Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Tag: Cooking — Healthy Options

  • Recipe Review Roundup – Lose Most, Win Some (Onion Frittata with Sherry Vinegar, Easy Pancakes)

    Welcome to the first post of the slimmed down Madhu Knits and Cooks – my recipe notes targeted to an audience of one, me.  Most of these recipe attempts resulted in fine-but-not-repeatable-dishes, but one was a true standout that I look forward to making again.

    Sichuan Broccoli 

    This isn't so much a recipe review, as a "I should follow the recipe more closely" note.  I improvised the seasonings a bit, though followed the cooking technique.  I should try to make again, the next time actually following the recipe proportions (my attempt seemed heavy on the rice vinegar flavor) and by toasting and finely grinding the Sichuan peppercorns beforehand instead of just mashing them to throw on top of the final dish (too grainy a preparation).

    Lentil and Asparagus Soup 

    Also a bit of an odd one – I substituted caviar lentils for the barley, resulting in a black soup.  The lemon flavor was pretty good, and it was a nice light soup, but the color and blandness overall means I probably won't make again even if I make it properly with barley for the lentils.

    Garbanzo and Spinach Stew

    Another bland soup.  I substituted smoked paprika for the pimenton, and made this more into a soup than a stew with more water (4 cups?).  I used fresh spinach instead of frozen, and threw the julienned pieces at the end of the cooking.  I used black garbanzos (approx. 3 cups cooked, 1 cup dry which I pre-cooked).

    Spring Minestrone

    Another bland soup.  Pesto or another strong herb bomb would have helped (I omitted).  

    Cabbage, Tofu, and Red Pepper

    Pretty good dish – strong flavors, and great textures from the bell pepper and cabbage, neither of which was overcooked and retained their natural flavors.

    I used some Trader Joe's high-protein tofu, which I seared pretty quickly without cornstarch.  I used 2 tbsp. water instead of broth, omitted the walnuts, and just put sesame oil at the end because I forgot during the cooking period.

    Excellent Onion Frittata with Sherry Vinegar Sauce

    The winner of the bunch – a tangy, relatively easy frittata.  Perfect for a brunch for 4 people, otherwise 2 meals for me and my husband.  I'd pair this with a salad.  I used dijon instead of whole grain mustard, which added more tanginess but still resulted in a great sauce.  I'd probably reduce the sauce ingredients by half because you don't need that much for serving.

    Easy Pancakes – Weekend Winner

    For some reason, I can't find my past pancake posts so ended up searching for a new simple recipe.  Enter America's Test Kitchen Easy Pancakes, which yes, were both very easy to make and delicious to consume.  Fluffy with a lightly sweet flavor, I will probably make these frequently on weekends.  I halved the recipe, which made the recipe appropriate for 2 adults and a toddler.

  • Pureed White Bean and Tomato Soup – Luscious and Creamy

    As I've been working my way through my Rancho Gordo dried bean stash, I've finally had to confront the beans that…I don't like that much.  I know, I know – who doesn't love every single costly Rancho Gordo artisanal bean that one covets for months before finally convincing yourself the price is "worth it"?  

    Now that we're (hopefully) past the judgment reaction, we can get to the topic of today's post – Rancho Gordo's Creamy Lima Bean, Tomato, and Feta Soup.  This soup not only used up the giant lima beans that have been hardening in my cupboard, but also produced a fantastic one-post dinner as well.  

    White Bean Tomato Soup

    I precooked 1/2 cup of dried lima beans in the Instant Pot (soaked overnight, 25 minutes high pressure with a natural release – in the future, I may increase to 30 minutes of cooking time) a day or two ahead of time, which made the soup prep just 25 minutes.  

    The result was comforting, rich, salty, slightly briny, and coated your mouth with a pleasing fulsome texture.  I could have sworn this was a heavy cream-based soup, which is a wonderful mental trick from pureed white beans.  I will keep this idea handy for thickening future soups with a healthier protein than dairy.

