Does it work? 15: White bean chicken chili

I'm conflicted about chili. On the one hand, its near-infinite varieties, scalability, and freezable nature make it a wonderful thing to cook. On the other hand, I just...don't really like it. I mean, it's fine. I'll eat it. But kidney beans are kind-of meh, I never have beef on hand, and the flavor doesn't excite me. 

Enter white bean chilis. These have a different flavor than traditional chili, chicken as the meat, and no kidney beans - definite wins.

To that end, I vaguely followed Averie Cooks' Easy 30-Minute Homemade White Chicken Chili recipe, with some hearty modifications. 

Why all the mods? I'm currently trying to use up all the random things in our pantry/fridge/freezer/other pantry, as well as reduce food waste (by aggressively putting perishables in anything I can reasonably get away with). But that's the beauty of chilis; they can take pretty much anything. 

Substituted (1 of 16):

- Lemon juice for lime juice (I was low on lime)

Left out (3 of 16):

- Cilantro (would have been good, but I hadn't gone to grocery store yet for the week)
- Green chiles (see previous)

- Some white beans (I just didn't have enough)

Added (2):

- Lentils (I wanted a little bit more beany-ness. Lentils don't have to be soaked and pre-cooked, making them a great last-minute decision.)

- Bok choy (see LPT at end) 

Notes:

- I didn't use any of the garnishes (though I'm sure they would have been nice), nor did I blend part of the bean mixture before adding it. 

- The only thing I'd do differently next time is use less cumin; I think since there were no green chiles, there was nothing to even out the cumin flavor and it ended up overwhelming things.

- I added the bok choy stems with everything else, and then added the leaves at the very end to wilt. 

Did it work? Sure. Mine turned out more like taco soup than anything, but it was still tasty. 

And LPT: Whenever you can put in more leafy greens, do it. 

xo, 

Devo

Does it work? 14: Chicken Yakisoba

This time 'round, we're doing Homemade Chicken Yakisoba by Bydget Bytes. I love Budget Bytes. I did not love this.

Substituted (1 of 14): 
- Made-up concoction for Worcestershire sauce

Left out (1 of 14): 
- Sugar

I was pretty underwhelmed with this recipe. The sauce wasn't great, and just made the noodles and veg kind of...slimy. There were too many veggies, even though I used the amounts called for - the ratio of noodles to veg didn't really balance out.

Now, I did have high hopes for this. I had yakisoba in Japan and have been craving it ever since. Maybe if it had used real W. sauce it would have worked out? And like, halved the amount of veggies. And used different noodles.

So, does it work? Meh. SO liked it well enough.

xo,
Devo

Does it work? 13: Dan Dan Noodles

This cooking post is going to be different from the rest, because I went really far off-book with this meal. So far, in fact, that I'm going to post what I actually did in its entirety. All my cooking idiosyncrasies/preferences came to bear on this recipe adventure: my desire not to buy a bunch of new spices; my dislike of complicated procedures; and my health-mandated moratorium on meat.

Here's what I'm usually looking at when I cook:

I transcribe recipes into a short, easily scan-able form, leaving out all the faff. [1] This one is especially abbreviated, because it's essentially a stir-fry and a sauce, both of which I've made a bunch of times. 

Source recipes:

1 (link) is the most authentic, and therefore the most complicated. I used it to get an idea of what the real thing was supposed to taste like, and to guide my guessing/substituting.

2 (link) is a sort-of authentic looking vegetarian version; this is the one I relied most heavily on. Notably, I did not do her frozen-and-then-defrosted tofu thing because, well, I can't be bothered. I am curious about it, though, so maybe someday. 

3 (link) looked the least authentic, and the easiest. I used this in comparison to 1 to see how far afield I could go and still approximate something like the original dish. 

My recipe, interpreted:

Step 1: Combine listed sauce ingredients in a bowl.
- Used the Sambal Olek chili paste I had from making hot & sour soup. 
- I didn't feel like buying a bunch of roasted Sichuan peppercorns when I needed less than a teaspoon. According to the internet, black pepper and a little coriander is the closest approximation. This is probably the biggest hit to flavor (aside from the lack of pork, of course). 
- Making it again, I'd probably use slightly less soy sauce, just because it was plenty flavorful and soy sauce isn't the most healthy thing. 
- Used a little canola oil to thin it out. 

