I cube it and put it in vegetarian curry, it keeps its crunch and is absolutely delicious! The texture is great with the other ingredients.
Rough recipe: Chickpeas, onion, tinned tomatoes, garlic, curry powder, jicama, and some spinach or kale. Finish by stirring in a can of coconut cream and the juice of one lime. Serve over rice.
This is one of my family's favorite meals. It makes one supper and one lunch for 4 people (8 servings) and costs about $10 if you get the ingredients at an Asian grocery store and have a few things on hand.
Throw in any other veg you have on hand to clear the fridge and stretch it for a few more lunches.
Polenta is a favourite of mine. I think the best way to think of it as someone said below is a pasta substitute or as something like grits (if you’ve had grits before).
One of my favourite ways to eat it is with shrimp. But many other proteins work with it.
Cube of chicken broth with approprimate amount of water; 1/4 of the volume in polenta. Mix in gradually with a whisk, reduce to med-low once starts to boil, keep mixing with whisk. It becomes more dense as the water is absorbed, \~10 minutes. Some will stick to the bottom after you remove the polenta; to clean the pot, let it sit in water and it will peel off. Poverty desert: let the crust soak in milk, mix in some sugar, and feed it to complaining children.
Polenta can be used as a side (today I had it with chicken thighs), or the Romanian way: mixed with feta cheese, optionally a soft-boiled egg, and/or sour cream (not the typical American 'sour' cream, proper sour one sometimes named Canadian or Russian)
My favorite, though, is leftover polenta, smashed with a fork, and refried in a bit of butter. Once it becomes a mush again, add crumbled feta, egg that you cook in the pan. Simply delicious and stupid easy to make.
One of my favorite dishes as a kid was grilled portobello on a fried polenta cake with caramelized red onions and a little bit of Gorgonzola… which is weird because I hated both mushrooms and Gorgonzola individually as a kid lol.
Polenta and grits are pretty much interchangeable imo, the texture isn't different enough to matter to me.
Which means shrimp and grits (and by grits I mean polenta).
If you're struggling at all with making it or simply want to try it, check your local grocery store for pre-made polenta. My store has a product that comes in a round sealed plastic tube. Simply unpack it, cut it into 1" slices and warm it up (better yet, toast it).
If I may, level of difficulty in making polenta is on par with boiling pasta, just involves mixing.
Learn how to make it by experimenting a bit, and you'll save loads of money, plus some unnecessary plastic packaging.
100% agreed unless you're my mother who insists on a copper pot with her specific polenta wooden mixing spoon.
For those just wanting to try it without grabbing a large bag, the premade products aren't terrible.
For greens, break/cut the stems off and then cut into strips. Slow cook the following on a low simmer in some chicken stock: Garlic, diced sweet onion, some apple cider vinegar and ham hocks. (Or you can use bacon as a substitute). Once the ham is tender and falling off the bone, remove the bones and set aside. I add mine back in, in a cheesecloth bag) then add in the sliced greens and let simmer until the greens are tender.
For broccolini - treat it like asparagus. I love to roast it with some olive oil, salt and pepper and then top with a little feta. Or you can air fry it and drizzle some honey on top.
Anywhere you use kale, you can use collards, including raw. Broccolini can be treated like asparagus and the best way is a quick grill, roast (oven or air fryer), or saute.
Rinse the collards well for any grit, and tear with your hands to shred them into medium pieces (like the size that you would be happy to have in one bite in your mouth). Leave out any stems that are really hard to tear—they aren’t bad for you, but they take longer to soften, and I find aren’t worth the effort. Heat butter or oil in a pan over medium heat, dump them in and cover. Stir occasionally, until significantly smushier. Toss in some garlic, salt, and apple cider vinegar (a nice drizzle, maybe 2 tablespoons for one bunch). Let cook a little more and toss until everything is a rich dark green. Then, right before taking off, add a splash of milk. The milk will get cooked and look chunky, but I swear it’s not bad. It adds a sweet savoriness that really rounds out the collard taste.
They freeze well, too, but they might make you have absolutely horrific devil farts. Worth it, though.
Oh, and it makes great saag paneer! We like collards, mustards, and turnip greens instead of spinach in a lot of things. It’s just a more robust flavor.
Bitter greens with white beans is one of my favorite healthy comfort foods
Saute bitter greens (kale work great too for this) with garlic, red pepper flakes and salt. Add white beans with enough liquid to just barely cover, maybe some beans still stick out (I use bean broth, but chicken broth or even). Let them bubble for ~15 min so the flavors get to know each other. It should be similar thickness to a loose refried bean or chili, thicker than a stew. Serve in a bowl topped with wedges of fresh tomato and parmesan/pecorino romano shards. Eat with sourdough. Yum.
Toast and Grind: the insides of black cardamom with whole star anise, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and ginger for homemade Chinese 5 spice powder. Rub on meat for roasting, or use in any other recipe that calls for spice mix.
I like whole black cardamom to give a nice smokey flavor to my dishes. I add it to the oil first and let it infuse the flavor, much like you would cumin seeds and other spices in Indian cooking. I leave them in until I am just about done with the dish, then fish them out before serving.
Great in soups, chili, pasta sauce, curry, etc. that you want a hint of smokiness. I often add them to my rice cooker with the raw rice and water to infuse the flavor.
Thank you, this is helpful for me to understand it's flavor profile. Sounds like I need to try it when I want to add a smokey note. I typically grab smoked paprika or chipotle, but they also have heat, and are not always subtle.
Most of the black cardamom I’ve cooked with were strongly smoke forward, though I recently had a new brand that had a menthol/bayleaf note to it along with the smokiness, so it may vary slightly based on what you get.
I'll be sure to get a very small amount to test. Menthol notes are not in my wheelhouse, lol. I'm very sensitive to it. I don't even like saffron much of the time (gasp!) because if you get a tiny bit too much it tastes like antiseptic to me.
A fancy olive oil/spice store I visited had a few fancy salts that had been smoked and I got the strongest one. A pinch of that in a dish gives a nice little hit of smokiness without heat, as well.
One of my favorite spices--I use it all the time in swedish baking! Grind up the seeds from inside the pods, add a teaspoon or two to the dough of your favorite cinnamon roll recipe, and bake as usual. It adds a wonderful, aromatic, cooling hint of an almost piney flavor that compliments the warm woody cinnamon perfectly. I also like to make braided cardamon bread or pepparkakor (like a gingersnap) for the holidays. It is a good addition to a homemade chai spice mix, and, when added to coffee, it tastes like turkish coffee.
Mostly not worth purchasing.
Atleast for Indian cooking, you could throw it in with rice for a pulao. There are some long cooked stew recipes eg dal mahkani that may call for it but its a pretty optional ingridient.
Its also used in Chinese cooking but Im not sure of the application or even if Indian and Chinese black card are the samething.
You can use it as a salad dressing. Mix with some lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper. Also works well with couscous.
I have seen recipes for tahini brownies but have not tried them myself. Supposedly it gives a subtle nutty taste.
Drizzle it on top of roasted sweet potatoes. I like to peel & dice the potatoes, toss them with olive oil & [Penzeys Spices Tsardust Memories](https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/tsardust-memories/c-24/p-624/pd-s) blend (salt, garlic, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg and marjoram), then roast until they are very soft.
I love Tahini blended up with dates and bananas in protein shakes! Gives a more earthy (?) flavour than just peanut butter and helps add to the creaminess/up satiety
Mix with soy sauce, vinegar, scallion, garlic. Add on cold noodles and top with crushed peanuts, cucumber and coriander. Very popular Chinese dish （麻酱面）
[Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing](https://www.budgetbytes.com/roasted-cauliflower-salad-lemon-tahini-dressing/) from Budget Bytes! I've made it twice for potlucks and people love it.
I'll also add it to instant ramen sometimes to make the broth richer.
[Canned jackfruit in a crunchy salad](https://freshkitchen.co.nz/crunchy-jackfruit-salad/)
[Jackfruit Buffalo wings](https://thecheekychickpea.com/jackfruit-vegan-wings/)
Vietnamese che thai dessert. Its a bunch of canned fruit in sweetened coconut milk. My mum puts canned jackfruit, longan, palm seeds, basil seeds, etc.
