August: Vegan Samosas with Mint Chutney
Samosas originated in the Middle East as early as the 9th century, then spread across Africa and Asia under a variety of names. The pastry dumplings are usually filled with a combination of potatoes, peas, lentils and spices, and are either baked or fried. This recipe comes from chef Melanie daPonte, a vegan personal chef located in Florida who posted these samosas on her blog earlier this summer.
And There Was No One Left to Speak for Me
To say we are living in troubled times is an understatement. It’s easy to look back on history and say you would have recognized the warning signs and acted differently. Time seems to have softened the severity of toxic nationalism since 1945, and we are so self-assured that if it happened again, we would be ready to face it. But it’s happening right now across the United States, in my neighborhood and yours.
Continue reading “And There Was No One Left to Speak for Me”
July: Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
Strawberries are one of the first fruits to ripen in the late spring and early summer, followed by rhubarb. Washington State has a $49 billion agriculture industry, and there are plenty of places to pick your own fresh fruit if you’re willing to drive outside of the city. The sweetness of the strawberries complements the tartness of the rhubarb, so when my friend gave me a big bag of rhubarb from her parents’ farm, I had to find some strawberries to go with it.
July: It’s All Greek To Me!
Everyone loves a crossover episode, when your favorite characters from one show join forces with the characters from a completely different show to reach a common goal. I teamed up with Sara from “Adventures of a Hungry Ginger” and a few other friends, and our goal was to cook up a ton of Greek food and eat it all.
June: Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Many classic Hungarian flavors appear in this creamy mushroom soup, such as paprika, onion, dill, sour cream and lemon. This recipe is a version of the traditional gombaleves, which predictably translates into “mushroom soup.” It’s similar to a cream of mushroom soup because it uses a flour roux stirred into the soup as a thickener, but it’s a far cry from the cans of Campbell’s mushroom soup that you would find on the grocery store shelves.
June: Spring Soba Salad
This gorgeous soba noodle salad from Rachael Ray has tons of crisp vegetables and a light ponzu dressing, and is a great addition to any summer picnic or cookout! The recipe is very simple to follow, and easy to customize by adding your favorite protein.
May: Vegan Pho Broth
Outside of Vietnam, Seattle is one of the best places to find authentic pho noodle soup. In fact, the world’s largest bowl of pho can be found in the city’s International District! Dating back to the early 1900’s, pho is traditionally made with beef broth and rice noodles, and filled with a combination of vegetables, tofu, meat and garnishes. This savory veggie pho broth is filled with aromatic spices, and can be frozen to use as soup stock for any number of vegetarian recipes.
