Love Old and New

We’ve been enjoying a lot of new recipes this past week, along with some oldies but goodies:

New: “From Oh She Glows Every Day”, Fusilli Lentil Mushroom Bolognese. This was a tasty dish, and I would make it again, although I found it to be similar to Isa’s Lentil-Roni, which is a little easier to make, with fewer ingredients.

Old: From “Isa Does It”, Dilly Stew with Dumplings. Ethan really loves this one, especially the dumplings. I make 1 1/2 batches of those which gives us enough for dinner plus leftovers, and yet they still fit in the pot for steaming. I’m not a fan of rosemary, so I do use dill or thyme instead of the rosemary in the dumplings. Honestly, you probably don’t need anything additional in them.

New: From “OneGreenPlanet.org”, Vegan Crab Cakes and French Fries. I’ve done the crab cakes just baked, and they are fine that way, just a bit drier. They are, obviously, better fried, but then you get all the fat. My edits: I don’t cook my own garbanzo beans; I use 2 cans. Rather than grinding up my crackers, I use panko or bread crumbs. And I’ve never had luck finding dulse flakes, so I substitute Old Bay.

For the fries… I have been using my new air fryer (a Christmas gift from my hubby). I’m getting better as it as I use it more, but the fries were quite delicious and Ethan asked for them more often. The instructions say to toss the potatoes in oil, which I do NOT do, and it’s actually not necessary at all.  I think the intent is to keep them from sticking (the potato starch can make them stick together). I have found the trick is to dry the potatoes off well before starting, and to mix the potatoes periodically during baking.

Old: From “Isa Does It”, Wild Rice Soup with Seitan Strips. I think this soup is delicious, as does the family. It’s tough finding Isa’s recipes online, so this link is a modification of the original. What’s missing is the Seitan strips. While you could make the soup without the seitan, and really not miss it, I do find it adds a little something. I simply cut the strips and fry in a non-stick pan until browned – then just throw in the soup.

New: I have to say that “Isa Does It” probably IS my favorite cookbook. Tonight we tried her Chipotle Oyster Mushroom Tacos and they were fabulous. Definitely one of my new favorites. Ethan and David both really enjoyed them also. I loved the texture of the oyster mushrooms. If you don’t like mushrooms because of mushy texture, these might be the ones to try, as they stayed pretty firm after cooking. This one definitely goes into the rotation!

Two more Isa recipes on tap for the rest of the week: New: Lentil Quinoa Stew and Old: White Wine Risotto! Yum!  I highly recommend this particular book for purchase. It’s become well-worn from much use.

IMDb: Love Old and New (1961)