Harissa Spiced Cashew Carrot Cream

July 28, 2021 Nora Dummer

I first envisioned this dish on a train from Venice to Trieste. Something about the Adriatic to my right and the lush hillside to my left had me dreaming of carrots. Hey, I’ll take inspiration where I can find it. This vegan and gluten free carrot cream uses cashews to provide some extra protein and fat - when soaked and blended, these nuts become irresistibly smooth and creamy. With pomegranate molasses for a little sweet and sour and harissa-inspired spices for kick, this cashew carrot cream ticks all the boxes.

(Recipe for Harissa Spiced Cashew Carrot Cream follows)

Quick Pickled Shiitake Mushrooms With Ginger And Soy

June 29, 2021 Nora Dummer

I originally started making these Japanese inspired pickled shiitake mushrooms to accompany my bowls of homemade ramen, but the longer the excess sat in my fridge, the more applications I would find for them. Soba noodles with peanut coconut sauce, shrimp stir fry, fried eggs, roasted vegetables, cucumber salads… basically anything you need a pop of acid, sweet, salt, and savory (so, basically anything). These little flavor bombs add so much character to dishes simple and complex.

(Recipe for Pickled Shiitake Mushrooms follows)

Black Sesame Paste with Maple and Coconut

June 15, 2021 Nora Dummer

There are fewer crops steeped in more history and lore than the humble sesame seed. Not only is it the oldest known plant grown for its seed and oil, it’s rumored to be adored by the gods. In Assyrian mythology, the gods got drunk on sesame wine the night before they created the earth. In Hindu mythology, the seed is blessed by the god of death, Yama, and symbolizes immortality; today, Hindus often use them in their funeral rituals. Additionally, sesame seeds make an appearance in Qing dynasty legend as a holy medication for immortality, were used to make perfumes in Babylon, and was mentioned for their medicinal properties in the 1550 BC Egyptian book of medicine, Papyrus Ebers.

(Recipe for Black Sesame Paste with Maple and Coconut follows)

Black Garlic Oil (Mayu) For Ramen Or Rice

June 8, 2021 Nora Dummer

Not to be confused with the fermented black garlic, this garlic oil is named as such to avoid calling it by its less enticing but more accurate epithet: burnt garlic oil. The trick to making this recipe delicious is to resist temptation to turn up the heat - cooking the garlic too quickly will result in the bitter compounds to come out. Instead, adopt your new mantra: low and slow. Read on, cook on.

(Recipe for Black Garlic Oil follows)

Sautéed Bok Choy With Ginger And Chili

June 1, 2021 Nora Dummer

Of the cruciferous vegetable family, bok choy is like the nerdy, agreeable, well mannered one. It won’t dominate a room like Brussels sprouts or arugula, won’t be loved or scorned like broccoli and cauliflower, and boasts more calcium and beta-carotene than cabbage. Pairing it simply with ginger and chili paste allows each to shine, though with its soft tender leaves and crunchy sweet stems, can hold up to even the most intense flavors.

(Recipe for Sauteed Bok Choy With Ginger And Chili follows)

Sweet Potato Peanut Soup

January 25, 2021 Nora Dummer

I started working on my post-partum freezer when I was about 38 weeks pregnant. I’d like to say that by that point, the hospital bag was packed, the nursery was put together, the clothes were all neatly hanging with month-by-month dividers, but that just wasn’t the case. Our minds were frantic and our preparations mirrored that - half finished projects cluttered our small apartment. We were not ready for our new roommate.

(Recipe for Sweet Potato Peanut Soup follows)

Vegan Chocolate Tart with Walnut-Date Crust

December 13, 2020 Nora Dummer

In times like these, turning to the simplest recipes is not only a preference, it’s a requirement. That’s why I’ll be making this tart for the holidays. With a prep time of less than a half hour and less than 10 ingredients, I can make something deceivingly simply but seemingly decadent. If you’re short on time these days, I suggest you do the same.

(Recipe for Vegan Chocolate Tart with Walnut-Date Crust follows)

Carrot, Ginger and Lentil Soup

December 10, 2020 Nora Dummer

For a few weeks now, I’ve been planning to make this post about my recent experience with the labor of my son. The three days of contractions. The transferring to the birth center. The laboring in the water. The stalling of contractions. The transferring to the hospital. The submitting to all of the drugs and all of the interventions and all of the bright lighting that was absolutely, positively in no way a part of my original “birth plan”. The stalling of contractions (again). The eventual emergency c-section. The ups, the downs, the exhaustion. The surrender. This post was going to be about all of that. But, sometimes things don’t go as planned.

(Recipe for Carrot, Ginger, and Lentil Soup follows)

Add some variety to nights at home, with a virtual cooking class.