Easter is just around the corner, and I’m very excited to share with you a fun and slightly unusual recipe for this important holiday. The acidic and tangy flavors of pineapple unite with the sweetness of Dr Pepper to create a unique flavor combination that everyone will enjoy in this glazed spiral ham.

I know you love to eat great food, so don’t miss out on this tasty meal. If you’re looking for a truly special way to serve ham, this recipe is definitely worth considering. And you can try it yourself – by simply following the easy steps provided below.

First, we’ll cut the pineapple and cook down the glaze. Then use some of the glaze to cover the ham and bake it, covered, for 10-15 minutes per pound. Then remove the lid, add the remaining glaze, and bake it at a higher heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Give it a little rest and then you have a fully cooked glazed spiral ham.

So, what do you say? I hope you’ll give this delicious dish a chance…you won’t regret it!

What Is a Spiral Ham?

Spiral ham is a type of ham that has been pre-sliced in a spiral pattern, making it easier to serve and enjoy. It’s typically made from bone-in ham and has been cured, smoked, and/or cooked beforehand. This means that when we are cooking it we’re really just reheating it to a good temperature for eating.

Because cold ham doesn’t seem too appealing.

A spiral ham typically comes from the back leg thighs of a pig. One of the greatest risks of cooking this type of ham is dry meat. So we’ll mostly cook it at a bit of a lower temperature with it covered a majority of the cooking time to avoid as much liquid loss as possible.

The reheating also gives us an opportunity to add some more flavor to the meat. The spiral cut allows the glaze to penetrate the meat, resulting in a flavorful and visually appealing dish. So gather up all of the glaze ingredients and let’s get to cooking.

The serving size for a bone-in spiral ham is about 3/4 lb per person for the initial ham weight before cooking. So buy your ham accordingly.

Cutting the Pineapple

Fresh pineapple adds a burst of sweetness to the glaze, and it’s simple to cut and prepare. I feel like every time that I actually make the effort of cutting up a fresh pineapple I’m amazed at the delicious flavor it has. Somehow I forget every time and I really need to be better about grabbing a fresh pineapple while shopping.

Note that this recipe will not use all of the pineapple, just 2 cups worth of chopped pineapple. The rest is for you to enjoy or serve as a nice side dish to accompany the meal.

Start by removing the top crown of the pineapple along with a small slice from the bottom. Then stand the pineapple up on the now flat base. Carefully use your knife to cut away the skin from the outside. Try to leave as much of the sweet fruit intact as possible.

Once peeled, turn the pineapple onto its side and start cutting slices roughly 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. See the photo above for an example of these pineapple slices above the diced pineapple. Cut the core out of the slices and then begin chopping the fruit into small pieces.

Remember that we’ll be wanting these pineapple chunks to break down in the glaze, so smaller is better.

Making the Dr Pepper & Pineapple Glaze

I am going to start this section by saying that this glaze is not traditional, but it is delicious. Plus, it is a great opportunity for you to try your hand at a glaze that has a slightly different ingredient profile. The glaze is the star of this recipe, and it’s incredibly easy to make.

The idea behind this glaze is that the pineapple and Dr. Pepper combine to make a simple sweet and tangy glaze. To do this, we’ll be using a combination of Dr Pepper and pineapple along with some honey and brown sugar.

Start the glaze by melting the butter in a medium saucepan and then adding in the thyme, cloves, and ground black pepper. Give it all a good stir and let it cook for a few minutes until fragrant.

Add in the pineapple chunks, Dr Pepper, brown sugar, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until the pineapple is soft and the flavors have melded together.

Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. If you want a purely smooth glaze, you can transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. I just used a potato masher to crush the cooked pineapple while still leaving it somewhat intact. I wasn’t going for a perfectly smooth glaze. But either way works

The result should be a thick and luscious glaze with a perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors. Just remember to use a spoon or basting brush when applying this glaze. Because it will be hot. And will burn your fingers if you try to spread it by hand… Not that I would know.

