Tag: local food

Pakoras

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Indian spiced vegetable fritters.

The perfect recipe for transitioning seasons. As we slowly roll from spring into summer, the kale and radishes are still coming in strong. I love these dipped in just about any sauce, but they go great with tamarind chutney, hummus, lemon tahini dressing, or the included recipe for mint yogurt sauce.

This recipe makes a bunch and they heat and crisp back up nicely in the oven or toaster oven. They also freeze really well, so this is a nice make ahead freezer meal. There’s a lot of room to play around with the recipe, do what feels right for you.

I prefer using a food processor to shred the vegetables, but if one is not available to you this can be accomplished with a sharp cheese grater.

Mint Yogurt Sauce Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp minced fresh mint
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 tsp minced fresh garlic
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Pakora Ingredients

  • 1 bunch kale, rinsed, stems discarded, leaves diced
  • 1 bunch radishes, rinsed, greens removed*
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • flour**
  • canola oil, for frying

Combine sauce ingredients and allow to marinate in the fridge while you make the pakoras.

Place the diced kale in a large bowl and set aside.

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet with enough oil to coat up to about 1 cm. Remember, the hotter your oil, the less the fritters will soak up. But this is a balance because you do not want your oil to smoke – watch for wavy lines to indicate heat or use a thermometer if you have it and try to keep the oil around 250-300 degrees.

Cut the onion in half, peel, and chop each half roughly into 1-2 inch chunks. Use the shredder blade for the food processor to grate the onion, followed by the radishes.

Add the shredded onion and radish to the diced kale. Add turmeric, curry powder, cayenne, and salt to the vegetable mixture and stir well to combine.

Add the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring until it is no longer visible. Continue to add flour bit by bit until your mixture comes together and can be formed into balls between two spoons.

Another way to tell it is a good consistency is if you lift a spoonful in the air, the batter does not slide off.

If you find it is too dry, simply add a little bit of water.

Super chef secret tip: Once you are ready to start frying the pakoras, add only ONE small one to the hot oil. Once it’s nice and ready, let it drain and give it a taste. This will let you adjust the seasoning for the rest of the batch as needed. I almost always add more salt.

Using two dinner spoons, shape pakoras and add to the hot oil. When you can see the edges brown, they are ready to flip. The photo below is NOT ready to flip!

Remove fried pakoras from the pan and allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Serve warm with the sauce of your choice and enjoy!

*radish greens are totally edible, I always dice them along with the kale. They have a very mild taste and the fuzzy/prickly feel of them is lost when they are cooked.

**If I have it on hand, I use chickpea flour (sometimes also call besan or gram flour), if not I like to use whole wheat. Using chickpea flour makes this recipe both vegan and gluten free. I have found that the biggest difference between the two flours is in the leftovers. If you use chickpea flour, I recommend only eating the leftovers reheated, otherwise the texture cold is quite unpleasant. However, if you use whole wheat flour, I think the cold leftovers are just dandy.

Tahini lemon goddess style dressing

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This recipe features wild onions grown on our farm!

With rising grocery costs, sometimes it makes sense to produce your own version of pantry staples. There’s pretty much only one kind of dressing that I like, which around these parts is over $5 a bottle… and I’ve never met a dressing that I liked that much. Luckily, it is easy to throw together with other pantry staples I always have around.

This recipe is super easy to substitute what you may have on hand – I’ll put a reference list at the end!

Please note: the above photo is not a brand or product endorsement, these are simply the actual items I currently own.

Tahini Lemon Dressing – makes approximately two cups (about 16 servings of 2 TBSP)

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 3-4 TBSP tahini (thick – see notes)
  • 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
  • 2-3 TBSP lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp minced wild onions
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp dried parsley

Really, really, really finely mince your wild onion greens. Make the tiniest circles possible. I like to cut them on a bias to be “fancy”.

