Gluten-Free Scallion Pancakes

On June 8, 2023November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grainsLeave a comment

If you think of pancakes as sweet breakfast treats, think again. Savory pancakes can be eaten any time of day and make a delicious light summer meal that features seasonal veggies—in and on them. This week, in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, I share one of the first variations I make each summer. It’s easy to make, delicious, and—bonus—gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.

You can make scallion pancakes with store-bought scallions (also called green onions), but if you grow your own bulb onions, you can swap in small ones as you’re thinning your onion bed. I make them even earlier in the season with walking onions and then later in summer with just the green tops from nearly full-grown bulb onions that I pull early to use fresh.

Other vegetables and herbs work well in savory pancake batter, including zucchini with basil and grilled peppers with chives. I then pile on more vegetables as toppings, especially pickled ones like Tangy Radish Rounds, Ripe Cherry Tomato Pickles, Pickled Avocado Slices, and other quick pickles from my cookbook.
Learn to make Gluten-Free Scallion Pancakes

Arugula Salad with Asparagus and Shaved Parmesan

On May 11, 2023November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, salads1 Comment

One of my favorite things about the start of garden season is clipping the first homegrown spring greens. If you grow lettuce, spinach, arugula, or other greens, you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, I highly recommend getting a few seeds and giving it a try. Homegrown greens have flavor that is often muted or missing from store-bought ones, and you can buy seeds in varieties that grocery stores won’t carry. These seeds grow easily in the ground or in pots. My sister seeds two “lettuce bowls”—wide, low plastic pots—for my parents each year that sit in the shade on their porch all summer. When the supply gets low, they simply pull the straggly plants and tuck in a few new seeds.

My homegrown lettuces and other greens mainly land in salads, as I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. I also tuck them into tacos and sandwiches, fold them into hot pasta or curry, and pair them with eggs.
Learn to make Arugula Salad with Asparagus and Shaved Parmesan

Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

On April 27, 2023November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grainsLeave a comment

We’ve had a spate of cool spring weather here in northwest Montana, including days when I woke up to snow on my just-emerging crocus and scilla, so I’ve been in comfort food mode. That means—along with other recipes that satisfy filling, fatty food cravings—mac and cheese.

I grew up eating homemade mac and cheese baked in the oven until the center was gooey and the top was a crunchy cheese crust. My mom’s version was kid-friendly and simple: elbow pasta, butter, flour, milk, and mild Cheddar. I’ve tweaked it to bring in more flavor and better texture. But when it comes to making mac and cheese your own, the recipe I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon is just the beginning.
Learn to make Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

Million-Dollar Deviled Eggs

On March 8, 2023May 10, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn fresh eating1 Comment

I’m excited to share my first article for Taste of Home: How to Make Million-Dollar Deviled Eggs. I’m a definite fan of deviled eggs, including versions with bonus flavor and homemade ingredients, so it an ideal first assignment.

The recipe, developed by Taste of Home, has a secret ingredient that I tried for the first time when I made a test batch. They’re called million-dollar deviled eggs because they’re that rich. I made them by mashing the yolks with a fork, but they’d be just as easy to press through a garlic rocker, like I shared in another recent story.
Learn to make Million-Dollar Deviled Eggs

Roasted Garlic Hummus

On February 16, 2023November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, dips2 Comments

You can’t go wrong with the classic pairing of pita bread and hummus. Although hummus has become popular enough to earn cold-case space in most grocery stores, your homemade Pillow Sourdough Pita deserves a homemade spread. Fortunately, you can easily whip up a batch in minutes in your kitchen, as I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon.

For maximum flavor and creaminess in my hummus, I use roasted garlic, a little Homemade Yogurt, and home-cooked dried chickpeas. My hummus is still ready in minutes because I always have a stash of roasted garlic and fresh yogurt in my fridge for all sorts of uses. Then I’ll cook up a large batch of beans for a couple of meals and throw in an extra 2/3 cup of dried beans to pull out for hummus. But for spontaneous hummus, I always have a can or two of low-sodium chickpeas in my pantry.
Learn to make Roasted Garlic Hummus

Corn and Potato Chowder

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

Just setting at a bowl of chowder on the table cuts my hunger pains. The thick soup immediately looks warming and filling. After a ski day, I don’t even feel guilty about dipping a slice or two of sourdough bread into the bowl.

