Our Staff's Favorite Healthyish Recipes of 2018
We have a lot of opinions about recipes. Probably because we spend all day writing, talking, and thinking about them. Then at the end of the day, we go home and cook them. In a year full of stand-out food—from the first-ever Feel Good Food Plan to the Farmers' Market Challenge, with plenty of additions in between—there was a lot to love. Still, some recipes captured the hearts (and stomachs) of our staff the most. These are the recipes we're making on repeat, through 2019 and beyond.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco, prop styling by Emily Eisen1/14Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
I said it once and I'll say it again: Carrot cake is the best cake. And this gluten-free version is better than any gluten-filled version I've tried. I have to confess I've never made it (LOL, not a baker), but I ate my weight in cake every time it appeared in the test kitchen...and I'm silently willing Chris Morocco to make it again. – Amanda Shapiro, Healthyish editor
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco, prop styling by Emily Eisen3/14Braised Chicken and Spinach Soup With Pita Chips
I basically eat a version of chicken and rice at least three nights a week, and this one has everything I want—a beautifully flavored (and light!) broth, perfectly tender chicken, and lots of leafy greens. Plus it's got two incredibly easy toppings (quick pickled onions and, um, store-bought pita chips) that round the whole thing out with acid and crunch. It is, in my opinion, the perfect bowl. – Emma Wartzman, editorial assistant
Photo by Alex Lau, , Food Styling by Sue Li4/14Shrimp and Basil Stir-Fry
The sauce for this shrimp and basil stir-fry is stupid-good. I used chiles in adobo instead of fresnos and it worked like a charm—I remember cooking this on a super hot summer day. I ate it on the floor of my bedroom (the only place with an AC) and couldn't have been happier. – Carey Polis, digital director
Photo by Alex Lau5/14Ramen Noodles With Miso Pesto
I have made more than a few batches of miso pesto, either to serve with ramen noodles or just for a sauce to spoon over grain bowls, roast chicken, rice, you name it. I even used it as a dip for lettuce (HAND SALAD FTW) one lazy night, and it is great mixed with a touch of mayonnaise for a Green Goddess-ish sandwich spread, if that goddess were Asian. I am that goddess!!!! – Alyse Whitney, associate editor
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Chris Morocco6/14Miso-Glazed Eggplant Grain Bowls With Basil
Miso-glazed eggplant helped me convince my eggplant-hating fiance that eggplant is delicious (or at least, that THIS eggplant is delicious). With none of that flabby sadness you'll experience in lesser eggplant dishes, this baby is like crème brûlée in eggplant form, all crisp on the outside and like soft, soft umami-butter on the inside. I'm convinced there's no better way to cook eggplant. – Hilary Cadigan, associate editor
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Emily Eisen7/14Slow-Cooked White Fish with Charred Cabbage
This was the one Feel Good Food Plan 2018 recipe that I didn't actually make during the plan. It just seemed so...healthy. But, now, almost 12 months later, it's my go-to, never-fail weeknight dinner. Sometimes I add crushed Castelvetrano olives. If I'm not in a mint mood, I will sub in cilantro. It's super flexible and comes together sooooo quickly. I promise I'll never skip a Feel Good Food Plan recipe again. – Rachel Karten, senior social media manager
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling Rebecca Jurkevich8/14Plum-Cardamom Crumble with Pistachios
I’ve never been a baker, but I’m a sucker for any excuse to buy more summer fruit. Also I have an unabiding love for the Great British Bake Off, which is probably why I found myself rubbing butter into flour by hand to make this plum cardamom crumble. I was relieved to find the recipe incredibly forgiving, and the jammy, juicy, lemony results made my heart sing. I intended to save some for breakfast (one of life’s greatest pleasures), but of course the crumble never made it past dessert. Next summer, I’ll make two. – Aliza Abarbanel, Healthyish editorial assistant
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen9/14Marinated Zucchini With Hazelnuts and Ricotta
I never knew what to do with slimy, smooshy yellow summer zucchini before this brilliant Molly Baz recipe. Not only did I learn the niftiest salting technique to keep the zukes from getting to that slimy state, but the Italian dressing-esque marinade, the bed of lemony ricotta, and the expensive (but healthy!!!) crunch of hazelnuts all combine to the fanciest, most flavorful summer side on the picnic table. Or dinner table, if it's served on toast. I've never had mint to do the mint part, but I'm sure that's very nice. – Alex Beggs, senior staff writer
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Anderson, Prop Styling by Bea Chastka10/14Beef Stir-Fry with Green Beans and Tomatoes
I couldn't stop eating this beef stir fry when Chris Morocco first put it up for tasting, and the super simple but shockingly flavor-packed stir fry is one I will return to making again and again. It's the finely grated lemongrass in the beef marinade that really makes it special—now I want to finely grate lemongrass into every marinade. – Anna Stockwell, senior food editor
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Judy Mancini11/14Summer Squash and Basil Pasta
Can "love at first sight" happen with a recipe? Well, that's what happened to me when I first scrolled through Chris Morocco's surprisingly simple but incredibly clever squash pasta. Cooking down the squash turns it into the most velvety sauce, and after hitting it with some smoky Aleppo-style pepper, lots of Parm, and grassy basil, I couldn't stop making (or eating) this sweet little pasta. This isn't a summer fling; it's true love. – Elyse Inamine, digital restaurant editor
Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski12/14Coconut-Turmeric Relish
Let's admit that, on its own, cauliflower rice is.... watery fluff. If you season it with enough salt, it might be palatable, but the real move is to top it with Coconut-Turmeric Relish—my favorite Healthyish recipe of 2018 (and probably a sleeper hit?)—which makes it totally delicious and impossible to put down. "Relish" sounds like you'll have to do a lot of chopping but, in reality, you mix lemon-pickled raisins with a flavor-jammed oil made with coconut flakes, garlic, chile, mustard seeds, and turmeric. It's hot, sweet, earthy, crunchy, crispy—all the things! And while it's great over cauli rice, I eat it over eggs, sautéed kale (splayed over lemony yogurt), savory oats, and roasted squash. Gimme! – Sarah Jampel, contributing editor
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Andy Baraghani13/14Cold Udon with Grapefruit Ponzu
After years of relinquishing udon recipe-making to the restaurants I frequent, I decided it was time for a change. So, I grabbed my well-worn market tote, ran to the closest H-Mart I could find, and bought enough udon to feed a family of five for a long winter. What was I going to do with it all? Make this Cold Udon with Grapefruit Ponzu (obvs). It's bright and punchy without verging into cringy territory and feeds my desire to eat as much citrus as often as possible. Regardless of whether it's blazing outside or just stiflingly hot due to a radiator working overtime, I know I'll be playing it cool with this saucy bowl. Restaurants, beware; there's a new noodlemaker in town. – Jesse Sparks, editorial assistant
Photo by Alex Lau14/14Chili Crisp
Okay. I literally crave chile crisp. It’s become problematic. It makes sense though, because I’ve been known to steal coworkers hot sauce. What can I say? I need the heat. I purposefully cook things that need a little zhush so I can toss some CC over it. I recently made it at home, and have gone through a shocking amount. Whatever, it rules and I won’t apologize. – Emily Schultz, social media manager
