Okra Kimchi, by Diane

 I love okra, and wanted a creative green veggie for the week. I came across this recipe from @korean.roots to turn okra into kimchi and it could not have been easier! This was really good, and while you can have this fresh right away I liked it the more it fermented in the fridge!

Ingredients:

1.5 lb young okra, tops and tails removed and cut into 1 inch slices

4 tbsp kosher salt

1/2 small red apple, minced

3 green onions, chopped (green parts only or can use both)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp white sugar

3 tbsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)

2 tbsp black sesame seeds

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

1. Toss okra in salt, let rest up to 2 hours, rinse and drain 2-3 times. Okra should still be a little salty.

2. Combine okra with remaining ingredients.

3. Serve immediately or refridgerate/ferment in an airtight container.

Pillowy Ricotta Gnudi, by Cheryl

I was looking for a ricotta recipe that wasn't lasagna and came across this! I don't know what I was thinking this would be except a big ball of gooey warm cheese, but that's exactly what it is. I made it with a butter sage sauce, which was good, but I think a marinara sauce like the recipe stated would be better. These would be great on some doughy pieces of bread! I liked it a lot, but it's not for dinner. Maybe an appetizer? I'm still not sure how I feel about it. And I have about 12 balls leftover. Yum? 

Ingredients: 

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

30 oz ricotta cheese, (1 large container, or two small)

2 large eggs

1.5 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cups all purpose flour, divided

Sauce: 3 cups marinara sauce or butter with sage

Directions: 

1) Place Parmesan cheese in large bowl with the ricotta cheese. Add two large eggs, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Add 1 cup flour and stir until just combined.

2) Dust a rimmed baking sheet with 1/2 flour. Scoop out a golf ball size gnudi and place them on the sheet. You may have around 35 balls. Sprinkle the top with the other 1/2 cup flour. Place is refrigerator for 20 minutes. 

3) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

4) Gently place the gnudi one by one into the boiling water without overcrowding. Boil until the gnudi float and are firm to the touch, about 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the gnudi to the serving bowls.

5) Spoon the sauce over the gnudi. Garnish with chopped basil. 

Easy Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad, by Cheryl

Ooh it's been a hot minute since I've been on here! But I just had to make this new shrimp and avocado salad and I'm so happy I did! I've already made it twice in one week. It's so light and refreshing... perfect for a summer lunch or snack! Super flavorful, healthy, and quick! Yum!

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

2 limes, juiced

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1 lb cooked jumbo shrimp, chopped

1 medium tomato, diced

1 medium avocado, diced (I used two)

1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions: 

1) In a small bowl, combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside at least 5 minutes.

2) In a large bowl, combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, and jalapeno

3) Combine all of the ingredients together, add cilantro, and gently toss. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. 

Candied Roasted Chestnuts, by Diane

 

This recipe is by @veganbunnyelle, and I thought it would be a cool take on one of my fave winter snacks. It is possible I got a bad batch of chestnuts, because the skins wouldn't peel off the meat itself even though the shells did, but these tasted awful. So, maybe another batch?! Yuck.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp neutral oil

1 tbsp rock sugar (like 10 chunks) (she says on her recipe you can use white sugar if you don't have this)

1 lb chestnuts, scored in an x (see her recipe)

Water

Directions:

1. In a dutch oven or large pot with lid, heat oil over medium heat and add sugar. 

2. Stir continuously until sugar turns amber and melts.

3. Add chestnuts, stir continuously until popping sound slows around 2-3 min.

4. Add water to cover the chestnuts, cover with lid and cook for 25 min on medium heat. 

5. Remove lid and stir, cook with lid off until water completely evaporates. 

6. Enjoy warm or chilled.

Girl Dinners, by Diane

 

I have been so into girl dinners/lunches, the idea of throwing a bunch of snacks on a plate as a meal. It's so freakin easy and can be planned or clean out the fridge at the end of the week. I'm posting this as a recipe because I feel like I've nailed the key to making these successful- make them visually pleasing and make sure you have a rough macro formula so they are actually filling. 

