Tag: healthy

Global Grab-and-Go

Life has never moved at a faster pace, seeming to accelerate with every passing year. Who has the time for work-life balance when there aren’t even enough hours in the day to get three square meals on the table? The world isn’t about to slow down, but culinary traditions across the globe have found a way to adapt. Every locale has their own legacy of quick-fix street foods, providing energy, comfort, novelty, and nutrition, right in the palm of your hand.

Suya, a fiery Nigerian snack, delivers smoky, spiced “meat” on skewers with bold, addictive flavor.

Pupusas from El Salvador offer thick corn cakes, hiding gooey cheese and creamy refried beans within.

In Japan, onigiri are simple rice balls, plain or filled with anything your heart desires, always with a touch of umami.

Pita pockets become the compact vessels for arayes, a Levantine favorite, stuffed with a spiced, meaty filling and grilled until crisp and juicy.

Jewish tradition hailing primarily from NYC brings us the beloved potato pastries, knishes, which can also conceal myriad flavor variations within.

Pinsa Romana, though it looks and sounds like pizza, is a unique flatbread sensation all its own; airy, crisp, and chewy, made from ancient grains and a clever no-knead base.

No forks, knives, or spoons about it. These handheld savory sensations meet you where you are, on the road, packing for a picnic, or running to your next meeting.

Get all these recipes inside the latest issue of Vegan Journal, in print or online.

Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Wordless Wednesday: Meat of the Matter

Jumbo Calzones
Hot Sausage Pasta Salad
Cauliflower Fettuccine Alfredo
Baba Ghanoush Pasta
Summer Squash Ceviche with Warm Tortillas
Stovetop Spinach Artichoke Dip
Sloppy Joe Sweet Potatoes
Tater Tot Shepherd’s Pie
Sesame Snow Pea Stir Fry
Tofuballs
Meaty Lentil Chorizo Tacos

Recipe testing for The 29-Minute Vegan: Real Food, Real Vibes, Anytime by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

(As it goes with recipe testing, not all of these made the final cut. You’ll have to check out the cookbook for yourself to see the winners!)

Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Wordless Wednesday: Soup, Stew, or Salad?

Grilled Nectarine Salad with Raspberry Vin and Spiced Pecans
Shiitake Be’ef & Bulgur Stew
Hoppin’ John
Green Goddess Quinoa Bowl
Greek Salad with Roasted Red Peppers and Tofu Feta
Shrooms and Grits
Creamy Primavera Vegetable Soup
Coconut Corn Soup with Mock Duck
Caesar Salad With Tofu Chick’n Croutons
Three-Bean Berbere Chili
Warm Potato Supper Salad
Warm Mushroom Salad with Frisée and Honee Mustard

Recipe testing for The 29-Minute Vegan: Real Food, Real Vibes, Anytime by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

(As it goes with recipe testing, not all of these made the final cut. You’ll have to check out the cookbook for yourself to see the winners!)

Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Refried or Die

Living in Texas has shown me the wonders of refried beans. Up until this point in my life, my primary reference was the stodgy, miscellaneous bean matter that emerges from a can in one solid brick. Minimally seasoned, mostly homogeneous, I never saw the appeal. Was it the adult equivalent of baby food, delivering nutrition with no teeth required? Mercifully, the real deal is anything but a culinary compromise, cementing its place in American foodways for many centuries to come.

Once Bitten, Twice Fried?

Pinto beans are the most common legume to be refried, thanks to their abundance, affordability, and creamy texture that breaks down easily with the lightest touch. Frijoles refritos were born in Mexico and contrary to common belief, mean “well-fried,” not “re-fried” beans. The idea is to stew them until they give up on individuality, fusing together as one. Like most marvelously simple dishes, the key ingredient is time.

What if there was a way to speed up the process without sacrificing flavor, texture, or nutrition, though? Sure, you could employ the handy old pressure cooker, or start with canned beans to begin with, but I believe I’ve found an even better shortcut. It’s time for red lentils to shine.

Paint The Town Red

I’ve never met a red lentil that wanted to stay whole. Instantly blending themselves into a rustic mash without even a passing glance at the immersion blender, they’re ideal for creating quick, creamy refritos on the fly. Moreover, their mild, earthy sweetness readily melds with savory aromatics, smoked paprika, and a touch of lime. Thickening into a supple, savory spread that clings beautifully to tortillas, toast, or whatever vehicle happens to be nearby, it’s remarkable what a few spare pantry staples can do.

