Just last week, I completed my plant-based nutrition certificate program through the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell. The program really opened my eyes up to the wonders of whole foods and plants. Lately, I’ve been incorporating more wholesome ingredients into my recipes. The program was a natural progression for me in my studies as I’ve always eaten a mostly plant-based diet. Kevin, on the other hand, is a meat-eater and would not trade his meat for plants. He has been receptive to incorporating more plants into his diet after trying many of my vegan twists on some of our favorite foods. The best part about the switch from using animal byproducts to using plant-based alternatives is how good the final product tasted. Even Kevin, who was skeptical at first, has been pleasantly surprised by how good the vegan alternatives were. With the end of one of my certificate programs, I have freed up some time after work for the rest of this month to let my creative juices run wild in the kitchen. Next month, Kevin and I will be taking a trip to visit his sister, brother-in-law, and their adorable children on the west coast. We’re both excited to see his family. His parents will also be visiting. It’s always nice to see Kevin’s parents. We don’t get to see them a lot throughout the year since they live in Hong Kong, but when they do visit, we usually spend endless hours reconnecting over good food. I’m excited to be able to get a short break from work, classes, and projects. The last two weeks have been busy for me at work, so I haven’t had a chance to test out too many recipes in the kitchen. When I do get to spend time in the kitchen, I always find joy in losing track of time and creating new recipes. Weekends are my favorite time to experiment with recipe development and putting new twists on some of my favorite foods. Oftentimes, my recipes are tied to my cravings. If I have a strong craving for a specific food, I try to put a new spin on the food whether in the ingredients or the sauce. Today, I woke up craving some biscuits and gravy, a southern staple. I didn’t grow up eating biscuits and gravy, but once Kevin and I moved to the Midwest and met our current friends (some of which who grew up in Tennessee), we were introduced to this delightful combination. It took just one bite to win me over. I love the combination of the flaky, warm biscuit paired with the savory, creamy gravy. I wanted to create a vegan twist on this southern staple, so I made some vegan biscuits with mushroom gravy.
Read More
Scallion Pancakes with Chimichurri Soy Dip
Today happens to be both Friday the 13th (in the western calendar) and Mid-Autumn Festival (in the lunar calendar). Mid-Autumn Festival is a holiday where families join together to celebrate the full moon. Growing up in New York, my family celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival every year with bountiful food and specialty treats. On this holiday specifically, my family insists on serving moon cakes. Moon cakes are desserts made with concentrated lotus paste or red bean paste. I didn’t love moon cakes growing up since I found it a bit on the sweeter side, but ever since moving to the Midwest, I definitely do miss the treat. In the days leading up to the holiday, my mom would clean the house and stock up on ingredients to prepare our favorite foods. I would request for my mom and dad to make steamed fish topped with ginger scallion oil. When the day arrives, my family spends a few hours preparing all of our favorite foods in our small Brooklyn kitchen. The rest of the evening meal is rounded out with some sort of poultry dish, seafood dish, and beef dish. Dessert was usually moon cakes, star fruit, and seasonal fresh cut fruit. The bakeries throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan would sell the freshest moon cakes and other festive treats in the month leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival. My family always made sure to purchase two large tins of moon cakes – one plain and one filled with egg yolks, nuts, and all the fixings. We never actually finish either of the tins of moon cakes on the day of the holiday, but my family continued with this tradition year after year. The moon cakes were stored in the refrigerator until our family gathered for dinner during the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Right when the sun goes down and the moon becomes clear in the evening sky, my family would gather in our backyard to enjoy food, festivities, and laughter. My dad and mom would take turns telling the same folktales. We would listen intently, enjoy the fruits of my parents’ labor, join in on the fun festivities, and laugh throughout the night. Reflecting back on these childhood memories and stories growing up definitely makes me miss my family. This year, Kevin and I celebrated the holiday early with some scallion pancakes and star fruit.
