The world’s oldest example of “Set it and Forget it” accidentally made magic happen.

Pot stickers are either the serendipitous result of a Chinese chef’s negligence and his son’s blatant disregard for truthfulness, or the product of an ancient Chinese Emperor’s terrible disguises and even worse punctuality.

This is one PHO-nomenal vegan soup.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I decided to try the Meatless Monday thing. Kids had gotten us away from doing a bunch of the culinary challenges we used to attempt, and this seemed like a good way to eat (at least a tiny bit) healthier and challenge ourselves to try some dishes we’d never considered before. We mostly gravitated towards Asian noodle and/or rice dishes – from spicy garlic noodles to ramen to the delightfully-beautiful sushi bowls.

If you’re not already on the Split Pea Soup bandwagon, climb on up.

Growing up, there were certain predicable culinary events. If I saw a paper bag full of seasoned flour, I knew it was Salisbury Steak night. Fish Sticks or corndogs showed up once a week. Thanksgiving was Turkey, and St. Patrick’s Day brought corned beef and cabbage.