My Favorite Recipes Lately
This week on my podcast, I talked about 10 things bringing me joy. One of those things is cooking! I’ve always been a foodie, loved being in the kitchen and preparing breakfast - but it’s only been in the last year or so that I really started to find the passion for cooking warm meals.
And let me tell you… it’s simultaneously helping me improve my relationship to food. I truly think there’s a karmic difference in regularly eating food that’s cooked by someone else in a restaurant and preparing your own food. You know exactly what goes into it… and not just the ingredients but the energy.
A lot of restaurant kitchens have a stressful and chaotic environment. If you cook at home, connect with the process and get excited to nourish your body then that is going to be a completely different experience.
I’ve also found more joy in sourcing the ingredients. I’m grateful that we have multiple markets nearby on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. I am getting to know the vendors, my favorite items, how much I need each for particular meals and even how long items stay fresh.
Here are some things I’ve been making lately. I’m certainly not a chef and the more time I spend in the kitchen - the more I realize I have so much to learn! But that’s what’s so exciting. It’s a lifelong journey.
DIY Pizza: Making our own pizzas has been so fun this summer. I haven’t ordered pizza out in months now because I’m like… mine is better! Haha genuinely it’s so delicious and satisfying. DIY Pizza recipe here.
Chipotle Rice Bowls: For lunch, homemade chipotle inspired rice bowls have been keeping us fueled on busy days. I love making 2-3 days worth at a time because the ingredients last / stay fresh in the few days. I should probably start making even more and putting the extras in the freezer because they’re so incredibly delicious, filling and packable. Recipe here (and they’re very budget friendly).
Poke Bowls: These teriyaki chicken poke bowls are so refreshing. Recipe here. They’re so easy to prepare ahead of time so that when dinner comes, you just grill the chicken and toss on the toppings.
Risotto Dishes: As you can see… we like rice in this family. Brown rice, poke rice, risotto rice ~ all are welcome! When I do risotto, I enjoy making it really creamy to help switch it up. The creaminess pairs so well with chicken, peppers and broccoli. I’ve been switching up preparation methods to keep it interesting. Peppers were buy one get one free at the supermarket this week so stuffed bell peppers made this week’s menu!
Mediterranean Salmon Salad: If you listen to my podcast, you’ve probably heard me talk about this salad fifty times. It is truly the most common dinner in our household. I love salmon and it pairs so beautifully with the flavors of all the salad toppings - olives, red onion, feta, tomatoes, cucumber. I haven’t got sick of it yet so please give it a whirl if you like Greek salads.
Chicken Avocado Salad: Another go-to salad is a simple chicken avocado salad. It’s easy to switch back and forth between this and the Mediterranean salmon salad because there’s some overlap in the ingredients so I can just throw on whatever happens to be in the fridge.
I recently recorded a podcast episode taking listeners on a journey with me through a Dutch grocery store. It’s a fun one. Listen here.
