Harira (Moroccan Tomato Lentil Soup)

On March 15, 2024March 15, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, soups, WorkshopsLeave a comment

I’ve been having such fun with lentils since I taught a workshop on these little seeds at the beginning of the month for Free the Seeds. I took five varieties of lentils to the class, which means I now have five varieties at home to play with. I’ve been doing just that. In the workshop, we looked at of fermented Red Lentil and Basmati Dosa batter, so I spent a few days enjoying dosas wrapped, taco-style, around Indian-Inspired Sweet-and-Sour Potatoes or served under basted eggs.

We also looked at sprouted Puy or French lentils in the workshop, which I then baked into Crispy Sprouted Lentils. I’ve piled these on corn tortillas with avocado and Lime-Pickled Onions and even took them to a sushi workshop as a garnish. I share yet another recipe that uses green or brown lentils this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon.
Learn to make Harira (Moroccan Tomato Lentil Soup)

Mushroom-Filled Blini

On March 7, 2024March 7, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grainsLeave a comment

When my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon went live with the latest recipe, Mushroom-Filled Blini, one of the first reactions that I received focused on the mushrooms, rather than the thin pancakes I wrap around them. Although I wrote the recipe for cremini mushrooms, the brown-toned baby Portobellos that are easily found in most grocery stores, I ate delicious blini stuffed with wild mushrooms while traveling across Russia.

In my corner of Northwest Montana, spring mushroom foraging season is just around the corner. I recommend bookmarking this week’s recipe if you’ll soon be out hunting for morels, our most popular edible spring fungi. You can find more ideas for cooking your bounty in this blog post. It also links to a Flathead Beacon column I wrote in 2022 after interviewing local forager Dale Johnson, who offered tips for identifying and using your wild mushroom collection.
Learn to make Mushroom-Filled Blini

Spiced Red Lentil Dip

On February 29, 2024March 15, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, dips, WorkshopsLeave a comment

My free March 2 workshop on lentils will be my 10th presentation for Free the Seeds. If you’re in Northwest Montana, join us for not just my workshop but the whole daylong event to pick out free seeds, talk with local food experts, and attend the full slate of workshops on everything from successful gardening to saving seeds. If you’re not local, you can still participate in four workshops via Zoom.

I explain more about the event and my workshop in my latest Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. I also share one of my favorite easy lentil recipes: Spiced Red Lentil Dip. In the workshop, we’ll look at the range of lentil varieties that are easy to find locally and ways to enjoy them, from cooked to spouted to fermented and from crunchy snacks to full meals.
Learn to make Spiced Red Lentil Dip

Grilled Onion Guacamole

On February 8, 2024March 15, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, dipsLeave a comment

I don’t follow sports yet always know when the Super Bowl is approaching. It seems that in the week before the game, every grocery store puts avocados and tortilla chips on sale. I just bought large, not-yet-ripe ones yesterday, so it seems an apt time to share my guacamole recipe in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon.
For shoppers, avocados no longer have a season, as various countries cycle through their growing seasons and ship their harvest to the United States. Because they’re picked while hard and underripe for long transport, I look for unbruised avocados that have dark skin (for the variety) and an intact stem. Once you can easily push the stem free with a fingertip and see bright green flesh underneath, the avocado has hit its peak ripeness. Check for this after you’ve taken the avocado home and let it ripen on the counter for a few days, until it gives slightly under gentle pressure; popping off the stem too early affects the ripening process.

Ripe avocados have the best flavor, especially in a mild dip like guacamole. As I explain in this week’s column, mixing them with onion and garlic that have mellowed and sweetened on the grill enhances their taste.

Learn to make Grilled Onion Guacamole

Tomato, Potato, and Garlic Soup

On February 1, 2024March 15, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, soups4 Comments

When I’m harvesting tomatoes and other sun-ripened vegetables in summer, I look forward to enjoying them not just fresh that same day but also from the freezer midwinter in soups and other recipes. As I explain this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, having year-round access to the flavor of produce picked at the peak of its growth is the main reason I preserve food by freezing, canning, and more. Out-of-season produce shipped thousands of miles just can’t compete.

Even if you don’t grow your own food, it’s worth seeking out in-season produce and freezing it for out-of-season use. You still capture some of that fresh flavor, and you then have a freezer full of options for soups that can be made at a moment’s notice without a trip to the store. The tomatoes in this soup are among the easiest vegetables to freeze; potatoes, onions, and garlic can be stored even more simply in a dry, dark, cool place.