Read More
Pumpkin Spice Rolls with Pumpkin Spice Glaze
Happy Saturday! We are almost heading into fall weather. The temperature in Ohio during the day is still hot, but when the evenings roll around, the temperature drops down to the sixties. We’re in week 2 of Michigan football, and I am super excited to see how Michigan plays this week. The past week has been a busy week of projects at work, planning ahead of assignments for my two certificate programs, and brainstorming new recipes in between. I’ve been working on developing some truly tasty vegan recipes and am excited to share my recipe for pumpkin spice rolls. Fluffy breakfast rolls are decadent, comforting treats perfect for weekend breakfasts. I typically make my cinnamon rolls with a cream cheese glaze when I’m craving rolls. This time around, I challenged myself to make an equally decadent vegan version featuring fall flavors. I’ve been noticing pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin treats popping up all over coffee shops throughout Ohio. Every coffee shop I’ve stepped foot into, the aromas of pumpkin spice fill the air. All of the intoxicating smells inspired me to make a vegan version of pumpkin spice rolls this weekend. When I woke up this morning, I started on the pumpkin spice rolls right away. I typically rest the dough twice when making rolls, so I needed the extra time in the morning to start prepping the rolls. I don’t mind the extra wait because the end result of these rolls is worth the wait. To make sure the pumpkin flavor shines through in these rolls, I folded in pumpkin puree along with pumpkin pie spice to really make the pumpkin the star of these fluffy rolls. The pumpkin puree folded into the flour keeps the dough fluffy and gives it a beautiful orange hue. It also works magically as a replacement for the egg I usually add to my dough. Instead of butter, I used a neutral vegetable oil to help keep the rolls fluffy (but also vegan friendly) when baked. I also swapped out whole milk for some almond milk. The dough is prepared first by combining the dry and wet ingredients and then letting the dough rest for an hour. After the resting period, the dough will have doubled in size. The dough is then rolled out, brushed with vegetable oil, and topped with the perfect mix of pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, and granulated sugar. The dough is rolled into a log, sliced into 12 pieces, placed into a baking dish, and then left to rest for another 30 minutes. After the second resting period, the rolls are ready for the oven. All in all, the preparation itself doesn’t take too long. Most of the time required to make this recipe lies in the resting period. Resting the dough allows the yeast to work its magic and creates the most fluffy, tasty pumpkin spice rolls. The waiting period for the rolls is the hardest part. It takes between 30 and 35 minutes for the rolls to bake through. Once the rolls start baking in the oven, you could smell the aromas filling the kitchen.
Read More
Rainbow Vegetable Dumplings
It’s Labor Day weekend. I love long weekends because it means more time to do my favorite activities. My favorite activities usually include spending hours testing new recipes in the kitchen. Labor Day weekend is especially awesome because it marks the transition into fall season, start of college football, and indulging in my favorite spices and comfort foods. Some of my favorite fall spices include cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger – mainly the spices in pumpkin spice. Sunday mornings typically mean squeezing in time at the gym, but today, I had a sudden urge to make rainbow vegetable dumplings instead. The greatest part about the long weekend is if I don’t get to the gym today, I still have tomorrow. It’s been a while since I made dumplings. I save making dumplings for long weekends because it is definitely a process and requires some patience in the kitchen. I grew up eating mostly pork potstickers, but lately, I’ve been obsessively testing out vegan recipes in the kitchen. One of my experiments evolved into a delightful creation of rainbow vegetable dumplings. The base of my rainbow vegetable dumplings is made with thinly sliced red cabbage, shredded carrots, sliced scallions, minced ginger, and minced garlic. The filling is cooked down with some kosher salt and a simple sauce of sesame oil, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and white pepper powder before being filled in homemade dumpling skins. Once all of the ingredients are prepared, and the dough has rested, I prepare a small bowl filled with water, and another small bowl filled with flour. I set out all of these bowls in an assembly line to start assembling my dumplings. I started with the filling, then the wrapping, and finally the cooking. The prepping and cooking process can take some time, but the end result is worth the patience. When the dumplings were done, I waited about ten minutes before I dug in. If I dug in right away, I would have easily burned my mouth. The dumpling skin was crispy at the bottom and chewy throughout. The dumpling filling was packed with flavor. Kevin helped set up the table as he anxiously waited for the dumplings. The dumplings were so good, we devoured half of them almost immediately. We did end up packing the rest to save for two additional meals during the week. As we were eating, we caught up on some of the highlights from college football games the evening before.