Here's the formula and some ideas:

Healthy fats (to keep you full)- think olives of all kinds, hummus, nut butters, and dips with olive oils or greek yogurt

Proteins (also to keep you full)- think rolled lunch meat, soft/hard boiled eggs with toppings (I love chili oil or everything bagel seasoning), turkey pepperoni

Snack items: different cheeses, crackers

Veggies: different colors look more pleasing, I love raw rainbow carrots and rainbow peppers or snap peas and celery, raw broccoli, or could be leftover roasted veggies if on hand

Fruits: my faves are apple slices with baking spice, or a rainbow medley of berries

Sweets: dark chocolate pieces or honey for the cheeses

And finally, for presentation which honestly makes me look forward to these, add a variety of colors and textures, a small cute bowl in the center for your dips, and arrange everything in a circle. Make sure you have at least 4 things on your plate so your brain feels like it has a lot of choices. YUM. 

Fresh Cabbage Kimchi, by Diane

 

I took a cooking class in Seoul, South Korea and we learned to make four types of kimchi. This was a new type for me and I was obsessed with the flavor!! Unlike fermented kimchi, it has more crunch and is tossed with just a bit of sesame oil for an unreal flavor. If you leave it in the fridge at a few days-1 week it begins to get those gut healthy probiotics from fermentation too. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 large napa cabbage

7 stalks scallions, green parts only, sliced into 1/3's

1/4 large white onion, sliced into slivers

4 cloves garlic, minced

Coarse salt

Water

3 tbsp gochujaru (Korean red chili powder- you cannot sub regular chili powder or flakes here!)

1 tbsp fish sauce

1/2 tbsp preserved shrimps

1 tbsp white sugar

1 tsp crushed sesame seeds (or 1 tbsp whole sesame seeds)

1 tbsp sesame oil (use high quality if possible)

Directions:

1. Cut the cabbage in two parts separating the leafy from the stem for each leaf. For the leafy green parts, cut into bite size pieces and set in one large bowl. For the white stems, slice into bite size pieces at a diagonal (instead of straight down, cut diagonally out to expose more of the stem to marinate), set in another bowl. 

2. For the stems, add 1/2 tbsp coarse salt and 1 tbsp water, mix well with your hands and let sit 15 min. For the leaves, add 1/2 tbsp coarse salt, mix well with your hands and let sit 15 min. 

3. While the cabbage sits, mix the seasoning ingredients together (green onion, white onion, gochujaru, fish sauce, shrimps, sugar and garlic) in a small bowl and cover in the fridge.

4. Rinse each bowl of cabbage well with running water, drain, and repeat 2-3 times to get all the salt water off. Then combine the cabbage in a strainer and let sit for one hour.

5. After the hour is up, combine cabbage and seasoning in a large bowl and mix well with your hands (do not touch your eyes or use kitchen safe gloves). Add sesame oil and sesame seeds and mix gently, coating each piece.

6. Kimchi is ready to eat, or it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Crunchy Chickpeas, by Diane

 

I've been making these in the airfryer as a snack, or a crunchy salad topping. They couldn't be easier and way healthier than storebought dried chickpeas which tend to have a lot of oil and random ingredients. I've listed my current spice blend below, but you can obviously vary this as needed. I out the spices in order of how much I tend to sprinkle on. Once I figured out how to keep the moisture out of these after cooking and for storage I was all set!

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed and patted dry

Spices- smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, fine sea salt, curry powder, turmeric, black pepper

1 tsp EVOO

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and toss well to coat evenly.

2. Spread in an even layer in the airfryer at 400 for about 20 minutes or until the chickpeas are completely dried out and crunchy. Open and shake the basket about halfway to evenly dry the chickpeas.

3. Spread chickpeas onto a plate in an even layer to cool- you don't want to put them in the storage container yet while hot so they don't build moisture back up. Once cooled completely, store in an airtight container.

