​It’s no secret that Bon Appétit editors cook a lot for work. So it should come as no surprise that we cook a lot during our off hours too. Here are the recipes we’re whipping up this month to get dinner on the table, entertain our friends, satisfy a sweet tooth, use up leftovers, and everything in between. For even more staff favorites, click here.. Sweet corn in winter. For those nights when the winter blues hit a little too hard, I turn to my freezer for some out-of-season brightness. Mine is mostly filled with fruit and veggies (crammed in alongside a tower of butter sticks) and, among the assorted bags, I always keep some charred corn. While senior Test Kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic’s Miso-Brown-Butter Rice Cakes With Corn absolutely shines in late summer with fresh kernels, it’s equally satisfying to pull together during a once-in-a-decade blizzard with the frozen stuff. Paired with Korean rice cakes, almost a stick of butter, and a pantry powerhouse sauce (miso, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil), each bowl tastes like a ray of sunshine. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor. Miso-Brown-Butter Rice Cakes With Corn. Crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside rice cakes play well as a pasta substitute in this comforting vegetarian one-skillet meal.. View Recipe. Repeat-worthy chicken and couscous. My weekly comfort meal is this One-Pan Garlicky Chicken Couscous by Carolina Gelen. I make it like clockwork. But this week, my oven broke, so I needed to split the dish up, making the chicken in the air fryer (which unlocked a new level of crispy goodness) and grains on the stove (I opted for rice since I was out of couscous). Both elements get topped with a tangy dill sauce, which I like to double and mix into salads the next day. Though the schmaltzy edge was missed, it was still chef’s kiss. —Abi Lieff, assistant to the editor in chief. Bitter veg season. There are only a few weeks left to enjoy peak bitter vegetable season, a joyous time of year! Wanting to take advantage of radicchio’s vibrant offerings, I turned to this hearty salad. I used Castelfranco leaves since it’s a sweeter and milder variety, and substituted the brussels sprouts with red endive for even more crunch. The subtle bitterness is complemented with creamy cheese and a mouth-puckering lemon dressing. Any white bean will do—I opted for cannellini since it has a delicate bite. —Marisa Alia Malanga, research fellow. Radicchio, Bean, and Feta Salad. The solution to legume doom: This citrusy marinated bean salad with crunchy greens and big chunks of salty feta.. View Recipe. Choose-your-own-adventure challah. I was testing stand mixers for an article last week, which was essentially an excuse to bake many batches of challah. Instead of making each loaf plain (boring!) I polled fellow staffers for topping ideas and scoured the Test Kitchen for spare ingredients. In the end, I wound up with six different varieties: furikake, a fairy  

​Taking inspiration from the Northern Indian dish gobi tikka, this yogurt-based marinade tenderizes and gives deep, bold flavor to roasted cauliflower. Flavored with fresh garlic, ginger, and warm spices like garam masala and Kashmiri chile powder, the yogurt coats every nook and cranny of the vegetables, helping each floret develop beautiful caramelization.. Cook the cauliflower at a moderately high temperature so that it adequately softens while developing color. A quick blast under the broiler adds extra char, while a finishing squeeze of lime brightens the heady spice.. What is “tandoori-style”?. Tandoori dishes are traditionally cooked in a tandoor, a hot clay oven popular in Indian and other South Asian cooking. The term “tandoori-style” typically refers to foods coated in yogurt and spices, then roasted or grilled until lightly charred.. Can I use regular yogurt instead of Greek?. Greek yogurt has a thick texture that coats the florets. If using regular yogurt, strain it in a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth for about 30 minutes to remove excess liquid.. How hot is Kashmiri chile powder?. Kashmiri chile powder adds very mild heat and a vibrant red color. Substitute with paprika (not smoked) if preferred.. How do I get deeper browning?. If the cauliflower is tender but you want more char, switch the oven to broil for 1–2 minutes at the end. Keep a close eye on it so the yogurt coating doesn’t burn.. Can I marinate the cauliflower ahead of time?. Yes. Toss the cauliflower with the yogurt mixture up to 8 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Let it sit at room temperature while the oven heats, then roast as directed.  

​Tester: Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor. Why we love it: NorCal Organic Pea Protein powder contains only pea protein isolate, sourced from USDA-certified organic yellow peas. Each crop is third-party tested for nutritional content, allergens, and heavy metals (test results are shared on its site). It’s a complete protein, a strong source of iron, and has an impressive amino acid profile for a vegan product—NorCal claims “4.8 grams of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) and 2.18 grams of arginine per serving.”. Because it’s unflavored and unsweetened, NorCal Organic tastes rather neutral, perhaps slightly earthy, on its own. It’s a great option to blend into my morning smoothie because it doesn’t alter the taste at all. I’m personally sensitive to sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners (like sucralose), so I love having an option that doesn’t contain anything but protein. I use it mostly for smoothies, but I stirred some into overnight oats and hot oatmeal and both tasted great.. I’d recommend it for vegans/vegetarians, anyone with allergies or intolerances, and folks who prefer an unflavored, unsweetened option without fillers or additives. It’s an excellent single-ingredient option.. What we’d leave: As with all pea protein, NorCal Organic remains a bit gritty, even after blending. This is not a protein powder that will completely dissolve, so I’d recommend it only for shakes, smoothies, and oatmeal to disguise the texture. A single serving is two scoops, and the powder is quite finely milled, so it’s a bit messy to portion out.. The NorCal pea protein is unflavored, making it great for shakes, smoothies, and oatmeal.. Kelsey Jane Youngman. Neue Theory 2-in-1 Plant-Based Probiotic Protein Powder. $65. Neue Theory. Nutrition. Protein: 22 g. Calories: 145. Carbs: 4 g. Fiber: 1 g. Sugar: 0 g. Ingredients. Pea Protein, Hemp Protein, L-Glutamine, Leucine, Bacillus Coagulans SNZ 1969, OPTIBIOME® Bacillus Subtilis BS50, OPTIZIOME® P3 Hydrolyzer Digestive Enzymes, Ashwagandha Root, Tart Cherry Fruit Powder, Organic Cocoa, Natural Chocolate Flavor, Coconut Oil Powder, MCT (70% Medium Chain Triglycerides), Salt, Monk Fruit Extract, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Silica  

