I never presoak or one hour soak dry beans. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook incovered until done. Check and add water if needed, stirring occasionally. I prefer my beans on the stovetop, not a in Crock Pot.

The newer the package of dry beans, the quicker they will cook.

I ike avocado toast with an egg, or pumpkin seeds. Never cared for lox etc

One thing that surprises is me is that most discussions I see about the MIND diet still include red wine daily! Yeah, no.

Tonight I am going to make roasted carrots with labneh and dukkah, a new recipe for me but something I have had out a few times.

For your next roasted carrot recipe, try Dorie Greenspan’s Sweet & Smoky Roasted Carrots. LINK One of the women in our cookbook club made them when we cooked from Dorie Greenspan’s Everyday Dorie. Everyone loved them!!

@bbstx where do you get smoked salmon? what brand? We looked at online places for sockeye as it has highest omega 3 but always mixed reviews. would love a reliable source.🙏

I just pick it up at the grocery. It isn’t fancy, but it is adequate. I live in a tiny rural town, so almost no choices. I got a store brand, but it is the upscale division of the store brand. 😁

It's hard to find good smoked salmon at the grocery stores. We aren't big on the sockeye. I grew up on nova scotia (lox type) salmon, so that's what I like. And packaged, it's so uneven. Strangely, we've had the best luck at Costco, with their house brand. But even that's inconsistent, too.

We eat the sliced, not the canned smoked salmon. But for Christmas I got my husband a gift box of different tinned fish, and included is this:

It will either be great, or horrid, I think. We are working through the tins, and haven't gotten to it yet.

I keep seeing that company. I'm tempted.

@bbstx, I really wanted to make the Dukkah, in part for the nuts. But I think I will follow your recipe and add pistachios on top. Yum!

@bbstx i just got some honey smokedsalmon at the grocery 8 oz filet hot smoked so has firmer texture . will report back

@sas95, I first heard about Fishwife on a How I Built This (Guy Raz) podcast. It is very interesting listening. None of the groceries here carry that brand. I just checked my smoked salmon. You would turn your nose up. 😁 It is sockeye. Wild caught, cold smoked.

@mtnrdredux_gw adding the pistachios sounds good.

@Sueb20, apparently you are not the only one who thinks tomatoes are sweet! 😂

they're in the oven!

The wedding of the woman who founded Fishwife was featured in the NYT fairly recently and the story of the brand is pretty interesting. From what I've read, the rap on this company seems to be that it is expensive for what it is, and that you're paying for marketing/packaging. Well, the packaging is pretty! The thing that really sold me on the gift was that I could also buy these special tinned fish tongs from Japan from the site. So practical!

Today’s lunch, which I threw together in a microwaveable bowl right after breakfast and will heat up for lunch, mostly culled from various leftovers: rice, black beans, a little bit of chicken, broccoli, and a little corn.

Sas, Coco Larkin, a cook on Instagram, uses tongs/tweezers like that for almost everything. I have a serious case of tweezer envy!

Oh that is my kind of lunch, Sue ... yum! (I havent eaten yet today so it sparked me to get up and go make lunch!)

Also, Smitten Kitchen shared a number of bean recipes today in her newsletter -- do you still have blackbeans? There is a bb taco recipe and also a bb-vegetable bake. I didnt look too closely but I do find her recipes pretty reliable!

Love Smitten Kitchen!

The carrots were a tad spicier than id like, but yummy all the same! I also had grilled chicken breast and green beans, that nutritionally poor black sheep of the bean family.

Interesting about the carrots being spicy. I am a total weenie when it comes to spice and I do not recall them being spicy. Did you use sweet or hot paprika? Was it fresh?

AHA! I just re-looked at the recipe. I’ll bet it was the cayenne. I always cut cayenne in half in a recipe. I’ll bet the woman in our club who made them did the same.

Green beans are about the only bean that I will eat consistently.

Did y’all get the NYT Well newletter today? The topic was ”How to Eat Healthy in 2026”

Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen and Kenji Lopez-Alt started a podcast called The Recipe. I really really enjoyed it. I don’t know how many episodes there were, but IIRC there haven’t been any new ones since the summer. I keep hoping they will revive it.

Love them both, will have to look for that podcast!

I used the suggested amount of cayenne, and smoked paprika. Between those two seasonings, it reminded me of the taco seasoning mix i make, Alton Brown's Love Potion #9 (its actually Taco Potion #19 but we call it Love Potion #9).

