This soy-butter corn ramen has peak summer flavor
One cooking myth I’m ready to see disappear is that vegetable-based meals are harder or more time-consuming to make than meat-based ones. I’d argue that it’s just a matter of experience: The more you cook with vegetables, the more comfortable and confident you become with turning them into a quick and satisfying dinner. There’s nothing inherent in a piece of meat that makes it faster to cook than, say, a couple of zucchini or a bunch of kale.
Hetty Lui McKinnon takes on the vast world of vegetable-based cuisine in her latest cookbook, “Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds,” which is excerpted in The New York Times this week.
Featured Recipe
Soy-Butter Corn Ramen
“Vegetables are inherently more flexible and adaptable than people think,” she writes, “and the more you cook with them, the more you experiment and explore, the more multifaceted they become.”
Alongside the excerpt are four stunning, meatless recipes, including her five-ingredient, one-pot soy-butter corn ramen (above) and a vegan cashew and celery stir-fry with strips of tofu that you can get from refrigerator to table in about 20 minutes. If you have a bit more time, there’s also her salt and vinegar kale chips with fried chickpeas and avocado and crispy potato tacos filled with cheese and potato skins for texture.
Also on your table in 20 minutes and vegetable-based (though not vegetarian) is my recipe for a cherry tomato Caesar salad. Juicier and sweeter than the usual lettuce-only version, it’s got curls of Parmesan cheese and bits of anchovy providing a savory contrast.
I’ve mentioned Yewande Komolafe’s rolex recipe before, but it bears bringing up again. It’s not the fancy watch, but the snack popular in Uganda, a chile-spiced vegetable omelet wrapped up in a chapati that you can eat out of hand. Watch her make it on YouTube, and serve it for breakfast or with a cool glass of lemonade for a light and portable lunch or dinner.
For dessert, how about a pale green basil Key lime pie? This one is more complex than the usual Key lime confection, with its especially fruity topping of macerated fresh strawberries.
Naturally, fruit and vegetable lovers and their friends will want to subscribe to get these and all the other tens of thousands of recipes available at New York Times Cooking. If you need help with a technical issue, send an email to cookingcare@nytimes.com. And I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com, if you want to say hi.
Slicing Corn Kernels Off the Cob
Next time you’re slicing the kernels off an ear of corn (whether for Hetty’s recipe or another), try laying the cob down on a cutting board. It’s easy to slice the kernels off without making a mess. Just rotate the cob as you cut, sweeping the kernels into a bowl as you go. It’s neater and easier — and faster, too.
