Get Fed, Cooking Thread

[Tvtyrant]

I made this thread since we don't have a cooking thread and learning to cook is one of my goals this year.

I'm currently trying to come to better terms with vegetables. My family is of the "boiled broccoli and lettuce salad" variety, with vegetables treated as a kind of penance.

I'm hoping the vegetarian and vegan crowd can help me out with making some better tasting dishes (like did you know you can put spices on veggies??)

Post recipes, ideas, issues you have had, etc.

Tomorrow I am making Buqqa, a nut based condiment from Egypt as a salad seasoning.

[2D8HP]

We do "team effort pesto".

My wife gets basil, and boils some pasts.

Our son peels the leaves from the stems.

I chop up the leaves.

Mix together with Olive oil, sunflower seeds, and a little salt.

[Peelee]

Because it's late and I'm forgetful, this is to remind me to put up kaesespaetzle, stroganoff, and my favorite tomato/mozzarella appetizer recipes tomorrow.

[Cristo Meyers]

I'm currently trying to come to better terms with vegetables. My family is of the "boiled broccoli and lettuce salad" variety, with vegetables treated as a kind of penance.

I'm hoping the vegetarian and vegan crowd can help me out with making some better tasting dishes (like did you know you can put spices on veggies??)

I've the same problem. I've kinda come to terms with salads, broccoli, and spinach. My problem is that 4 days of the week I'm eating lunch at work, so anything I make needs to be able to either keep for a good four hours or hold up to being microwaved. Usually this means that anytime I cook veggies beforehand they'll end up ridiculously overcooked.

If anyone knows any good veggie preparations that could hold up to some time in a microwave, I'd be grateful.

[WarKitty]

I tend to favor all-in-one soups, especially for work. So one of my staples is lentil soup. It's lentils, canned tomatoes, and...kind of whatever other veggies you have. I prefer the carrots with the tops on, the leaves are good in there. Chopped leek is also good. If you have some salt ham or sausage throw it in. Bacon's also ok but I'd fry it first, otherwise it gets kind of limp and soggy.

A lot of soup bases can have pureed vegetables, or just chopped up fine. So you don't have a side of veggies so much as you just have your veggies all in there.

[tyckspoon]

I've the same problem. I've kinda come to terms with salads, broccoli, and spinach. My problem is that 4 days of the week I'm eating lunch at work, so anything I make needs to be able to either keep for a good four hours or hold up to being microwaved. Usually this means that anytime I cook veggies beforehand they'll end up ridiculously overcooked.

If anyone knows any good veggie preparations that could hold up to some time in a microwave, I'd be grateful.

Middle Eastern, Asian, and Indian sub-continent cuisines are good for this. Also some Mediterranean dishes - most of the classic Greek appetizers are vegetarian, for example. You get a lot of soup, stew, and gravy-type dishes using spinach, lentils, chickpeas, and the like. Sauced dishes in general reheat fairly well, as the moisture in the sauce helps distribute the heat and usually helps keep the stuff in it from getting recooked/overcooked too badly.

If you're looking for a more traditional/European kind of vegetable dish, try deliberately undercooking (lower bake time, parboiled/lightly steamed, etc) the vegetables - they'll hold up fine, and you can finish them off in the microwave to get to the degree of doneness you want to actually eat them at.

[Tvtyrant]

I tend to favor all-in-one soups, especially for work. So one of my staples is lentil soup. It's lentils, canned tomatoes, and...kind of whatever other veggies you have. I prefer the carrots with the tops on, the leaves are good in there. Chopped leek is also good. If you have some salt ham or sausage throw it in. Bacon's also ok but I'd fry it first, otherwise it gets kind of limp and soggy.

A lot of soup bases can have pureed vegetables, or just chopped up fine. So you don't have a side of veggies so much as you just have your veggies all in there.

I have been making soup more often. Usually chicken soup from scratch, heavy focus on onions, carrots and celery because we stock those.

What spices do you use with the lentils?

[WarKitty]

I have been making soup more often. Usually chicken soup from scratch, heavy focus on onions, carrots and celery because we stock those.

What spices do you use with the lentils?

Bay and some hot sauce. If I don't have cured meat, sometimes a ham or smoke flavor.

Edit: here's a japanese-inspired one that doesn't take long. Boil some noodles in broth with some veggies. Carrots and onions are good for this. When the noodles are almost done, crack an egg and poach it in the broth. Add some soy or hoisin and some rice wine vinegar (white would work if you lack this). Serve immediately; eat with fork. If you have chopsticks, eat with those instead.

