When it comes to beans, my husband, Daniel, favors chilis and stews thick enough to eat with a fork. I, on the other hand, am on Team Slurp: The brothier my beans, the better.
With my lemony white bean soup with turkey and greens (above), I can feed us both from the same pot. Filled with white beans and sturdy greens and rounded out with ground turkey, it’ll perch heartily on your fork and stick to your ribs. And yet, there’s enough fragrant, spicy, gingery broth to sip audibly from your spoon. The recipe is also wildly adaptable. Substitute other ground meat for the turkey, or go meatless. Canned chickpeas, kidney beans or black beans can stand in for the white beans; use any greens you have. Let the simmering begin!
Lemony White Bean Soup With Turkey and Greens
Another dish we certainly agree on is a panful of chile-flecked, soy-drizzled noodles like Hetty Lui McKinnon’s yo po mian. A beloved dish from Shaanxi Province in China, it’s traditionally made from hand-torn noodles showered in hot garlic oil. But, as Hetty notes, any noodles will work to absorb the heady flavors.
Maybe your comfort carb is a pot of rice. Kay Chun’s baked risotto with greens and peas cooks in the oven without constant stirring, unlike the stovetop version. And leftovers have a whole new vibe when formed into patties and fried.
How are we feeling about tempeh these days? I’m a huge fan, though I know it can be divisive. Still, even the tempeh-hesitant will be won over by Ali Slagle’s tempeh tacos. She seasons the crumbled tempeh with cumin, chili powder and nutritional yeast, basically creating a homemade version of store-bought meat crumbles, which can be substituted here if you prefer. Stuff it into hard-shell tacos, then choose your toppings — I’d go for salsa, avocado and sliced red onions — and add that to your Taco Tuesday rotation.
For dessert, Jesse Szewczyk’s chocolate zucchini loaf cake is rich and fudgy and filled with good-for-you shredded zucchini, which makes the crumb especially moist. It will keep on your counter for four to five days, as if it wouldn’t be eaten well before that.
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That’s all for now. I’ll see you on Wednesday.
