Heidi V., Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Heidi V. has tested.

Schug in a pottery bowl, on a wooden plate with a spoon and garnished with cilantro.

Schug

A brightly herbal, spicy, garlicky condiment that brings spice to anything you might want to dip in it. Seriously, it goes on nearly everything.

A ceramic bowl of butter chicken garnished with cilantro, beside a bowl of rice, and a plate of naan bread.

Butter Chicken

Often overlooked at Indian restaurants, butter chicken really can be a truly captivating dish. Give this version a try and see what you think.

A cast-iron pan filled with koftinka meatballs on a white background.

Koftinka ~ Bite-Size Meatballs

Our scientific theory is that bite-sized food just tastes better. Maybe it’s because you’re just happier when you eat it. These baby meatballs are proof.

A tangle of sautéed summer squash ribbons on a square white plate.

Sautéed Summer Squash Ribbons

America’s Test Kitchen came up with a painless way to avoid soggy squash (squashy squashes?) that makes a lovely, zingy side dish. It’s a splendid way to get your veggies.

Four chocolate coated dairy-free ice cream bars in a metal bucket.

Dairy-Free Ice Cream Bars

A homemade, dairy-free version of the commercial ice-cream pop with the grandiose name and gold foil-lined package. Sorta the same. Sorta reimagined.

Halved slices of sourdough stacked on top of each other on a white and grey marble surface.

Sourdough Bread

Craving that characteristic crust and crumb of an artisanal loaf of sourdough? We have just the beginner’s recipe for you that’s a cinch to pull off at home. Swear.

A white bowl filled with lamb kofte and parsley and tomato salad.

Lamb Kofte

Authentic lamb meatballs like you’d get in a Middle Eastern restaurant that are easy to make at home yet really quite hard to resist.

Two plates of beer-brined bbq chicken, shredded cabbage, and artisan bread, with a small bowl of dip between them.

Beer-Brined BBQ Chicken

A relatively quick and unconventional brine that ensures a surprising amount of juiciness and a surprise sauce that brings ample flavor.

Two halves of miso-glazed eggplant sprinkled with cilantro and scallions with a fork and knife and bowl of sesame seeds beside them.

Miso-Glazed Eggplant

Here’s a vegan recipe for roasted eggplant slicked with a salty sweet miso-glaze that’s a veritable umami-bomb. Even those of us who aren’t vegan are devouring it and asking for more.

A ceramic bowl filled with mashed kabocha with a spoon resting in it.

Mashed Kabocha Squash

Wait until you give Bryant Terry’s squash a try. Creamy and packed with flavor, this vegan recipe is also healthy as heck without tasting like it.

Five tahini truffles lying in a bed of cocoa powder.

Tahini Truffles

Tahini truffles are nutty, rich, sexy, little bites. A pleasure to share…though we wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to keep them all to yourself.

A cookie ice cream sandwich made with sourdough chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream.

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sourdough discard somewhat magically turns into chewy, ever so slightly tangy chocolate chip cookies. Brown butter takes them over the top. And a sprinkle of salt if you like to swoon.

A ceramic bowl filled with chunks of shaking beef.

Shaking Beef

A Vietnamese classic that comes together in minutes and bears that enticing and classic Vietnamese juxtaposition of tastes and textures and temperatures. Sigh.