Tiny kitchen. Big, plant-based flavor.
This week, I had a little bit more energy to spare for kitchen adventures. I have been actively working on developing a more “normal” sleep schedule. You know, the kind that involves waking up early and doing this thing called work. Huh. Between the newfound hours in the day and a box of produce delivered right to my door, I had some wiggle room for a new kitchen adventure. That’s where these cauliflower tacos came into play.
Here we are, day 10,486 of quarantine. I think. Who knows anymore? Even with the numbers in my home state on the decline, keeping safe at home is still the order of the day for most of us. Without an office from which to work or a schedule to keep, I’m losing it. Things I love now feel like drudgery, and this includes baking. The last thing I want to do is wake up wake up and worry about breakfast. So what have I come up with instead? These banana coconut muffins.
I know, I know. There are a lot of cauliflower buffalo wing recipes floating around the internet. Believe me, I’m with you. Another one? Really? Hear me out! The internet is chock full of these recipes: once batter dipped wings, twice batter dipped wings, breaded and baked wings, pan-fried wings, you name it. All different techniques developed in the name of that perfectly crispy wing. But I am here to tell you, as the wife of an upstate New York native, that those people are wrong. They’re all wrong. After much trial and error, I bring to you the definitive cauliflower buffalo wing recipe.
I am going to sound like Oprah when I say this, but I LOVE lemon. I love lemon! I would have lemon Every. Single. Day. There is something about lemon zest that can bring freshness and life to most any dish, and as the weather begins to warm, I find myself craving it more and more. That said, this lemon asparagus pasta takes lemony to a whole other level. This is lemon times a thousand. This isn’t “lemon pasta” where you squeeze a tiny teaspoon of lemon juice over the asparagus and call it a day. Oh no. This recipe starts with a creamy roux and we build on it with lemon juice and zest for maximum lemon punch.
In today’s topsy-turvy world, I have begun to crave my favorite comfort foods. A couple of weeks ago, the craving was for chicken salad. And when I say crave, I obviously mean, “talk my husband’s ear off about how much I want chicken salad for days and days until he grumbles ‘SO MAKE IT’ in an exasperated tone.” Into the kitchen to figure out how to veganize chicken salad, I went! After a few attempts, I bring you my very traditional, New York deli style, no frills, vegan chicken salad. With tofu. Not chicken.
This week was Cinco De Mayo! And…a ridiculous amount of people were unsafely distanced outside of the Mexican restaurants in my neighborhood waiting to pickup orders for dinner. Packed onto the sidewalk like sardines in the name of tasty tacos and margaritas. Come on, people. I am all for supporting local businesses (especially during these times), but leave a little space, huh? If you, like me, want to skip the crowds, indulge your Cinco de Mayo cravings, and make use of your newfound sourdough starter all at the same them, then boy oh boy have I got the answer for you. Sourdough Flour Tortillas!
I know, I know. At this time in our crazy world, everyone and their mother is baking bread. There’s been a run on flour! A crazy shortage of yeast! People have been craving regular yeast breads, instant yeast breads, you name it! Is the smell of a freshly risen loaf? The swell of pride in one’s chest at being able to slice into a perfectly risen, crusty loaf and knowing that you made that? Maybe it’s both. Maybe it’s neither. But what I do know is that when the yeast ran out, the world turned to sourdough. Intimidated at the idea of a sourdough starter? Or sourdough in general? Don’t be. It’s okay. I’m here for you.
I had planned to wait and share a different recipe right after sharing my challah bread recipe with all of you, but I am WAY too excited to postpone these challah cinnamon rolls! They take the exact same base dough as the bread and are rolled into the perfect, pillowy soft cinnamon rolls that melt in your mouth. Honestly, this cinnamon experiment was a total whim, but my love of sweets (and carbs) won out and here we are.
It all started with a craving for some really comforting brunch food. Pancakes. Or French toast. Something I could luxuriate in over a cup (or four) of black coffee. Then a friend mentioned offhand that challah bread makes superior French toast. That was all it took. Though I had neither made challah before nor even had the inclination to make it, I set out to make the vegan challah bread that would allow me to craft the perfect French toast.
Armed with this Classic Challah recipe from King Arthur as my inspiration and guide, I set out on my quest. Would vegan challah bread live up to it’s eggy counterpart?
Frozen vegetables are a perennial staple in my house. I love being able to toss a bag of veggies into the microwave and wind up with a warm, flavorful side. Unfortunately, when you do microwave those ‘steam right in the bag!’ foods, you often wind up with wet, mushy lump of broccoli that is far from appetizing. In today’s quick post, I am going to share with you a couple of tricks I use to cook frozen vegetables so they taste fresh and flavorful. With just a couple of extra minutes (and a dash of seasoning), you can use these as a tasty replacement for the fresh version!