After mixing the glaze, we’re ready to pour some of it out over the ham for the first cook. Then we’ll do another glaze before a final hotter cook. This will result in a perfectly glazed spiral ham.

Glazing the Spiral Ham

With the Dr Pepper and Pineapple cooked down, we’re ready to top our glazed spiral ham. As I stated above, we’ll be doing this in two different steps. We will first add a portion of the glaze over the ham before any cooking.

Remove the ham from its packaging and place it into a large dutch oven or roasting pan. Make sure that your pan of choice has a lid that will fit on the pan over the ham. Next, you’ll need to brush the ham with a cup of glaze. Use a basting brush or spoon to spread the mixture over the ham.

Try to open up between the spiralized ham slices and get the glaze down into the gaps. This will give more flavor throughout the ham rather than just on the surface.

After the initial cook, we’ll apply the rest of the Dr Pepper and Pineapple glaze to the ham. Then give it a final cook with the lid off at a higher heat to finish the ham.

Cooking the Glazed Spiral Ham in the Oven

Luckily, cooking the spiral ham is fairly hands-off. The first step is to get the oven up to temperature. Start the preheating before you add the initial glaze to the ham. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

Once the oven is preheated, the ham is topped with a cup of glaze, and the ham is sitting in a large dutch oven or roasting pan with the lid on, we’re ready to get cooking.

Place the glazed spiral ham into the oven and cook it for about 10-15 minutes per pound of ham. Use an instant-read thermometer we’ll be aiming for a final internal temperature of 140°F (60°C) for fully cooked ham.

When the ham is at about 130°F (55°C), take the ham out of the oven and remove the lid. Turn the oven up to 400°F (205°C). Baste it with all of the remaining glaze. Put it back in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until reaching the full internal temperature of 140°F (60°C).

Cooking at a higher temperature with the lid off for the last bit will allow the glaze to caramelize and create a beautiful golden crust.

Once the ham is done, let it rest for at least 15 minutes and up to 40 minutes before slicing it. Resting meat is almost always the best practice before trying to slice and serve.

Serving Glazed Spiral Ham

Once the ham is fully cooked, glazed to perfection, and rested, it’s time to serve and enjoy!

Carefully transfer the ham to a cutting board or serving platter to carve it. Use a sharp knife to slice between the spiral cuts, and arrange the slices on a platter. Garnish with some of the leftover pineapple slices and some fresh herbs for an extra touch of elegance. Serve the ham as the centerpiece of your Easter table.

But the ham can’t be served alone. Any of the following recipes pair very well as sides with this spiral glazed ham recipe:

• Homestyle Mashed Potatoes
• Mom’s Dinner Rolls
• Honey & Ginger Glazed Carrots
• Twice-Baked Potatoes
• Apple Walnut Spring Mix Salad
• Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Note that if you have many leftovers of this ham (which is highly likely), then I recommend that you make this delicious ham and dill potato cream cheese soup. It is amazing and I give my personal guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

If you’re looking for a delicious recipe to bring to Easter dinner, then I would suggest this recipe for spiral ham. It has a great balance of sweet and savory flavors and it’s made with a combination of pineapple and Dr Pepper. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this glazed spiral ham recipe! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Dr Pepper and Pineapple Glazed Spiral Ham

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: DinnerDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

2

hours 

15

minutes

Resting Time

15

minutes

Total time

3

hours 

A unique take on ham. Sweet and salty, you won’t want to miss out on this spiral ham glazed with Dr Pepper and pineapple. Perfect for Easter! Serving size is about 3/4 lb per person for the initial ham weight.