[Cristo Meyers]

Middle Eastern, Asian, and Indian sub-continent cuisines are good for this. Also some Mediterranean dishes - most of the classic Greek appetizers are vegetarian, for example. You get a lot of soup, stew, and gravy-type dishes using spinach, lentils, chickpeas, and the like. Sauced dishes in general reheat fairly well, as the moisture in the sauce helps distribute the heat and usually helps keep the stuff in it from getting recooked/overcooked too badly.

If you're looking for a more traditional/European kind of vegetable dish, try deliberately undercooking (lower bake time, parboiled/lightly steamed, etc) the vegetables - they'll hold up fine, and you can finish them off in the microwave to get to the degree of doneness you want to actually eat them at.

Yeah, that's what I'd been doing. Just need to find some ways of preparing them that aren't just essentially heating them up.

Middle Eastern, Asian, and Indian are right up my alley though. Got anything specific to recommend?

Thanks!

[Tvtyrant]

Bay and some hot sauce. If I don't have cured meat, sometimes a ham or smoke flavor.

Edit: here's a japanese-inspired one that doesn't take long. Boil some noodles in broth with some veggies. Carrots and onions are good for this. When the noodles are almost done, crack an egg and poach it in the broth. Add some soy or hoisin and some rice wine vinegar (white would work if you lack this). Serve immediately; eat with fork. If you have chopsticks, eat with those instead.

Mmm, sounds good. I will need to swap the noodles but otherwise sounds great!

[thorgrim29]

I don't know where you are but over here asparagus season is just beginning, and it is one of my favourite vegetables. The easy way is to just boil them in a pan (so you don't have to chop them up to fit in your pot) but grilled with just a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper they are wonderful.

Speaking of grilling I tried brining then grilling a chicken last evening. Simple brine with salt, brown sugar, cracked pepper, white vinegar (because I didn't have cider on hand and I thought red wine vinegar would look weird). It was pretty good but it didn't floor me, doesn't beat my beer marinated chicken recipe. I think the brine helped but maybe since it was a small chicken it didn't make much of a difference. I had also spatchcocked (I bet that gets censored) it, and I think that if you're going to do that might as well quarter it, it's barely more work (I ended up doing it on the grill) and it's much easier to manage. Next time I think I'll try a middle eastern style yogurt based marinade.

[WarKitty]

Mmm, sounds good. I will need to swap the noodles but otherwise sounds great!

May I ask why you'd need to swap the noodles? I might be able to make some suggestions.

[Tvtyrant]

May I ask why you'd need to swap the noodles? I might be able to make some suggestions.

I am on Keto, so no more then 20 grams of carbs a day.

[Peelee]

Ok, so, don't think either of my guys are keto, but I'm not sure (I'm ditching the stroganoff because I saw you said vegetarian).

My favorite appetizer/light lunch: get a mozarella log and a couple hearty tomatoes, like beefsteak. Alternate slices on a plate; I usually do a couple of rows. Salt and pepper it, pour some olive oil over the rows, then pour a little balsamic glaze down the middle.

Spoiler: Look at that deliciousness. Made it just before writing this.

Show

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Kaesespaetzle is DEFINITELY not keto. Lemme know if youre still interested. Austrian recipe, much better than that stuff they feed you in Germany.

[Tvtyrant]

Ok, so, don't think either of my guys are keto, but I'm not sure (I'm ditching the stroganoff because I saw you said vegetarian).

My favorite appetizer/light lunch: get a mozarella log and a couple hearty tomatoes, like beefsteak. Alternate slices on a plate; I usually do a couple of rows. Salt and pepper it, pour some olive oil over the rows, then pour a little balsamic glaze down the middle.

Spoiler: Look at that deliciousness. Made it just before writing this.

Show

.

Kaesespaetzle is DEFINITELY not keto. Lemme know if youre still interested. Austrian recipe, much better than that stuff they feed you in Germany.

That's okay. I'm not a vegetarian, but I am interested in vegetarian recipes because they focus more on the parts I am inexperienced at. All kinds of recipes are appreciated, cooking takes practice and I can always feed it to someone else :P

That appetizer looks amazing! I'm trying that tomorrow :)

[Florian]

This is one of my go-to recipes for the summer season. can be done hot or cold.

Chop red and yellow paprika, cucumber, red onion, finely slice ginger, garlic and chili. Either mix white vinegar, lime juice, natural plant oil and light soy sauce in a bowl (cold variation), or use teriyaki sauce (hot variation). Marinate everything in vinaigrette / sauce for 10 minutes. Now other cut some extra firm tofu into cubes and pan-fry, cook some rice vermicelli, add both to the bowl and mix it (hot), adding coarsely chopped parsley as a last step, or cook the rice vermicelli, let them cool, then mix them in the bowl with the parsley and use some peanuts and deep-fried onions as a toping (cold).