Read More
Tomato Pesto Pizza
Pizza is no doubt one of my favorite foods on the planet. I love every aspect of pizza including the crispy crust, tangy tomato sauce, creamy cheese, and endless toppings. I could eat pizza any time of the day and in any form. A classic New York style pizza pie is my usual go-to, but I would never turn down pizza bagels, pizza pockets, or deep-dish pizza. I attribute my love for pizza to my family. Growing up, Friday nights in the Pan household typically meant pizza nights. My dad usually picked up a large cheese pie from the local pizzeria in Brooklyn and we would just eat and bond over good food. Just reminiscing about my childhood makes me crave pizza. This week, I’ve been especially craving pizza. Whenever I crave pizza, I usually go for New York style pizza (mostly because I grew up eating New York style pizza). In my early twenties, I lived and worked in Chicago and became exposed to the most delightful deep dish pizza. Deep dish pizza was substantially different from New York style pizza, but tasted just as good. I continued the tradition of Friday night pizza at Giordano’s on Halsted during the time I lived in Chicago. I would meet up with friends to catch up on life while eating the most splendid Chicago style pizza. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with a vegan version of pizza. Ever since I started on a plant-based nutrition certificate program earlier this month, I’ve committed myself to sticking with a plant-based diet for at least the duration of the certificate program. Throughout this process, I’ve been recreating vegan versions of my absolute favorite foods such as my coconut chocolate chunk scones. I didn’t think I could create yet another version of pizza which hasn’t already been created somewhere out in the world, but over the weekend, I made the most crave worthy vegan tomato pesto pizza using absolutely zero dairy products. My vegan tomato pesto pizza featured pesto, dairy-free cheese, and tomatoes. To my absolute surprise, the vegan tomato pesto pizza turned out even better than I expected. The base for my vegan pesto had whole almonds, kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, fresh basil, olive oil, and nutritional yeast. I threw all of the ingredients into a food processor and blended everything together until it resembled the pesto I remember eating growing up. I generously spread the pesto onto my pizza dough, topped the pizza with some vegan cheese and grape tomatoes, popped the pizza into the oven, and waited anxiously for the oven to work its magic. Ten minutes later, the pizza was ready for devouring. The biggest test was to see if Kevin (an absolute meat lover) would consider the vegan pizza comparable to non-vegan pizza.
Read More
Coconut Chocolate Chunk Scones
We’re heading towards the end of summer and the start of college football season. The start of college football means fall is around the corner. While I love the beautiful summer weather, I love the cooler fall weather more. Right around late September and early October, coffee shops around town begin to roll out their fall drinks. The shops are filled with the most fragrant apple and pumpkin spice smells weaved into coffee and lattes. The temperature drops quite a bit from hot and humid to cool and crisp. The leaves on trees begin to change colors from deep greens to a vibrant foliage of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. While fall isn’t here yet, the early mornings in Ohio have gotten much cooler. Just this weekend, the morning temperature hovered in the lower sixties. Mornings are when I feel the most refreshed and ready to tackle the day ahead of me. My leadership certificate program has started again and I’m currently in the midst of my plant-based nutrition certificate program. Juggling work and school has been a bit tough at times, but it has also encouraged me to be more creative with meal prepping. Weekdays typically mean quicker meals. Weekends are reserved for more leisurely meals. I still like to spend my weekends letting my creative juices flow in the kitchen. Yesterday, I baked up a batch of the most wonderful coconut chocolate chunk scones. Since beginning my plant-based nutrition program earlier this month, I’ve felt inspired to recreate some of my favorite recipes using non-animal byproducts. One recipe I’m super excited to share is my recipe for coconut chocolate chunk scones. Scones are one of my favorite morning (or afternoon) treats. When I lived in New York City, my cravings for scones would always lead me to Alice’s Tea Cup in Manhattan. I would call up some friends and make a date to have tea and scones for brunch or afternoon tea at the nearest Alice’s Tea Cup from the Q line. Alice’s Tea Cup had the most scrumptious scones. I loved to order both sweet and savory scones along with some herbal tea. Once I moved to the Midwest just over a decade ago, I started attempting to recreate some of my favorite scones. My experimentation in the kitchen led me to developing a fantastic coconut chocolate chunk scone recipe. The coconut chocolate chunk scones reminded me of a cross between Levain Bakery’s over-the-top chocolate chip cookies, and the fluffy, slightly sweet scones at Alice’s Tea Cup. Best yet, these scones are completely vegan. I folded in refined coconut oil in place of the unsalted butter I typically use and substituted whole milk for almond milk. To make sure I wasn’t bias towards my own palate, I brought some scones over to Tommy and Court’s place to have some of Kevin’s friends try out the scones. Kevin had spent most of the afternoon playing Gloomhaven with some friends and they were eager for an afternoon snack. All of our friends enjoyed the scones and couldn’t believe the scones were completely vegan.
