Tag: dinner

Living La Vida Salsa

Saying that stuffed peppers are on the menu is about as descriptive as proclaiming that “meat” is for dinner. Given that there’s well over one hundred types of peppers large enough to be hollowed out and stuffed, having been cultivated across the world for millennia, you’ll start to get the picture before we even discuss fillings. Happily, that same undefinable quality grants stuffed peppers much of their staying power. No matter what else you have on hand, if there are peppers in the vegetable crisper, there’s a meal waiting to happen.

Spice Up Your Stuffing With Salsa

Inspired by the fruity, sweet and spicy interplay of Desert Pepper Peach Mango Salsa, this foolproof entree comes together with just 10 (or less!) ingredients. Boldly seasoned with a kick of heat, there’s already so much flavor contained in each glass jar that most of the work is done for you. Leaning into Tex-Mex territory, they’ll be right at home alongside tortilla chips, guacamole, or refried beans. Down-to-earth yet quietly spectacular, it’s the kind of quick-fix that wins rave reviews.

Stuffing Swaps

Forgot to go grocery shopping? Have a surplus to use up? Simply craving a change of pace? Take a note from the myriad stuffed peppers of yore and improvise freely. Consider this your blueprint to build upon and choose your own adventure. A few easy suggestions for adaptation include:

  • Use any rice you like; white, brown, purple, or a blend. In fact, any cooked grain like quinoa or millet would be great for a change of pace, too.
  • Trade the chili powder for taco seasoning. Add hot sauce if you want more firepower.
  • Instead of black beans, try pinto beans, lentils, vegan chorizo, rehydrated TVP, meatless grounds, or crumbled tofu.
  • Veg out by adding diced celery, carrots, zucchini, green beans, or anything else you like!

Winner, Winner, Stuffed Pepper Dinner

Bursting with juicy fresh flavor, this fully loaded swicy centerpiece is my entry for the inaugural Desert Pepper Blogger Recipe Challenge. You can purchase Desert Pepper Salsa products at Sprouts, Publix, Hannaford, Harris Teeter, Shop Rite, Walmart, Giant Eagle, Market Basket, Jewel, and Meijer. While it would certainly be nice to earn some prize money, the finished dish already tastes like victory.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)5 Comments

Drum Roll, Please

Evolved and intelligent as we may be, there’s something about the primal urge to gnaw into beastly drumsticks that’s irrepressible. At renaissance fairs and Disney parks alike, the oversized turkey legs parading through the crowds are as much an attraction as any games or rides. Is it really our primitive instincts to hunt and gather that draw us in, or the modern spectacle of it now? Certainly, it’s not the seasoning. Bland, dry to the bone, sinewy as a ball of string, these are not the drumsticks of the discerning eater.

THESE are. Entirely meatless, each hefty shank is a plant protein dynamo. Upcycled pineapple cores serve as the “bones,” creating the signature drumstick appearance while infusing their tropical, sweet flavor into every bite. Delicate sheets of yuba encase a blend of shredded Sugimoto Shiitake and jackfruit, bound together with seitan to create a texture you can really sink your teeth into. The tofu skin exterior even becomes crispy while cooking! Then, lacquered with a sticky, tangy, and savory pineapple teriyaki sauce, it takes on a glossy golden finish that would satisfy even the most primordial desires.

Meet Your New Meat

Developing the ideal vegan drumstick took more than the typical amount of trial and error. Instead of just one standard meat substitute, it took the combination of a few crafty swaps working in concert to create the full range of textures and umami flavors.

  • Koshin shiitake caps, broad, flat, and thin, are finely sliced to amplify the natural muscular appearance of shredded young jackfruit. Jackfruit alone can be rather flavorless, if not woody, which is why the meatiness of shiitake is so essential here.
  • It takes vital wheat gluten to act as the “glue” holding it all together. It creates the characteristic chew of meat, while adding moisture and cohesion to the filling.
  • Yuba, pure soy protein, wraps the package up with a bow. While I’ve seen similar concepts using rice paper for the outer skin, yuba is far tastier, easier to work with, and more nutritious.

Tips For Success

Let’s be real: This is no 30-minute meal. It takes time and planning, best saved for a special occasion when you want to go all out. That said, it’s not a difficult recipe, just a bit time-consuming. Prep in stages and think of it as an edible craft project to fully enjoy the process.

    1. Make the teriyaki sauce first… Or don’t. You want it to be cooled and fully thickened before slathering it on your meatless drumsticks, and it keeps in the fridge for 1 – 2 weeks, easily. On the other hand, there’s no shame in taking shortcuts here; you could absolutely buy ready-made teriyaki sauce and skip all that work.
    2. Wrap that yuba up tight! Nobody wants to end up with loose skin.
    3. Reinforce your pineapple cores with skewers, optionally. Unlike animal bones, they become softer after cooking, so you can’t really pick these drumsticks up by the handle and take a chomp out of them. Personally, I feel they’re best suited to the fork-and-knife treatment anyway, so you don’t end up with sauce smeared all over your face. If you’re determined to make these as finger food though, thread a wooden skewer through the core first, to keep it more stable.

