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 ...

  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. T...

  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 ...