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I’m a home cook with a less-meat approach cross-cultural comfort food, sharing cooking tips and recipes in Astoria, Queens, NYC.

-Ben Costantino

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Cocktails and Beverages (4)
Cooking Tips (3)
Desserts (5)
Easy Ideas (26)
Meatless (53)
Neo Soul (28)
Plant-Based (38)
Recipes (63)

Meatless Monday Ideas!

Cherry Tomato Bites

Thai Curry Eggplant with Lentils

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers, Quick and Easy

Blackeyed Pea Salad, Tabouli Style

Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette with Honey and Mustard

Maple Cornbread with Berry Preserves

Sweet Potato Dip with Curry and Candied Ginger

Oven-Dried Tomato Slices

Check out more Meatless Monday inspired posts!

Visit me on Instagram in between posts!

What made this 4-minute poached egg salad bowl soo

What made this 4-minute poached egg salad bowl soooo heavenly was the roasted cherry tomatoes done in the air fryer at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes … tossed with olive oil then seasoned with smoked sea salt, black pepper, and thyme.

Or maybe it was the store bought Asiago Caesar dressing fusing with the silky egg yolk and the thinly sliced jalapeño peppers creating a spicy “jalapeño caesar effect.

And once again ... pushing hard with the raw beets.

#poachedeggs #poachedeggsalad #poachedeggsofinstagram #roastedtomatoes #food52gram #sundriedtomatoes #saladforlunch #veggiepower #saladideas #saladoftheday #saladplate #saladphotography #eggyolk #julienne

Here’s a quick demo of how I revive wilted lettu

Here’s a quick demo of how I revive wilted lettuce … something I do all the time and it gives such satisfaction. With the amount of salads I share with everyone, I couldn’t let anymore time pass without showing this simple cooking tip.

It’s important to …
1. Use a sharp knife
2. Be gentle and not to shred it with your fingers (to avoid it getting bruised).
3. Use cold water.

#cookingtips #kitchenhacks #saladmaking #lettuce #organiclettuce #saladlife

A loaded, veggie-packed plant based salad was my o

A loaded, veggie-packed plant based salad was my obsession today to make the most of my leftover tahini dressing from the weekend’s delivery from @duzannyc.

Made some harissa air fried chickpeas meets Jamaican curry air fried okra, with avocado to bring the two together.

It may look all cute for the pic, but I slathered that sauce on as soon as I was ready to dig into this vegan awesomeness.

#plantbasedsalad #roastedchickpeas #tahinidressing #roastedokra #avocadosalad #plantbasedprotein #saladbowl #micronutrients #eatinghealthy #eatinghealthyfood #saladgram #saladmeal #airfriedfood
#airfriedveggies

A simple goat cheese frittata went down with artic

A simple goat cheese frittata went down with artichoke hearts, sweet potatoes, broccoli, lots of chopped garlic and coarsely cracked black pepper.

I find artichoke hearts deliver a satisfying moist chew that meat would provide, so no meat needed here. Same with broccoli to a lesser extent. And a little hot sauce had to happen upon eating to complete seal the deal with a salty and vinegary heat.

#frittata #goatcheese #castironcooking #brunchfood #eggrecipes #oneskilletmeal #skilletcooking

So excited to harvest a little homegrown lettuce t

So excited to harvest a little homegrown lettuce to top off some store-bought salad green mix. It really elevated today’s airfried salmon and egg breakfast salad. Caramelized onions, raw matchstick beets, red peppers and Caesar dressing really sealed the deal.

#breakfastsald #salmonsalad #airfriedsalmon #airfriedfood #salmondinner #freshlettuce #salmonandeggs #pescatarianmeals #salads #goodeats #saladforbreakfast #proteinpacked #hardboiledeggs #saladideas #gardentotable #saladaddict #saladmaking #saladlove

Simple and easy cooking is what ya need mid-week w

Simple and easy cooking is what ya need mid-week when ur swamped … and a good reason to make a batch of sofrito on the weekend, like I did 13 posts back in my feed. It can be retrieved from the freezer for instant flavor.

👉🏻 1. Sauté some sofrito with salt as a flavor base for some brown rice, let it simmer, then in the meantime cook your salmon (air fry or toaster oven) while you're working.

👉🏻 2. Stir some fresh/frozen sofrito into the warm rice at the end (it will thaw) for a little lift.

👉🏻 3. Toss fresh greens in some caesar dressing and garnish salmon with Sriracha.

#salmonsalad #airfriedsalmon #salmonandrice #salmonbowl #ricebowl #cleaneats #easycookingathome #lunchplate #airfriedfish #srirachalover #srirachaoneverything #freshgreens #saladgreens #brownrice #ricerecipes #pescatarianmeal

Just a quick demo of how you remove pits from oil

Just a quick demo of how you remove pits from oil cured olives by hand. These #greekolives were given to me and had avoided using them until I just buckled down and just figured this out. The trick is ... going from the side.

They do sell olive pitter tools but of course I don't have one 😅 and it seems like it wouldn't work as well with oil cured olives because they soft and lack structure 🤔. And the softer flesh of olive cured makes it easy to pick out the pit.

