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miso chicken soup with shiitakes and snow peas

March 4, 2014
the main event, the underwear diet
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This is ridiculously easy, and can be altered in many ways. Don’t feel like making the broth? Use store-bought chicken or vegetable broth instead. Are you vegan? Omit the chicken altogether, or replace with tempeh or tofu, and omit the fish sauce. Feel free to substitute the shiitakes with any other mushroom, or the snow peas with snap peas. Don’t like miso? Well, that ingredient I suggest not to mess with; it adds a sweet-salty, mild “funk” that is hard to achieve with other products. If you follow a gluten-free diet, choose a miso paste made with soy beans and/or rice (not barley; they even make miso out of chickpeas!), and use Tamari soy sauce, which is made without wheat.

2 quarts Thai-inspired chicken broth
1/2 cup white miso
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 chicken breasts, shredded (reserved from the Thai-inspired chicken broth)
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (tops only)
9 oz snow peas, thinly sliced
Sriracha, for garnish (optional, but recommended)

1. Bring Thai-inspired chicken broth to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Stir in white miso, fish sauce, and soy sauce.
3. Add chicken, shiitake mushrooms and snow peas and cook for about 5 minutes, or until heated through.
4. Garnish with sriracha, if you feel so inclined (and you should).

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kimchi brown rice

February 26, 2014
somethin' on the side, the main event, the underwear diet
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1 tablespoon canola oil
1 leek (or 1 small onion, or 2-3 shallots), thinly sliced
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 heart of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
1 cup brown rice, prepared according to package directions
1 bag kimchi
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (omit to make it vegan)
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or Tamari, to make it gluten-free)

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute leeks and celery until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add romaine lettuce and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until just wilted.
3. Add brown rice, kimchi, frozen peas and cook until heated through, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in fish sauce and soy sauce and serve alongside fish, or alone as an entree. (I served it with tuna, which I encrusted with homemade gomasio–a seasoning of ground sesame seeds and salt–and seared.) Alternately you can top with a fried or poached egg for a savory, umami-rich breakfast or brunch (this is what I did with the leftovers).

Notes: YUM. Maybe add edamame, or garnish with sesame seeds.

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falafel

December 30, 2013
appeteaser, the main event
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1 15-oz can chickpeas
1/2 onion, rough chop
1/4 cup parsley, rough chop
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (can substitute with any flour, including chickpea or chickpea/fava, which makes it gluten-free)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil

1. Combine ingredients and pulse in a food processor until the chickpeas are chopped up but not pureed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm enough to handle.
2. Form chickpea mixture into little patties and lay out on a plastic wrap-lined baking sheet.
3. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the patties to the pan and pan-fry, about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy.
4. Drain patties on a paper towel.
5. Serve atop a salad of tomatoes, chopped romaine lettuce, and lemon tahini dressing. Or, serve on a platter as an appetizer, with lemon tahini dressing for dipping.

Notes: patties need more structure, more flour. Mixture was too wet, flavor was pretty good. Above quantities are rough estimates. Needs to be tested a couple more times.

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vegan chili

December 20, 2013
the main event, the underwear diet
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3 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, medium dice
1 red bell pepper, medium dice
1 green bell pepper, medium dice
4 large cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup textured vegetable protein
2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
9 oz beer of your choice (drink the last 3 oz!) (use gluten-free beer to make the recipe gluten-free)
1 28-oz can peeled whole tomatoes
1 15-oz can red kidney beans
1 15-oz can pinto beans
1 4-oz can fire-roasted green chiles

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Saute until soft, about 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, soak the textured vegetable protein in hot water. Drain, and then add to the pot along with the paprika, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Saute for 3 minutes, or until fragrant.
3. Crush tomatoes and add to the pot, along with the beans and chiles.
4. Pour in the beer and reduce by half.
5. Crush the tomatoes and add to the pot, along with the beans and chiles.
6. Cover the ingredients with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

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polenta cakes with tomato sauce

November 14, 2013
the main event, the underwear diet
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3/4 cup polenta, prepared according to package’s instructions
1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, small dice
5 cloves garlic, divided, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 28-oz can peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand

Make the polenta:
1. Pour the prepared polenta into a square or rectangular pan. Cool and then invert onto a cutting board.
2. Cut the polenta into triangles, or whichever shape you prefer.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Sear each triangle until crisp and golden brown, about 3-5 minutes each side, depending on the thickness.

Make the sauce:
1. Heat the remaining 2 tsp oil over medium heat in a medium pot.
2. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Sweat until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and juice to the pot. Stir and simmer over medium low heat for 20-30 minutes, until the flavors have melded but remain bright.

Spoon the tomato sauce onto a plate. Top with seared polenta. Serve with wilted baby spinach.

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