Israeli couscous with roasted cauliflower and dates

We tried this recipe: https://www.thefullhelping.com/israeli-couscous-salad-roasted-cauliflower-pistachios-dates/ Our modifications: first, in addition to 1 small cauliflower (cut into bite-sized florets), we also oven-roasted 1 red bell pepper and 1/2 yellow bell pepper (cut into 1/2" slices along the vertical axis) and 3 shallots (1/4" slices along the vertical axis). We increased oven temp to 425 and roasted… Continue reading Israeli couscous with roasted cauliflower and dates

Chef John’s classic, fluffy mashed potatoes

We love homemade mashed potatoes, and we decided to try this classic recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/219077/chef-johns-perfect-mashed-potatoes/. Chef John's video is filled with useful tips. We accidentally did not cut the Russet potatoes only lengthwise, but the dish still turned out well. To make this recipe a little healthier: for 3 large Russet potatoes, we reduced the salt… Continue reading Chef John’s classic, fluffy mashed potatoes

Chinese seaweed salad

I tried this recipe to repurpose kombu seaweed that we had simmered to flavor a vegetarian Korean soup base: https://omnivorescookbook.com/chinese-seaweed-salad/ Our modifications: for the hot chili oil, we used 1.5 Tbsp corn oil and 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns (which we ground by hand). We garnished with part of a chopped Thai bird's eye chili. This… Continue reading Chinese seaweed salad

White bean hummus with coriander and white miso

We love hummus and wanted to try more variations. This recipe offers an unlikely combination of cannellini beans, tahini, white miso, and coriander that works surprisingly well: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019521-white-bean-hummus-with-tahini-and-coriander?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share For the coriander, we used 1.5 tsp ground coriander. (July 2022)

Black bean dip

We generally followed this Melissa D'Arabian recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/black-bean-dip-5536208 Our modifications: first, we halved the recipe to only one 14.5 oz can of no-salt black beans. Second, we drained the beans, placed in a small pot, then added 1/2 cup water. We brought to a boil, then reduced to a simmer (uncovered) until the beans were… Continue reading Black bean dip

Korean sautéed zucchini (hobak bokkeum)

We tried this recipe: https://www.koreanbapsang.com/hobak-bokkeum-stir-fried-zucchini/ We didn’t have wet shrimp paste, so instead we finely chopped one small dried shrimp (about ¼ tsp) and added a dash (maybe ½ tsp) fish sauce. After adding 1 Tbsp water, we covered the seasoned zucchini with a lid and let simmer until the zucchini slices were crisp-tender. We… Continue reading Korean sautéed zucchini (hobak bokkeum)