Tag: dinner

Favorite Meal Breakdown: Bánh Mì Sliders

Lauren1 Comment

I’ve mentioned this before, but I usually reach recipe/meal exhaustion after the 5th time I make something.  IF a recipe makes it past that point, then it’s because I REALLY REALLY love it.  And considering I’m always finding new things to cook and am not a huge meal repeater, IF a recipe makes it past that point WITHIN A YEAR, then it’s definitely worth blogging about in detail.  These bánh mì sliders are that meal.  Let’s break it down!

Part I: Slider Buns

I use this recipe for Vegan “Brioche” Slider Buns and follow it (almost) to a T, except that I use ALL all-purpose flour and I don’t brush them with coconut oil or sesame seeds at the end.  Though now that I think about it, that sounds kind of worth it.  Anyway!  This gives me 16 slider buns, half of which I wrap individually in plastic, pop in a Ziploc bag and place in the freezer for the next time I make this meal.  They freeze/defrost like a dream, so just remember to put them in the fridge 1-2 nights before you’re going to eat them.

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So cute, so fluffy, so perfect.  Joey raves every time I make em!

Part II: Pickled Veggies

I go with a combo of carrots, jalapeños and red onion and use this quick and simple pickling method, except I half the recipe (which still ends up being more than enough!).  Do it a day or two before so the veggies have a chance to really soak up some flavor and soften a little.

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Part III: Tempeh, Mayo, Sliders

The recipe that inspired it all!  This one from Faring Well, which I use for both the tempeh and the vegan mayo.  If you’ve never emulsified your own vegan mayo, you’ve never lived!  You’ll be amazed at how much it looks like real mayo.  If I’m really on top of things, I’ll start marinating the tempeh in the morning just for some extra soaking up time, but you can do it just before too.  Either way, it’s super flavorful.*  Then all that’s left to do is slicing the buns in half, toasting them, loading them up with vegan mayo, tempeh, pickled veggies and a sprinkle of cilantro and devouring them!

I just typed “flavorable,” so I think bánh mì slider obsession is starting to scramble my brain…

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Pro Tip: Make the buns over the weekend, pickle the veggies the day before, marinate the tempeh before you leave for work and come dinner time, all you have to do is bake the tempeh, emulsify the mayo (because you might as well do something while the tempeh is in the oven!) and assemble the sliders.  Aka 30 minutes till these are on your dinner table.  Not only do they taste amazing but when you realize you made (almost) everything from scratch, it tastes just that much better!

Wishing you a day as good as these sliders 🙂

A Dinner Diary

Lauren5 Comments

Now seems as good a time as any to tell you I’m keeping a dinner diary.  Not like a “Dear Diary, I had pizza for dinner.” thing, but a write-down-what-I-cooked-for-dinner thing.

You see, a few months ago, we were partaking it our favorite Saturday morning ritual of eating breakfast while watching The Kitchen on Food Network when guest Jenny Rosenstrach mentioned she’s kept a dinner diary since 1998.  Mostly, I think she used it as a planning tool, but as someone who loves listing things, the idea struck such a chord.

So a few days later, I went to Target, perused their entire collection of notebooks, planners, journals and finally landed on a simple black one with lined pages and “Notes” written across the front.  “Understated but timeless,” I hoped.  I was having visions of children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren thumbing through this little black notebook, imagining just what “Ginger Cashew Chicken Curry” tasted like when I made it way back in 2017.  Or maybe even of myself looking back through it, watching the evolution of weeknight dinners, holiday meals and cooking frequency throughout the years.

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The weird thing is, I’m a perfectionist through and through — I’ll seriously re-write my grocery list if I spell fettuccine wrong — but for some reason, imagining that diary looking all splattered in spaghetti sauce, pages rumpled, like only really well-loved things look makes me so happy.

I’ve been writing in it since mid-January and I kinda love it?  Yep, I’m a list-maker through and through ♥

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Are you a list-maker?

Do you keep a diary/journal of any kind?

Also, what are you doing this weekend??  We have snow in the forecast and a bike bar outing booked.  Should be very very interesting!