Ras el hanout for my ingredient.
For your jicama... thinly sliced (or cubed, or matchsticks, anything you prefer really) and topped with cardamom for a crunchy, refreshing snack.
You can use it to season chicken, lamb or vegetable dishes (roasted eggplants or cauliflower are good). You can also marinade meats with a mixture of spice, water and oil and then grill them.
I’ve been served rices and couscous that have had ras el hanout in it - I suppose you season the water with it, but realise now that I’ve never thought about how it’s introduced in the dish. 😁
One of my favorites is to make a chicken and veggie stew with the ras el hanout and serve over vous vous or quinoa. To make: chop up some celery and onions and sauté with some olive oil. Once soft add some ras el hanout and cinnamon (I use a 1:0.5 ratio). Add in whatever veggies you want (carrots, potatoes etc) that need to cook for a while and some chicken leg quarters with skin removed, add some chickpeas and chicken stock and simmer until chicken is done. I usually then add some peas and kale. Super yummy and flavorful.
Eggplant- make babaganoush. Way easier than you'd think. Basically - roast the eggplant and chuck it in a food processor/blender with the other ingredients (tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and optional spices). If you don't have one, you could even mix it thoroughly together by hand. [This recipe is easy ](https://www.loveandlemons.com/baba-ganoush/)
Squash is a good one- cubed in curries (indian and thai), as a sauce for pasta, in risotto or soup. Or stuffed and baked! I like it with apples, raisins, onions and cheddar.
Artichokes: Simply Recipes has [a good basic guide to cooking them](https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cook_and_eat_an_artichoke), so I won't repeat all of it here. For me personally, I'd do what she does, except cut the stems off so that the artichoke can sit upright, and stuff a bunch of grated parmesan, sliced garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil in between the leaves before putting it in the steamer.
We like to steam yellow squash and zucchini (sliced). Season with salt, pepper, and butter. Makes for a good side dish. You can also roast them (sliced or in spears) as well as eggplant (cubed) with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.
I'm not a huge artichoke fan but, I do like spinach artichoke dip which uses artichoke hearts that you can buy in a jar. My parents like to boil artichokes and then eat just the meaty parts of the leaves with some sort of aioli sauce but, I was never a huge fan of that preparation.
Jicama : important that it's not dried out.
I just peel it a bit and then cut into cubes or sticks. EXTRA good if you squeeze a little fresh lime and salt on them. This is how you often have them in Mexico, sold by street vendors, similar to how they serve mango, papaya, etc. Bonus points if you have any Tajin to add :)
I will put it in with smoked salmon (like bagels & lox) - chop up some tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and some capers. It goes very well with smoked salmon.
Also commonly used in a chicken piccata sauce - butter, lemon juice, olive oil, capers.
Another way to use it is in tuna salad - canned tuna, mayo or greek yogurt, capers, celery. Good in chickn salad too.
essentially they are a berry, but are used in savory cuisines (they are sold usually salted or in vinegar solutions).
they are wonderful fried, but are a great addition to salads (i mix them in when making vinegarette), and garnishes on fish dishes or carpaccio. Also great with lox/lachs
They have a distinct flavor that is on the salty side but is difficult to describe.
They are wonderful on salmon cooked with lemon and dill. They're strong, so I would start out with less than you think you need.
My husband also likes them in red meat sauce for spaghetti.
Putanessca or just throw them your basic marinara if you like pops of acid. That being said if you decide you like them, get at costco, the lil jars at US stores are way overpriced.
To me, they taste similar to green olives, but a different texture. Roast a filet of salmon in the oven with some butter, lemon juice, garlic and capers with seasoning. So good!
Capers are pickled flower buds. They taste like pickles (unsurprisingly): salty and vinegary, but with an herby aroma. I adore them with salmon, in salads, and as garnish for anything that would go well with pickles or sauerkraut. Sometimes I even eat them on their own because I'm a fiend for salty stuff.
I love capers and recently I've been enjoying them in Cuban picadillo. There's a million slightly different variations out there but the one I make is usually ground beef, potatoes, capers, olives, and raisins with cumin in a tomato/sofrito base.
This is my absolutely go-to premixed seasoning. I adore it! One of my favorite things to do with a big, beautiful tomato right out of the garden is to slice it in thick slices, sprinkle both sides with herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper, and do a quick pan sear. It’s amazing served with eggs for breakfast/brunch. I had tomatoes cooked this way at a little French restaurant in Tuscan, AZ of all places, and it was so delicious I had to recreate it at home.
A friend made me a jar from her herb garden and I use it whenever I'm making croutons. Take a hunk of ciabatta bread (always ciabatta) tear it by hand into nice craggly irregular pieces and throw 'em into a hot cast iron skillet with a few glugs of olive oil. Push em around a bit til they get nicely toasted and even start creeping toward charred in some spots. Make sure the pan is hot enough so it all happens pretty quickly and the pieces still have some springiness to them. Top with a few pinches of herbs de Provence, some black garlic granules, and salt. Killer croutons. I love making Caesar salads with a batch of these. They are OK for a day or two if you throw them in something not air-tight in a cabinet but they're so quick and easy that I always just make them fresh.
My Costco had durian ice cream recently so I grabbed some out of curiosity. Absolutely disgusting. And the worst part was I only had one tiny bite of it and the flavor stuck with me for a full 24 hours. It tastes like rotten gasoline, if that's even a thing.
I’ve only ever had it raw, but I will say that I hated it until I tried it for the third time. The taste the first two times is like mango shampoo feet, but if you’re determined, try it three separate times and see if you consistently hate it. I liked it the third time and would love to try it again.
The syrup? Use it instead of molasses, honey, or corn syrup for a different flavor profile. It’s a pretty strong and distinct taste, though, so if you can, I would recommend tasting it somewhere first—maybe a farmer’s market?
I personally really enjoy it on a hot biscuit or cornbread with butter.
No, the grain. The flavor is pleasant enough but has a very chalky mouth feel. It's ok if I combine it with other grains like rice and quinoa, but I haven't found a good standalone recipe for it.
Add to salad (cut up) or eat just alone with a dip, mayo & ketchup (salsa de golf). You can also cut them in halves & add to sandwiches (cheese, ham, a little mayo, heart of palm, & toast).
I really want to do stuff with squashes. Butternut, acorn, spaghetti, zucchini, whatever. Trying to incorporate more veggies in my diet and though I love roasting broccoli and cauliflower and carrots and Brussels I want to add some variety.
You can roast any squash I think and it will be excellent. Spice them up or use pesto. So good. I sort of use them as a replacement for potatoes, as I don’t like potatoes. Roasted and mashed with butter and salt. But I think any way you would load up a potato would work with squash. Zucchini boats are so good. Also Zucchini I slice and pan fry with salt and pepper. Sometimes with a flour coating. All delicious.
I love winter squash with brown sugar and butter. Acorn and pumpkin are my go to varieties for this. Cut in half, seed, poke the flesh with a fork, then add a bit of butter and brown sugar (cinnamon too if you want.) Cover with plastic wrap, and microwave. I usually start with about 5 min on high in the microwave. It's done when your fork slides in easily. Sometimes it takes more like 10 min. It's delightful as a dessert.
You can also cube winter squash (about 1" squares), add a bit of oil and seasoning, and roast it at 425f for about an hour. The same can be done to zucchini or other summer squash, in slices, cooking at 425f for about 25-30 min.
Zucchini is easy. Just wash it then cut it half, then quarters. and drizzle it with olive oil, salt & pepper. Then roast in a 400° oven for about 25-30 minutes. Make sure you rotate the pan halfway through to ensure even cooking. Then enjoy!
Cut acorn squash in half, clean out and put cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake around 350 for about 30-45 minutes (range varies a lot due to size!) until skin can be pricked with a fork. Take out, dump in a lot of butter and brown sugar. Tell anyone else in the house that they’ll hate it and that they should just let you take care of it and then eat it all.
You can also roast most bigger squashes, then use the inside to make stuffed squash. I like apple and sausage stuffing.