  1. Be gentle with your yuba. It’s a fragile, paper-thin sheet of solidified soymilk; of course it’s prone to ripping. Fresh is really best here, since dried tends to be thicker, and more likely to have broken in transit. Soak your fresh yuba in warm water for a few minutes before gently easing the sheets apart. They’re much harder to work with straight out the fridge.
  2. Give them space while steaming and baking. The meatless stuffing inside does expand and plump a bit as it cooks.

March To The Beat Of Your Own Drumstick

Pineapple teriyaki simply made sense as a complete package here, but the options for flavor variations are endless. First of all, don’t feel that you’re bound to using a pineapple core for the bone. Not everyone regularly buys whole pineapples, and maybe that’s just not the vibe for dinner that day. You can omit it entirely to make more of a chicken breast facsimile, or replace it with pieces of sugarcane or simply wooden popsicle sticks.

From there, consider your sauce. You could go in a spicier direction with buffalo sauce, or keep it classic with plant-based butter and herbs. Then we have BBQ sauce for a smokier kick, pomegranate molasses and za’atar for Middle Eastern flare, and so on, and so forth. You’ll run out of drumsticks long before you run out of ideas.

Go ahead, embrace your inner cave-person. Soothe your lizard brain with the meat it’s really craving; healthier, tastier, and happier for all creatures involved. These vegan drumsticks are better than all the rest.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

In The Limelight

Mummified fruit is usually the last thing you want to see when you open up your pantry, but dried limes challenge those notions of common food storage. Hard as walnut shells, sometimes black as ink and other times a dusty grey, these oversized marbles conceal a world of flavor inside that forbidding exterior.

What Are Dried Limes?

Dried limes, sometimes called “dried lemons,” are better known as limu amani or noomi basra due to their Iranian and Iraqi origins. An essential ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking, somehow they’ve failed to make the leap overseas to widespread popularity. A positive buzz is growing in large part thanks to one Yotam Ottolenghi ceaseless singing their praises, which means they’re slowly infiltrating specialty markets and boutique grocery stores abroad. Thankfully, we have the internet to fill the gaps, where you can readily purchase both whole and powdered dried limes.

Simply sun-dried until bereft of any moisture, they’re effectively preserved like any other whole spices. To use them, simply toss them into soups or stews whole, then fish them out like spent bay leaves when you’re done cooking. Powdered, they can be blended into other spice mixtures, such as Baharat.

What Do Dried Limes Taste Like?

Everyone knows what a fresh lime tastes like; tart, tangy, fruit, and sightly floral, with just a slight hint of sweetness. Now, take that and remove the sweetness, substituting a more earthy, funky, sometimes smoky flavor, along with a stronger acidic bite like sour candies, and you’ll understand the essence of dried limes. The longer they’re stewed, the more intense and bitter the flavor becomes.

Cooking With Dried Limes

Ghormeh Sabzi and Fesenjan are two top dishes that call for dried limes, though any slow-simmered dish is well suited for a dried lime infusion. They can be added to the water when cooking rice or brines for making pickles. Dried lime tea is also excellent for settling the stomach, though that often involves the leaves, too.

The easiest way to get started with dried limes, in my opinion, is to stick with soup. Chicken soup with rice is a beloved savory staple the world over, so it’s easy to enjoy a new twist on the classic. Persian Chicken and Rice Soup adds a handful of chickpeas and of course, dried limes for some extra sour power. It’s the kind of flavor combination that will take off the chill, beat any cold, and generally comfort the hungry in any condition.

My version uses soy curls instead of poultry, of course, which also rehydrate in a snap. You can pretty much make this meal entirely from pantry staples on the fly, even when the fridge is otherwise bare.

Those who crave the bracing acidic bite of fresh citrus but sometimes neglect to stock their produce bin would be wise to invest in a surplus of these dried diamonds. Just like salt and pepper, you’ll find that they go with everything, and no dish is quite complete without that subtle seasoning. Trust me, you can expect to see a whole lot more instances of dried limes in my recipes from here on out.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)3 Comments

Chillingly Good Chili

Is there a more American dish than chili? While most people think of hotdogs and burgers as quintessentially patriotic foods, both have clearly established roots in other cultures. Records of the first pot of chili, on the other hand, can be traced back to what is now known as Texas in the early 1700s.

Like most classic comfort foods, there’s good reason why it’s survived and thrived through centuries of changing tastes: Affordable, versatile, and obviously, delicious, it hits all the high notes every time. For that same reason, I have a number of different chili recipes already. Like chocolate chip cookies, though, there’s always room for one more.

A Meatless Mix For Meat-Lovers

Chili con carne has long been the gold standard for chili aficionados. No beans, no fancy flourishes, just meat, meat, and more meat- Oh, and some chilies for good measure. Classic Americana. It’s interesting to see how my own approach has slowly skewed back to this more traditional approach.

