For the past two weeks since I got back I’ve been participating in Bitchin Kitchen’s supperclub challenges. They’re a lot of fun and I love logging on to Facebook and seeing the other fans’ pictures of the dishes and how they’ve modified them somehow. Here are the past two challenges I’ve done.
Nadia G’s Chili Con Carnage:
I am a huge fan of spicy food, so I jumped at the chance to make this challenge dish. I made some changes, however, and veganized it using TVP and leaving off the cheese (which I would have done anyway since I don’t do dairy.) I’m by no means a vegan but I love to eat healthy and learn new ways to cook my favorite foods; and besides, veganizing dishes makes cooking a little more challenging and fun. TVP is surprisingly easy to make and can taste just like hamburger meat depending on how you season it. You can also use pre-seasoned mixes where you just add water if you don’t feel like experimenting with the spices. Another great alternative to TVP in this recipe would have been tempeh- especially for the bacon. I used a veggie bacon that I found in the freezer case at WalMart, and though it was good on its own, the flavor wasn’t strong enough and sort of disappeared when I cooked it in the chili. Whether you’re a vegetarian, vegan, or an omnivore, this recipe is a definite winner if you’re in the mood for something spicy. You can find the recipe in the Bitchin’ Kitchen cookbook, or you can see it here.
Asian spinach salad with grilled pears:
Before making this, I had never attempted to grill fruit. I almost didn’t even bother with this salad since I didn’t even think I had a grill (turns out I had a teeny tiny grill hidden somewhere in my basement that I had forgotten about, but found after making the salad.) I did have a grill pan, though, so I dusted it off and got to work grilling some pears.
The recipe calls for Asian pears, but the store didn’t have those so I used Bartletts. I don’t know what the difference in flavor is, but the Bartletts worked really well. I also substituted the maple syrup for local honey I got from a nearby blueberry farm when I went picking last month. I’m sure the maple syrup would have tasted really good, but I’m a sucker for some good honey and it was something I already had in my cupboard so I figured I’d give it a try. I really liked the sweetness and texture of the pears with the spinach, crunchy noodles, and the Asian dressing- which was UH-Mazing! Really. I loved it! The only thing I felt was missing was ginger. I made the salad again the next day and put in a pinch of dried powdered ginger before I shook the dressing, and it worked really well with all the other flavors. I’m sure you can add a little fresh grated ginger instead, but since it’s stronger I’d use a very small pinch.
Anyway…..Grilled pears are good. I’d definitely make this salad again. And again. And again….you get the idea. You can find the recipe here.