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped fresh pineapple

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 cup Dr Pepper

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 6-10 pound spiral-sliced ham

Directions

• Chop 2 cups of fresh pineapple into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces
• Add the butter, thyme, cloves, and ground black pepper to a saucepan over medium heat
• Let the thyme, cloves, and pepper bloom in the melted butter, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes until fragrant
• Add the chopped pineapple, Dr Pepper, brown sugar, honey, and vinegar to the pan and stir to combine
• Bring the mixture to a simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened and the pineapple begins to break down
• Towards the end of simmering the glaze, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C)
• Using a heat-safe spoon or potato masher, crush the pineapple in the saucepan – for a completely smooth glaze, blend it up with an immersion blender, food processor, or blender
• Once it has reduced and thickened, remove the pan from the heat
• Remove the ham from its packaging and place it in a large dutch oven or roasting pan with a lid and pour 1 cup of the sauce over the ham, basting and filling between slices
• Place the ham in the oven, lid on, for 10-15 minutes per pound until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 130°F (55°C)
• Take the ham out of the oven, and turn the oven heat up to 400°F (205°C)
• Remove the lid from the dutch or roasting pan and add all remaining glaze, spreading it evenly and working it between slices
• Put the ham back into the oven, lid off, for 25 to 30 minutes until the glaze has set and the ham has reached an internal temperature of 140°F (60°C) then remove it from the heat
• Allow the ham to rest for at least 15 minutes and up to 40 minutes before slicing and serving

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The post Dr Pepper and Pineapple Glazed Spiral Ham for Easter appeared first on Do You Roux?.

I love salmon. But unfortunately, my wife is not a big fan. So it tends to be a special occasion when I make salmon for myself. And this time I decided to go big with a grilled cedar plank salmon and a sticky-sweet honey orange glaze.

The cedar plank lends an aromatic smokiness when used as a cooking base on the grill. You’ll be able to smell the cedar as it cooks. Mmmmm. This cedar plank salmon recipe is sure to impress when you bring in a plank of wood to set the table.

This is a delicious twist on a favorite recipe that’s perfect for a summer meal. The honey orange glaze is a great complement to the flavor of the salmon. The glaze is similar to the sauce I use with my orange maple soy salmon recipe.

Salmon, a grill, a plank of wood, and a sweet glaze. What could be better? This is a great way to cook salmon on the grill and make it special.

And this cedar plank salmon recipe is perfect for a special occasion.

Cedar Planks for Salmon – Their Purpose and Use

Cedar planks give off smoky, sweet notes that pair well with salmon. The trick to grilling with cedar planks is to soak them beforehand. This prevents the wood from burning too quickly or adding too much smoke flavor to the fish.

Cedarwood gives off a lot of smoke, and since that’s a natural flavor enhancer, you can use it to give your food some extra flavor. The salmon will also absorb the wood’s smoky, smoky flavor.

You may be able to find cedar planks at your local grocery store near where charcoal is kept. Many hardware stores also stock them near the grills in the store. Or, you can resort to buying cedar planks online like I did for this recipe.

Grilling salmon on a cedar plank is the perfect way to cook salmon on the grill. The fish won’t tear on the grill and fall through the grates. And the cedar planks also help block the direct heat of the grill, which helps the fish to cook without drying out.

But like I said, soaking is the key to success. Soaking the cedar planks is pretty easy. Just put them in a shallow dish with water and let them soak for at least one hour. I like to let them soak for a few hours.

You will likely need to weigh the planks down in the water since they tend to float and won’t be fully submerged. I use some mugs to hold the planks down in a baking sheet filled with water.

After soaking the plank, take them out of the water and dab them down with a cloth or paper towel. The cedar plank is now ready to use.

Prepping the Honey Orange Glaze

While the cedar planks are soaking, we can get started on the actual cooking by making the glaze.

I wanted a thick, flavorful glaze that would truly coat the salmon. So, rather than just mixing together the ingredients and brushing it over the salmon, we heat it up in a separate saucepan first.

This will help reduce the sauce so that it truly becomes a glaze.

Add the orange juice, orange zest, honey, soy sauce, and thyme to a small saucepan over medium to medium-low heat.

Simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will reduce a bit and thicken up.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the glaze cool.

Once the glaze is cool, we can use it to glaze the salmon.

Grilling Cedar Plank Salmon

Once the cedar planks are soaked and the glaze is prepared and beginning to cool, we can start grilling.

For this recipe, I’m using a large cedar plank. It’s perfect for grilling a whole side of salmon.

I recommend cooking the entire piece of salmon together, laid out on the cedar plank. But you can also slice the salmon into individual portions before placing it on the plank.

You’ll want to preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

When the grill is ready, lay the salmon on the cedar plank. In my experience, the planks will tend to have one rough and one smooth side.

Cover the salmon with the cedar plank and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes per side.

Now serve it up with an orange wedge and some of the following sides for a complete meal:

• Twice Baked Potatoes
• Simple Parmesan Risotto
• Oven Roasted Asparagus
• Pan-Glazed Carrots

The cedar plank will give the salmon a beautiful smoky flavor. And since the cedar plank is soaked, the salmon will absorb the wood’s smoky flavor without burning up.

Once the salmon is done cooking, remove the cedar plank from the grill and let the salmon rest for about 5 minutes. Once it has rested, you can slice and serve it. Note that cedar planks are one-time use for cooking. So, toss them out when you’ve finished cooking.

You can make salmon just as delicious at home as you would have at your favorite restaurant. It’s so easy and it works. Now I’m hooked. I’ve had a lot of fun trying new salmon recipes. Enjoy this simple recipe for cedar plank salmon with honey orange glaze.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this cedar plank salmon along with the glaze. Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Cedar Plank Salmon with Honey Orange Glaze

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: DinnerDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Soaking Time

1

hour 

Total time

1

hour 

40

minutes

Simple salmon that’s sweet and smoky, this cedar plank salmon with honey orange glaze is sure to impress

Ingredients

• 1 large cedar plank (about 15 by 5 inches)

• 1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1/2 tablespoon orange zest

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

• 2 pounds salmon fillet, skin removed

• 1 orange, sliced

Directions

• Soak the cedar plank in water for at least 1 hour
• While the cedar plank is soaking, add the orange juice, honey, soy sauce, orange zest, and thyme to a small saucepan
• Place the saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat and bring it to a boil, stirring frequently
• Turn the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes while stirring
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the glaze cool
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat
• When the cedar plank is done soaking, remove it from the water and pat it dry with a towel
• Place the salmon fillet on the smooth side of the cedar plank and brush it with the cooled glaze
• Put the cedar plank and salmon on the grill and let it cook with the lid closed for 13 to 15 minutes until the salmon is just cooked through and the edges have begun to brown
• Remove the salmon and plank from the grill, let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice the salmon into individual servings and plate it with an orange wedge for squeezing on top

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With all this talk about chicken sandwich wars raging between fast-food chains, it’s time to take it to the home kitchen. Make yourself this buffalo chicken sandwich. It’s on a biscuit, with hot honey, cheese, lettuce, and whatever other toppings your heart desires.

I can understand all the hype. Chicken sandwiches are delicious.

This homemade sandwich pairs the fried chicken with some flavorful spice to bring the heat. Throw it on some biscuits and top it with cheese, lettuce, and honey for full-bodied flavor. This one is spicy enough to bring the heat without trying to melt your face off.

It all depends on your own heat tolerance and the intensity of your specific sauce and honey, but this one gives a nice burn to the tongue and throat. However, there are no spicy sweats. So you shouldn’t need milk on hand just to make it through the sandwich.

Versatile Recipe

One of the greatest aspects of this recipe is that you can go almost all from-scratch or go with mostly an assembly approach. And you can also mix and match and make the parts you want to, and purchase pre-made items for the rest.

So, if you are feeling really ambitious, get to work and make every single ingredient. If you need a quick weeknight meal, then grab what you need from the store, heat it up, and get to sandwich building.

Fried chicken – The protein of the dish. Cook some from scratch or use frozen chicken tenders – cooked to package directions. Just make sure that you don’t get ones that come pre-sauced.

Buffalo sauce – A signature hot sauce that coats the chicken. Some pre-made bottles are quite delicious – some chicken wing chains even sell their own. But my go-to buffalo sauce recipe comes from All-Recipes posted by Chef John.

Buttermilk biscuits – The bread of this sandwich gives you something to hold on to while lending a fluffy texture and buttery flavor. Having not found a great biscuit recipe myself (let me know your favorite one, please!), I used pre-made refrigerated biscuit dough. The ones from the pressurized cardboard that pops when opened. UPDATE – I have made my own homemade buttermilk biscuit recipe, and they pair with this sandwich like a match made in heaven

Hot honey – The drizzle of sweet heat that really brings everything into harmony. You can buy some from the store, but it is easy to make at home – especially using my chipotle hot honey recipe.

While making this recipe, I made the buffalo sauce from scratch using the recipe above and had the hot honey I made earlier in the week. But everything else came premade in some way. Still delicious.

Toppings for the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Toppings are where you can really let your own taste buds go wild. The list of toppings below give you some options. But don’t feel limited by what I present here.

Cheese – Ooey, gooey flavor that also helps reign in some of the heat the sandwich is packing. For flavors that pair with buffalo, try provolone, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or even blue cheese crumbles.

Lettuce – Crisp, fresh lettuce of some kind is key. It lends an important fresh crunch to the sandwich. I would recommend a butter lettuce (aka Bibb lettuce). But really any lettuce will do. You could even try using celery to give it some crunch that also pairs well with buffalo sauce.

Sauce – If having only the chicken doused in buffalo sauce is just not enough, then you can top your sandwich with a little extra to kick it up a notch.

Honey – Drizzle liberally. The sweetness really brings the sandwich together. But because it is hot honey, it isn’t sickly sweet.

Bacon – While eating this sandwich, my wife and I both looked at each other and said ‘I wonder how bacon would be in this.’ So even though I don’t have it pictured, give it a try with some ultra crispy bacon.

Make this hot honey biscuit buffalo chicken sandwich exactly how you and your family like it. Don’t be afraid to experiment. And if you find something interesting and delicious, be sure to let me know.

Hot Honey Biscuit Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: EntreesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

This hot honey biscuit buffalo chicken sandwich is the perfect harmony of sweet and heat that can be all from-scratch or all pre-made. Note that more prep and cook time are needed if you are making any of the ingredients yourself.

Ingredients

• 6 fried, breaded chicken tenders

• 1 cup buffalo sauce

• 6 slices Monterey Jack cheese

• 6 large buttermilk biscuits

• 6 large leaves of butter lettuce

• 1/2 cup hot honey

• (Optional) 6 slices crispy cooked bacon

Directions

• Put the chicken in a medium-sized bowl, pour the buffalo sauce over the chicken, and toss the chicken until it is all fully coated with sauce
• Lay the chicken out on a baking sheet, top each tender with a slice of cheese, and place it under the broiler on low for a few minutes until the cheese has melted
• Cut the biscuits in half and lay each biscuit out on an individual plate
• Start building the sandwich with the bottom of the biscuit and then layer on the lettuce, cheese-topped chicken, a drizzle (about 1 tablespoon) of hot honey, and the bacon, if using
• Top with the other half of the biscuit and enjoy

The post Hot Honey Biscuit Buffalo Chicken Sandwich appeared first on Do You Roux?.

Sweet and heat are always a delicious combination. And some of my favorite peppers – chipotles – also add smoky notes into the mix. So for this hot honey recipe, we’ll infuse some chipotles into the honey to get a smoky, sweet, and spicy condiment.

For me, this honey concoction gives a ton of flavor with a spice that comes on a little slow. It takes a few seconds, but then your tongue and the back of your throat will feel the burn. It is not quite enough to give the spicy sweats, so judge for yourself whether the spice is right for you. Also, note that its spiciness doesn’t linger.

