Author: PatagoniaLlami

This rainbow recipe is for fans of brown-buttered, toffee-like, chewy (but crisp!) cookies. These m&m cookies are heavily vanilla-scented, and topped with big flakes of salt, in echoing that candy coating crunch.

These aren’t the cookies you make when you want something especially fudgy to cap off an extravagant meal. These are the cookies for all those in-between times: a torn off quarter with lunch, a mini tucked into a pocket for a hike.

As for whether to scoop jumbos (about 1/4 cup dough each) or minis (about 1 tablespoon of dough each), that is entirely up to you and your mood. Minis are capital-F fun and very poppable; but nothing’s sweeter than sharing a ginormous rainbow cookie with someone you love. Regardless, respect the (relatively brief!) freezer stint and you will be rewarded with good-looking cookies; the deep chill helps them keep their tight shape, making them taller and prettily crackled.

As it’s just the two of us, every few weeks I’ll make a batch of these cookies, scoop the dough into balls, freeze and bag them, and bake off just two. When the cravings hit in the following days (i.e. mid-movie), I’ll stick two frozen rounds on a quarter sheet, and bake them right from frozen, adding another minute or two to the cook time.

Lastly: For those out there who are not vegan but still avoiding lactose, I’ve had great success subbing in toasty ghee for the butter, and Choco No-No’s—mind-bogglingly, one of the few only non-dairy versions out there—for the M&M’s. —Coral Lee

Directions

1. Stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl with a fork.
   
2. Cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla together in a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the color of a blonde pug (pale, but golden on the edges), and very fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Return the mixer to low, beat in the egg until no longer visible, then gradually add the flour mixture. When no floury lumps remain, add the M&Ms, shutting off the mixer as soon as they’re well dispersed.
3. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough into 15 2-ounce (1/4 cup) or 60 1/2-ounce (1 tablespoon) balls onto two large rimmed baking sheets. (If a baking sheet can’t fit into your freezer, Freeze the balls on a large plate, and transfer them, when frozen solid, to an airtight container or plastic bag.) Press large flakes of salt onto each dough ball. Freeze until thoroughly chilled, at least 30 minutes.
   
4. Heat oven to 350°F. Space the cookies onto parchment-lined baking sheets with 2 inches of space between them. If minis, bake for 5 to 6 minutes; if jumbos, bake for 16 to 18 minutes. In either case, look for crisp, golden edges and mounded, slightly soft centers.. Remove from the oven and give the sheets a good, decisive rap on the counter (the cookie bellies will cave in, making for pretty cracks). Let cookies cool until just firm, then devour.
   
5. Kept in an airtight container, the cookies will last for up to 2 weeks at room temperature, or 4 in the freezer (if they last that long).

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Place a piece of parchment on a baking sheet (line the pan with foil if you’re concerned about protecting it) and arrange the tomatoes in the center. Pour the grapeseed oil and 1 tablespoon of the pomegranate molasses over the tomatoes and rub them until they’re well-coated. Sprinkle with kosher salt. The molasses will pool on the baking sheet, so be sure all of the tomatoes are swimming in that pool. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tomatoes are beginning to burst and look a bit caramel-y.
3. Lay out a bed of arugula on your serving dish.
4. Combine the juice of the pink variegated lemons with the lime juice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of pomegranate molasses in a small bowl. Set aside for a moment.
5. Slice the avocado into large sections (I sliced mine lengthwise, because that seemed sexier to me) and arrange them over the arugula. Sprinkle slices with kosher salt.
6. Pour the citrus mixture over the avocado and arugula. Add tomatoes straight from the oven so that they’re still warm when you serve it. Top with pepitas and chiffonaded basil.
7. Take off your pants and enjoy!

This traditional Korean soup is made every birthday. Eating this soup on your birthday is akin to blowing out candles on your birthday cake. Cake was optional growing up—having this soup was not. This soup is also what you make for new mothers. It’s special because it’s rarely available on a menu, even at Korean restaurants, and if it is, it’s never as good as your mother’s recipe because time is really what gives it its flavor.

This vegan version is intensely simple and requires 5 essential ingredients, but the end result is a very rich, umami-filled broth with warm seaweed and mushroom flavors. Prep takes about 10 minutes; simmer for the full 45 if you have the time. Otherwise, 30 minutes will work too! —Julia

Sometimes, when the temperatures drop or you’re not feeling your best or you just need a little pick-me-up, nothing hits the spot like an easy, warm, comforting bowl of soup. As the developer Julia mentions, this seaweed Korean soup is made every birthday and is usually eaten for breakfast, just as traditional as getting a birthday cake and blowing out the candles. Recipes will of course vary to suit every family’s taste and traditions, so it may not be the exact same as you remember if you grew up with a version of this soup at home, but feel free to use this as a base and experiment from there. You just need one pot, minimal ingredients are required, and most of the cook time is totally hands off. This is our type of soup!