No specialized equipment necessary for this recipe. I put it all in a 4 cup measuring cup and whisk until combined. Give it a taste and adjust any ingredient you see fit. If the texture/thickness is to your liking, you’re done! I typically add a tablespoon or two of water to get it how I like it. Put it in a container of some kind and use immediately or refrigerate.

A few notes:

  1. This dressing is supposed to be thick. Tahini naturally separates into solid and oil. Knowing this, I recommend pouring off the oil on top (save it to add back in to the tahini jar) and using the nice, thick slugdey bits from the bottom of the jar. This is compensated for at the end when you add in water until the dressing is the consistency you prefer.
  2. This is meant to be customized to YOUR taste! I err on the side of more lemon and more tahini. If you think it is lacking in salt, add a dash more soy sauce until it tastes right to you.
  3. If you’re not a big garlic person, start with half, or leave it out! You need to make food you like so that you eat it.

Substitutions

  • use whatever oil you have and enjoy if canola isn’t your jam
  • tahini probably should stay tahini, but cashew or sunflower seed butter could definitely work here
  • white or sherry vinegar in place of apple cider vinegar (you could use a little less even)
  • if you have gluten concerns but aren’t vegan, worcestershire sauce could easily replace the soy sauce, but start with half as much
  • you could use chives or green onions in place of the wild onions, either fresh or dried
  • sesame seeds and parsley are the most optional ingredients, they won’t really make or break the dressing (but I like them in there, a lot!)

Also, if I haven’t shared this kitchen hack before: if you have a recipe that calls for fresh parsley and you have to buy a bunch from the store, dry the rest! Most recipes call for a few tablespoons, at most, and drying it is not only an easy way to save on wasting the rest, but it is so cost effective!

Seasoning Cast Iron Wedge Pan

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Before getting into the nitty gritty, I’d like to take this moment for a small public service announcement to remind y’all that you can eat legumes, greens, and whole grains any day of the year, not just January 1st. Protein, fiber, calcium, iron, and a whole swathe of other vitamins and minerals are needed daily!

We found this cast iron pan (among many other “treasures”) in the garage on our property. A garage that had fallen way into disrepair during the 6+ years the home was vacant. After four months, we have finally gone through the majority of [mostly trash] that was left to us in the massive structure. However, a few useful things were spared by looters, such as this cast iron wedge pan! When we found it, not only had it grown a nice, thick layer of crunchy rust, but it was also full of all sorts of other garage-nature detritus. I don’t have a photo of the crusty, fuzzy mess that it started out as, but as you can see below after the first round of half an hour of steel wool scrubbing, there was a lot of work left to go.

There is a ton of information about the “best” way to restore and clean a cast iron pan. I lay no claim that proclamation, and only serve to illustrate what worked for me. This took a few days, and many hours, to get the pan back down to the original iron. The most useful thing I came across was to soak the cast iron pan in a 1:1 white vinegar and water solution.

This was one of the coolest and most disgusting things I’ve ever done in our kitchen! I am not a fan of vinegar, so the smell is especially strong to me, then combine that with acrid, bubbling iron oxide… whew. But look at that chemical reaction GO. I alternated overnight soaking then scrubbing twice. Below is the result after the first night of soaking, followed by an hour of scrubbing.

Still a bunch of rust left, but enough clear areas to fuel my hope that this was a surmountable task that was probably worth the undertaking. Another night of soaking (in the same 1:1 vinegar and water solution) and another morning of scrubbing yielded:

So nice! I scrubbed the last bit of rust off the handle before starting to season. A well seasoned cast iron skillet is one of the most versatile kitchen tools. My dad likes to brag that he can boil water and cook pasta in his with no ill effects to the nonstick surface. However, how to season a cast iron skillet is definitely a polarizing point of contention. I consulted a few different sources and decided to combine tactics. Oven to 400°F, one rack in the middle and one on the lowest setting with a sheet of tinfoil to catch any drips. The highest smoke point neutral oil I typically have on hand is canola, so canola I used.