Green beans are my favorite vegetable. They're pretty mediocre on the nutrition chain as vegetables go, but at least they're healthy. The carrots look great!

@Funkyart, did you make your paella over the holidays, and if so, how did it turn out?

I did! It was a hit ... not as pretty as I had hoped but it was good. Even better the second day. Our guest especially loved it. I will try another recipe next time but really, I think what I was missing was a sunny day and freshest summer veggies.

I also love green beans -- while not a nutritional powerhouse, they do have fiber and I loooove them with lemon, oregano and a touch of parm.

I also love roasted carrots and cayenne on any sweet veggie. I will give the recipe above a try too.

Ever have roasted green beans? I love them, and I am usually meh about green beans.

Roasted green beans are great. Our favorite ways to do them are:

1. Roasted

2. Braised in tomato sauce

3. The NYT Cacio e Pepe Green Beans recipe

Dinner tonight : Green lentil curry with vegetables, basmati rice , homemade yogurt and fresh tomato cilantro salsa. ( a mix of ethinic dishes ) Trailrunner

For dinner tonight, I am making the first recipe posted above - French Onion White Bean Soup. I decided to caramelize my onions ahead of time. Did you know that if you forget your onions but the stove is on low enough that they will caramelize and then they will dehydrate? 🙄

I made the spicy black bean soup recipe last night and it was really good and so easy. My salsa verde was a little too salty, so I’ll have to check that next time. It would also be really easy to cut in 1/2 which I wish I would have done since it’s just me and DH.

My rancho gordo beans get delivered today 🎉

@legomom23, I bought enough to make a half-recipe. Haven’t gotten around to it yet. Thanks for the tip on tasting the salsa verde for saltiness.

I follow this person on Insta and his recipes always look delicious. I love minestrone so I’m going to try this.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTh8DhojaC_/?igsh=MTByZHo0OWlkdWJpaA==

I had some leftover spicy black bean soup over a baked sweet potato and it was delicious!

I am making this tonight with zoodles. I have a question --- do they really mean add 4 cups of water to 4 c of broth? seems like that will make it very blah?

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1027327-cantonese-noodle-soup

Cantonese Noodle Soup

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

• 8ounces boneless, skinless chicken (dark or white meat), sliced
• 1¼teaspoons fine sea salt, more to taste
• Pinch of sugar
• 1pound rice noodles or Chinese egg noodles
• 4cups chicken broth
• 1pound leafy bok choy or choy sum, thinly sliced
• 2tablespoons chopped pickled mustard greens, rinsed very well (optional)
• ½teaspoon oyster sauce, more to taste (optional)
• 4scallions, thinly sliced
• ⅓cup cilantro, leaves and tender stems
• Chile oil or chile crisp (optional)

Preparation

1. Step 1Season the chicken all over with ¼ teaspoon salt and the sugar. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
2. Step 2Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the noodles. Add noodles and cook, according to package instructions, until just done. Drain or use tongs to transfer to a colander.
3. Step 3Using the same pot, bring the chicken stock, 4 cups water and remaining 1 teaspoon salt to a simmer. Add the chicken and let simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the bok choy, pickles if using, and oyster sauce, stirring well, and cook until the bok choy is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and add more salt or oyster sauce, if needed.
4. Step 4Divide the noodles among bowls and ladle broth, chicken and vegetables over them. Top with scallions and cilantro. Serve with chile oil or crisp if you like.

with boneless chicken breasts, I would think so ...

I am curious how the zoodles work out. Please let us know!

Mtn, I think I would start with the 4c broth and just 1 or 2 cups of water to see how flat it tastes, and adjust from there. Are you using the pickled mustard greens?

So I actually cooked zoodles tonight.

My version of shrimp scampi with zoodles. I sautéed the shrimp with a drop of olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder. Once the shrimp was half way done I added two cups of chicken broth, squeezed a half of fresh lemon into the pan, then threw the half lemon in to pan, with some fresh parsley to
the pan. I microwaved the zoodles for two minutes before adding to pan. Then scooped out the amount I wanted with shrimp and broth, sprinkled parm cheese on top. Delish.

I also use zoodles instead of pasta with a tomato meat sauce. I really enjoy zoodles.

So I think replacing the noodles in your recipe with zoodles will work!

I should also tell you I like a bit of crunch in my zoodles if you don’t cook long.

*chicken stock and water? You will lose the taste of the chicken stock for sure.

