Mains

Creamy Zucchini Spaghetti

My husband and I watched CNN’s new travel porn show, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. We were immediately swept back to our favorite place on earth, though, tbh, I’ve never been to Southern Italy. Still, just hearing people speak Italian against the backdrop of the Amalfi Coast had me immediately hooked.

Easily the most memorable part of the premier episode was when they visited Lo Scoglio, a small restaurant in the seaside village of Marina del Cantone on Amalfi Coast. There, Tucci raved about his favorite zucchini spaghetti, spaghetti alla nerano. It sounded too good to not try veganizing, and by the time the episode closed out of its final staggeringly beautiful scene, I had it all planned out.

This morning, over breakfast, I spied a lone box of cannelini beans that my husband didn’t know where to store in the pantry (and thus, of course, just left on the counter hoping it would spirit itself to its rightful location, I guess). And I thought, well wouldn’t it be nice to incorporate a little healthy protein and fiber into this dish? So, I decided to jazz this pasta dish up with some beans.

And in so doing, I created one of the creamiest pastas I’ve ever made–no coconut milk, no non-dairy creamers, though yes, I did add a knob of butter, mostly because Tucci decries the fact that he was originally told the recipe had no butter, only to discover he’d been bamboozled. Anyhow, I highly recommend this recipe for an excellent mid-week meal. Because I opted to bake the zucchini in lieu of frying it, there’s a lot less work (and mess) involved, while you still get just as much flavor!

Creamy Zucchini Spaghetti

5 from 1 vote

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2 people

Ingredients

4 zucchini
3 tsp salt
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup grated non-dairy parmesan cheese
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 cup cannelini beans
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp vegan butter
1 box spaghetti

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450° F.
Slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch discs and place them into a large bowl. Add 1 tsp of salt and set aside for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini and place them onto a baking sheet. Do not overcrowd the sheet and make sure they are in one layer (use two sheets, if necessary). Drizzle with 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 13 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Allow the zucchini to cool while you prep the rest of your ingredients.
Begin cooking spaghetti until al dente. In the meantime, chop up your garlic and parsley.
In smaller container (I used a steel pot), add 2 tbsp of the baked zucchini, 2 tbsp of cannelini beans, and 4 tbsp of the water you're cooking you're pasta in. Blend with an immersion blender to create a paste.
In a large sautee pan, add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic (I also added some garlic peel which I removed before adding the rest of my ingredients). Allow the garlic to cook in the oil for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges turn brown.
When the pasta is just slightly undercooked, add it to the pan with the garlic. Add in the the cooked zucchini, the zucchini + bean paste, 1 cup pasta water, the rest of the cannelini beans, the grated parmesan cheese, as well as salt and pepper, to taste. Stir everything together over low heat.
Remove from heat and add parsley, butter, and another drizzle of olive oil before serving.

6 comments

Gluten Free Mains Traditional Korean Recipes

EZ No Chop Kimchi Fried Rice

It’s been very cold and very busy in my household these days. This means I’m usually dead tired by the time dinner rolls around and I don’t want to spend a lot of time chopping and prepping vegetables. In these situations, my favorite thing in the world is making fried rice. It’s so easy, takes so much guesswork out of cooking, and your friendly frozen vegetables become a LIFELINE to a home-cooked meal that you can be proud of (while stuffing your face).

Instead of using a knife, I use kitchen shears to cut up my kimchi into bite-sized pieces. Kitchen shears are a main-stay in Korean kitchens. Korean ahjuhmahs use them for cutting up kimchi (as pictured), scallions (as we do in this recipe), and overlong noodles that are not easily slurpable. I once got a nasty comment on my Instagram about using kitchen shears to cut up my pajeon and it was clear the person was not very familiar with Korean dining etiquette (her loss).

The sauce is also a no brainer. Literally two ingredients: soy sauce and gochujang. You can keep this entire recipe gluten free by using gluten free soy sauce and gluten free gochujang. I make it in advance so that I can add it at the end, without any fuss.

Anyhow, I made this earlier today and had to stop myself from eating the whole panful of it before I shared any with my husband it was so so so so good. It’s truly so easy there’s no excuse not to try!!