Speaking from experience of poorly seasoning cast iron pans many times, I can say with certainty that the most important thing you can do is make sure your layer of oil is as thin as possible. If you touch the oiled skillet with your hands and it either feels greasy or leaves a shine on your skin there is too much oil. Even when you think you have wiped away every possible speck of oil, wipe a few more time using either a new towel or paper towel each time.

When you are satisfied you can’t get any more oil off, place the skillet directly on the middle rack upside down. Set a time for one hour and walk away. After the hour is up, turn off the oven and walk away again until the oven and pan have cooled down to room temperature (many hours). Then repeat this process at least twice (my recommendation) before using.

Pictured below is second oiling after first seasoning. See those pools of shiny oil in the corners? That shows that more oil needs to be wiped off.

When you do use your newly seasoned pan for the first time, be sure to use copious amounts of grease–butter, oil, lard–and continue to do so when cooking for the first dozen or so uses. This will continue to add to the layers of seasoning. Some random site on the internet said cornbread was a good first food to cook in a newly seasoned pan which was perfect confirmation bias as that was exactly what I had planned to do.

And oh my stars it worked. It actually, really worked!

Hopefully I’ve inspired you to tackle your own sort of strange behemoth undertaking. If you do, I’d love to hear about it! The wedge pan seems a ridiculous invention, and next up I think I’m going to try scones or frittata slices. Any suggestions for other foods you think would be nice to eat in a triangle shape?

And If you’re wondering why this post doesn’t contain any sort of recipe to eat, drink, or both, that’s because we are a diehard Jiffy mix family. Mix, bake, butter the warm top, enjoy.

Duck Fried Rice

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Tis the season to use up those leftovers. Lucky for me, I have this space as a personal, online recipe book.

Our Fall Feast was a bit toned down this year, what with fixing up a 90 year old house and planning how to plant two rolling, hilly acres (plus gully) – chickens and sweatpants, here I come! We cooked up a meager spread: roast local duck, green bean casserole, mashed taters, stuffing, and homemade local pumpkin pie. As usual, a 4 pound duck turned into many, many meals. I got the chance to look back to a few winters ago, and adapted my leftover goose pot pie recipe to this duck and what we had in the fridge. I’ve been working on my pie crimp game, can you tell?

Also, for the first time in 5 years, I didn’t overcook the duck! Thanks, in part, to a new recipe site I discovered, which also served as the catalyst for throwing together what was, for sure, the best fried rice I have ever made at home. The trick, it turns out, is to not skimp on the oil. Surprise, surprise – look at that oil shimmer!

Quick and simple to throw together – the hardest part is needing cold (preferably at least day old) rice. Based off the recipe from Hank Shaw.

Ingredients – added in the order listed

  • 1 large carrot, peeled, small dice
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 large onion (I used yellow, any type will do)
  • 1 tbsp duck fat (substitute high smoke point oil of your choice)
  • 2/3 cup frozen peas (thawed)
  • 2/3 cup leftover duck, shredded/chopped
  • 1 inch ginger chunk, peeled and minced
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 cups day old rice (I used Nashiki sushi rice)
  • 2 tbsp canola oil (divided)
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce (divided) – check label for “wheat” if you are gluten intolerant

To a large fry pan or wok, add carrot and olive oil over medium heat. Stir and cook while you dice up the onion. After a minute or two, with the carrots fragrant, add the diced onion and duck fat. Cook 5-10 minutes until carrots are fork tender and onions are lightly browned. Add thawed (or fresh!) peas, cooking two minutes more. Add duck, but do not stir. Add ginger, garlic powder, and one tbsp of canola oil, then rice, stirring well to coat the rice in oil. You may need to decrease the heat at this point.

Crack two eggs into a bowl and (fork) whisk vigorously until creamy yellow. Move rice mixture to one side of the pan (if your stove is not level like mine, move to the higher side of the pan). Add the remaining 1 tbsp canola oil to the naked side of the pan. Once lightly shimmering, add whisked eggs to the oil. As the eggs start to firm and cook, gently fold them from the sides, creating fluffy sheets of scrambled eggs. Once they are done to your liking, stir all together with the rice mixture. Turn the heat back up to medium, leveling the fried rice in the pan and let cook, undisturbed for 1-2 minutes. Pour 1 tbsp of soy sauce around the edges of the pan and quickly stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for one minute and repeat with the remaining soy sauce.

Serve warm as is, or add your favorite additional toppings such as sesame seeds, chili garlic paste, and/or scallions. I bet this would also be great with a side of kimchi.

My personal complaint about restaurant fried rice is always the rice:everything else ratio, but following this ricepe (see what I did there?) flips the ratio and then some. Rejoice, for the egregious amount of oil(s), fiber form the vegetables, and protein in the duck make your body absorb the carbohydrates (glucose) from the rice much more gradually, keeping your energy level and your belly full.

Squash Season + the best way to freeze pumpkin puree

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Late autumn, time to hunker down and store some vitamin A! Pumpkin and winter squash season is well underway, and I don’t know about you, but we are up to our elbows in fleshy orange goodness. It started with a Halloween carving session, tempered by a current lack of compost pile and desire to cut down on waste.

I went rogue and cut my pumpkin open from the bottom. It wasn’t the most resounding success and it was difficult to line up perfectly, but it was worth it for not having to stick my arm into the pumpkin to light the candle!

Seeds were roasted (rinsed, patted dry, 5 mins at 350 until dry and tacky, tossed with olive oil and salt, roasted ~20 minutes, stirred roughly every five minutes until lightly golden brown and smelling toasty) – the best we’ve ever made; and the innards were cooked down on low heat over many hours (at least eight) until darkened, thickened, and smoothed out with an immersion blender before cooking down some more. Carving pumpkins are notoriously watery, cooking them down takes more than twice as long as squash grown for comestibles.

This was all, of course, prior to cooking any of the cucurbits purchased for the purpose of consuming.

This puree has already taken many forms:

  • Dog treats and sea salt sage crackers

  • Savory cheesy scones (perfect for breakfast sandwiches)

And I experimented with the best way to freeze pumpkin puree. Using a 1/2 cup measuring spoon and muffin pan, I tried three ways. Oiled, wax paper lined, and plain. The verdict?

If your muffin pan is nonstick, save yourself time and oil. Plopping the pumpkin in plain lets it pop out easier than ice in an ice cube tray. Store in a zip top bag in the freezer for sauces, soups, and baked goods throughout the winter.

PSA: do not use wax paper, it sticks and tears and you’ll have to thaw the pureed pumpkin and start all over again. Or you can thaw it, add some maple syrup, and experiment with dehydrator pumpkin leather. Will it work out? Or will we end up with chunks of sweet, crunchy pumpkin bark? Update pending… still a few more hours of dehydrating to go.

All this from the typically discarded innards of carving pumpkins! Not yet pictured, from the intentionally roasted galeux d’eysines squash: ricotta and pumpkin manicotti, pappardelle pie, and likely some sweet treats to come.

Let me know if you are interested in any of the above recipes, and I’m open to suggestions on what to do with the remaining 10 or so pounds of orange gold!

Local is Now

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Spring is barely here in southeastern Michigan. The snow drops have just finished blooming, with a new flurry of narcissus and tulips taking their place. The grass is trying its best to eke out an existence and the trees are beginning to bud. But this bleak, brownish, massive temperature swing time of year doesn’t mean our food has to look the same. For dinner last night, we had a mostly local feast: chorizo tacos on corn tortillas with cilantro, microgreens, red onions, and feta cheese. A side of elote and red rice. The corn I froze this past summer, the rice was seasoned with salsa I canned in August from all local ingredients–save the cilantro, that’s local now. The non-local ingredients from last night were avocado, some spices, sour cream, and the rice. The sour cream could have been local, as could have been some of the spices. This is the food I want everyone to be able to access, afford, and enjoy.