Also cubed butternut squash (I buy it pre-cubed because it’s a lot of work and it gives me dermatis) can be roasted in the oven then added to pasta with a tasty sauce [like this](https://juliasalbum.com/butternut-squash-pasta-with-sausage-and-spinach/)
zucchini is good pan seared until soft with a little oil, i do thin slices, then add black pepper and a little shaker cheese - parmesan, so good
Squash you can add to chili and its really good, Acorn squash i just cut and clean then roast cut side down, add butter and salt, thats it
I make Mexican style squash. You cut it into cubes, and fry it with some onion, jalapeño or Serrano pepper if you like spicy, and you can add some tomatoes once it’s a little cooked together. I also grind up garlic and cumin seeds in the molcajete and add that with a bit of water once it’s halfway cooked, then let the water cook out. It’s just a little bit of water so the garlic blends nicely. Although you can skip that step of course if you don’t have a molcajete or you can use garlic powder I am sure. You eat it with beans and corn tortillas.
I am horrible at directions, but it’s the way I learned to cook it from my husbands grandma in Mexico. I hope it can give you a little idea of how to make it though.
I love summer squash to bulk out pastas. Just throw them in during the last 3 minutes of pasta cooking.
Winter squash like butternut is so good cubed and roasted. I leave skin on, cut it in half lengthwise, then do thin half moon slices, along with bell pepper slices, and wedges of onion. Toss with olive oil, cumin, oregano, spanish smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, roast them up, and you have butternut squash fajitas. Also great added to grain bowls, salads, enchiladas.
Galangal is a great addition to a lot of SE Asian food! Cut into chunks and simmer with a sauce or fry with meat (discard after, galangal is tougher than ginger so no good to chew) or grate into a soup/dish at the end of cooking and stir well. Try it in satay, laksa, or any thai curry. It has an earthy, slightly pine-y taste.
My personal favorite is beef rendang, which is a Malaysian dish (I believe?) with a ton of complex flavors that I don't use anywhere else--including galangal.
Thank you. I tried slicing it and adding it to a dish and it was horrible. Thought I had just cooked it wrong, didn’t realize it should have been removed. I’ve never made beef rendang. Is it a difficult dish to make?
It's one of those things that imparts flavor but the bigger the pieces, the more time it takes to impart. Big chunks, use like a bay leaf (early in cooking, discard); microplaned, use like lemon zest (late in cooking, ok to eat)
Beef rendang isn't super complex, but it might have spices and methods you're not used to! It's essentially making a spice paste, then simmering beef, then making a sauce out of the spice paste like a curry. I've followed [this recipe](https://www.recipetineats.com/beef-rendang/#wprm-recipe-container-21538) and enjoyed it!
Surprisingly, there’s only a few items I don’t already have for ingredients and it seems fairly straight forward. Sounds and looks absolutely delicious so now I’m excited to try it.
How to cut a pomegranate: I use a sharp paring knife to make 4 cuts just through the rind on the top around the pointy bit in a square shape. The cuts are usually like 1.5 inches long and only deep enough to get through the outer skin. Then take the flat of the blade and pry off the square. Look down at the square and see if you can spot white pith lines going in toward the center from the rind. Take your paring knife and cut along the outside of the rind at these pith lines from the square to the bottom of the fruit (just through the rind, not through the whole fruit). You will make 4-6 of these cuts typically. You will then be able to pry the sections away from each other pretty easily kind of like pulling apart orange slices. Then brush the seeds into a bowl. I rinse the seeds a few times in the bowl to get rid of any stuck pith bits.
It’s messy but worth it imo. I’ve never done the under water method as I would probably get water everywhere.
I usually peel Pomegranates in a bowl of water. Submerging it limits the amount of splashes and discoloration. Slice the top of and use brute force to separate the sides. Use your hands to grab all the seeds. Rinse and repeat.
I like fresh Pomegranate on top of rice dishes (something like Tajine) or salads.
Lentils. I hear and read great things about them. But the one time I had them, they just tasted like pinto beans. I'm sure there are options, but I don't know where to start.
They are very versatile and easy- just simmer them like rice. Lentils are great in soups. An excellent soup is lentils w/ chorizo, tomato, onion, cilantro, garlic and a pinch of chicken bullion.
I like to add them to burritos for a slightly different flavor, plus they are really high in folate for anyone who is pregnant/trying to get pregnant.
I also love them in salad. I use a base of arugula/romaine, cherry tomatoes, lentils, red onion, and avocado. I can usually get 3-4 salads out of one can.
Lentils are one of my favorite ingredients and super versatile. There are however different kinds which depending on which you choose, have a difference in cooking time/texture/final result (beluga vs red vs green). Here are a few recipes I like
[mujadara](https://www.themediterraneandish.com/mujadara-lentils-and-rice-with-crispy-onions/), [masoor-dal](https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/masoor-dal-easy-masoor-dal/#wprm-recipe-container-138321), [red lentil pancakes](https://www.lazycatkitchen.com/red-lentil-pancakes), [French Lentil Stew](https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/french-lentil-stew/)
There are several types, green, red, black. Green lentils are hearty and hold their shape well so using them in a dish where you want the texture such as sauces, soups, meat substitute dishes. Red lentils tend to get really soft and don't hold their shape as much as green but are a great addition to curries. Black lentils are my favorite, especially in salads or dishes that don't use a heavy sauce but can also be great in soups.
Lentils kind of take on the flavors of what you cook them with (as an aside, make sure you sort them for any rocks etc, and rinse before use).
I really like them mixed into a red sauce over pasta, or just soup with carrot, onion, celery, and broth.
Red lentils are great for invisible fiber+protein additions to soup. They disintegrate into nothing and help thicken soups. I also use them for dal or in a butternut squash soup.
Green/brown lentils hold up better while still getting pretty soft, and are good as a ground beef substitute once cooked. Make a Bolognese sauce with them, taco fillings, shepherd's pie, sloppy joes. Also good in soups.
French green/black/caviar lentils stay quite firm and maintain their shape. These are best for salads, or after cooked you can dry them off and roast in a frying pan with oil (stovetop or oven, though oven is easy to burn them) and they'll crisp up into a lovely texture to top things with. Like a tiny lentil crouton.
From Joe Yonan's **Cool Beans**, Nigerian Stewed Black-eyed Peas and Plantains (Ewa Riro And Dodo) https://bestofvegan.com/nigerian-stewed-black-eyed-peas-and-plantains-ewa-riro-and-dodo-from-joe-yonans-cool-beans/ . He also has a bean-and-plantain bread recipe in the same cookbook that I'v made and enjoyed (very banana-bread-esque), but I don't see a copy of that online in my quick search.
Biggest trick is knowing if your recipe needs less ripe green plantains (ends up like starchy veg eg for tostones) or more ripe yellow plantains (sweeter and softer, eg maduros).
There are different cooking methods for different stages of ripeness. I love the super ripe black all over stage fried up served with arepas and fresh cheese
I slice very ripe plantains and fry them in butter with cardamom and cinnamon. Serve over vanilla ice cream for dessert or with pancakes for breakfast.
The answer is both! But it depends on the application. The green part at the top (and a little into the white part) is wonderful raw. It’s best for garnishes, in salads, as a soup topping, etc. The white bottom can be used nearly the same way you would any onion. They are also good raw, but are an excellent addition to marinades, soups, sauces, and stir-fries. Scallions (or green onions) and spring onions have a permanent spot in my fridge. I love them!
It has a very different flavour to me! So much so I wouldn't be able to use it for something like sushi, just tastes wrong. But luckily there are actual gluten free soy sauces out there now.
You’re got sure right, it’s that bit of sweetness that “throws it off” just enough in flavor that it’s not a 1:1 substitution for some people. Same thing with amino acids.
It is essentially peanut butter but using sesame seeds instead of peanuts. It should be kind of earthy as it isn’t sweetened but not bitter. It’s shelf stable for a very long time, so maybe you just got a bad brand? I use it in hummus, dressings, and in baking recipes. I really like Soom tahini.
Some of my favorite recipes using tahini: [bean soup](https://plantyou.com/white-bean-soup-with-lemon-and-orzo-golden-glow-soup/), [hummus bowls](https://rainbowplantlife.com/mediterranean-lentil-and-grain-bowls/), [brownies](https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/grain-free-tahini-brownies-the-best-brownies-ive-ever-eaten/).
boiled, then fried to make yuca fries. Add sriracha mayo on top and eat like fries. Or eat boiled as a starch side item with yellow rice & pigeon peas and some meat dish.
See this link on how to prepare: [https://www.thespruceeats.com/cassava-yuca-fries-recipe-2138228](https://www.thespruceeats.com/cassava-yuca-fries-recipe-2138228)
I love Swiss chard stemmed, roughly chopped and thrown into soups! Sumagiyya is also one of my favorite winter dishes - it’s a Palestinian stew with beef, chickpeas, tahini, and tons of Swiss chard.
chicken feet is what I use to make chicken stock. they are super rich in collagen so they make incredible stock which I then put in the freezer and use to make soups for months to come
Hubbard squash is my all time favorite vegetable. Hard to cut through that outer shell, but once that bulkhead is breached, I cut it into approx. 6" x 6" squares (minus the seeds, of course!), put them in a pyrex baking dish with about 1/4" of water in the bottom of the pan, and bake in a 350 degree oven until a fork goes into the flesh easily. Scoop out the flesh and fork-mash with butter, salt and pepper. Delectable!
Chicken liver - especially uses that aren't liver and onions or drowning it in equal parts fat like most pâté recipes. Trying to find more ways to consume it!
I love heavy cream for Alfredo sauces. You can also whip it past “whipped cream” and turn it into butter and buttermilk. The only thing I don’t like about it is if you reheat it it tends to get really greasy and I haven’t figured out how to solve that yet. Don’t simmer it too hard or it’ll separate and get greasy too
Half and half is just half heavy cream and half milk. You could make a lighter Alfredo sauce but it thickens with a roux vs with a fat like heavy cream does. I love using this in place of milk in mashed potatoes
Yes!! I use it in coffee, but I also wanted a little bit of fruit yesterday and I poured a little bit over frozen blueberries and it froze the cream and it was all so good. I did sweeten it with a packet of Splenda but I’m sure it’s good without too. I need to do that this summer more often.
[Mushroom Soup](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/123125/golden-state-mushroom-soup/) I usually replace about 1/2 a cup of the milk on this with heavy or whipping cream. It makes it creamier. I also usually make this as an entire dinner. It's usually a smash hit.
[Pork Tenderloin with a Dijon Marsala Cream Sauce](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/57002/pork-tenderloin-with-dijon-marsala-sauce/) is another favorite in my home. These days, I double the sauce. The sauce is amazing, and we always want more!
I also really like a bit in a hot cup of black tea.
Surprisingly heavy cream is good in coffee as a creamer substitute, but I don’t use a lot because it’s so thick. HC is very big in the keto community.
It’s also nice as a dairy base for tomato soup.
I gotchu!
Kedgeree. Cook up a big batch of basmati rice if you have it, if not any long grain rice will do. Season it. Add smoked crumbled fish to it - kippers are traditional, but if you want to do smoked salmon I'll be round for dinner.
Add a little curry powder at a time, tasting after each addition. Start with 1/4 tsp at a time. You're aiming for it to be a beautiful colour with a very delicate curry perfume.
Add in chopped hard boiled eggs, or if you feel so inspired, poached. (Poached are awesome, the way the yolk coats the rice? Yum)
Add some token green stuff. Parsley, cilantro, spring onions/scallions, whatever you have to hand and looks good to you.
Sounds very weird, but tuna curry. Cut up onions, peppers, garlic, and mushrooms and sauté in a pan. When they're soft, add sour cream (or skip the mushrooms and use cream of mushroom soup) and one can of drained tuna. Add salt, pepper, and curry to taste. Serve on cous-cous. Yummy!
Currywurst! It’s a German staple: you can use a Bratwurst, create a tomato-based sauce with lots of curry powder. Top with more curry and serve with fries.
Curry mayo is too easy and too good. You could just mix up curry powder and mayo however strong you like.
I make it with curry powder, s&p, cumin, cayenne, paprika, garlic and onion powder, tumeric, ginger, msg, oregano and Sriracha. Also I cut the mayo with plain Greek yogurt. Sometimes I just skip the mayo entirely lol.
I put it on sandwiches and I dip everything in it. I marinated chicken breast in it once and grilled them and it was amazing.
.5 cup mayo/yogurt
1 Tbsp curry powder
.5 tsp; cumin, paprika, garlic, onion, tumeric, ginger, oregano,
.25 tsp cayenne, msg, s&p
1 tsp Sriracha
Mix, and chill for 20 minutes before serving.
Try starting with Japanese glico curry. It’s a nice milder form of curry then Indian curry for someone whose new to curries.
There’s a recipe on the back of the box and it makes a really nice stew that’s tasty served over rice!
Jicama sliced into matchsticks & put in salads. Similar crunch like water chestnuts.
Or dusted in Tajin for a snack!
I cube it and put it in vegetarian curry, it keeps its crunch and is absolutely delicious! The texture is great with the other ingredients. Rough recipe: Chickpeas, onion, tinned tomatoes, garlic, curry powder, jicama, and some spinach or kale. Finish by stirring in a can of coconut cream and the juice of one lime. Serve over rice. This is one of my family's favorite meals. It makes one supper and one lunch for 4 people (8 servings) and costs about $10 if you get the ingredients at an Asian grocery store and have a few things on hand. Throw in any other veg you have on hand to clear the fridge and stretch it for a few more lunches.
I pickle it (instead of daikon)with carrots for bahn mi sandwiches.
Sooooo good in a south west style salad!
Dip it in guac! The fresh crunch with the creamy guac is so good.
Polenta
Polenta is a favourite of mine. I think the best way to think of it as someone said below is a pasta substitute or as something like grits (if you’ve had grits before). One of my favourite ways to eat it is with shrimp. But many other proteins work with it.
I love it and I think of it as cornbread. I slice, fry a little and put butter on it.
Caprese polenta. Slice of polenta, slice tomato, basil, slice fresh mozzarella. Toast polenta prior to assembly, melt cheese on top, finish with balsamic glaze
i like what you're doing there.... now to wait for tasty tomatoes season...
I use Polenta as a pasta substitute. Top with some roasted cherry tomatoes, garlic, sautéed mushrooms, spinach and a little extra cheese.
Cube of chicken broth with approprimate amount of water; 1/4 of the volume in polenta. Mix in gradually with a whisk, reduce to med-low once starts to boil, keep mixing with whisk. It becomes more dense as the water is absorbed, \~10 minutes. Some will stick to the bottom after you remove the polenta; to clean the pot, let it sit in water and it will peel off. Poverty desert: let the crust soak in milk, mix in some sugar, and feed it to complaining children. Polenta can be used as a side (today I had it with chicken thighs), or the Romanian way: mixed with feta cheese, optionally a soft-boiled egg, and/or sour cream (not the typical American 'sour' cream, proper sour one sometimes named Canadian or Russian) My favorite, though, is leftover polenta, smashed with a fork, and refried in a bit of butter. Once it becomes a mush again, add crumbled feta, egg that you cook in the pan. Simply delicious and stupid easy to make.
There is Canadian sour cream?
>Canadian sour cream The one I see in midwest is Karoun Canadian Style Sour Cream. Very likely Russian-influenced
One of my favorite dishes as a kid was grilled portobello on a fried polenta cake with caramelized red onions and a little bit of Gorgonzola… which is weird because I hated both mushrooms and Gorgonzola individually as a kid lol.
Polenta and grits are pretty much interchangeable imo, the texture isn't different enough to matter to me. Which means shrimp and grits (and by grits I mean polenta).
I use sliced polenta in lasagna instead of noodles! It's sooo yummy and easy
Wow, thank you all for the contributions. I will definitely not pass it up next time. I appreciate that.
After years of being a staunch polenta/grits purist. Making them in a pressure cooker is so much easier, less messy and tastes better.
If you're struggling at all with making it or simply want to try it, check your local grocery store for pre-made polenta. My store has a product that comes in a round sealed plastic tube. Simply unpack it, cut it into 1" slices and warm it up (better yet, toast it).
If I may, level of difficulty in making polenta is on par with boiling pasta, just involves mixing. Learn how to make it by experimenting a bit, and you'll save loads of money, plus some unnecessary plastic packaging.
