There aren’t many ingredients you can use in savory dishes, desserts AND cocktails, but honey is definitely one of them. You can use it in countless cooking applications, DIY beauty treatments and much much more. It’s great for drizzling over your favorite sweet potato recipes and even for sweetening up your favorite meatless Monday BBQ. Basically, it’s the bee’s knees, and you should be using it in more than your hot tea. Scroll down to explore 19 reasons why you *need* to be cooking with honey in all of your meals.
1. Pistachio Pesto Pizza With Fresh Mozzarella and Honey: Your weekly pizza night needs this sophisticated upgrade. Serve as a vegetarian main dish or a crowd-pleasing appetizer. (via How Sweet It Is)
2. Spiced Honey Roasted Almonds: Sure, you can always buy honey roasted almonds, but it’s way cheaper to make your own. Plus, you can decide how much sugar, salt and spice you want to add. (via Natasha’s Kitchen)
3. Honey, Apricot and Almond Goat Cheese Spread: There’s no reason to buy a store-bought goat cheese log when you can make a better one at home. It’s amazing what a drizzle of honey can do for an appetizer! (via Peas and Crayons)
4. Pear Tart With Goat Cheese, Rosemary and Honey: Fruit, herbs and honey are a trio you’ll often find in appetizers. Whether they’re baked on Brie or layered on a goat cheese tart, we’re certainly not mad about it. (via Home and Plate)
MAINS
5. Brown Butter Honey Garlic Scallops: Scallops have an oceanic sweetness to them that pairs really well with honey. Accompany them with a nutty browned butter, garlic and lemon sauce, and you have one tasty date night meal. (via Rasa Malaysia)
6. Crock Pot Honey Lemon Chicken: This slow cooker chicken can be used in a multitude of other dishes. You’ll be enjoying flavorful chicken noodle soup and sandwiches all week long. (via Diethood)
7. Honey Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil: Baked foil-wrapped dishes are the holy grail of easy clean-up meals. Since honey can be slightly sticky and tough to clean, this method is even more appreciated in this salmon recipe. (via Cafe Delites)
8. 20-Minute Honey Garlic Shrimp: When you’re looking to infuse maximum flavor in minimal time, honey’s where it’s at. Give raw shrimp a quick toss in it along with soy sauce, garlic and ginger, and dinner will be on the table in no time. (via Sally’s Baking Addiction)
9. 4-Ingredient Honey Lime Chili Chicken Thighs: The great thing about cooking with honey is that you don’t need a lot of supporting ingredients to make your dish outstanding. Pair it with chili and lime juice to make bland chicken unforgettable. (via Flavour and Savour)
10. Slow Cooker Honey-Garlic Baby Back Ribs: That sticky glaze is a must when chowing down on ribs. Achieve that traditional finger-licking flavor with a combination of honey, garlic and ketchup. (via A Family Feast)
SIDES
11. Honey Butter Rolls: Fluffy rolls with honey butter are the best part of going to certain restaurants. Make your own at home for holidays and parties and you’ll no longer need to eat out. (via Sally’s Baking Addiction)
12. Rainbow Fruit Salad With Citrus-Honey Dressing and Fresh Mint: Everyone has those days where you get a liiittle too excited about the fruit at the grocery store. When your fridge is overflowing with berries and stone fruit, make a salad and drench it in a sweet and citrusy dressing. (via The Cozy Apron)
13. Honey Balsamic Roasted Carrots: If only your parents spruced up carrots like this when you were a kid, maybe you would’ve been more apt to eat them. Honey enhances their sweetness ever so slightly, without overpowering their naturally rustic flavor. (via The Cookie Rookie)
14. Roasted Honey Garlic Cauliflower: Just because you’re a vegetarian or cutting back on meat doesn’t mean you can’t partake in that classic honey garlic flavor. These crispy cauliflower bites are just as satisfying — perfect for a meatless Monday. (via Kirbie’s Cravings)
DESSERTS
15. Honey Pecan Cheesecake With Pecan Shortbread Crust: Natural flavors like pecans and honey go wonderfully together, especially in desserts. The two come together in a sauce that takes a plain cheesecake from ordinary to extraordinary. (via The Gold Lining Girl)
16. Naturally Sweetened Honey Popcorn Balls: Honey is the binder *and* the sweetener that make these popcorn balls what they are. Grab the two ingredients and let the kiddos have fun making their own snack. (via Gimme Some Oven)
17. Salted Brown Sugar and Honey Fudge: While honey does add a bit of sweetness to this fudge, its main purpose is to lend flavor. Add a sprinkling of sea salt on top for that trendy sweet-and-salty taste. (via Baker by Nature)
18. Honey Lavender Scones: You have to be careful when cooking with culinary lavender to ensure that it’s not too overpowering in your recipe. Match it up with honey and it will make the effect much more subtle and palatable. (via The Foodie Affair)
19. Honey Cupcakes With Mascarpone Frosting and Caramelized Figs: Here, the barely there honey flavor is evident only in the cupcakes themselves. They’re not too sweet, not too rich… they’re just right. (via Style Me Pretty)
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