Adventures of a healthy-ish pseudo-foodie

Not green apples The mu succeeded in the garden this fall, which means it's time to use them all up! I came across  Maangchi's recipe for radish salad , and decided to make it as a topping for some rice bowls. It's delicious and easy, like a simpler version of the  radish kimchi  that I love so much. It's a perfect component of a rice bowl / bibimbap, or it would be good as a side dish on its own. I made no changes except skipping the step of peeling the radish. Maybe I would be more inclined to do this with radishes from the store, as opposed to the garden. The Recipe: 1 large korean radish, cut into matchsticks 1 tb kosher salt 2 cloves garlic, grated 1 stalk green onion, chopped 1 tb rice vinegar 2 tsp gochugaru 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds Mix radish and salt, and let sit for 5 minutes Squeeze out excess liquid Mix in remaining ingredients to the strained/squeezed radish The Verdict: Overall grade: A Overall reason: Easy and delicious Time to prepare: 15 m

I want to find crispy noodles that add height, just for aesthetics. This one borders on being too much work, especially when I make one pot with coconut milk and another pot with oat milk so I can eat it (and another pot to boil the rice noodles, and a baking sheet for the tofu). But it's very delicious, and it makes enough broth for to save for a second dinner (4-6 servings total). I used  this Prik-King curry paste  and the flavor is so good. I'll only experiment with other curry pastes if I can't find this one again. I worked from  this recipe from Feasting at Home . I made no changes aside from adding a thai chili, substituting oat milk for coconut milk in my serving, and skipping the kefir lime leaves because I couldn't find any. The Recipe: 4 oz rice noodles, boiled according to package 1 large shallot or 1/2 onion, sliced 2 tb chopped lemongrass (I used a tube of lemongrass paste) 1 thai chili, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tb Thai red curry paste 1/2 tsp turm

Photo of the leftovers instead of the fresh meal, because at the time of serving I did not expect it to be blog-worthy. But it is! Yum. I had a tube of lemongrass paste and leftover cooked rice, so I went searching for a lemongrass fried rice recipe. What I found was many variations on stir-frying the lemongrass with aromatics, adding the rice/vegetables/protein etc, and finishing it with fish sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper. So that's what I did! I currently have an abundance of thai chilies from the garden, so that went into the aromatics, and I wouldn't skip this in the future. The Recipe 2 tb lemongrass paste (or work from fresh lemongrass for more work and more flavor) 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 thai chilies, minced 1 tb ginger, grated 1/2 onion, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 4 c cooked and cooled rice (next day is best) - I had calrose but I think Jasmine would be even better 2 c shelled edamame, boiled for 4 minutes 2 eggs, beaten and scrambled fish sauce to taste sugar to ta

Pretend to also see some red onion on top. I'd never had pozole verde prior to making this. I went in search of recipes to use up the pepitas that I had from making  this farro salad , and decided this was worth a try. I worked vaguely from  this recipe from A Cozy Kitchen , but I made many simplifications: I used roasted/salted pepitas instead of toasting them myself, I threw in some fake chicken (Quorn Pieces) instead of cooking chicken in it, and I replaced a whole bunch of ingredients with  La Victoria Thick 'n Chunky Salsa Verde . That last one in particular was a big risk, and I was prepared to make a backup dinner if it turned out terribly, but it ended up being delicious! Mayyyybe one day I'll try the original recipe as intended, but these shortcuts make it a totally achievable weeknight dinner. I also threw in a tromboncino squash that I had in the garden, though this isn't in the recipe and is totally optional.  The Recipe: 1 yellow onion, chopped 3 garlic clo