The chowder recipe I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon has become one of my après ski favorites because it’s so easy to make with ingredients I keep in my house. Even if you don’t grow and store boxes of your own onions, garlic, and potatoes, they’re affordable and keep well. The same goes for frozen corn and stock. With a little butter, and some cream and salsa if it’s on hand, you have everything you need for a filling meal.
Learn to make Corn and Potato Chowder

Norwegian-Style Gløgg

On December 29, 2022December 28, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn beverages, Column1 Comment

As many friends and family approach the end of the year with subzero nights and canceled flights, a stay-at-home New Year’s Eve sounds welcoming. Whether you’re keeping it intimate or filling the house with friends, the hot spiced wine recipe in my latest Twice as Tasty column can be casual enough for a cozy fireside chat or tasty enough for a countdown party.

Various cultures have twists on the basic idea of hot red wine in a mug. Some are simply warmed with spices, others are sweetened or boosted with stronger alcohol, and some have it all. My favorite version, the Norwegian-Style Gløgg I share in this week’s Flathead Beacon, falls into the third category, with the bonus of vodka-spiked raisins and crunchy almonds in the bottom of each cup. Fortifying the wine with spice-infused vodka and adding a bit of sugar makes it adaptable to all sorts of reds, including cheaper bottles or ones opened but then forgotten.
Learn to make Norwegian-Style Gløgg

Shrimp and Green Vegetable Risotto

On October 27, 2022November 19, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grainsLeave a comment

Cool weather always puts me in the mood for risotto. The dish can be as warming as soup but is also hearty and filling. It’s a fabulous way to use up the last vegetables pulled from the garden before frost hits, but risotto can be made year-round: in winter with frozen and dry-stored ingredients, in spring with the first vegetables and herbs of the season, and throughout summer with the freshest treats from the garden.

As I explain this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, risotto often appears daunting but is actually just a 30-minute, one-pot meal. Starting with the right rice and adjusting your cooking technique are key: Instead of covering a pot of short-grain rice and water with a lid, buy medium-grain Arborio rice and cook it in an open pot. Add a little hot liquid at a time, stirring often and letting the rice absorb it before pouring in more. I also create the best risotto when I use homemade stock.
Learn to make Shrimp and Green Vegetable Risotto

Fresh Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

On October 20, 2022July 11, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, soupsLeave a comment

Broccoli and cheese soup has long been a staple on my fall and winter menu, but my recipe has evolved over the years. The first version I learned from my mom; besides fresh broccoli and sharp Cheddar cheese, it was simply seasoned with a bit of oregano. Once I began making it in my own kitchen, I jazzed it up (as Mom would say) with extra-sharp Cheddar and a little mustard and lemon juice, and when I began to successfully grow broccoli in my own garden, I created a freezer-based version of the jazzed-up recipe. Once I fell for grilled broccoli, I began grilling instead of steam-blanching it for even more flavor in the soup pot.

My latest rendition of a broccoli and cheese soup, which I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, returns to fresh, lightly sautéed vegetables for just a touch of the roasted flavor. This is the way I make the soup with the last of the season’s broccoli, and it’s my preferred recipe for fresh store-bought broccoli. I’ve made one more ingredient addition, potato, for a thicker, chowder-like texture.
Learn to make Fresh Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Fried Green Tomatoes

On October 6, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, fresh eating2 Comments

If you grow a garden, especially in a climate with a short growing season, you know that one of your last harvest decisions is what to do with green tomatoes. If you harvest them before they are damaged by frost, many green tomatoes will ripened indoors. You can also preserve tomatoes while they are still green. Some can be eaten fresh too.

I share one of my favorite ways to eat fresh tomatoes this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon: dredged in cornmeal and fried in a pan. Successfully making fried green tomatoes, with a just-soft, sweet interior and crisp outer shell that stays attached to each tomato slice, depends on the tomatoes you choose and the way you prepare them before you add them to the pan.
Learn to make Fried Green Tomatoes