Tag: homemade

New Ground Rules

Ground beef is a nearly universal staple ingredient that does a lot of heavy lifting. Foundational for countless comfort foods and macro-conscious meals alike, it’s the heart and soul of sauces, soups, tacos, casseroles, and so much more. Something of a culinary chameleon, it moves fluidly between cuisines and cooking styles, anchoring dishes with richness and texture, whether it’s merely playing a supporting role or taking center stage. That’s exactly what makes it such a challenge to replace.

DIY, Don’t Buy

Many plant-based alternatives come with a price tag that makes the average Taco Tuesday feel like a splurge. Homemade versions can have wildly varying results, veering from mushy to rubbery to gritty with little warning based on glowing recipe reviews. All we want are simple ingredients, easy prep, an undeniably meaty flavor, toothsome chew, and a solid dose of protein. Is that so much to ask? I didn’t think so, which is why I took matters into my own hands.

Where’s The Beef?

Powered by Naked Pea protein powder and vital wheat gluten, this recipe transforms a handful of pantry staples into remarkably hearty vegan ground beef crumbles with an impressive nutritional profile. Nutritional yeast layers in savory depth, while mushroom broth, soy sauce, ketchup, and vegan Worcestershire sauce create a rich umami backbone that tastes far greater than the sum of its parts. Finally, a touch of beet powder provides subtle color, helping the finished crumbles look as robust as they taste. In a matter of minutes and minimal prep, they’re ready to step into virtually any role traditionally reserved for ground meat.

Everyday Essentials

Since first developing this foolproof formula, I’ve made sure I have a batch on hand at all times. It freezes beautifully and comes in clutch when throwing together a quick meal. Given the infinite number of ways you can use it, you could very well eat it everyday without getting bored, or even once repeating a recipe. Craving a giant bubbling vat of chili? Want a quick quesadilla after midnight? Feeding the fam on a budget? These crumbles rise to every occasion.

  • Soups and stews: Yes, you can make one mean chili, with or without beans, thanks to this mega meaty groundwork. Brothier bowls are just as satisfying, including beef and barley soup, Italian wedding soup, and minestrone soup, just for starters.
  • Mexican Meals: Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos, and quesadillas are a natural fit for these protein powerhouses. Seasoned with cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic, and a few hot chilies, no one would know there’s zero animal meat involved.
  • Pasta and sauces: From your generic ragu to hearty Bolognese, this is your new BBF (that’s Best Beef Friend, thank you very much). Don’t forget about meat lasagna, ravioli, stuffed shells, baked ziti, and even stroganoff.

  • Salads and grain bowls: Even a simple greens-and-protein combo becomes a full meal with the right toppings. Cheeseburger salads are a favorite of mine, but for something warmer, you can always make Chipotle bowls at home with seasoned rice, beans, salsa, and guacamole. I’ve used it to make an amazing soboro donburi that I plan to repeat very soon, too.
  • Casseroles: Anything goes in the cozy, slightly chaotic world of casseroles, where everything gets baked together and somehow benefits for it. Think shepherd’s pie, tater tot hot dish, tamale pie, upgraded green bean casserole, or anything involving a layer of melted vegan cheese.
  • Stuffed Vegetables: Bell peppers, zucchinis, tomatoes, eggplant, baked potatoes, mushrooms, cabbage; anything that can be hollowed out or turned into an edible wrapper can become a prime protein delivery system.
  • Bread, buns, and pockets: It’s hard to contain so much deliciousness, but you can still try by making sloppy joes, pita pockets, steamed buns, lettuce wraps, and even calzones or empanadas if you’re going all-out. Dumplings, be it wontons or gyoza, steamed or pan-fried, fit right in as another way to wrap everything up into a satisfying bite-sized package.

High Protein Whole Foods

Built with flavor and texture as the primary goals, these crumbles still pull impressive numbers when it comes to nutrition. Namely, 33 grams of protein per serving or 133 grams for the whole batch, and that’s before adding them to whatever meal you’re making. They’re already doing the bulk of the work on their own before veggies and grains enter the picture. You can also expect 2.5 grams of fiber per serving, which, while unimpressive on its own, is 2.5 grams more than conventional meat.