  A delicate drizzle of tzatziki would have looked better in the photo, but this tastes better. This is my effort at recreating the "Sampler Plate" at  Tradewinds . The components are flexible, though I'd say the tzatziki really ties it together and the falafel was important as the only really warm/hearty part. The Recipe: Rice: basmati tossed with lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and parsley Greek salad: shredded kale and sliced onions in balsamic vinaigrette Hummus:  see recipe Crumbled feta cheese Falafel (I like the Trader Joe's frozen kind) Tzatziki:  here's a good explanation from Cookie and Kate Layer and eat! The Verdict: Overall grade: B+ Overall reason: The flavors are all strong, so I got tired of it after a while. Maybe plain rice would be a better choice, or just pita instead of the rice. Time to prepare: 1 hour Kid quote: "I LOVE falafel! I want more falafel!" (This is the kid who gagged the last time I served him falafel. I can't keep up

  I got new big bowls! On this particular night, I set out to make Vietnamese-style bowls with lemongrass fish sauce. Something went wrong (bad lemongrass paste? too much fish sauce?) and the sauce was inedible, so I made a batch of my favorite  peanut sauce  instead. It made the meal richer and more kid-friendly, and it was delicious. The particular components of the bowl could be anything, but I really liked the combination of rice and lettuce (it's hard to tell, but they are side-by-side under the tofu). Also, I had fresh basil, cilantro, and mint in the garden, which I highly recommend adding when possible. The Recipe: Peanut sauce:  see recipe Base: jasmine rice, lettuce, or both Vegetables: cucumber, plus maybe bell peppers next time? Herbs: cilantro, basil, mint Protein: sliced/pressed tofu, tossed with soy sauce and sesame oil, baked at 400 for 35ish minutes Other: roasted peanuts are good for extra crunch Layer the solid ingredients. Top with peanut sauce. The Verdict: Ove

  Sorry for the weird lighting. The swiss chard in the garden has been reseeding itself and spreading into a swiss chard forest. So, swiss chard in all the things! I put this together from a combination of different recipes, and it's delicious. We used it in enchiladas, but it would also be good in a burrito or spread thin in a quesadilla. The Recipe: 1 large onion, chopped 1 bunch swiss chard, chopped with stems and leaves separated 3 cloves garlic, minced 15 oz cooked pinto beans 1 tb chili powder 2 tsp cumin salt to taste In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the onions and chard stems until softened and slightly browned.  Salt to taste Add garlic and saute 1 minute Add chard leaves and saute until wilted Add remaining ingredients and salt to taste The Verdict: Overall grade: A Overall reason: Healthy and delicious! Time to prepare: 15 minutes Husband quote: [I asked him how he liked the filling...] "It's so filling!"

With brown crispy bits because I have a real carbon steel wok now I'm continually on the hunt for new interesting fried rice recipes, because I have yet to make fried rice as good as I can get it in a few restaurants (Korea House and Bao Bao House, I'm looking at you). Today I was looking at a partial jar of  Cambodian lemongrass paste  in the fridge and thinking that I should try to use that in fried rice, but I was nervous that it might be a bad idea. After some targeting searching, I found a recipe on Plant Based Matters that does exactly this. The seasoning is just the paste, salt to taste, and fresh lime. I was empowered. I do wish that I could find the lemongrass paste locally, since it's a little expensive to order online. This recipe, as well as  the stir-fry that I bought it for , each use half of the $10 jar. Still cheaper than restaurant food, but not great. One day I'll track down lemongrass and kefir lime and galangal and try to make it myself. (Note: the P

  Decorated by Miles I might stick with this recipe in the future even on occasions when we don't need it to be gluten-free. It's delicious. Perfectly fluffy, with just the right level of moisture, and not too sweet until you add the frosting. In fact, I may use this as a "carrot muffin" recipe without the frosting. I used  this recipe from Gluten Free on a Shoestring . I made no changes except that I used store-bought frosting. I'll bet the frosting in the recipe is better, but who's got time (or an electric whisk) for that? The Recipe (from Gluten Free on a Shoestring): 2 1/4 c gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1:1) 1 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp cinnamon 3/4 c sugar 1/2 c brown sugar 1/2 c neutral oil 4 eggs, beaten 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 1/2 c milk (I used oat milk) 1/2 c chopped pecans 3 large carrots, grated Combine dry ingredients Mix in wet ingredients Fold in pecans and carrots Place in prepared pans - make