Korean scallion and egg fried rice (bokkeum bap)

We had a craving for a mildly seasoned fried rice, so we tried this: https://www.koreanbapsang.com/egg-fried-rice-gyeran-bokkeumbap/ We found this recipe simple to make and delicious. It was reminiscent of chaufa blanco, a Chinese-Peruvian fried rice tossed with egg white, asparagus, and toasted sesame oil. Our only modification was to add 1/2 cup frozen peas. This was…… Continue reading Korean scallion and egg fried rice (bokkeum bap)

Simple baked ziti

We had a craving for baked ziti, but we had limited ingredients in our pantry – 1 lb uncooked ziti, Rao’s marinara sauce, and some cheese. We tried this simple recipe that doesn’t use ricotta cheese or heavy cream: https://asimplepalate.com/blog/easy-baked-ziti/ Our modifications: first, to manage sodium for the 3 cups of tomato sauce, we combined…… Continue reading Simple baked ziti

Japanese curry with cabbage and thinly sliced beef

We stumbled upon this version of Japanese curry, and it was delicious: https://www.japanesecooking101.com/pork-and-cabbage-curry/ Our modifications: first, instead of 12 oz thinly sliced pork, we used 10 oz thinly sliced beef. Second, we used less than 1/2 head of a small cabbage – probably closer 1/3 head. Third, we used 1/2 package of S&B hot curry…… Continue reading Japanese curry with cabbage and thinly sliced beef

North Indian-style yellow lentils (dal tadka)

I had a craving for yellow dal and stumbled upon this recipe: https://www.eitanbernath.com/2020/03/22/dal-tadka/ Our modifications: first, we made 1.5x of the recipe. Second, we didn’t have yellow lentils, so we used a combination of split yellow peas (1 cup) supplemented by toor dal (1/4 cup) and masoor dal (1/4 cup), which we soaked together for…… Continue reading North Indian-style yellow lentils (dal tadka)

Filipino sauteed bean thread noodles with vegetables (sotanghon guisado)

We were in search of a vegetable-heavy Filipino dish, so we tried this wonderful, healthy recipe for sotanghon guisado by Filipino-American food blogger Liza Agbanlog. Although her recipe calls for 2 chicken thighs, we used 6 oz smoked pressed tofu (specifically, Kong Kee brand in a red and white label), patted bone dry, and cut…… Continue reading Filipino sauteed bean thread noodles with vegetables (sotanghon guisado)

Sicilian-style pasta with canned tuna

We craved a quick pasta dish, and we tried this: https://www.recipetineats.com/canned-tuna-pasta/ The capers, anchovies, and garlic remind us of Sicilian cuisine. Our modifications: first, based on our pantry, we used 7 oz mafaldine pasta, two 5-oz cans of no-salt tuna in water (which we drained, saving the tuna liquid separately), 1 tsp anchovy paste instead…… Continue reading Sicilian-style pasta with canned tuna

Pasta e fagioli, pressure cooker style

We love pasta e fagioli, and we tried this Instant Pot version: https://inquiringchef.com/instant-pot-pasta-e-fagioli/ Our modifications: first, we used diced center-cut bacon strips (about 2 inches, cut into three sets of match sticks) instead of pancetta. For the beans, we used 8 oz dried cannelini beans that we had reconstituted using this 1 hour quick soak…… Continue reading Pasta e fagioli, pressure cooker style

Chinese-style sweet and sour sauteed eggplant

We had an extra eggplant and tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020459-sweet-and-sour-eggplant-with-garlic-chips?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. Because we had only 1 small Italian eggplant, we halved the ingredients. Our only modifications were to use black vinegar (instead of rice wine vinegar) and add a dash of sugar at the end. This was a nice snack, although the next time we may…… Continue reading Chinese-style sweet and sour sauteed eggplant

Giada’s sheet pan eggplant parmesan

At the beach, we decided to try this simple sheet pan recipe by Giada de Laurentiis: https://giadzy.com/blogs/recipes/sheetpan-eggplant-parmesan This was an easy, delicious meal that needed only a handful of ingredients. The panko topping was particularly good, adding a light crispy texture to the tender eggplant. Our modifications: first, due to a very sensitive smoke alarm…… Continue reading Giada’s sheet pan eggplant parmesan