Step 2: Stir-fry the veg and tofu on med-high heat.
- I pressed the block of tofu under a giant book [2] for a bit while I made the sauce - that makes it easier to stir-fry. 
- Used about 4 shiitake mushrooms and 2 heads of bok choy, but the sauce and noodles could definitely have handled more. Every opportunity to throw in more leafy greens should be taken.  
- Yacai is pickled mustard greens, which I got from my trusty Asian market [3].  It was like, a dollar, so I was willing to take a chance on it.
- I didn't end up using spinach, but it would have been a fine addition. I didn't add extra chili oil either. 

Step 3: Cook the noodles. 
- I used whatever kind of rice noodles we had [4], and cooked them in a separate pot while stir-frying. 

Step 4: Put it all together and top with green onion. Serve and eat immediately.

My Franken-version was delicious: fresh and fragrant, easy, and healthy. I'll definitely make it again. 

xo,
Devo

[1] I have a deep desire to one day write a cookbook in this style - though Eat Tweet may have beaten me to it. 

[2] The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed., for the curious.

[3] Usually I wander around the store three or four times looking for a new ingredient. But this time I took the advice from An Economist Gets Lunch and just asked the cashier. I pointed to my shopping list, said, "I don't know how to say this, but do you sell it?" and she took me right to it. Delightful. 

[4] I'm not trying to be coy here; I really don't know what kind they are, since I took them out of their original packaging. 

Does it work? 9: Korean Barbecue Tofu Burgers

Let me not bury the lead: HECK TO THE YES, it works. These are delicious.

No more ado, the review of Korean Barbecue Tofu Burgers by Connoisseurus Veg (great blog name, incidentally).

Substituted (3 of 14):
- That good ol' sugar syrup for maple syrup (as always)
- White vinegar for rice vinegar (nobody has yet given me a compelling reason to buy more than one kind of vinegar)
- Yellow onion for red onion (it's what I had [1])

We're not even counting the instant oats for rolled oats. Especially since they had to be ground up anyway.

Left out (1 of 14):
- Sesame seeds for rolling (I was not going to pay $6+ for a spice-jar size of them. Just, no.)

Things I learned:
- It's really important to have a good food processor if you're going to be cooking vegan/vegetarian. My current one is a little...lackluster. We made it through these patties, but only barely.

Does it work? FREAKING YES. Would I make it again? ABSOLUTELY. Hopefully my extensive use of all-caps has convinced you of the merits of this spicy patty.

A few random notes:
- You could probably leave out most/all of the syrup, if, like me, you are trying to cut down on sugary things. The red pepper paste has a little sugar in it. They will be supes spice if you leave out the sugar entirely, but just embrace the burn.
- I topped mine with kimchi and tomato, no mayo.
- They're not like, astronomically spicy, but my nose was definitely running after patty 2.
- Just please, eat these. F'reals. They're yummy and nutritious and involve no animal products (good for the environment, good for you!).

xo,
Devo

[1] Fun fact, if you refrigerate your onions (I do, so they keep longer) and then cut them up fast enough, they probably won't make you cry!

Does it work? 8: Broccoli, Cheddar & Spinach Frittata

That omitted Oxford comma pains me. PAINS me, y'all. But it is her recipe title, so I must abide it.

Today we have the Broccoli, Cheddar & Spinach Frittata by Kate of Cookie+Kate.

Substituted (0 of 12)
- Nothing, incredibly! Unless you count generic ingredients for brand names ones. Which I don't.

Left out (2 of 12)
- Green onions (didn't have any)
- Spinach (ditto)
We're reaching a whole new level, when I leave out ingredients that are in the very recipe title.

I used frozen broccoli cuts and didn't chop them up any smaller than they already were. It may have left the texture a little chunky, but so it goes.

Did it work? I think so. I didn't actually eat it, only fed it to the SO, because dishes high in animal fats are out for me (high cholesterol heyoooo). He said it was good.

Frittatas [1] are pretty straightforward and easy to make. I recommend this one for anyone who has an abundance of eggs (as we did) and some kind of vegetable in their fridge that needs eating. It doesn't take very long to cook (20ish mins), and doesn't require any sort of pre-planning.