I'm a fan of Rancho Gordo cranberry beans which I use in Milk Street's Mexican Stewed Beans. I always soak them overnight and never have any problem with them turning to mush. My only sadness is the pretty markings on the dried beans turn to pink/tan when they're cooked.

Bunny, that makes me sad, too. But such delicious beans! The broth is wonderful.

@Bunny @Feathers11

I was so disappointed my first time preparing borlotti beans — which I purchased here as cranberry beans.

But otherwise delicious.

How do d the Cantonese Noodle
soup come out with the zoodles?

*I hate the phone app!

@njmomma, conceptually i like the recipe and I knew I would like zoodles. But it was ... watery. And I only put in 2 c of water and 6 of broth! The soup is very subtle and I think should be all broth, preferably homemade or Aneto (WF doesn't have it so I used Kettle Fire.) It needed a lot of scallion and cilantro, and a bit of sriracha.

I will try it again because I liked it conceptually. Zoodles were great in it. Will also shred the chicken after poaching.

Looking forward to this tonight:

Wonder if it would have helped if you had slightly roasted the zoodles to get rid of some of the water? Zucchinis are sooooo watery.

I sauteed the zoodles, put them on the bottom of the bowl, then ladled the soup over it. I do that with all such soups... i put as little in the actual soup as possible so that leftovers are fresher. That does impact the flavor of the broth, but I don't like limp noodles and veggies. Especially such delicate veggies.

Next time I make it, I will use this recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/chinese-noodle-soup/#recipe.

Broth

• ▢3 cups chicken stock/broth, low sodium (Note 1)
• ▢2 garlic cloves , smashed (Note 2)
• ▢1.5 cm / 1/2" ginger piece, cut into 3 slices (optional, but highly recommended)
• ▢1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce , or normal all purpose soy sauce (Note 3)
• ▢2 tsp sugar (any)
• ▢1 1/2 tbsp chinese cooking wine (Note 4)
• ▢1/4 – 1/2 tsp sesame oil , toasted (optional) (Note 5)

Toppings & Noodles

• ▢180g / 6oz fresh egg noodles (Note 6)
• ▢2 large bok choy or other vegetables of choice (use any blanchable veg – Note 7)
• ▢1 cup shredded cooked chicken (or other protein of choice)
• ▢1 scallion / shallot , green part only finely sliced (optional garnish)

Your recipes sound so delicious! I am a big zoodles fan. You definitely need to find the cooking method that works for you regarding zoodles. My next recipe for zoodles will include eggs and low-fat ricotta with just a touch of pancetta. A faux carbonara, if you will.

I like zoodles sauteed with spinach and topped with parm and chives

I have used half zoodles and half spaghetti in spaghetti and meatballs — and with chicken meatballs instead of beef. So yummy.

I had salmon twice this week. Do I look smarter?

I noticed your smartness right away @Sueb20! Wow.

I like zoodles with pasta well enough -- but not so much on their own. The texture isnt right. I will have to try diff preparations to get what I like.

I DO use zucchini in place of pasta in my lasagna and it works great there ... I also use zucchini with pasta as a meat replacement. I love tomato and zucchini flavors together -- better than the sum of their individual flavors.

Also love the approach to spoon soup over delicate additions -- but I never remember to do it (head smack)!

Like most "substitutes" I find it better to think of it on its own terms rather than comparing it to noodles.

Agreed but still ... I havent found an approach that gives a texture I enjoy. I will continue to play with it but in the meantime, I have other ways I love zucchini!

I think I’d try roasting the zoodles spread out on a large sheet pan…enough for them to begin to dry out some but not enough to begin to caramelize, says the woman who refuses to eat zucchini because it squeaks.

The sheet pan fish tikka was excellent! Everyone wanted seconds. Highly reccommend.

Finally got around to making the French Onion White Bean Soup (see first post in this thread). I despise beans but this soup was delicious.

I caramelized the onions and froze them some weeks ago. With that out of the way, the soup came together quite quickly.

I used chicken broth instead of veggie broth. It’s what I had on hand.

I was in the middle of doing other things and didn’t read carefully enough about the croutons. I ended up making a compound butter, spreading it on a slice of bread, and baking according to the time and temp in the recipe. Towards the end of the baking time, I added the cheese. When it was finished, I cut it into small squares.

I halved the recipe since it was just for me for lunch. I’m looking forward to the leftovers!