Vegan Grilled Cheese

Nowadays anything cnabe turned vegan or vegetarian. The classic grilled cheese is no exception.You can create a tasty, crispy sandwich with a big flavor.

A good grilled cheese begins with the dairy or in this case the non dairy. You need a good cheese.I chose Vio Life's cheddar because it does taste like the real thing. Country Crock's plant butter is the excellent medium to fry up the sandwiches.

 With this comes the bread. This should be a sturdy sandwich kind and I like Stop and Shop's sandwich bread.

The slices are cut medium thick which makes them perfect for fried or cooked sandwiches. They also absorb all that lovely golden melted butter too..

Mayo is a new addition to this classic sandwich and I thought why not too. I used Helolman';s plant based mayo which means it's made without eggs and canola and soy oil re subbed in. Each slice of bread got a slathering then the cheese was folded in half and put on the bread.

These needed to be Double flipped. Cook on one side. Flip them flip again for a lovely golden brown look. 

Keep in mind that vegan cheese doesn't;t melt as well as regular cheese so there's none of that ooey gooeyiness. grilled cheese is known for It;s still tasty and crispy, thanks to the bread. The mayo give to a nice tang. I served these with raw veggies and homemade French dressing

Can a vegan grilled cheese be a success? Yes, It's just imitating the recipes for the real one . They may not have that ooziness dairy grilled cheese has but it's still a delicious lunch or dinner.

Snow Day Snacks Good Healthy Both

 Everyone is probably in the middle of their snow day snacks right now. These last two days on the East Coast were perfect for stocking up and nibbling. How did it go during one of the worst blizzards in recent years>Was it healthy? Was it good and unhealthy?

To be honest I went both waysYou can't help but also grab these

I spent Saturday in my local Dollar Tree and Stop and Shop(sorry Lidl). I am a sucker for anything Swiss rolls and when I saw the box on  the discount store's shelve,syes,I had to have to have them. A few minutes later I was buying both unhealthy and healthy t my Stop and Shop.They had a sale on the chips so I thought why not. WHat's a snow day without sitting ,scrolling and scarfing down junk food, followed by diet soda.

I also saw some of the plumpest grapes at Stop and Shop and had to buy them. Likewise for the snack cup  of blueberries I found at Acme during a last minute run.

I'd recommend these for a good snack anytime anywhere. The grapes were sweet and , of  course better thank snack pastries, The blueberries the same thing. These bite sized gems are better than chocolate and obviously healthier than any cookie. Yes it;d fun to chow on a lot of salt fat and sugar. It's even better to  appreciate the true snacks of nature.

What did everyone snack n? Healthy? Good for you Unhealthy. You can have both .Just make sure that the healthy outweighs the unhealthy.

SNow Day Kitchen Day

 Yes, there's another blizzard coming to the EAst Coast.It's happening almost a month from the big January snowfall. What to do on the da off? Kitchen work. It'c would be baking, cooking or even cleaning. It's a great way to keep yourself busy.

A snowy day in is a nesting  day in. It is the perfect day for baking something warm and tasty. It's a good day to get out the flour and yeast and bake a tasty bread. Even a simple white bread is a fun way to pass the time. YOu could also make pizza dough which is always a crowd pleaser on a snowy day in. Make sure you have the pizza sauce and mozzarella along with everyone's favorite toppings. Homemade rolls are another good bake. yet can be used for sandwiches in the upcoming  days. Kids home mean one thing - baking cookies and usually chocolate chips. You should have one or two slice and bake logs ready or you can make the dough yourself. Vary the chips in different sizes or in the different kinds of chocolate. If baking won;t excite you then think cooking. It's the perfect time to create homemade sauce or chili ,using the crockpot. These are perfect for creating hearty meals that feel good after a day of hard shoveling. Another comforting dish is meat loaf with gravy. Add homemade mashed potatoes for more goodness.

A snowy day in means attending to those kitchen chores that you were too busy to do., It;s a good time to clean out the spice cabinet. check to see how long you've had your spices and toss them.Most of them lose their flavor after three to four years.  Ground spices lose their potency after only two or three years. Reassess what you have and toss. It;s also a good time to clean  out the fridge ,freezer and pantry. Get rid of all those old bottles of sauces along bottles of maple syrup. The last probably has a crusty sugary ring around the top. Some old foods can be given to the animals outside . Squirrels like crackers.Any wuldife will appreciate that chicken and its.bones After the bottom part of the refrigerator has been cleaned and scrubbed then it's time to tackle the freezer. Throw away all those old popsicles . They get oozy and gooey after six months .Ice cream only lasts a month in the fridge once its' opened. If yours has been there since the summer of 2025, it's a good thing to get rid of it. How long does frozen food last? A month or a year. Get rid of the older stuff. Cook the newer stuff to clear up the space for your next grocery trip.

A snowy day os a great way to reconnect with your kitchen . Bake, cook or clean. You'll feel better doing something productive on a lost day.

Friday Fish Dinners

 Now that we have Lenten Fridays , it;s time to start thinking of fish dinners. Any seafood is versatile and can be made into a variety of dishes. They can range from scampi to tacos, from the sophisticated to the fun.

A fish dinner can be both elegant and simple. Salmon fills the bill on both . Try oven baking it  after brushing garlic butter on it. You could add  pinches of oregano and rosemary too for a more herbal flavor or try a brown sugar -soy sauce glaze for an Asian vibe. It can be served with noodles, pasta or rice along with pan baked veggies.A quicker yet just as elegant meal is a salmon salad, This is flaking the cooked fish and adding it to a variety of greens along with grape tomatoes and sliced bell peppers. Dress with a simple vinaigrette made from a mix of white wine vinegar , olive oil and oregano. Another delicate flavored fish is tilapia, This has a sweet, almost no"fishy" flavor which makes it perfect for sauce like the French Meuniere. The sauce is only tree ingredients of browned butter, lemon  juice and parsley.It's also a good sauce for asparagus too.You could also make a Parmesan crusted tilapia too with the fish coated in a mix of the cheese and paprika , the last for color and bite.

Yes ,Friday demands fish and chips too. This British classic can easily be cooked up in an air fryer.For centuries the dis as been made with cod.It's the best to work with because of the firm flesh. The filets would come apart wen being breaded or fried. A traditional batter involves beer which gives it an extra crispy crunch;If you don;t like beer sub  in seltzer just to give it the batter that bubbly texture. Usually a cup is used a long with one and a quarter cups of flour and baking soda (for more lift) Two eggs bind it all together and you can add a dash of cayenne for some zing.The filets are cooked for about twelve minutes at around 400 degrees Farenheit. Chips or fries are a must too.How do you get them crispy and perfect with malt vinegar or ketchup? Dip them into a slurry of cornstarch and water.it's taking russet potatoes and cutting them lengthwise, first into planks and then into plants. After make  a of slurry of three quarters of a cup of water mixed with three tablespoons of cornstarch. Cook them in an oil sprayed air fryer for eight minutes at 375 degrees Farenheit. FLip them over and cook for another six minutes more  or until golden brown.

Friday's are now reserved for fish. There are many recipes to choose from. ENjoy a delicate or a hearty one.

A Kiss Of Dumplings

 The Lunar New Year brings all sorts of good things, from celebrations to various foods. One is the simple dumpling. It's an easy make but full of complex flavors. A hot dish of them on a cold Frebruary night is such a treat. They are perfect, especially if they're homemade.

Regular contributor Genevieve KO amassed a good deal of dumpling recipes for the second annual Dumpling Week in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday section. The recipes were created by longtime New York Times cooking contributors.The recipes are built upons classic foundations and fu=filled with all sorts of stuffings and spicing. Sue Li gives a more traditional recipe in her pork and garlic chive pot stickers. This is a pan fried dumpling based on the ones that she would buy at the base of the Elephant Mountains in Taipei.It's a simple ground pork, egg  and garlic while the dumplings themselves are a simple blend of all purpose flour and baking powder. Eric Kin gives an untraditional one with a Korean dumpling. The wrapper itself is layered mix of yeast flour and sugar. The beef filling has a kick of jalapeno and large stemmed shiitake mushrooms Gochugaru is added for more zing. The dipping sauce redolent with jalapeno and egg yolks is even spicier. A pinch of sugar tempers it all.