Love Your Legumes

If you, like me, are late in discovering the joys of a proper refried bean, figuring out what to do with them is the biggest barrier to legume enlightenment. You can very happily eat them straight out of the pot, but you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t look for inspiration further afield. I can only scratch the surface on the multitude of possibilities:

  • Side dish: When the budget is tight, you really can’t beat a meal of brown rice and refried beans. You could serve them alongside any sort of Mexican or Tex-Mex specialties too, from enchiladas to rellenos.
  • Dip: All you need to do is add tortilla chips and boom, you’ve got bean dip! Take a step further by mixing in vegan sour cream, salsa or pico de gallo, and top with vegan cheese and/or cilantro for more festive fare. Don’t forget that 7-layer dip is always a possibility, too.
  • Nachos: Instead of dipping your chips, dollop the refried lentils right on top. This has the added benefit of being able to justify drowning your troubles in gooey queso while still getting a healthy serving of fiber and protein.
  • Tacos, burritos, and quesdillas: Leverage your refritos as the featured protein or let them support another main player in any of your favorite tortilla-based meals. A good bean and cheese burrito is the gold standard for a drunken late night snack, if you ask me.

These are the absolute basics, the classic examples that will never steer you wrong. That said, I’ve seen refried beans used in more imaginative creations like pizza, lasagna, dumplings… We’d be here all day if we kept talking about further adaptations.

Cut Out The Cans

I’m still loathe to buy a can of refried beans. As emergency rations, they excel. For daily subsistence, even on a budget or tight schedule, we can do better. Refried red lentils are my new ride-or-die staple food.

Continue reading “Refried or Die” →

Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments

Every Minute Counts

Isa Chandra Moskowitz needs no introduction, and yet, I still can’t help but try. Considered by many as the godmother of modern veganism, her cookbooks are often the first tome of any new convert. Countless burgeoning vegans have been raised on her recipes, fed by Isa’s no-nonsense approach to cooking and wry, irreverent voice. Her first book, Vegan with a Vengeance, wrought by The Post Punk Kitchen cooking show in an era when mainstream chefs would turn up their noses at anything meatless, was utterly groundbreaking. 21 years later, she hasn’t stopped churning out the hits.

The 29-Minute Vegan: Real Food, Real Vibes, Anytime is the latest addition to this legacy, feeling both timely and timeless in its delivery. More people are cooking at home than ever, but lengthy, complicated projects are off the table. This clearly has the edge on the more common 30-minute meal deals; “everyone could use an extra minute in their day,” as Isa explains. Since I’m guilty of defaulting to 10-minute meals, I’m clearly well-equipped for this sort of speed run. That’s why I’m honored to have helped develop and test recipes for the project. On every glossy page, however, Isa’s brilliance shines through.

Yuba Chick’n Noodle Soup

For a cookbook that’s easy to love, it’s incredibly difficult to know where to start. Encompassing classic comfort foods like Yuba Chick’n Noodle Soup with genuine soul, Caesar Pasta Salad with Tempeh Croutons that puts a heartier twist on traditional leafy affair, and Stovetop Spinach Artichoke Dip that would be the talk of any party, even picky eaters could crack open the book and instantly find something to love.

Roasted Cauliflower Romesco Steaks

Isa’s distinctive style shines most brightly when she fuses the foreign and familiar, like Roasted Cauliflower Romesco Steaks worthy of a gourmet menu, Curry Cauliflower Tacos with Mango Salsa and Coconut Raita which defy definition by any single cuisine, and Tahini Crispy Rice Treats with Date Caramel that would put other bake sale treats to shame.

Buttery Almond French Toast

What further differentiates The 29-Minute Vegan is Isa’s commitment to using whole, unprocessed ingredients. Sure, it would be a breeze to slap together a sandwich with sliced bread, meatless cold cuts, and dairy-free cheese, but you wouldn’t need a recipe for that, now would you? This approach honors the people that actually want to cook, but simply don’t have the time to waste on convoluted prep and performative aesthetics.

Pad Thai Simply To Die For

Making things easier without dumbing them down is the greatest victory of the whole 250+ page compendium. Why make compromises when you can just make things differently, and ultimately, better? It doesn’t take much effort, or, as the title would imply, time.

Eggplant Parmesan Soup

Though I’d sooner eat the actual book, hard-bound spine and all, than choose a single favorite recipe, I’d eagerly nominate the Eggplant Parmesan Soup as a top pick. Isa says it best: “Eggplant parm is one of the first things I started eating when I went vegetarian, and I’m sure I will be making it until my dying days. But I save the whole production for leisurely moments, because I’ve discovered that this soup can actually get me there without all the breading, frying, and clean-up. Tender eggplant, rich tomatoes, and toasted breadcrumbs swim together in a velvety broth, topped with garlicky rustic sourdough croutons. Cheesy, garlicky, satisfying—all the flavors you love with a fraction of the work. But don’t try to put this in a sandwich, you messy bitch.” Even more graciously, she’s agreed to share this winning recipe below, in case you weren’t already sold.

Black-Eyed Pea Bolognese

Ordinarily, I’d say that The 29-Minute Vegan is a cookbook you should always keep on the kitchen shelf, but that misses the mark. You’ll want to use it so often, it’ll never have a proper resting place.

Continue reading “Every Minute Counts” →

Hannah (BitterSweet)10 Comments