#blackolives #oilcuredolives #cookingtips #cookingtipsandtricks #kitchenhacks

Was feeling Italian-inspired 🇮🇹 and meatless

Was feeling Italian-inspired 🇮🇹 and meatless 🌱, so homemade Ricotta open-faced sandwiches #ricottatoast was today’s solution to dealing with some leftovers.

Made fresh ricotta cheese from extra milk that I will never drink and only use for recipes. Also had too many one-off oddly shaped slices of bread; and figured out how to easily remove the pits from oil-cured olives someone had given me.

▪️Here’s what all went down:

👉🏻 Heated the milk until just before boiling (scalding), added vinegar and salt, let it sit, then strained the whey out of it.

👉🏻 Realized the best way to remove olive pits is by opening it with your fingernails from the side of the olive, then sliced them up.

👉🏻 Marinated a can of butter beans in a simple vinaigrette with black pepper, lemon juice, and thinly sliced onions.

👉🏻 Thinly sliced and sautéed some banana peppers.

👉🏻 Toasted one side of multigrain bread, built all kinds of sandwich combinations, then drizzled this all with olive oil and topped with arugula before devouring it.

#italiancooking #meatlesscooking #openfacedsandwich #italiansandwich #toastrecipes #toastvariations #toast #vegetarianeats #healthysnackideas #ricottacheese #tastemade #easyrecipes #italianfood #thatsitalian #simplecooking #italianhomecooking

Have always been curious about harissa chicken, an

Have always been curious about harissa chicken, and was soooo delighted to find this jar of @nyshuk harissa paste to get me started.

Used this for a chicken marinade overnight with added fresh lemon juice, then did my oven baked chicken the way I normally do… high heat first (450 or 500), then low heat (300 or 350) for the rest of the journey, flipping often, until it falls off bone effortlessly. Also brushed it frequently with a little extra harissa/canola oil combo.

As many of you know … I looooove me some spicy chicken and my go-to is always Jamaican jerk, but these bright, spicy, citrusy harissa flavors have me intrigued.

#ovenbakedchicken #harissapaste #spicychicken #cookingchicken #ovenchicken #drumsticks #bakedchicken #middleeasternfood #homemade #middleeasterncuisine #chickendrumsticks #protein #chickengram #chickenrecipe #foodphotography

A quick lunch solution … simple smashed avocado

A quick lunch solution … simple smashed avocado tacos when ya don’t have any bread, or anything else to make a batch of guacamole.

And here’s why it helps to make a huge batch of Mexican #salsaroja which I’m so frequently posting to my feed, and store it in the freezer ... it thaws really well in the microwave.

Then cauliflower can be air fried and tossed in the sauce to make a quick and easy meatless taco “meat”. Instead of the usual cotija cheese, I top it with raw cauliflower ”rice” for added crunch, and finally a little bit of the @elyucateco_hotsauce green sauce.

#smashedavocado #quickmealideas #meatlesstaco #mexicanvegan #vegantaco #cauliflowertacos #mexicanveganfood #veganideas #plantbasedfoods #elyucateco #quickmeals #tacotuesday

Here's my solution for when ya serve a frittata an

Here's my solution for when ya serve a frittata and people don't cut it in even wedges. Each wedge serving gets a tomato.

At a previous job we had awesome catered lunches. When they would serve quiches and other round desserts, it would amaze me at how people would "illegally" 😅 cut their portion ... squares, slivers and random divets. It drove me soo crazy 😵‍💫 so I had to rush ahead and get my nice wedge before everyone got to it and butchered it to pieces.

In here is ... portobello mushrooms sauteed in balsamic vinegar, garlic and black pepper. Also broccoli, goat cheese, more garlic, tomatoes, and roughly chopped black olives for that salty, meaty element instead of bacon.

#frittata #breakfastfoods #breakfastisserved #eggrecipes #skilletmeal #egglover #frittatafriday

Growing season is on and poppin’ and here’s on

Growing season is on and poppin’ and here’s one reason why I keep takeout containers … they’re great for planting seeds in the window when you have a small apartment. Usually I plant seedlings from a store, but spring of 2020 forced me to figure this out at home … as I reflect on these past pics of success.

👉🏻 And here’s a tip: When you #growseeds in a window the seedlings will naturally bend in one direction towards the light. To counter this, simply place a reflective surface on the darker side so the light comes from both directions. I use the same reflector that I use for photography … a a piece of metallic paper mounted on a piece of foamcore. Luckily my curtain helps keep this in place, but rig it up however you need to.

Also got some thyme coming up as well.

#growingseason2022 #zone7bgardening #growingfromseeds #tomatogrowing #germinated #gardeningtips #smallspacegardening #seedstarting

Instagram post 18292447147029232

Instagram post 18292447147029232

Here’s a #cookinghack when working with #rawbeet

Here’s a #cookinghack when working with #rawbeets … specifically #julienne (aka. matchstick) beets with a #mandolinslicer … to keep your fingers from getting beet stained.

