Red Beans and Coconut Rice – Under Pressure
Pressure cooking can really save time and make it easier to avoid heating up the kitchen -- so necessary in the hot summer and really, at any time of year, who wants to spend extra time cooking? This recipe with its West Indian flair makes the best use of it, turning a rice dish into a hearty meal in itself or a great accompaniment to other foods. Rather than standard red beans, try the Salvadorean frijoles rojo de seda, which are actually silky in texture as the name suggest...
Spring is Coming: Cabbage Soup Detox Time
Months of eating too much and lots of staying indoors has led to dark days of constant eating to create some internal warmth. Good news is that Spring is on the way!Unfortunately, either our clothes have shrunk or it's time to clean up and shed the winter fat layer. Prime time to detox! Fortunately, it's cabbage to the rescue with this delicious low-calorie, low-fat and nutrient dense cabbage soup, chock full of cancer-fighting properties and importantly, flavor.This recipe is based ...
White Acre Peas and Butter Beans: A Southern Summer Treat
Peas and beans please. Not your ordinary English peas, green beans or even the popular snap peas with their edible pods. These are Southern peas and butter beans, with creamy texture and smooth taste. They are both cooked the same way here.Southern peas are also called field peas or cowpeas, and if you're lucky, you can find them fresh off the vines and shelled. Serving up a delicious mouthful perfect with hot cornbread, White Acre Peas are a treat from well below the Mason-Dixon ...
We Tried 4 Vegan Matzo Ball Recipes and Here’s the Results
Rarely are the absence of eggs a hurdle in our world. Cakes and baked goods are fine without them as are pancakes and other treats. Even macaroons are well served with aquafaba. But oh those matzo balls. Try using a mix with your standard egg replacers and you'll quickly discover they will disintegrate in the boiling water or soup.Still we were determined. A few internet searches and we came up with three four recipes worth trying (the fourth was added recently and we're glad we did!). As an ...
Kidney Comfort: Hearty Rajma for a Cold Wet Winter
We're still grateful that Rajma, that rich kidney bean curry that hails from the Punjab, came up on our food radar some years ago. Rajma is rarely on menus at Indian restaurants here in the States which is a shame, because it’s super delicious. Loaded with warming and healing spices, it’s comfort food particularly suited to winter, especially the cold, wet ones. We stumbled upon it because we were after something beyond kidney beans in hearty Southwestern bean chilis and ...
Old Country Herb Braised Green Beans
When I was a girl, there was such a thing as the Old Country – the place where the world still operated with magic and must. Small old men with thick accents knew languages that had intensity, a depth of experience that ordinary talking could never meet. The ancient women’s eyes smiled with secret ways. Communities felt close and happy even without modern luxuries.While the world has shrunk, these are Old Country beans. Cooked slowly over the lowest flame (ok, it’s a ...
Creamy Rutabaga Pie with Cauliflower, Peas and Tempeh Bacon – Vegan, Gluten-Free and Even Keto
Stuck at home, we received a box of vegetables from a friend and it included 5 rutabagas. Now this vegetable isn't high on people's list and frankly, all we could think of was roasted rutabaga. Sure it's tasty but how many times can we eat the same thing? Even though rutabagas are a great storage veggie, there's a boredom limit and it was reached. Then I recalled seeing rutabaga being used for veggie noodles, sliced thin with a vegetable peeler or mandoline, and boiled for three ...
Crusty Artisan Bread -Tweaking Jim Lahey’s Method
Artisan bread in minutes was a thing years ago, creating a sensation and bringing fresh-baked bread to ordinary home cooks who didn't have all day. Then, Jim Lahey, the owner of NYC Sullivan Street Bakery, made things even easier, with the technique of using a covered dutch oven to create a crispy crust in an ordinary home oven. This version tweaks his basic recipe a bit. I add a little rye (or whole wheat) flour so the flavor isn't so white and omit several steps (like the ...
Savory Red Lentil and Garbanzo Cakes
In the mood for something tasty yet unusual? Staring at those pantry items and stumped about what to make? Somewhat like a falafel (but not fried), these delicious patties are inexpensive to prepare and form the basis for a quick lunch or an elegant dinner. We love the fact that they use two core food storage ingredients -- garbanzos and lentils -- too.Try the cakes served over a light and spicy tomato chutney or with some cilantro, lemon and sesame almond pesto. Once ...
Nostalgic Vegan Chestnut Mushroom Stuffing
With Thanksgiving almost here, it's time to think about those traditional foods that say holiday celebration. Even without a turkey, stuffing (aka dressing) is one of our staples, along with cranberry sauce, yams, greens, gravy and pies. Make Thanksgiving Great (Again).This one, from the family meal of the 1960s, is full of mushrooms, chestnuts and other delicious flavors which, when eaten with some homemade cranberry sauce, creates nostalgia on the plate. While my ancestors origina...