Drug Eggs, by Diane

I've tried to make ramen eggs before in two other posts, but this was a slight variation on them from @alexawhatsfordinner and I thought I'd give it a go for a creative protein snack. These are called drug eggs because they are supposedly addictive, but for me they were just okay. The recipe called for the liquid to cover the eggs, and it didn't so I added more water and it's possible that was the issue because I definitely wanted them to have more flavor. 

On the plus side, I finally figured out how to make the perfect jammy eggs from this recipe so that was a win I'll take!!

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp gochugaru or red chili flakes

1 tbsp sesame seeds

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalepeno, finely diced

1 spicy red pepper or habenero, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Soft boil the eggs by bringing a large pot of water to boil then gently lowering each egg into the pot. Cook for 6-7 minutes for jammy yolks and carefully transfer to an ice bath to cool completely before peeling the eggs.

2. Combine all remaining ingredients except eggs, then add eggs and make sure they are fully covered. 

3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

4. Serve with marinade if desired.

 

The Best Tuna Salad Bites, by Diane

 

I saw these on instagram from @goodeatsbyrose and despite me not liking quite a few of these ingredients I was for whatever reason inspired to try it. I'm so glad I did- these were amazing (she just called these Tuna Salad but honestly they are the BEST!). So quick and easy, I can't wait for lunch tomorrow! I think these are perfect because they are a mix of acid, salt, fat, sweet, spice, crunch and soft. I slightly adjusted some quantities based on what I had on hand. Yum!!

Ingredients:

1 large can tuna, drained

6 sweet gerkin pickles, diced

1/2 small red onion, diced

10-15 small sweet cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved

3 tbsp capers

1 tbsp mayo

Juice of 1/4 lemon

1/4 cup feta crumbles

Sprinkle red chili flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp garlic powder

Romaine leaves

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except lettuce to combine and adjust seasonings. Put into crunchy romaine leaves and devour!

Crispy Baked Tofu Bites, by Diane

I found this recipe from @plantyou, one of my favorite instagram accounts for healthy meal ideas and ways to use food scraps. These were a really crispy good snack/lunch! I made a few swaps that I included in the recipe below rather than posting hers.

First, I decided to swap the cornstarch for sweet potato starch, which I had leftover from my Taiwanese Chicken Cutlets, because it's extra crunchy when used as a coating. I also added my favorite chili crisp by Laogonma for flavor and a little bit of heat (this stuff is gold!!). The wet ingredients soaked up pretty quickly leaving me with no batter to coat the tofu, possibly from the addition of the sweet potato starch or possibly because I left the wet ingredients for about 5 min before I coated the tofu. As a result, the "batter" was sort of crumbly, so I sprayed the tofu cubes with avocado oil and tossed it in the crumbs and hoped for the best (it did actually all stick to the tofu in the end though)! Next time I'll coat the tofu in the wet ingredients before I toss in the starch and see if that helps, which I noted below. Finally, I used my air fryer, although her recipe uses the oven, and they did also turn out really crispy! 

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu, pressed for 20 min and sliced into cubes

2 tbsp EVOO

2 tsp cornstarch (I used sweet potato starch)

2 tsp seasoning (I used goya here)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp chili crisp

Directions:

1. Add EVOO, seasoning, and soy sauce in a bowl and whisk to combine.

2. Toss in tofu cubes to coat well, then add in starch and toss again.

3. Bake in air fryer @ 400 for 15 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Shrimp Cakes, by Diane

 

I saw this recipe from tiffycooks.com and really wanted to make these as healthy lunches this week. These were so quick and easy, and a great riff on lunches. They tasted like the inside of shrimp shumai dumplings! I'll definitely make them again, served with a side of sweet chili sauce! Yum! They would even be good as burgers between some crispy lettuce wraps. 

I came up with a hack I really liked here to replace the dashi powder which had msg. I know from experience making my Rabokki that dashi broth is really just kelp, green onion, and anchovy boiled with water and strained. So, I found asian seafood soup packets at my local asian grocer that had anchovies, kelp, onion, burdock root, dried tuna, and chili flakes. I removed the whole anchovies and placed the rest directly into the food processor to create a powder with the same taste- perfection! 

Also- she pan fried these but the air fryer was convenient and healthy!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs raw shrimp, peeled

3 scallions, green parts only

1.5 tbsp dashi powder (this had msg so I used some ingredients from an asian seafood soup stock instead)

1 tsp white pepper

3 tbsp arrowroot flour

1 tbsp oyster sauce

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in food processor and pulse until well combined and mashed.

2. Form into patties, place into air fryer that has been sprayed with nonstick spray and cook at 350 for 18 minutes. Flip halfway through.

Chinese Marinated Ramen Eggs, by Diane

 

I made these for a healthy snack this week as a fun twist on hard boiled eggs. I LOVE these eggs in ramen, they are my favorite part! I overcooked these by a minute, and wished they would have been more jammy, but know what to do for next time! They had a cool flavor and I was happy overall with how they turned out- yum! Marinade recipe by see_jay91 on instagram, egg recipe by justonecookbook.com

Ingredients:

12 eggs

2 star anise pods

1 scallion, green and white parts, cut into 1/3rds

4 inches ginger, sliced into thick coins

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

1/2 cup shao xing wine

2 tbsp rock sugar

1/3 cup chinese soy sauce

1/4 cup chinese dark soy sauce

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, toast the star anise pods until fragrant. Add scallion and ginger, toast lightly for 2 min.

2. Add in stock, water, wine, and sugar and stir to combine, bring to a simmer.

3. Add in soy sauces, stir to combine.

4. Chill marinade in the fridge until completely cooled.

5. To make the eggs, bring a large pot of water plus 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp vinegar to a rolling boil. Add in eggs with a slotted spoon straight from the fridge. Set a timer for 7 minutes at the time of the addition of the first egg and cook until that ends.

6. Remove the eggs directly into an ice bath for 15 min, then peel.

7. Add the peeled eggs to the marinade, cover the top of the liquid with a paper towel, and cover with lid. Let sit for 24 hours minimum. 

Baked Eggs, by Cheryl

I'm sick of peeling hard boiled eggs. Day 23 of Whole 30 is here and I no longer have the time or patience. So I decided to bake them in a muffin tin. Easy peasy and tastes the same! And you can adjust the time based on if you want runny or hard yolks. I chose hard yolks since it's easier to eat on the go. Quick, healthy, and easy! Yum!

Ingredients:

12 eggs

avocado or coconut oil spray

salt, pepper, or any other spices you want to add on

Directions: 

1) Preheat the oven to 350.

2) Crack each egg into its own muffin tin with silicone holder. 

3) Bake for 20 minutes for hard yolks.

4) Sprinkle with what ever you want! In addition to salt I used Herbes de Provence.

Pork Floss and Seaweed Pull-Apart Rolls, by Diane

 

I have been following a chef on Instagram, Kristina Cho, and she just published a cookbook called Mooncakes and Milkbread which is full of recipes for sweet and savory Chinese pastries. It's the first time I've looked at a baking challenge and thought I'd like to try making them, plus I love Asian bakeries. Yesterday it was a snow day here, and I thought what a great way to fill the day by making this recipe, which I've had my eye on for a while. Her cookbook is backordered, but this recipe was published in Bon Appétit. 

I was floored that these came out so well. I had several moments where I was sure I messed up the dough, including yeast that didn't ferment in milk causing me to borrow milk from a neighbor during the storm, and not having a stand mixer so not being sure how long to mix the dough by hand. These tasted WAY better than any one I've had in a Chinese bakery, which also really surprised me! This is partly due to her famous milkbread recipe, which is soft and pillowy and just slightly sweet. Overall, these made 8 craveable and super fun rolls, and I had been anticipating they wouldn't be so good but here we all are trapped in the house together...

I did a few things differently than her recipe- I used a shrimp flavored furikake because I like the way pork and shrimp go together (in the end I couldn't taste the shrimp but everything blended so well!). I also had some leftover fried garlic and onion from an Indonesian recipe so sprinkle that on top as well with the sesame seeds- definitely a great addition. 