Rather than a glorified vegetable stew, I’ve come to appreciate chili for being this simple, basic foundation to embellish after the fact, and only if warranted. It helps that there are better meat alternatives than ever, although that’s far from necessary to make an award-winning vegan chili recipe. In my opinion, the combination of old school TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) and new school umami can run circles around pricey prepared beefy grounds.

Shiitake Stems Bring The Flavor

One of my favorite “life hacks” when using Sugimoto Shiitake is to save the stems for future use. Unlike most dried shiitake on the market, Sugimoto Shiitake are such high quality that even the stems are fully edible. Remove the very bottom part if hard, and the rest is packed with even more umami power than the caps. Finely minced, they transform into a compelling ground meat facsimile all on their own.

Hearty And Healthy

Thanks to the power of umami, it doesn’t scream “MUSHROOM CHILI,” despite being largely mushroom-based. In fact, it’s stunningly meaty, with a hearty texture that really could trick an omnivore. It makes me want to enter a chili contest just to see the stunned reactions when the recipe is unveiled.

Incredibly rich while also low in fat, balanced by the bright acidity of tomatoes, this is now my go-to for cold days, or tiring days, or days when the pantry is pretty bare. I could go on to list all the reasons why it’s the best vegan chili recipe around, but then I may never finish this post.

Spice Things Up

Chili is one of the most adaptable dishes around. You can make a basic batch that’s fairly mild, adding hot sauce to single servings as desired, or bring the heat in layers while cooking. Consider adding any of the following for more fire power:

  • Fresh or pickled jalapeños for a bright, fresh spice
  • Guajillo or chipotles in adobo for a more smoky flavor
  • Serrano, habanero, or pequin for a sharp, bold finish

That’s just the bare basics. Any chilies or peppers, whether fresh, dried, ground, canned, or otherwise preserved are welcome at this party! You could even just double down on the chili powder and call it a day. It’s only a matter of personal preference.

Chill Out With Chili

Chili is a quintessential staple for any cook to master. Thankfully, that’s not a difficult task. In minutes, anyone can meld aromatic spices into a complex bouquet that lingers on your palate, as warm as a happy memory. A great chili is an ideal one-pot meal, no garnishes needed, but versatile enough to be enjoyed with cornbread, rice, tortilla chips, or so much more. Is there a bad pairing for chili? Personally, I have yet to find out.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments

Im-Pressed with Oshizushi

50 years ago, sushi was an obscure, exotic oddity in the US. The mere concept of eating any sort of raw food, let alone uncooked proteins, had Americans running for the hills. Now, nigiri, sashimi, and maki are as commonplace as spaghetti and meatballs, and easily just as popular. Despite that infatuation, there’s a wide world of sushi that doesn’t get as much fanfare abroad.

Oshizushi, looking for all the world like an oversized sushi cake, offers a slice of Japanese heritage that’s poised to be the next big culinary craze that’s more than a passing trend.

What Is Oshizushi?

Literally translated as “pressed sushi,” oshizushi is a rectangular block of seasoned short grain rice layered with flavorful fillings, meticulously crafted in a wooden mold called oshibako. Unlike delicate, hand-formed nigiri, oshizushi comes together quickly thanks to this assembly line process. It boasts a slightly denser, satisfying texture – a testament to the pressing process that binds all the elements together.

Pressing Issues

Beautiful, even, and cohesive strata of tender grains, vegetables, and (traditionally) fish are the hallmark that immediately indicates a master’s work. This isn’t just about aesthetics, though. The act of pressing creates a unique interplay between rice and fillings. The flavors meld together, as the lightly vinegared rice mingles with the subtle sweetness of the protein, which is often gently cured or marinated. The pressure intensifies the umami throughout each bite, making oshizushi an experience that lingers on the palate long after the last bite.

Essential Additions

While there’s no wrong way to stack up your oshizushi, certain fillings get the nod for historical accuracy, harmony, and quite simply deliciousness. Customarily, oshizushi was prepared very simply, often with shiso and mackerel, trout, or salmon, served with soy sauce, wasabi, hot mustard, miso sauce, or pickled ginger. Contemporary approaches are more like modern futomaki, in the sense that anything goes. Tempura vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, watermelon ahi tuna, dairy-free cream cheese, sriracha; if you like it in sushi, you’ll like it here! Personally, my favorites always include thinly sliced cucumbers for that refreshing, crisp bite, and creamy avocados a touch of richness.

In this case, I was inspired by the rare appearance of plant-based seaweed-wrapped soy fillets, flavored and styled like imitation fish. As if that wasn’t opulent enough, a garnish of vegan fish roe elevated this humble food to all new heights. Naturally, you can use any protein you prefer, such as thinly sliced, marinated tofu or tempeh.

Sush-Easy

Consider oshizushi the quick fix for sushi cravings. Instead of painstakingly rolling each morsel, you can cut straight to the good stuff in no time at all. Sprinkle on furikake to get that essential nori flavoring without fussing with those delicate sheets, and dinner will be ready in no time.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments