hearty vegetarian chili

What's better on a chilly day than chili?  I mean sure, you can have soups, stews, stoups, and honestly a plethora of other things, but there is something that is just so hearty and satisfying about chili.  Fall is finally here in Washington and all I want to do is curl up on the couch with a big bowl of chili and binge watch my favorite shows - which I am not ashamed to admit is exactly what I have been doing, like how are there so many good shows on Netflix?!

Even though this chili recipe is sans meat, you won't even notice it's missing!  Each bite is jam-packed with ingredients, flavors, and that little hint of cinnamon makes it something special and different.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced (2 cups)
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced (2 tablespoons)
• 1 large green pepper, diced (1 cup)
• 1 medium zucchini, diced (1 cup)
• 1 cup of cremini mushrooms, diced
• 1 medium jalapeno, seeded, diced
• 1 can of kidney beans (15.5 ounces)
• 1 can of pinto beans (15.5 ounces)
• 1 can of corn (15.25 ounces)
• 1 can of petite diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces) *my favorite is Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted with Roasted Garlic
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 cup of low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. To a pot heated over medium heat, add extra-virgin olive oil and saute the garlic and onion until they start to become slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.  
2. Add mushroom, zucchini, green pepper, and jalapeno and cook for another 5-7 minutes until all ingredients are softened.  Seasonal with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Pour in the oregano, chili powder, ground cumin, and ground cinnamon.  Combine the dry ingredients with the sauteed vegetables and tomato paste, let it cook together for a minute watching carefully to not let it burn.  
4. Stir in vegetable broth, canned tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, and corn.  
5. Add cinnamon and stir.
6. Simmer the chili on low, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until the chili is thickened. 
7. Serve with your favorite toppings!  

Happy eating!

fish sauce noodle salad

Okay, I'm coming at you all with another salad.  The thing about salads is that they never get old for me.  I'm constantly switching up the ingredients and flavor profiles of my salads, and sometimes pretty dramatically.  This salad recipe is an example of dramatic and is definitely not for the faint of heart.  The base of the dressing is fish sauce, and you really really have to like fish sauce for this salad, but feel free to tone it down and switch it up as your taste buds please.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED for the fish sauce

• 1/4 cup of fish sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

WHAT YOU'LL NEED for the salad
(makes one heaping serving, or two "normal" size servings)

• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 green apple, sliced
• Cilantro, as much much or as little as you like, I personally like a lot
• 1 cup of shrimp, lightly sauteed in lemon juice, pepper, and garlic
• 2 ounces of rice noodles (I like pancit bijon),

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients and letting it sit - the longer the better to infuse all the ingredients.
2. Prep the noodles according to the package, rinse under cold water and drain.
3. Toss all your salad ingredients in a bowl and cover with the sauce!
   

So simple, yet so delicious, and the best part is that it won't take very long to enjoy your meal!

peanut sauce soba noodle salad

Noodles for me are a pantry staple.  I've always got at least ten different types of noodles on hand ranging from the Asian to Italian variety.  Noodles are great for so many different reasons and not just because they are fun to eat (slurp, slurp), but they are super versatile and recipes involving them can usually be done under 30 minutes which is perfect for any weekday.  You can also combine them with just about any sauce, toss them with an array of ingredients, and eat them hot or cold, on a plate or in a bowl with soup - seriously the options are endless.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED for the sauce

• 1/3 cup of peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons of sesame seed oil
• 2 tablespoons of honey or agave nectar to make this vegan friendly
• 1 tablespoon of ground chili paste (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
  

WHAT YOU'LL NEED for the salad

• 8 oz. of dried buckwheat Soba noodles
• 8 oz. of prepared coleslaw (about 1/2 package)
• 3 green onions, sliced

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Prep noodles according to package.
2. While the noodles are cooking, combine all the sauce ingredients and whisk, or I found it easiest to throw everything in a mason jar and shake.
3. Rinse noodles under cold water and let drain.
4. Place noodles in bowl, add coleslaw mixture, top with green onion.
5. Poor sauce on the edges and combine all ingredients.
6. Dish up and top with Sriracha.

Happy eating!

korean style crispy tofu

Although I think growing up with a Korean mom makes me somewhat bias towards tofu, I really do love the stuff and I can't understand why it has such a bad reputation!  It is such a versatile ingredient and can really take on the flavor of just about anything when prepped properly.

Today's recipe is a crispy tofu featuring a sweet and spicy sticky sauce from a Korean rice cake dish called dduk-bok-ki.  This tofu is definitely not a traditional Korean dish, but how can you go wrong combining a basically flavorless ingredient and an amazing sauce?!

Crispy tofu can be a little tricky to nail, but as long as you follow the steps to properly drain the tofu, you'll be quickly wondering why you've never tried it before.  I usually eat this as side dish (called banchan in Korean) served alongside rice, soup, and other banchans for breakfast, lunch, snack, and/or dinner.  I'm pretty much saying you can eat tofu any time of the day. :)  

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 1 lb. package of firm (or extra firm) tofu
• 2 tablespoons of Korean hot red pepper paste (gochujang)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1/2 tablespoon of Korean red pepper powder (gochugaru)
• 2 tablespoons of honey or agave nectar to make it vegan
  
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon of roasted sesame seeds

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Remove tofu from packaging and cut into bite-size pieces
2. Take a large absorbent and towel and lay the tofu on half of the towel ensuring the second half can be folded over to cover the tofu.  
3. Place something relatively heavy on the tofu.  I first put a cutting board over all the pieces and then use my cast iron skillet to weigh it all down.  Leave this to sit and drain for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and prep your baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Bake tofu for 30 minutes, flipping the pieces over halfway.
6. While the tofu is baking/crisping up in the oven, make the sauce by combining the gochujang, soysauce, water, gochugaru, honey and half of the sliced green onions in a large mixing bowl.
7. Once the tofu is done baking, let it cool for a few minutes and then mix the pieces into the sauce.  Set this aside for at least 30 minutes (if I have time/am prepping this ahead of time I let this sit for a few hours in an airtight container in the refrigerator) to marinade to give the tofu some extra flavor.
8. With tongs, add the individual pieces of tofu to a skillet over medium heat.  Spoon a few tablespoons of the sauce into the skillet, just enough to coat the tofu.  The sauce will thicken to a very sticky consistency so be sure to keep an eye on the tofu so they don't burn. 
9. Cook for 3-5 minutes in the pan, remove from heat and onto a plate, drizzle extra marinade on top, sprinkle some green onions, and add a pinch of roasted sesame seeds to complete the dish.  You're now ready to enjoy!

Happy eating!