Learn to make Tomato, Potato, and Garlic Soup

Cooking with Bulgur Wheat

On January 5, 2024May 10, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn grains1 Comment

Although I use many grains when cooking at home, I tend to overlook bulgur. When it sits at the front of my shelves, I reach for it as a base under everything from shrimp to shish kebabs, but I forget about it as soon as the jar gets shoved to the back. So I was excited to dig out my jar and create a primer about cooking with bulgur in my latest piece for Taste of Home.

This chewy, nutty form of wheat cooks relatively quickly and contains loads of nutrients and fiber. It comes in grinds ranging from fine to extra coarse—info that isn’t always listed on bulk bins or packaging. In the Taste of Home article, I explain how to identify the size, and thus the cooking time, as well as offering tips on preparing and using it.
Learn about cooking with bulgur wheat

Homemade Shaken Eggnog

On December 28, 2023December 28, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn beverages, ColumnLeave a comment

Many cocktails have a season, with cooling beverages like mojitos in summer and rich or hot ones in winter. Eggnog has one of the shortest seasons—late October or November through the end of the year, if you’re buying it premade or seeking a house-made version at your favorite distillery or bar. Historically, it was seen as a holiday beverage because of its richness and warming spices and was sometimes even served warm. Today, manufacturers say it just doesn’t sell outside the holidays, even in regions with months of cold, snowy weather.

If you’re an eggnog fan, the best way to extend the beverage’s season is to make it yourself. But even if you only want to enjoy it on Christmas or New Year’s Eve, the main reason to whip up your own eggnog is all in the glass—a soft, rich flavor in every sip that bears little resemblance to the cloyingly sweet milkshake-style drink that comes in a carton.
Learn to make Homemade Shaken Eggnog

Sweet Potato-Mushroom Salad

On December 7, 2023December 7, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, saladsLeave a comment

The sweet potato salad I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon is one of those recipes that has cycled in and out of my diet over the years. I started making it more than 20 years ago, when it became a go-to, packable workday lunch. After I moved to Montana, I stopped making it as my garden grew. I haven’t been successful in growing sweet potatoes or mushrooms, so my root-vegetable salads shifted to homegrown potatoes with fresh and pickled vegetables.

I brought this salad back to my menu when we started multiweek sailing trips. This salad has become one of my staples for launch day. I make it the night before, keeping the dressing separate, so that it’s ready to eat after we hoist sails and start cruising away from the mainland. It makes a large enough batch and keeps well enough in our ice chest that the leftovers can be enjoyed as a second meal a day or so later.
Learn to make Sweet Potato-Mushroom Salad

Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

On November 16, 2023November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, saucesLeave a comment

Earlier this month, a friend asked if I had “no-fail, hearty amount holiday gravy recipe for incompetent gravy makers.” It might seem like a tall order for someone who has always preferred cranberry sauce to gravy, even before giving up turkey, but I actually have a recipe that fits the bill: a mushroom gravy that comes together quickly, thickens effortlessly, can be made ahead and reheated just before the holiday feast, can be easily made in a double or trip batch, and bursts with flavor. I share it this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon and for the first time here on the blog.

You can certainly serve this gravy with any holiday meal. It’s so tasty that the carnivores and vegetarians at the table will all thank you. I primarily make it to serve on poutine with homegrown oven-fried potatoes and homemade fresh cheddar curds. It would also be delicious on a lentil loaf or meatloaf, mashed potatoes, or roasted root vegetables.
Learn to make Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

Seared Shrimp in Garlic Oil

On November 9, 2023November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, fresh eatingLeave a comment

We grill outdoors year-round, but not every evening is ideal for stepping out and firing up a chimney of charcoal. On icy nights when I don’t want to be more than a few steps from the woodstove, I pull out the recipe I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. I think of seared shrimp bubbling in hot oil as a Spanish dish because it reminds me of meals I enjoyed in Spain’s tapas bars. This dish is incredibly simple to make, and if you always keep a bag of raw shrimp in the freezer and a head of garlic on the counter, you can make it on a whim.

I like to serve these shrimp over Cinnamon Couscous, a recipe I picked up on my travels in Morocco, as a quick fusion meal. You can also simply cut some hunks of Sourdough Cabin Bread or the crusty white baguette in my new sourdough guide for the The Old Farmer’s Almanac website and dip them into the oil to munch alongside the shrimp, tapas style.
Learn to make Seared Shrimp in Garlic Oil