Johnisha L., Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Johnisha L. has tested.

Johnisha Levi

Johnisha became enamored with food and cooking as a powerful means to bridge cultural divides. As a biracial kid growing up in the 1980s, she enjoyed eating the soul foods of both her Eastern European Jewish mother and her Catholic African American father. She also loved to partake in the cuisines of her closest friends’ families, fellow tester Karima Barrow’s Trinidadian father introduced her to delicacies such as pelau and goat roti.

Johnisha graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a degree in pastry arts, and worked at both a farmstand bakery and a seasonally focused restaurant. She has also managed a community-based culinary cooking program focused on the foodways of the African diaspora. Although she currently works as a grant writer for social justice oriented nonprofits, she still treasures her time experimenting in the kitchen. And whenever she plans visits to new places, one of the first things she investigates is where to find the best meals and pastries.

A parchment lined loaf pan filled with partially frosted small batch brownies and a wire whisk on the side.

Small Batch Brownies

These small batch brownies make just enough batter to fill a loaf pan so you don’t have an entire baking pan hanging around all week tempting you. Ideal for just the two of you.

A bowl of pork, avocado, and hominy in a red broth on a cutting board with tortilla chips.

Slow Cooker Pork Posole

A slow-cooker riff on Mexican posole that has a lot of the same complexity as the classic minus all the tending and stirring on the stovetop. Still certain to satisfy.

Pumpkin cider soup in a blue and white teacup, garnished with crème frâiche and chives.

Pumpkin-Cider Soup

This pumpkin soup gets a boost from apples and a bite from a cupful of Irish cider. The soup, with its intense pumpkin flavor, makes for great fall fare.

A platter with several crab cake burgers topped with tomato in a soft roll.

Crab Cake Burger

Fresh crab necessitates only Old Bay and very little in way of other ingredients. That’s exactly what you’ll find here.

Lemon salmon piccata, 2 pieces, in a metal pan with slices of lemon, pan sauce, garnished with garlic and capers.

Lemon Salmon Piccata

Salmon piccata for 2 is a recipe for love–the love of good food, natch. A pan sauce of white wine, lemon, and capers provides the perfect finishing touch.

Spaghetti Bolognese in a large metal skillet, being served with tongs, on a wooden table.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Often the first sauce we think of when we think of pasta–Bolognese is a rich, meaty, tomatoey sauce that is as comforting as it is satiating.

5 unwrapped squares of apple cider caramels beside a pile of wrapped caramels.

Apple Cider Caramels

The 8th wonder of the world? These insanely satiating caramels are made simply with apple cider, sugar, and spice.

A pottery bowl filled with merguez meatballs, garnished with parsley, surrounded by pitas and roasted red peppers.

Merguez-Style Meatballs

Little flavor bombs made from harissa-spiced lamb that are perfect on their own but also scrummy tucked into a pita or slathered with hummus.