Crispy Pan-Fried Tofu

On October 31, 2024October 31, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, fresh eatingLeave a comment

When I see recipes that aim to make tofu crispy, I’m often surprised by the various ingredients and effort applied—and even more surprised when I find they don’t achieve the desired effect. As I explain this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, the process of making tofu crispy is simple. It requires just two ingredients, tofu and oil. It can be broken into just four key steps: remove excess moisture, use a hot pan and splatter shield, leave space around each piece, and wait to flip the tofu until it releases easily.

When I make tofu in this way, it comes out perfectly crisp every time, whether I’ve cut the tofu into cubes for a stir-fry, thick rectangles for a satay, or flat slabs for a sandwich. I typically reach for my largest cast-iron skillet, but any well-seasoned or nonstick pan that can be safely set over medium-high heat does the job. I prefer a mesh splatter shield to a silicone one; the latter tends to collect condensation that then drips back into the hot oil.
Learn to make Crispy Pan-Fried Tofu

Smashed Bean Pasta

On October 24, 2024October 24, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grainsLeave a comment

We often put a meaty protein on pasta—fish and shellfish, chicken breast, all sorts of meat ground and shaped into meatballs. Yet we tend to overlook the pairing of pasta and beans, a prime vegetable source of protein. Whereas Mexican restaurants have made rice and refried beans an American staple and the Southern population has long served up red beans and rice, the Italian tradition of pairing pasta with beans hasn’t caught on.

That will hopefully change in your household with this week’s recipe in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. It’s an easy, filling meal that can be made at the last minute from ingredients in the pantry. Leave off the cheese for a vegan version, and pile in olives for a little zing. By smashing some of the beans, they find their way, along with the tomato juices, into the pasta’s holes and pockets.
Learn to make Smashed Bean Pasta

Tomato–Basil Mac and Cheese

On October 18, 2024October 18, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grainsLeave a comment

Mac and cheese lands firmly in my comfort food category, and I do my best not to feel guilty about biting into that cheesy, gooey pasta—especially when I make a pan that feeds eight people for our household of two. As I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, one way I decrease the guilt factor while boosting the flavor is to load vegetables into the dish. This works in summer and fall with the garden harvest and in winter and spring with homegrown produce that I preserved for just such uses.

In fact, I originally wrote this recipe for frozen cherry tomatoes, frozen cubes of basil pesto, and grilled and frozen onion. Sometimes I use home-canned tomatoes instead or, when I deplete my stash, store-bought cans of diced tomatoes. Dried basil works well too. Still, when you have fresh in-season options, they give the best flavor and the prettiest meal.
Learn to make Tomato–Basil Mac and Cheese

Hot and Sour Shrimp and Noodle Soup

On October 11, 2024October 11, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, soups2 Comments

This week’s Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon takes the recipe from the prior week, Hot and Sour Broth Base, and walks you through one of my favorite ways to turn it into a full-fledged soup. Just looking at the photo makes me want to fix a bowl for lunch today.

That’s easily done: At lunchtime, I’ll rehydrate a couple of dried shitake mushrooms in hot water and thaw a few shrimp in cold running water while I gather the other ingredients. Cubes of broth base and Homemade Shrimp Stock pulled from my freezer go straight into the pot, as do the noodles. A handful of shrimp take seconds to peel, and I’ll add their shells to the bag in my freezer awaiting my next stock-making day. Shallots, garlic, and cilantro also take seconds to prep in such a small amount. By the time my prep is done, the mushrooms will be soft and I can fill the soup pot, with lunch ready in about 15 minutes.
Learn to make Hot and Sour Shrimp and Noodle Soup

Hot and Sour Broth Base

On October 3, 2024October 3, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, frozenLeave a comment

The recipe I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon is all about the balance between effort and result. When you make real meals from scratch, the result can be phenomenal. But those meals usually take more effort than an off-the-shelf substitute.

I’ll always remember one of the comments I saw about my first recipe in the Flathead Beacon, 30-Minute Tomato Soup. Someone was appalled that it would take so long to make tomato soup when she could just pop open a can and heat it in the microwave. She completely missed the point of the recipe—and to this day is likely missing out on its rich flavor.

That reader will likely be just as snarky about this week’s recipe, even though its point is to achieve the equivalent of popping open a soup can by doing the bulk of the work ahead of time and keeping a hot and sour soup base in the freezer. But if you make that advanced effort, the result tastes amazing, even if all you do is heat up a couple of frozen cubes in a mug of stock.
Learn to make Hot and Sour Broth Base

Corn Kernel Muffins with Sage

On September 26, 2024September 26, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, quick breadsLeave a comment

I snuck two recipes into this week’s Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. The main corn muffin recipe has far more texture and flavor than a simple pan of cornbread. The secondary recipe is in the steps that prepare the fresh corn for the muffins: essentially, make creamed corn from scratch.

I like to double just the fresh corn and milk in the muffin recipe, bake it in two pans, and lightly season one pan. That hot creamed corn tastes delicious when served alongside, say, Panfish Piccata and a second vegetable like Bagna Cauda-Style Mashed Potatoes or Maple-Glazed Carrots.

After the second pan of baked, unseasoned kernels cools, I fold these into the corn muffin batter. A little sugar plays on the corn’s natural sweetness, but these muffins remain savory enough to serve with eggs at breakfast or as a cornbread replacement at dinner.
Learn to make Corn Kernel Muffins with Sage

Three-Bean Salad with Fresh Herbs

On September 19, 2024September 19, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, saladsLeave a comment

By the time the garden’s snap beans are ready, many of its salad greens have gone to seed. But that doesn’t mean I stop making salads. Instead, my salads become heartier, with varieties of snap and dried beans and fresh herbs standing in for greens. I share one of my favorite renditions, a three-bean salad with homemade Creamy Balsamic Salad Dressing, this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon.

Like all salads, you can adapt this one to the seasons and the ingredients you have on hand. My favorite cheeses for this salad include Cold-Smoked Mozzarella and Homemade Farmer’s Cheese. When I’ve put the garden to bed for the season, I still make this salad with the Classic Dilly Beans or the Szechuan-Peppered Snap Beans in my pickling cookbook. When even my herbs have died back for the year, my stockpile of homegrown and dried herbs provides plenty of flavor.
Learn to make Three-Bean Salad with Fresh Herbs

Zucchini Bread with Sesame Seeds

On September 13, 2024September 13, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, quick breadsLeave a comment

When zucchini plants are putting out fresh squash every day that seem to double in size if you leave them on the vine just one more night, it’s time to make the quick bread recipe I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. Almost every cook seems to have a favored recipe for zucchini bread, partly because the bread is so adaptable. I base mine on a quick bread ratio that works for all sorts of flavors.

As I mention in my column, the long list of ingredients in my zucchini bread recipe gives my preferred taste and texture to the loaves—and still uses up plenty of the squash. If you compare it to my Ratio Quick Bread recipe, you’ll see that any ingredients that you don’t have at hand can be replaced by other types of flour, sweetener, and add-ins.
Learn to make Zucchini Bread with Sesame Seeds

Green Goddess Salad Dressing

On September 6, 2024September 5, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, saladsLeave a comment

I’m such a lover of all things pickled and fermented that most of my salad dressings start with vinegar and oil. So when I was asked to create some condiments for a large dinner a few years back, I knew I needed to branch out not just with a creamy choice but also one that would appeal to as many dietary needs as possible: vegan, gluten free, keto friendly, and more. That’s why the salad dressing I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon eschews the original mayonnaise and other dairy-heavy renditions in favor of a dairy-free, avocado-based blend.

Avocados have grown in popularity as a nondairy fat replacement in baked goods—the same way I often replace oil and butter in quick breads with applesauce. I occasionally use avocados in this way, especially when making desserts for vegan friends. But I typically eat avocados sliced fresh, such as on corn tortillas with Crispy Sprouted Lentils, or turn them into Grilled Onion Guacamole. I even have a recipe for pickling them in my pickling cookbook. If you like tangy salads, try the pickled avocado slices in the green goddess dressing.
Learn to make Green Goddess Salad Dressing

Cheese-Stuffed Grilled Sourdough Breadsticks

On August 30, 2024August 29, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, sourdoughLeave a comment

From the first year of the Twice as Tasty blog, I set aside January as Sourdough Month. The cold winter window after the holidays and before the first seed packets arrived seems ideal for sharing starter and recipes that bake sourdough in the oven. But when the temperatures hit the other extreme, I do a lot of my sourdough baking on the grill. So I decided to share a sourdough recipe this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon.

This grilled breadstick recipe comes on the heels of Grilled Tomato Pizza Sauce, my favorite dipping sauce for these breadsticks—although if you’re a fan of roasted sweet peppers, they’re delicious dipped into Grilled Sweet Pepper Sauce too. The grilled breadsticks start with a ball of pizza dough; you can find my sourdough recipe here if you’re just getting started on your sourdough adventures, or you can swap in your favorite yeast-based pizza dough recipe. For a full mozzarella upgrade, use Cold-Smoked Cheese.
Learn to make Cheese-Stuffed Grilled Sourdough Breadsticks