Tag: entree

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

Protein, Peas and Thank You

Not everything needs protein. Strange way to start a blog post about using protein powder, but hear me out. I’m well aware that protein, like its fellow macro-nutrients fat and carbohydrates, are essential for life. Protein helps with wound healing, muscle growth, skin elasticity, bone density, and so much more. These are solid facts. What isn’t beneficial, however, are the lower-quality proteins that manufacturers are cramming into every processed food and drink that crosses their paths. Collagen, for example, cannot be absorbed intact when consumed, making it a much less helpful protein than any plant-based option, despite the immense hype surrounding it.

Peak Protein

We have reached a fever pitch where protein is being shoehorned into sodas, water, and gummy bears. At this stage of peak protein, anything marginally consumable comes in a protein-enhanced version. As a proponent of balanced nutrition, protein absolutely has it’s place, but this litany of processed Frankenfoods is not it. I prefer to keep my protein at the center of the plate.

Naked Nutrition, Naked Truth

When I need a little extra boost, especially in gluten free baking or savory cooking, I look for actual food sources. This is where Naked Pea from Naked Nutrition comes into play. This is one of the few powders that makes sense in my kitchen because it is exactly what it says on the package, with nothing to hide.

100% yellow pea protein is the only ingredient. You won’t find any:

  • Sugar or alternative sweeteners
  • Added flavors
  • Thickeners or emulsifiers
  • Gluten
  • Soy
  • Dairy
  • Dubious health claims

Eat Real Food

Although you could absolutely mix it into smoothies or shakes, I see it more as a pantry staple, worthy of a place in your cabinet right next to the flour and spices.

Naked Pea unflavored protein powder has proven indispensable in everyday meals. There’s no need to drink meal replacement shakes when you can simply add a spoonful to soups, stews, even salad dressings. A light coating can replace flour or cornstarch when making crispy tofu or air-fried mushrooms, creating a golden, crunchy exterior that packs a protein punch. You can seamlessly slip a serving or two into your standard pancake or waffle batter without even picky eaters catching on. Such neutrality afford the cunning cook a nutritional boost, without sacrificing flavor.

Beyond the Blender

If you’re tired of slogging through chalky, cloying liquid meals to make your “gains,” Naked Pea is the way to get protein back on the table, where it belongs. Taking inspiration from the single-ingredient powerhouse, I turned to southern Peas and Dumplings to highlight the prowess of such a versatile powder. Similar to chicken and dumplings, it’s a thrifty answer to stretching a limited harvest, especially when meat was scarce. The most basic recipes simmer canned peas in bouillon and drop refrigerated biscuit dough on top for a quick, comforting, and hearty meal.

Every bit as easy to whip up from scratch without relying on store-bought shortcuts, a blend of chickpea flour and Naked Pea protein powder creates a soft, supple dough that practically melts in your mouth. No rolling necessary, you just drop dollops into the sea of simmering peas where it soaks in the buttery, lemon-flecked broth. A touch of fresh mint adds brightness, cutting through the savory richness for a finish that feels light despite being incredibly filling.

For all its verdant vibrancy, I’ll be the first to admit that this dish is not a looker. One could generously describe it as “rustic,” an underhanded compliment I loathe most in the food world. What it lacks in visual polish, it more than makes up for in flavor and substance. Each spoonful delivers tender dumplings, pops of sweet peas, and the undeniable satisfaction of a wholesome, high-protein meal.

Give Peas a Chance

By using the protein powder as a genuinely functional ingredient rather than a supplement, the push to get enough protein shifts from chore to culinary delight. Food is fuel, health is wealth, and all those other slogans; food is also flavor, joy, and comfort. Start with the right ingredients, and you can have it all.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments

Millet-ary Precision

History has not been kind to millet. Once one of the most crucial crops fueling human development and civilization across Africa, India, and Asia, it remains on the periphery of Western culture today. I’ll never forget the first time I sought out this pseudo-cereal to make a Macrobiotic recipe, only to be mocked for bringing “birdseed” to a potluck. Unfairly saddled with this reputation up until very recently, much like chia was once known only as fodder for terracotta planters, millet is poised for a big comeback.

Part of the problem is of accessibility. Absent from mainstream store shelves and basic bulk bin sections, Grand Teton Ancient Grains is helping to put millet back in the hands of cooks around the country. I’ll admit that millet fell off my radar until I saw it on their website, highlighted like a flashbulb memory, waiting to pick up the story right where I left it.

