Tag: recipes

Powered By Plants

Meet the new “power lunch,” and breakfast and dinner, too. Before you reach for the takeout menus, reach to your bookshelf, pull out Gena Hamshaw‘s latest masterwork, Power Plates, and you’ll undoubtedly discover a meal that’s far tastier, healthier, and just as fast as delivery.

It’s not rocket science, which is exactly what good food is supposed to be. Gena works from her background as a certified nutritionist to compose balanced meals across the board, which means a solid serving of protein, carbs, and fats, of course, but steers away from complex meal plans or confusing macros.

Arguably more important from an eater’s standpoint, that same approach to crafting dishes with a complementary range of elements extends to the overall flavor; spicy, sweet, and savory tastes all meld together harmoniously for that perfect balance in every bite.

Pulling from everyday staples you probably already have in the kitchen, there are no obscure ingredients that will have you running all over creation to hunt down. Case in point, the moment this glossy new text landed on my doorstep, I flipped through those crisp pages and immediately set about preparing the first recipe that jumped out at me. Apple Ginger Muesli, a cold but bold counterpoint to the usual breakfast oatmeal, was both a hearty and invigorating morning meal. Emphasizing a diverse range of textures with crunchy almonds, tender apples, and creamy oats, there wasn’t a boring spoonful from start to finish. Some sort of strange alchemy occurs by letting the mixture sit overnight, transforming the blend into something elevated beyond the mere sum of its parts. This will no doubt become an indispensable breakfast especially as the weather grows warmer.

Speaking of warm weather, I can’t wait for picnic season when I can bust out this Zucchini Pesto Pasta Salad for al fresco dining. In all honesty though, you could just as easily serve this dish hot without detracting from its herbaceous charm. The pesto alone is a keeper, an ideal blend of fresh basil and walnuts, with a touch of nutritional yeast for that extra savory something. You could spread it on toast (or even cardboard for that matter) and be just as happy.

Soup is my go-to quick fix when I don’t have a plan for dinner or much to pull from the fridge, which is why the Lemony Lentil Soup was an easy win. Although originally written with an addition of kale, I made a quick substitution with frozen spinach with great success. No need to go grocery shopping and nearly instant gratification! Bright citrus perks up the standard stew, a small tweak on a familiar theme that yield a big flavor payoff. Thank goodness I always keep lentils on hand, since this is one that I want to eat on repeat, and I have a feeling that you will, too.

New cooks should find the instructions approachable, infused with Gena’s warmth and no-nonsense advice. Those with more experience should take inspiration in their unpretentious sensibility, with an eye to seasonal, fresh combinations. Nothing in here screams “VEGAN” from the rooftops; it’s just delicious, and just so happens to be plant-based.

Having had the pleasure of photographing her earlier cookbook, Choosing Raw, I expected delicious compositions with thoughtful, sage advice, but these results exceed my lofty expectations. Each beautifully illustrated page sparkles with potential, promising nothing short of a stellar experience in every meal.

In case you’re already clamoring to get into the kitchen and start cooking, I don’t blame you. Gena has kindly stepped in to help soothe those hunger pains by providing her recipe for that stellar lentil soup I enjoyed so much. Bon appetite!

LEMONY LENTIL SOUP WITH MUSHROOMS AND KALE

I usually add more than the suggested amount of lemon juice to this highly nutritious soup, but that’s because I’m a lemon fiend. No matter how much lemon juice you add, this soup is packed with plant protein and wholesome ingredients and will do your body good.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces (225 g) white mushrooms, sliced
Salt
1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried thyme
1⁄2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1⁄2 cups (300 g) dried green, brown, or French green lentils
4 cups (950 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
2 cups (475 ml) water
1 small bunch kale, stemmed and chopped
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and
cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the garlic, mushrooms, and a generous pinch of salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and have released their juices.

Stir in 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and the thyme, rosemary, pepper, and lentils, then pour in the broth and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat, cover partially, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender but not mushy. Stir in the kale, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and adjust the seasonings if desired. Serve piping hot.