[Grey_Wolf_c]

If anyone knows any good veggie preparations that could hold up to some time in a microwave, I'd be grateful.

Lentil soup with rice. I make a bit pot on weekends, and it lasts through the week's work lunches. The rice adds some nice creaminess (but does extend boiling time to a good 25 minutes). I normally cook with chicken stock for flavouring, plus bay leaf and some other low-heat spice (so thyme, rosemary, parsley and the like). I throw in onion and garlic, and potatoes or carrots if I have any. For vegetarians, obviously switch the stock for your preferred one. Throw everything in a pot, add water to spare (usually, two finger's worth above the lentils, but will depend on the pot - add more water if you start to run low).

Simmer for 25 minutes, giving it a stir every so often (can stick to the bottom if you forget). Travels fine, and reheats nicely in the microwave.

GW

[Honest Tiefling]

Kaesespaetzle is DEFINITELY not keto. Lemme know if youre still interested. Austrian recipe, much better than that stuff they feed you in Germany.

Not Keto here, but I need to eat more vegetables. What the heck is...That word?

Also, does anyone know of a non-lettuce salad green? Lettuce is a no-go, but I want to know how to replace it for salads and burgers.

[WarKitty]

Not Keto here, but I need to eat more vegetables. What the heck is...That word?

Also, does anyone know of a non-lettuce salad green? Lettuce is a no-go, but I want to know how to replace it for salads and burgers.

I'm fond of arugula, personally.

[Peelee]

Not Keto here, but I need to eat more vegetables. What the heck is...That word?

I was really hoping to make it soon so I could have pictures, but alas.

So, short version is it's Austrian mac and cheese. German is a cool language; if you ever see a long word, it's most likely several words combined. In this case it's Kaese (kay-zeh, cheese) and spaetzle (spech-leh, ....uhhh, dumplings? It's not really translateable, it's just what that dish is called).

So, the good news is that spaetzle it's super easy to make. The bad news is to make spaetzle, you need a spaetzle maker. For reals. I normally hate single-use gadgets, but I grew up with this stuff so it's worth it to me. If you have a pizza pan, you can use that in a pinch (but carefully, the actual maker is sized for standard pots). They also make fancier spaetzle makers, but those are messier and more annoying to clean. Speaking from experience. I had to have the fancy one. That was a mistake.

Anyway. Boil water in a pot, and in a second deep pan, melt butter and saute onions over low heat. You can do that in the pot later for fewer dishes, I just like low and slow onions. Anyway, you got 1/2 cup milk, 2 cups flour, and 4 eggs (if you want more of less, just keep the ratio. I use those numbers for three people). You make a batter, drop it in boiling water via the spaetzle maker, and stir so it all solidifies but stays separate. Dump it in a strainer, then dump it in the buttered onions that will now practically melt in your mouth. Add shredded cheese, stir it around, and you're set.

Austrian restaurants top it with fried green onion, IIRC. If I knew how to do that, I absolutely would, because oh my god it's amazing.

That appetizer looks amazing! I'm trying that tomorrow :)

Howd you like it?

[Algeh]

Not Keto here, but I need to eat more vegetables. What the heck is...That word?

Also, does anyone know of a non-lettuce salad green? Lettuce is a no-go, but I want to know how to replace it for salads and burgers.

Personally, I go with spinach or kale instead of lettuce most of the time. My local grocery store has a bagged ready-to-eat kale, cabbage, and carrot salad that I like when it's too hot for warm dinners, and I used to live on spinach, cranberry, and feta cheese salads in similar weather. Either can replace lettuce just fine for salads or in tacos. (I don't eat meat or most "fake meats", so burgers aren't much of concern for me except for one place that made a really good black bean and sweet potato patty. I should really figure out how to make those at home.)

[Florian]

So, some summer salad, tuscany style, also a good to-go option to bring to work.

Take a bowl, prepare a vinaigrette of red and white vinegar, olive oil, citrus juice, sugar and ground black pepper.

Take around 250g cherry tomatoes, one cucumber, one red onion, one pot of fresh basil, a tea spoon of capers, one piece of garlic and quarter to half a loaf of giabata bread.

Quarter the tomatoes, quarter the cucumber lengthwise, than thinly slice the quarters, same with the red onion and garlic, throw everything, including the capers in the bowl with the vinaigrette and lightly stir.

