Broccoli Goma-ae
I love the spinach Goma-ae at my local Japanese restaurant and have just started trying to replicate their sesame dressing at home. This recipe isn’t exactly the same, but it’s still good. When I make Gomae-ae at home, I prefer to use steamed broccoli.
My tweaks: I use sesame paste or plain tahini instead of grinding the sesame seeds myself. I add some roasted sesame seeds (whole) for texture.
Mashed Potatoes with Dandelion Greens and Gravy
This recipe for Mashed Potatoes with Dandelion Greens is from Mark Bittman’s column a few years ago. I still miss The Minimalist! I have started pairing it with a delicious chickpea gravy from Isa’s cookbook. It is fantastic and I would put it on anything including cardboard! You HAVE to try this recipe.
Silky Chickpea Gravy from Appetite for Reduction
My tweaks: For the potatoes, I use a lot less oil and add a little plain soymilk for creaminess. This time I used arugula and spinach instead of dandelion leaves. I omit the breadcrumbs and don’t bake. No tweaks to the gravy recipe.
Thai Basil Noodles
I garden in the summer and I grow lots and lots of basil. Last summer I got sick of Italian pesto and wanted other options to use up lots of basil at once. I found this recipe for a Thai style pesto. I made this recipe often throughout summer, then at the end of the year I harvested all my remaining basil and made batches to freeze. I’m still enjoying the pesto in April of the next year!
My tweaks: I omit the fish sauce. I always lightly stir-fry some veggies to add more crunch. I use my julienne peeler to make strips of carrot, zucchini, celery, sweet peppers, etc. Sometimes I add tofu, this time I added edamame. I also switch up the pasta. Sometimes it’s rice noodles, this time I used quinoa noodles.
Oxo Good Grips Julienne Peeler
This is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets – the Oxo Good Grips Julienne Peeler. I have terrible knife skills and lack the patience to properly julienne. This peeler is easy to use and creates uniform small strips that are perfect for stir fry, salads, etc.
Highly recommended!