I praise beets for their health benefits of reducing blood pressure 💜, so learning how to use them more efficiently is a game changer in my diet. I don’t like cooked beets, but eating them raw is a completely different experience.

#kitchenhacks #beets #saladprep #hearthealthyfoods #kitchentips

Bowls of green food is my current mood for spring,

Bowls of green food is my current mood for spring, inspiring this bed of sautéed Lacitano kale 🥬 sautéed in shallots and lemon pepper seasoning. And and my latest obsession for transforming an otherwise simple #plantbasedbowl involves combining some cesar dressing with hummus.
💚
Re-mixing some store bought hummus with more added tahini, garlic and lemon juice makes it less pasty and more smooth like a Mediterranean restaurant would serve.
💚
Blanched broccoli spears serve as a “meat-like” chew and for crunch and texture … matchstick beets, carrots and pumpkin seeds work wonders.
💚
#soulbowl #healthylife #cleaneating #hummusbowl #nourishbowl #healthyfood #fitfood #saladbowl #healthylifestyle #healthybreakfast #healthy #healthydiet #healthychoices #bowlofhappiness

Do you mix red sauce with green sauce? 🤔 That’s the kind of mental dilemma I obsess about when eating Mexican food. 🇲🇽

Red 🌶️ and green chiles have distinctly different flavors, so indulging in only one makes lots of sense. But I also see the benefit of balance and mixing it up with a little complexity.

I kept these #salmon tacos with poblano salsa verde all green this time and piled on the #salsaverde eventually.

#fishtacos #salmontacos #tomatillosalsa #salmontaco #tacotuesday #tacosofinstagram #pescatarianmeal #elyucatecohotsauce

My rule is … if something can lay flat I will pu

My rule is … if something can lay flat I will put it into a sandwich.
🥪
Homemade #plantainchips and griilled portobello mushrooms went on today’s lunch #sandwichforlunch with @elyucateco_hotsauce honey mustard (from my previous Reel), cucumber, thinly sliced (so it doesn’t get too soggy) tomato, stovetop grilled poblano peppers, sharp cheddar cheese, and hummus on multigran bread.
🥪
#elyucateco #kingofflavor #plantbasedlunch #lunchfood #hotsauceoneverything #hotsauceoneverything #everdayfood #vegetarian #vegetarianfoodie #plantainlover #platanosfritos #elyucatecohotsauce

Here's some #bakingtips on making focaccia the old

Here's some #bakingtips on making focaccia the old skool method … by hand and without a thermometer. Here's my newbie take on it after my 4th attempt.

Many recipes assume that you have a stand mixer with a dough hook and a thermometer to temp the water ... well I simply don't, and it's not the end of the 🌎. Learning how to knead dough and our teacher making us feel the water temp in 8th grade Home Ec class was certainly handy. 🤓 You can follow anyone's recipe and do these two things manually.

👉🏻 Bread flour gives you a better chew and it absorbs more water, so use less of it if you want to swap it out. In a recipe calling for 5 cups of all purpose, I used 4 ½ cups bread flour.

👉🏻 Proof the yeast (active dry, not instant) in a separate bowl because it allows you to confirm that you have the temperature right. Many recipes don't do this because they assume you have a thermometer to make it exact, so their yeast is mixed in with the flour. If you get the temperature wrong in the separate bowl you can simply proof it again without wasting the entire recipe.

👉🏻 The water for the yeast should feel like a warm bath. Your body is 98 degrees and the ideal temp is between 101 and 110, so you don't have too far to go. If it feels warm to your finger then it's at least 99. And do this when you know ur hands are not cold. When the yeast becomes foamy, then you know you did it correctly.

👉🏻 Don't be afraid of sticky dough when mixing initially. Use a wooden spoon as the "dough hook" and a little water on your hands helps make it manageable when it's time to knead.

👉🏻 When it says to let the dough rise in a warm area, you can create a warm environment by storing your bowl in a larger bowl filled with a little warm/hot-ish water. Keep it covered in saran wrap, of course.

👉🏻 When the dough doesn't fill your baking pan, simply leave it alone for a while and it will spread on its own. Do not stretch and pull on it. Go do something else!

👉🏻 Bake at a high heat. Some recipes said 400 degrees and I had more success at 450 to 475.

#olivebread #breadmaking #homebakedbread #baking101 #amateurbaking #focacciafriday #foccaciabread #focaccialovers #focacciaart

If you’re also a cold noodle lover and like spic

When ya accidentally buy @hellmannsmayonnaise #veg

When ya accidentally buy @hellmannsmayonnaise #veganaise and you have extra Mexican red sauce from takeout ... time to make something close to a #chipotlemayo for today’s #grilledeggplant and hummus sandwiches.

I was moving too fast, meant to grab the olive oil mayo, but this vegan #sandwichspread ended up in my kitchen for a reason … I guess it was meant to be.
🥪
#condiments #healthiereating #healthierfood #spicymayo #spicysauces #shreddedcabbage

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Shopping at my favorite store in Astoria, Queens on a hot summer day ... Trade Fair on 30th Avenue and 31st Street.

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