Spork on Penn Ave has added a truly stunning option to their elegant and immersive 'One' dinner experience. On Mondays, the entire meal focuses on an amazing array of fresh and fermented vegetables stemming from their kitchen garden, and offered at a lower price point. As with the traditional One by Spork dinner, the vegetarian experience comes with a complement of many unique and highly pleasurable courses -- each including its own amazingly creative drink pairings. The non-alcoholic option is just as exquisitely crafted as the wine or cocktail pairings. The fulfilling flavors and colors of each and every dish, from appetizer bites to dessert and each of the five main courses in between, will certainly keep us coming back for more!
One of our classic meals for a weekend in the mountains is simple and satisfying. Who can resist dunking a perfectly grilled buttery sandwich filled with stretchy Annato-stained cheese into a smooth, rich bowl of tomato soup? The key for maximum enjoyment lies in the canned tomatoes and the bread used. Read on to learn which brands yield the very best versions of grilled cheese in tomato soup.
| Tomato soup garnished with scallion blossoms; Grilled colby cheese sandwiches on Giant Eagle peppercorn-parmesan bread. |
The March 2008 issue of Taunton's Fine Cooking magazine focused on classic comfort foods ranging from macaroni & cheese and roasted chicken to silky tomato soups and chocolate ganache, and even how to make French bread at home. Each recipe gave some basic techniques and variations of sauces or toppings to customize the flavor. While my family voted thumbs down on Creamy Tomato Soup with Basil Coulis, and we developed our signature Mac & Cheese from another source, the Classic Tomato Soup from this issue was a keeper.
Crisp, fresh green beans play well with salty, tangy pickled Chinese long beans. Add a spicy punch from dried red er jing tiao peppers and crispy, smoky mushroom bits for a colorful dish that pleases the eye and palate. This beautiful dish paired just as well with a Chinese dinner of mapo tofu and General Tso’s cauliflower/tofu as it did with an creamy, rich pan of Mac and cheese made with extra sharp cheddar and flowerlike campanelle pasta.
One of the most popular Chinese-American dishes, General Tso's chicken with its spicy, sweet-tart umami-laden bites is in many ways emblematic of the American experience. Five years ago I started an empty-nester blog, so my adult kids could easily find beloved recipes when inspired into the future, working in chow-friendly hikes and travel tips along the way. After I had crossed the globe perfecting my son's favorite dish, my daughter initiated an annual Veguary challenge. While General Tso's tofu seemed a natural variation, it took a few years to develop a technique to create perfectly textured bites that maximize flavor and satisfaction. A multicultural fusion come back around, just in time for America's birthday. Happy 4th of July!
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| Love2Chow General Tso's Tofu |
The initial version of General Tso's chicken, 左宗棠雞 (Zuǒ zōng táng jī) in Chinese was invented in Taiwan by a 20th century refugee chef, who had fled the totalitarian government born out of his province before the "bamboo curtain" fell. The bold, spicy and sour flavors characteristic of Hunan food was fused to an American love for boneless, sugar-glazed fried chicken nuggets by Chinese-American immigrant chefs in New York City, and General Tso's chicken was born.
Adapting new ingredients and local tastes, while preserving elements of remembered traditions form an important part of the American immigration story.
From Meso-American tamales that might have substituted corn husks for bamboo leaves after the first humans crossed the land bridge, to the infinite variation of flatbreads and dumplings enveloping regional fillings, some similarities might be due to convergent evolution of independently developed food ideas, but more often than not reflect peaceful cultural exchanges over the millenia. No one can deny the impact of American plants -- chocolate, vanilla, chilies, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, beans, squash -- on global cuisines. While food origins become murky as introduced foods and ideas become part of national and cultural identities, we are all enriched by these culinary linkages.
This is the quintessential American experience: the opportunity and freedom to not just tolerate, but actively share cultural traditions and create something better in the tapestry of life.
Happy Fourth of July!
Click here for Love2Chow General Tso's Chicken recipe.
Click here for Love2Chow General Tso's cauliflower recipe.
Flavors and Textures
While it was straightforward to create the desired tangy-sweet sauce with a bit of heat, for each phase of my General Tso's exploration, the difficult part was getting the texture just right. This was true for General Tso's Chicken, General Tso's Cauliflower, and General Tso's Tofu.
Fuchsia Dunlop's recipe in Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook offered the perfectly textured chicken, but I found that both versions of her sauce lacked brightness. After my daughter's first Veguary challenge (which we failed pretty quickly by forgetting that oyster sauce was not vegetarian -- we got better the second year), I thought it would be straightforward to substitute fried cauliflower or tofu for the fried chicken chunks. But this was not the case.
Inspired by Gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian, a beloved Indo-Chinese fusion dish, I was able to develop a highly satisfying vegan General Tso's cauliflower with a texture and flavor that rivaled the original.
But the tofu version eluded me.
It is truly a pleasure to come home from work to find freshly baked cookies. I still remember the day my daughter offered me these unassuming, tan cookies with small cracks across the top. My first bite revealed a luscious, moist interior with layered flavors harmonizing in my mouth like a warm embrace. Nutty brown butter, brown sugar molasses, warm cinnamon-nutmeg and spicy, smooth caramel bourbon goodness. I was instantly hooked and this became my favorite cookie, not too sweet, but warm and rich and blissful.
Although I am not naturally drawn to sweets, having family members that love to bake has shifted my tastes over the years. Originally, the only sweet I truly enjoyed was ice cream. Then I experienced daiquiri cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies, bread pudding, key lime pie -- slowly and surely I encountered more and more desserts to enjoy. For Brown Butter Bourbon Cookies, however, it was love at first bite and I could not get enough.
There are some comfort foods that are so easy and adaptable that you find yourself making them over and over again, each time a little differently. Korean Japchae, with its chewy-slippery, bronzed sweet potato noodles has become one of my favorite, quick dinners. It joins the ranks of a handful of adaptable recipes that allow me to reinvigorate leftover odds and ends into satisfying, highly enjoyed dishes. And Japchae is great served either hot or at room temperature, making it perfect for potlucks and picnics.
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| Japchae with fried tofu strips, carrots, red onion, cremini mushrooms, orange bell pepper, spinach, sesame seeds, garlic, scallions |
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| Japchae with zucchini and carrot sticks, wok-roasted eggplant, fresh purple, thai and sweet basil |
A fantastic spring dish featuring those colorful bunches of red and white radishes with vibrant greens on top! An easy, quick and satisfying vegetarian meal with bright flavors and colors. The crisp zestiness of raw radish and sumac contrast beautifully with the soft, buttery notes of browned radish and silky greens. A few crunchy almonds and sweet bits of raisin add to the culinary bliss.
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| Radish 3-ways with hazelnut brown butter couscous |
Back in the heart of the pandemic, I had some extra time to try new recipes and fell in love with the Brown Butter Couscous with Spring Vegetables on the Food52 site, by Emily C. It was a brightly colored, extremely flavorful and easily customized dish that I found myself wanting to make every time I saw a beautiful bunch of radish greens.
Because it was the greens that really caught my eye, telling me the radish roots were fresh, I was loathe to throw them away. Having learned how delicious beet greens can be, I added chopped radish greens to the spinach.
With time, I started to skip the other spring vegetables, and once I tried using za'atar instead of just plain sumac. Za'atar is fantastic sprinkled on all sorts of things, from toasted pita to roasted cauliflower to marinated chicken kababs. Of course, the first time I tried that, the thyme in the za'atar burned, so I had to modify the recipe further.
This dish has bright bold flavors and colors, with acid from the lovely red sumac and lemon juice and sharp, crisp bites of raw radish contrasting beautifully with the soft rich, burnished melt-in-your-mouth wedges of radish wedges browned in butter. A few crunchy almonds, sweet bits of raisin, and optional bursts of feta cheese add to the culinary bliss.
Easy Green Chile Stuffed Poblano Peppers: Low-carb, Gluten-free and Highly Adaptable
October 06, 2022
This easy stuffed poblano pepper is robustly satisfying, flavored with green enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. The recipe is straightforward and highly adaptable, based on what vegetables are fresh and in season. It is equally good enjoyed as a vegetarian meal or stuffed with your choice of ground meats. No tortillas needed for that great enchilada flavor, and it plates up beautifully for company.
| A farmers market bounty is transformed into poblanos stuffed with pork, corn, chopped poblano, tomatillo, shallots & garlic with a fresh tomatillo salsa instead of the top layer of cheese. |
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| Stuffed poblanos with turkey, tomato, chopped poblano, garlic and onion. Topped with a browned, bubbly layer of mozzarella and garnished with cilantro and dill blossoms |
I discovered this wonderful recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen for Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey back in 2016, when I was doing the South Beach 2-week low-carb insulin-reset diet. It was so hearty and satisfying, that I find myself making variations of this recipe over the years using ingredients that I have on-hand. The dish does not require precise measurements, but regardless of variations, it always comes out beautiful and delicious. In fact, you don't even need to have poblanos or ground turkey to have an impressive, easy and satisfying meal.