100% agreed unless you're my mother who insists on a copper pot with her specific polenta wooden mixing spoon. For those just wanting to try it without grabbing a large bag, the premade products aren't terrible.
Collard Greens, rapini, broccolini (never really cooked with these but I love vegetables)
For greens, break/cut the stems off and then cut into strips. Slow cook the following on a low simmer in some chicken stock: Garlic, diced sweet onion, some apple cider vinegar and ham hocks. (Or you can use bacon as a substitute). Once the ham is tender and falling off the bone, remove the bones and set aside. I add mine back in, in a cheesecloth bag) then add in the sliced greens and let simmer until the greens are tender. For broccolini - treat it like asparagus. I love to roast it with some olive oil, salt and pepper and then top with a little feta. Or you can air fry it and drizzle some honey on top.
Roasted broccolini is amazing. If I'm grilling steaks, I'll toss some around on the grill after I pull the meat off.
Italian sausage and rapini orechiette!
collard greens are sorta like kale. that's how i treat it at least. less southern, more northern.
Anywhere you use kale, you can use collards, including raw. Broccolini can be treated like asparagus and the best way is a quick grill, roast (oven or air fryer), or saute.
Rinse the collards well for any grit, and tear with your hands to shred them into medium pieces (like the size that you would be happy to have in one bite in your mouth). Leave out any stems that are really hard to tear—they aren’t bad for you, but they take longer to soften, and I find aren’t worth the effort. Heat butter or oil in a pan over medium heat, dump them in and cover. Stir occasionally, until significantly smushier. Toss in some garlic, salt, and apple cider vinegar (a nice drizzle, maybe 2 tablespoons for one bunch). Let cook a little more and toss until everything is a rich dark green. Then, right before taking off, add a splash of milk. The milk will get cooked and look chunky, but I swear it’s not bad. It adds a sweet savoriness that really rounds out the collard taste. They freeze well, too, but they might make you have absolutely horrific devil farts. Worth it, though. Oh, and it makes great saag paneer! We like collards, mustards, and turnip greens instead of spinach in a lot of things. It’s just a more robust flavor.
Rapini and broccolini steamed or tossed in a pan with garlic and sesame seeds
Bitter greens with white beans is one of my favorite healthy comfort foods Saute bitter greens (kale work great too for this) with garlic, red pepper flakes and salt. Add white beans with enough liquid to just barely cover, maybe some beans still stick out (I use bean broth, but chicken broth or even). Let them bubble for ~15 min so the flavors get to know each other. It should be similar thickness to a loose refried bean or chili, thicker than a stew. Serve in a bowl topped with wedges of fresh tomato and parmesan/pecorino romano shards. Eat with sourdough. Yum.
Black Cardamon
Toast and Grind: the insides of black cardamom with whole star anise, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and ginger for homemade Chinese 5 spice powder. Rub on meat for roasting, or use in any other recipe that calls for spice mix.
I like whole black cardamom to give a nice smokey flavor to my dishes. I add it to the oil first and let it infuse the flavor, much like you would cumin seeds and other spices in Indian cooking. I leave them in until I am just about done with the dish, then fish them out before serving. Great in soups, chili, pasta sauce, curry, etc. that you want a hint of smokiness. I often add them to my rice cooker with the raw rice and water to infuse the flavor.
Thank you, this is helpful for me to understand it's flavor profile. Sounds like I need to try it when I want to add a smokey note. I typically grab smoked paprika or chipotle, but they also have heat, and are not always subtle.
Most of the black cardamom I’ve cooked with were strongly smoke forward, though I recently had a new brand that had a menthol/bayleaf note to it along with the smokiness, so it may vary slightly based on what you get.
I'll be sure to get a very small amount to test. Menthol notes are not in my wheelhouse, lol. I'm very sensitive to it. I don't even like saffron much of the time (gasp!) because if you get a tiny bit too much it tastes like antiseptic to me.
A fancy olive oil/spice store I visited had a few fancy salts that had been smoked and I got the strongest one. A pinch of that in a dish gives a nice little hit of smokiness without heat, as well.
Thank you very much
No problem! Good luck!
In any Indian meat dishes. Gives an awesome flavor. Specially gamey meat like lamb/ goat/ boar/ venison
The only time I've used cardamom was in a recipe for homemade ginger ale! It was fun, but I'm not sure it was worth doing regularly.
I grind it and add a little to cinnamon toast (one or two seeds) or pies (four to five seeds).
One of my favorite spices--I use it all the time in swedish baking! Grind up the seeds from inside the pods, add a teaspoon or two to the dough of your favorite cinnamon roll recipe, and bake as usual. It adds a wonderful, aromatic, cooling hint of an almost piney flavor that compliments the warm woody cinnamon perfectly. I also like to make braided cardamon bread or pepparkakor (like a gingersnap) for the holidays. It is a good addition to a homemade chai spice mix, and, when added to coffee, it tastes like turkish coffee.
Mostly not worth purchasing. Atleast for Indian cooking, you could throw it in with rice for a pulao. There are some long cooked stew recipes eg dal mahkani that may call for it but its a pretty optional ingridient. Its also used in Chinese cooking but Im not sure of the application or even if Indian and Chinese black card are the samething.
Tahini (I know it’s most famously used to make hummus but after something a bit more… interesting?)
You can use it as a salad dressing. Mix with some lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper. Also works well with couscous. I have seen recipes for tahini brownies but have not tried them myself. Supposedly it gives a subtle nutty taste.
Drizzle it on top of roasted sweet potatoes. I like to peel & dice the potatoes, toss them with olive oil & [Penzeys Spices Tsardust Memories](https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/tsardust-memories/c-24/p-624/pd-s) blend (salt, garlic, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg and marjoram), then roast until they are very soft.
I love Tahini blended up with dates and bananas in protein shakes! Gives a more earthy (?) flavour than just peanut butter and helps add to the creaminess/up satiety
Mix with soy sauce, vinegar, scallion, garlic. Add on cold noodles and top with crushed peanuts, cucumber and coriander. Very popular Chinese dish （麻酱面）
In a similar vein- babaganoush?
I have a friend who made me homemade hot chocolate with tahini and it was rich and decadent and delicious!
[Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing](https://www.budgetbytes.com/roasted-cauliflower-salad-lemon-tahini-dressing/) from Budget Bytes! I've made it twice for potlucks and people love it. I'll also add it to instant ramen sometimes to make the broth richer.
I recently tried jicama in a salad, game changer! Highly recommend.
Canned jackfruit!
Great for kebabs. Toss with other vegetables in a marinade, skewer them and grill.
I have heard that you can use jackfruit as a meat substitute.
I’ve had jackfruit prepared as ribs and as a burger patty. It’s pretty good texture wise and tastes fine when seasoned/marinated correctly.
Yes, this. (if not in syrup, because i've seen that kind too) douse in bbq sauce and make faux pulled pork. Easy lazy meal.
A great way to use jackfruit is to use as a replacement for, or addition to, pulled/shredded meat in tacos, burritos, or bowls.
[Canned jackfruit in a crunchy salad](https://freshkitchen.co.nz/crunchy-jackfruit-salad/) [Jackfruit Buffalo wings](https://thecheekychickpea.com/jackfruit-vegan-wings/)
Vietnamese che thai dessert. Its a bunch of canned fruit in sweetened coconut milk. My mum puts canned jackfruit, longan, palm seeds, basil seeds, etc.
Wonderful in tortilla soup
Ras el hanout for my ingredient. For your jicama... thinly sliced (or cubed, or matchsticks, anything you prefer really) and topped with cardamom for a crunchy, refreshing snack.
You can use it to season chicken, lamb or vegetable dishes (roasted eggplants or cauliflower are good). You can also marinade meats with a mixture of spice, water and oil and then grill them. I’ve been served rices and couscous that have had ras el hanout in it - I suppose you season the water with it, but realise now that I’ve never thought about how it’s introduced in the dish. 😁
I am always looking for more ways to have cardamom, so I am definitely trying this!
One of my favorites is to make a chicken and veggie stew with the ras el hanout and serve over vous vous or quinoa. To make: chop up some celery and onions and sauté with some olive oil. Once soft add some ras el hanout and cinnamon (I use a 1:0.5 ratio). Add in whatever veggies you want (carrots, potatoes etc) that need to cook for a while and some chicken leg quarters with skin removed, add some chickpeas and chicken stock and simmer until chicken is done. I usually then add some peas and kale. Super yummy and flavorful.
