Despite my love of bacon, I’ve recently found myself cooking a surprising amount of unintentionally vegan food. Meat is sadly quite pricey (especially if you’re like me and have qualms about eating factory-farmed meat with hormones and antibiotics), so I’m turning more and more to filling meals using fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, and lentils. And I’m surprised at the great flavors I can develop using these ingredients. Take, for example, this West African peanut soup. Mostly basic ingredients, but somehow combining peanut butter and tomato paste with aromatics and curry powder yields a nearly irresistible soup. Vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters alike rave about this soup.
Tag: jalapeno
Breakfast Salad
Inspired by breakfast flavors, this salad is tasty at any time of day. Bacon and eggs are, of course, crucial elements here, where they play quite nicely with bell pepper, pickled jalapeno, and preserved lemon. A warm bacon vinaigrette pulls the whole salad together. This salad can be easily adapted – I think sundried tomatoes would be a great addition (or substitution), as would fresh diced avocado.
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… Read the restRoasted Tomato Salsa
It may already be October, but my garden is still producing some last tomatoes, so I used them to make this delicious roasted tomato salsa. Popping the tomatoes (and some of the other components) in the oven adds a nice sweetness to the salsa, and I included both jalapeno and chipotle peppers to give this salsa a good spicy kick. The great thing is how truly easy this salsa is – give some veggies a rough chop, toss them in the oven, and then blend with a few other ingredients. I love having salsa around for adding to sandwiches, putting in burritos or tacos, or having with my eggs in the morning.
Vietnamese Pickles
My refrigerator is absolutely packed with homemade condiments and sauces. I love having lots of building blocks to add to the flavor of even the most basic meals. These Vietnamese pickles are a great addition to my stockpile, allowing for a twist on basic sandwiches and salads, and enabling me to create more authentic Vietnamese dishes like vermicelli noodles and banh mi sandwiches (recipes forthcoming). The carrots and daikon radish hold their crunch and are complemented by the sweet and vinegary pickling liquid. Since I like my food with a kick, I’ve also added jalapeno peppers to this recipe for a faint spicy note.