Breakfast

• Down-Home Buckwheat Pancakes Recipe | Bob’s Red Mill (bobsredmill.com)
  • Super easy way to use up buckwheat. I don’t always have milk, so I sometimes just add watered down yogurt.

Mains

• The Best Lasagna Recipe {Simple & Classic} (simplyrecipes.com)
  • This recipe worked really well. I would probably do half beef/half Italian sausage next time.
• Sheet Pan Pork Chops With Brussels Sprouts — Baking with Josh & Ange (bakingwithjoshandange.com)
  • My oven doesn’t get very hot, but I still overcooked the pork. I think six minutes on each side might be enough, even at 350F.
• Beef and Burdock Takikomi Rice
  • This recipe was super easy in a rice cooker. The best part is that you can clean up while it cooks. Going to be making this a lot during the winter.

Noodles

• Creamy Gochujang Mushroom Udon
  • This recipe was great. I made a single serving but kept the mushrooms the same. They need to be sautéed for a lot longer than 3-4 minutes to get them to brown. Adjust the amount of gochujang for your spice level.
• Soy Milk Kimchi Udon
  • Super easy recipe from a Japanese site. Unfreeze some frozen udon in warm water, drain it and set aside. Saute 100g of kimchi in sesame oil. Add 300ml of soy milk, 2 tbsp sesame paste, and bring to boil. Add a bit of dashi, soy sauce, and gochujang to taste. Bring to a boil. Add udon and then let it boil for 2 minutes and then serve.

Soups and Stews

• Moroccan Chicken and Cauliflower Stew | Better Homes & Gardens (bhg.com)
  • This recipe makes a ton. Buy cheaper cauliflower next time.
• 圧力鍋で加圧1分☆根菜の味噌汁 by 四児のハハ 【クックパッド】 簡単おいしいみんなのレシピが350万品 (cookpad.com)
  • Reliable miso soup recipe. Don’t overdo it with the amount of daikon and carrots.
• Collard Greens & Chorizo Soup with Black Eyed Peas
  • Pretty easy recipe. I used 1/2lbs of chorizo the first time. It needs the full pound.
• Roberto
  • Of course.

Vege/Vegan

• Thai Coconut Red Lentil Soup
  • Super easy and reliable. Don’t forget the cilantro.
• Kali Dal (Rooted in Spice)
  • Ingredients: 1 cup black lentils, 3 cups water, 2 green chilis, 1 inch ginger grated, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander powder, salt. Add these ingredients to pot, cook for 20 mins unless you’re soaking lentils beforehand in which case 15 mins. For tempered spices, 1 tbsp ghee, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 small onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 large tomato; start with cumin seeds, then add onion, then garlic and chili powder, then tomatoes. Add into lentils after they cook.
• Garlic Spinach Dal (Rooted in Spice)
  • Ingredients: 1 cup split green moong dal, 4 cups water, 1 large tomato diced, 3 green chilis, 1/2 inch ginger, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander powder, salt to taste, 2 cups frozen spinach. Add to Instant Pot, cook for 7 mins. In a small pan, 1 tbsp ghee or avocado oil, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 6 cloves garlic, 1/4 tsp red chili powder, 1 dried red chili, juice of one lime. In a small pan heat ghee/oil, cook cumin seeds then add garlic and red chili powder. Add to dal then add lime juice and mix.
• Khichdi (Rooted in Spice)
  • Lentils blend: 1 cup split green moong, 1 cup yellow split pigeon peas (arhar/toor), 1/2 cup red lentils (masoor), 1/2 cup yellow moong, 1/2 cup white lentils (split white urad)
  • Rinse 1/2 cup lentils blend and 1/2 cup basmati white rice. Soak in water for 15 mins while prepping ingredients. Sautee 1 tbsp of ghee and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. Add 1 small red onion finely diced, sautee until translucent. Add 4 garlic cloves and 3 green chiles, all chopped/diced, and 1/2 inch grated ginger. Add 1/8 tsp asafoetida (hing), 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp red chili powder, salt to taste, and 1 large tomato or 2 medium tomatoes (I do a half can of diced tomatoes). Sautee until tomatoes are soft. Add fenugreek leaves (1 frozen block) and 1 cup frozen peas. Add drained rice/lentils mix, add 4 cups water and mix. Manual cook in Instant Pot for 7 minutes. Top with sumac chopped cilantro, and drizzle of ghee.
• Kabocha Red Lentil Soup
  • This was also super easy. I cooked the red lentils in an Instant Pot after getting the kabocha into the oven. Stirs together easily.

Sides

• Highlands Bar and Grill’s Cornbread | The Local Palate
  • Used soybean oil in place of bacon fat. Also used masa in place of cornmeal and it came out fine. Didn’t use any of the add-ins.

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My essay “Distant Disasters” has been included in Best of Trop, Volume One: Watching the Cash Roll in Since 2012. Purchase your copy now! If you don’t have the cash to spare, there’s a digital version online that shouldn’t be too difficult to find.