My only complaint? Even though I used her shimmy test, it was still slightly underdone in the middle But that's probably my fault; I was just very wary of over-cooking it in our tends-to-burn-everything oven.

xo,
Devo

[1] That extra [t] is never where I think it should be

Does it work? 7: Low-Carb pancakes

Why would you ever design a pancake recipe that only makes three pancakes?! I guess that's what I get for going to the *~*healthy~*~ food blogs.

Anyway. I'm feeling a little salty right now, so y'know. Don't take me too seriously.

Todays recipe is Healthy thick+fluffy low carb vanilla pancakes [1] from Arman of The Big Man's World [2]. They were...fine.

Substituted (1 of 8)
- All-purpose flour for coconut flour (No. Just no. I am not going to go buy coconut flour; I shudder to even think about how much that would cost.)

I liked this recipe because he included lots of alternatives right in the ingredients - mashed sweet potato OR yogurt! Granulated sweetener of choice! Except for the coconut flour thing, I feel like we're on the same wavelength, cooking-wise - he's empowering you to make your own decisions.

On a scale of chicken eggs to caviar, I'd say these were eh, I dunno, quail eggs. Pretty much what they were supposed to be, but maybe a little bit unexpected.

They came out kind of eggy and not super fluffy, but good. A cross between an American pancake and a crepe, I'd say. So...

Did it work? Yep. Did I feel like a fool when I came out with only three pancakes after all that measuring? Sure did. Make again? Mmm, maybe. They were at least nice change from oatmeal. [3]

xo,
Devo

[1] We've really got to work on the recipe names. Roll off the tongue, they do not.

[2] The first male food blogger I've ever run across. Pinterest is full of women, y'all.

[3] I didn't make the glaze, so if anybody does, give me a shout.

Does it work? 6: Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies

SELF [while spooning oats into the measuring cup]: No wonder nobody cooks, if they think you have to do it like this! end scene

Okay, but f'reals: you can just scoop out the oats and flour. It'll be fine. [1]

Today's recipe is Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies, by Amy of Amy's Healthy Baking.

Substituted (2 of 10)
- White flour for wheat flour (it's what we had)
- Canola oil for butter/coconut oil (more cholesterol friendly)
I'm not counting the honey I used for maple syrup, because she lists that as an alternative.

I oiled the pan rather than using a silpat, worked fine.

For the first time in forever, this recipe actually does call for instant oats rather than whole oats. What a miracle.

Should have added:
- Raisins (because I love them)
- Nutmeg
- More carrots
- Ginger?

Does it work? Sure. Were they a good "healthy" dessert? Yep.[2]  Were they perfect? Nah. I found them a little bland and dry (not crumbly, though, as the recipe warned if you used the scoop method) - in fact, once they sat overnight, they got more moist. I think raisins and nutmeg would add a lot, and icing definitely would. Though, if you're adding icing, they're probably not a health dessert any more.

xo,
Devo

[1] Full disclosure: I currently live at a high altitude, and that may have affected things (since you need a little more flour when up high).

[2] Compare these cookies' 2tbs oil, 1 egg, and 1/2 c sugar to chocolate chip cookies' 2 eggs, 2 sticks butter, and 1.5 c sugar.

Does it work? 5: Sweet Potato and Lentil Cakes w/ Dressing

What a recipe title. Gotta get that SEO, I guess.

I'm excited for these - they look healthful, filling, colorful, fairly straightforward. But look y'all, there are certain things I can't be bothered to do. Namely, peel (I am literally never going to peel something) and buy shelled hemp seeds. If it can't be got at a regular, cheap grocery store, I ain't getting it.

So several of the ingredients in this recipe were out, right at the start. Add in that I never have everything a recipe calls for and hate to grocery shop, and I suddenly end up at a point where I'm going, "Well, I've got sweet potatoes and lentils; that's close enough, right?"

Right. That's why I'm writing these posts. To assure you that you too can off-road when it comes to cooking and things will turn out just fine!

Today's recipe is Sweet Potato and Lentil Cakes with Lemony Avocado Sauce by Ashley of Blissful Basil.