I can't say enough about what a surprise hit these were, so savory and sweet and the dough was just soft and pillowy and comforting. I would definitely make these again, for when more people were in the house... I also loved the freeze and reheat instructions! FYI, this recipe takes about 5-5.5 hours to complete from start to finish.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 cup milk, divided (I had to use half and half here since my first batch didn't ferment and it was fine)

2 tbsp plus 2 2/3 bread flour, divided, plus some for flouring surface

1 tsp active dry yeast

A pinch plus 1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp diamond crystal or 1/4 tsp morton kosher salt

4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

1 tsp vegetable oil

Filling/Assembly:

1/2 cup Kewpie mayo

1 cup pork floss

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

2 tbsp furikake

Nonstick cooking spray

1 large egg

1 tbsp milk or heavy cream

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

(I also added 2 tsp fried garlic and onion bits)

Directions:

1. Cook 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp milk and 2 tbsp bread flour in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly until thickened into a paste 2-3 min (mine never did so I added a bit more flour). Transfer this mixture, called tangzhong, to a small bowl and let sit until warm (should resemble mashed potatoes), 5-10 min. 

2. Bring remaining 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp milk to a gentle rolling simmer over medium heat. Pour milk into a small bowl and let cool until warm to the touch (110 degrees). Stir in yeast and a pinch of sugar and let sit until foamy, 5-10 min. (I had to sprinkle and stir the yeast in as my first batch clumped).

3. Combine egg, salt, remaining 2 2/3 cup bread flour and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a stand mixer w dough hook. Add in tangzhong and yeast mixture and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Add 1 piece of butter at at time, mixing until incorporated, then increase speed to medium high until dough is tacky and slightly sticky about 8-10 min. Transfer the dough to a floured surface, wet hands and form into a ball. (I just used my hands for all of these steps until it formed a tight ball and was a bit sticky). 

4. Coat a large bowl with oil and turn the dough until all sides are covered in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm draft free spot for about 2 hours until doubled in size. 

5. Roll dough on a floured surface to 18x10". Spread mayo over dough, then sprinkle pork floss, scallions, and furikake. Roll it up lengthwise into a tight log and pinch the ends and remove. Turning log seam side down, cut into 8 equal pieces.

6. Coat a 10" diameter cake pan with cooking spray, arrange rolls leaving a small gap between each one. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours in a warm draft free place.

7. Preheat oven to 350. Whisk egg and 1 tbsp milk/cream in a bowl and lightly brush the tops with this mixture. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the tops (and garlic/onions if using).

8. Bake for 28 min until golden brown (I needed maybe another 3). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool in pan until warm.

9. If storing, chill in airtight container in fridge (warm at 300 degrees until warmed through about 5 min or 30-45 sec in microwave) or freezer (bake 350 for 10-15 min).

Classic Deviled Eggs, by Diane

 

A photo of my snack lunches from last week!

This week I wanted a healthy lunch of a mix of things, and I had a carton of eggs just staring at me, so I made this classic deviled eggs recipe. They were very good and easy, and tasted great with my new smoked spanish paprika from Penzey's. 

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

1 tsp dijon

1-2 dashes tabasco (I left this out)

Salt, to taste

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 tbsp snipped fresh chives (I couldn't find these at the store)

3 tbsp mayo

Paprika and whole chives for garnish

Directions:

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, then cover and remove from heat for 10-12 min. 

2. Peel under cool water and let sit in fridge for 15 min. 

3. Halve the eggs lengthwise, scoop out yolks, and mash with a fork.

4. Add in all ingredients except garnishes, combine well and fill egg whites.

5. Garnish and enjoy

Indian Pickles, by Diane

 

After the success of Quickles and Korean Pickles, I wanted to see if I could create any other fun pickle recipes with other international flavors because they are awesome to snack on after the pool or being outside. This recipe from myrecipes.com was awesome with one big exception- I wouldn't let these marinate for longer than a few hours. By the time I got to them after 24 hours they were so strong I couldn't handle them! So in the future I'd follow these instructions and pull them after 40 min. I also used a mandolin to make pickle slices, but this recipe called for spears which may have also made them taste stronger. Side note- I had all the spices on hand thanks to our cooking through the countries activities during quarantine, so that felt like a win!

