Roasted beet, orange, and arugula salad

We made this recipe for a BBQ hosted by good friends: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015857-beet-orange-and-arugula-salad?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. It was easy to prepare ahead of time as components (roasted and dressed beets, orange segments, dressing, arugula, and walnuts) that we later assembled at our friends’ home. Our modifications: first, we found the dressing bland and too oily (see Note below). It…… Continue reading Roasted beet, orange, and arugula salad

Fried sweet plantains (maduros)

We often bake sweet plantains to make them healthier, but we decided to try this traditional preparation: https://mydominicankitchen.com/fried-sweet-plantain-slices-platanos-maduros-fritos/ We used a large nonstick pan and 3/4 cup canola oil (instead of 1 cup). Immediately after placing the cooked plantain slices on a paper towel-lined plate, we sprinkled them with a little kosher salt. We served…… Continue reading Fried sweet plantains (maduros)

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

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)

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

Mung bean kichidi

We had to follow a soft food diet this evening, so we tried this kichidi recipe: https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/dal-khichdi-recipe/ Our modifications: first, we used a medium shallot instead of a small onion. Second, for the optimal vegetables, we used 1 thin carrot and 5 green beans, each diced. We found that these, along with the diced, seeded…… Continue reading Mung bean kichidi

Korean soy-braised baby potatoes (algamja jorim)

We are heading to a friend’s Korean fried chicken potluck. We made this delicious recipe from Maangchi: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/algamja-jorim Our modifications: first, we did not have rice syrup. To mimic its flavor, we used a combination of molasses, honey, and maple syrup (in equal parts). Second, we had 1.5 lb tricolored baby potatoes, so we adjusted…… Continue reading Korean soy-braised baby potatoes (algamja jorim)

Mexican-style black bean and vegetable enchiladas

After trying Amy’s cheese enchiladas (a frozen meal that is surprisingly tasty), we felt inspired to make a vegetarian enchilada recipe. We tried this recipe from Feasting at Home: https://www.feastingathome.com/vegetarian-enchiladas/ First, for the sauteed vegetable filling, we used: 1 medium red onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1 small Korean sweet potato (skin on), 2 small-medium poblano…… Continue reading Mexican-style black bean and vegetable enchiladas