This tofu kebab couldn’t be simpler, you simply shaved a block of tofu, toss it in yogurt and spices and bake it. Put it in a pita or lavash with your choice of yogurt sauces, tahini sauces, and any mix of toppings and enjoy. We had this two ways, first with a tahini lemon sauce, pickles, sumac onions in pitas and the second way was with a hummus base, tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled onions and a little bit of thinned yogurt and they were both great. The smokiness of the tofu and the yogurt coating surprisingly mimic meat especially if you manage to get the tofu very crisp. You can prep everything ahead of time also making this a great throw together meal for a weeknight.
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Recipe: Carrot-Parsnip Coconut Soup
This is a cozy and comforting fall soup that is thickened with coconut milk making it extremely smooth and creamy. You can top them with some almonds, roasted chickpeas, extra coconut milk, fresh herbs, or even some toasted bread croutons to complete the meal. The flavors in this are really simple so you can really taste the carrots and parsnips in it and if you’re like me you don’t need to blend it 100% of the way and leave a couple of nice chunks of vegetables for extra chew. Serve piping hot with some bread.
Continue readingRecipe: Scarpaccia
This very simple Italian flatbread is just made from zucchini, onion, and flour and it has a dense chewy texture that makes it a great side dish that is perfect for dipping in soup. You can add some garlic or herbs or sprinkle a little cheese on top towards the end of baking to give it some punch but otherwise it’s a nice replacement for crackers or bread because it kind of sits in the valley between those two things.
Continue readingRecipe: Dum Aloo
This is a delicious and comforting dish that is made with things I always have on hand (mostly spices, potatoes, and yogurt) but it does take a little bit of babysitting and foresight since the potatoes have to be boiled ahead of being fried. If you boil and peel potatoes the day before though this is a pretty quick and easy dinner. You can serve this with naan or rice and a salad or pickled vegetables to round it out into a full meal.
Continue readingRecipe: Chicken Spring Soup
Just a simple and fantastically bright soup that takes advantage of some early spring flavors especially fresh peas, lemon, and fresh herbs. I really love the pearl couscous in this soup because I don’t usually put couscous in soup but they’re very bouncy and fun and give the soup an interesting texture. This is a great way to use up leftover bits of a whole chicken dinner to make it into something new and exciting for the rest of the week. Don’t forget to pair it with your favorite rye roll or crusty bread.
Continue readingRecipe: Chicken Sausage Rolls
I’ve never been to a Gregg’s or had a sausage roll before making these but obviously wrapping up a kind of meatloaf mix into a little puff pastry form is going to be delicious. I encourage you to add a lot of spices to your taste since the recipe as written is a little bland (you’re supposed to dip these in sauce or ketchup I suppose) but it also means this is a great starting place for customization. Also the amount of puff pastry you need may vary, I had some leftover mixture which I formed into chicken patties and made burgers with (you could also roll it and bake some meatballs alongside the rolls). I would encourage you to take the time to brush on egg wash and puts seasoning or seeds on top because it really does make it look perfectly dainty.
Continue readingRecipe: Halloumi Curry
Since I can’t buy paneer here and I haven’t really had a lot of success making paneer that doesn’t immediately fall apart on contact with things I jumped to make this halloumi curry when I saw it. It seems obvious in retrospect to replace paneer with halloumi but sometimes the most obvious things mean that we overlook them. This is a very satisfying curry with a creamy, spicy base. Next time I will probably add some spinach and maybe do a base with some red peppers just to up the flavor. I added more spices to it since I skipped making the tarka but I just did it with my heart so I haven’t included them in the recipe, sorry!
Continue readingRecipe: Lentil and Orzo Pasta
This extremely easy one pot wonder can be made into a perfect week night meal by prepping the vegetables earlier in the week or using a bag of chopped frozen vegetables and a can of already cooked lentils. Since this is made of shelf stable ingredients and possibly frozen vegetables its great for making a meal when there’s little left in the house. Swap in any vegetables you have and spice to taste and this makes pasta stretch about twice as far as it would plain.
Continue readingRecipe: JoJo Potatoes
I’d never had Jojo potatoes until I moved to Seattle and then I forgot they existed for 10 years but actually they’re really good and easy to make. I’m sure the original ones are fried but this baked version is easier and just as good. You simply shake wedges of potatoes in flour, fat, and spices and cook until the inside is fluffy and you get jagged flavor edges that really hold on to sauce well. Definitely worth the very minor extra effort it to shake up your oven potato routine.
Continue readingRecipe: Vegetable Tom Yum Soup
This is a fantastic meal that can be prepped ahead of time so that it only involves dumping some things is a pot and coming out with a delicious, spicy, tangy soup on the other side. I make this at least twice a month because it’s just so satisfying. You can customize the vegetables to your personal taste but you need mushrooms or tomatoes if you want it to have that extra umami in this meatless version. The tom yum paste I buy (from Lobo) doesn’t have shrimp paste so this dish is vegan as well!
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