    Some modifications I made – I used traditional feta instead of Valbreso and 1/2 of a 140z can of crushed tomatoes.  I think you can experiment with cheese types here as well – other salty or flavored cheeses will probably add their own special imprint to this soup, even a sharp cheddar or herb-inflected cheese.

  • Excellent Vegan Red Beans and Rice

    While this NYT Cooking recipe no doubt counts as sacrilege in my current city of residence, it does produce an excellent vegan red beans and rice.  Full of umami flavor, I've made this recipe 2-3 times already and plan on making it again this week.  I don't know if there could be a bigger endorsement of a recipe than this frequency of production – especially after what appears to be a decade-long hiatus from making vegetarian red beans and rice.

    Vegan Red Beans and Rice

    I've halved the recipe each time I've made it, and omitted the dried sage as I don't have it my kitchen.  I've used dried thyme instead of fresh, and halved the recommended smoked paprika per some of the reader comments. Also per the reader comments, I've added some shakes of gumbo filé at the end of the cooking process (one can't live in Louisiana without some filé in your cupboard!).

    I've found that 55 minutes is the optimal pressure cook time for my Instant Pot and Camellia red beans.  I do find that cooking the red beans for a few more minutes on saute is great to get the creamy bean texture that is a hallmark of red beans and rice.  

    The recipe uses soy sauce and miso (I know, I know New Orleanians), but the complexity those ingredients add to the final flavors can't be understated.  Salty and savory, this is a great recipe!

  • A Chia Pudding I Like! Overnight Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

    With a largely unconsumed bag of chia seeds taunting me with each opening of the pantry doors, I decided to give chia seed pudding another go after a disappointing experience a few years ago.

    I chose a Minimalist Baker recipe that fit the critical (only) requirement of adapting to ingredients I had at home.  The recipe included unsweetened cocoa, the bitterness of which I found particularly suited to the chia pudding texture.  No sure why, but it worked!

    Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

    I made a few modifications to their recipe:

    • Increased amount milk by 1/4 cup to 1.75 cups of unsweetened almond milk for 1/2 cup of chia seeds
    • No vanilla or cinnamon because I used vanilla maple syrup as the sweetener
    • I reduced the maple syrup to 2 tbsp
    • I stirred the mixture after 15 minutes before putting it in the fridge

    My husband found the bitter flavor to be akin to Mexican hot chocolate, so we are thinking about adding cinnamon or chile powder in the future to complete that flavor profile.

    Bag of chia seeds – you will be consumed!  

  • Shockingly Good Bean, Cilantro + Dill Soup

    I'm not sure I have much to add to the title of this post.  The Milk Street version of Iranian Ash Reshteh is shockingly good.  In fact, I'd say this lighter version may be more suited to my tastes than the more authentic variations I've had from excellent Persian restaurants.  

    Cilantro Dill Soup in Pot

    What I also love about this recipe is that it's seemingly flexible to prepare with what you have on hand, as long as there are some beans, noodles, cilantro, and dill involved. 

    My modifications included no chickpeas, unsalted butter, a handful of filetti noodles instead of linguini, ~4 tbsp. of a vegetarian Better than Bouillon instead of chicken broth, and adding some leftover julienned baby spinach.  I also used pre-cooked Camellia kidney beans (approx. 1/3 cup dry) that I made in the Instant Pot the day before (17 minutes high pressure, natural release).  

    Cilantro Dill Bean Soup Served

    The soup feels lighter than what you'd expect from a bean soup because of the copious amounts of fresh herbs and masoor dal, which is a thinner lentil.  The dill adds wonderful flavor complexity to the otherwise stodgier kidney beans and lentils.  The soup also features great textural complexity from the thin noodles, thicker beans, and thin lentil broth. 

    And with precooked or canned beans, this is a weeknight, quick preparation soup that can be served within an hour of starting prep!

  • Simple Miso Corn Chowder with Interesting Enough Flavors for Several Days

    The title of the post says it all – this Milk Street Corn Chowder with Miso and Scallions is not only a perfect weeknight meal, but also has enough complex flavors to make for great leftovers for days.  