​Frozen mac and cheese is a shortcut of a shortcut. It’s quicker than the fastest, most delicious boxed mac and cheese, and it’s certainly more hands-off than making mac and cheese from scratch. However you’re preparing yours, don’t forget to dress it up: hot sauce, chili crisp, bacon bits, scallion, cilantro, and mint chutney—let your stomach be your guide.. How we picked the products. First, we identified the frozen mac and cheese brands available nationwide. We included only iterations marketed as having a classic mac-and-cheese flavor profile—no bacon or buffalo chicken macs. And for this test, they had to come out of the grocery store’s freezer section (no refrigerated or shelf-stable versions allowed).. How we tested. We prepared each frozen mac and cheese straight from the freezer, following its package instructions. We opted to use the oven rather than microwave (each contender offered either option), so we could heat them all at once. That way, they’d all arrive hot for our tasters.. We prepared each macaroni and cheese in its unmarked, oven-safe container, and presented them to our panel without revealing the brands.. How we evaluated each mac and cheese. Frozen mac and cheese is a convenience meal—easier to prepare than its boxed counterpart. But that doesn’t mean we sacrifice our standards. The best frozen mac and cheese starts with the sauce. It should be smooth, well-emulsified, and creamy. Soupy sauces or ones deemed stodgy or gluey were immediately discounted. It also needed to taste like cheese, but that doesn’t mean we expected nutty notes of Gruyère or grassy fontina. We were looking for that classic mac and cheese flavor: salty-savory, with a gentle tanginess reminiscent of cheddar. Other cheese notes were just a bonus.. The noodles should be evenly cooked, retaining some texture. Mushy pasta was out of the question, but we weren’t expecting textbook al dente, either. This is comfort food, not fine dining. A paste-like texture (from overcooked pasta or an exceedingly thick sauce) was a turn-off. We were also on the lookout for broken sauce—those with a slick of separated oil pooling on top. Any of these flaws knocked a contender out of the running.. For many, Stouffer’s is a go-to brand for easy, frozen dinners. Its frozen macaroni and cheese is no different, with a list of ingredients typical of the genre, including cooked macaroni noodles, skim milk, water, cheddar cheese, and cheddar club cheese (a type of spreadable cheddar).. Why it won us over: Senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk described the color of this mac and cheese as “electric orange,” with some dismay. But other tasters actually preferred the shocking hue over paler cream-colored versions. Once everyone dug in, though, any lingering concerns gave way to praise. Stouffer’s larger-than-average elbow macaroni was evenly cooked—tender, but not mushy. The sauce hit that comforting sweet spot of salty and gooey, coating each n  

​I am not a powders person. Protein powders, smoothie additives, workout supplements—hard pass. I might drink some electrolytes if I’ve run 13 miles, but in most items I drink, I like a clean-looking ingredient label that contains items I can readily identify as food. But when I was sampling mushroom coffees and coffee alternatives, many of which arrive in an instant powdered form, I got a bag of Clevr Blends Sleeptime Latte. The bag is a blend of magnesium glycinate, adaptogens like ashwagandha and reishi, and an herbal mix of passionflower, valerian root, and hops. Not to go full wellness influencer, but I have slept more deeply and soundly ever since I started drinking it.. Clevr. Sleeptime SuperLatte. $29. Clevr. My experience with the latte has gone like this: 30 to 60 minutes before I’m planning to head up for bed, and after I’m done with everything I need to accomplish for the day, I mix one up and drink it. Within 15 minutes, I start to feel noticeably more relaxed. Within 10 minutes of lying down, I’ve dropped off to sleep. And then, unless one of my kids decides they need me at 2 a.m., I stay that way until 6 or 6:30 in the morning—my normal wake-up time. According to the Garmin watch I wear almost constantly, my average sleep score has gone from “fair” to “good.”. I spoke with Kristy Del Coro, a registered dietitian and culinary nutritionist, to find out if this is all in my head, and if it’s not, why I might get more restful sleep after having one of these lattes. She listed a few ingredients in the mix with research behind them to support their links with better sleep: magnesium bisglycinate, valerian root extract powder, L-theanine, passionflower extract, and hops (yes, as in the beer ingredient). Magnesium in particular plays a role in regulating the neurotransmitters and hormones that modulate sleep, and, Del Coro noted, it’s something many Americans don’t get enough of in their diets.. Whizzing a mug of hot water and a light brown powder isn’t the only way to get these ingredients into your body. Del Coro points out that pumpkin seeds, almonds, and spinach are all good sources of magnesium, and green tea provides L-theanine, but the Clevr latte is certainly an easy way to consume them all at once.