The basics
To make a variation of this delicious dish, you just have to have a few ingredients on on hand, namely, some sort of stuffable pepper, mushrooms or meat for the filling, and enchilada sauce.
Peppers
While the original recipe called for two large and one small poblano chile, I have made this with four poblanos or five poblanos, orange or yellow bell peppers, Hatch chiles or a combination of different chiles.
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| Poblanos and Orange Bell Peppers stuffed with cremini mushrooms, hatch chile, shallots, the rest of the bell pepper and a mix of pizza cheese blend and sharp cheddar for delicious vegetarian version. |
When using poblanos, at least one chile is chopped up to add to the filling. When using bell pepper, I cut the pepper vertically to get two nice, cup shaped pieces from each pepper, and then chop up the remaining parts of the pepper to use in the filling.
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| A farmers market bounty with fresh poblanos, tomatillos, cilantro and scallion being washed. |
When the weather turns cool, nothing is more satisfying than a nice bowl of chili. And a chili bar certainly makes for stress-free entertaining, accommodating vegan, carnivore and everyone in between! These four chili recipes -- chipotle black bean chili, white bean chicken chili, chipotle red and white chili with sausage, and a hearty vegetarian chili -- have become our go-to recipes over the decades They are simple, wholesome, delicious and adaptable.
2 1/2 cups dried kidney beans, soaked overnight in 2-3" of water to cover
Three of the four chili recipes below utilize canned beans as a shortcut. The fourth was the very first chili we tried making, and perhaps the most popular. With an Instant Pot, the whole world of interesting beans becomes available. We enjoy heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo, and have made most of the quick chilis also using dried beans. During the summer, feel free to add in any fresh peppers that you find!
Toppings for chili are limited only by your imagination. Some of our favorites include:
•shredded cheese (sharp cheddar, jack, crumbled cojita)
•scallions
•cilantro
•avocado
•lime juice
•cooked chopped bacon
•chopped red or yellow onion
•Sriracha sauce
•Cholula sauce
•Sarasota Heat hot sauce
•Texas Pete hot sauce
•tortilla chips
•plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional: mix in a tsp of lime juice or ranch seasoning to taste)
Vegetable Chili (Vegan except for optional toppings)
The chopped vegetables in this chili make for such hearty bites that no one ever notices that it is vegetarian, and it usually disappears first. If no one has dietary restrictions, we usually do not label it. More recently, we have noticed that if we do label it to accommodate our vegan friends, then some people do not let themselves have the chance to enjoy it. What a strange phenomenon.
Dried kidney beans are the base for this chili, but I recently made it with a blend of pinto beans and kidney beans to a nice visual effect. The array of vegetables was inspired by the Vegetarian Chili in Chili Madness by Jane Butel, but I use a different method of thickening the chili and a different set of seasonings.
Shortcut to the printable Love2Chow recipe.
Love2Chow Vegetable Chili
2 1/2 cups dried kidney beans, soaked overnight in 2-3" of water to cover
2 Tbs olive oil
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs Penzey's Chili 9000
2 Tbs Penzey's Medium Hot Chili Powder
2 tsp salt (adjust down if using chili powder with salt in it)
Optional, crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Up to 1 small can tomato paste
1 1/2 green or yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
Toppings (see above, or step 4 for suggestions)
1. In the morning, add more water to beans if necessary to keep them submerged. Test for softness. Drain and rinse when just tender, or they will start to fall apart during cooking. Transfer to a large, heavy saucepan with water to cover. Bring to boil over high head, then lower heat and continue boiling the beans, partially covered, until tender, about 1 h. Watch the water level carefully and add to keep beans in liquid.
OR add unsoaked beans to Instant Pot with 1 inch of water to cover. Cook at high pressure for 30 min in an Instant Pot, let sit for 20 min for natural release. (Cook 20 min if soaked overnight).
2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic until translucent. Add celery, carrots, tomatoes, lemon juice, and all the spices. Cook, covered, until the vegetables are nearly tender, about 10-15 min. Add the bell peppers and cook another 10 min.
3. Add the beans and the water in which they cooked. Stir thoroughly and simmer for 30 min over low heat, adding tablespoons of either tomato paste or water as necessary to achieve desired texture, stirring to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot.
| This batch of Vegetable Chili was a bit soupier due to use of Instant Pot. Next time will use less water in Instant Pot, or reserve the cooking water and not add it all to the chili. |
4. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with tortilla chips, chopped red onion, chopped scallions, avodaco slices, and lime to keep it vegan; add shredded cheddar and jack cheeses, plain yogurt spiked with lime juice or ranch seasoning for vegetarians. Add crumbled bacon or cooked sausage for the carnivores.
The next three chili recipes were modified from Superfast Suppers by Cooking Light magazine, which was published in 2002. I almost always substitute fresh garlic or onions, and it is pretty easy to use dried beans if you have time. See Love2Chow tips, below.
Chipotle Red & White Bean Chili Omit sausage for vegan.
This is one of my favorite quick chili recipes. It looks pretty, tastes great, and is simple to make. While it calls for crumbled sweet Italian sausage, I have also made it as a vegetarian chili. I had some fresh poblano chiles, cubanelle chiles and carrots from a friend's garden, which I added in with the the bell peppers, and served it with optional sausage on the side for toppings.
Shortcut to the printable recipe.
| Chipotle Red & White Bean Chili with sausage |
Chipotle Red & White Bean Chili. Serves 4, total time 20 min.
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 pound pork sausage (sweet Italian)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1-2 Tbs. Penzey's Bold Taco seasoning or 1 Tbs each Bold Taco (has salt) and Penzey's 9000 (no salt)
1 (14.5 oz) can Mexican style diced tomatoes, drained
1 (8 oz) can no-salt added tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can no salt added red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (19 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, chopped, plus 2 tsp adobe sauce from can
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Toppings (see above, or step 4 for suggestions)
1. Cook onion, sausage and peppers, Drain and return to pan.
2. Add seasoning, tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, cannellini beans, and chipotle peppers
3. Bring to boil, cover and simmer at least 5 min.
4. Serve with fresh cilantro, and optional corn bread, avocado, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
White Bean Chicken Chili
This is my husband's favorite chili to make and eat. Part of the beans are pureed to thicken this delightful creamy chili.
Shortcut to the printable recipe
White Bean Chicken Chili.
1 tsp olive oil
1 red onion (~150 g), chopped (~ 1 cup)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans - do NOT drain
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup of no salt added chicken broth
1.5 tsp Penzey's Arizona Dreaming seasoning (or other salt-free Mexican seasoning)
1 cup (4 oz w) shredded pepper jack cheese
~1/4 tsp salt, to taste
1. Saute onion and garlic in hot oil in Dutch oven until translucent.
2. Mash one can of beans with a fork. Add both mashed and unmashed beans with their water and the next three ingredients to the pot. Bring to a booil and simmer 15-20 min.
3. Add cheese, stirring constantly, until melted. Salt to taste.
4. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro, chopped green onions, plain yogurt, salsa, or crushed tortilla chips.
Chipotle Black Bean Chili (Vegan except for optional toppings)
This is my husband's favorite chili to make and eat. Part of the beans are pureed to thicken this delightful creamy chili.
Shortcut to the printable recipe.
Chipotle Black Bean Chili (makes 6 2-cup servings).
2 tsp olive oil
10 oz (w) chopped onion
3 Tbs minced garlic
3 Tbs chili powder (Penzey's medium hot chili powder is salt-free)
2 canned chipotle chiles, minced, plus 1-2 Tbs. adobo sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt or more to taste
4 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 2 cups dried, precooked)
4 (14.5 oz) cans no salt added diced tomatoes with juice
1 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles with juice
Toppings (See below)
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender about 2 min. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 min, stirring occasionally.
OR transfer sauteed onion and garlic to slow cooker, add remaining ingredients and slow cook for at least an hour. It can be kept warm and served out of the slow cooker.
Serve with toppings of choice (shredded cheddar, cilantro, scallions, onions, bacon bits, tortilla chips, hot sauce)
Freeze leftovers in 1 or 2 cup portions. As mentioned in Superfast Suppers, this can be used as a hamburger topper, or be incorporated into enchilada casseroles, turkey chili mac, chili pie with zucchini and corn under corn bread mix.
| A triple recipe of Chipotle Black Bean Chili with toppings bar |
🐾 For each 15 oz can of beans, I usually get about 1.3-1.5 cups of drained beans. Since dry beans swell about 3x, substitute 1/2 cup of dry for each 15 oz can. Or just make a bit of extra and measure out the beans after they are cooked.
🐾 Freeze cubed leftover chicken or turkey in 1 cup portions, to be pulled out when you feel like chicken chili.
🍃 When you open a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, be sure to freeze the extra peppers in an ice cube tray, with the sauce spooned on top. They usually thaw pretty quickly for chopping, or puree the whole thing and freeze tablespoons that can be added directly to the chili.
DID YOU TRY ANY OF THESE RECIPES? What is your favorite homemade chili?
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Tag @love2chowblog and hashtag it #love2chow
All photos and content © 2021.
All Rights Reserved. Contact admin@love2chow.com for permissions.
All Rights Reserved. Contact admin@love2chow.com for permissions.
This is a quick and easy soup to make, light and refreshing with emerald slivers of spinach and tiny white cubes of tofu suspended in a silky clear broth. I enjoy topping it with tiny cubes of pink Prosciutto (similar to Chinese dry cured hams) for an added punch, but it is equally enjoyable with vegan toppings such as mushrooms or chili crisp.
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| Spinach silken tofu soup in chicken broth with crisp prosciutto bits |
My father's family hails from Jiangsu, China, famed for one of the great regional cuisines of China. While growing up, I remember him talking about Lion Head Meatballs and West Lake Beef Soup. However, my parents thought the subtle and natural flavors highlighted in this style of cooking would not appeal to their American kids as much as the stronger flavored Sichuan dishes or richer Cantonese dim sum.
It was not until I was older that I realized the delicious, braised red-cooked (紅燒; hóngshāo; 'red braised') beef or chicken (which my mother simplified to be prepared so easily she named it "Lazy Chicken"), which we enjoyed so often, originated in the Su region before propagating out to other areas of China.
Thanks to Grace Young's cookbook The Breath of a Wok, I even got a chance to make my own Lion Head Meatballs, and I found that I loved the lighter flavors from my Dad's home town as highlighted in Fuchsia Dunlop's Land of Fish and Rice, as much as I liked the spicy, pickled or fermented Jiangxi dishes of my Mom's. Possibly the most famous export of this region are the Chinese Soup Dumplings or pork xiao long bao (小笼包), made famous by the Taiwan-based chain Din Tai Fong.
Similar to the famous West Lake Beef soup, this gorgeous soup gets it silky mouthfeel from just the right amount of thickening of a clear broth with a cornstarch-water mixture at the end of cooking. This recipe is based on a spinach pork soup in The Land of Fish and Rice, but I found that the pork added a distracting texture without contributing to a richer flavor.
I happened to have some fried prosciutto bits lying around from another recipe, and the meat containing version of this soup was born. Dry cured ham from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Yunnan provinces are famed for their deep, rich flavor, but are hard to find in the US. My mother used to substitute Smithfield ham. Proscuitto is not quite as flavorful, but is similar to Jinhua ham, and adds a beautiful festive color.
By eliminating the need to cook the pork, the preparation was even further simplified. Best of all the soup is easily made vegan depending on the topping selected.
We have enjoyed it with proscuitto bits, stirfried shiitake mushrooms, or simply a drizzle of Sichuan Chili Crisp or Sriracha sauce on top.
Love2Chow Chinese Spinach and Silken Tofu Soup
5-8 oz (w) of trimmed spinach, washed well
14-17 oz (w) silken tofu
1 Tbs canola oil
3-4 oz (w) prosciutto bits or mushrooms cut into 1/4 inch cubes (optional)
1/2 Tbs Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1 quart stock (chicken or vegetable)
3 Tbs cornstarch or potato starch dissolved in 4.5 Tbs of cold water
1 Tbs rendered chicken fat (optional)
Salt
Ground white pepper
1. Line up the spinach leaves and tender stems, roll up, and slice into the thinnest possible slivers. Cut the tofu into 1/4 inch cubes
2. Heat oil in a wok, Dutch oven or soup pot until it shimmers. Add proscuitto bits and/or mushroom cubes, if using, and allow to brown. Remove the bits to cool on a paper towel.
3. Stir in Shaoxing wine to deglaze the pan. Then add stock and tofu, bringing everything to a gentle boil.
4. Stir in spinach and return to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Re-stir the starch mixture until well mixed. Add 2-3 Tbs and stir in. The soup should quickly thicken. If necessary, add a Tbs at a time until the soup has a silky consistency and the bits of tofu and spinach are suspended.
6. Stir in chicken fat if using, and serve with prosciutto or other optional toppings.
Shortcut to the Love2Chow recipe.
DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE? Post comments or questions below.
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Recipe/content and photos ©2019, 2021. All Rights Reserved. Contact admin@love2chow.com for permissions.
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