Tag: entree

Terry-bly Good Veggie Burgers

Few veggie burgers carry such mystique and acclaim as the patty from P. Terry’s. As a throwback to simpler times, it’s all substance, no style, and proud of it. It doesn’t try to emulate meat, yet regularly wins over proud carnists, at least for one meal. Many would say it’s the best veggie burger in the city, which is a tall claim for a $5 meal, fully loaded. Still, it bums me out.

Plant-Forward, Not Plant-Based

The veggie burger from P. Terry’s is not vegan. It’s not a matter that removing the top slice of American cheese can remedy; these legendary patties come with two additional types of shredded cheese baked right inside, enmeshed into the very fiber of that brown rice base. Vegetarian, yes; vegan, no.

Possibilities Frozen In Time

What’s more infuriating is that it doesn’t have to be this way. They’ve proven they have the technology! For a time span so short that it seemed like a fever dream, P. Terry’s started selling frozen veggie burger patties at select Whole Foods, including the original, AND a fully plant-based version using Daiya vegan cheese! Did anyone ever find them in stores? The records are lost to time. I certainly missed out on the opportunity, and they were never offered as a menu item in restaurants.

Deconstructing Ingredients

Though frustrating, the hype surrounding the dairy-filled classic has created a long paper trail of evidence for deconstruction. Their own website lists the ingredients as follows:

crimini mushrooms, heavy cream, black beans, brown rice, cheddar cheese, onion, mozzarella cheese, eggs, whole wheat flour, oats, parsley, corn starch, salt, garlic powder

Despite some conflicting evidence from a video posted to Facebook, showing the inclusion of bulgur, I believe the above to be true and accurate. Maybe they were just trying to throw us off the trail, because it’s otherwise too easy. I’m onto your tricks, Mr. Terry.

Starting From Scratch

Simple, comforting, and distinctly wholesome, this is a burger meant to taste homemade. For working people who don’t have the luxury of time to make their own, and would honestly rather not be eating fast food, that’s the whole appeal. Lightly crisped on the outside and soft on the inside, the standard array of crisp lettuce, tomato, onion, and “special sauce” create a satisfying contrast that brings it all together. Perhaps it’s special because it’s un-special, or vice versa?

As a vegan, it’s hard not to feel a little burned by the P. Terry’s veggie burger. With such thoughtful composition, respects paid to classic meatless patties of the 70’s and 80’s, and all that mouthwatering hype, it feels like a huge miss to keep dairy and eggs at its core.

Fast Food Meets Slow Food

For those of us on the outside looking in, there’s power in reinterpretation. The original’s legacy has created a clear blueprint, ripe for the taking. It may never show up on the P. Terry’s menu board, but some legends are best when you make your own.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)3 Comments

Firfir For Real

Ugly but tasty; that’s firfir, alright. Made from torn pieces of injera, it’s a thrifty way to use day-old bread and a few pantry staples. Of course, leftover injera isn’t something I’ve ever had at my disposal, so rare and precious that every scrap is exhausted long before the stews alongside. Firfir is every bit as special, no matter how simple. Now that I can order injera whenever I want, firfir is back on the menu, fresh and vibrant as ever.

Injera, the spongy, sour flatbread at the heart of Ethiopian cuisine, is a flatbread I could never make from scratch. All it takes is teff flour, water, and salt, but that’s not the whole story. Days of fermentation are what create its signature flavor and texture before its spread in paper-thin layers, even finer than French crepes, demanding untold years of practice to master. Anyone without access to an Ethiopian restaurant was out of luck, until Red Fox Spices began selling both Ivory and Brown Teff Injera inside their meal kits and, most important to this culinary adventure, solo.

What Goes Into Firfir?

There’s no “correct” way to make firfir. Mercifully, that also means there’s no wrong way to do it, either. It’s a dish of memory more than measurement. You’ll find variations all across Ethiopian households, each adapted as the technique passed through the hands of generations of cooks. Some brightened with fresh tomatoes, others simply use tomato paste or sauce. Some are fiery hot, others more mild. The only constant is the teff flatbread base, liberal use of oil and onions, and a heavy hand when applying berbere.

Berbere: The Heart Behind the Heat

There is no talking about firfir, or frankly, Ethiopian cuisine at all, without singing the praises of berbere. Crimson and potent as a red-hot flame, it’s the essential spice blend that pulses through almost every dish like a low, melodic hum. Smoky chili peppers take the lead, supported by a chorus of garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cumin, cardamom, allspice, and more. Like every other element of the cuisine, proportions vary from home to home, though it will always knock you off your feet with layers of complex flavor. I’m happy to get an assist from Red Fox Spices on this one too, as it’s the real deal.

Firfir For Days

Timeless, foolproof, and always well-received, firfir can be enjoyed for any meal. In Ethiopia, it’s most commonly served for breakfast, scooped up with even more fresh injera.

Firfir may not win any beauty contests, but it’s the kind of meal that’s meant to be eaten with your hands, not your eyes. Now that the key ingredients, injera and berbere, are readily available for shipping all over the world, there’s no excuse not to bring this soulful, spicy tangle of comfort into your own kitchen.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)12 Comments

Pesto Both Worlds

Put pesto and yuba together and nine times out of ten, you’d be right in thinking we’d have a high-protein faux noodle situation on the table. This is the one time out of ten where you’d be wrong.

Why Yuba? Why Not!

Thinly sliced soymilk skin, AKA yuba, makes an excellent facsimile for fettuccine; toothsome yet delicate, tangling with any pasta sauce as elegantly as anything made from wheat. And yes, while you could very happily stop there, treating that mixture more like a tuna salad and slapping it on a bun offers numerous benefits. For one, you can now eat it with your hands, shamelessly, and in public, which brings me to the second point of its enhanced portability. Can you eat a bowlful of spaghetti in the car, or pack it up and put it in a purse? Perhaps, but it I’d still argue that a sandwich full of pesto yuba has the edge.

Simple Swaps

Fresh yuba has become harder to get my hands on since moving away from California, inspiring me to recreate this understated classic with grated tofu, in case you’re wondering about substitutions. In fact, taking super firm tofu to a basic box grater yields a consistency more aligned with a conventional shredded chicken, faux crab, or tuna situation, more substantial and meaty, making its place between two slices of bread self-evident.

It’s not a flashy meal. It doesn’t sizzle, there’s no microgreen garnish. It’s not even particularly creative; just a different way of looking at an infinitely versatile ingredient that deserves to be more than another alt noodle.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Fajitas Navidad

Why wait for December when you can unwrap joy twice a year? Celebrate Christmas in July for a second helping of holly, jolly merriment, minus the frostbite. I’m not talking about a big blow-out celebration like the genuine article, but a more impromptu excuse to get into the spirit.

Every time I see all the vibrant greens and reds spilling out of baskets at the farmers market, it’s all I can think about. How different the traditional menu would be, if only our forebears had access to ripe tomatoes, basil, peppers, and pole beans! That’s why even mundane fajitas start to look like a holiday party starter.

The Beginnings of Warmer Holiday Wishes

Christmas in July isn’t just a marketing ploy dreamed up by money—hungry corporations, although of course, they patently encourage the extra gifting opportunity. The first recorded celebration dates back to 1933, when a North Carolina summer camp for girls put on an off-season yuletide celebration complete with fake snow made of cotton, a decked-out tree, and a visit from Santa himself. It wasn’t long before the idea spread, especially in the Southern Hemisphere where July is the colder season.

Eventually, brands caught wind of the novelty and turned it into a commercial mini-holiday, offering midyear sales and peppermint-everything. It endures today because a party is a party, and summer offers a dearth of actual calendar events, so we might as well fill in the gaps somehow.

It’s Starting to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Everywhere You Turn

Christmas is never all that cold in Texas, having spent more than one December evening in a T-shirt, sipping iced coffee next to a half-lit tree. Granted, 100 degrees is a world apart from 60 degrees, but those temperatures offer new opportunities for more refreshing treats.

It doesn’t take much to whip up a festive dish with all the fresh fruits and vegetables now at peak ripeness. Just think red and green, and instantly, you’ve got a menu fully decked out for a yuletide celebration. For example:

  • Christmas Tree Crudité Platter – Arrange layers of green veggies, like broccoli florets, cucumber slices, snap peas, and celery, in the shape of a Christmas tree on a large platter. Add pops of color with cherry tomatoes or radish slices as “ornaments,” and top it off with a star cut from a yellow pepper or carrot. Use pretzel rods for the tree trunk, and serve with a few chilled dips on the side, like red pepper hummus or herby green goddess.
  • Holiday Pesto Pasta Salad – Toss cooked and cooled pasta with pesto, cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and peas. Optionally, top it with finely grated vegan Parmesan for a snowy look.
  • Cranberry BBQ Tofu Skewers – Skewer cubes of tofu, zucchini, bell peppers, and red onion, then brush with cranberry sauce mixed into your favorite bottled BBQ sauce. Grill or roast until caramelized.
  • Festive Fruit Salad – Mix cut strawberries, green grapes, kiwis, raspberries, and/or green apples with a light sprinkle of lemon zest and lemon juice. If your blend is a bit tart, add a tiny splash of maple syrup.

