Ten Weeknight Express Recipes eBook

Hi all! I made a free ebook for anyone who signs up for the 101 Cookbooks newsletter. It's a collection of favorite weeknight-friendly recipes, and by being on the mailing list, it'll be easier for me to send future recipes and content directly to you. I get the feeling that reaching many of you via Facebook, Pinterest, and other social networks is increasingly challenging (even if you've asked to follow 101 Cookbooks). So if you click on this link, or the graphic below, and sign up, you'll get an email with a link to your Weeknight Express PDF. If you're already on the mailing list, you'll get a link later this week. Enjoy!

Recipes in this collection include: Curried Tomato Tortellini Soup, Ponzu Pasta, Last Minute Red Lasagna, Spicy Tahini Noodles with Roasted Vegetables, Quick Vegan Enchiladas with Sweet Potato Sauce, Double Broccoli Buddha Bowl, Golden Crusted Sesame Seeded Tofu, Garlic Lime Lettuce Wraps with Tempeh, and The Ultimate Vegan Nachos. I love all these recipes, and hope you'll cook your way through them! (Sign up here)

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The Best Simple Cauliflower Soup

This is the simplest of cauliflower soups. And it is so dang good. The ingredient list is shorter than short, and if you have a great yellow curry paste on hand (or even just a good one), it is worth making.

I love the super silky texture you get from blending this soup in a high-speed blender, but a hand-blender is B+ level good as well. So, don't sweat the equipment side of things too much.

This is the latest in a long-running series of love letter recipes to simple pureed soups, including (get ready ;) carrot soup, asparagus soup, green soup, tomato soup, also this broccoli soup. What I'm saying is, blender soups forever.

I get a little crazy with the toppings, but the soup is good simple and straight too. Here the cauliflower soup is topped with toasted pine nuts, fried shallots, and hemp seeds, and more of the yellow curry paste whisked with a bit of shallot oil.

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Walnut Olive Miso Magic Sauce

While, in my book, this will forever be the original magic sauce, this chunky walnut olive miso creation is worthy of the name as well. It works its magic by making everything it goes on more delicious in a deep, savory, nutty, umami way. You combine toasted walnuts, olives, miso, a dusting of oregano, and a dollop of tahini into a chunky condiment of sorts. The tahini lends just the right hint of creaminess.

When I say it boosts everything, I mean from pasta and crackers, salads and soups, tarts and toasts. You think something is good? A dollop (or more!) of this will make it better. It's also quite flexible, you can make it with hazelnuts, or pine nuts, or even toasted almonds. I even make it with green olives and then stir it into farro for a quick meal. Delish!

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Good Hair Day Pasta's Delightful Packaging

Few people love whimsical, clever food packaging more than me, and the design for Good Hair Day Pasta by Nikita Konkin is a real day brightener. Especially the fettuccine box, where voluminous swirls of billowy fettuccini stand in for epic hair. The natural color of the pasta is set off by a sea of white combined with simple lettering. So good.

Nikita has received numerous awards for his design, and it looks like the pasta has gone into production. Available here (if you have access to Amazon.it). It is a 100% durum wheat pasta from Italian grains and produced in the Abruzzo region.

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These Intricately Embroidered and Painted Tea Bags are Incredible

There is an amazing tradition of tea bag art, sculpture, embroidery, and stitching. It's detailed and fascinating, and I thought I'd share a few examples for a bit of Monday creative inspiration. If you're a tea drinker who throws away your tea bags, these might have you rethinking your options!

Diane Aguilar uses beads and embroidery, and recycled tea bags in her tiny creations. Note the teabag patchwork details and seed beads on the beautiful sunburst below. And, her peacock? I especially love the palm fronds.

If you'd like to see more of Diane's creations (above), follow her on Instagram, or check out her Etsy shop.

Next up, Ruby Silvious:

It's incredible how much detail Ruby is able to get into such a small space. I love her tiny scenes of far-flung places. And she has even published a book, 365 Days of Tea, documenting her miniature paintings throughout a single year. To see more of Ruby's creations (above), follow her on Instagram, or have a look at her website.

Ok, look at the individually painted grains of black and white rice in this dreamcatcher tea bag (below) by Stephanie Hüllmann. You can find Stephanie, and more of her creations on Instagram, and at her site.

Bold colors, tiny staples, layering, and thread make this creation an extension of Tiffany Goff Smith's electric, color-blast style. You can find her on Instagram.

And I'll finish up with this circular tea bag by Ruth Davis (below). Love this. She uses Copic Multiliner and watercolor. I could only find Ruth on Flickr, but would love to find an Insta account or website to follow as well!

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Instant Pot Congee with Brown Rice and Turmeric

For the latest installment in my Instant Pot recipe adventures, we're going to explore congee. And, spoiler alert, making congee in your Instant Pot, or other multi-cooker, is literally reason enough to buy one. A complete home run.

You put your rice into the pot, walk away, and start daydreaming about toppings. Return later for a beautiful pot of perfect congee. You can also make this on a stovetop (of course), but it requires more babysitting.

I experimented with different ratios of brown to white rice here. And played around with different amounts of water. I found the congee made with a minority percentage of white rice was texturally superior compared with the 100% brown rice versions. There was just too much separation between grains in the 100% brown rice version, and not enough creaminess. Add some white jasmine rice, and you get that classic congee porridge texture with the added nutritional benefits of whole brown rice.

I hope you love this congee. It is spiked with turmeric, and I also can't resist sprinkling a few tablespoons of whatever quick-cooking grains I have on hand - quinoa, Job's tears, millet, etc.

Congee (and other related rice porridges) are popular in many Asian countries. It's a beloved breakfast, and anyone who has traveled with me knows, there are few things that boost my spirits more than discovering a DIY, congee bar breakfast at whatever hotel I'm staying.

Use this recipe and ratio as a jumping off point. Play around with different broths and seasonings. And, have a blast with toppings and be sure to play around with texture, crunch, color, and ingredients! You can also make this in a thick-bottomed pot on the stovetop - no Instant Pot necessary.

Lastly, for anyone looking for more Instant Pot recipe inspiration, I've set up an Instant Pot recipe category - all my favorite successes are featured there. Enjoy!

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