Elizabeth Currier

The flavor was good, a tad on the spicy side but my tolerance isn't that high for spice either. The only thing I would mention is that my chickpeas were done roasting long before the 30 minute mark. I can't say exactly when they were done as by the time I double-checked at 28 minutes, they were already a little too burnt/crispy. Still edible, though. It may also be that my oven runs a little hotter as well. Overall fairly healthy recipe that feels ever so slightly indulgent. I wasn't sure if they were supposed to be crunchy or just hot/soft, but mine ended up crunchy because of the overroasting.

This was pretty good! A nice hint of almond without being overpowering. The sweet potatoes were tender, I generally prefer them to taste more savory like this recipe than when people try to make them sweet, like in sweet potatoe pie. I only added one large vidalia onion and that was plenty, unless you want to be drowning in onions. Very easy and relatively quick to make.

The cake itself is very moist and a nice chocolate cake. I couldn't find any specifically "dark chocolate" cocoa so just bought a nice fancy cocoa brand. It wasn't lacking or overpowering in chocolate flavor; I just wish it would have had more of that signature dark taste. The frosting was a bit funky. It came out waaay too loose, so I had to add so much powdered sugar to get it to a usable consistency that it was very sweet and less chocolately than I would have liked. Would make again with a different frosting recipe.

So, I'm not sure what this is supposed to taste like or what the consistency what supposed to turn out like. Mine ended up being a bit on the dry side, it was very fluffy, almost like leftover rice. I didn't care for the taste, it was a bit bland.

I think sometimes when a recipe has so few ingredients, it can really miss out on some more nuanced and complex flavor profiles. This was the case here with this recipe. It was a perfectly adequate meatloaf, nothing heinous in the taste. However, I have definitely eaten meatloafs which I have enjoyed more. I would recommend adding less onions. As written, the onion ratio is off and the onions overpower in taste. It also negatively impacts the texture, making the meatloaf a bit too wet/soggy. I also don't think the time in the oven after you add the cheese on top is enough. I would increase by 5-10 minutes depending on how hot your oven tends to run.

So, I did change a couple things about this recipe as I did not have all the proper ingredients on hand at the time. I used marble jack instead of pepper jack cheese. And, I omitted the shredded tortilla chips. I think definitely if I were to make this recipe again I would not do the latter again. Missing those chips really changed the ratio of wet to dry ingredients and my meatloaf turned out a touch soggy, which was somewhat unpleasant to eat texturally. I also think it would have been improved by the correct cheese. I don't think this recipe is overly special or will blow anyone's taste buds out of the water but I think if made more closely to the original recipe is not a bad occassional addition to the dinner rotation. I would also recommend either halving or leaving out the red sauce on top of the meatloaf, and perhaps adding less onion as it was very onion-y.