Fajitas Navidad

Christmas fajitas could just as easily be everyday weeknight fajitas. The color scheme may even be lost on those simply captivated by the meaty strips of seared portobello mushrooms, distracted by their impossibly umami aroma. Wrapped up in a warm tortilla, each morsel is truly like an edible gift. They’re festive in spirit and flavor, even if no one at the table mentions Christmas at all, which is the real beauty of this half-holiday. You get to celebrate on your own terms.

What makes Christmas fajitas so irresistible isn’t just their visual appeal, of course. It’s the way they manage to feel both indulgent and fresh. Thick portobello caps become tender and juicy after a literal flash in the pan, soaking up every bit of seasoning like a thirsty sponge. Red bell peppers and green poblano peppers bring a sweet and spicy crunch, softened just enough to coax out their natural sugars, while slivers of red onion add bite and depth. A squeeze of lime over the whole pan wakes everything up, brightening the smoky richness with a citrusy kiss.

Assembling everything at the table makes it feel like a real family activity. I love a more interactive, hands-on meal that is meant to be shared. Isn’t that the idea behind the traditional Christmas dinner, too?

Happy Holidays, All The Days

So go ahead, string up lights by the pool. Crank up the carols, even if they clash with the sound of cicadas. Serve up those sizzling Christmas fajitas with all the trimmings, and toast to the idea that joy doesn’t have to wait for December. Whether you’re gathering friends for a backyard fiesta or just treating Tuesday night like a holiday, Christmas in July is your permission slip to celebrate something, anything, right now.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Oodles of Zoodles

What happened to all the zoodles? I suppose the spiralizing craze has come and gone, giving way to more high-tech noodle solutions. Now they need to be packed with protein, like the pastas made with chickpeas and lentils, or so high in fiber that you can skip your morning Metamucil, in the case of some shirataki options. There’s a time and a place for every noodle, but please, bring back the zucchini noodles.

Making the Case for Zoodles

Fresh and crisp when raw, meltingly tender when cooked, it’s hard to beat a single ingredient noodle that’s simply made of whole vegetables. They’re neutral in flavor, don’t need any cooking when it’s hot out, and are an affordable option on any budget. Some may argue that needing a specialized tool to transform them into tightly coiled strands presents a considerable barrier to entry, but that’s just an uncreative excuse. Leave the spiralizer in the cupboard and reach for your peeler instead.

Sweetness and Spice

Shaving paper thin planks of zucchini creates luxurious lengths, approximating wide paparadelle, rather than the pedestrian spaghetti shapes that hand-crank spiralizers churn out. Adding an air of elegance to this commonplace vegetable makes it even more compelling on the dinner table, seeming like a truly special event, even if you’re making it just to clean out the fridge. It takes no time to slap together, tossed with lightly sautéed wild mushrooms and dressed with sweet orange, tangy mustard, and the bright spice of Aleppo pepper. Light, bright, and simple; just as seasonal produce should be.

Long Live Zucchini Noodles

Serve as is to make a compelling side, or add your favorite protein to transform it into a complete meal. If you so wanted, of course, you could bust out the spiralizer and make the more conventional thin strands, or even employ a basic julienne peeler for a similar result. All noodles are beautiful, and all zucchini should be treated with respect. Let’s revitalize the zoodle movement, one plate at a time.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Eat Like a King

It’s not a descendant of royalty and there’s no ranch dressing involved, so what on earth is a King Ranch Casserole? After making it, eating it, and researching it, I’m still coming up short on conclusive answers.

Introduced to me through an upcoming article for Vegan Journal, Lauren Bernick‘s plant-based, oil-free, whole-foods version is likely a far cry from the original, but I’d venture to say that’s a good thing. Composed primarily of condensed cream soups, tortilla chips, and chicken, it was borne of an era before nutritional awareness. It’s true origins remain murky, but we can say with conviction that it came from post war 1950’s home cooks, when canned goods were all the rage. As for the name, less is certain. King Ranch was and still is one of the largest ranches in the United States, but no one there claims this creation as their own. There’s zero connection to be found between the ranch and the hot dish.

Not particularly regal and downright messy, in the best kind of way, the only royal decree here seems to be “thou shalt cover all things in cheese and cream.” Tossing out the dairy-laden canned soups and poultry scraps in favor of fresh, plant-based ingredients, what remains is a vibrant, deeply satisfying savory entree that hits all the right notes of cozy, comforting, and hearty, while staying firmly on the side of health-conscious. It’s the kind of meal you can prep ahead for a busy week, serve to unsuspecting omnivores, or curl up with on a blustery night.

My version is just a small variation from Lauren’s, but one I’ve come to make and serve repeatedly, with resounding success. Don’t expect a crown jewel, but do expect requests for second helpings.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments