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

Potato Salad with Pickles and Creamy Dressing

On April 13, 2023May 16, 2026 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, salads1 Comment

In the early 2000s, I lived in St. Petersburg, Russia, for close to a year. I’d been traveling through Europe and northern Africa for much of the year before that and was drawn to the local flavors in each country and region I visited. Russia presented an interesting dichotomy: a love of all things pickled yet little tolerance for anything spicy or powerfully flavored.

The salad and dressing recipe I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon shows how this dichotomy can be a complementary pairing, which is perhaps one reason both tangy and mild flavors were so popular in Russia. In contrast, the blend that many Westerners know as Russian dressing, which often contains chili sauce, horseradish, and other hot or sharp flavors, would have been too much for my Russian friends. They even found my homemade mac and cheese, with its dash of mustard powder, too spicy. But the tangy combination of pickled vegetables and sour cream in this potato salad was just fine.
Learn to make Potato Salad with Pickles and Creamy Dressing

Roasted Winter Vegetable “Grain” Bowls

On April 6, 2023May 16, 2026 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grainsLeave a comment

In my area, snow and ice continue to cling to shady places and most growing spaces have yet to transition past mud to diggable soil. Spring cleanup outdoors will happen slowly for now, but indoors is a different story, as I explain this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. I’m focused on emptying my food storage spaces before the next round of growing and harvesting kicks in.

In my house, I’m making room in my freezer and on my canning shelves, both of which I filled to overflowing last year. But the main effort is to eat up dry-stored produce that has been keeping well in boxes but won’t continue to do so for long. The recipe in this week’s column uses some of these long-held homegrown vegetables, but they’re also ones that are easily attainable and affordable in grocery stores this time of year.
Learn to make Roasted Winter Vegetable “Grain” Bowls

Winter Squash and Mushroom Risotto

On March 23, 2023May 16, 2026 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grains1 Comment

I feel lucky that my homegrown winter squash has held up so well in storage this year. First deer that found their way into the garden attempted to gnaw through their thick skins. Then we had several huge temperature swings throughout winter, including an extended power outage during subzero temperatures. Yet the squash kept in storage until now, ready for the delicious risotto I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon.

You can use all sorts of winter squash in risotto, from the pictured kabocha to delicata, butternut, or pumpkin. The same goes for mushrooms; cremini are readily available, but as local mushroom farming becomes more popular, it’s becoming easier to mix in oyster mushrooms, chestnut boletes, or other varieties. I recommend making your own vegetable stock too; it likely won’t be as thick or salty as store-bought broths. If you make a large batch and then freeze it in 1-cup portions, it will be ready to defrost for a range of risottos.
Learn to make Winter Squash and Mushroom Risotto

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