Reprinted with permission from Power Plates, copyright © 2018 by Gena Hamshaw. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

Hannah (BitterSweet)14 Comments

Love is in the Air, and in the Kitchen

Now that the salty, savory extravaganza of Super Bowl Sunday is out of the way, Valentine’s Day looms large on the horizon as our next big food affair. Though terminally single, I’ve come to enjoy the event as an opportunity to show friends and family that I care, inevitably in the form of something edible. Though my best suggestions do skew heavy on the chocolate, there are still many lovely, lighter options to cleanse your palate. While you still have time to plan, take a peek at some of my favorites that have hit the blog in years past.

Whoever said that you can’t win friends with salad never sat down to a plateful of lovingly carved heart-shaped strawberries atop tender artichoke hearts, crisp endive, and buttery spears of hearts of palm. Yes indeed, my Heart-Felt Endive Salad is all that and more, living up to the name in more than one way.

This Roasted Red Pepper Soup is quite the blast from the past, so pardon the terrible photo! Though the recipe itself is nothing earth-shattering, the technique of swirling tiny sour cream hearts can be applied to any smooth, pureed soup you care to serve. A little extra effort goes a long way, so you can effortlessly score some extra brownie points by taking a minute to go all out on the garnishes.

Moving on to the main event, Blushing Beet Pierogi are a more subtle way of showing that you care. In hindsight, I wish I had cut these little potato and pasta pouches into the shape of hearts to reinforce the theme, but you can learn from my mistake! Do it up right and really wow your loved ones!

Starting with something light for dessert, fluffy and refreshing Frozen Strawberry-Balsamic Souffles are ideal for those with a penchant for fruity treats. Each ramekin presents a bright, bold contrast between sweet and sour, hitting all the high notes with nary a boring spoonful from start to finish.

When words fail, say it with cake. Show your heart with a stunning slice of Hidden Heart Wild Blueberry Cake. For a truly impressive unveiling, bring the whole cake to the table and cut it right in front of your beloved. Sure, it’s a bit more intricate than your average pound cake, but the extra effort will be worthwhile for the lasting impression those sweet shapes will leave.

Okay, you’ve waited long enough; steel yourself for the chocolate onslaught. Let’s start simply with Cherry Hot Chocolate Spoons. Don’t lock yourself into just one flavor destination though; consider this a guideline for further exploration. Try adding in a touch of orange zest, or using freeze-dried strawberries instead of cherries. Take out the fruit altogether and stir in some peppermint extract and crushed candy canes for an extra breath-freshening bonus (hint hint!)

Flourless Chocolate Cake is a classic, and though predictable, it never gets old. Dark, rich, and decadent, this version is for chocoholics only. The real danger is that it’s so easy to whip up, you may not be able to contain your love to just one special occasion for indulgence. Try it once, and it could easily become an everyday affair.

Keep your cool with another frozen treat: Pomegranate Ice Cream Pops. This quick fix novelty is simply blended and thrown into silicone molds, no churning necessary. Leave out the lollipop stick to make frosty chocolate-covered truffles, or throw that creamy pomegranate base into any popsicle mold you might have on hand. As long as you don’t omit that crisp chocolate shell, you can’t go too far wrong.

Of course, if all else fails, just bake a pan of brownies and call it a day. No one would be mad at that.

Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments

Not-So-Secret Supper Club

There’s no sign out front. No two menus are ever the same. Walk-ins are not accepted. One would be hard pressed to call this arrangement a “restaurant” by the traditional definition, and yet the chef plays to a rapt audience, selling out tickets for almost every dining session. Bay area natives will likely know this poorly kept “secret” supper club well, striking up the band with Sound & Savor for over 13 years now. My first experience in this elusive underground establishment left a lasting memory, filled with the warmth of community as well as good food, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Attending dinners and classes almost as often as they’re offered, Chef Philip Gelb and I became fast friends in the process.

