Tag: healthy

Quiche The Patriarchy

For a brief moment in time, quiche became one of the most maligned, loathsome, and outwardly scorned dishes on the brunch menu. All because of one book, originally intended as satire, mind you, an entire generation was taught to snub the combination of eggs and pastry. If quiche is meant to represent sensitivity, emotional availability, and yes, femininity, shouldn’t we embrace all that with open arms? Regardless of gender politics, I see no negatives there.

Mini Quiches, Big Flavors

Perhaps the problem is more about commitment issues. Whipping up a whole quiche takes more time and effort than a simple tofu scramble, and if you’re just cooking for one, you’re looking at quiche for days. Shrink it down to bite size and remove all those barriers. Let’s just enjoy quiche on our own terms.

Crustless, eggless little wonders, these miniature morsels cram a whole lot of flavor and nutrition into tiny packages. Inspired by a surfeit of Greek-style dairy-free yogurt following an irresistible sale, the palate of flavors follows suit with a savory compliment of artichokes, Kalamata olives, and aromatic herbs.

Make Them Your Own

There’s plenty of room for adaptation as well. Other great vegetable additions include fresh or frozen and thawed spinach, chopped mushrooms, green bell peppers, or red onions, just to name a few that fit with the “Greek” theme. Options are endless once you depart from that path.

If you’re ready to fearlessly embrace the larger format, it’s easy to make one large quiche, big enough to feed a crowd and simultaneously bring misogynists to their knees. Double the recipe and bake it in a 9-inch tart pan, pie pan, or cake pan. Double the baking time as well, and make sure it rests until completely cool before slicing.

Delicious By Any Name

Still have guests that would feel irrationally threatened by the idea of consuming quiche? Perhaps it would be more palatable if you call them mini frittatas, egg muffins, or even sous vide egg bites (irrespective of actual technique) to latch on to the trend that Starbucks popularized. When all else fails, just call it brunch, and the flavors will speak for themselves.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You’ll Cry

Being perpetually broke and terminally thrifty aren’t exactly qualities to brag about, but they have been an asset to my culinary creativity. When onions go on sale for $1 per 3 pounds, you’d better believe I’m already brainstorming ways to make them the foundation of my diet for the next few weeks. That is to say, sharpen your knives and get ready to shed some tears; onions are what’s for dinner.

Onions In The Spotlight

Onions don’t get enough respect as vegetables, every bit as worthy of your attention as social media darlings like Brussels sprouts or kale. They’re the backbone of almost every cuisine and the recipes found therein. From France to China, arbiters of good taste worldwide wouldn’t willingly omit the onions for anything. Just try sauteing up some onions in olive oil to see what I mean; anyone walking through the kitchen will immediately ask what smells so good.

What’s An Onion Casserole?

While I’ve often dispatched such a bounty by simply caramelizing then and freezing them for later, I wanted to stretch my meals in a different way during a particularly lean winter. Southern tradition has something called “Tennessee Onions,” bearing a strong resemblance to this similar casserole, but with a dairy-heavy slant. I’m taking the easy route by employing just plants, thank you very much.

Serving Up Onions With Style

In fact, it’s so easy, you don’t need to dirty a single bowl, or even a spatula. Put your onions in the baking dish, top with seasonings, and pop it in the oven. It pretty much cooks itself. Now, I’m not crazy, I know onions alone are not an entree, but they can make a strong side dish, just like you might serve steamed broccoli or roasted green beans alongside your favorite protein. What’s more, these silky, buttery flavor bombs are prime topping options for crusty bread, slow-simmered soups, layered dips, and so much more. Incorporate them into leftover rice or pasta for an instant flavor upgrade, or simply start your favorite recipes by skipping the first step of sauteing them from scratch.

In honor of the nearby Austin neighborhood, Onion Creek, I’m naming my take with local flare. They may not start the next TikTok craze, but their appeal is timeless and undeniable. Meltingly tender, sweet onions will never go out of style.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)9 Comments

Taro Touchdown

Chili, nachos, and wings may be the reigning champs of Super Bowl snacking, but there’s a dark horse emerging from the sidelines to redefine the game. Hummus, rising through the ranks to become one of the top dips across the board, is slowly conquering sports bars and watch parties, too. Recent polls show that it’s already leading the pack in three states, with no doubt more to come.

That’s a sure thing once you get the MVP of chickpea purees on the menu: Taro Hummus. More than a mere dip, it’s a touchdown for your taste buds.

Forward Progress

Tender steamed taro brings a whole new dimension to the beloved spread. Thick and creamy, hearty yet healthy, and utterly unexpected, it’s the surprise play your guests never saw coming. Taro’s slightly sweet and nutty flavor makes an ideal pairing with the sesame tahini that makes hummus a classic staple. Savory spices, grassy olive oil, and a touch of bright citrus are the dream team that brings everything together.