Cut the bread into rough cubes and roast them, either in a frying pan or an over. Meanwhile, pick the basil leaves from their stems and throw them into the bowl, lightly stir and make sure they're covered with the oil (to protect them from the heat). Add the sizzling hot bread last and immediately serve.

For the to-go variant, skip the last step and keep the roasted bread in a separate container. Roasted bread can also be microwaved.

@Peelee:

Hm? You know that we use both styles, pressed as well as cut Käsespätzle? I think you're referencing the later with "german stuff"?

Addendum to Peelees recipe: A Späzle is something like a thick noodle or pasta. You can also reduce the milk to 1/4 cup and you'll get a dough instead of a batter. Flatten the dough, cut it into plates roughly the size of a lasagne plate, put on a non-stick board and directly slice thin strips into boiling water. For both versions, it improves taste and texture to directly dump the fresh Spätzle into a bowl filled with ice cubes.

And no, we don't use cut Spätzle to make Käsespätzle. The advantage they have over italian-style pasta is that they are able to soak up more, especially when it comes to (really fat) gravy, so they make a good side dish for more hearty meals.

As for Röstzwiebeln (deep-fried onions): Peel and slice a regular onion into strips, soak in cold water for about 10 minutes, squeeze out the water and let dry (or put a bit in the oven at low heat). It´s important to remove as much moisture as possible. Use a very small pot and bring raps oil to a boil and deep-fry the dried onions.

[Peelee]

So,
@Peelee:

Hm? You know that we use both styles, pressed as well as cut Käsespätzle? I think you're referencing the later with "german stuff"?

I just make it the way my mom taught me, but I'll definitely try the ice cubes next time. I just recently got the flat pan and scraper, and I'm very excited to use that.

As for me talking about "German version," that's probably because in the tiny, tiny town that is my ancestral home, I've only ever seen the cheesed up version, while my friends who did a year of study abroad in Germany think that is a bastardization and only eat it with gravy. Of course, they also only use store-bought spaezle, so I figured what do they know?

Anyway, that's probably why I thought what I thought. Always cool to learn more things. Thanks!

As for Röstzwiebeln (deep-fried onions): Peel and slice a regular onion into strips, soak in cold water for about 10 minutes, squeeze out the water and let dry (or put a bit in the oven at low heat). It´s important to remove as much moisture as possible. Use a very small pot and bring raps oil to a boil and deep-fry the dried onions.

You're doing gods work!

[Lemmy]

Oh! This is a cool thread! I hope it gets popular!

You can try goold ol' rice and beans. It's really easy to make and you can heat it up on the microwave. And it goes with pretty much anything.

[WarKitty]

I've been trying to think of good summer options (that aren't peanuts/peanut butter) for 1-dish meals that are meant to be eaten cold.

*Note: I'm not allergic to peanuts. I just plain don't like them.

[Lemmy]

I've been trying to think of good summer options (that aren't peanuts/peanut butter) for 1-dish meals that are meant to be eaten cold.

*Note: I'm not allergic to peanuts. I just plain don't like them.

Do you know/like mayonnaise salad? It's delicious and refreshing! ^^

It's pretty use to make too (most of what I cook is, since I learned it by cooking for myself when living alone).

[WarKitty]

Do you know/like mayonnaise salad? It's delicious and refreshing! ^^

Eh, not really. It tends to taste too much like mayonnaise and not enough like other stuff. I'm also definitely looking for something that has a decent amount of protein as well as veggies.

I'm thinking maybe some of the asian cold noodle with cashews? Or some salady stuff.

[Peelee]

Eh, not really. It tends to taste too much like mayonnaise and not enough like other stuff. I'm also definitely looking for something that has a decent amount of protein as well as veggies.

I'm thinking maybe some of the asian cold noodle with cashews? Or some salady stuff.

That tomato mozarella dish I posted isn't exactly *high* in protein, but the cheese adds a bit and it's a one-dish cold food.

[Lemmy]

Eh, not really. It tends to taste too much like mayonnaise and not enough like other stuff. I'm also definitely looking for something that has a decent amount of protein as well as veggies.

I'm thinking maybe some of the asian cold noodle with cashews? Or some salady stuff.

Adding less mayonnaise and a little bit of lemon juice can make it less... Uh... Mayonnaisey.

But if you don't like that... Perhaps a good letuce & carrot salad with buffallo mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and a bit of sliced turkey breast can be pretty good, either as a dish or as a sandwich.

[Peelee]

Prosciutto is always good and wraps around cylindrical foods well. Cold, tasty protein.