Substituted (major):
- Spinach for kale (we were out of kale)
- Green onions for chives (the scallions are growing on our windowsill, so I'm sure not going shopping for chives)

Substituted (minor):
- Green lentils for red (that hardly registers to me, but I'm trying to be thorough)
- Quick oats for rolled
- Regular paprika for smoked
- Powdered garlic for fresh
- Table salt for sea salt
- Oiled baking sheet for parchment

Left out
- Hemp seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Cayenne (it was an accident! That's what happens when I'm face really long ingredient lists)

Called Mom about:
- The raw sweet potatoes were leaking white ooze when I cut into them. Turns out that's sweet potato sap.

Now, let's talk about the science vs. art subs I did.
- Everything in the minor category: 100% an art sub. Those are cosmetic changes- quick oats will do the job just as well as rolled oats, donchaknow.
- The major subs, those were more science-y, but still only affected flavor, not essential make-up. One leafy green is much like another, hence the spinach for kale. Green onions and chives have a similar taste and consistency.
- The things I left out, those were definitely science - I'm pretty sure the texture and flavor of the cakes was affected by those changes. Trying to compensate somewhat, I added a few more oats and lentils, but at the end of the day, you do what you gotta do to turn a pretty blog recipe into a regular meal.

Does it work? Yes! I just took these out of the oven and drizzled them with the dressing (no subs) and they are darn tasty.

xo,
Devo

Does it work? 4: Vegetarian Kimchi Ramen

Look, y'all. I hesitate to even write this as a "Does It Work?" post because I hardly used the recipe at all. I guess it's sort of a book review for Bowl, a chronicle of a yummy thing made, and like, 0.04% Does It Work.

Review portion: Bowl by Lukas Volger is a lovely cookbook. It's got that hipster-y sans serif font for the headers and gorgeous, simple food pictures. Plus, things in bowls is literally my favorite kind of meal. I've only read the first part [1], talking about what staples you need to make these dishes and the benefits of bowl meals, but it seems straightforward and informative.

***

The SO and I were trying to figure out what to have for dinner that wasn't beans and rice. We eat so much beans and rice in this house, it's not even funny. He suggested ramen and luckily we had just gone to the library and stumbled on the lovely Bowl. So I glanced through the ramen section and saw this, Vegetarian Kimchi Ramen. "Perfect," I thought to myself. "We have all those things. Let's do it."

...Except, of course, we didn't. The tofu had gone bad and I couldn't be bothered to deal with all the various vegetables he lists (onions, napa cabbage, idek what else). Basically, I took the title, and made something I thought resembled it.

Ramen (yes, the college, brick kind) + beef flavor packet
Frozen kale
Hard boiled egg (instead of tofu, still need a protein)
Kimchi (had that, at least)
Soy sauce (the kale watered down the broth)
Grated ginger (see previous)

It was very tasty. And full of vegetables. And fast. Which is really all you need out of a meal sometimes.

xo,
Devo

[1] Yes, I read through cookbooks for fun. Don't you?

Does it work? 3: Butternut Squash Lentil Stew

I saw squash in the grocery store, bought it, and then came home to look for recipes to use it in [1]. And the internet delivered, with a bonus use of some of our 4 lbs of lentils. This is Lindsey's Spicy Butternut Squash Lentil Stew, from the blog Lou Lou Biscuit [2].

Substituted (2 of 15)
- Syrup for molasses
- Regular paprika for smoked paprika

On a scale of dog to platypus [3] this was a dingo - near to a prototypical mammal, but definitely not a standard one.

Googled
- Is peeling butternut squash necessary? (No. So I didn't - it was 80% laziness, 20% want-to-keep-those-skin-vitamins)

Left out (1 of 15)
- Red chilis (I added some extra cayenne)

Was it tasty? Yes! and super hearty. Was it the intended flavor? Probably not! Since I didn't have red chilis or smoked paprika, my stew was probably much milder than the original recipe. It still had a lot of wonderful textures, and subtler but still delicious flavors.

Difficulty rating: Pretty easy. Butternut squashes are kinda difficult to slice, and you do have to keep an eye on the simmering stew. But really it's just a stew.

Recommended for: Someone hankering for a solid, filling stew.

