Welcome to the first weekend of May! We’re in for a rainy one here, which jams up my gardening project schedule unfortunately. Luckily we have plenty of indoor projects to complete haha. A couple weeks ago the water valve for our fridge broke, slowly leaking water into the cork floor and damaging a small section of the sub floor in the process. The fridge has been fixed, so we will be in the floor repair zone this weekend. The previous owners of the house left us more than enough spare cork tiles thankfully, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.

I also want to get out to some nurseries to look at shrubs, trees and perennials. Our yard is big and private, but I want to plant some more things along the fence line to make it feel more enclosed, defined, and maybe a bit more cozy if possible. More green and less fence boards anyway haha.

Along with some food prep, coffee runs, doggie walks, and hitting the gym, it’s the usual stuff over here! Hope you’re taking care out there. Love you 😘

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. Welcome to slop world: how the hostile internet is driving us crazy via Financial Times
2. Bookstores are arsenals of democracy via Princeton University Press
3. My Miserable Week in the ‘Happiest Country on Earth’ via The New York Times Magazine (gift link)
4. Farmers are making bank harvesting a new crop: Solar energy via Grist
5. The salty, briny, lemony, garlicky rise of “pick me” foods via Vox

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. In light of my “cozy” garden goals, this helpful guide to evergreen shrubs for privacy. Monrovia’s site is filled with inspiration.
2. Strong legs = better memory? I learned a lot in this episode of Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai’s podcast: Your Brain On… Menopause
3. Not a thing I can link to, but when I find myself getting frustrated/bored with certain yard work tasks, I remember this: the joy is in the doing ✨
4. Making quinoa in the Zojirushi rice cooker every week as part of my food prep. It’s so fluffy and perfect! I was kind of over quinoa for a while, but cooking it this way has been a game changer. I wash it really well and then just use the white rice ratios (with vegetable stock instead of water) and white rice setting. Always trying to diversify our whole grains!
5. Nigel Slater’s garden tour, which may or may not have inspired my fixation on this idea of garden “enclosure” haha

5 Questions:

1. Do you ever wish your partner was vegan? Does it ever cause friction?
   No on both! Sometimes when we’re dining out and I’d like to try a few extra things between the two of us, it doesn’t necessarily work out because he’s ordering a couple meat/fish/dairy things and we just don’t want to have too much food overall. But that’s honestly it. I accept him as he is and he happily eats everything that I cook. I do feel lucky that he’s not an overly picky eater and loves vegetables, beans, whole grains etc as much as I do.
2. Need some quick higher protein snack ideas!
   Boring answer that is true to my actual day-to-day life: mixed nuts, protein shakes, and dry roasted edamame.
3. Do you have a recipe for tofu meatballs? I am just starting to eat more protein.
   I actually worked on a recipe for tofu meatballs years ago but couldn’t get it quite right. The tofu formed into extremely tidy meatballs that looked great, but I always found them a bit bland, too firm, and slightly spongy. If anyone knows a good recipe, feel free to link it in the comments! I stick with crispy air fryer tofu mostly and make my vegan meatballs out of beans, veg, nuts and whole grains. Check out my recipes for Lemony Oregano Vegan Meatballs, Mushroom Meatballs, and Vegan Eggplant Meatballs.
4. I’m considering getting a Zojirushi rice cooker. Do you still like yours? How often do you use it?
   I use it all the time still! I love the GABA setting for brown rice–it comes out so nutty, fluffy and perfect. As I mentioned above, the quinoa is fantastic and the porridge mode gets heavy use in the cold months for us. You can set it up the night before and program it to be done at a time of your choosing. So handy for busier mornings! Mine has a permanent spot on the counter because we use it so much.
5. What spring and summer produce are you most excited for and what recipes are you working on?
   The first lettuces are my favorite because they are a world away in terms of sweet flavor and crunch. I’m also just a big salad gal! The first strawberries are a big deal and local peaches are probably my favorite fruit of all. Recipes on the blog for the next few months are going to be very salad-heavy with some smoothies and simple veg sides in the mix. From now until mid-August is the “slow” time for my blog, so I’ll be focusing on simpler recipes that suit this more relaxed season :)

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Smoky Sautéed Cauliflower with Green Beans, Tahini & Almonds
2. Crushed Beets with Chunky Olive & Mint Dressing
3. Grilled Cabbage and Fennel with Maple Mustard Cream
4. Edamame Dip with Mint, Jalapeño & Lime
5. Spicy & Crispy Peanut Tofu with Green Beans