Make sure to keep the heat low and stir occasionally when simmering it together. We don’t want to burn or caramelize the sugar, just infuse it with some spice and flavor. We also don’t want to lose too much moisture from the honey, because then it will be too thick to pour later once it has cooled. Luckily, because we add some of the adobo sauce to the mix, I don’t think it will thicken too much.

Note that you can make a super-quick version of this by just heating the honey for 45 seconds in the microwave and mixing with 3 tablespoons of ground, dried chipotle pepper. It doesn’t have quite as robust a flavor, but it gets the job done with no need to heat anything on the stove.

How to Use the Hot Honey

Though you could eat some of this hot honey all by itself, that is not its intended purpose. It is meant to be used as a condiment to dip, drizzle, and drench its unique flavor on everything you want to eat.

You can honestly try this hot honey out in combination with your favorite recipes. The honey does help tame some of the heat of the peppers. So don’t be afraid to experiment. Use a beautiful olive wood honey dipper to easily spread it around.

Pizza, fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, wings, cheese and crackers, ice cream, corn on the cob, BBQ sauce. All of them pair wonderfully with this hot honey recipe. Your imagination is truly the limit. Just try to think of anything that would go well with a spicy-sweet combo.

Recipes to try with hot honey:

• Buffalo Hot Honey Biscuit Sandwich
• Honey, Watermelon, and Feta Salad
• Honey-Glazed Salmon
• Chicken and Waffles

Chipotle Hot Honey Recipe

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SaucesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

Smoky, spicy, and sweet, this chipotle hot honey recipe makes a perfect dip or drizzle to add some extra zing to your favorite dish.

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey

• 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo

• 1 teaspoon ground dried chipotle pepper

Directions

• Open the can of chipotle peppers, take two peppers out, and chop them
• Take 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce from the can of peppers – store leftovers from the can in the fridge for other recipes
• Add honey, chopped peppers, and dried pepper to the saucepan and stir to combine
• Simmer on low for 30 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Strain it through a fine mesh strainer while it is still hot
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months

The post Chipotle Hot Honey Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

Happy New Year! I figured I should start the year off healthy with some vegetables. But plain vegetables aren’t always my thing, so let’s spice them up a bit with these sugar snap peas.

Whenever I am given the option to choose a vegetable with dinner, I go with peas like 90% of the time. It’s a problem. And my wife doesn’t appreciate it so much. So even though this recipe is for peas, it is different because they’re still in the shell. Right?

For this, I busted out the wok that my wife got me as a present a while back. So then maybe she’d be a bit more inclined to enjoy the peas. A wok is not required, but it is quite helpful for this recipe.

Woks get hot very fast, have nice high sides for stirring, and cook rather quickly. The slight char that really sets this recipe apart is also much easier to acheive with the wok than the frying pan. Note that since I used a wok while making this recipe, cooking times may vary if you use a frying pan instead.

Prepping Sugar Snap Peas

While I enjoy the fresh, crisp crunch of sugar snap peas, the strings are displeasing. The strings are tough, chewy, and don’t go down easy. But don’t let that ruin the peas for you. You can follow this guide on sugar snap peas by Bon Appetit to remove the strings.

I’ll admit that removing the strings didn’t work out great for me. I think that it may work better with fresher peas. But I bought mine, and then they sat in the fridge for a few days. Longer than I wanted them to, but I didn’t end up making this recipe exactly when I thought I would.

With or without strings, they are still edible. It just makes them a little more pleasant to eat.

Semi Spicy?

I call this semi-spicy because it has a bit of heat, but not much. And you could tone it up or down depending on your own heat tolerances.

Ginger, chili oil, and chili garlic sauce give the heat to this recipe. So if you want it less spicy, then replace the chili oil with sesame oil. If you like it a bit more spicy than most, then add in crushed red pepper, gochujang, or some fresh chopped chiles.