Beyond the Package

Store-bought meat alternatives certainly have their place, but with just a bit more planning and preparation, we can do better. Naked Pea makes that process remarkably simple. Its neutral flavor and substantial protein content provide the backbone needed to create the most beefy meatless grounds to have ever graced your plate, without requiring a chemistry degree.

The most useful ingredient in your kitchen is one that helps inspire dozens more dishes. Ground meat fits that bill and this lookalike behaves in exactly the same way. Macro goals to meet? Many mouths to feed? Your dinner destiny is in your hands.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Asian Persuasion

Anything, be it a restaurant, dish, or book, labeled as “Asian” gives me pause. It feels like a reductive, overly simplistic term to encompass a staggering number of cultures. Even with a fair amount of overlap with shared ingredients and techniques, it’s less descriptive than the term “European,” which I daresay no food writer would attempt today.

For all my misgivings, The Vegan Asian Kitchen: 100+ Plant-Based Recipes Inspired by Malaysia, China, Thailand, and Beyond by WoonHeng Chia manages to steer clear of the obvious pitfalls to shine a light on a range of unique, distinctive dishes from the region, proving that a title never tells the full story.

Having grown up in Kuala Lumpur, Ms. Chia’s approach to cooking reflects a lifetime spent navigating the intersections of diverse foodways and traditions. Rather than flattening those influences into a bland, marketable caricature, she embraces their specificity, offering recipes rooted in personal experience while acknowledging the broader tapestry of regional specialties that have shaped her palate.

I began with the Thai Basil Zhua Bing (Flaky Layered Pancakes), page 337, drawn in by the promise of flaky, crisp dough layered with herbs. Being a visual learner, I found the written instructions for shaping the dough difficult to picture at first, and I had to read them more than once before committing to the process. A quick visit to WoonHeng’s blog, however, provided the clarity I needed in the form of step-by-step photographs that made quick work of the procedure. Once pan-seared, the results justified the means entirely. Exteriors blistered into delicate, golden layers that shattered slightly at the edges while remaining tender within, they were fragrant, slightly chewy, and deeply satisfying in a way that needed no accoutrements.

The Sweet and Sour “Fish,” page 117, immediately grabbed my attention, having only ever encountered a version of it at one of my favorite local food trucks, Bodhi Viet Vegan. Here, WoonHeng builds the fish facsimile from a base of blended tofu and oyster mushrooms, wrapped in nori and rice paper, which is then seared, sliced, and seared again before being lacquered in a glossy sweet-and-sour sauce.

Truth be told, I felt like a complete novice as I stumbled through my first attempt. I likely wrapped the rolls too tightly, and during the first sear, the rice paper split in several places. Forget about making clean slices out of that mess. Fortunately, I was able to reshape most of the pieces into reasonably acceptable medallion shapes, which held together better after a light dusting of cornstarch and a final flash in the pan. Finishing the dish with fresh cucumber and tomato added the perfect contrast to the sharp sauce and soft protein. Though not as polished as I’d prefer, I’m still impressed that it’s possible to recreate such a rare delicacy right at home, rather than resorting to a store-bought option.

Loaded with colorful vegetables, chewy glass noodles, and tofu, the Pad Woon Sen (Stir Fried Glass Noodles), page 241, feels instantly familiar, even if you’ve never tried it before. An essential staple on any Thai menu, it’s a case study in balance and simplicity. Savory, salty, spicy, sour, and subtly sweet, I think it would be impossible for even the pickiest of eaters to find fault in the complete package. My only moment of hesitation came when I noticed the recipe called for cubing the tofu while the photo showed short batons, which seemed better suited to intertwining around the glossy, slippery noodles. It’s a tiny detail, though, and one that was quickly forgotten once I took my first bite.

