I love crispy green beans in restaurants, so thought I would give them a try at home. This came out well, but watch how long you boil your beans – I went a little bit long and they were not crisp! Still absolutely deliciosu though – I could eat them in any form! I served these with Momofuku’s ginger scallion noodles.
Thai Curry Steamed Mussels
I know, I know, more mussels. But we *love* them, plus they’re a ridiculously fast and delicious meal for MMM. This is a recipe/method I’ve been meaning to try and always just end up doing my mussels with some white wine, tomatoes, you know the drill. But we really liked this, and I think next time the only thing I would do is increase the curry paste for a little more bite. I served this over soba noodles tossed in the sauce that resulted from steaming the mussels, with roasted bok choy as a side.
Mushroom Stroganoff with Goat Cheese
MMM is going pretty well so far, and this was one of the dishes we liked enough to repeat. This is an Alton Brown recipe that I did not alter save to use vegetable stock instead of beef stock. I did not find any change or lack of flavor due to the stock…however, next time I will increase the salt a bit and also double+ the mushrooms. Recipe below is with my adjustments. I served this with spicy brussel sprouts.
Spicy Roasted Brussel Sprouts
I never get tired of brussel sprouts, and my favorite way to prepare them is roasted. This is a nice garlicky, spicy side that goes well with many different dishes – I like to use it to accompany a mild main dish.
- 1-2 lb brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 1.5 teaspoon olive oil
- Pinch Kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Preheat oven to 425. Place sprouts and all other ingredients in a roasting pan and toss to combine. Roast for 20 minutes or until browned.
Spicy Mussels in White Wine
The first couple of warm days made me really wish for summer, and a summery-meal seemed in order. Mussels, vegetable panzanella, and beer were perfect. I usually just do a classic wine and tomato broth, but this was a fun change. A smidge too spicy to taste the mussels, but otherwise great! We’ll definitely make it again. Another one from Gourmet, this is as printed. I would just cut the red pepper flakes a tiny bit next time.
Roasted Vegetable Panzanella
Panzanella has been one of my favorite things ever since my friend Missy first made it for a dinner party a few years ago. This was a fun way to use some roasted veggies, and it made a great side dish for some steamed mussels. Originally from Gourmet, I didn’t do too much to this…cut the olive oil to make it a little healthier, and I don’t care for capers so we substituted olives. I did leave out the beans because I really wanted a less filling salad. That said, beans included and this would be a full meal. Recipe below is as printed. This would be great with any vegetables you have on-hand. We’ll be repeating this one, and I think it will be especially good when the summer veggies grow.
Brussels Sprout Risotto
Mostly Meatless March has been a huge success so far, and this was another recipe we enjoyed a lot. A take on risotto I would never have thought about, but I love brussel sprouts so it sounded like a great idea. This one also came from Chow, which definitely has given us a couple of good recipes to kick off MMM. I didn’t make too many changes to this – I used raisins instead of figs because that’s what we had on hand, and I used all vegetable stock instead of a stock/water combo. I had homemade veg stock on hand and I think it definitely added some flavor to this. I did find it needed more salt than I would have expected, so keep that in mind. This is a definitely make-again.
Butternut Squash Gnocchi
Gnocchi is one of my favorite dishes, and I often order it in restaurants. It never really occurred to me to make it at home until Mostly Meatless and a butternut squash on our counter that needed a job. I got this recipe from Bon Appetit, and it was outstanding…I would make a few changes, and it was a little time consuming, but it is a definite repeat. A little less butter next time (even halved, depending on your taste), and increase the nutmeg and squash so they don’t get lost in the flour/potato. It can be made ahead, which is great for get-togethers! I served this with a side of sauteed herb and garlic broccoli.
Roasted Curried Cauliflower
• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 large head cauliflower, cut into large florets
• Nonstick olive-oil cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry powder, and salt. Add the cauliflower, tossing to coat thoroughly with spice mixture.
Arrange cauliflower in a single layer on prepared sheet. Roast until florets are browned on bottom and tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 35 minutes. Serve hot. Makes about 4 servings.
Spinach and Paneer Dal
This was a recipe I got from Chow, and modified a little bit because a) I had no yellow lentils, and b) I really wanted to add paneer. I think the addition of paneer was a good one for sure – delish! But this would have done a little better with yellow split peas – it could have used the bulk. Still very good, though, and one we’ll make again. We’d normally serve this over rice or with some naan, though we’re trying to watch the carb overload during Mostly Meatless March. I paired this with curried roasted cauliflower.
Om nom nom! 