Read More
Lemon Strawberry Pie with Pistachio Coconut Graham Cracker Crust
Several years ago, when I used to teach high school on the west side of Chicago, the end of August meant gearing up for the start of the new academic year. I remember feeling very nervous in the weeks leading up to the first day of school. In preparation for the first day, I would head to my classroom a week before school began and tidy up the desks, chairs, bulletin boards, and learning materials. No matter how prepared I felt, the first few weeks of school were always the toughest. I never knew what challenges I would face until school actually started the day after Labor Day. This year marks four years since I left the classroom. Whenever I reflect back on my experience teaching high schoolers through the Teach For America program, I still remember the combination of nervousness and excitement I would feel around this time of the year. No amount of preparation could have prepared me for the challenges I would face in the classroom though. Whenever I had a tough day, I always found peace and solace in the kitchen. Kavya, my roommate at the time, would always be around to test out new desserts I made in the kitchen. She was vegetarian, so she could only test out meatless recipes and since most of the recipes I made without meat were desserts, those were the ones she tested out. Kavs absolutely loved the strawberry cupcakes I made for her birthday one year and would always request it as a dessert for special occasions thereafter. As I reflected back on my days testing out desserts in my Chicago kitchen, I wanted to share a new recipe for a lemon strawberry pie with a pistachio coconut graham cracker crust I made over the weekend. I used most of a 2-pound box of fresh strawberries and the zest and juice of a lemon to make the filling for my pie. My graham cracker crust was made with a package (about 9 sheets of graham crackers), some refined coconut oil, unsalted pistachios, kosher salt, and sugar. The pie can definitely be made into a vegan-friendly pie by swapping out the honey graham crackers with vegan graham crackers or cookies.
Read More
Seasoned Vegan Mac
I started my plant-based nutrition certificate program earlier this week and have been feeling very inspired to test out more plant-based recipes in the kitchen. Even before I started the program, I felt as if I was operating in a split kitchen (trying to balance meals with meat and meals without meat). Kevin is a huge fan of meat and insists on having meat at every meal throughout the week. I’m more of a flexitarian and only eat meat occasionally, mostly on weekends. Therefore, when I prepare meals, I have to find a creative balance to prepare a meaty meal Kevin will love and a meatless meal I would enjoy. I have slowly been trying to recreate vegetarian and vegan versions of some of Kevin’s favorite dishes. I started the plant-based nutrition program in the hopes of gaining a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of specific diets and lifestyles. Plus, I was just overall curious about the whole food, plant-based diet and wanted to learn more about it in detail through a structured certificate program. In an effort to expand my culinary horizon, I’ve been testing out more vegan recipes in my kitchen. Recently, I’ve challenged myself to recreate some of my favorite dishes without using any animal products. It was difficult at first because I ate dairy products my whole life, but once I started testing out dairy alternatives, I found the dairy alternatives to work just as well in satisfying my cravings. One recipe I’ve been working on recreating for some time now is my seasoned two cheese macaroni and cheese. It has the distinctive creamy texture and cheesy flavor from the two types of cheeses and milk I use and it is further enhanced with some garlic powder, paprika, and mustard powder. The combination of the cheeses and seasonings really makes for a comforting and decadent macaroni and cheese. When I set out to create a vegan version of my seasoned macaroni and cheese, I tested out a lot of dairy alternatives to see which one would come closest to the creamy texture of my seasoned macaroni and cheese. I finally discovered the delightful, toasty flavor of roasted cashews soaked in water overnight as a wonderful substitute for the cheese and milk I typically use when making macaroni and cheese. The soaked roasted cashews, blended in some water, salt, and seasonings tasted exceptionally good and was very close in texture and flavor to my seasoned two cheese macaroni and cheese. To add the cheesy element to the vegan mac, I added in two tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Once blended together, the creamy seasoned cashew sauce was perfect for topping on some elbow macaroni pasta. After testing the recipe on four separate occasions using different ratios of spices, I finally came up with a satisfying version I could stick with in the long term.
