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Documenting my attempts at Nolan Lab's weekly recipe shares for 2025. Follow along and join us or check out my thoughts, triumphs, and most likely failures.
Week 1______________________
Thoughts/changes:
Never used Bisquick mix before, was excited to finally buy it.
Used pepper jack cheese
Used sweet onions (caramelized) and spring onions.
Added red bell peppers
Used almond milk because my body hates me
For Next time:
Try adding jalapeños, some extra kick would be nice.
Vibes:
Week 2______________________
Thoughts/changes:
Fake chicken was surprisingly good
These radiatori noodles were fun
Made sauce using san marzano tomatos, garlic, basil, yellow onion.
Used thyme powder, never really used it before but it's so good
For next time:
Experiment with other mushrooms, stuck with the basic bitch of mushrooms (portobello) for this first try
Could use heat, maybe arriabata sauce next time
I wonder if browning the fake chicken first would be better.
Vibes:
Ingredients
(4 servings) 2 cups of penne pasta - make it whole wheat or legume pasta to increase Fiber intake!
1/2 lbs chicken breast – I used plan-based Abbot’s Chopped Chick’n (10oz)
4 or 5 cloves of Garlic
5 fresh green onions – you can substitute for other kinds of onion
2 tsp of olive oil
3 oz of mushrooms – I used blue oyster, it can also work with shiitake or portobello
1/2 red pepper
5 fresh tomatoes – this is to make the sauce, you can buy canned but read ingredient list for added salts and oils
Seasoning: Salt, white pepper, smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, and garlic powder.
For extra protein I added ½ cup of 1% fat cottage cheese, you can substitute for any other cheeses, but I recommend low fat cheese to avoid consuming too many saturated fats.
Now the cooking part:
First, I chopped (small dice) green onions, garlic, and peppers and put them in an oiled medium pan at medium heat.
I added the salt and pepper and sauteed until slightly golden, then added the mushrooms and other spices cooked for about 2-3 mins.
You want to chop the chicken breast into pieces and then add it to the veggies. I added more salt here.
When it was cooked and had a nice brown look, I added the tomato sauce.
I used a grater to make the tomato sauce, but you can use a blender or just buy it canned.
I just let it simmer for about 5 - 6 minutes at medium low.
Meanwhile I had the pasta measured and put water to boil add salt to the water before cooking the pasta for best flavor.
Once the water is boiling, you add the pasta and cook it until al dente (read pasta label). Penne takes about 11 minutes. After it boils, you drain the water, and then you can mix the pasta in the pan with the sauce, to serve I added the cottage cheese.
Week 3______________________
Thoughts/changes:
For my heart's sake, I only used 1 stick of butter.
I think I was a bit hasty with the roux, probably could have gone for more brown than golden-brown.
Delicious recipe!
For next time:
I think adding some bacon or andouille sausage for some extra smokiness would elevate the dish.
Vibes:
Week 4______________________
Vibes:
Did I forget how much of a pain in the ass it was to collect pomegranate seeds? Yes
Did I totally overcook the lentils and they came out slightly mushy? Also yes
Did I forget I bought tuna for poke bowls and forgot to use it?
Uh huhDid the lentil salad and sesame crusted tuna still end up tasting good? Yessir
Week 5______________________
No notes, absolute banger, will make again
Also, apparently my friends told me Olive Garden makes a version of this, so I guess I'm an Olive Garden guy now?
Week 6______________________
Finally a dessert!
Could I have waited a month for fresh peach season? Maybe
Do I have the patience of a toddler and want this now? Most definitely
Bourbon? Good
Peaches? Very good
Bourbon Peach Cobbler? Divine
Vibes:
Week 7______________________
As a Viet I'm slightly appalled by this recipe...
But as a foodie, I just shoveled 8 of these into my mouth with no regrets.
I think pickling the carrots and also daikon would have been even better.
Vibes:
Week 8______________________
I've been wanting to make this forever!
That herb/oil seasoning to top it off is *chef's kiss*
Went with a Japanese eggplant instead of American
Vibes:
Week 9______________________
Another item I've always wanted to make.
Did I maybe overdo it with the cheese? Potentially
Did I have to down 8 lactaid pills to compensate? You bet
Was it delicious? Absolutely
Vibes:
Week 10______________________
I've forgotten how much I hate making and dealing with dough.
Check out that pretty crimp job though!
Not sure if it's a cornish pastry faux pas, but I definitely dipped these in ketchup for an extra oomph.
Vibes:
Week 11______________________
I was planning on freezing this and bringing it for Easter lunch, but it's late, I'm hungry, and have the self-control of a toddler.
I swear I can down this entire dish in one sitting it was so good.
Vibes:
Week 12______________________
You know what I realized during the course of this experiment, I rarely eat shrimp, like ever, but I should change that.
Not a mayo guy so just did a quick hit of sriracha.
The slaw was surprisingly good for just some lime and olive oil.
Vibes:
Week 13______________________
Ya know, I've never really liked beans in general, I usually only tolerate it with my Chipotle.
But the black beans really grounded this dish and brought everything together.
I caramelized some leftover sweet onions and added some lime juice to balance the cumin out a bit.
Vibes:
Week 14______________________
Not going to lie, I did not have high expectations for this harvest bowl, it looked like a bunch of stuff fancy fit influencers would make
HOWEVER, this was shockingly good, the balance of flavors was insane between the dressing and all ingredients.
Uh, I did not realize how easy tiramisu was to make.
Normally the chocolate/coffee tiramisus tend to be a bit rich for me, but this lemon one was well balanced and almost refreshing; will definitely make it again for a spring function.
Thanks to the Gual-Swaney household for the help making both dishes!
Vibes:
Week 14______________________
Kind of went a little crazy last night, but I passed my Qualifying Exam so it was well earned! This was the perfect hangover dish to make on a cloudy Sunday morning.
Warm sourdough bread dipped in gooey-jammy yolk mixed in some spiced tomatoes...nothing in there was bad.
Side note, these recipes lately are taking a hit on my herb garden, but I'm here for it.
Also, have you seen the prices of eggs lately? At this point I'm committed to finishing this project but fingers crossed eggs aren't on the menu!
Week 15______________________
Week 16______________________
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