An important thing to keep in mind is that not all local food is created equally. Ask about regenerative management techniques such as cover crops, compost, and grazing management. However, understand that (based on you location) some crops cannot flourish without intensive management. A hearty example is strawberries. This fruit is susceptible to many pests and fungi. It is possible to have an organically managed, regeneratively grown strawberry, but is unlikely to be affordable on any sort of local, large scale (at least here in MI). So either we eat something else, or we allow wiggle room in the standards we hold food to. Transparency in marketing and products is what will make a local food system thrive.

More examples of completely homemade, almost fully local meals (save seasonings and grains, though again they could be).

What is most important to me, not just as a dietitian, but as a person, a citizen of earth, is food access. This push for local, sustainable managed foods is meaningless if it is not accessible and affordable to all. Markets and food hubs in my area have done well to heed this rallying crying, but this is an exception to the norm. Many “farmer’s markets” still face the issue of one I left behind in Georgia: the food is mainly from resellers and/or most vendors are not selling food at all. There is so much work to be done to create an equitable and just food system, but creating demand is one thing those of us who can afford to can impact. Buy yourself the best food you can afford and commit to supporting markets and producers who are trying to foster access to all. This is not a bad place to start.

My most recent full-local concoction was this sunchoke hash with spinach, canadian bacon, shallots, and the first walking onions of the year. Leave me a comment if you are interested in the recipe. This was my first time trying sunchokes and I am absolutely smitten.

Autumn Vegetable Tarte Tatin

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It appears my honeymoon with upside down food is far from over.

I became caught up on the idea that I needed parsnips for our Fall Feast meal. And really, I’m not sure why. I’ve never really liked parsnips that much, but it had to be. My purchasing option for local/organic + online/curbside was by the pound, so a pound of parsnips it was! This led me down the rabbit hole of parsnips recipes when I came across this dazzling gem from Bon Appetit. I used this Smitten Kitchen crust (lazily). The result had me drooling before it was even flipped.

Ingredients – 9″ pie dish, serves 8, 360 calories per serving

Crust:

  • 1.25 c all-purpose flour
  • 0.25 tsp kosher salt
  • 8 tbsp butter (unsalted)
  • 0.25 cup sour cream
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 0.25 c iced water

Filling

  • 1 medium (5 inch long) sweet potato
  • 1 extra large carrot (purple dragon seen here)
  • 2 small parsnips
  • 1 small squash (approx. 12 ounces), Delicata
  • 0.25 c olive oil (or canola oil)
  • salt, pepper, + garlic powder
  • 0.33 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar (or white whine vinegar)
  • 1 tsp each rosemary + sage
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1 ounce feta
  • 4 tbsp shredded parmesan
  • 0.50 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400°F, with your rack in the bottom 1/3 of the oven.

Begin by making the crust. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut a stick of butter hot-dog ways into four… smaller sticks. Dice these sticks and add to the flour. Use a pastry cutter (or your hands), until the largest chunks of butter are about pea size; make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/4 c ice water + 1/4 c sour cream. Add 2 tsp lemon juice and dump this mixture into your well. Stir/fold until it just starts to come together. Roll out a sheet of plastic wrap. Use your hand to mash the “dough” into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate.

Meanwhile, maybe your oven is hot (mine was not yet). Rinse and pat dry all your vegetables. Grab a ruler or measuring tape (no joke). Cut carrot, parsnips, and sweet potato into 1/2 inch coins/circles/rounds. Cut the sweet potato last because it is the most likely to oxidize. Toss coins into a bowl. Trim the ends off the delicata, cut lengthwise in half, scoop seeds + goop into the compost. Slice into 1/2 inch thick half moons and toss into bowl. Coat with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Hopefully this took long enough to let your oven finish heating.

Spread the veg on a baking sheet, in a single layer, not touching (socially distanced veg roast more evenly). Roast ~15 minutes, flip, roast another 10-15 minutes until tender and lightly browned.