Hetty Liu Mckinnin gives  the dumplings a different spin by making them vegetarian These are eaten throughout  Turkey ,Armenia and Central Asia. These are filled with Herby mushrooms and dipped into both a sharp ,garlicky yogurt and a spiced tomato sauce.There are also onions, love and the eye watering Aleppo peppers added to this.  As for the mushrooms use cremini button or shiitake. These can be mixed together.The yogurt sauce is simply Greek yogurt mixed with two grated garlic cloves while the tomato is a canned crushed tomatoes blended with mint and Aleppo peppers.The Thai's are also known for their dumplings too.China and Thailand have been trading for centuries and recipes also are swapped too. Genevieve Ko gives her interpretation on this with Napa cabbage and shallots and a different filling - chicken  namely all dark meat for more flavor . Basil is a big part of Thai cooking and it;s used here along with Serrano chilies for bite .There is also fish salt and sugar for a savory sweet flavor. The sauce also has sugar mixed with bird's eye Chiles, distilled white vinegar and two garlic cloves.

This cold weather calls for festive and comforting food. Make any of these dumplings for that. They are tasty and perfect for the Lunar New Year.

Lenten Sacrifices It's Time

  Many Christians, and especially Catholics around the world are thinking about what to give up this Lent. Today is Ash Wednesday and many thought are going towards sacrificing food or drink. Yet here is something else you can give up  - time. Time is the most valuable commodity of all.  It can go for creating good.

One way of giving up your time is to give it to others. This might mean cooking a meal for an elderly neighbor or friend in need. Even thought it might seem like a sacrifice at first,  you'll get into the joy of cooking with others and the satisfaction of making sure a person is fed.Communal cooking , even, if it's just between two people can be a rewarding and even a learning experience. This is the time to ask the neighbor or friend about their ethnic background and the  dishes that were handed down and shaped them,.You'll hear about cooking methods you've probably only read about a long with hearing about ingredients that will surely pique your interest. You could even arrange a weekend cooking class with them as they show you how to make these dishes.If you're cooking for and with family then ask about any family recipes long forgotten by current generations. This helps strengthens the ties between your culinary past and present.

Sacrificing time means taking anyone to the store. Let's face it, those town buses are only good for short hops where there's very little shopping to do. Offer your time and your vehicle to them. That way they can stock up on not only food stuffs and beverages but also on much needed supplies like toilet paper, along with laundry and dish detergents.It's also a chance to check to see if they're eating right . Nudge them gently towards the produce section if you see they're spending too much time in the snack and baked good sales.This expedition can be extended to a lunch out beforehand or some coffee after (keep in mind that many Acmes have Starbucks while Shop Rites here in New Jersey offer Dunkin Donuts) A coffee and a chat is a great way of just giving your time and enjoying a hot or cold coffee or tea together.If you;re too busy for shopping then consider a simple  Sunday brunch somewhere.It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Just bacon, eggs and a hot coffee along with toast will do the trick.Talk with then. Listen.

It's Lent , Yes, you can give up those cakes and martinis. Yet wouldn't time be a better sacrifice? Donate yours to doing good deeds for friends,neighbors and family.

Fire Horse Noodles

 Celebrating the Lunar New Year is always fun There are fireworks and bao or dumplings. There are homemade dishes to bring in the Year of the Fire Horse. There es one dish rich with fire and flavor that's perfect for this night.

I wanted to celebrate the holiday with a dish that's a riff on PF Chang's Mongolian beef and also on the Szechuan classic ants climbing a tree..It starts with Gardien's plant based beef crumbles

This , , a quarter cup of soy sauce (you can add more if you want more flavor) and a cup of sliced scallions are browned in olive oil. 

}Garlic is crucial in any Chinese dish and for the heat I used about five to six grinds of LIdl''s black pepper ground into the meat. You can use  whole Szechuan pink peppercorns for more fire and crunch.

Cook until the ground meat is brown and crispy. Add another cup of fresh scallions right before serving for more flavor.

This can be served with noodles or rice. I like it with noodles and even Pasta can work here. I used Ronzoni's spaghetti but you can also use angel hair or even bucatini.

Fill a bowl halfway with the pasta and spoon the beef over rit. You can add more soy sauce if you want.

I absolutely loved this and plan on making it again.I may add fresh or dried ginger for more zing but still it was one of my favorite creations. The flavors , from the beef to the scallions worked so well together and the noodles were a great buffer tempering the fire.

It's the Year of the Fire Horse. Make this spicy , tasty dish to celebrate and ring in the New Year. Its'a great dish of exciting flavor.