Known as much for his confidence with spice as his finesse with more delicate flavors, Phil has a style that doesn’t fit well into any predefined category, unafraid to cook to his own beat. Now he’s sharing that same approach with voracious eaters abroad, with the release of Vegan Underground: Improvisations on World Cuisines.

The contents transcend superficial cultural boundaries, seamlessly merging the defining characteristics of multiple distinctive cuisines into a brand new culinary adventure. Venturing boldly into unexplored territory, these recipes remain approachable, familiar for their original roots, recalling all the best flavor notes from high to low.

From Trinidad doubles to fiery mapo tofu, crispy fried okra to pistachio-walnut ice cream, the diverse range of delicious options promises appetizing options for all palates. Ramen remains a particular favorite of mine, and it’s a true pleasure to finally see other perennial crowd-pleasers like the green gazpacho and polenta peach cake in print.

Capturing the photos for this fresh compilation, I was lucky enough to experience these meals in person, as cooked by the master, but I can vouch for this home cook’s translation as well. Since not everyone, locals included, are lucky enough to snag seats for these limited engagements, I’m absolutely thrilled to give away a copy of Vegan Underground to four readers! Enter through August 10th by commenting below: Have you ever been to an “underground” restaurant, or have you dreamed of starting your own? Tell me about your experiences and ideas! Log your submission on the official giveaway page, and find additional ways to improve your odds there, too.

For as many cookbooks flood the marketplace every year, there are none that can match the creativity and sheer passion found within these pages. You won’t find Vegan Underground in mainstream bookstores or on Amazon.com, so don’t miss your chance to own a copy today.

Hannah (BitterSweet)20 Comments

Get Real

The question of “realness” is one for the ages. It’s a term that gets tossed around all across the board these days, sprinkled into conversation like confetti to both emphasize and punctuate a thought. Eating “real” food is an admirable goal, but what does it really mean? Striving to eat “healthy” food ranks right up there alongside the concept, but realness takes it a step further. If you ask me, the idea behind real food has so much more substance than any quick-fix diet plan, and bears much greater meaning once you peel back the flaky exterior. Real food is wholesome, derived from nature and not a test tube, something that anyone with even the foggiest vision could recognize as edible. Real food is practical, fundamentally within the grasp of the average cook, be it their best or worst day, busiest or most leisurely moment. Real food, above all else, nourishes on a holistic level, feeding the body and heart in the same heaping spoonful.

This is my ode to realness and my invitation to anyone else who’s felt flummoxed, infuriated, or frustrated by the vagaries of the word. I’m thrilled to announce my fifth cookbook, and my very first entry into the savory arena, Real Food, Really Fast. Recipes run the gamut from breakfast to dessert, and believe it or not, all can be completed in 10 minutes or less. Speed was the biggest challenge in development, but flavor was an absolute necessity. If it doesn’t taste good, it doesn’t belong in any cookbook, period. The full-color photos accompanying each and every recipe are the icing on the cake, the siren song luring hesitant readers to take a closer look, but even the most glamorous hero shots wouldn’t save a lackluster dish. I’m asking you to keep it real, so the least I can do is hold up my end of that bargain too.

Get excited, jump right in and pre-order (please!) but try to contain yourself, just as I’m struggling to do right now. The release date is still many months away, but there’s good news in that long stretch of silence: I’m now looking for recipe testers to help vet these dishes and make sure they’re all truly fit to print! It’s a tough job that takes dedication, precision, and most importantly… Hunger. Accessibility is essential to my recipes so there’s no presumed skill level here. If you’ve ever held a knife and cut a vegetable before, congratulations, you’re a qualified applicant! Please get in touch with me at hannah @ mysweetvegan.com (no spaces) if you’re interested in joining forces to craft a better cookbook.

Hannah (BitterSweet)28 Comments

Given the Cold Shoulder

Blurring the line between genius and madness, typical recipe brainstorming sessions can yield any number of wild, unpredictable results, combining disparate flavors that bear tenuous connections at best. It’s the best and worst part of any free-association exercise, opening up the floodgates and allowing a torrent of unfiltered ideas to flow. I’ve come up with some of my greatest hits this way, but sometimes, I’ve inadvertently managed to cobble together terrifying Frankenstein monstrosities instead. Most of these are easily eliminated before they ever come to fruition to assault unsuspecting eaters in real life, but unfortunately, it sometimes takes a round of testing before I realize the errors of my ways. Recipe writers don’t like to talk about it, but failure is far more common than success.

Thus, given my adoration for ice cream and endless supply of crazy concepts, I’ve dished out more than my fair share of distasteful scoops. In honor of Nation Ice Cream Day today, I thought it might be fun it dive into the archives to unearth some of these frozen horrors. Brace yourselves: The following list is not for the weak of stomach.

  • Raisin Bran Ice Cream
  • Black Garlic Ice Cream
  • Old World Borscht Ice Cream
  • Ketchup Ice Cream
  • Bread & Butter Pickle Chip Ice Cream
  • Cinnamon-Raisin Noodle Kugel Ice Cream
  • Smokey Barbecue Sauce Ripple Ice Cream

Consider yourselves lucky that I had enough common sense to know when to put the ice cream paddle down. Not all ideas can be winners, but you have my word that only the best ever make it into print.

I hope everyone is enjoying this “holiday” with only the creamiest, sweetest, and most luxurious of sweet scoops!

Hannah (BitterSweet)10 Comments

Weather or Not

Don’t talk about the weather. No one wants to read another dissertation on the current atmospheric conditions in their own immediate locale, let alone those in some irrelevant corner of the world. Not a single person out there could care less about the recent rainfall, temperature swings, or the balance of sun and clouds, and yet you’d be hard pressed to find two consecutive posts here that don’t bear at least a passing mention of one. Keep this up and you’ll have to convert BitterSweet to a weather blog. Of all the topics to open a conversation with, discussing the weather is absolutely the most boring approach, guaranteed to stop any casual interaction in its tracks. Please, I’m begging you, do not start another article based around the weather.

It’s a conversational dead end, a social death sentence, a trap that I’m well aware of and yet fall into every time. Weather affects countless facets of my daily life, making it impossible to merely push aside as though it wasn’t such a dominating force. That’s especially true when it comes to culinary inspiration. No other single element affects the food I crave and create more than Mother Nature, each dish an edible manifestation of her mischievous climate deviance or meteorological phenomenon. Shopping more often at farmers markets and less at traditional supermarkets only intensifies this connection. Given this overwhelming influence, how am I to introduce a recipe inspired entirely by seasonal availability?

Let’s just talk about the food, shall we? The latest gems sparking my interest have come straight from the aforementioned farmers markets, thanks to the brilliant program CUESA has assembled, featuring local chefs and produce every weekend.

Presented by Chef Ben Paula of Sauce, this colorful composition has been a delicious reminder of the brilliance in simplicity for many ensuing meals. A Pickled Beet and Braised Beet Top Salad may not sound like much on paper, but the lightly briny taproot adds a new dimension of flavor to the leafy greens. Utilizing the whole vegetable, each plate presents a complete and thoughtful study of the much-maligned beet. I would wager that even naysayers would find something to love in such a fresh approach.

For a sweet accompaniment that won’t weigh you down, I would highly recommend the Blood Orange-Carrot-Almond Dreamsicle from Neka Pasquale of Urban Remedy fame. Truth be told, the name itself is far more complicated than the actual recipe. Simply mixing together prepared juices and almond milk provides a smart alternative to juicing from scratch, and creates an unexpectedly luscious drink. All you need is equal parts carrot juice, orange juice (blood or orange or standard work equally well, I’ve found), and almond milk. Add the almond milk last to prevent it from curdling, and enjoy chilled. I’ve taken to mixing up the formula with beet juice as well, since I just can’t get enough of the ruby red orbs.

Even if your immediate outlook isn’t nearly so sunny, go ahead and leave the forecast off the menu. I’d argue that these spring-time treats needn’t require optimal weather for your enjoyment.

Hannah (BitterSweet)9 Comments