I tend to like things a little spicy but my wife tends to prefer the milder side of food. However, these sugar snap peas were not too hot to handle when made following the recipe measurements.

Enjoy these stir-fried peas as a side to fried rice, dan dan noodles, or ramen.

Semi Spicy Sugar Snap Peas

Course: SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

Sugar snap peas with a slight char and a lightly spicy soy and honey-based sauce are an easy weeknight side dish.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce

• 2 teaspoons honey

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon chili oil

• 1 and 1/2 pounds sugar snap peas

• 1/2 cup chopped scallions (about 4 onions)

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon minced ginger

• (Optional) 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions

• Mix the soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and honey together in a bowl and set aside for later
• Heat a wok or frying pan on medium high heat and add sesame and chili oil
• Add garlic and ginger to the pan and stir for 1 minute
• Mix in the sugar snap peas, coat with the oil, and stir for 5 minutes
• Add onions and mixed soy/chili garlic/honey sauce and stir another 5 minutes until peas are cooked with a slight char and most of the liquid is gone
• Remove from heat, top with sesame seeds if desired, and serve them hot

Notes

• Cooking times may vary if you use a frying pan instead of a wok

The post Semi Spicy Sugar Snap Peas appeared first on Do You Roux?.

I am, admittedly, not the best at getting enough vegetables. I even bought a book called Vegetable Literacy to try and help me out. It goes very in-depth on vegetables, breaking them into families and how they are related and can be used together along with a heap of recipes. For some reason, it doesn’t say ‘just make glazed carrots by covering them in a heap of honey and spices.’

At one point my wife and I tried growing carrots in the garden. It didn’t end up working out. I usually do a fair amount of research for everything, but did not look into growing carrots at all. They ended up being all leafy greens, and zero carrot underneath. Just tiny little orange carrot marbles…

Carrots tend to be rather sweet with that crisp and satisfying crunch if you bite in raw. They are an easy healthy snack – especially when sliced into munchable carrot sticks. The trick when cooking is not to overcook them to an unpleasant mushy state. But their natural sweetness lends itself well to making glazed carrots.

It is also easy and cheap to buy a huge bag of them and keep them in the fridge where they stay fresh for quite a while. So it is convenient to keep them on hand. It’s great to stock both carrots and celery to use as aromatics for a variety of recipes.

Fun fact – carrots come in a rainbow of colors, not just orange. You can also find purple, black, red, white, and yellow varieties of carrots. They’re fun and can easily be used in this recipe for a different pop of color. But be warned that sometimes the purple carrots can edge toward brown when cooked.

Carrot Prep Before Glazing

You can peel or not peel your carrots, whatever you prefer. However, if you do not peel the carrots, then make sure to properly scrub them before cooking. This warm-spiced mix of savory and sweet glazed carrots make a great side dish to a variety of entrees.

Some carrots at the store can be behemoths. If you have very large or thick carrots, you will want to cut them into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices for easier cooking. For photographing this recipe I used a smaller amount of carrots and scaled back the recipe a bit. Even though they are full-size carrots, they were on the smaller side with all of them being 1/2 inch or less in diameter.

Adapted mainly from a recipe found on the Cookie Rookie.

Glazed Carrots with Honey and Ginger

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

25

minutes

Sweet, tender and spiced to perfection, these glazed carrots are a perfect side dish

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 cup vegetable broth (can substitute chicken broth)

• 2 pounds of carrots

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

• Wash the carrots and chop off any greens, peel carrots if you prefer
• Add the first 10 ingredients to a large frying pan and turn to medium heat
• Melt the butter and whisk everything together until fully incorporated
• Add the carrots to the pan and rotate around in the pan until cooked and the glaze has thickened, about 15 minutes
• Remove the carrots from heat, garnish with chopped parsley, and pour any glaze left in the pan on top

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