSING:

• 1/2 c. full fat Greek yogurt
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp. chopped dill
• 1 garlic clove, grated or minced
• 2 Tbsp. water
• Kosher salt 
• Freshly ground black pepper

FOR SALAD:

• 2 large heads romaine, cut into bite-sized pieces 
• 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
• 2 c. homemade croutons
• 1 c. thinly sliced red and/or watermelon radishes
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• 4 oz. snap peas, trimmed and halved lengthwise

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, and garlic. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until desired texture is reached. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Assemble salad: add lettuce to serving plate or bowl. Add rows of eggs, croutons, radishes, avocado, and snap peas. Drizzle with half the dressing and season salad lightly with salt and pepper. Serve with additional dressing on the side.

One-Pan Lemon Chicken & Orzo

Easy, one-pan dinners in your back pocket are the key to looking like a hero come mealtime, especially on busy days. This dish is the perfect example: Chicken, orzo, spinach, and feat come together into a complete meal quick enough for a weeknight but beautiful enough to serve to friends at a dinner party. It’s easy and delicious and, best of all, won’t load up your sink with a ton of dishes. 

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Pat chicken dry with paper towels; season with pepper and 1 teaspoon salt.
2. In a large, high-sided, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Arrange chicken skin side down in skillet in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until skin is golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip and cook until second side is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Cook shallots and butter, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add orzo, garlic, and capers; season with remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring often, until orzo is lightly toasted and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Pour in broth and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in spinach and cream until spinach is wilted. Return chicken to pan skin side up, along with any accumulated juices.
5. Transfer skillet to oven and bake, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through and orzo is tender, about 15 minutes. 
6. Top with feta, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, and parsley.

Copycat Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake

Okay, even though many of us, *ahem* me, mostly go to the Cheesecake Factory for their iconic brown bread, it isn’t a proper visit if you don’t top off your meal with some of their iconic cheesecake. I know they have dozens of flavours (all of them delicious), but there is something to be said for their classic, plain cheesecake topped with glazed strawberries and whipped cream. And I’m not the only one who thinks so; the original with strawberries is far and away Cheesecake Factory’s most popular flavour.

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST

• Cooking spray
• 18 graham crackers (2 sleeves), finely crushed
• 6 Tbsp. sugar
• 12 Tbsp. (1 ½ sticks) butter,melted

FOR THE FILLING

• 4 (8 oz.) blocks of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 c. sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. sour cream
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

FOR THE GLAZED STRAWBERRIES

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°, and grease an 8″ or 9″ springform pan with cooking spray.
2. Make the crust: In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Set aside.
3. Make the filling: In a large bowl using a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and sour cream. Add flour and salt and beat until just combined.
4. Pour the filling over the crust. Cover the bottom of the springform pan with aluminum foil, then place in a large roasting pan. Pour in enough boiling water to come up halfway in the baking pan. Carefully transfer the pan to the oven.
5. Bake cake until just slightly jiggly, or center registers 145°F on a digital thermometer inserted to a depth of 2-inches, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Turn the oven off, prop oven door open, and let cool for 1 hour. Finally, transfer to the fridge and chill until the cake is completely cool, 5 hours and up to overnight.
6. While the cake cools, make the glazed strawberries: Whisk cornstarch and warm water in a small bowl until totally combined. In a medium saucepan, add strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch slurry.
7. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a simmer. Cook until the liquid has thickened to a syrupy texture and it coats the strawberries. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until ready to serve.
8. To serve: top each slice with a few glazed strawberries and a swirl of whip cream

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