A Brief Overview of Millet’s Long History

Millet could have very well ruled the world. Cultivated somewhere between 8,000 to 10,000 years ago in Asia, it even pre-dates rice. It makes cameo appearances in religious texts, including the Old Testament and the Yajurveda in India, to give you a hint of its cultural significance. Once it spread to Europe, it was more common than wheat in the Middle Ages. Compared to other most whole grains, millet needs little water, scant nutrients in the soil, and is resistant to many pests both in the field and during storage.

Why, then, did it fall out of favor so precipitously? We can thank colonialism and capitalism. Western powers pushed for more wheat, rice, and corn, throwing subsidies their way to help with research and industrialization. As more processed grain products were developed, millet was left behind, giving it a reputation of being old-fashioned or food for the poor; those who couldn’t afford luxuries like sliced white bread.

What is Millet?

Though generally viewed and treated like a whole grain, millet is technically a seed. Botanically speaking, it belongs to the Poaceae family, commonly known as the grass family. There are as many as 6,000 types of millet, differing in size, color, and flavor. Pearl millet is the variety most commonly produced for human consumption globally, though there’s far greater diversity, in India especially.

Curried Millet Pulao

“Millet” is actually a broad, catch-all term for a group of small-seeded grasses cultivated for food. Common varieties include foxtail, finger, and proso (which is what Grand Teton Ancient Grains offers), just to name a few, each with its own culinary uses and regional importance. In general, millet seeds are small, round, and can range in color from pale yellow to deep red or even gray.

What unites them is less their exact botanical classification and more their shared characteristics: they are hardy, fast-growing crops that thrive in dry conditions and poor soils, making them especially important in regions prone to drought. When cooked, millet typically has a mild, slightly nutty flavor that’s reminiscent of cornmeal, and a texture that can vary from fluffy and grain-like to creamy, depending on how it’s prepared.

Strawberry Millet Pudding

Multitudinous Uses For Millet

Millet’s versatility is a big reason why it’s remained vital across so many different cultures and eras. Depending on the cooking method, it can be light and fluffy like couscous, or soft and creamy like polenta, neutral enough in flavor to be adaptable to both savory and sweet preparations.

Across the world, millet is deeply embedded in traditional cuisines.

  • In West Africa, it is used to make thick porridges and dishes like hausa koko and couscous-style preparations. In the Horn of Africa, though teff is the most famous base, millet can also be fermented into injera, the spongy flatbread that underpins many meals.
  • In India, a wide range of millets are still used to prepare everyday staples such as roti, dosa, and idly. Millet khichdi and upma are classic comfort foods that are often enjoyed for breakfast especially in rural and regional cooking.
  • In China, millet has long been used for congee instead of rice, and for brewing baijiu, a distilled spirit that dates back to the 1500s.

In more modern contexts, millet has been gaining attention as a highly nutritious and gluten-free ingredient.

  • It’s increasingly used in baked goods like breads, muffins, cereals, and crackers, either as whole seeds, rolled into flakes, puffed, or ground into flour.
  • Some brewers have also begun tapping millet as an alternative to wheat in creating gluten-free beers.
  • In the home kitchen, it’s stellar for making quick pilafs, adding to soups and stews, salads, and stir fries.
  • Many pediatricians recommend millet as a baby’s first solid food for its soft texture and easy digestibility.

Breakfast Millet Porridge with Cinnamon and Raisins

Millet’s Nutritional Highlights

Nutritionally, millet punches well above its weight. Because you’re eating the whole seed, you get the full complement of fiber and complex carbs that digest slowly. Rich in magnesium, phosphorus, and iron, some varieties are also especially high in calcium, which is unusual for grains. Since it’s naturally gluten-free, it’s a great option for people with Celiac disease or anyone looking for wheat-free options.

How To Cook Millet

Where millet loses most modern consumers is in the cooking. On the plus side, it cooks incredibly fast, but on the downside, it can just as quickly turn to mush. Sometimes that’s the goal, for creamy purees and puddings, but most Americans like their grains separate, fluffy, and distinct. Further complicating matters is that the different varieties of millet DO cook differently; it may take some trial and error to achieve the perfect ratio of water and time to make your ideal millet. Speaking specifically for cooking with Grand Teton Ancient Grains white millet, here’s what I do:

  1. Start by rinsing the millet under cool water. For the best flavor, toast the drained millet in a dry saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until it smells lightly nutty. This step is optional, but it gives the finished dish a deeper, more complex taste.
  2. From there, add liquid; about 2 cups of water or broth for every 1 cup of millet, and a pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Once the liquid has absorbed, remove it from the heat and let it sit, covered, for another 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
  3. If you’d rather a creamy porridge consistency, increase the liquid to 3 – 5 cups, and cook for 20 – 25 minutes. In either case, there’s no need to pull out your pressure cooker, since it’s a breeze to make on the stove top, even without soaking in advance, like many harder grains would require.

