New year, new you. OK, that’s not really true, but January at least feels like a good time to reset your life or improve yourself. Sure, you can attempt to exercise more or promise yourself that you’ll save money, but those goals (while worthy) aren’t especially fun. Luckily, there’s one new year’s resolution that is good for you and a good time: Expanding your culinary horizons.
There are tons of new year’s resolutions perfect for home cooks: cooking outside your own culture, learning to work with new proteins, eating more plant-based meals or figuring out how to cook a favorite restaurant dish. And there’s one recipe that ticks all of those boxes (and more): mapo tofu.
If tofu has a reputation for being bland, this spicy fragrant recipe, which also uses plenty of ginger, garlic and black bean garlic sauce for extra flavor, dismisses that notion. Frequently found at some of the best Chinese spots in America, mapo tofu is a popular Szechuan dish, which means it packs plenty of heat courtesy of Lao Gan Ma, a classic Chinese chili sauce.
Variations on this dish will use minced beef or pork, but this one swaps that out for mushrooms, making it vegetarian-friendly.
To make it, start by rehydrating an ounce of dried mushrooms, and be sure to save the water. Then heat a wok over high heat and add your aromatics. After those are fragrant, add in the mushrooms and soy sauce for about 5 minutes. Then, deglaze the pan and create a sauce base using the black bean garlic sauce and mushroom-garlic mixture. Next, add the mushroom water and tofu and thicken the sauce using cornstarch. Serve the mapo tofu with rice, green onions and a side of Lao Gan Ma, so people at the table can adjust the dish to their preferred level of spiciness.
Air fryer: Chicken wings
If there’s one thing an air fryer does well, it’s cook bone-in, skin-on chicken. You’ll never want to deal with the mess of deep-frying again after you taste the crispy skin of air fryer wings. And, since all you have to do is season the chicken and stick it in the air fryer, it’s an ideal starter recipe. Eat them as is or toss them in your favorite wing sauce.
While it’s well-known that air fryers shine when it comes to reheating leftovers and crisping up frozen foods, they also make roasted veggies quickly and wonderfully. Brussels sprouts (which are most delicious when a little bit burnt) are an especially wonderful air fryer vegetable and get done much quicker than they do in the oven. Want to make them devilishly delicious? Pair with some air fryer bacon.
Though few people need a dedicated iced coffee maker, it sure is nice to have perfectly chilled coffee in minutes. Plus, once you have one, there’s no need to wait for Starbucks’ annual release of its iced pumpkin spice latte. Just pair your icy brew with this homemade pumpkin spice syrup and the milk of your choice.
Slow cookers work best when you use recipes that give everyday spices and sauces plenty of time to meld together. Few recipes showcase this better than this one for a classic Cincinnati-style chili, which uses cinnamon, allspice, chili powder and cloves for a fragrant meal.
Every night can be pizza night now that you have a stand mixer. With the dough hook attachment, you can knead pizza dough in seconds. Use this basic pizza dough recipe as a base for any arrangement of sauce, cheese and toppings.
Enameled cast iron Dutch ovens are a key tool for home cooks because you can do practically any kitchen task in them: slow cook, deep fry, braise, roast and brown. They can also go from stovetop to oven and are pretty enough for serving, making them great for one-pot meals. Let your Dutch oven shine by making stews and soups in them like this oxtail stew, which uses the Dutch oven for browning and slow cooking.
Going to your local cafe every day to get a fancy oat milk latte is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but it can also be seriously expensive. Enter an espresso maker in your home. Steam your own milk and brew your own espresso for happy mornings.
The great part about having an espresso maker in your kitchen is that now you can make all sorts of coffee drinks at home from lattes to cappuccinos. Start things off by getting creative and making a refreshing coffee granita with your freshly brewed espresso.
Ask anyone who already owns one, and they’ll tell you the best stocks in the world come via Instant Pot. This chicken stock recipe may seem basic, but the result is so flavorful, your everyday soups and stews will be taken from zero to 100.
Instant Pots are amazing for soups and stews, but they make good breakfasts and desserts too. Consider making some breads in your Instant Pot, such as this Instant Pot monkey bread, which is fluffy and perfect for sharing.
Kick off your New Year’s resolutions early and start “eating the rainbow” with this fruit- and veggie-packed smoothie, whipped together in your brand new blender. The best part? It isn’t just healthy — it’s tasty too.
Missing Disney World? Or just love pineapple? Break out that blender to make Dole Whip, a dairy-free fruit soft serve, at home. All you need is four ingredients for a treat that will please the kiddos and kids at heart.
Truly, a food processor shines when it can make big batches of dips and spreads for you. To kick off your new year in a delicious and healthy way, use this new gadget to make a massive amount of creamy, classic hummus.
A great mayonnaise can take any sandwich from zero to hero, and you don’t even have to go to the store to buy some if you have an immersion blender. You just need an egg, olive oil, lemon juice and salt for the best fresh mayo you could ever imagine.
Once you master this dish, you’ll realize that there is a lot you can do with tofu, and you’ll never think of this popular protein as tired and bland again. And hey, who knows, you can then take the meatless skills you learn by making mapo tofu and apply it to these other vegetarian dinner dishes.
2 thumb-size pieces of ginger, peeled, thickly sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry vermouth
1 tablespoon black bean garlic sauce
1 package (about 1 pound, sizes vary) soft tofu, cubed into about pingpong-ball-size pieces
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Toasted sesame seed oil
Cooked rice (preferably jasmine)
Roasted sesame seed oil
Lemon wedges
Lao Gan Ma
Roasted soybeans, peanuts or Marcona almonds, optional
Directions:
Cover mushrooms in a small bowl with hot water by about 1 inch; add more if needed to just keep covered.
Allow to soak until mushrooms are soft, about 20 minutes.
Drain, straining and reserving the soaking water.
Squeeze mushrooms dry; chop roughly.
Slice whites of the green onions in half lengthwise. Slice greens crosswise into rings as thin as possible; reserve for garnish.
Heat wok or saute pan over medium heat; add peanut oil, garlic, ginger and whites of onions; cook until fragrant but not burned, 1-2 minutes.
Add mushrooms and soy sauce.
Cook over high heat until mushrooms are golden brown and liquid mostly evaporates, about 5 minutes.
Pour mixture into a bowl; reserve.
Return pan to medium heat; deglaze by carefully adding about 1 tablespoon each mushroom water and the vermouth and scraping up all browned bits.
Add black bean garlic sauce and reserved mushroom-garlic mixture; heat on high until bubbling.
Carefully add 1/2 cup mushroom soaking water and tofu, keeping cubes intact.
Spoon sauce over tofu, then turn heat to low; cook, 5 minutes.
Taste and add soy sauce as desired, then keep bubbling.
Pour about 2 tablespoons mushroom soaking water into a small bowl; whisk in the cornstarch until you have a milky consistency. (Add more cold water, if needed.)
Drizzle slurry around edges of sauce as needed to thicken as desired, stir well to incorporate.
Remove from heat, then drizzle sparingly with sesame oil.
Serve with rice, reserved greens of the green onions, lemon, soy sauce, Lao Gan Ma and soybeans or nuts to taste.
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