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Easy Ideas

“Duck Sauce” with Date Syrup

Skordalia Frittata with Calabrian Pepper Sauce

Air Fryer Potatoes with Thai Curry Paste

Cherry Tomato Bites

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers, Quick and Easy

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

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Easy Ideas (26)
Meatless (54)
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Recipes (65)

Meatless Monday Ideas!

Air Fryer Potatoes with Thai Curry Paste

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

Check out more Meatless Monday inspired posts!

Visit me on Instagram in between posts!

For Juneteenth this year, I'm showcasing this fant

For Juneteenth this year, I'm showcasing this fantastic Maple Cornbread Dressing with Clams … a Rhode Island take on a classic Southern side dish.

I was inspired by the virtual cookout by @eattheculture so wanted to get in on the action … I'm always "that one" who is late to the BBQ anyway 😅

Sooo, about the dressing. It's s not just about the naturally sweet maple 🍁 syrup and briny clam 🦪 juice that makes this so spectacular. But also my soulful Green Tomato "American Southern" Sofrito delivers a punch of sauté base flavor, featuring my homegrown green tomatoes and Tabasco 🌶️ peppers, parsley, and "holy trinity" gumbo veggies.

After watch my bf make his Southern cornbread dressing for 7 years, I decided it was time to make a version that speaks to my own heritage cooking. Adding clam juice and maple syrup to a cornbread product is found in Rhode Island Narragansett Indian recipes (a tribe of which many Black Rhode Islaners belong to), so it made perfect sense to incorporate those ingredients into my version of cornbread dressing. All Rhode Islanders take our clams very seriously.

☝🏻 You can find the full recipe details and back story on the blog … the link is up in my bio.

#cornbreaddressing #eattheculture #juneteenth #juneteenthfood #globaleats #clamrecipe #juneteenthrecipes #clamrecipes #blackfoodbloggers #rhodeislandfood #newenglandfood #heritagecooking #cornbreadstuffing #virtualcookout

Recently learned about potato and peppers as a tac

Recently learned about potato and peppers as a taco filling from a local restaurant @astoriatacofactory, called Papas con Rajas … so I decided to hook it up for lunch today when trying to use only what I had available … potatoes 🥔, Jalapeño peppers, white onion, last night’s 🇲🇽 Mexican red sauce 🌶️, avocado 🥑, and crispy lettuce🥬.

👇🏻For the potatoes:
▪️1 teaspoon chili powder
▪️1 teaspoon cumin
▪️2 teaspoon kosher salt
▪️2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
▪️1 teaspoon black pepper
▪️1 teaspoon garlic powder
▪️2 tablespoons canola oil

#papasconrajas #vegantaco #mexicanvegan #tacorecipe #potatorecipe #tacolover #tacosarelife #mexicannight #mexicanfood #veganmexicanfood #veganmexican #comidavegana #mexicanfoodlover #nocarne #meatless #recetasveganas #jalapenos #mexicancooking #recetasvegetarianas

Garden-to-table season is finally here … when ga

Garden-to-table season is finally here … when garden fresh veggies can help transform an otherwise ordinary meal made with store-bought pantry ingredients.

Today some homegrown lettuce 🥬 and curly endive 🌿 was mixed with some store bought lettuce in dressing up my house-standard Hummus and Avocado Salad with Asiago Cesar dressing. Then loosely chopped kalamata olives are my latest obsession for that plant-based salty element.

Used the same never-fail lettuce-crisping technique in my feed 10 posts ago.

👇🏻Some notes on growing salad greens … my gardening “teachers” are @marisgardenandkitchen, @gingerfootgarden, and the @jamesprogioni channel on YouTube so here is what I have learned from them, as well as from my trials and tribulations:

🥬 If you have a little space and just a little soil, you can grow lettuce. It’s a relatively easy crop you can grow in not a whole lot of potting soil because it requires shallow roots, about 6 inches is good.

🥬 If you don’t have the most optimal lighting conditions to grow lettuce, something will still grow … just a little slower.

🥬 Lettuce likes cooler weather so make this mental note for this upcoming fall. Mine seem to be okay in a dappled light/partial shade area where it’s somewhat shielded by the effects of the harsh hot summer sun, so far. We’ll see.

🥬 Squirrels 🐿️ will mess with it so swipe left to see the chicken wire squirrel fence I rigged up.

#gardentotable #salagreens #summersalad #avocadosalad #freshlettuce #gardensalad #freshfood #homegrownfood #curlyendive #eatwhatyougrow

Aloo Gobi Matar was my obsession for the day. I or

Aloo Gobi Matar was my obsession for the day. I order this spicy vegan Indian dish all the time from @sevaindian and it was time to learn how to make it. For guidance, followed the recipe from @cookingfromheart

The process was actually quite similar to my Vegan Jollof Rice. It's basically a spicy tomato and onion gravy used in Jollof, just with different spices.

The best part about making this at home is being able to control the spiciness. As a spicy food lover it was so gratifying to hook myself up with some heat.

#indianfood #aloogobimatar #indiancooking #spicyfood #spicycooking #vegancooking #indiancurry #indiancookingathome #spicyfoodie #aloogobi #indianfoodlover #indianfoodlovers #southasianfood #spicyveggies

Happy Friday, everyone. Here’s a spicy breakfast

Happy Friday, everyone. Here’s a spicy breakfast salad that went down while trying to make the most of leftovers on Friday mornings.

#quinoasalad #leftovermakeover #srirachadressing #poachedeggs #saladforbreakfast #spicyfoodlover #breakfastsalad #saladideas #saladoftheday #poachedeggsalad #saladplate #leftoversforlunch

Guacamole in jerk chicken tacos with leftover zucc

Guacamole in jerk chicken tacos with leftover zucchini and red sauce from the weekend's Mexican takeout is how I'm rolling with taco Tuesday today.

I did jerk chicken on the BBQ on Sunday but it was so dang hot outside that I forgot to get footage of it like I usually do. It's kinda difficult with extreme heat and smoke to the face… like it's going to fall off.

#leftoversrecipe #chickentacos #spicychicken #fusioncooking #tacorecipe #jerkchicken #tacolover #tacosathome #homemadetacos #leftoverideas #tacoloversunite #tacolove #homemadetacos #tacotuesday

What are everyone's personal rules for making guac

What are everyone's personal rules for making guacamole? With avocados finally showing up ripened in stores, I decided to share my approach to a simple Roasted Jalapeño Guacamole recipe.

The key takeaways are:

▪️1. No tomatoes. I don't like the slime factor.

▪️2. Very finely chopped white onion … for a little moist crunch.

▪️3. Seasoned lime juice starter. This means letting the garlic, Jalapeños, and salt (and any other seasoning) hang out in an abundance of lime juice so it creates a strong base to mash everything else into. The order matters.

▪️4. Using a pastry cutter to mash it up to preserve some chunky texture.

▪️5. And whenever possible it always helps to grill the Jalapeños over charcoal.

I’ve heard of other awesome ideas like using tomatillos instead of tomatoes 🤔.

#guac #guacamolelover #guacamolerecipe #roastedjalapeños #guacamoledip #avocadolove #greenfoods #easyrecipes #mexicaninspired #cookingfromscratch

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 any more 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

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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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