Tiny kitchen. Big, plant-based flavor.
Here we go, everyone. Some call it stuffing. Or dressing. Some make it with cornbread while others make it with artisanal homemade loaves. Rosemary, dried cranberries, sausage, you name it. This is not that stuffing. This is what, by my family’s definition, is the most classic stuffing. And that involves bread cubes in a bag. Yes, you heard me correctly. The bread cubes in a bag still, in my mind, make the most timeless, traditional vegan stuffing.
While I lay here in a blissful Thanksgiving food coma, I am going to share one of the lighter sides that graced our table this year. Not Thanksgiving specific by any means, these roasted Brussels sprouts topped with balsamic glaze are a quick way to add color and flavor to any meal. Plus, as soon as you say “oh these are topped with a balsamic glaze,” people think you are really fancy. They don’t need to know that this glaze takes less than ten minutes! It’ll be our little secret.
Need a quick, cheap dinner to throw on the table that will also use up those frozen veggies you stocked up on last March? Look no further. I’ve got your back with these simple, budget-friendly greens and beans, an adaptation of a traditional Italian recipe that is quick, simple, and sure to please.
Every so often, I’ll go through a phase where I want to subsist on nothing but my favorite vegan cheese and crackers. This week has brought on one of those phases. I love a plain sea salt cracker that can stand on its own in terms of flavor, but also does not compete with whatever I am dipping into. That’s where these homemade whole wheat crackers come in. One day a few weeks ago when I was really crawling up my house’s walls, I was desperate for cheese and crackers but not quite desperate enough to brave the grocery store. Using what I already had in my cabinets, these crackers were the solution.
There has been a definite theme on the blog lately: I have not felt like cooking much. During a heat wave like the one I am currently experiencing here in one of the northernmost parts of the south, this is pretty normal. The sticky humidity saps everybody’s energy. At this very moment the dog’s tongue is practically on the floor and it feels as though there isn’t enough water on the planet to keep either of us hydrated. When the weather gets like this, I tend towards one-pot meals that require minimal effort. Because in tiny kitchen, turning on the stove for even a brief period of time heats up the entire house! This bell pepper and onion bruschetta is what I like to call a low and slow recipe: it comes together quickly and the heat on the stove does not get turned up too high. You get a quick, delicious, and filling meal without having to sacrifice all of the effort your HVAC is putting in!
Where I live, vegan mayonnaise is expensive. Is this the case everywhere? I swear, any time I go into even the least expensive of grocery stores, I get vegan mayo sticker shock. Five dollars a jar? Six dollars a jar!? There has to be a better way.
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.
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!
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!