EZ No Chop Kimchi Fried Rice

5 from 3 votes

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2 people

Ingredients

1 cup kimchi
1 tbsp gochujang
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup frozen vegetables
1/3 cup JUSTEgg (or any liquid egg replacer)
2 cups cooked rice
2 scallion (green party only)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

Using kitchen shears, cut up your kimchi (if you want).
Make the sauce by mixing together gochujang and soy sauce.
Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil and 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to a non-stick pan over medium high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the kimchi. Cook for about 2 minutes, until kimchi starts to change color (gets lighter).
Add frozen vegetables. Cook for about 1 minute. Then, create a well in the center of your cooked veggies and add the liquid egg replacer.
Allow the egg to cook a little, and then begin to scramble them within the well.
Incorporate the scrambled egg into the rest of your vegetables and cook for about 2 minutes (until the egg is cooked). Create another well in the center of your vegetables and add 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Add 2 cups of cooked rice.
Cook the rice in the well for about 1 minute. Then begin mixing together with the vegetables. Cook for about 1 additional minute. Then add sauce.
Add scallion greens, sesame seeds, and sesame oil. Mix together before eating.

Video

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Entrees Food Mains Traditional Korean Recipes

Egg Sushi

I pulled out my eyebrow pencil and began filling in my grandmother’s brows. It was graduation day—after 3 years of law school, I was finally graduating. I was wearing a brand new Anne Taylor suit in all white and strappy white heels. But, Hahlmuhnee also wore her very best—a gold and Burgundy hambok, and though she didn’t ask, I knew she wanted my help with her makeup. My grandmother was born in a small village in North Korea. She never had any formal eduction. She married my grandfather, who was a poor farmer and then the Korean War happened. They became refugees. Eventually, through my mother, hahlmuhnee immigrated to the United States. Even though she never said it, she was so proud of me. At my college graduation, as I passed her in the audience to receive my diploma, she got up out of her seat and stopped me to shake my hand. After my law school ceremony, many came up to me to tell me, “Your grandmother is so beautiful!” Looking at my grandmother in her hanbok, I realized that it was as much her graduation day, as it was mine.

My husband is OBSESSED with JUSTEgg. And I’m not going to lie–having a chicken egg alternative has dramatically expanded my culinary world. There are soooooo many dishes from my childhood that became immediately accessible due to this mung-bean bit of genius. These Egg Sushi or tamago nigiri definitely bring me back to my mother’s kitchen or all those Japanese restaurants I used to go to with my family.

Quick Tips

Cool the rice a bit before you try to shape it. Otherwise, you will not only burn your hands, but you will have a hard time keeping the rice from sticking. You may even want to wet your hands a little to avoid the sticky rice situation.
You absolutely need to use a non-stick pan to make the gyerranmari (Korean word for omelet, but also known as tamago, in Japanese). If you try using any other pan–particularly if this is you’re first time trying this technique–you will get very frustrated.
You do NOT need to use a square pan; however, you do want to use a smaller pan, so achieve similar dimensions. Just slice off the ends (which won’t be as neat as when you use a square pan) and eat them, instead of using them for your nigiri.
You will also want to cool, slightly, the gyerranmari before slicing into it. Otherwise, the cheese will completely ooze right out and it will be too hot to handle.

Egg Sushi

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

2 cups rice
1/2 tbsp mirin
1/2 rice wine vinegar
10 strips roasted nori
1 carrot (small dice)
2 scallions (chopped)
1/2 jalapeño (small diced)
3/4 container justegg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 slice non-dairy cheese

Instructions

Add mirin and rice wine vinegar to rice and mix to incorporate.
Shape the rice into ovals, about the length of an egg, but not as wide.
Cut approximately 10 strips of roasted nori, each roughly 1/3 inch thick.
Add carrots, scallions, jalapeno, salt, and pepper to JUSTEgg and stir. Add oil to a nonstick pan (see notes below) over medium heat and pour approximately 1/2 of the mixture. Add 1/3 of a slice of cheese.
Once the JUSTEgg is nearly cooked, begin curling it (watch the video). When it is fully rolled up, push the roll back to the other end of the pan (the end you started rolling).
Pour 1/2 of the remaining amount of JUSTEgg mixture and repeat (i.e., add cheese, roll, and push back).
Pour the remaining amount of JUSTEgg mixture and repeat.
Slice the omelet into 1/4 inch slices. Place them on top of the rice ovals you made earlier in the recipe. Wrap them with the strips of nori.

Notes

For a list of my favorite pots, pans, and other stovetop items, including the pan I used for this recipe, check out “Stuff I Love: On the Stovetop“!

4 comments

Mains Traditional Korean Recipes

Yubuchobap

I don’t believe in soulmates. Or, love at first sight. I don’t believe in swooning or spooning, excessive employment of the words “love” or “need” or “passion.” I believe in hard work. I believe in discipline, even in love—especially, in love. I believe in being on time, picking up the tab, sending flowers to someone whose mother is sick, being quiet and listening even when it’s your turn to talk. I believe that chance encounters only offer us a chance to be kind, because kindness is the most importantly underrated thing. I believe in forgiveness, in peeling back the skin and taking a real good look at the wounds resting beneath the surface, because it’s so goddamn critical to understand the pain of the earth. I believe in the way he held my hand last night when I had a nightmare until I fell back asleep, the way my poodle shakes her butt when I come home until I kiss her nose, I believe in the traffic lights that slip into my bedroom at 3 in the morning because they tell me, quite desperately, that the world is too large to be alone.

Believe it or a not, the above is a shortened version of my OkCupid profile–the same one that lured my now husband to message me and ask me out on a date. I made these yubuchobap while my husband was out running, because I figured with all the rice and the tofu, it’s sort of the perfect post-run meal. I suppose the fact that he scarfed them down in less than 3 minutes is proof that he enjoyed them!

Quick Tips

Make sure to adequately cool the rice before you try to start shaping them into balls. If you don’t, you’ll not only burn your hands, but the rice will be too sticky to shape.
Speaking of sticky, keep a bowl of water nearby so that you can wet your hands to avoid having the rice stick to them throughout this process.

Yubuchobap

5 from 1 vote

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2 people

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 bag frozen veggies
salt and pepper
1/2 container JUSTEgg
3 servings cooked rice
1 tbsp mirin
1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
deep fried tofu pockets

Instructions

Add olive oil to a large saute pan. When the oil is hot, add the frozen vegetables, together with some salt and pepper.
When the vegetables are soft, add the JUSTEgg and begin scrambling until eggs are cooked (around 2 minutes).
In a separate large bowl, add cooked rice, together with mirin and rice vinegar, as well as the scrambled eggs, and both kinds of toasted sesame seeds.
Place the rice in the refrigerator until it has cooled enough to handle. Then, roll the rice into golf balls.
Stuff the rice balls into the tofu pockets. Sprinkle with additional sesame seeds before serving.

3 comments

Mains Traditional Korean Recipes

Steamed Kimchi Buns

One of the best parts of going to HMart when it first opened its doors here in Illinois was undoubtedly the Korean food court. In place of Sbarro’s and Panda Express were diminutive eateries advertising Jjajangmyun and Kimbap. It was like Korean food HEAVEN. There were so many choice, but for me, I started very meal at the food court with Steamed Buns. There was a beautiful dumpling (“mandoo”) shop at the far end of the food court, and while my brother and cousins lingered by the noodle restaurant or the bakery, I always made a beeline for the dumplings.

I went back after going vegan and of course, was sad to learn that I could no longer enjoy their buns. So, I decided it was high time to make my own and the results were GLORIOUS.

Now, not gonna lie—this is a labor intensive recipe. You will spend a couple hours putting these babies together, but you get a total of 16 buns and they will taste so delicious, you’ll wonder why you never bothered trying this before. At least, that was the reaction I had. What is they say? Necessity is the mother of all invention?

Here are a few tips to make this recipe really come together for you:

Use ingredients YOU like for your filling, but be mindful of excessive moisture. You don’t want a totally SOGGY filling. That is why we press the tofu, here.
Adding a tablespoon of soup (or light) soy sauce really brings the flavors alive in your filling.
Use a food processor on the vegetables, saving your poor hand and wrists from carpal tunnel.
Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into discs (I had a huge one, but a nice small one would be perfect)—the thinner they are, the harder they will be to fill without tearing, BUT, the more delicious they will be!

Steamed Kimchi Buns

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Ingredients

1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 cups flour
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
salt
pepper
1 16 ounce block extra firm tofu pressed
1 teaspoon plus 1 Tablepsoon sesame oil
5-6 cloves garlic just peeled
1 shallot (or 1/4 onion) chopped
1 carrot chopped
5-6 mushrooms chopped
1 potato chopped
2-3 leaves red cabbage chopped
3 whole scallions chopped
1/2 cup kimchi
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon soup (light) soy sauce
1 cup vermicelli noodles cooked

Instructions

Add the yeast and sugar to the cup of hot water and set it aside to “proof.”
Add the flour, vegetable oil, and a pinch of salt to a large bowl. Next, add the proofed yeast mixture and begin stirring everything with a wooden spoon (or your hands) until a dough forms.
Knead the dough for approximately 5 minutes. Shape it into a smooth ball. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil to the bottom of your bowl and place the dough ball in the bowl and cover it with a towel. Set it aside in a warm place for approximately 1 hour, until the dough doubles in size.
In the meantime, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to a large pan. When the oils are hot, add the garlic, shallot, carrot, mushrooms, potato, cabbage, scallions, and kimchi to the pan.
Cook the vegetables for about 2 minutes and then add 1 tablespoon of the soup (light) soy sauce. Cook for an additional 7 to 8minutes, until the vegetables are nice and softened.
Add the vegetables to a food processor, together with 1 cup of cooked vermicelli noodles. Grind the vegetables and noodles until they are the size of a small pebbles.
Place the vegetable filling back into a bowl and add the pressed tofu, using your hands to break the tofu apart. Incorporate the tofu into the vegetables. Set the filling aside in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
When the dough has proofed for about an hour, punch the dough to release excess gas. Knead the dough for about 1 minute and roll it back into a nice smooth ball. Place it back into its bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rest for another 35 minutes.
Once the dough has completed its second “proof,” knead the dough once more for about 1 minute and then divide it into 16 equal pieces.
Using a rolling pin, flatten a small piece into a round disc, about the size of your hand. Place the disc on your hand, scoop about 2 tablespoons of the filling onto the disc, and then fold and pinch the edge of the disc, until the filling has been completely enclosed.
Place the ball, seal side down, and roll it between your hands to smoothen the seal. Place the bun on a square of parchment paper and into your steamer, while you repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
Allow the buns to proof for an additional 20 minutes beforesteaming. Steam them for 20 minutes.

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Mains Traditional Korean Recipes

Spicy & Crunchy Garlic Tofu (Kkanpoong Tofu)

Why Did I Veganize This Dish?

I came up with this Spicy & Crunchy Garlic Tofu recipe because it needed to happen. Like, there was a gaping maw in the universe that could only be filled once this recipe was created.

Ok, putting to one side my illusions of grandeur, let’s just say that this recipe was borne out nostalgia. Growing up, my family and I would go to this Korean-Chinese restaurant in K-Town called Great Seas. Great Seas was absolutely famous for its chicken wings, or Kkanpoongi. Their walls were covered in photos of happy dinners who set and broke the “how many wings can you eat in one sitting” challenge, and it was no secret why. Their sauce was so good, it was jarred, labeled, and sold by the gallon. My family would go to Great Seas for all sorts of special occasions—birthdays, graduations, the day after a juice fast. When I went vegan, I knew I would basically never be able to eat anything at Great Seas again, so I set out to veganize it. And boy, was I ELATED with the results!

Put simply, this is literally the BEST EVER tofu recipe I’ve ever made and I’m pretty sure it’ll be the same for you!

My Tricks For Making This Recipe.

Make sure to press your extra firm tofu to remove excess liquid. This will ensure your tofu chunks are nice and crunchy.
Use potato starch in lieu of corn starch or flour to not only keep this dish gluten free, but to make your tofu extra crispy.
Use my favorite gluten free soy sauce in order to keep this entire recipe gluten free!
Use vegetable oil in lieu of extra virgin olive oil in order to ratchet up the heat.
Make sure not to allow the crunchy tofu bites to sit in the sauce too long before serving—the longer they sit in the sauce, the softer they will become.
Serve with rice and water—this dish is SPICY!!

Other dishes to try:

Spicy & Crunchy Garlic Tofu (Kkanpoong Tofu)

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

1 16 ounce block extra firm tofu pressed and chopped into 1/2 inch bite sized chunks
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons potato starch plus 1 extra teaspoon
7 cloves garlic minced
1/4 red onion diced
2 Korean green chilis, sliced can sub seeded jalapenos
2 whole scallions white parts chopped, green parts sliced on a bias
1 Tablespoon gochagaru
1-1 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 Tablespoon mirin can leave out if you don't have any
4+1 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/8 cup dried red chilis can leave out if you don't have any
1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

To a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of potato starch to tofu chunks. Gently toss the tofu to make sure they are all evenly coated. Set aside.
Prep your vegetables by mincing the garlic, dicing the onion, slicing the Korean chilis, and chopping up the scallions.
Prepare the sauce by mixing together gochugaru, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, mirin, and 1 teaspoon of potato starch. Set aside.
To a very large non-stick pan, add 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. When oil is very hot, add coated tofu chunks in one layer,making sure they are not touching each other. If they touch, they will stick to one another.
Cook the tofu and flip them one by one, until they are brown on all sides (approximately 7 minutes). Remove the tofu chunks from the pan and set them aside on a cooling rack to drain the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining tofu.
When all of the tofu has been fried, in the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add the garlic, onions, chilis, and scallions and saute the vegetables until the garlic starts to brown.
Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the sauce, stirring it with a wooden spoon until it reduces down into a thick sauce (approximately 30 seconds). Turn off the heat.
Gently add back the fried tofu and stir everything together, so that the tofu chunks are evenly coated in your sauce.
Garnish the tofu with ½ tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

6 comments

Entrees Gluten Free Mains

Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw

Why This Black Bean Burger Recipe is Worth Trying

This Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw recipe is one that I’ve worked and reworked for years until I could honestly say that it is the best black bean burger I’ve ever eaten. I have been eating black bean burgers ever since I went vegan (four years ago). The overwhelming majority of the black bean burgers I’ve eaten, while flavorful, lack any sort of real texture. I don’t care how much umami you inject into something—if it’s just a big ball of mush in your mouth, it’s not going to taste great. So, over the years, I’ve employed all sorts of little tricks to maximize flavor while also maintaining texture.

I Hate Black Bean Burgers That Fall Apart, Don’t You?

I don’t know about you, but I hate food that is difficult to eat. It’s one of the reasons I always steered clear of “wings”—I hated getting my hands so messy. Korean cuisine is actually a fairly neat affair—from the eater’s point of view. The use of chopsticks facilitates precision and minimal touching of food, unless of course you want to (like when you’re eating lettuce wraps or rice cakes). It thus always drove me CRAZY whenever I bit into a sandwich or burger and the insides simply oozed out the sides and onto my plat or, worse, my lap.

You Can Watch Me Make a Version of These on my Instagram

So, these Black Bean Burgers with Slaw incorporate all my little tricks, some of which I picked up from veteran cooks, to make sure each bite is satisfying and bursting with flavor. I remember the first time I made these on my Instagram stories (tKV 14 in my Highlights), everyone was AGOG at the “CRUNCH” they heard when I bit into it. When I made these for my husband last night (after wrapping up a Chibo class on how to make these), my husband commented, “MAN!! These are the BEST!!” And let me tell you, he is a right old connoisseur of black bean burgers (it’s one of his favorite foods).

Live Testimonials From Folks Who’ve Tried This Recipe

Here’s a little clip from my Chibo class, where some of the participants raved about this Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw:

Summary of My “Tricks”

I know a lot of you weren’t able to join the class (they sell out pretty quickly). So, I thought I’d put down the recipe here, so that you could try it for yourself. Here is a brief summary of my tricks:

Roast the beans in the oven until they split apart, to dry them out and add texture.
Add walnuts (toasted if you want!) to provide a little extra fat and bite.
Bind the patties with aquafaba (the bean juice left in the can).
Add onions and garlic sauteed with soy sauce for extra umami.
Dredge the patties in potato starch and coat with bread crumbs for CRUNCH.
Top burgers with vegan cheese, caramelized onions, and a slaw to add extra texture and balance out the flavors with a little acidity.

And with all that, you should be more than READY to have the Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw of your ever-loving life. So, have at it!!

Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

1 can black beans with liquid
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 large red onion
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce use tamari to stay gluten free
salt
pepper
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/4 cup walnuts
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 Tablespoon onion powder
1/2 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup bread crumbs regular or gluten free
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 small carrots
2 small cucumbers
5-6 leaves red cabbage
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
4 slices vegan cheese
4 hamburger buns vegan/gluten free

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
Empty 1 can of beans into colander over a bowl to collect the liquid. Donot discard liquid.
Once beans are fully drained, spread them in one layer on baking sheet. Place in oven for ~13 mins, until beans begin to split apart.
Chop up 1/2 onion and 3 cloves garlic. Saute with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper. When onions start to brown, deglaze pan with 11/2 tbsp soy sauce and ½ tbsp of maple syrup.
Set aside 1/2 sauteed onions. Place remaining half in food processor and pulse 3-4 times. Dump into a large bowl.
Add 1/3 cup of walnuts to food processor and pulse 5-6 times and place in large bowl with onions.
When beans are cooked and out of the oven, place in food processor and pulse ~15-17 times until they have consistency of small pebbles. Add to large bowl.
Add rice, 1-2 tbsp potato starch, 1/2 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp garlic powder, ½ tbsp chili powder and 2 tbsp reserved liquid from can of beans.
Mix with a spoon or your hands until a "dough" forms. Quarter the dough and divide into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into a thin patty.
Dredge each patty in potato starch, coat with reserved bean liquid, and then coat with bread crumbs. Set aside in refrigerator.
Julienne 1 carrot, ½ cucumbers, and 2-3 cabbage leaves and place in a large bowl. Add 1 tbsp mustard and 1 tbsp maple syrup, together with salt and pepper. Mix.
Add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat.When pan is hot, add patties (do not crowd pan).
Cook for ~5 mins and flip. Add cheese to each patty. Cook on stovetop with lid on the pan to melt cheese OR place in the oven at 450 degrees F for 3-4 minutes.
Assemble by adding patty to bun, topped with caramelized onions and slaw. Serve with your favorite side dish (fries, duh).

2 comments

Entrees Gluten Free Mains

The Notorious “RBG”: Rice, Beans, and Greens

beans, rice, broccoli and collard greens together on white plate with gold trim

Simple, humble and nutritious describes this dish perfectly! Greens combine with beans and rice for a nutritional powerhouse.

I named this very simple and humble dish of rice, beans, and greens for one of my favorite Supreme Court Justices, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. I think it’s very telling and NOT a coincidence that her initials are also the initials of the one of the healthiest and nutritional bowls of food I like to eat.

As many of you may already know, I’m an attorney by day (and often night). I’ve been a practicing trial lawyer for 16 years, now. I have been to court hundreds of times (I actually just did a trial from my bedroom during quarantine not too long ago—what was weird). And while times have certainly changed since RBG was just starting out and even appointed to the bench, I’m often the only woman, still, in a courtroom full of men.

beans,rice, broccoli, collard greens on plate with gold trim

Take, for example, the trial I was in earlier this year. Between the witnesses, the judge, and the other lawyers, there was a total of 12 men and 1 woman (me). I wonder, often, how this is possible, when more than half the students in my law school class were women, when more than half the candidates selected for internships at my law firm were women, when more than half the interns that were hired for full time positions were women.

I don’t know.

But that’s a rabbit hole that’s I don’t need to drop into right now. Suffice it to say that I admire Justice Ginsberg for spending a lifetime being the “only woman” in thousands of courtrooms, boardrooms, and war-rooms.

Which is why I named one of my favorite dishes for her!

Why is this one of my favorite dishes? Well, I think it’s obvious what qualifies something as a “favorite” for the TKV:

–Delicious

–Nutritious

–Stupid simple to make

This recipe hits all three of the above in a major way. The beans have a smokiness that will remind you of your favorite Chipotle dish and the broccoli have a little sweetness that will make you think of Chinese takeout. But this dish has minimal oil, while being packed with fiber and antioxidants. So the next time you want to end the day with a bang, give this Notorious RBG: Rice, Beans, and Greens a whirl!

