Simple caraway seedcake
Sometimes writing the headnotes to these recipes is fairly straightforward: I say why I like the food, describe why someone else might also like the food, add in an interesting […]
Author Archives: Mike Bierschenk
Broccoli sausage casserole
A few weeks ago, I was browsing around the internet on my lunch break, wondering what I should make for dinner, and I stumbled across Deb’s recipe for a mushroom marsala […]
Asado de seitan (Seitan in a mild chile sauce)
Okay: let’s say you’ve made some Basic Seitan (or you decided that it sounded interesting, but weren’t totally convinced, and so you bought some — no judgment here!). But now you […]
Basic seitan
I mentioned in the very first post of this blog that I often bring vegetarian/vegan dishes to potlucks so that more people can enjoy it. But it’s not just potlucks; […]
Spicy cactus salad
Let’s talk cactus. Depending on what food culture(s) you were raised in, you may be looking at this page thinking I’m off my rocker, but cactus is delicious. It’s sweet […]
Arroz Luz Catalina
I have a thing for rice. I’m ravenous for all things starch, but rice has a special place in my diet. I buy it by the twenty-pound sack. On vacations […]
Orange-scented split pea soup
Today is New Year’s Eve, and therefore many American food blogs are putting up their most interesting spins on Hoppin’ John, a peas and rice dish from the South. I love Hoppin’ […]
Grapefruit avocado salad
I live in central Ohio, but I work with a surprisingly large number of fellow Texan expats. Just before Christmas I was talking with my coworker Christiane, and of course the conversation […]
Orange-cardamom candied peanuts
A couple months back, I was talking with a friend about the kind of recipes that blow people’s socks off, but are actually super-easy to make. We both agreed that many […]
Magical ginger tea
Whoo, boy. I don’t know how it is where you live, but here in Central Ohio flu season has hit with a vengeance: even those who got the flu shot […]
Optional Kitchen 