Millet Polenta with Beefless Stew

Millet: The Whole Enchilada

Reinvigorated by the fresh inspiration that only a 5-pound bag of Grand Teton Ancient Grains millet can provide, my head was spinning with possibilities. What about millet-stuffed cabbage, peppers, or zucchini? I though I was being creative with a truly ground-breaking experiment, but in fact, someone beat me to the idea of making millet-based vegan cheese. Instead of driving myself crazy with the endless possibilities outstretched before me, it all clicked when I wasn’t trying to be remotely innovative. I was just tired, hungry, and thought “millet skillet” would be fun to say.

Simmered in enchilada sauce alongside a battery of sautéed fresh vegetables, this Enchilada Millet Skillet gives you the full sabor of the Mexican specialty, all in one pan. Forget about rolling tortillas and start setting the table, ASAP, because this beauty will be done in roughly minutes. Any dish instantly becomes more appealing when smothered in melted cheese, making this a surefire way to get a hearty helping of millet into your regular meal plan rotation.

If You Will It, You Can Millet

Millet defies the odds. Once revered, then relegated to birdseed, its star is beginning to rise once again. In a time when resilience, sustainability, and nutrition matter more than ever, millet checks all the boxes. Finding its way back onto our plates with renewed vigor, it brings with it centuries of history and endless possibilities for the future… Especially, for your next mouthwatering meal.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments

Easy Bake Sushi

Sushi, though truly timeless and everlasting, isn’t typically thought of as a wintry dish. It’s a common misconception that it’s a dish best served cold, but unlike revenge, it’s still better with slightly warm, not chilled, rice. Regardless, when the thermometer outside is tracking single digits and warmer, heartier fare is top of mind, sushi doesn’t exactly make the cut. Perhaps, we’ve just been thinking of the wrong kind of sushi.

Hot Dish, Hot Off the Presses

Originally pitched as a “sushi casserole” roughly 15 years go, the concept really got hot when it was rebranded as a “sushi bake” during the height of the COVID19 pandemic. In the era of feta pasta and dalgona coffee, it fit right into the conversation about accessible global cuisine, comfort food, and culinary escapes. Familiar yet novel, easily adaptable to suit any available ingredients; looking back on it now, it made perfect sense. What I don’t understand is why it seems to have disappeared just as quickly.

Sushi for the People

Consider the sushi bake as sushi with training wheels, both for the cook and eater. No patience for hand-shaping individual rectangles of rice? Zero skill for rolling with sheets of nori? Throw everything in a pan and call it a day! Those of the most voracious appetites can finally satisfy the urge to eat an entire family platter of nigiri without being seen as gluttonous, and everyone can walk away from the table fulfilled. Especially during the colder months of the year, I can’t imagine a better way indulge in homemade sushi.

Layered with seasoned sushi rice, umami furikake, surprisingly convincing spicy crab made from shredded tofu, and a battery of crisp cucumbers, buttery avocado, and lashings of more savory sauces, it’s the complete package in every bite. You could easily double it and bake it off in an 8 x 8-inch pan for the whole family, or even quadruple it with a 9 x 13-inch pan for a genuine sushi party.

Serves You Right

Served warm, straight from the oven, a sushi bake is meant to be spooned, scooped, and shared with abandon. A brief rest on the counter allows the layers to settle into a more sliceable strata, but it should still arrive at the table hot, the rice plush and fragrant beneath its generous toppings. Set out stacks of toasted nori sheets or seaweed snacks and let everyone build their own bites, folding heaping spoonfuls into crisp wrappers that crackle against the creamy filling. It’s informal and tactile in a way traditional sushi rarely allows, encouraging seconds, and thirds, without ceremony or apology.

While I wouldn’t reheat it once topped, any leftover sushi bake is still just as delicious the next day, served cold. After winter relinquishes its grip and cooler cravings return, perhaps it can be a summertime staple, too.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)5 Comments