Simple, humble and nutritious describes this dish perfectly! Greens combine with beans and rice for a nutritional powerhouse.
I named this very simple and humble dish of rice, beans, and greens for one of my favorite Supreme Court Justices, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. I think it’s very telling and NOT a coincidence that her initials are also the initials of the one of the healthiest and nutritional bowls of food I like to eat.

I don’t know.

Which is why I named one of my favorite dishes for her!

Why is this one of my favorite dishes? Well, I think it’s obvious what qualifies something as a “favorite” for the TKV:

–Delicious

–Nutritious

–Stupid simple to make

The Notorious “RBG”: Rice, Beans, and Greens

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Ingredients

2 cups brown rice cooked
1 can black beans drained
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
salt
pepper
2 teaspoon maple syrup divided
1 Tablesppon extra virgin olive oil
1 head broccoli chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil
34 leaves collard greens chopped

Instructions

In a small pot, add black beans together with ½ clove of minced garlic and all the different spices (chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground turmeric, salt, and pepper). Let it cook for about 5 minutes, until beans are hot.
In the meantime, to two large pans, add ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil, each. To one pan, add collard greens and some minced garlic. To the other pan, add broccoli and minced garlic.
Add salt and pepper to both pans. When collard greens are cooked (usually takes 2 minutes), remove from heat and set aside.
When broccoli is fully cooked (usually takes 3-4 minutes), remove from heat and add 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp maple syrup. Stir to make sure broccoli is evenly coated.
Add everything to a bowl and serve [with kimchi].

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Gluten Free Mains Pasta and Noodles

Six Ingredient Simple Onion Pasta (Gluten Free)

Simple, delicious and ready to go in minutes? That’s how this simple onion pasta rolls!

This Simple Onion Pasta recipe is the perfect meal for after a long day of work, when the carbs and brain cells have been depleted from your body [basically every day for me]. One of the reasons I love this recipe is that it demonstrates how deliciously simple some of the best recipes can be. This recipe requires so few ingredients (just 6!!) and takes only 20 minutes to make, but ends up tasting like you’ve been cooking all day long.

The secret to this dish are the onions. Ok, I guess since this is “Onion Pasta,” it’s not really a secret. But, hear me out. I use two kinds of onions for this dish—both white and red—in order to maximize flavor. I guess the REAL star to this ingredient is patience. I know, what a boring ingredient, but it’s so true. This is one of those recipes that will taste so much better if you just let the onions sit in their own juices and get caramelized with their own sugars. The more you agitate them, the less likely you will achieve that glorious flavor.

Many people like to use a thickening agent to thicken their pasta sauces. But, not me. I like to use pasta water to do that job. You’ll find that pasta water can create light broths when poured over some toasted garlic, and do all the thickening you need without using ingredients like corn starch, cashews, or butter. Plus, it’s the way the Italians do it! Once you get used to adding pasta water to your favorite pasta dishes, you will never go back, trust me.

I’ve made this dish so often, only because it requires so little effort for the amount of deliciousness involved. So, the next time you have a couple of onions in your house and you don’t know what to do with them, give this Simple Onion Pasta a try. You will NOT be disappointed!

Six Ingredient Simple Onion Pasta (Gluten Free)

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

1/2 red onion julienned
1/2 white onion julienned
3 cloves garlic minced
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 box Gluten free spaghetti
parsley for garnish

Instructions

Begin cooking pasta according to instructions on box.
In a large pan over medium high heat, add extra virgin olive oil.
When oil is hot, add onions. Allow them to cook with relatively little agitation for about 3 minutes. Then add garlic and salt.
Continue cooking garlic and onions, not stirring minimally, until onions begin to brown (an additional 4-5 minutes). Add more salt.
When onions are fairly brown, take 1 ladleful or ¼ cup of the water from your cooking pasta (“pasta water”) and add to cooking onions. Reduce heat. When the sauce has reduced completely, add an additional ¼ cup of pasta water.
Add cooked pasta to the onions and incorporate into the onions. Add additional pasta water as necessary if pasta is too dry.
Garnish with a little more olive oil and fresh parsley.

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