False Start Penalty

Call it a tropical tuber, but taro isn’t like other common potatoes. The exterior contains calcium oxalate crystals, which are essentially shaped like microscopic needles, and can cause irritation or a stinging sensation when handled. For this reason, do NOT attempt to cook work with raw taro without wearing gloves, and absolutely NEVER eat uncooked taro. If you think it hurts your skin, imagine how it feels going down your throat.

Steaming taro is the best way to maintain the natural essence and texture of this starchy root vegetable. Alternately, roasting is a great alternative to add more of a caramelized, toasted edge. In a pinch, boiling can work, but is more likely to lead to a watery hummus in the end.

No-Huddle Offense

Don’t wait for the opposing team to make their move with boring old Super Bowl snacks. Taro hummus is the culinary quarterback that will carry your cravings to victory.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Sweet On Potatoes

In the wake of the holidays, the impulse to overcompensate for celebratory indulgences can drive even sane eaters to the very edge of madness. New Year’s resolutions are almost always geared towards shaping up, and food is the first target to focus on. “Losing weight” has been the top response of those surveyed for over a decade running, and it’s no surprise considering how decadent those early winter feasts can become. By this time, two weeks into the year, roughly half of people have already admitted defeat and given up on those lofty aspirations.

Snack Happier

Rather than going down the path of deprivation and sad, austere meals, finding satisfying eats will prove much more effective in the long run. In fact, contrary to the traditional three-square-meal approach, it may be beneficial to add more nourishing, wholesome snacks. Plus, those midday munchies can be downright decadent in flavor without taking a toll on your waistline.

Eat The Whole Batch

Crunchy, lightly salted baked sweet potato chips fit the definition of health food while vanquishing cravings in one resounding bite. Naturally sweet, you’ll never miss the added sugars typically found in packaged treats, nor the extra oils used for frying. Paired with a deceptively simple, creamy dip, the duo could even pass for dessert, too. Owing its caramel flavor to nothing more than soft Medjool dates, dairy-free yogurt makes up the bulk of this probiotic-packed accompaniment.

Make It Your Own

Although you can’t go wrong with the classic approach, sprinkling a tiny pinch of coarse salt to heighten the existing essence of the potato, the sky is the limit for creative seasonings.

Choose your own flavor adventure! Try any of the following seasoning mixtures to spice things up a bit…

  • Simple Cinnamon Sugar: 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar + 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • Gingerbread: 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar + 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger + 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon + 1/8 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • Citrus Sunshine: 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar + 1 Teaspoon Orange Zest + 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
  • Sweet & Spicy: 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar + 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper + 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Riffle through your spice collection and go wild! These are just a few suggestions for my favorite flavors, but that’s only the beginning for this versatile chip.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments

Gold Rush

Exhausted by weeks of holiday extravagance, the first week of the year can look rather drab in comparison. The parties are over, the guests have gone home, leaving little but crumbs and an eerie silence in their wake. It’s a natural response, an equal and opposite reaction, to succumb to the bleakness of winter a bit. However, instead of getting stuck there, entrenched in blankets, rooted to the couch, there’s still so much light and joy glittering within reach. Or, more accurately, within the kitchen.

Gold For Good Luck

Gold is the most auspicious color as a literal representation of wealth and prosperity. Yukon gold potatoes have never done me wrong, with their sunny yellow, naturally buttery flesh, as my favorite all-purpose spud. When plain potatoes sound too austere to spark that feeling of good fortune, just take it to the next level. Make gilded golden potatoes, dripping with real gold-

-food paint. Gold metallic food paint. Real gold? On a freelancer’s budget, are you kidding me? Of course not. Just a light veneer of a lustrous edible varnish truly does wonders to lift the spirit. As we all know, we eat with our eyes first, so why not give yourself a visually opulent experience? Trust me: It may feel silly at first, painting the crispy crenelations of a baked hasselback potato, and maybe, that’s a big part of the appeal.

No matter how old I get, I find that I’m still the same child at heart. Being able to embrace that, to seek out whimsy, to allow myself these “silly” pleasures, is what growing up truly is. At least, I’d like to think so, as I hold my golden paint brush in one hand and dinner plate in the other.

How To Make Golden Hasselback Potatoes

There’s no recipe needed here; just take however many large Yukon gold potatoes as you’d like to bake and slice them as thinly as possible, without cutting all the way through the bottom. Some people suggest using disposable chopsticks on either side to act as bumpers. Drizzle them liberally with olive oil and bake at 450 degrees for about an hour, until tender all the way through and crispy around the edges. Paint gently with gold metallic food coloring, sprinkle with coarse salt and ground black pepper, and enjoy.

True richness goes beyond monetary value. This is one case where fool’s gold is a greater gift, being unquestionably more delicious than a solid gold brick.

Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments