Tag: chilled

Make Pasta Salad Grate Again

Macaroni and cheese is the foundation of every childhood diet, often the first thing kids learn to make for themselves. Meanwhile, macaroni salad is the catalyst for every summer picnic or backyard barbecue worth attending. How is it possible that these two keystone American staples have never met before? The share the same beloved noodle and the same creamy consistency; what’s kept them apart for all these years?

Mind you, I’m not talking about leftover mac and cheese eaten cold, straight out of the fridge, due to sheer apathy or lack of energy. We’ve all been there and I think we can agree, that is not the pinnacle of culinary achievement the concept truly deserves.

This summer, let’s make it happen. Macaroni and Cheese Salad is the stuff of dreams, made in brilliant full color.

Like the original inspiration, it doesn’t take crazy ingredients, tons of time, or extenuating effort to make possible. Just some noodles, some cheese, and a craving to kick-start the process.

Enough noodling around. What is a macaroni and cheese salad?

It’s quite simple, really. Take al dente elbow noodles and toss them in a creamy, mayonnaise dressing along with your favorite cheese shreds, tender green peas, and a touch of fresh scallions, and that’s it! Like magic, the combination becomes increasingly irresistible overtime as the flavors meld and grow more harmonious. Like any any good picnic offering, it’s ideal for making ahead of time, sitting out like a champ all day, and tasting just as fresh as the minute you made it, regardless of the conditions. That means it’s also an excellent addition to any packed lunchbox for school, work, or travel.

What can you add to level-up your macaroni and cheese salad?

That’s an easy one, my friend. Think of all the things you love in either of the original dishes, and you’ll be golden. That means…

  • Rich caramelized onions
  • Crisp meatless bacon bits
  • Umami sauteed mushrooms
  • Spicy vegan pepperoni
  • Chopped tofu “eggs”
  • Wilted spinach or arugula
  • Fresh basil
  • And beyond!

At long last, this is the mashup the world has been hungry for, even if that need was never verbalized. Just show up at your next big summer shindig with a big bowl of this luscious pasta powerhouse, and you’ll be the guest of honor going forward.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

More Bang for Your Buckwheat

Overlooked, underappreciated, and widely misunderstood, buckwheat has faced numerous obstacles gaining traction in mainstream markets, despite its extensive history and remarkable nutritional profile. Despite the name, buckwheat isn’t actually a type of wheat at all, and is in fact a fruit seed from the same plant family as rhubarb. Most people don’t realize that there are different types of buckwheat as well, which vary greatly in quality and flavor.

Big Bold Health has unleashed possibly the most potent, ground-breaking strain as the world’s first ever certified organic, US-grown Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat.

Also referred to as HTB for short, this unique genus of buckwheat is redefining the superfood field as we know it. HTB is packed with immunity-supporting phytonutrients, magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, and prebiotic fiber. If you don’t have time or patience to cook with the flour, you can also get a concentrated dose of its key phytonutrients in supplement form. HTB is also an essential ingredient bolstering Big Bold Health‘s protein shake mix, which easily turns into sweet treats with serious benefits.

For those seeking the full buckwheat experience by cooking and baking with the finely milled flour, even greater nutritional riches await, as HTB contains two times more protein per gram than quinoa.

The biggest barrier to widespread embrace of HTB is the distinctly earthy, bitter flavors created by the rich phytonutrients themselves. Generally speaking, HTB can be substituted 1:1 for up to one third of the wheat flour in many conventional recipes. Lacking gluten, it has none of the elasticity found in other blends, producing more fragile baked goods.

It’s a delicate balancing act, best highlighted by the art of classic soba noodles. Hearty and slightly chewy, with a delicate toasted, nutty flavor, they embrace the harsher, more polarizing taste of buckwheat with grace.

Plain soba is just the start. Spiked with a splash of vinegar, the acid helps to neutralize bitterness and even bring out a faintly sweet aftertaste. Fiery chili crisp brings the heat with crackling spice, setting off sensory fireworks with every bite. Long strands of cucumber join the tangle to cool things off, intertwining bright, fresh herbs with tender edamame.

