Lentil mushroom shepherdess pie

We love this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019221-vegetarian-shepherds-pie?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Of the many plant-forward / vegetarian shepherdess pie recipes we have made, this version is our favorite. It is well-balanced and satisfying. Our modifications: first, for the lentils we used 2 cups Better Than Bouillon chicken broth (omitting additional salt) and later for the filling 1.5 cups chicken broth instead… Continue reading Lentil mushroom shepherdess pie

Vietnamese daikon, tofu, and chayote soup (canh bau)

We had daikon, firm tofu, and chayote squash on hand, so we tried this plant-forward recipe: https://web.archive.org/web/20240521065002/https://viceatsworld.com/vietnamese-canh-bau-opo-squash-soup/. Its flavors are surprisingly complex and delicious, and the soup comes together very quickly. It makes a great weeknight meal. Our modifications: first, we often use chayote squash in lieu of opo squash (aka bottle gourd). They are… Continue reading Vietnamese daikon, tofu, and chayote soup (canh bau)

Simple broth for frozen dumplings

This post is more of a shortcut method than an actual recipe. We made a simple lunch from frozen dumplings (purchased from a local dumpling shop). For the broth, we combined 6 cups water, about 1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor, 1 Tbsp yondu seasoning (Korean vegetarian liquid seasoning), and 1 Tbsp Korean soup…… Continue reading Simple broth for frozen dumplings

Roasted purple sweet potatoes with garlic and rosemary

We had roasted some purple sweet potatoes (recipe here: ) yesterday, and we cut them into 1.5″ penny slices. We had slices from 1 tuber leftover, so we tried this recipe: https://www.runningtothekitchen.com/roasted-purple-sweet-potatoes/ Our modifications: first, we used the roasted sweet potatoes instead of boiling them. Second, we halved the seasoning (melted ghee, rosemary, garlic), which…… Continue reading Roasted purple sweet potatoes with garlic and rosemary

Cucumber dill salad

We recently hosted a brunch featuring heavily seasoned dishes (kedgeree and Jamaican jerk chicken). We wanted a refreshing, minimally seasoned healthy side dish to complement these flavors, so we made this: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cucumber_salad/. We used 6 Persian cucumbers (diced, skin on), 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, 3 Tbsp Marukan rice vinegar (green label), and a dash…… Continue reading Cucumber dill salad

Smitten Kitchen’s pumpkin muffins

We were in search of a pumpkin bread recipe that utilizes a full can (15 oz) of pumpkin puree. We tried this recipe, but made it into 20 muffins: https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/10/pumpkin-bread/ Our modifications: first, we reduced the sugar in the batter to 1 and 1/3 cup (from 1 and 2/3 cup). Second, we doubled the cinnamon… Continue reading Smitten Kitchen’s pumpkin muffins

Beet greens and rice casserole

To make use of a bounty of fresh beet greens, we made this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014672-beet-greens-and-rice-gratin?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share We used about 4 cups of beet stems (diced) and leaves (julienned), which we had thoroughly cleaned (several rinses of water) and dried. Our modifications: first, we did not blanch the beet greens separately. Second, we substituted 2 small… Continue reading Beet greens and rice casserole

Indian dal with beet greens

We had a few bunches of fresh beet greens leftover from making a beet (root) recipe for Thanksgiving. We decided to try this recipe: https://www.spiceupthecurry.com/beet-greens-dal/ For the moong dal, we used 1/2 cup split yellow peas. We found this recipe decent, but not outstanding. The beet greens involved multiple rinses of water to flush out… Continue reading Indian dal with beet greens

Swiss chard and chickpea minestrone soup

We had a craving for a plant-forward soup with Swiss chard, and we tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013539-swiss-chard-and-chickpea-minestrone?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share The parmesan rind is essential. For the 1/2 cup of soup pasta, we used ditalini. Our minor modifications: first, we did not de-stem the chard; we love its crunchy texture and tartness. Instead, we used slightly more than… Continue reading Swiss chard and chickpea minestrone soup