Read More
Cacio e Pepe Rigatoni with Bacon and Arugula
I can’t believe it’s already halfway through August, which means we are heading towards the end of summer very soon. While I will miss the warmer weather, I am also excited for the fall spices and college football. Just yesterday, I received the most beautiful postcard from my close friend, Ada. She is currently traveling throughout Europe this summer. Reading her stories about delicious food she has sampled and historic sites she has visited reignited my wanderlust. It reminded me of the trip Kevin and I took to Italy earlier this year. Back in May, Kevin and I traveled to Italy for our honeymoon. We soaked in the historical sites during the day and enjoyed the most splendid pasta during the evenings. Italian food is one of my favorite cuisines. I love how even the simplest forms of pasta has immense depth of flavor. Kevin and I even took a pasta making class where the chef who taught the class introduced us to authentic Roman pasta and sauces. He discussed in detail the types of sauces paired with different shapes of pasta. One of his favorite sauces (cacio e pepe) also happens to be one of my favorite sauces. Throughout the cooking class, Kevin and I learned how to make pasta from scratch and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. Thinking back to our trip to Italy inspired me to make some cacio e pepe rigatoni with bacon and arugula. Lemon cacio e pepe spaghetti is my favorite go-to pasta dish when I have no idea what I want to make for dinner. I omitted the lemon zest this time around and folded in some bacon and arugula. I used about 3-4 ounces of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, a tricolor peppercorn blend, crispy bacon, and fresh arugula. All of the ingredients added different textures and flavors to the pasta. The Parmigiano Reggiano cheese added a salty bite. The tricolor peppercorn added a boldness and slight spicy kick. The bacon added a crispiness, smokiness, and saltiness to the dish. The fresh arugula added a peppery and sharp note to the pasta. From start to finish, the dish took about 30 minutes. It was simple to prepare, quick to combine, and delicious when served. My cacio e pepe rigatoni with bacon and arugula was the perfect meal for a busy week.
Read More
Dutch Baby Pancake with Lemon Cream and Fresh Berries
This week, my leadership certificate program resumed classes for the fall semester. After taking a week off in between the end of summer semester and beginning of fall semester, I have been mostly on the go. For the most of this year, I have been going to work, heading to school, working ahead on homework, squeezing in time to eat, and retiring to my bed once I got tired. During these busy days, I like to meal prep as much as I can. When I don’t have enough time to meal prep, I like to whip up some quick meals to satisfy my hunger. I try to eat healthier during the weekdays and save indulging on my favorite treats for weekends. Saturdays (and sometimes Sundays) are usually my cheat days. I typically reserve Saturdays for meal prepping, catching up on shows, and testing out new recipes. On Sundays, I often head to the gym, think about what I want to eat for brunch, and meal prep in my mind as I am running. Halfway into my run today, I decided to make a Dutch baby pancake with lemon whipped cream and fresh berries. I love making a Dutch baby pancake when I want something sweet and quick for breakfast on Sundays. Instead of just my usual Dutch baby pancake served with a dusting of powdered sugar, I also cut up some fresh strawberries, rinsed some fresh blueberries, and whipped up some cream with lemon zest folded into it. Pancakes pair very well with fresh fruits and citrus and this Dutch baby pancake was no exception. The strawberries and blueberries added a nice burst of sweetness and tanginess to the pancake. The lemon whipped cream added a good contrast and creaminess to the pancake. The batter itself is a thin batter, but puffs up quite nicely in the oven. Whenever I remove the Dutch baby pancake from the oven, I am always amazed by the height and puff of the pancake. The puff does deflate fairly quickly once removed from the oven, but it’s always impressive to look at. As we were enjoying our post-workout brunch, I filled Kevin in on this new series I started watching on the CW. The series was called Two Sentence Horror Stories based off of a thread which began on Reddit. I’ve only seen two episodes and both episodes were surprisingly creepy. I tried to convince Kevin to watch the episodes with me, but he declined since he wasn’t a fan of scary stories. He quickly changed the topic and raved about the Dutch baby pancake with lemon cream and fresh berries. The fluffy, eggy, and cakey texture of the Dutch baby pancake reminded us of the mini egg cakes we ate growing up. Kevin spent most of his youth living in Hong Kong and snacking on the mini egg cakes whenever he was around one of the food stands selling these treats. I grew up in New York City and spent many weekends getting my share of mini egg cakes whenever I headed to Chinatown in Manhattan.
Read More