Bonus, here's my sliced squash sweating in the dry air:

xo,
Devo

[1] This is how pretty much all my creative endeavors go: buy the materials first, figure out what to make after.

[2] Sadly, it looks like the blog is on hiatus/defunct - no new posts since 2016.

[3] This is my goofy use of prototype theory - namely, that a dog is a very prototypical mammal (representing complete fidelity to the recipe, and ending up with the "prototypical" or exact flavor) and a platypus is not (representing complete deviation from the recipe, so far that some might argue it's a different thing entirely).

Does it work? 2: Tzatziki

Tzatziki is that Greek yogurt dip you've probably had on falafel. Here's Holly of Spend with Pennies' recipe for Greek Tzatziki. Y'all, this is the easiest thing ever. It's not even really cooking, as there's no heat, and barely any chopping.

Substituted (1 of 7)
- Regular cucumber for English cucumber

On a scale of salad-salad to tuna salad (see: prototype theory) this substitution was like, salad with craisins: hardly out of the ordinary.

Googled
- The difference between regular and English cucumbers (English = longer, milder)

Sometimes I have to Google things, because I don't know if it's a science or an art ingredient, and whether or not I can get what I'm looking for with my proposed substitution.

Left out (1 of 7)
- Salt and pepper (I know! It was an accident)

Remember where I talked about scientific vs. artistic ingredients? Well, sauces are mostly all artistic. Sure, this one has to have yogurt in it to be what it is, but beyond that, it's really about what taste you like. Recipes like this are more guidelines than actual rules [1].

Was it tasty? Yes! Would I make it again? Sure!

Difficulty rating: Easy. So, so easy.

Recommended for: anybody who wants to try a different dip for their veggies/pita/chips/falafel/rice/ chicken/whatever.

xo,
Devo

[1] Eh? Eh? Like my very old pop culture reference?

Does It Work? 1: Mustardy Chicken & Potatoes

Time for a new occasional series, "Does it work?', where I talk about cooking. Almost always when I make a new recipe, I have only two-thirds of the ingredients, or the wrong kind of pan, or it calls for saffron (never use saffron), and I always wonder, will it work despite my tweaks?

I've also noticed that many people are afraid of cooking and the almost-inevitable improvisation - the SO chalks this up to adults being afraid of failing - and while I am not a great chef, and still need a recipe in order to get anything made, I'm not afraid.

Not sure why, really. I'm afraid of most other new things.

Of course, I have been cooking for a while now, and I suppose there are some things I know that a brand-new cook wouldn't: what sautéing is, how to slice veggies, that some ingredients are "science" ingredients (make the food into what it's supposed to be e.g. risen) and some are "artistic" ingredients (change the flavor but not the essential nature). That last one is especially important when it comes to winging it/substituting/leaving things out.

I'll not be posting the recipes in their entirety (that's illegal and slimy), but rather providing links and credit to people's blogs or books and talking about what stuff I substituted, changed, ignored, and failed at. Or succeeded at! Hopefully more of the latter. I encourage you to try the stuff I link to, if it tickles your fancy, and let me know how it goes.

I hope this encourages people who are nervous about cooking to give it a shot! Try new things, make a mess, burn the cookies - it's all okay.

So let's get to it! The first "Does it work?" is Diethood's One Pan Maple Mustard Chicken and Potatoes, by Katerina.

I do buy ingredients if I'm going to try a totally new dish, one that has a totally different flavor profile or science ingredients. But mostly, I cook with what's one hand - hence the substitutions.

Substituted (3 of 7 ingredients)
- Regular Kroger syrup for maple syrup
- Chicken breasts for thighs, and only 2 instead of 4 (Why? They're bigger.)
- Regular potatoes for new potatoes

On a scale of salad-salad to tuna salad (see: prototype theory), these substitutions were a caesar-salad wrap: very similar to what was called for, but not exactly.

Left out (1 of 7 ingredients)
- Parsley (you can always leave out parsley; it's like the most "artistic" ingredient ever)

Did it work? Yes! Was it as pretty as Katerina's? No! Is that okay? Yes!

I recommend this recipe, especially for new or nervous cooks. There are only a few ingredients, and an easy single pan. If you like maple-bacon things, you'll probably like this flavor profile.

xo,
Devo