vegetables

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Start Simple, a cookbook review

I know we’re only into February but “Start Simple” by Lukas Volger might end up being my favorite cookbook of 2020.  I know, those are some bold words! But this is the first time in a very long time that I’ve come across a book and I couldn’t find a recipe that I didn’t want to make.

In this book, Volger presents recipes that are realistic for everyday cooking.  Some recipes are for four servings, but there are also a lot of recipes for one serving or two servings to reflect those readers who are not cooking for a family of four.  These recipes are generally great for weeknight cooking. The ingredient list is often 10 ingredients or less, and nothing very exotic.

The book is divided by eleven primary ingredients:

  • Winter squash
  • Tofu
  • Hearty greens
  • Beans
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Eggs
  • Mushrooms
  • Tortillas
  • Cabbage
  • Cauliflower or broccoli
  • Summer squash
  • Dessert (not a primary ingredient but who doesn’t like a little dessert?)

 

Here is a sampling of recipes:

  • Steel-cut oats with squash and tahini
  • Peanut butter and greens sandwich
  • Spicy beans and greens over polenta
  • Grilled eggplant, scallion, and white bean dip
  • Black beans with scallion-lime vinaigrette, avocado, and spinach
  • White bean, tomato, and dill salad with charred romaine
  • Cold sweet potatoes with spiced seeds and yogurt
  • Sweet potato and tahini soup
  • Broken pasta with roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, walnuts, and pesto’d Ricotta
  • Cauliflower and kimchi sandwiches
  • Roasted broccoli sauce
  • Savory zucchini beer bread
  • Polenta and pine nut biscotti

 

For my preliminary recipe, I went with the kale-cabbage slaw with quinoa and brown sugar-dijon vinaigrette.  The recipe is pretty easy (to reiterate, nothing in the books seems to be complicated as the author promised in the introduction).  You make some quinoa. You salt and massage the kale and cabbage. You make a vinaigrette. Finally, you mix it all together.

The vinaigrette was very sweet.  I know… that’s a really obvious thing to say when it’s got “brown sugar” as part of the name.  But I’d say start with half the amount of brown sugar, and then add as needed. The amount you want is going to depend on the punch of your mustard.  I was using a homemade mustard (my first attempt at mustard so it could have been better) that didn’t have much punch, so I only needed 4 teaspoons instead of the full 2 tablespoons.

I enjoyed this.  It preps ahead really well.  Because kale and cabbage are really sturdy greens, this slaw made for great work lunches.  But as much as I liked it, I didn’t love it. Which is totally ok! It doesn’t mean that I won’t make it again.  It just means that I’ll try out some of the other salad/slaw recipes in this book before I go back to this one.

I felt compelled to make another recipe almost as soon as I finished the slaw.  Since I had some cabbage left from the slaw (and I happened to have cheese in the fridge), I made the cheesy cabbage and white bean soup.  I’m glad I did too. It was another easy recipe to put together, and perfect to eat on a February day in Boston. It was really cozy and had a lot of good flavor.  (To be fair, since I’m not vegetarian, I was using a homemade chicken broth for it.) I like it so much that this soup is definitely going into the regular rotation.  

“Start Simple” is available as of this week.  Definitely pick up this book whether or not you’re vegetarian.  (Yes, the book is vegetarian but it doesn’t feel like the intention of the book is to necessarily espouse vegetarianism.)  The collection of recipes here are just great ideas for incorporating more vegetables in your everyday diet without being overwhelming or complicated.

 

Disclaimer – I kindly received this book from Harper Wave for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.  

 

Reference Links:

https://www.lukasvolger.com/

https://www.lukasvolger.com/books

http://www.harperwave.com/

 

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The Greek Vegetarian Cookbook, a review

Every once in a while, there comes along a cookbook that I know immediately I am going to like.  In my never-ending quest to try to eat more vegetables and fruit, I am always looking for new ideas or inspiration.  And for me right now, that is The Greek Vegetarian Cookbook by Heather Thomas.  The recipes in this book are mostly uncomplicated, unpretentious, but not boring.  

The book is also really enjoying to flip through, as every recipe is accompanied by a gorgeous photo.  The breakdown of the cookbook is basic:

  • Chapter 1 – Meze, Dips, and Snacks
  • Chapter 2 – Salads
  • Chapter 3 – Breakfasts and Brunches
  • Chapter 4 – Light Lunches
  • Chapter 5 – Dinners
  • Chapter 6 – Bakes and Desserts

Trying to narrow down a recipe to test for this review was a little tough.  The recipes that I was most interested in, some of the ingredients are not in season yet (here being in New England).  But here’s a snapshot of some of the recipes I want to make from this book:

  • Halloumi and Lentil Salad
  • Hummus with Fennel and Golden Beets
  • Cretan Tomato Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
  • Crunchy Greek Islands Salad
  • Melon and Avocado Salad
  • Halloumi with Sweetcorn Fritters with Fried Eggs
  • Chickpea and Eggplant Pilaf
  • Baked Stuffed Vegetables
  • White Bean, Tomato, and Feta Baklava
  • Fresh Fig and Orange Cake

In the end, I went with testing out the Broccoli Salad with Yogurt Dressing recipe because I had most of the ingredients and the photo looked appetizing.  It’s almost embarrassingly easy. You re-hydrate some raisins. You boil some broccoli. You make a dressing of Greek yogurt, honey, and vinegar. And then you serve the broccoli with the dressing, some onion, sunflower seeds, toasted pine nuts, and the raisins.

And you know what?  I loved it. The recipe comes with variations which also sound good, and I’m tempted to try all the suggestions.

So, would I recommend this book to someone else?  Yes! I think I’d recommend this book to anyone to be honest.  Interested in the Mediterranean diet? Get this book. Interested in recipes easy enough for a beginner?  Get this book. Want to eat more veggies? Get this book. And if you do get this book, let me know what you think of it.  🙂

Disclaimer – I kindly received this book from Phaidon for this review.  I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.

Reference Link:

https://www.phaidon.com/store/food-cook/the-greek-vegetarian-cookbook-9780714879130/

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pale and beautiful

Call it chayote, merliton, hup jeung gwa, or whatever you want, it’s my favorite squash these days.

Zucchini and yellow squash doesn’t do it for me. They’re squishy. They’re lackluster. As far as I’m concerned, zucchini belongs in quick breads and not on my plate as a side dish.

Ah, but chayote? It’s such a delicate flavor – just barely sweet. It tends to absorb the taste of whatever it’s being cooked with. The texture? It’s on the firm side of squashes. I had googled “chayote squash recipes” one day and was thoroughly put off. So many recipes demanded that my little chayote be covered up in herbs, sauce, or… eww, cheese. I felt like it was misunderstood.

Tonight, I decided to go simple. I cut up three chayote squashes, one sweet onion, and lightly covered them in olive oil and a pinch of salt before throwing them in an oven, heated to 400F, for about 35 minutes. (Word of advice – chayote has a bit of a thick skin, so I recommend peeling it. However, it produces a very slimy film when you do that. The film washes off your hands easily enough, but it’ll really dry out your skin. If you can, peel them with gloves on.)

The result? Well, I ate two-thirds of it in one sitting. I’m so full right now, that I have to take a break before I finish the rest of my dinner. Sometimes, I’m such a glutton. *blush* On the bright side, it’s a fairly healthy side dish. I find that chayote does well when roasted. After it’s done cooking, it’s still wonderfully moist and pairs so well with just onion.

I remembered to take photos. I can’t let Asano-mama receive all of the attention for her whale cake, can I? 

~ Mikan