Parsnip Risotto With Beets And Walnuts

We're less than a week from Thanksgiving! It's my favorite holiday and my love for cooking is at it's ultimate height this month! Lots of turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry everything; I'm drooling over my keyboard as I type!

Every year for Thanksgiving I try to come up with a different dish in addition to my more traditional dishes. This week, I tried out a recipe I discovered on Pinterest through the Love With Food website. A risotto lover (hubby included), I was excited with the idea of putting more earthy flavors and tones with the rice component. Parsnips are naturally sweet and have always paired well with the pungent taste of beets, in my opinion.

DOWNLOAD RECIPE

Parsnip Risotto With Beets And Walnuts

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 4 medium large parsnips, peeled and cut in chunks
  • 1 & 1/2 cups risotto rice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 2 cups vegetable bouillon
  • 100 grams walnuts, chopped
  • 4 large beets, peeled and boiled
  • 10 sprigs thyme
  • 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
  • 1/5 cup soy yogurt or soy cream
  • salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Peel the onions and cut in small pieces.
  2. Peel and cut parsnips in medium bite-sized chunks.
  3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and saute the onions until glassy.
  4. Add the risotto rice and mix to coat the rice with the oil.
  5. Add the white wine and cook until the wine has been absorbed.
  6. Add the parsnips and half of the vegetable bouillon and cook, stirring until the bouillon has been absorbed. Add other half after, stirring continuously.
  7. Slice the cooked beets.
  8. Heat the vegan margarine in a second frying pan.
  9. Add the chopped walnuts and lightly toast.
  10. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and add to the walnuts.
  11. Add the beet slices and cook at light heat to warm the beets.
  12. When the risotto is soft, add the soy yogurt and mix well.
  13. Serve the risotto on a large serving platter with the beets and walnuts on top of the risotto and garnished with a dollop of soy yogurt (optional), a few walnut pieces and thyme leaves.

I love thyme and it perfectly goes well with the walnuts, though next time I would love to try this recipe with actual butter and cheese (mmmm... fatty alert) because the soy yogurt was really not my thing! I didn't even bother to add the dollop on top, though the recipe calls for it.

Are you a risotto fanatic like me? What are some of your favorite risotto recipes? Whatever plans you have for this weekend, we hope it's a relaxing and enjoyable one!

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

Korean Tacos

Thank GOD it's Friday! I'm so happy it's the weekend. This week has been frantic with so much work, I'm ready to kick back and relax! So what's a girl to cook on the happiest day of all? Tacos. And even better? KOREAN tacos. Slow cooker tacos.

I especially love the slaw! It's mixed coleslaw with kale! Healthy and delicious, it gives an extra crunch. Bringing added texture, the slaw goes perfectly with the pork combining a sweet and tangy experience in your mouth.

Download Recipe

Slow Cooker Korean Tacos

Serves 6-8, recipe from Table for Two Blog

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 4 pieces

1 cup hoisin sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 green onions, thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish

3 tsp ground ginger

1 16-ounce package of coleslaw or broccoli slaw mix

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

Small tortillas or hot cooked white (or brown) rice, for serving

Instructions:

  1. Add the pieces of pork in the insert/bowl of your slow cooker. Add hoisin sauce, garlic, green onions, and ground ginger.

  2. Toss each piece of pork a few times to fully coat with the sauce and spices.

  3. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.

  4. Prior to serving, in a bowl, toss coleslaw or broccoli slaw mix with rice wine vinegar and brown sugar.

  5. Remove pork from slow cooker and shred. (Best trick I learned to shred meat in a slow cooker is to use an electric hand mixer. Easy peasy!)

  6. Serve in warmed tortillas with slaw on top or spoon pork onto a bed of rice. Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.

  7. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days.

Like it hot? Try it with some Sriracha sauce or Tabasco sauce. This will definitely elevate the other flavors, giving it a full kick of spiciness... to which, I can never ever get enough of the hottest, most spicy food. Proof: My first night living in New York, I took a dare with a girlfriend and ate a whole Jalapeno pepper while downing it with a shot of Crown Royal. It felt like I had smoke coming out of my ears! It was bad, but oh so fun. Such a great memory.

If you do not eat pork, you can easily substitute with beef or poultry. It'd be just as tasty! I definitely want to mix it up and come up with different kinds of Korean tacos. Perhaps Korean shrimp tacos? Mmmm! Be on the lookout for more! :P

I also have some really exciting upcoming stories for my readers next week! Stay tuned for more!

Have a great weekend! 

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

Doenjang Jjigae

A traditional Korean stew I've been living on since I could eat, I refer this soup as the, 'cure all' mother of all soups. To me, it is one of my go-to comfort foods whether I'm feeling a little under the weather or dreadfully sick, this stews is packed with protein, vitamins and other nutrients that doesn't only do a body good, but is good for the soul. And especially on a cold, end of October, Monday, what's better to warm you up than a delicious bowl of something home-cooked for dinner?

 

Fermented Soybean Paste Stew (Doenjang Jjigae) Recipe

Makes 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients

2 green onions

1 (12-ounce) package of medium or soft tofu

1 onion, sliced

1 zucchini, quartered

1 (10-ounce) package of button mushrooms

2 Tbsp fermented soybean paste

Water

2 garlic gloves, minced

Preparation

Dissolve the soybean paste in 3 cups of water into a large cooking pot. Stone pot works great for this. *I use a masher to blend the paste in the water more efficiently. Add sliced onion, zucchini, tofu, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil,and then add garlic. Lower the heat and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add green onions and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Serve immediately with rice, kimchi, and other side dishes (banchan).

There are also many variations to this dish. You can do a kimchi jjigae, one with some kind of meat like beef or pork, or instead of all the vegetables listed, you can opt for only one kind, like Napa cabbage or soybean spouts. During my childhood summers, my mother used to put in the Swiss chard she grew in from our backyard. It was amazing. Still is.

You've got to try this soup! I strongly urge you to eat this with rice though. Especially if accompanied with other tasty side dishes like kimchi. Both the soup and kimchi are on the salty side, and taste too strong without it's imperative sidekick. So don't get it twisted. Don't separate the two! They go along together just like peas & carrots! :)

What are some of your favorite, everyday comfort meals or soups? Something that's easy to make, is nutritious, and doesn't have you slaving over the stove all day long? I love to hear from other bloggers and their food testaments and recipes. Or if there's another fellow Korean blogger who's made the same soup but in a different way, holler at your girl! 🇰🇷

I hope you guys had a nice weekend and an even better Monday. Have a great week!

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

This week I wanted to cook something Korean again but I had all these pumpkin seeds from the other day making that 'MaQ-o'-lantern'. And just like my father, I LOVE roasted pumpkin seeds! They are quite the tasty snack and I couldn't just let these nutritious lil' gems go to waste! I usually just season them with a little salt, but I saw a really awesome video by Tasty on Facebook showcasing a variety of seasonings! They're all great, ranging from wasabit to sriracha honey, but I went with the pumpkin pie and cocoa seasonings for today.

Directions

Roast pumpkin seeds in an oven at 350F until dry but not golden.

All amounts for 1 cup of seeds.

Seasoning Ingredients (Two-ways)

PUMPKIN PIE: 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp allspice, 1 tbsp sugar
COCOA: 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cayenne

Coat pumpkin seeds in a few TBSP of vegetable oil and then mix in seasoning.

Roast at 350F until golden.

I loved the cocoa pumpkin seeds! Really super delicious! They're not too sweet and the cocoa unearths the pungent taste in the seeds, making it such a pleasant surprise in your mouth. ;)

The pumpkin pie is also not very sweet and is absolutely scrumptious. That's what I like about pumpkin seeds, that they're not only healthy but they are a treat that's not loaded with some God-awful ingredient like high fructose corn syrup or anything that has so much sugar, my heart rate spikes just looking at the numbers! The cinnamon and all spice, along with the ginger and 1 tbsp of sugar is a terrific Fall mix, my hubby tried them for the very first time (he's French, they don't exactly roast pumpkin seeds everyday) and loved them!

They are such a staple Fall snack for me. I'm so happy to have tried different, authentic flavors! It just gets me really pumped up for next month, my favorite time of year with all those incredible Thanksgiving dishes, where I try to create a new dish every year. Can't wait to share with you with what's to come!

I'm really excited to munch down on these later, normally I'll make a bag of popcorn or have some kind of chips and dip, but this is a great substitute and is very good for you! Are you a fan of pumpkin seeds? What's your favorite seasoning for yours? Leave a comment in the box!

Have a fantastic & cozy weekend!

Love & xx's,

maQ + suz