You’ll love how easy it is to make: All you have to do is give the seaweed a quick soak in some water. Cook the garlic, shiitake mushrooms, and seaweed in a saucepan, then simmer in some water and soy sauce for about 45 minutes. The gochugaru is optional here, but it’s highly recommended, it really gives the soup a punch of bright flavor and helps tie the more savory ingredients together. Feel free to adjust the amount as you taste. This recipe was developed to serve two, but feel free to make a big batch, as you can easily scale up the ingredients. After taking a bite of this soup, you’ll see why sometimes simple is simply the best. —The Editors

Directions

1. Soak the seaweed in about 1 cup water for about 5 minutes.
   
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the oil. Cook the garlic, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, until softened and fragrant. Add the hydrated seaweed, mushrooms, and gochugaru, if using, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, until the mushrooms are softened and browned.
3. Pour in the water and soy sauce. Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the soup between bowls. Serve with rice and/or kimchi alongside.

Directions

1. In a large 6 quart cast iron pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add onions, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper and turmeric, stirring for 12-15 minutes until onions turn translucent and start to brown.
2. Add lentils and stir; pour water over lentils, bring to boil, then reduce heat down to a simmer cover and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile trim and chop the kale, mustard greens and scallions.
4. Cut the potato and set all aside.
5. When the lentils have cooked, stir in the kale, mustard greens, potato and scallions. Add remaining cup water, stir and add remaining salt and pepper.
6. Return to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
7. Stir in broccoli, cilantro, parsley, and thyme. Stir and cook for 10 minutes.
8. Turn off heat and stir in fresh lime juice.

Corn is the Miss Popularity of the vegetable World. It seems to be the vegetable that no one rejects, even the pickiest eaters, even guys who don’t “eat” vegetables, and I don’t mean that in the ironic hipster sense. But speaking of hipsters, I once cooked dinner for a couple of hipster P.A.s. One guy warned me ahead of time he didn’t eat vegetables so therefore I should only give him what he would eat. Meat.

Surely I thought this wasn’t possible. There had to be one freakin’ vegetable this kid would eat. Some plant matter had to make its way into his digestive system besides beer nuts and Doritos. So I asked him if he ate corn. “Yeah, well corn isn’t really a vegetable” I was told. Dude, unless you have to hunt it down and chase it to get it into your mouth, it’s a vegetable. So, it turned out there was something green and growing that he’d eat. Corn. Busted.

Corn is probably one of the easiest things in the world to cook. Fresh shucked, 2 minutes into boiling water and out. That’s it. Of course there are more complicated ways of making corn, roasting, grilling, dry-rubbing with spices. All of them delicious. Almost every cuisine has a recipe for corn and Indian cuisine is no exception. One of the best is a traditional Indian corn salad made with coconut. Easy, Fast perfect for Summer eating, it’s another great make-ahead dish, and who doesn’t want to take some of the pressure off cooking at this time of year.


I served this corn as one of the dishes at an all vegan tasting menu at our house a couple of weeks ago. It works just as well with any backyard barbecue menu and is a great alternative to the usual grilled corn. —Kathy Gori

Directions

1. Shuck and wash the ears of corn.
   Scrape the kernels off the cobs.
   
2. Take 1/2 of the kernels and grind them up in a blender. Do Not add any water.
   Grind them up until they form a smooth batter.
   
3. Mix the ground corn in with the rest of the whole kernels.
4. In a skillet or kadhai heat the coconut oil.
   When the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds.
5. When the cumin seeds start to sizzle and turn color, add in the corn mixture and the turmeric. Mix it together well.
6. Cover the pan, turn down the heat and cook the mixture for about 10 minutes or so. Stir it every now and them so nothing sticks.
   After 10 minutes, take off the cover and add in the sugar, salt, ground cumin, cayenne and lemon juice.
7. Give everything a good stir, cover the pan again and cook for another 4 minutes or so.
   Take the lid off, add in the coconut, give it a good stir and you’re done. Serve this at room temperature.
   

Directions

1. If starting from uncooked black-eyed peas: Soak peas overnight in a large bowl of water. Drain water and transfer peas to a pot. Cover with at least 1 inch of water. Add bay leaf and a healthy dose of salt and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until peas are tender and soft. Drain and set aside. If using cooked black-eyed peas: Rinse peas, then drain and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add garlic and leeks and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often.
3. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup stock. Whisk until cornstarch dissolves. Pour cornstarch mixture into Dutch oven and cook for 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat. Add remaining 5 3/4 cups stock, potatoes, and sausage. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.
4. Add cabbage and black-eyed peas to pot and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Stir in cream and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove from heat, ladle into bowls, and top with smoked paprika to serve.