It doesn’t take a trained eye to notice the author’s clear affinity for mushrooms in these pages. Used liberally as everything from a seasoning to meat-replacement, the fittingly named king oyster mushrooms are most commonly tapped for grand centerpieces. I couldn’t resist the idea of dressing up the most humble of fungus, the common white button mushroom, as Kung Pao Button Mushrooms, page 123. Unmistakably bold, sharp with the heat of both acid and spice, each lightly fried little morsel is a whole mouthful. If you’re craving an assertive, umami snack to serve with cold beer, you can’t do much better than this.

Dim sum has always captivated me, especially considering how few restaurants nearby cater to vegan clientele. Lo Bak Gou (Turnip or Radish Cakes), page 163, was one particular small plate I had been circling for quite sometime, always intending to make at home but never quite working up the nerve to try. Cut into neat slabs and crisp edges, gilded with a golden sear, I was certain they were more the work of a professional chef, not a home cook. This recipe proved the opposite. Straightforward, almost disarmingly so, and far more affordable than a comparatively meager order, my fears evaporated along with the steam escaping from the sautéed daikon. I took a small shortcut and crisped the pieces in the air fryer instead of shallow-frying, delivering delicate crusts giving way to creamy interiors, using a fraction of the oil.

Part of what makes The Vegan Asian Kitchen so valuable is its refusal to compromise. Ms. Chia introduces readers to ingredients, techniques, and dishes that remain underrepresented in most English-language vegan cookbooks. By the same token, that commitment can present challenges for those who lack access to well-stocked Asian markets.

The book also contains a wide range of complexity. Many recipes are approachable enough for weeknight cooking, while others demand considerable time, preparation, or technical skill. Rather than viewing this as a flaw, it may be more accurate to see the latter as aspirational, inviting adventurous foodies to expand their repertoires and try something new.

This is definitely a case where you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, unless you’re referring to the mouthwatering photography that hints of more to come. While “Asian” may be an imperfect descriptor, it can still serve as a doorway to stories, techniques, and flavors that deserve a closer look.

Hannah (BitterSweet)13 Comments

Strike While The Iron Is Hot

Returning from a routine doctor’s appointment with a diagnosis of mild anemia would encourage most people to grab an iron supplement and call it day. I did, but why would I just gulp down the little white tablets with water as intended, when they could do so much more? Iron was exactly the secret ingredient I needed to bring an unconventional recipe idea to life. Food is medicine, after all.

A Taste of Tradition

Soondae/sundae (순대), the Korean version of blood sausage, was a thrifty way to add nutrition before the times of multivitamins. Spices, vermicelli noodles, rice, and blood get wrapped up in a casing and steamed, sauteed, or boiled as a snack. The iron in hemoglobin is what gives blood its characteristic metallic taste and thus, the distinctive twang in soondae. Knowing that, it’s surprisingly easy to recreate the flavor of cooked and well-seasoned blood sausage.

Iron Out the Wrinkles

Aromatic toasted sesame oil blooms garlic and ginger with a touch of sweet heat from gochujang. Tart pomegranate juice adds another layer of tangy flavor, cooked right into the sticky sushi rice. It’s an unexpected combination that’s both assertive and nuanced, bold enough to be eaten solo but not averse to being included in more complex meals.

Colored black thanks to inky charcoal powder, you can rest easy that this polarizing ingredient, though used in emergency situations to prevent the absorption of certain poisons and drugs, does not interfere with the absorption of iron. Your vitamin infusion is safe here.

Ironclad Guarantee

Anyone trying to argue that only animal-based meat forced inside an edible casing can be called a “sausage” should take note: soondae does not and has never included any actual animal flesh. Yes, the casing is made from cow or pig intestines, and of course, there’s the blood, but meat itself has been a rare luxury throughout history.

I would always rather eat my vitamins, although this recipe is a bit more literal than that sentiment would usually imply. There are more benefits to supplements beyond health; if you use them to their full potential, they can improve your cooking, too. Now you can get your fill of iron in plant-based soondae, which is a whole lot easier to swallow.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)10 Comments

In Dog We Trust

Making dog treats from scratch is more of a gift for the person than the pup. Of course, I know that Luka will be beside himself with joy the moment that such a tasty morsel of human food is in fact for him. His tail will wag so hard, it might threaten to unwind and spin right off. His jaw might chatter, taking tiny chops out of the air before my hovering hand, as if preemptively tasting it, not wanting to miss a single crumb. Despite that, I’ll be happiest of all by creating such joy, no matter how simple or fleeting.

The thing is, dogs would make terrible food critics. Anything edible, and many things not, would be deemed delicacies. Every plate would be licked clean. There’s no such thing as tasting notes since they shouldn’t have salt, or sugar, or anything spicy, in addition to a long list of verboten ingredients. These baked doughnuts, which I’ve deemed dognuts, would be pretty blah to the average eater. Little more than flour, applesauce, and peanut butter, they’re fully edible for anyone who wants to partake, but might fall a little flat based on visual expectations.

Thankfully, my Luka is obsessed with all things doughnut-like and doughnut-shaped, would eat five dinners if no one stopped him, and has been known to eat small rocks if offered. This little gesture of love was an instant hit.

As we survive the one year anniversary of the day I almost lost him, I can’t help but want to squeeze him tighter, spoil him a bit more than usual, go on extra walks and let him sniff for as long as his snoot desires. I know he doesn’t understand, but I want make him some extra special treats for my own sake. To say that I love him, that I’m grateful he’s here, that I’m so lucky he’s still here.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)9 Comments

An Irrational Love Of Pie: Top 10 Recipes For Pi Day

Pi Day, a day when math meets mirth, looms on the horizon to add a dash of irrationality to our lives once again. March 14th, otherwise known as 3.14, allows the humble π and pie alike to take center stage. Having written a whole book about pies of the edible variety, naturally, I have a few suggestions on how best to celebrate.

Sweet and Savory Pi Creations

Most pastry, such as pie dough, is best made in advance and thoroughly chilled, so now is the time to plan for the big event. With a strong foundation in place, the kitchen is open to all mathematical possibilities. There’s nothing wrong with a classic apple or cherry filling, but wouldn’t it be more fun to try something new? Calculate ratios of more innovative ingredients to pay proper homage to our favorite never-ending decimal form.

Unleash Your Inner Baking Geek

Pies are an integral part of American culinary culture every day of the year. The phrase “as American as apple pie” didn’t come from nowhere, you know. Though we can’t lay claim to creating the edible art form, an honor that goes to the Ancient Egyptians, I’m ready to carry the torch in making some of the most continuously unconventional slices around. Never repetitive, always well-rounded, here are my top ten pie recipes to solve the perpetual question of how best to enjoy Pi Day.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)10 Comments

Sleigh The Holidays With Homemade Gifts

Even without the increasing frustrations of finding, buying, and giving the perfect gifts on a budget, the winter holidays are still the most expensive time of year. Shouldn’t the holiday season simply be about spending time with loved ones, making merry, and eating great food? I’ve never been one to partake in the shopping frenzy that fuels retail sales.

That said, I still love giving gifts.

Yes, it’s possible to hold both of these sentiments true. Store bought gifts, purchased for the sake of an obligatory exchange, bring me as much joy as the credit card bills to follow. Homemade gifts, thoughtfully crafted with the recipient’s wants and needs in mind, are a gift to the giver as well. Seeing someone’s face light up because of something you made is an indescribable and irreplaceable sort of joy. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive or complicated; the best presents simply start from scratch.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting gifts for the holidays.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to spoil the wonderful people in your life with something special. Everyone should be able to afford that basic human connection and the happiness it brings to both the giver and recipient.

Christmas cookies are in their own category; when it comes to homemade gifts, the options are endless. Sweet and savory, edible and not, there really is something for everyone on your list. There’s no need to stress over getting the hottest toys and blowing your budget when you start from scratch, too. Here are just a few of my favorite suggestions for giftable DIY goodies.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments