Tag: Make ahead

Chickpea Salad with Red Peppers and Chorizo

Posted on

Here’s the easiest end-of-summer appetizer (or side dish or lunch or whatever you want it to be, really) on earth. It’s smoky, it’s sweet, it’s piquant, and it’s (mostly) healthy. The sum of the parts is greater than the whole here, but the key is letting it sit for at least half an hour so that the flavors meld.

Ingredients:
  • 3 ounces dry-cured Spanish chorizo, casing removed, thinly sliced into half-moons (about 1/2 cup) 
  • 2 14-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/4 cup drained jarred roasted red bell peppers, chopped
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped white onion
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or pineapple vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  1. Stir together chorizo, chickpeas, roasted bell peppers, onion, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and black pepper in a large serving bowl until well combined. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste; stir in parsley. Let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and serve cold or at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip and Walnut Banana Bread

Posted on

Not all banana bread is created equal. Some banana bread veers a little too healthy, resulting in a cardboard-like texture. Hard pass. This banana bread recipe, however, manages to straddle the line between delicious and healthy: it’s not too sweet or buttery, but it’s studded with dark chocolate so you’re not missing any decadence. A mix of flours keeps the texture balanced.

Ingredients:
  • 4 ripe bananas
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees and coat a 9″x5″ loaf pan with cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas using a fork until they are the consistency of applesauce, then stir in the egg, vanilla, and maple syrup.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the banana mixture and mix until fully combined, then gently fold in the chocolate chunks and walnuts.
  4. Spoon the batter into the loaf pan, then bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the banana bread from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days or in the fridge up to 5 days.

Ma Po Tofu, Version Two

Posted on

I’m a fiend for ma po tofu. It’s easily one of my favorite Chinese dishes of all time. Actually, it’s one of my favorite dishes, period. My original version isn’t particularly authentic but is loosely adapted from one of the OGs of Chinese-American cooking, Bay Area legend Martin Yan himself.

This version, however, tastes closer to something you might find in a Sichuanese restaurant. Both are spicy, comforting, and perfect over a bowl of rice.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
  • 4 ounces ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons zha cai (preserved radish), minced
  • 2 tablespoons doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste)
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 1 16-ounce package silken tofu, diced into large bite-size pieces
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
  • Steamed rice, for serving
  1. Heat the avocado oil in a wok over high heat. When the oil is smoking hot, add the Sichuan peppercorns. Stir-fry for 5 seconds, until fragrant, then add the ground beef. Stir-fry and brown the beef, about 3 minutes, then add the ginger, garlic, and preserved radish to the wok.
  2. After about 1 minute, add the doubanjiang and Shaoxing wine and stir, then add the chicken stock; mixture should be saucy, like a ragu. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 3 minutes. Add the tofu to the wok and gently stir to not break up the tofu pieces. After 4 minutes, add the green onions to the wok, gently mix, and serve warm with rice.

Nasi Lemak (the Easy Version)

Posted on

Nasi lemak is a Malaysian breakfast staple but I love it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I already have a knockout nasi lemak recipe but it’s time-consuming, and sometimes I want a shortcut without sacrificing flavor. This version saves you the trouble from making your sambal ikan bilis base from scratch, and you can make many of the components ahead of time, too.

Ingredients:

For the coconut rice:

  • 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt

For the sambal ikan bilis:

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1/2 cup dried anchovies
  • 1/2 cup sliced shallot
  • 1/4 cup chili garlic sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons lime juice
  • Salt

To serve:

  • 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
  • 2 cucumbers, sliced on an angle
  • Dry-roasted peanuts
  1. Make the coconut rice: combine the rice, water, coconut milk, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt in a rice cooker and cook according to rice cooker instructions. Let stand 10 minutes, then fluff the rice and keep warm.
  2. Make the sambal ikan bilis: heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the anchovies and let them sizzle in the oil, stirring until they are golden and crisp, about 3 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary so the fish does not burn. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon. Add the shallot to the pan, return the heat to medium, and cook the shallot in the oil until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
  3. Return the anchovies to the pan and stir in the chili garlic sauce. Stir in the sugar and lime juice. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Season with salt if needed.
  4. Assemble the dish: pack a small bowl with coconut rice and invert onto a plate. Garnish with quartered eggs, a scoop of sambal ikan bilis, cucumber slices, and peanuts.

Seven-Layer Bean Dip

Posted on

Remember the ’90s? “Ethnic” food meant Chinese chicken salad, fajitas, and various ~pizza creations~. Everyone’s so creative!

That being said, I’m nostalgic for some of the finer culinary delights the 1990s offered us. Pasta salad, imitation crab in everything, and seven-layer bean dip should have come with us to the new millennium. Even though bean dips are not as ubiquitous as they once were, there’s no reason why you can’t easily recreate it at home. Serve this with chips and you’ll wonder why we still don’t wear hypercolor and fanny packs with everything.

Ingredients:
  • 1 15-ounce can refried beans
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 1 cup chunky salsa
  • 1 cup guacamole
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 3-ounce can sliced black olives, drained
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • Tortilla chips, to serve
  1. Combine beans and jalapeno and spread onto a 12-inch casserole dish. Layer the salsa, guacamole and sour cream over beans. Sprinkle with olives, cheese, tomato and green onions.
  2. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.