Whew that was a looong January, am I right? Welcome to the first weekend in February and our weekly catch up. My partner is dealing with a nasty cold, so we’ll be spending our weekend at home for sure. I am downing the herbal tea, Vitamin C, and ginger concoctions in an effort to dodge another round of illness.

Ducking out super quick because this week has been a bit hectic. Be well, take care, and I hope that you get some moments to relax this weekend 🤍.

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. From Underdog to Topdog: Steve Sando and His Beans via Crop Trust
2. The big idea: What’s the real key to a fulfilling life? via The Guardian
3. A new way to see what was for dinner 3 million years ago via NPR
4. Now in College, Luddite Teens Still Don’t Want Your Likes via The New York Times (gift link)
5. On my nightstand: The Sirens’ Call by Chris Hayes

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. I’ve been a dry brush fan for a while, and my fave skincare company Sahajan just released one of their own. The bristles are perfectly firm but still a soft (no scratching!). A little dry brush, a warm shower, and a swipe of their body oil after (while skin is still damp) is a beautiful self care ritual! These items were gifted to me, but I have been very enthusiastically using Sahajan products for years.
2. Shameless self promo! Posted a beautiful apple and farro stuffed squash recipe with Ontario Apple Growers this past week. Your support for these collaborations means a lot ♥️
3. Saw this high fiber mixed rice on Afia’s Instagram and I can’t wait to make it! Recipe here.
4. Spending WAY less time on Instagram these days, but Yasmine Mei’s stunning floral design has been pulling me back in.
5. Related to my nightstand choice above: The War for Your Attention on Radio Atlantic

5 Questions:

1. Is there anything you do not put in your vegetable broth? I am careful not to add too much cruciferous leaves and parts, but will use some cauliflower leaves. What are your thoughts? Is there anything you just don’t put into the veggie broth?
   I follow this vegetable stock recipe on my site more or less every time I make it. Cruciferous veggies are a no-no in my opinion, and I also avoid bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, beets, and sweet potatoes. I also avoid greens/soft herbs in my vegetable stock because the chlorophyll in greens, when boiled over a long period of time, can taste damp and funky. You mostly want aromatic vegetables/herbs that will enhance, but not overpower whatever soup, grain dish etc you’re making. Onions, leeks, carrot, celery, fennel, celery root, parsnip, garlic, thyme, parsley stems, and bay leaves are my go-tos. Sometimes mushroom stems, chili, and tomatoes are appropriate if you’re making a dish that will benefit from these ingredients! I’m not a big fan of just using any veggie scraps even though I do admire how resourceful this is! But with cooking in general, my belief is: if it doesn’t add, it subtracts.
2. What is your fav vegan protein powder and how do you use it? Smoothies? What else?
   Epic Protein by Sprout Living! Specifically the Vanilla Lucuma flavor. 95% of the time I’m using it in smoothies, but sometimes I will stir it into some dairy-free yogurt for a little protein boost (and then I’ll add chopped fruit, granola, walnuts etc). I know there’s a ton of recipes out there for bakes with protein powder, but I’ve never found vegan protein powder to work especially well in these–at least not for my taste! I still have a 20% off code for all Sprout Living products: thefirstmess.
3. Best instant/ultra low effort veggies? Like frozen peas, avocado directly from the skin etc?
   Frozen edamame is a big one for me lately–I just drop it into stir fries/sautés or alongside whatever veggies I’m cooking in the air fryer. I’ve also been roasting vegetables in bigger chunks (cutting a zucchini in quarters or a carrot in half) for a longer amount of time. I like the big, tender pieces that result and it’s less active time on my end. Broccolini is a big one too! I just cut off the dry ends before tossing with oil, salt and pepper to roast/air fry. Also bagged coleslaw mix from the grocery store is a mega time saver. I love to throw it into stir fries/sautés or mix it up into a larger salad.
4. Any fun US grocery finds recently?
   Haven’t been to the US since last fall and I don’t foresee a trip in the near future 😅. These frozen passion fruit cubes that I got on the last trip are a game changer for smoothies, so I’m glad that I got some backup bags on that last trip.
5. How do you decide on which set of meals to make for a given week?
   We have categories of meals that fill out our weekly dinner plans. Generally, every week there’s the following: pasta night, grain/rice bowl night, soup/stew night, curry night, stir fry night, pizza night etc. I have separate grocery lists for our personal needs and then another for work needs, and just plug the veg, tofu, beans etc into that rough framework. Once we get into farmer’s market season, that will play a huge part in the planning as well!

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Lemony Chickpea Soup with Spinach & Potatoes
2. Almond Butter Tempeh Stir Fry
3. Creamy Truffle Pasta with Balsamic-Roasted Broccoli Rabe
4. Cheesy Vegan Broccoli & Barley with White Beans
5. Vegan Thai Basil Noodles with Crunchy Kale