Ingredients: 

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp each brown mustard seeds, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, whole allspice

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 cardamom pods, split open

2 small dried red chiles, broken in half

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt

4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half

1 inch ginger, peeled and sliced thick

6 persian cucumbers sliced thin (I used a mandolin)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and add in mustard seeds for 2 min.

2. Add remaining spices except turmeric and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. 

3. Add turmeric, then remaining ingredients except cucumbers and bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 min. 

4. Put cucumbers into a glass jar or bowl, then pour liquid over top. Marinate for 40 minutes at room temp, then drain liquid and chill for up to 2 days.

Turkey Cucumber Roll-Ups, by Diane

This has been my go to lunch in the hot summer this year, and they really couldn't be easier. I've found that a combo of smoked turkey and spicy red pepper hummus make these taste best, but you could easily sub in whatever you like. The only note is not to prep these too far in advance because the salt will draw the water out of the cucumbers and you'll end up with a soggy mess. Lately, I've been making these even lazier by simply cutting a cucumber into pickle-shaped spears then spreading hummus on them and wrapping a piece of turkey around it like a cigar. Awesome healthy lunch to go!

Ingredients:

1/2 English cucumber, sliced length-wise with a mandolin or peeler

6 slices turkey

Hummus

Everything Bagel seasoning

Directions:

1. Lay the cucumber slice on a paper towel and dry off excess moisture. 

2. Spread hummus on the cucumber, then slice turkey to fit and lay it along the cucumber.

3. Roll up your cucumber and sprinkle the tops with seasoning.

Artichoke Heart Poppers, by Diane

 

Holy moly these rocked!! What a quick and delicious snack! I saw inspiration for these on a few recipes, and I had some leftover dry batter from my pickle chicken nuggets. Next time I want to try some pizza seasonings on them. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

1 egg yolk, whisked

1/4 cups arrowroot powder

1/2 tsp each black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dill

1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Pat the artichoke hearts dry and toss in the bowl with the egg, coat well.

2. Transfer to the dry ingredients, coat well.

3. Spray the pan of an air fryer with oil, dump the artichokes in, spread out. Cook at 370 for 12-15 min or until crispy.

Korean Tofu and Spicy Ketchup, by Diane

 

This was another banchan, or small dish, from cooking through the countries Korean edition! This one was a hit, and the sauce was so outstanding it would be great on just about everything! I just so happened to have doubled the sauce on instinct and I’m glad I did (posted below with doubled measurements). I also airfried them out of convenience, but the recipe calls for pan frying in oil. Super easy and already looking forward to leftovers!

https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-tofu-spicy-ketchup/

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu

Spray avocado oil

6 tbsp ketchup

2-3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste) (I used 1!)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1 tbsp sliced green onion

Directions:

1. Press the tofu by wrapping it in a handtowel, placing it on top of a cookie sheet, and placing another cookie sheet with a weight on top of that (I used a hand weight). Leave for an hour. This will get the water out so you can get the tofu crispy! 

2. Pat the tofu dry and fry on all sides until browned (I air-fried these at 350 for 10, then 400 until browned- another 5-10).

3. Combine ketchup through garlic and toss over tofu. Mix well and garnish with sesame seeds and green onion.

Korean Cucumber Apple Pickle, by Diane

This was another banchan, or small dish in the cooking through the countries Korea edition. This was meant to be a palate cleanser, and it was nice and refreshing. I would decrease the amount of ginger next time, but overall good and easy to make!

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cucumber-apple-pickle-351891

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/8 inch thick 

1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 Granny Smith apple, sliced 1/8 inch think

2 cups water

1/3 cup rice or cider vinegar

1 tbsp matchstick ginger

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch of Korean red pepper flakes 

Directions:

1. Toss the cucumbers with salt and let sweat for 30 minutes. Rinse and squeeze the excess liquid out of the cucumbers. 

2. Combine all ingredients and chill for one day, stirring occasionally.