This past weekend, I made this incredible loaded miso soup with a traditional dashi and miso base and topped it with high-protein tofu, buckwheat soba noodles, leeks, scallions, baby bok choy, snap peas, shiitake mushrooms, and nori. If you haven’t guessed already, miso is one of my favorite ingredients and I keep my fridge stocked with both red and white miso paste at ALL times. Honestly, I foresee an entire post dedicated to miso in my future.
roasted garlic mashed potatoes
steak au poivre with a dashi pan sauce
red pepper arrabbiata pasta with cheesy breadcrumbs
life is not complete without pasta. i always have and always will feel that strongly about pasta and all things carb loading. every once in a while i treat myself to a bowl full of my favorite pasta especially in the…
classic chicken + dumplings.
Steamed Mussels in a Creamy Garlic White Wine Sauce
the key to good mussels is in the sauce / broth that you cook them in. these mussels sit in a slightly creamy white wine sauce. first, shallots and garlic are sautéed in butter and evoo. the alcohol in the wine is simmered out leaving only the flavor of the wine. a touch of chicken broth and cream is added to make a richer and creamier broth. then the mussels are added, tossed in the broth, and steamed for about 5 minutes until they open. serve with a lemon wedge + buttery crispy bread for dipping in the broth.
sautéed eggplant with garlic, basil, and mint
I really feel like eggplant is a forgotten vegetable. Like it’s there and we all have had eggplant parmesan at least once in our lives (probably on a meatless Monday), and it gets inadvertently added to things that we like, but it’s rarely at the center of a dish. It’s time to give eggplant the attention it deserves & now that I have a ton of them in my fridge, y’all are going to get these eggplant recipes. To start, I did a simple sauté (with garlic for added flavor) and topping with one of my favorite herb combinations—basil and mint. You can definitely serve this as a side, but I’m actually thinking about making a grain bowl this week and adding this as a topping.
soy balsamic portabellas
if you’ve been watching my stories, then you know that I am neck-deep in sourdough starter revival, so easy dinners are on the menu until I can pull my life (read: sourdough) together. i pulled this vegan + healthy-ish dish together in less than 30 minutes. i tossed the portabella mushroom caps in marinade with evoo, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger and garlic then roaster the mushrooms on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 400º F for 15-20 minutes.
fried boneless chicken thighs
I don’t make fried chicken that often, but when I do I make it count. I posted this as a quick dinner with no intention of preparing a recipe, but my plans have changed due to popular demand. I have a go-to brine and breading process for fried chicken, which consist of soaking the chicken in buttermilk, salt, and paprika. Nothing fancy and I wing it just about every time without really measuring, and it’s very easy to adjust to your taste.
chimichurri chicken.
there is serious therapy in cooking. don’t forget to do the things you love. I love cooking freely—no recipe, no strict meal times, no stressors. just in the kitchen, creating. // my chimichurri sauce is quite simple and easily adaptable. I use fresh parsley + oregano as the herb base & red wine vinegar + olive oil as the liquid base. from there, the onion, garlic, and spices bring the sauce to life perfect for chicken or steak.
oven grilled tahini chicken.
for a long time I never used tahini for really anything other than hummus, but I dusted off my little jar of tahini (and my mortar and pestle) to make this oven grilled tahini chicken. this recipe comes from Jessica Battilana’s cookbook, Repertoire. the chicken is quickly marinated in a garlic-tahini paste with cumin, paprika, lemon juice and olive oil. instead of grilling, I “oven grilled” by placing the chicken on a baking rack over top of a sheet pan and grilling it for about 20 minutes with my broiler set to 550°.
fish en papillote (fish in paper)
if you’re trying to keep some sense of normalcy in these crazy times, here’s a low maintenance meal for those of you that managed to grab some fish before self distancing. or for those of you that don’t cook cook (or allegedly can’t . . . allegedly). I promise, minimal cooking involved here—fish en papillote is literally the simplest way you can prepare fish. all you need is some parchment paper, herbs and 20 minutes of your time.