Blending Japanese noodles with Chinese condiments, it’s a fusion of my favorite summertime sides. Smashed cucumber salad, drizzled with fragrant hot chili oil is cool yet invigoratingly spicy, with a touch of mala‘s numbing tingle. Zaru soba, on the other hand, is mild and refreshing, simple and understated. Combining the two creates an addictive savory experience that seems to hydrate and revitalize right down to the soul, quenching thirst and hunger in one go.

Though the flavor of HTB is distinct, it’s easy to embrace in such a harmonious dish.

For a 10% discount off your order on BigBoldHealth.com, use the code hannahkaminsky10 at checkout.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Rice, Rice, Baby

Young vegans today don’t even know how good they’ve got it. Back in my day, dairy-free milk was still a rarity, available only in niche health food stores. Even there, your choices were limited to only soy or rice. Oat? Almond? Cashew? Forget about it! Who knew there were so many potential sources of creamy liquid back then?

Shelf stockers at mainstream markets would either scratch their heads, dumbfounded by the request, or haplessly led you to the lactose-free cartons. For a compassionate eater living in the suburbs, without a driver’s license, that meant stocking up and paying obscene prices for the luxury of access, or getting a bit more creative.

Guess which path I chose?

When sold in watered down cartons, rice milk was usually my least favorite option, but at home, I found a crafty loophole to create a thicker, richer blend. Creating a dense rice milk concentrate, not entirely dissimilar to wallpaper paste, I could better control the viscosity, flavor, and sweetness, all while building up a stockpile to easily whip up another cup, quart, or gallon at a time if I so desired. It was cheap, effective, and highly satisfying to beat the system.

Over time, my own means of access improved along with a boom in widespread availability. Once an essential staple, that formula that served me so well fell to the back of the digital recipe box. Collecting virtual dust, forgotten until an unfortunate computer crash forced me back onto an old laptop, it suddenly popped up like a long lost friend.

Today in 2021, I don’t need to make my own rice milk in bulk (thank the stars) but the concept spoke to me in a whole new way this time around. With a few little tweaks, a little polish, and some modern upgrades, I had a beautiful, brilliant instant horchata concentrate on my hands.

Perfect for sweltering summer heat when all you need is a tall, icy drink to keep your cool, horchata is the ultimate agua fresca. Creamy but not thick or rich, subtle notes of cinnamon and almond play in the background with in delicate, balanced harmony.

By skipping the time-consuming step of soaking whole grains of rice, prep time is slashed by an eighth or more, and it’s ready to reconstitute whenever a profound thirst strikes. Whether you’re serving a solo drinker or making a pitcher for a party, this stuff is like liquid gold for a quick fix.

We may not need bulk rice milk anymore, but you can never have too much horchata.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments

Greatfruits

Life is like a box of CSA produce: You never know what you’re gonna get.

We all know what to do when life gives you lemons, but what about grapefruits? Sure, you could give them the same treatment and turn them into grapefruit-ade, but it doesn’t have the same kind of ring. Simply topped with a sprinkle of sugar and brûléed for breakfast is a nice treat, but it feels like so much work to painstakingly dig out each little segment first thing in the morning. When all I want to do is just go back to bed, that level of effort is really asking a lot.

Best suited for advanced preparation, they’re a perfect match with chia pudding, soaked overnight and ready to enjoy no matter when the alarm clock rings. As both an ingredient and topper, the excess grapefruits infuse the whole elegant assembly with bright, citrus flavor. Perfumed with floral notes from orange blossom water and the distinctly spicy taste of cardamom, the pudding itself contains volumes of rich, complex flavor that far exceed the average bowl of oats.

Simple grapefruit supremes would be a fine topper for a simpler finish, but they take on greater substance when gently gelled with agar, straddling the line between jelly and compote. Full of zest to spark your enthusiasm for a fresh new day, grapefruit will suddenly become the shining star amongst the predictable array of seasonal produce picks.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments

Nuevo Gazpacho

Chill out. Watermelon might sound like an unconventional base for the classically tomato-red gazpacho, but it’s nothing to lose your cool over. Given a surplus of the highly perishable fruit and an oppressive heatwave to contend with, this sweet and savory mashup was inevitable.

As preferences quickly skew toward the fast, easy, and refreshing dishes, I can think of no better recipe to fit the bill. Gazpacho, no matter the color nor contents, must always be on hand for days like this, waiting in a properly chilled pitcher for instant access.

Balancing fruit and vegetables in elegant sufficiency, with a subtle bite of vinegar and fresh, verdant pop of basil, it’s an invigorating study in contrasts.

Don’t let the juicy inclusion scare you off. I promise, it’s not a vegetable-forward smoothie… Although it’s so good that you’ll still want to drink it straight from the blender.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)5 Comments

Neither Fish Nor Fowl

Contrary to popular belief, ceviche needn’t include any seafood to be considered “authentic,” or more importantly, to be considered delicious. One of many dishes with murky origins, it’s largely credited to the Peruvians, but it made its mark on cultures across all continents. If one were to look at the Latin etymology, it would simply mean “food for men and animals;” an ambiguous free-for-all with very little meaning other than the fact that it was, indeed, edible. Turning to Arabic, we see the foundation for “cooking in vinegar.” Persian would agree, going further to suggest that it was a “vinegar soup.” Sure, fish or meat was almost always invited to the party, but that doesn’t mean it was essential to the soul of the dish.

Scores of creative ceviches abound, plant-based and seasoned with a wide palate of different cultural perspectives. The most successful ones that I’ve come across take texture into account even before the flavor is considered, as backwards as that may sound. Few people realize just how much of the eating experience comes down to texture, which is why ceviche is a particularly fascinating preparation to experiment with. As long as it has a somewhat meaty yet springy texture that approximates something like shrimp or calamari, accompanied by a brightly acidic twang, you can craft a highly satisfying vegan rendition, no questions asked. Thus, upon biting into a fresh, juicy lychee, inspiration for a new approach struck me like lightning.

As the rest of the country starts hunting through their closets for long-forgotten sweaters and scarves, predictably, the bay area is forced to start shedding layers. The heat continues to skyrocket and the only thing I want to eat is something quick, cold, and satisfying. Ceviche fits neatly into that definition, no matter what else you consider essential. Packing it with buttery avocados and young coconut meat adds richness to this otherwise very lean preparation, fit for either a light meal or a good snack. Packed with crisp vegetables, everything is open to interpretation based on your personal tastes and accessibility. Want to mix it up? Consider ripe tomatoes, cubed watermelon, fresh corn, marinated mushrooms, chunks of fried plantain, or even steamed sweet potatoes, just for starters. Borrow from as many different cultures as you like; for ceviche, as long as it’s cold and raw, pretty much anything goes.

The only inviolable rule is to use ONLY fresh lychees, and I must be adamant about that. Canned can never compare, possessing both an unnatural sweetness and unpleasantly sour, metallic aftertaste. If you can’t find fresh, just double up on the coconut, and choose your own vegetable adventure from there.

Yield: Makes 4 – 6 Servings

Island Breeze Lychee Ceviche

Island Breeze Lychee Ceviche

Buttery avocados and young coconut meat adds richness to this otherwise very lean plant-based preparation, fit for either a light meal or a good snack. Packed with crisp vegetables, everything is open to interpretation based on your personal tastes and accessibility. Want to mix it up? Consider ripe tomatoes, cubed watermelon, fresh corn, marinated mushrooms, chunks of fried plantain, or even steamed sweet potatoes, just for starters. Borrow from as many different cultures as you like; for ceviche, as long as it’s cold and raw, pretty much anything goes.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 10 – 12 Fresh Lychees, Peeled, Pitted, and Quartered (About 2/3 Cup)
  • 1 Fresh Young Thai Coconut, Meat Removed and Diced
  • 1/2 Large Cucumber, Peeled and Seeded
  • 1 Small Avocado, Diced
  • 3 Tablespoons Lime Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Pineapple Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Vegan Fish Sauce or Soy Sauce
  • 1 Red Jalapeno, Seeded and Finely Minced
  • 2 Scallions, Thinly Sliced
  • 1/4 Cup Packed Fresh Cilantro, Roughly Chopped
  • Salt, to Taste

Instructions

  1. To prepare ceviche, you shouldn’t really need written instructions to break it down, but here goes: Toss everything together in a large bowl except for the salt, cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for 15 – 30 minutes. Season with salt to taste and serve thoroughly chilled, with crackers if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 99Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 251mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g
© Hannah Kaminsky
Cuisine: Spanish / Category: Starters and Snacks

Hannah (BitterSweet)13 Comments