Kerri Conan

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Stir-Fried Shrimp and Red Cabbage

Fuchsia food at its finest. With red cabbage for earthiness and crunch, shrimp for briny sweetness, and the bright heat of ginger and red chile bashing through it all, this is about as much excitement as one skillet can handle in less than 30 minutes.

As with all ingredients but especially important to mention with seafood and shrimp, try to find some that are wild-caught and domestic to avoid issues concerning sustainability and labor. Or use another protein: Sliced squid, chicken chunks, or even tofu cubes are all good substitutes. Serve with plain rice or wide rice noodles and get them started before you begin cooking the stir-fry.

By Kerri Conan Published April 15, 2024

Cabbage, Leeks, and White Beans with Pasta

Mark’s popular “more vegetables, less pasta” formula is ideal with hearty cabbage and whole wheat noodles. We used to think you needed chicken stock, but water creates a potent cooking liquid when the vegetables, pasta, and beans all have plenty of flavor.

The silkiness of Napa provides the backdrop and I had just cooked some Camelia Brand dried baby limas, which made the sauce extra special. You can keep the dish vegan and sprinkle the top with nutritional yeast, fried breadcrumbs, or chopped cashews (or nothing). Or finish with a grating of parmesan cheese at the table.

By Kerri Conan Published April 15, 2024

For Real: Lentils Deserve Your Full Attention

Now is the perfect time to lift lentils from their winter stews and soups and bring them into the light. The recipes here feature the three most common types of lentils — French green, red, and brown — so that they shine as mains, sides, or components in meals and snacks. As in: a salad that works with or without salmon; a creamy and versatile vegan twist on refried beans; and a stir-fry loaded with sprouts you grow in a jar.

By Mark Bittman Published March 25, 2024

Refried Red Lentils with Tajín Salsa

Yes, you can have vegan refried beans from scratch with a perfectly seasoned homemade salsa, made as rich as traditional lard-laced pintos—in well under an hour. How is that even possible? With a one-skillet technique based on red lentils, unsweetened coconut cream, and canned diced tomatoes.

By Kerri Conan Published March 25, 2024

Stir-Fried Sprouted Lentils with Broccoli and Chicken

What better way to welcome spring than sprouting your own lentils? You transform a simple legume into sweet, nutty-tasting, tidbits that eat like string beans. (Actually, these sprouts are good all year long but let’s not ruin this romantic moment.)

By Kerri Conan Published March 25, 2024

Warm Lentil-and-Spinach Salad with Pan-Roasted Salmon

French lentils are the mottled green du Puy or “petite” varieties that look like teeny, glistening river pebbles. They’ve got a pleasant, herbaceous taste and keep their shape when tender, which makes them perfect for salad.

By Kerri Conan Published March 25, 2024

When You Mash Your Chickpeas, Magic Happens

When you mash chickpeas, they disappear. In a good way. Imagine what this stir-fry would be like if instead of a hearty sauce to coat crisp-cooked vegetables, you end up with a handful of errant beans bobbing in a watery pool at the bottom of the pan. No one wants that.

By Kerri Conan Published February 27, 2024

Brown Rice Cereal, Minus the Cereal

It’s been head-exploding to discover a new alternative to traditional hot cereal grains like oats and cornmeal: ​brown rice cereal​. It’s like broken rice with benefits. Whole-grain goodness for one; quick-cooking for another. This cereal has got use rethinking techniques, using it instead of white rice, and adding it to places that brown rice has never been before.

By Mark Bittman Published February 20, 2024

Crunchy Brown Rice Cheese Skirt with Kimchi Salad

You’ve seen cheese ooze out of a sandwich or ​enchilada​ into the pan, right? It bubbles for a few seconds before turning golden and crisp. Sort of like the simplest Italian frico, only we prefer to call it a “cheese skirt.” Now imagine this skirt has a little crunch when you bite down, like a rice cracker.

By Kerri Conan Published February 20, 2024

Unbelievably Quick Brown Rice “Jook” with Garnishes Galore

The universe of mush and porridge is such a comforting one. These warming dishes are usually made by slowly simmering and stirring ground wheat or corn, then topping with sweet or savory foods. (As described in Mark’s recent polenta story, with his revolutionary “slurry” hack.) Read more about the notable exception below.

By Kerri Conan Published February 20, 2024

Caramel-Apple Cobbler

A dessert so fantastic, we couldn’t bring ourselves to mention in the title that it happens to be both vegan and gluten-free.

Here, brown rice cereal (simply proofed in boiling water) and aquafaba (the viscous liquid from canned or home-cooked chickpeas) are the key ingredients. (If you use canned chickpea liquid be sure to buy cans labeled BPA-free.) The process is just as easy as any classic cobbler recipe, though a little bit unusual. Be aware that the batter looks like it might never set up, but it eventually does. There’s a big upside: The long baking time leaves your kitchen smelling like cinnamon and caramel apples. (For a more traditional, small portion cobbler, check out Holly’s Dead-of-Winter Peach Cobbler.)

By Kerri Conan Published February 20, 2024

How to Make Hot Sauce

I’ve been making hot sauce every year for around 20 years​. Besides a glove, all you need is a blender, a pound or so of fresh chiles, sea salt, and a quart of cider vinegar. And even though it’s not peak chile season, there are plenty of varieties available year round and nothing will pick up winter cooking like a fresh batch.

By Kerri Conan Published February 1, 2024

Replace White Rice and Bread with Oats? Absolutely.

Though oats are best known in their creamy and thick incarnation as the ubiquitous breakfast porridge, lately we’ve been pushing them far beyond that. They’re perfect for lunch or dinnertime pilafs, grain bowls, and stuffings, with results as far away from breakfast as you can imagine.

By Mark Bittman Published January 23, 2024

Oat-y Meatloaf (or Meatballs)

Say goodbye to crumbly and dry. Oats soaked in warm milk hold everything together and deliver incredible richness.

By Kerri Conan Published January 23, 2024

Chicken and Oats

A modern one-pot classic, scented with saffron or smoked paprika (just like traditional chicken and rice), then spiked with lots of vegetables.

By Kerri Conan Published January 23, 2024

Pasta with Cauliflower and Oat Crumble

Think toasted and garlicky breadcrumbs are versatile? After one batch of this topping, you’ll be making extra to sprinkle on everything.

By Kerri Conan Published January 23, 2024

One-of-Everything Pasta Frittata for One

It’s amazing how much pasta this isn’t. The finished frittata is a perfect little lunch with a salad or sliced tomatoes. Or to up the ante you could add another egg. And the quantities are easily multiplied for more servings. Just use a larger skillet.

By Kerri Conan Published January 22, 2024

Spaghetti Purple

Marinara you know: Ditto fresh tomato sauce. Now imagine the same concept with blueberries. Then try it.

By Kerri Conan Published January 13, 2024

Lemongrass Burgers

These hamburgers are from one of Mark’s favorite books, The Best Recipes in the World. I recently made them with ground chicken, and they were spectacular. His point from the original is a clue: Of all the powerful ingredients in these burgers — lemongrass, shallots, garlic, chile, and fish sauce, none survives the cooking as well as the lemongrass, whose distinctive scent and flavor override all the others, reducing them to bit players.

By Kerri Conan Published January 2, 2024

Galette Bretonne

A classic combination with a sourdough update – buckwheat crepes with ham, cheese, and egg

By Kerri Conan Published January 2, 2024