Refried Beans

 most recipes have the following that we cannot use: cheese, onions, garlic, and lime.

For cheese, we have vegan parmesan  and Tofutti cream cheese

For onions and garlic and lime, I needed one vegetable that would caramelize and one that would provide acid. So we roasted grape tomatoes and sweet peppers in the oven with salt pepper and brown sugar. 

When they came out, I put them in a pot with some oil. I added hot red pepper, basil, pepper, and parsley (recipes prefer cilantro). Then we emptied the can of refried beans into the pot, and it was too thick, so we added water. Then when it got too thin I added some gluten free breadcrumbs that Melissa made and keeps in a jar. 

It was too mild so I added basil, oregano, black pepper, some tamari soy sauce, and then a lot more black pepper. 

Served with the parmesan and with quinoa chips (Late July brand) it was great for dinner and again for breakfast and now it's gone.

Basic Tomato Sauce

 I like Bionature brand tomato paste in the glass jar because you don't have to use all of it at once, whereas if you get tomato paste in a can, you open the can and have to use it or put it in a container.

I put some of the paste in a tall pot, with the sides high enough to catch any bubbling or spurting. Tomato paste bubble and splashes unpredictably. Then I added the spices, a little later the oatmilk. Finally, when the pasta was done, I added the pasta water. It was fantastic! Gentle but flavorful. We will keep working on this recipe but it's great!

Tomato paste

pepper, salt, sugar, and brown sugar

ancho chili powder and then paprika

basil

oregano

a little oatmilk

pasta water

vegan cheese

a splash of olive oil

bread crumbs for thickener

Miso Sauce

When I lived in Japan my favorite food was Katsu. Katsu likely is Japanese shorthand for cutlet (Katsu-retto). What makes the dish extraordinary is the sauce. It is a mixture of Japanese and European -- the Japanese word for this cuisine is YoShoku (Yoo means Western and Shoku means food).

The sauce is like molasses or barbecue sauce but it also has Japanese flavors

Recently I came across a recipe for miso katsu sauce that I have been simplifying and adapting. First, no alcohol, so I substitute simple syrup. Then no gluten, so I use gluten-free red miso paste. We have this simple recipe:

1.  Boil 1/4 cup of water -- it boils quickly.
2. Start adding white sugar, 1/2 tbsp or 1 tbsp at a time, until the water is syrupy.
3. Turn off the heat, and start adding red miso paste 1 tbsp at a time until it is thick.

This simple recipe was excellent, but I have experimented by:

• Adding ginger to the water before it boils. This is excellent.

Planned experiments include:

1. Adding flaky dried shiitake mushrooms
2. Doing a traditional katsu sauce and adding tomato paste, vinegar, fruit (I like pears), tamari soy sauce (which is gluten-free) and possibly seaweed of some sort and possibly chili peppers of some sort as well as black pepper. I will update this once I have a better recipe.

Melissa's Crispy Salmon Skn

Simple, reliable twist to make crispy salmon skin, with the skin served separately:

1. Heat olive oil in the skillet
2. Sprinkle salt in the heated oil (where the fillet will sit)
3. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on top of the salt (optional)
4. Lay salmon skin side down on top of salt and sugar
5. After appropriate time, flip salmon
6. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the skin
7. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar and/or drizzle a bit of maple syrup on the skin
8. After 15-30 seconds, gently lift skin off the fillet. If it doesn't easily peel off, wait a lttle longer, then remove.
9. Place skin in the same skillet with the salmon. Continue to cook. (In the last seconds of cooking, I flip the fillet again, so the side that had skin removed is down, on the pan. That's so that side soaks up any remaining seasonings.)
10. The skin crisps up. It'll curl, looking like a ribbon. Remove it from the skillet when it crisps. It won't take long. Make sure it doesn't burn. Before transferring to a plate, I let the skin's oil drip into the pan. It'll still be greasy.

Supposedly skin won't curl if it's scored before placing in a skillet. I haven't tried that.

Alex loves it when I use maple syrup on both sides the fillet. Crispy skin recipes don't call for sugar or maple syrup.

I've cooked salmon in both stainless and cast iron skillets and made crispy skin in both.

If you make it, I hope you enjoy it.

Recipe recommendation: Easy Dairy-Free Banana Bread

I've made this banana bread recipe several times during Covid and I strongly recommend it. It is easy and dairy free. You can make it vegan with egg replacer and I have not tried it gluten free.

Best Turkey Meat in the World!

A quick shout out to our favorite farmer's market turkey meat supplier, Di Paola's. Simply the best you've ever had. Get the ground dark meat. Eating a burger as I write this. Cook with salt and pepper -- as you would with any high end meat.

Virgin Pear Colada

Virgin Pear Colada

2 Tbsp of Looza Pear Juice
1 Tbsp of Vanilla Rice Dream
1 Tbsp of Water
1/2 Tbp of Coconut

Mix! Enjoy.

Free of citrus and dairy. Contains lots of sugar.