    Miso Corn Potato Soup
    I made a few edits to this recipe.  I partially blended the soup with an immersion blender instead of placing a portion into a stand blender.  I substituted russet for the gold potatoes because of grocery store availability, and used unsalted butter in place of salted.  And because I made this in the spring, I used frozen corn instead of fresh. 

    I look forward to making this salty, subtly sweet, and herby soup again and again!

  • Simple Miso and Corn Side Dish – Salty, Sweet, and Tangy

    Ah, the leftover tub of miso issue.  How it pops up every few years.  But as today's recipe review shows, the leftover tub issue can lead to some surprising new cooking staples.

    Milk Street's Sautéed Corn with Miso, Butter, and Scallions was a weeknight delight to prepare and consume.  About 10-15 minutes of total prep and cook time, and makes use of items we almost always have on hand.  

    Miso Corn Scallions

    I used a half bag of frozen corn, and as a result halved the recipe as well.  The corn was not fully thawed and dried – out of the freezer for approx. 1.5 hours – but it worked totally fine during the cooking process.  I also substituted 1 tbsp. of mirin and 1 tbsp. of shaoxing vinegar for the sake, which worked well.

    Salty, slightly sweet, and a nice flavor and textural contrast from the long-cut scallions, I will be making this side dish over and over with many Asian-inspired meals.

  • Quick and Satisfying Tofu, Spinach, and Sesame Stir-Fry

    Just as I question if my online cooking subscriptions are worth it, I'm reminded that not only can I make great recipe-based dishes from online sources, but also get inspiration for new standard cooking approaches moving forward. 

    The latest such dish was NYT Cooking's Spinach, Tofu, and Sesame Stir-Fry, which taught me a great, adaptable sesame and vegetable base for stir-fry meals moving forward.

    Tofu Spinach Sesame Seeds

    The final dish was nicely spiced and sharp from the toasted sesame oil garnish and red pepper flakes, and with both spinach and tofu, it was a complete meal with some rice. 

    A few modifications that I made (see, the recipe is adaptable!):

    • I probably didn't fully toast the sesame seeds because I was afraid to burn them
    • Used 1 block of tofu, cut and drained in paper towels for 1.5 hours
    • I doubled the recipe ginger and garlic amounts
    • I added some Shaoxing vinegar with the soy sauce for more diversity of flavor

  • Restorative and Light Celery and Potato Soup – Great for a Luncheon

    My winter soup posts continue with a light and refreshing celery and potato soup, which really is a year-round soup. 

    This soup had a lightweight, almost broth-like consistency and was simply flavored by celery, potato, and chives.  I think it could be a great addition to a simple luncheon – served with salad, bread, maybe an egg dish, and dessert.  

    Celery Potato Soup

    I didn't strain the soup and used an immersion blender, and neither seemed to have an effect on the soup's smooth consistency.  Other modifications I made:

    • 2 tsp. of Better than Bouillon 
    • 5.5 cups of water
    • No walnut oil (allergic)
    • Chopped chives for garnish
    • I didn't reserve any celery for the garnish, just used it all in the soup itself
    • I didn't make a formal bouquet garni, and just took the bay leaf, parsley, and thyme out on its own

    The only other modification I might make is to add more vegetables, perhaps some cauliflower, to make it more substantive as a stand-alone meal.

  • Milk Street’s Kale, Miso, Tofu, and Ginger Soup – Sadly, Just OK

    Sadly, the post title says it all.  This soup, while easy to prepare, was pretty good, but not a recipe repeat.

    Milk Street Kale Tofu Ginger Miso Soup

    The tofu was too bland in the soup, and I'm wondering if I should have substituted silken tofu for the firm I used?  I also think that the kale itself just dampened the flavors of the soup so it tasty more healthy than flavor-rich.  

    I think this soup could benefit from more flavor additions (scallions, garlic, maybe more miso, rice vinegar, celery even), but will likely just stick to other recipes than try to modify this one.