These need to cool a bit so you can handle them. After you pull them from the oven (please don’t turn it off like I did), begin to make your caramel. Yes, caramel.

Into a small (no bigger than a quart) sauce pan add 1/3 c sugar and 2 tbsp water. Have your pinch of salt and 1 tbsp vinegar handy. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling occasionally. You may want to stir, but I don’t recommend it. Swirl and succumb.

You’re cooking this bubbling monstrosity until it turns “amber colored”. Don’t walk away. And have your pie tin handy and at least room temp. You may want to put it in the oven for a minute or two if your house is as cold as mine (65°F in the kitchen!).

Now comes the scary part!! To your amber colored, molten hot sugar water, throw in your pinch of salt and gingerly, from afar, the tbsp of vinegar. It will crackle and sputter and bubble and pop. Keep swirling. Quickly add this to your pie dish and and swirl around to coat. My pie tin was too cold and I was too slow so this part was unpleasant. I used a silicone spatula to spread it as best I could, but this caramel will harden in about 45 seconds.

Sprinkle the caramel with the rosemary and sage. Arrange your roasted root vegetables in whatever way is pleasing to you in a single layer. Use the smaller pieces to fill in any gaps. Mash things out of shape if you need to. Heck, even if you just want to.

Cut the red onion in 1/2 inch rounds, and “evenly” spread separated rings on top of the roasted veg. Top this with your three cheese mixture.

Remove the dough from the fridge, roll out into a ~12″ round, lay this on top of the veg/cheese and tuck the edges down into the dish. Stab with a fork, somewhat gingerly, but all over. And then a few more times for good measure.

Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350°F for another 20 minutes. At this point, my tarte tatin was not as browned as I would have liked, so I broiled it on high for about 5-7 minutes. The caramel started bubbling up and over and I decided we were done. Remove from the oven, rest 5 minutes, then flip over onto a large plate.

This actually tastes at least as good as it looks. The vegetables are tender and creamy, the cheese has caramelized, and even after cooling the crust remained flaky and crisp.

If you’ve made it this far, here are some bonus pictures of the mostly local, mostly organic Fall Feast we enjoyed.

We got a muscovy duck from Webbed Foot Pines, which came with all its bits! This meant a duck liver pate appetizer. Then a sort of traditional feast of green bean casserole (my green beans and homemade cream of mushroom soup with chanterelles + hedgehog mushrooms from my dad), creamy mashed potatoes and roasted veg from Tantre Farm, Annie’s mac + cheese, and the most decadent bourbon caramel pecan ice cream pie from Go Ice Cream.

This might be the strangest year yet, but we are making sure to eat well!

Recipe: Thai Chanterelle Coconut Rice

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Enjoy this latest recipe creation lightly adapted from Moosewood Restaurant. Keep scrolling to find the bloggy bit where I talk about jasmine rice and oyster mushroom heartache.

Ingredients for 4-6 servings:

  • 1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk, divided
  • 4 tbsp lime juice, divided
  • 1 tbsp minced fresh basil
  • 1 tsp minced fresh cilantro
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp canola oil, divided
  • 3 small chiles, seeded + minced, divided
  • 1 1/3 c long grain white rice
  • 1 1/4 c boiling water
  • 2.5 tbsp kosher salt, divided
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 orange bell pepper
  • 1 pint green beans
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter (optional)
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 10-14 oz chanterelles, sliced into bite size pieces (or white oyster mushrooms)

First, bring 1 1/4 c water to a boil. While waiting on the water to heat, make the dressing by combining 1/4 c coconut milk, 3 tbsp lime juice, minced basil + cilantro, and 1 tsp sugar. Whisk vigorously ~2 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Alternately, you could combine all ingredients in a lidded container and shake vigorously for ~2 minutes.