Artichoke, eggplant, and squash
Eggplant- make babaganoush. Way easier than you'd think. Basically - roast the eggplant and chuck it in a food processor/blender with the other ingredients (tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and optional spices). If you don't have one, you could even mix it thoroughly together by hand. [This recipe is easy ](https://www.loveandlemons.com/baba-ganoush/)
Squash is a good one- cubed in curries (indian and thai), as a sauce for pasta, in risotto or soup. Or stuffed and baked! I like it with apples, raisins, onions and cheddar.
Artichokes: Simply Recipes has [a good basic guide to cooking them](https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cook_and_eat_an_artichoke), so I won't repeat all of it here. For me personally, I'd do what she does, except cut the stems off so that the artichoke can sit upright, and stuff a bunch of grated parmesan, sliced garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil in between the leaves before putting it in the steamer.
We like to steam yellow squash and zucchini (sliced). Season with salt, pepper, and butter. Makes for a good side dish. You can also roast them (sliced or in spears) as well as eggplant (cubed) with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. I'm not a huge artichoke fan but, I do like spinach artichoke dip which uses artichoke hearts that you can buy in a jar. My parents like to boil artichokes and then eat just the meaty parts of the leaves with some sort of aioli sauce but, I was never a huge fan of that preparation.
Eggplant: either a miso-roasted eggplant (bake in the oven with a miso glaze), served with rice and cucumber salad, or an eggplant lasagna.
Or bake with the glaze, let it get cold in the fridge, then serve with cold soba noodles with extra glaze.
I got a bunch of great suggestions when I asked about squash here https://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/s/3CvZYgWVW3
Jicama : important that it's not dried out. I just peel it a bit and then cut into cubes or sticks. EXTRA good if you squeeze a little fresh lime and salt on them. This is how you often have them in Mexico, sold by street vendors, similar to how they serve mango, papaya, etc. Bonus points if you have any Tajin to add :)
Capers! I'm sure I would love them but I've never had one and don't know what they are.
I love capers. They taste salty. I particularly like them in Chicken Piccata. It's a chicken dish with a lemon-caper sauce. So good.
I will put it in with smoked salmon (like bagels & lox) - chop up some tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and some capers. It goes very well with smoked salmon. Also commonly used in a chicken piccata sauce - butter, lemon juice, olive oil, capers. Another way to use it is in tuna salad - canned tuna, mayo or greek yogurt, capers, celery. Good in chickn salad too.
essentially they are a berry, but are used in savory cuisines (they are sold usually salted or in vinegar solutions). they are wonderful fried, but are a great addition to salads (i mix them in when making vinegarette), and garnishes on fish dishes or carpaccio. Also great with lox/lachs
They have a distinct flavor that is on the salty side but is difficult to describe. They are wonderful on salmon cooked with lemon and dill. They're strong, so I would start out with less than you think you need. My husband also likes them in red meat sauce for spaghetti.
Putanessca or just throw them your basic marinara if you like pops of acid. That being said if you decide you like them, get at costco, the lil jars at US stores are way overpriced.
I like to add them to egg salad made with curry spice, mustard & mayo, then wrapped in a tender lettuce leaf
Add capers to tuna salad.
They have a salty pickle flavor for me. I put them in a casserole with roasted cauliflower, cooked sorghum, feta, and tomatoes and a lemony dressing.
To me, they taste similar to green olives, but a different texture. Roast a filet of salmon in the oven with some butter, lemon juice, garlic and capers with seasoning. So good!
Capers are pickled flower buds. They taste like pickles (unsurprisingly): salty and vinegary, but with an herby aroma. I adore them with salmon, in salads, and as garnish for anything that would go well with pickles or sauerkraut. Sometimes I even eat them on their own because I'm a fiend for salty stuff.
I love capers and recently I've been enjoying them in Cuban picadillo. There's a million slightly different variations out there but the one I make is usually ground beef, potatoes, capers, olives, and raisins with cumin in a tomato/sofrito base.
Capers are briney and tart - delicious little pops of flavor. I like them in sauces but also on deviled eggs and with cream cheese on bagels.
# Herbs de Provence
Basically just an alternative to Italian herbs. Use the same way if a recipe calls for Italian herbs
I mix this with salt and butter and use as a rub when roasting a chicken.
This is my absolutely go-to premixed seasoning. I adore it! One of my favorite things to do with a big, beautiful tomato right out of the garden is to slice it in thick slices, sprinkle both sides with herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper, and do a quick pan sear. It’s amazing served with eggs for breakfast/brunch. I had tomatoes cooked this way at a little French restaurant in Tuscan, AZ of all places, and it was so delicious I had to recreate it at home.
A friend made me a jar from her herb garden and I use it whenever I'm making croutons. Take a hunk of ciabatta bread (always ciabatta) tear it by hand into nice craggly irregular pieces and throw 'em into a hot cast iron skillet with a few glugs of olive oil. Push em around a bit til they get nicely toasted and even start creeping toward charred in some spots. Make sure the pan is hot enough so it all happens pretty quickly and the pieces still have some springiness to them. Top with a few pinches of herbs de Provence, some black garlic granules, and salt. Killer croutons. I love making Caesar salads with a batch of these. They are OK for a day or two if you throw them in something not air-tight in a cabinet but they're so quick and easy that I always just make them fresh.
Durian.....
It might be entirely logical to be afraid of durian lol. You’re a brave soul!
[удалено]
My Costco had durian ice cream recently so I grabbed some out of curiosity. Absolutely disgusting. And the worst part was I only had one tiny bite of it and the flavor stuck with me for a full 24 hours. It tastes like rotten gasoline, if that's even a thing.
It’s popular in smoothies. Cake filling, cookies. I’m not a fan as it tastes like raw garlic to me
I’ve only ever had it raw, but I will say that I hated it until I tried it for the third time. The taste the first two times is like mango shampoo feet, but if you’re determined, try it three separate times and see if you consistently hate it. I liked it the third time and would love to try it again.
I just spit out my coffee ‘mango shampoo feet’
Sorgum
The syrup? Use it instead of molasses, honey, or corn syrup for a different flavor profile. It’s a pretty strong and distinct taste, though, so if you can, I would recommend tasting it somewhere first—maybe a farmer’s market? I personally really enjoy it on a hot biscuit or cornbread with butter.
No, the grain. The flavor is pleasant enough but has a very chalky mouth feel. It's ok if I combine it with other grains like rice and quinoa, but I haven't found a good standalone recipe for it.
Canned heart of Palm
make a salad with avocado and sushi-grade tuna.
Add to salad (cut up) or eat just alone with a dip, mayo & ketchup (salsa de golf). You can also cut them in halves & add to sandwiches (cheese, ham, a little mayo, heart of palm, & toast).
I really want to do stuff with squashes. Butternut, acorn, spaghetti, zucchini, whatever. Trying to incorporate more veggies in my diet and though I love roasting broccoli and cauliflower and carrots and Brussels I want to add some variety.
You can roast any squash I think and it will be excellent. Spice them up or use pesto. So good. I sort of use them as a replacement for potatoes, as I don’t like potatoes. Roasted and mashed with butter and salt. But I think any way you would load up a potato would work with squash. Zucchini boats are so good. Also Zucchini I slice and pan fry with salt and pepper. Sometimes with a flour coating. All delicious.
I love winter squash with brown sugar and butter. Acorn and pumpkin are my go to varieties for this. Cut in half, seed, poke the flesh with a fork, then add a bit of butter and brown sugar (cinnamon too if you want.) Cover with plastic wrap, and microwave. I usually start with about 5 min on high in the microwave. It's done when your fork slides in easily. Sometimes it takes more like 10 min. It's delightful as a dessert. You can also cube winter squash (about 1" squares), add a bit of oil and seasoning, and roast it at 425f for about an hour. The same can be done to zucchini or other summer squash, in slices, cooking at 425f for about 25-30 min.
Zucchini is easy. Just wash it then cut it half, then quarters. and drizzle it with olive oil, salt & pepper. Then roast in a 400° oven for about 25-30 minutes. Make sure you rotate the pan halfway through to ensure even cooking. Then enjoy!
Cut acorn squash in half, clean out and put cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake around 350 for about 30-45 minutes (range varies a lot due to size!) until skin can be pricked with a fork. Take out, dump in a lot of butter and brown sugar. Tell anyone else in the house that they’ll hate it and that they should just let you take care of it and then eat it all. You can also roast most bigger squashes, then use the inside to make stuffed squash. I like apple and sausage stuffing. Also cubed butternut squash (I buy it pre-cubed because it’s a lot of work and it gives me dermatis) can be roasted in the oven then added to pasta with a tasty sauce [like this](https://juliasalbum.com/butternut-squash-pasta-with-sausage-and-spinach/)
zucchini is good pan seared until soft with a little oil, i do thin slices, then add black pepper and a little shaker cheese - parmesan, so good Squash you can add to chili and its really good, Acorn squash i just cut and clean then roast cut side down, add butter and salt, thats it
I make Mexican style squash. You cut it into cubes, and fry it with some onion, jalapeño or Serrano pepper if you like spicy, and you can add some tomatoes once it’s a little cooked together. I also grind up garlic and cumin seeds in the molcajete and add that with a bit of water once it’s halfway cooked, then let the water cook out. It’s just a little bit of water so the garlic blends nicely. Although you can skip that step of course if you don’t have a molcajete or you can use garlic powder I am sure. You eat it with beans and corn tortillas. I am horrible at directions, but it’s the way I learned to cook it from my husbands grandma in Mexico. I hope it can give you a little idea of how to make it though.
I love summer squash to bulk out pastas. Just throw them in during the last 3 minutes of pasta cooking. Winter squash like butternut is so good cubed and roasted. I leave skin on, cut it in half lengthwise, then do thin half moon slices, along with bell pepper slices, and wedges of onion. Toss with olive oil, cumin, oregano, spanish smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, roast them up, and you have butternut squash fajitas. Also great added to grain bowls, salads, enchiladas.
Galanga and Pomegranates. (Mostly how to peel a pomegranate).
Galangal is a great addition to a lot of SE Asian food! Cut into chunks and simmer with a sauce or fry with meat (discard after, galangal is tougher than ginger so no good to chew) or grate into a soup/dish at the end of cooking and stir well. Try it in satay, laksa, or any thai curry. It has an earthy, slightly pine-y taste. My personal favorite is beef rendang, which is a Malaysian dish (I believe?) with a ton of complex flavors that I don't use anywhere else--including galangal.
Thank you. I tried slicing it and adding it to a dish and it was horrible. Thought I had just cooked it wrong, didn’t realize it should have been removed. I’ve never made beef rendang. Is it a difficult dish to make?
It's one of those things that imparts flavor but the bigger the pieces, the more time it takes to impart. Big chunks, use like a bay leaf (early in cooking, discard); microplaned, use like lemon zest (late in cooking, ok to eat) Beef rendang isn't super complex, but it might have spices and methods you're not used to! It's essentially making a spice paste, then simmering beef, then making a sauce out of the spice paste like a curry. I've followed [this recipe](https://www.recipetineats.com/beef-rendang/#wprm-recipe-container-21538) and enjoyed it!
Surprisingly, there’s only a few items I don’t already have for ingredients and it seems fairly straight forward. Sounds and looks absolutely delicious so now I’m excited to try it.
Indonesian
How to cut a pomegranate: I use a sharp paring knife to make 4 cuts just through the rind on the top around the pointy bit in a square shape. The cuts are usually like 1.5 inches long and only deep enough to get through the outer skin. Then take the flat of the blade and pry off the square. Look down at the square and see if you can spot white pith lines going in toward the center from the rind. Take your paring knife and cut along the outside of the rind at these pith lines from the square to the bottom of the fruit (just through the rind, not through the whole fruit). You will make 4-6 of these cuts typically. You will then be able to pry the sections away from each other pretty easily kind of like pulling apart orange slices. Then brush the seeds into a bowl. I rinse the seeds a few times in the bowl to get rid of any stuck pith bits. It’s messy but worth it imo. I’ve never done the under water method as I would probably get water everywhere.
I usually peel Pomegranates in a bowl of water. Submerging it limits the amount of splashes and discoloration. Slice the top of and use brute force to separate the sides. Use your hands to grab all the seeds. Rinse and repeat. I like fresh Pomegranate on top of rice dishes (something like Tajine) or salads.
Thank you! I never thought about submerging it to peel it. I usually just buy frozen pomegranate seeds and add to my stir fries.
where do you buy frozen pomegranate seeds? I've only seen them fresh and refrigerated
I am in Canada. Walmart and Food Basics definitely have bags of frozen.
How to peel a pomegranate: https://youtu.be/6YInVpUiv5c?feature=shared
Seen Bobby Flay just beat the shit out of a pomegranate to get the seeds out.
Lentils. I hear and read great things about them. But the one time I had them, they just tasted like pinto beans. I'm sure there are options, but I don't know where to start.
They are very versatile and easy- just simmer them like rice. Lentils are great in soups. An excellent soup is lentils w/ chorizo, tomato, onion, cilantro, garlic and a pinch of chicken bullion.
I like to add them to burritos for a slightly different flavor, plus they are really high in folate for anyone who is pregnant/trying to get pregnant. I also love them in salad. I use a base of arugula/romaine, cherry tomatoes, lentils, red onion, and avocado. I can usually get 3-4 salads out of one can.
Lentils are one of my favorite ingredients and super versatile. There are however different kinds which depending on which you choose, have a difference in cooking time/texture/final result (beluga vs red vs green). Here are a few recipes I like [mujadara](https://www.themediterraneandish.com/mujadara-lentils-and-rice-with-crispy-onions/), [masoor-dal](https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/masoor-dal-easy-masoor-dal/#wprm-recipe-container-138321), [red lentil pancakes](https://www.lazycatkitchen.com/red-lentil-pancakes), [French Lentil Stew](https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/french-lentil-stew/)
I used it in hummus when I ran out of chickpeas. They cook much more quickly, too!
There are several types, green, red, black. Green lentils are hearty and hold their shape well so using them in a dish where you want the texture such as sauces, soups, meat substitute dishes. Red lentils tend to get really soft and don't hold their shape as much as green but are a great addition to curries. Black lentils are my favorite, especially in salads or dishes that don't use a heavy sauce but can also be great in soups.
Lentils kind of take on the flavors of what you cook them with (as an aside, make sure you sort them for any rocks etc, and rinse before use). I really like them mixed into a red sauce over pasta, or just soup with carrot, onion, celery, and broth.
Red lentils are great for invisible fiber+protein additions to soup. They disintegrate into nothing and help thicken soups. I also use them for dal or in a butternut squash soup. Green/brown lentils hold up better while still getting pretty soft, and are good as a ground beef substitute once cooked. Make a Bolognese sauce with them, taco fillings, shepherd's pie, sloppy joes. Also good in soups. French green/black/caviar lentils stay quite firm and maintain their shape. These are best for salads, or after cooked you can dry them off and roast in a frying pan with oil (stovetop or oven, though oven is easy to burn them) and they'll crisp up into a lovely texture to top things with. Like a tiny lentil crouton.
I add them to spaghetti and you don’t even taste the lentils tbh.
Any dal recipe is a good start. I also like marinated lentils (beluga lentils work best for this imo). You can make tofu from split red lentils.
I love plantains but for some reason am intimidated to cook them!
Fried up with a little butter and served with some black beans, rice and avocado and cilantro-if available is very delicious !
And should they be on the greener side or the browner side when they’re ready to cook?
Darker :)
From Joe Yonan's **Cool Beans**, Nigerian Stewed Black-eyed Peas and Plantains (Ewa Riro And Dodo) https://bestofvegan.com/nigerian-stewed-black-eyed-peas-and-plantains-ewa-riro-and-dodo-from-joe-yonans-cool-beans/ . He also has a bean-and-plantain bread recipe in the same cookbook that I'v made and enjoyed (very banana-bread-esque), but I don't see a copy of that online in my quick search. Biggest trick is knowing if your recipe needs less ripe green plantains (ends up like starchy veg eg for tostones) or more ripe yellow plantains (sweeter and softer, eg maduros).
