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)
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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)
Black bean and sausage ragout
My stepMIL is an incredible cook, and she generously shared one of her signature recipes. First, grind 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp black peppercorns, and 2 whole cloves. (Shortcut option: using a mortar and pestle, manually crush 1 tsp cumin seeds along with 1 tsp ground black pepper and 1/4 tsp ground cloves). Set… Continue reading Black bean and sausage ragout
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
Korean kalbi-style chicken thighs
We have been trying to cut down on our red meat consumption. We decided to try out my grandmother's kalbi marinade (intended for beef short ribs) on chicken thighs, and the result was delicious. First, you will need about 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs. We recommend leaving excess fat (which will help with caramelization)… Continue reading Korean kalbi-style chicken thighs
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
Polish chicken noodle soup (rosol)
My husband loves chicken soup, and I enjoy exploring new ingredients and recipes. We tried this recipe by a Polish-British blogger: https://www.everydayhealthyrecipes.com/chicken-vegetable-soup-vermicelli-rosol/ This soup gave me the opportunity to learn more about Polish cuisine and staples, including celeriac. It also taught me some tips to yield a clear chicken broth and intact cooked vegetables. Our… Continue reading Polish chicken noodle soup (rosol)
Ethiopian potato and carrot stew (alicha), 2023 version
Back in 2016, we first tried this wonderful, easy recipe: http://howtocookgreatethiopian.com/ethiopian-potato-and-carrot-alicha/. The video was more helpful than the written recipe. Now it's January 2023, and we just discovered that the link no longer works (the website may have been taken down). Fortunately, we happened to print out that recipe 7 years ago, so we were… Continue reading Ethiopian potato and carrot stew (alicha), 2023 version
Ethiopian split yellow pea stew (kik wot)
I had a sudden craving for this dish, so we decided to try this recipe: https://www.ncregister.com/blog/veronica-musie-kik-wot Perhaps because the author of the recipe is a restaurant owner who probably cooks by instinct, we found her instructions vague and incomplete. Here is how we made it: first, to cook the 1 cup of split peas, we… Continue reading Ethiopian split yellow pea stew (kik wot)
Cooking Adventures 