In a medium sized (roughly 1.5-2 qt) lidded sauce pan (probably the one you usually cook rice in if you don’t have a rice cooker), heat 1 tsp canola oil over medium heat. Add two thirds of you minced seeded chiles and 1 1/3 c long grain white rice (jasmine works too), stir in with the hot oil and continue stirring and cooking over medium heat for 1-2 minutes–the chiles should start to be fragrant. Add the 1 1/4 c boiling water, 1/2 tbsp kosher salt, and 3/4 c coconut milk. Stir and bring to a boil uncovered over high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to lowest setting. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the liquid is completely absorbed and rice is fully cooked. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

While the rice is cooking, bring a few cups of water to boil in a large lidded pot. Slice bell peppers into 1-2″ long batons and cut green beans into simliar sized pieces. Once the water is boiling, add 1 tbsp kosher salt and sliced bell peppers. Return cover and boil 1-2 minutes. Remove peppers with a slotted spoon and place in serving bowl. Once the water has returned to a boil, repeat the process with the green beans, starting with adding another tbsp of salt. [The dish can be served hot or cold, and I think this lazy blanching without an ice bath is so nice].

Add the remaining tsp of canola oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the remaining minced chiles, ginger, and garlic, cooking 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the optional 1 tbsp unsalted butter and mushrooms. Saute mushrooms over medium heat until softened and lightly browned. Add the remaining tbsp of lime juice and toss to coat. Freeze remaining leftover coconut milk for up to three months.

Two options to serve: combine all vegetables and serve alongside coconut rice drizzled with dressing. Equally as good, but slightly less visually pleasing: combine rice and vegetables, toss with dressing and enjoy. Optional (but you probably should) toppings include microgreens and crushed cashews.

The chiles I used are called lemondrops. I purchased them last year at a farmer’s market in Madison, WI. The vendor told me they were not heirloom, but I saved the seeds anyway to see what would happen. To my delight, they are such beautiful and productive plants! Hotter than a serrano, thin fleshed, bright yellow when ripe with a slightly citrus aroma.

Another decadent option would be to roast either one or both of the bell peppers for a subtle flavor, textural, and visual change. I roasted one of the peppers the first time I made this and would absolutely do it that way again.

This makes a very rice forward dish, which is great for cooking on a budget or feeding a large crowd. Personally, I prefer a higher vegetable:rice ratio, which is why I added sauteed zucchini to my leftovers. As always, feel free to experiment. Increase the amount of listed vegetables. Add more vegetables: leafy greens (spinach, chard, or kale), onions, broccoli, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, or sprouts would be great here. Seasonal variations could include swapping in peas and asparagus in the spring time.

To increase protein content, but keep it vegan I would use either extra firm tofu or tempeh with this dish. If that is not a dietary concern, baked chicken, pork, or salmon would be my top choices.

Mushrooms are one of very few sources of dietary B-12 not derived from animal products. B-12 is an essential vitamin that is involved in metabolism and energy pathways. For more information, check out the NIH.

We ordered a CSA for the week, that upon pick up came with a free 12 oz of white oyster mushrooms! I was too excited about free food to remember where they came from, but they were definitely foraged, not commercially grown. Having this addition to our box is what led me to this recipe idea. My heartache with this dish began when my curbside grocery pick up order did not include the jasmine rice I bought just to make this. It probably would have enhanced the flavor a little bit, but we did not miss it. The second heartache came when the entire dish was prepared except for the mushrooms. When I went to cut into them, I realized they were full of holes. Burrowing holes. Having grown up with a father who loves mushroom hunting, I knew what this meant before I cut in. I thought, “Maybe it’s okay. Maybe it is just a little bit.”

It was not a little bit. It was a whole lot of large squiggly… fly larvae and I’m horrified for whoever else received this “gift” without knowing it could be a possibility. Luckily for me, my partner reminded me we had frozen mushrooms my dad had previously gifted us. A sandwich bag of chanterelles saved the day! This is especially pleasing as they are the only mushroom I would choose to eat. [Free is my favorite flavor, which is why I was willing to give the oyster mushrooms a spotlight].

Let me know if you try this out or what other changes you think would be good!