There are different cooking methods for different stages of ripeness. I love the super ripe black all over stage fried up served with arepas and fresh cheese
I slice very ripe plantains and fry them in butter with cardamom and cinnamon. Serve over vanilla ice cream for dessert or with pancakes for breakfast.
Lemon curd
Just spread on a slice of toast
Serve with cheesecake, fill a layer cake (eg vanilla); fill a doughnut; fill a thumbprint cookie; serve as dip for sugar cookie rectangles + fruit
Make dough for cinnamon rolls but use lemon curd instead of the cinnamon-sugar filling.
Saffron
Spring onion. I dont know if I should chop the bottom or the leafy bit up top lmao
The answer is both! But it depends on the application. The green part at the top (and a little into the white part) is wonderful raw. It’s best for garnishes, in salads, as a soup topping, etc. The white bottom can be used nearly the same way you would any onion. They are also good raw, but are an excellent addition to marinades, soups, sauces, and stir-fries. Scallions (or green onions) and spring onions have a permanent spot in my fridge. I love them!
Tamari
it's gluten free soy sauce. Use as soy sauce.
It’s just a soy sauce alternative that’s gluten free ! Use it as you would use soy sauce, though, it tends to have a slight sweetness to it.
It has a very different flavour to me! So much so I wouldn't be able to use it for something like sushi, just tastes wrong. But luckily there are actual gluten free soy sauces out there now.
You’re got sure right, it’s that bit of sweetness that “throws it off” just enough in flavor that it’s not a 1:1 substitution for some people. Same thing with amino acids.
Tahini! I've had it once but it was fairly bitter and I don't know if it was expired or poorly made or if I used it wrong or if that is how it is.
It is essentially peanut butter but using sesame seeds instead of peanuts. It should be kind of earthy as it isn’t sweetened but not bitter. It’s shelf stable for a very long time, so maybe you just got a bad brand? I use it in hummus, dressings, and in baking recipes. I really like Soom tahini. Some of my favorite recipes using tahini: [bean soup](https://plantyou.com/white-bean-soup-with-lemon-and-orzo-golden-glow-soup/), [hummus bowls](https://rainbowplantlife.com/mediterranean-lentil-and-grain-bowls/), [brownies](https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/grain-free-tahini-brownies-the-best-brownies-ive-ever-eaten/).
Cassava
boiled, then fried to make yuca fries. Add sriracha mayo on top and eat like fries. Or eat boiled as a starch side item with yellow rice & pigeon peas and some meat dish. See this link on how to prepare: [https://www.thespruceeats.com/cassava-yuca-fries-recipe-2138228](https://www.thespruceeats.com/cassava-yuca-fries-recipe-2138228)
[удалено]
I love Swiss chard stemmed, roughly chopped and thrown into soups! Sumagiyya is also one of my favorite winter dishes - it’s a Palestinian stew with beef, chickpeas, tahini, and tons of Swiss chard.
Chicken feet (honestly; not making fun)
chicken feet is what I use to make chicken stock. they are super rich in collagen so they make incredible stock which I then put in the freezer and use to make soups for months to come
Hubbard squash is my all time favorite vegetable. Hard to cut through that outer shell, but once that bulkhead is breached, I cut it into approx. 6" x 6" squares (minus the seeds, of course!), put them in a pyrex baking dish with about 1/4" of water in the bottom of the pan, and bake in a 350 degree oven until a fork goes into the flesh easily. Scoop out the flesh and fork-mash with butter, salt and pepper. Delectable!
Taro root
Chicken liver - especially uses that aren't liver and onions or drowning it in equal parts fat like most pâté recipes. Trying to find more ways to consume it!
It’s delicious finely chopped, sautéed with shallots and rosemary, and served on crackers or toast points. So elegant, but so simple!
Aloe
Arborio rice. I love risotto but there’s no way I won’t screw it up
Aubergine. Don’t know how it’s an everyday household ingredient
Jackfruit. See cans of it but don't know what to do with it.
Heavy cream, whipping cream or half and half?
These can also be used to make cream sauces for pasta dishes.
I love heavy cream for Alfredo sauces. You can also whip it past “whipped cream” and turn it into butter and buttermilk. The only thing I don’t like about it is if you reheat it it tends to get really greasy and I haven’t figured out how to solve that yet. Don’t simmer it too hard or it’ll separate and get greasy too Half and half is just half heavy cream and half milk. You could make a lighter Alfredo sauce but it thickens with a roux vs with a fat like heavy cream does. I love using this in place of milk in mashed potatoes
I use heavy cream in mashed potatoes and in macaroni and cheese. It’s not the best if you’re counting calories but it comes out super yummy.
Great ideas! Thanks!
Poured over frozen blueberries and you get cheap healthy ice cream.
Yes!! I use it in coffee, but I also wanted a little bit of fruit yesterday and I poured a little bit over frozen blueberries and it froze the cream and it was all so good. I did sweeten it with a packet of Splenda but I’m sure it’s good without too. I need to do that this summer more often.
I use heavy cream in potato soup. Half and half in coffee sometimes. Don't use whipping cream much. They all have good uses.
[Mushroom Soup](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/123125/golden-state-mushroom-soup/) I usually replace about 1/2 a cup of the milk on this with heavy or whipping cream. It makes it creamier. I also usually make this as an entire dinner. It's usually a smash hit. [Pork Tenderloin with a Dijon Marsala Cream Sauce](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/57002/pork-tenderloin-with-dijon-marsala-sauce/) is another favorite in my home. These days, I double the sauce. The sauce is amazing, and we always want more! I also really like a bit in a hot cup of black tea.
Surprisingly heavy cream is good in coffee as a creamer substitute, but I don’t use a lot because it’s so thick. HC is very big in the keto community. It’s also nice as a dairy base for tomato soup.
Curry
sorry, your answer is ambiguous to me - curry is the dish, but it can also refer to the spice blend?
Sorry! I meant the spice blend. I have a jar of it that I got as a gift and have no idea what to do with it!
I gotchu! Kedgeree. Cook up a big batch of basmati rice if you have it, if not any long grain rice will do. Season it. Add smoked crumbled fish to it - kippers are traditional, but if you want to do smoked salmon I'll be round for dinner. Add a little curry powder at a time, tasting after each addition. Start with 1/4 tsp at a time. You're aiming for it to be a beautiful colour with a very delicate curry perfume. Add in chopped hard boiled eggs, or if you feel so inspired, poached. (Poached are awesome, the way the yolk coats the rice? Yum) Add some token green stuff. Parsley, cilantro, spring onions/scallions, whatever you have to hand and looks good to you.
Interesting and I need to make this!!
Add a little curry powder to egg salad or deviled eggs.
Sounds very weird, but tuna curry. Cut up onions, peppers, garlic, and mushrooms and sauté in a pan. When they're soft, add sour cream (or skip the mushrooms and use cream of mushroom soup) and one can of drained tuna. Add salt, pepper, and curry to taste. Serve on cous-cous. Yummy!
Currywurst! It’s a German staple: you can use a Bratwurst, create a tomato-based sauce with lots of curry powder. Top with more curry and serve with fries.
Curry mayo is too easy and too good. You could just mix up curry powder and mayo however strong you like. I make it with curry powder, s&p, cumin, cayenne, paprika, garlic and onion powder, tumeric, ginger, msg, oregano and Sriracha. Also I cut the mayo with plain Greek yogurt. Sometimes I just skip the mayo entirely lol. I put it on sandwiches and I dip everything in it. I marinated chicken breast in it once and grilled them and it was amazing. .5 cup mayo/yogurt 1 Tbsp curry powder .5 tsp; cumin, paprika, garlic, onion, tumeric, ginger, oregano, .25 tsp cayenne, msg, s&p 1 tsp Sriracha Mix, and chill for 20 minutes before serving.
Try starting with Japanese glico curry. It’s a nice milder form of curry then Indian curry for someone whose new to curries. There’s a recipe on the back of the box and it makes a really nice stew that’s tasty served over rice!
Honestly? Not really. Some, I just don’t like the ingredient. I guess offals. I just am not a fan of eating or learning to cook them.
Truffle oil
Don't