Optional Kitchen

Because recipes are just the beginning.

Main Menu

Skip to content
  • About

Tag Archives: celery

A bowl of chicken stew with warm, wintry spices, chunks of red-skinned potatoes, chicken, carrot, and green beans bobbing in an orange-brown broth. A stainless steel spoon handle catches the light, and a scattering of crushed tortilla chips garnishes the bowl. In the background, a dark blue serving bowl awaits.

Chicken stew with warm, wintry spices

December 16, 2016by Mike Bierschenk 4 Comments

Tender, flavorful chicken; hearty potatoes and carrots; bright, fresh green beans and tomatoes; a thick broth with soft, comforting spices. Yep.

Read Article →
Main Dishes, Soups
A hefty scoop of bacon and lentil shepherd's takes up most of a plate on a glass patio table, the reddish-brown lentil filling spilling out from beneath ivory potatoes. Buttered bread and a green salad nestle close to the main dish, with the tines of a fork protruding in from the lower edge of the fram.

Bacon and lentil shepherd’s pie

May 19, 2016by Mike Bierschenk Leave a comment

A riff on shepherd’s pie, subbing lentils for the minced lamb. Savory, buttery, rich, and altogether satisfying.

Read Article →
Main Dishes, Veg*n or veg*n-possible
A plate of smothered mushrooms with spinach, accompanied by white rice and buttered bread, garnished with chopped green onions and hot sauce. A skillet of the dish rests at the edge of the picture, and bottles of Creole seasoning and hot sauce sit near the plate

Smothered mushrooms and spinach

February 19, 2016by Mike Bierschenk Leave a comment

Plump meaty mushrooms swim in a velvety gravy studded with chunks of aromatic vegetables, with a smoky backbone underlying it all.

Read Article →
Main Dishes, Stuff on Rice, Veg*n or veg*n-possible
A bowl of basic lentil soup sits on a yellow napkin, along with a shiny spoon and a piece of thickly buttered bread

Basic lentil soup

February 4, 2016by Mike Bierschenk 4 Comments

This is one of those recipes that every home cook should keep in their back pocket. With cheap, common ingredients and a cook time of barely more than a half-hour, lentil soup has saved dinner in my house more times than I count.

Read Article →
Soups, Veg*n or veg*n-possible
Mexican bean soup, albondigas-style

Mexican bean soup, albondigas-style

May 14, 2015by Mike Bierschenk Leave a comment

This soup is a riff on traditional Mexican sopa de albondigas, meatball soup. It’s bright and full of herbs and vegetables, perfect for spring.

Read Article →
Soups, Veg*n or veg*n-possible

Post navigation

Categories

Search for past posts

Tags

avocado bacon banana beans broccoli buttermilk cabbage cake cardamom carrot casserole celery cheese chicken chickpeas chiles Chinese chocolate cilantro citrus coconut coffee cookie cranberries easy egg fall ginger grapefruit green beans greens hearty honey jalapeño kale lemon lime Mexican Mexico: The Cookbook noodles nuts oats orange orange juice pasta peaches peas pecan pinto beans potato pumpkin quick quinoa raisins rice sausage scallion seitan simple spinach steel-cut oats summer summer squash sweet potato tacos tahini tex-mex Texas Thanksgiving tomato tortillas turkey walnut winter squash zucchini

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new posts by email.

Flickr Photos

Shredded chickenThose peppers are just so redBroccoli MountainAlarmingly giant spoon handleLet’s just pretend that’s a snowscape, not a blown-out car windshield
More Photos
All text and photos © Mike Bierschenk, 2014-2016
Blog at WordPress.com.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Optional Kitchen
    • Join 85 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Optional Kitchen
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar