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The Kitchen Recessionista

So, here we are, in a recession. Let's eat!

Product Review: Immi Ramen.

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A few months ago, I was chatting with my nutritionist, Rebecca, at our regular appointment when she started telling me about a few new products on the market she thought I might be interested in. While I adore her for her insights into my nutritional intake and overall health, I am equally enthralled by her new-food recommendations, so I got my pen and paper ready for notes. She came out of the gate strong.

“Do you know about Immi ramen?” she asked, as I wrote furiously. “I-M-M-I. It’s loaded with protein and microwaves up in no time. All vegan.”

I did NOT, in fact, know about it, but as soon as we finished our appointment I gave it a quick search. And lo! There it was, at immieats.com, offering up all sorts of flavors ranging from black garlic chik’n to spicy “beef” to, my favorite, tom yum “shrimp.” Rebecca was right: The ramen had 21 grams of protein in every packet, with 6 net carbs. I ordered a variety at once.

The cooking process was simplicity itself. I put 1.5 cups of water into a large 4-cup measuring cup (how many times can I say “cup” in one sentence? – but reader, I defy you to find another way to write that). Then I plunked the dry ramen into the container and microwaved for about four minutes. Brought it out, stirred, then microwaved again for another three or four minutes. When the ramen was nice and soft, I dumped the entire container into a waiting soup bowl, into which I’d already emptied the seasoning packet. 

But wait! There’s more!

I gussied up the ramen with some steamed mixed stir-fry vegetables and then added some baked tofu to gild the lily. Top the whole thing with a drizzle of Sriracha, and dinner was ready!

The final result: Deliciousness. The tom yum shrimp flavor was distinct yet not overpowering, pungent but not overly salty. It was incredibly reminiscent of the flavor packets of the ramen I used to purchase at the grocery store in my pre-vegetarian days (which is to say: I’ve still cooked the ramen noodles themselves since then but haven’t used the flavor packets in 20 years!), yet it didn’t leave me feeling dehydrated and bloated afterward. The taste was fresh and the ramen quite filling. I was hooked right away.

And I’ve remained so for months ever since! As I write this, I’ve got two ramen packets left in the cabinet, which means I need to order some more on the double. This meal has become a go-to for lunch or dinner, whenever I want something comforting and homey and hearty that doesn’t take an age to whip up. I’m definitely a fan – and have no doubt that you will be too.

Have you given Immi a try? Let me know what you think in the comments!

:)

New Recipe: Perfect Plant-Based Protein Shake.

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It’s the time of year where everyone is trying to get right with the Lord, nutritionally speaking, and I must say I am no different. It’s definitely well past time to atone for the sins of December – oh, who am I kidding, January and February too! – and this protein shake is just the ticket. It’s become a go-to for me for both breakfast AND lunch – though not on the same day! – and I know you’ll love it too.

The beauty is in its simplicity: Just good, healthy fruits and vegetables coming together in glorious concert. The end result is a slightly sweet, incredibly filling, and extraordinarily revitalizing shake that will keep you revved-up all day long!

Let’s cut right to the chase – you’re not here for a long preamble. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

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Perfect Plant-Based Protein Shake.

The beauty is in its simplicity: Just good, healthy fruits and vegetables coming together in glorious concert. The end result is a slightly sweet, incredibly filling, and extraordinarily revitalizing shake that will keep you revved-up all day long!

  • Author: KitchenRecessionista
Scale

Ingredients

1.5 cups almond/soy/oat milk

1 scoop of your favorite protein powder (I like Vega All-In-One)

1 cup (or two hearty handfuls) fresh spinach leaves

¼–½ cup (or one handful) blueberries

8–10 baby carrots

1 banana

Instructions

Layer your ingredients, from top to bottom, in a high-speed blender (the Vitamix is my go-to), then crank the speed up from low to high and let blend for 30-45 seconds. Serve in a tall glass and enjoy!

The Joy of the Buy Nothing Group.

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Some yogurt jars I offered up on Buy Nothing.

It all started innocently enough: I had some leftover Halloween trinkets and toys that weren’t given away during trick-or-treat time, and I decidedly did not want to keep them for another year, storing them away someplace “very safe” that would be forgotten by the next Oct. 31. They didn’t really fit the bill for a Goodwill drop-off, and none of my friends with kiddos wanted them. I lamented this situation to my friend Denise with no shortage of dramatics.

“You could post them on Buy Nothing,” she offered.

“Huh?” I replied, as eloquently as I could.

“Buy Nothing,” she repeated patiently. “Surely your neighborhood has a group. Check Facebook.”

Two days later, my Halloween toys had departed, almost by magic, from my front porch. And with that, I was hooked.

Buy Nothing groups have been around for quite awhile now, and most are like my neighborhood group, which is to say quite active. Also, quietly active: The BN community had been scurrying around my very street for years without my ever getting a whiff. But once I was in, I was IN – and many of my items were OUT, zooming out the door at record speed.

If you’re unfamiliar (as I was) with the concept of Buy Nothing, here’s a primer: The movement consists of hundreds (thousands?) of hyperlocal communities, mostly centered on neighborhoods or other close-proximity areas, where members both give and take freely from one another. Have some excess wrapping paper? List it on Buy Nothing! Need a baby monitor because your cat careened through a china cabinet and was thus laid-up for 10 days? Ask for it on Buy Nothing! See a set of Super Mario Bros.-themed pint glasses offered by a neighbor on Buy Nothing? Ask to be considered! 

And while sometimes someone will offer a “quick pick,” one of the group’s mantras is “Let it simmer.” Members are encouraged not to let the group become a first-come, first-served experience, but rather one that is equitable to all, in all professions and on all schedules. This is especially helpful with the more popular and sought-after offerings; sometimes the likes of an Instant Pot can garner a dozen requests straightaway.

Since joining Buy Nothing back in 2020, I’ve both given and taken freely. I needed a new set of martini glasses for New Year’s Eve one year, and lo and behold, here came a beautiful set just a week or so after I started looking! I found myself in possession of several bottles of carpet cleaner when just one would do, and before too long the excess bottles were waiting on my porch for pickup by a neighbor. We’ve started puzzle and board game “round robins,” a traveling collection of items to be picked through and added to from stop to stop. We’ve helped furnish apartments for Afghan refugee neighbors and people just starting out. And we’ve made friends in the process!

In this age of overabundance and excess, it’s a great thing to be able to circulate items through the neighborhood based on what the community needs. And did I mention it’s free? You can’t get much more recessionista than that! Have a look at the Buy Nothing website or your social media channels to see if you can find a group in your own area. You’ll fit right in!

:)

Vegetarian Travel Guide: Delice & Sarrasin, New York.

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Delice & Sarrasin, 178 W. Houston St., New York, NY
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Menu: https://delicesarrasin.com/menu
Suitable for: Vegans, vegetarians, lovers of good French food

Visiting Delice & Sarrasin has become a Christmas Eve tradition for LeeLee and me on our holiday jaunts to New York. Quite frankly, it’s also become a nearly-every-trip tradition when we come up to the city for a weekend, a show, a concert … you get the picture. We can find pretty much any reason to visit Delice & Sarrasin when we’re in town – and we’re never disappointed.

Now, this time when we took an Uber to the restaurant after Christmas Eve church service, we were surprised when the driver pulled over in front of an unfamiliar spot. Sure enough, there was the awning which read “Delice & Sarrasin,” but this location was not at all as we remembered. We hadn’t lost our marbles, it turns out (well, not about this, anyway); the restaurant moved earlier this year from its decade-long residence over on Christopher Street. The space is much bigger, and while it has a slightly different vibe from the old location, it’s still just as wonderfully cozy with a pop of elegance. A perfect combination for a French restaurant in the Village!

Though we were a few minutes early for our reservation, we were seated right away and settled in with a glass of wine – a merlot-cabernet for LeeLee and a Riesling for me. My Riesling was great, but the merlot-cabernet was SO good that I elected to join Team Red for my second glass! But I’ve yet to come across a bad wine at Delice & Sarrasin – whatever you choose will be great.

The restaurant’s menu is always a challenge – completely vegan, all delectable, it’s very hard to make any choices and it’s incredibly easy to fall prey to decision fatigue. But take heart! You can’t make a bad choice.

From the cheese plates to the French onion soup to the “escargots,” your appetizer options are incredibly varied depending on your whims of the day. On this particular visit, we chose the baked brie with bread and potatoes, and when it arrived, it warmed the heart and the stomach with its piping-hot, creamy goodness, tasting for all the world like a dairy-based brie. Better, in fact! If it had been socially appropriate I would have licked the serving dish afterward.

Next it was time for the main course. Now, it’s here where I have a confession: As many wonderful entrees as there are, and as many as I’ve gotten to try from LeeLee’s plate, I always order the exact same thing for the main course. I’m a little embarrassed about this – what kind of food writer AM I, anyway?! – but the heart wants what it wants, and in my case the heart wants tagliatelle aux fruits de mer. Tagliatelle pasta with a variety of vegan seafood – it does this Gulf Coast girl’s heart so very, very good. In the case of Christmas Eve, I can explain my repetition away by saying I’m just adhering to the vegetarian version of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, but quite honestly, I can come up with any excuse to order it. At once hearty and light, with pronounced piquant oceanic notes, it’s a wonderful feast for the erstwhile seafood lover who no longer loves actual seafood. 

LeeLee, ever the explorer, tried something new to us both: The Poulet Basquaise, or Basque chik’n (pictured at the top of this post). I snuck a taste (or several), and WOW, what a treat this was! The chik’n legs were so tender and succulent, and the sausage was perfectly spicy. The tomatoes, onions and peppers that served as the base of the sauce came together in beautiful concert, and the whole shebang was presented atop a bed of semolina to thundering applause. One taste in and I was hooked; I think I’ve found my replacement for the tagliatelle on our next visit!

Finally, it was time to move on to dessert. Now, I am partial to the orange crème brulee, but this time around we decided to try something new, and before too long we both landed on the La Suzette crepe, with is a crepe flambe with Grand Marnier, cooked in lemon and cashew butter. We certainly enjoyed it, but I found the orange liqueur and the lemon juice to be a bit too tart for a sweet treat (though I certainly finished my share, so please don’t cry for me!). LeeLee, meanwhile, did not find it too tart at all, lemon-lover that he is, so I suppose your mileage will vary based on your temperament. While I think I will go back to the crème brulee next time, we were both very happy to have tried one of the crepes (and I see plenty of other options to try on future visits!).

Ninety minutes or so after we arrived, we rolled out of the restaurant fat and happy. I can’t think of a better Christmas Eve mealtime tradition than Delice & Sarrasin – and encourage you to add it to your docket the next time you find yourself in New York! You won’t be disappointed. We’re already looking forward to our next visit; knowing us, it won’t be long!

:)