Hello and happy Saturday to you. It’s my dad’s birthday this weekend and we have a little springtime cold snap blowing through. Beyond that, we have the usual routine weekend stuff.

I’m going to sign off quickly today, but wanted to let you know that I’ll be sharing a sweet and decadent vegan lemon loaf with strawberry sumac tahini glaze in the Birdhouse Bakeshop newsletter next week! You can only get the recipe there, so make sure you’re signed up. I’ll be sending out Liz’s recipe for vegan chocolate cake with black tea ganache & raspberry rose compote in my Saturday newsletter that week, so get on the subscriber list if you haven’t already. You can check out photos of both below!

Now to our usual links and reads below. Take care out there! Love you ♥️

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. Inside the World’s Only Chile Pepper Research Institute via Atlas Obscura
2. The Insanity That Can Be ‘Wellness’ via The Broad Place on Substack
3. Is the ‘Dead Internet’ theory suddenly coming true? This could be a sign via Fast Company
4. What Is Analog Wellness? We Explore This New Anti-Tech Trend via The Good Trade
5. The case for using your brain — even if AI can think for you via Vox

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Pamela’s Cooking With Love is pretty much perfect in every way!
2. I learned a lot (as in a lot of truth bombs that I absolutely needed to hear) from this conversation between Mel Robbins and Dr. Vonda Wright, MD
3. Comida Casera by Dora Ramírez. So many beautiful and comforting Mexican classics with a totally plant-based ingredients twist. I’m so impressed with the complexity of flavor using all vegan components! I also recommend checking out Dora’s blog for more of the same goodness.
4. A year in the life of whooping cranes, and the humans saving them from extinction on The Nature of Things.
5. A river of sticks/bug hotel. We have a lot of fallen branches every year and what James does with his is so inspiring.

5 Questions:

1. If you can’t use boxed broth or stock for allergy reasons, and you don’t feel like making stock, what can you do to enhance the flavor of the water when making soup?
   I recommend dissolving white miso in the water! Miso adds umami depth and some saltiness, so just be mindful of other added salt in the recipe. I would also increase other aromatics in the soup base (celery, garlic, spices etc).
2. The article you shared on fiber brought to mind a question that I’m constantly confronting: To peel or not to peel? I know the peels of fruits and veggies are fiber-rich and contain other nutrients. However, I’ve also heard the advice to not to eat the peels on anything you didn’t grow yourself (due to the various chemicals and coatings involved in production). I try to use my best judgement when deciding. For example, I feel pretty good about eating potato skins that I have scrubbed clean, but I can’t quite bring myself to eat the thick, wax-coated skins on apples. Do you have any thoughts on this topic?
   I am going to be the worst person to answer this because I don’t do the same thing every time! Generally with carrots, I leave the skin on. But I peel parsnips because the skin seems “tougher” for some reason. I leave the skin on new potatoes (Yukon gold, red skinned) but peel sweet potatoes and Russets always because I find the skin tough. I never peel apples unless I’m making apple butter or a dessert with them. Ultimately I come at this from a texture preference with less concern over waxes and modified atmosphere used in packaging. Sometimes I get caught up in that stuff too! But knowing how I am, if I start overthinking those things, I tend to spiral out a bit and I start having “What’s the point?” kinda thoughts, which I definitely want to avoid! When it’s prime local growing season here (between June and September), I’m not concerned with peels/coatings at all. Other times, I can be more cautious. I just use my personal judgement in whichever situation I’m in and feel good knowing that I generally get enough fiber from a variety of plant-based foods regularly. Not the most direct answer, but it is an honest reflection of my real cooking life!
3. I was wondering what you might do with tofu in a pot pie? I was thinking about your technique of pouring boiling water on pressed & torn tofu, only using the No Chicken Better Than Bouillon for a savory flavor…Anyway, any creative suggestions are welcome!
   I love the idea of doing the salt soak with bouillon paste as well! I think I’ve seen @plantbasedrd do this before and the tofu always looked so flavorful. You could add all kinds of stuff at this stage–smashed garlic cloves and spices galore (celery seed/celery salt would be excellent in a classic pot pie recipe). I would definitely tear the tofu into rustic little 2-inch pieces. Once you drain the tofu pieces and dry them off, you can sauté them up with all of your pot pie aromatics and spices. Sounds pretty good to me!
4. Secrets to sleep well at night?
   My sleep is pretty hit or miss lately, despite spending lots of time outside, getting a lot of exercise, not having caffeine after noon, taking Magnesium etc. The days that I make an intentional effort to stay off of Reddit and not get too wrapped up in the news cycle tend to lead to better nights of sleep these days. So I guess my big tip is to avoid unnecessary stressors/stimulation as much as humanly possible. It’s been tough lately though!
5. Are there any ingredients that you’ve tried for the first time this year?
   Cucamelon! Irresistibly cute and a mild, fresh cucumber flavor. How could you go wrong?! I might try to start a plant this spring.
   

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Spring French Lentil Salad with Asparagus, Fennel & Orange
2. One-Pot Brothy Beans with Herbs & Lemon
3. Herby Whipped White Beans with Smoky Mushrooms
4. Grounding Roasted Roots with Herbed Jalapeño Yogurt Sauce
5. Earl Grey Latte Chia Pudding