No longer updating, but hope you enjoy the recipes!
Unfortunately, I got too busy to go back to blogging, after I was forced to take a break from it in 2015 because of tendonitis.
But you can still follow my cooking, eating, and travels on instagram: (@spontaneoustomato)
Canning 101: Pickled Green Beans
I have grown accustomed to seeing (and eating) a wide variety of unexpectedly-pickled things while living in Japan and Korea, but it was tasting homemade pickled rhubarb (and other pickled things, like watermelon rind) at Resurrection Ale House in Philadelphia last summer that made me want to try it for myself. As if I could ever reproduce that rhubarb…
So last summer I took a canning and pickling class, and this post is Part 2.* You can read all about my strawberry jam-making adventures and what I learned about canning (just the basics) in my first Canning 101 installment here:
(Part 1) Canning 101: Strawberry Jam
The most exciting part of the class for me was the lesson in DIY pickles. Our group pickling project was pickled green beans. Crunchy, vinegary, and a little bit spicy, these pickled green beans make the perfect snack, or appetizer accompaniment (or gift!). They’re an awesome way to preserve green beans, too, if you find yourself with an excess of string beans and you want to make them last for months. I don’t have a garden or a green thumb, though, so I’m not in it for the preservation part, but for the tangy pickled homemade snacks.
Strawberry Spinach Salad and a Blog Award
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I am delighted to be nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award, thanks to Stephanie from It’s not just about the recipe…. It’s so nice to feel that all the time I put into Spontaneous Tomato is appreciated, particularly by other food bloggers. And while we’re on the subject of appreciation, please check out It’s not just about the recipe, for many appealing and varied recipe ideas, especially for breads and baked treats!
As for the One Lovely Blog Award, the rules of the award are: 1) Display the blog award; 2) Create a link to the site that nominated you; 3) Write 7 random facts about yourself; and 4) Create some links to blogs you love!
So here goes nothing…
Continue Reading: “Strawberry Spinach Salad and a Blog Award”…
Kimchi Fried Rice (Bokkeumbap)
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Do you like spicy food? Crave comfort food? Think those are two separate categories of edibles? This kimchi fried rice says otherwise.
If you’re not yet sure about kimchi (Korean spicy fermented cabbage) this dish could be just the right gateway drug for you. Once sautéed, kimchi loses some of its pungent harshness, but answers back with an addictive tangy spicy warmth that deepens with a little time spent sizzling.
Kimchi is so flavorful, it makes the perfect fried rice base. No need to mix in egg or smother it with soy sauce. You could probably dispense with every other ingredient; all you really need is kimchi, rice, and heat. It would still taste so good.
Garlic chives (buchu)
Warm Goat Cheese Salad
What could possibly be better than a salad with goat cheese? A salad with warm goat cheese melted on bread. (Of course.)
After years of being inspired mainly by Asia in the kitchen, last summer I was inspired– much more than I’d expected to be– by the food in France. I will choose a hole-in-the-wall lunch counter serving spicy Korean soup or Vietnamese noodles over a fancy French restaurant any day, but that said, I love cheese and bread. (And cheese on bread.)
Thai Iced Tea Popsicles
Yum.
I have a sweet tooth and I love Thai iced tea. In fact, I think it’s tragic when I find myself at a Thai restaurant around eight or nine o’clock in the evening, and I know that I won’t be able to sleep if I consume all of that caffeine and sugar (the sugar probably being the worse of the two). So instead I have to settle for having just one little sip of everyone else’s Thai iced teas at the table. Tragic.
If you share my 6pm-caffeine-cut-off woes, then maybe the best solution of all is to brew your own Thai iced tea at home, and drink it any time of day. The nice part is that you can make it a little healthier, by using just a bit of milk and maybe no sugar at all instead of the sweetened condensed milk. You can also simmer up your own boba (tapioca bubbles/pearls) at home. And the absolute best part of this plan? You can make Thai iced tea POPSICLES.
Turkey Lentil Soup with Kale
Kale is magical. Exhibit A: this recipe for hearty lentil soup with turkey. The perfect cold and flu remedy, especially if you douse it with lemon juice and/or hot sauce. Just add kale and suddenly the soup also gets a boost of leafy green nutrition and freshness.*
The magic of kale is in its adaptability. There are so many savory dishes out there that could be improved by just adding (or substituting) kale. I’ve added kale to chickpeas and pumpkin in a tagine (blog post coming… someday). I used kale instead of spinach in this Saag Paneer recipe. I used kale instead of broccoli rabe in this awesome and garlicky pasta recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I make kale salads, kale chips, and kale with toasted coconut.**
Kale is so versatile, it can be tossed onto a tray in the oven or dunked in a soup at the last minute, and it will taste delectable either way. On the other hand, as I discovered with this recipe, if you happen to stir it into your soup a little on the early side, the kale will simmer away nicely for ages and will not disintegrate or wilt, spinach-style. The sturdy kale leaves hold up quite nicely and give the soup an extra dose of richness. (Is richness the right word? Yes, I think so. Or maybe I just associate kale a little too strongly with olive oil…)
spontaneous tomato 