Tag Archives: lunch

Fairytale Pumpkin Soup with Shiitake “Bacon”

9 Nov

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Tis the season for pumpkin soup! My friend Lizzette gave me a ~*fairytale pumpkin*~ (look it up) the other week and it was almost too beautiful to eat. But, because I don’t like to waste food, I hacked the pretty pumpkin into quarters and scooped out the seeds, cleaned and roasted the seeds and baked the pumpkin quarters with olive oil until super soft. Tip: whenever you make a winter squash or pumpkin soup, the flavor is so much better if you have time to roast the squash/pumpkin instead of boil it.

This fairytale pumpkin was absolutely gorgeous outside and inside. The inside flesh was a kind of vibrant orange that almost looked fake. Stunning. Continue reading

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Learning to Make Arepas

12 Oct

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Arepas are delicious corn cakes with origins in Colombia and Venezuela, and ever since I tried them at The Arepa Lady in Jackson Heights and at Caracas at Rockaway Beach, I wanted to learn to make them at home. So I met up with my friend Lizzette, who gave me some key pointers for making arepas.

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The first tip? Use this P.A.N. flour. I originally purchased another brand of arepa flour, or pre-cooked yellow cornmeal, and it was no good. I made some pretty sad arepas. P.A.N. or bust. I found the flour at a grocery store near my apartment, but if you can’t find the flour near you, it is available online.  Continue reading

Exciting News + Sesame Tofu Summer Rolls

25 Sep

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Before we delve into the world of summer rolls, I have some news! Last week I officially became a registered dietitian nutritionist otherwise known as an RDN. It took many years of school, a year-long internship, and a big test but now I can finally call myself Stephanie Lang, MS, RDN.  And gee, it feels good. I look forward to using my degree and credential to help people make good, delicious, healthy food choices.

And now…back to summer rolls.

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On a recent visit to Ithaca, New York, I ate Vietnamese summer rolls at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market and have not stopped thinking about them since. Weeks later, those delicious summer rolls were still on my mind and I thought, how hard could it be to make these at home?

Turns out, not that hard at all. Summer rolls are great because Continue reading

Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad

3 May

IMG_1718Here’s a quick and easy quinoa salad for all of your spring and summer picnics and barbecues, your weeknight dinners, and your lunchbox fillers. Jam-packed with a rainbow of bell peppers, carrots, leek (or scallion), dried cranberries, and fresh cilantro, and dressed with a few squirts of lime juice and some olive oil. Quinoa cooks very quickly, usually within 10 to 15 minutes. The rest of the salad is just chopping, squeezing, and tossing, and that’s about all I want to handle when the sun is shining here in New York City after such a long winter. IMG_1721 Easy, delicious, healthy, and portable. A salad that pleases vegans, gluten free-gans, and vegetable lovers. Continue reading

Chickpea Vegetable Pancakes with Yogurt and Urfa ~*Recipe ReDux*~

22 Apr

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This month’s Recipe ReDux theme is ‘Spring Cleaning:’

“Go through your pantry, cupboards, freezer, or fridge; what ‘treasures’ have you found? Pick an ingredient/spice/condiment that’s been hanging out for a while and give it the attention it needs. Share a healthy recipe made using your new-found pantry prize.” 

Some hidden ‘treasures’ that I found in my kitchen include: pine nuts, canned pineapple, chocolate balsamic vinegar, amarena cherries, anchovies and anchovy paste, and capers. If anyone has suggestions for what to do with some of these ingredients please let me know in the comments. These ingredients have been patiently waiting to be used for a long time now.

Ultimately, I decided to focus my attention on the chickpea flour that has been hanging out in my pantry. Continue reading