Quick pantry quesadilla

Feeling peckish, we pulled this together based on simple pantry ingredients. The recipe: https://www.papernstitchblog.com/black-bean-quesadillas/ For the onion, we used 1/2 small shallot. To minimize its sharpness, we sautéed the minced shallot in a separate pan (with a little cooking spray) before adding it as a quesadilla filling. We also used thick-cut shredded Cheddar cheese, but…… Continue reading Quick pantry quesadilla

Chinese scallion egg wrap

We tried this quick recipe for lunch, and it was delicious, unique, and satisfying: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019522-scallion-egg-wrap?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Our modifications: we used 1 Tbsp pickled daikon (Spicy King brand salted spicy radish, Hunan flavor, rinsed thoroughly and patted dry) instead of pickled mustard leaves. This was like an omelette sandwich. (Mar. 2023)

Vegetable tagine with Moroccan flavors

This is a straightforward recipe from RecipeTinEats that we doctored up a bit: https://www.recipetineats.com/vegetable-tagine/ It’s also a great use of vegetables in your pantry. This recipe is vegetarian as written (although we used chicken broth). We made the following modifications: first, for the spice mix, we sometimes find ground cardamom overpowering, so we reduced it…… Continue reading Vegetable tagine with Moroccan flavors

Korean cucumber salad (oi muchim)

As a kid, I remember watching my mom toss together this refreshing cucumber salad as an easy side dish for meals. I hosted a Korean lunch for friends today and decided to make this recipe: https://kimchimari.com/korean-cucumber-salad/ It's surprisingly quick and easy to make. This cucumber salad offers a bright complement to well-seasoned fatty proteins. For… Continue reading Korean cucumber salad (oi muchim)

Senegalese seared cauliflower with olives and onion (cauliflower yassa)

We tried this mustard-infused cauliflower dish from Marie Cacouchia's Vegan Africa. The recipe is available online: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/27/africa-taste-for-vegan-food-plant-based. Our modifications: First, for the marinade, we found the reference to mustard ambiguous (e.g., liquid vs. dry, whole grain vs. Dijon). Based on online recipes for chicken yassa, we used 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard. The marinade amount may… Continue reading Senegalese seared cauliflower with olives and onion (cauliflower yassa)

Beninese black-eyed peas and rice (atassi)

This is another great recipe from Marie Kacouchia's Vegan Africa. We have had the Ghanaian version of this recipe (i.e., waakye). We followed the printed recipe (it's not online), and we made the following modifications (mainly correcting conversions from the French / metric system to the American English / imperial system): First, we soaked 2.5… Continue reading Beninese black-eyed peas and rice (atassi)

West African vermicelli rice with spinach and cashews

At Beacon Hill Bookshop, we found an intriguing cookbook, Vegan Africa, by Marie Kacouchia. This evening we tried her recipe for a West African dish of Lebanese origin. Here's how we made it, with modifications: First, heat a large saute pan (we used The Ultimate Pan) with 1/4 cup olive oil on medium-high heat. Add… Continue reading West African vermicelli rice with spinach and cashews

Kichidi (Indian rice and split mung bean porridge), version 3

There are endless varieties of kichidi. We tried this recipe from Hebbars’ Kitchen: https://hebbarskitchen.com/moong-dal-khichdi-recipe/ It was well-balanced and delicious, but we found that the diced onion was still crunchy (probably due to cooking on low heat, per the instructions). So the next time we will saute the onions on medium heat until translucent. Note: In…… Continue reading Kichidi (Indian rice and split mung bean porridge), version 3

Puréed roasted winter vegetable soup with rosemary sourdough croutons

For the past few days we have searched for a pureed roasted vegetable soup, and we loosely followed this one: https://www.yakimaherald.com/explore_yakima/food_and_drink/salt-and-stone-roasted-vegetable-soup-hits-the-spot/article_13ce7e34-48fc-11ed-a0ff-0b1b8e6bbf79.html We took inspiration from the author's observation that this recipe is versatile and useful for any raw vegetables in one's fridge. First, prepare the following for roasting: 1 extremely large (or two medium) carrot,… Continue reading Puréed roasted winter vegetable soup with rosemary sourdough croutons

Taiwanese seaweed, tofu, and bean thread noodle salad (inspired by Din Tai Fung)

We had simmered a 9×5″ piece of kombu for broth, and we wanted to repurpose the cooked kombu. Many years ago, we visited Din Tai Fung in Seattle, and I was blown away by their seaweed and bean curd appetizer. So this evening, we tried this recipe based on our pantry: https://whattocooktoday.com/din-tai-fung-seaweed-and-beancurd-salad.html Our modifications: first,…… Continue reading Taiwanese seaweed, tofu, and bean thread noodle salad (inspired by Din Tai Fung)