The weeks of summer are winding down, I can’t believe it. My partner returns this weekend after being at a family reunion on the east coast. We’re in for a hot couple of days with rain on Sunday leading to cooler temps. I have another handful of extremely summery recipes coming up for you. Then it’s tray bakes, pots of beans, soup, slow cooker stuff–all the cooler weather, back-to-routine kinda stuff. I also love to dream up some summer-to-fall transition recipes as it’s the best “micro season” for cooking.

All of our usual reads and links below. Take care out there :)

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. I Tried Erewhon’s New $15,000-a-Year VIP Membership for a Month via Eater
2. No Amount of Ambition Will Save You From a Collapsing Institution via AI, Humanities, and the Future of Work on Substack
3. The Year I Stopped Fixing Myself via Allure
4. These Fires Will Burn for 100 Years via The Golden Hour on Substack
5. So You Want to Build an A.I. Star? via NYT (gift link)

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. 78 Free MIT Courses (I love how this is organized)
2. A senior dog fitness class?!
3. “To give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.”
4. On Radio Atlantic: Longing for a Time Before Smartphones
5. My partner has been away at a family reunion this week. It’s funny: I’m the one who could eat the same thing every night, whereas he needs variety. So! The dinner I’ve been eating every night this week: air fryer tofu, garden veg cooked alongside the tofu, rice/quinoa/lentil mix that I make in the rice cooker, plus herbs from the garden and spicy cashew dressing on top. Enjoyed on the couch with the doggies while I re-watch VEEP :)

5 Questions:

1. I bought multiple packages of extra firm tofu when it was on sale and froze them. What is the best way to use them after they are defrosted?
   The best thing about frozen and thawed tofu is the slightly chewier texture that it develops. Any of the tofu recipes on my site that involve high heat (searing, air frying, grilling, or roasting) would be particularly good. But my favorite thing to do with tofu that’s been frozen is to use it in a Thai-style yellow curry with vegetables. I learned this a million years ago in culinary school! I slice the tofu into 1/2-inch thick triangles and sear them in hot oil before building the sauce and adding vegetables. Something about tofu that’s been previously frozen that works SO well in a rich Thai-style curry like this. If you find yourself freezing a bunch of tofu in the future, it’s fun to mix up a little marinade and freeze it in that so that you’re building flavor right from the start, like I do with this recipe.
2. Has the cost of groceries changed the way you shop or cook lately?
   Sure has! Before, if I was at the health food store/a fancier grocery store, I would grab other basic items I needed just to avoid another stop/shopping trip. If I’m doing my grocery/general shopping errands, I’ll hit Food Basics first (Ontario folks know!), get the majority of what I need, and then make other stops at Longo’s, a specialty grocer, the health food store etc after that to get the stray items that I couldn’t grab at the first stop. I’m very lucky to live near a new-ish Food Basics store that has a great produce section. This time of year, I am hitting the farmer’s market every week and eating produce from our garden, which is helpful (although I’m not convinced that it’s cheaper).
3. Can I use all-purpose flour in your new tomato galette recipe?
   To be on the safe side, I would probably Google a vegan galette dough recipe with all purpose flour, follow that, and then apply the filling/assembling steps that I’ve laid out in the recipe. Someone in the comments mentioned having success with subbing vegan butter for Bon Appétit’s tomato galette crust recipe!
4. What’s your go-to cheap meal?
   Rice and beans forever! Ali Slagle’s quick recipe for NYT Cooking is great and so is my more involved version with brown rice and roasted poblano paste. I could eat some version of rice and beans every day (and often do!). I like to roast whatever veg I have on hand to put on top, along with a little hot sauce. Ripe avocado or some type of sauce drizzle is nice too, but not 100% necessary. I’ve noticed that meals centered around rice and beans or just beans in general are popping up a lot on the socials. Is the cost of groceries going to be the thing that brings people back to eating more plant-based food? Who knows, but it does seem like certain patterns are emerging. Would love to hear folks thoughts about this in the comments if you have time and bandwidth.
5. Do you shop for anything in bulk?
   Yep! Usually for small amounts of flour/other baking ingredients that I know I’m not going to go through particularly fast (I got the chickpea flour for this week’s recipe at Bulk Barn). I used to buy quite a bit in bulk (oats, other grains, beans, nuts etc), but have found that it’s more economical to get a lot of these things at Costco and even at some grocery stores.

Pinned Recipes This Week:

1. Blackberry Glazed Tofu with Black Pepper & Chili
2. Eggplant Meatballs with Kale Pesto
3. Olive & Arugula Pesto Pasta
4. Kale Arugula Butter Bean Salad with Mustard Tahini & Garlicky Bread Crumbs
5. Vegan Zucchini Involtini with Almond Ricotta