Gessler Cookbook

This is stuff I cook. Profound.

Asian Food

Vegan Sweet Umami Stuffed Acorn Squash 치즈불닭

This Hoisin-Glazed Stuffed Acorn Squash is so incredibly flavorful, yet so simple to make. Protein-packed chickpeas and veggies are tossed with a sweet and savory sauce, and roasted to perfection. This is an easy vegan dinner that’s pretty enough to serve at a dinner party! And it’s 100% vegan and vegetarian too.

Casseroles

Shredded Zucchini Casserole

This shredded zucchini casserole is a great recipe when your garden is overflowing with zucchini. Cheesy with a crunchy panko topping, it makes a tasty side dish to any roasted meat or fish.

Desserts

Vegan Sweet Vegan Chocolate Cake

A pretty basic, but vegan, chocolate cake, easily customizable with nuts (not bolts) or berries.

Greek Food

Vegan Greek-Style Zucchini-Tomato Orzo

Orzo looks just like rice, but it’s actually a pasta! This sneaky little pasta is particularly popular in Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine. Fresh zucchini and ripe tomatoes are sautéed to bring out their delicious flavors, then they are cooked into the creamy orzo and folded together with fresh arugula and herbs.

Korean Food

Meat Spicy Cheese Buldak 치즈불닭

Super-spicy chicken tempered with loads of cheese and fresh spring onions. Serve with rice and a light salad – or, better yet, an assortment of side dishes.

Meat Spicy Pan-Fried Perilla Leaves 깻잎전

Perilla leaves, stuffed with a pork-based filling, then eggwashed and fried.

Mexican Food

Meat Cheeseburger Quesadilla

This cheeseburger quesadilla was inspired by one of my favorite burritos from Burrito-Ville, a local joint down by Southeast Missouri State University. Burrito-Ville specializes in some of the oddest burritos I’ve ever tasted. From the BBQ chicken burrito to the Buffalo burrito, I’ve had them all — but they’ve got only one type of quesadilla. So I decided to take one of my favorite burritos from there, the cheeseburger burrito, and apply it to quesadilla form. Served with a side of fries and a Coke, I call this my most recent culinary triumph. Serve with extra ketchup, mustard, and relish.

Uncategorized

Meat Black Vinegar Chicken with Radishes

This gingery chicken stir-fry was born from my persistent craving for Chinese takeout—and from my digestive issues. You might ask why I’d want to strip a dish of all the aromatic flavor that alliums (like onion and garlic) can bring. Younger me would’ve asked the same question. But these days, my body has a tough time processing certain ingredients, and I’ve been forced to get creative and adapt my favorite meals. Even without alliums, this dish packs a punch—thanks to tang from black vinegar, umami from soy sauce, heat from ginger and crushed red pepper flakes, and a hint of sweetness from sugar. Quickly blistered, then simmered in the savory sauce, radishes transform into a softer, sweeter version of themselves, reminding me of braised daikon. This stir-fry is also low-FODMAP-friendly for those following the diet—there’s sugar instead of honey, cornstarch instead of flour, and radishes are a relatively gentle vegetable.

Meat BLT Pasta Salad

Sweet Chickpea Cookie Dough

Meat Corn Casserole

Tastes like cornbread-ish.

Meat Seth Godin’s Secret Recipes

Various Recipes from Seth’s Blog

Meat Easy Strawberry Arugula Salad

Peppery arugula is the perfect companion for sweet, spring strawberries.

Sweet Strawberry Smoothie

Great on a hot summer day.