Hello and welcome to the weekend. I’ve been struggling with a nasty cold as the week comes to a close, so will keep it short today. Currently I can’t taste or smell anything unless it’s incredibly spicy or salty. The cups of tea have been endless! Wishing all of my fellow Canadians a nice Thanksgiving weekend filled with delicious food and hopefully some time for relaxing. I’ll be staying home and keeping my germs to myself lol.

Also want to mention that I’m doing a newsletter swap with Lauren Kretzer of Well Seasoned next weekend! Make sure you’re signed up :)

Big hug + take care out there.

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. Dethrone your Phone via Other Worlds Catalogue on Substack
2. Canada Has a New Apple. Its Story Is Bananas via The Walrus
3. Does my pet have a soul? via Vox (click here for non-paywalled option)
4. Some Days, I Have No Patience for Mindfulness via Lion’s Roar
5. What We Gain, and Lose, at a Phone-Free Concert via the New York Times (gift link)

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Abbott Elementary is back! My fave show by a mile.
2. How to go back to Y2K Google
3. I’ve been drinking Greenhouse Juice’s Fiery Ginger shots as a hot tea. I just pour a portion into a mug, top with hot water and stir in a tiny bit of maple syrup. I know I could easily make this in my juicer/blender, but I haven’t had the energy at all with this cold. Grateful that this product exists!
4. This episode of The Way Out Is In: Asking for Help
5. Loved watching this discussion between Thom Yorke and Harry Styles

5 Questions:

1. Can you recommend other uses for black lime powder?
   Noor’s black lime tofu on Ottolenghi’s website (and also in Ottolenghi Flavor if you have it) is one of my favorite uses for this unique spice. I’ve also made this (baked!!) Iranian vegetable stew, substituting 1 tablespoon of ground lime for the whole black limes. Anything involving root vegetables is a win with ground black lime–the sour and fragrant citrus notes work well with sweeter vegetables.
2. Any soft tofu recipes that blow your mind?
   Two very different ones from New York Times Cooking (both gift links)! Silken Tofu with Peanut Chile Crisp (this is more of a warmer weather recipe in my opinion, but still so good) and Vegan Chocolate Pudding–they have cinnamon and chili as flavor add-ins here, but you can stick with classic vanilla, do orange zest, even peppermint extract! I also enjoy silken tofu for tofu scramble because it gives a “soft scramble” kinda vibe that I’m in the mood for sometimes.
3. Do you have a stick blender you’d recommend? Mostly for blending soups.
   I have an older version of this stick blender from KitchenAid. The cordless feature is especially great for dealing with hot pots of soup on the stove. I can get tangled up with cords and stuff on the counter pretty easily, so this is a crucial feature for me. I find myself using this appliance a lot more often these days for making quick sauces and vinaigrette.
4. Is there a non-coconut milk whipped cream alternative that you can recommend?
   Homemade cashew whipped cream is the one! It has that same natural sweetness and lush texture, and is so good with all the pies on deck for this weekend. Also, if it’s the flavor of coconut milk that you don’t like (and not a coconut allergy), this vegan whipped cream from School Night Vegan looks crazy good.
5. Best way to use celeriac?
   It’s great in my winter veg chowder, this salad with peanut vinaigrette, or seared and roasted with apple cider glaze! I also like to do a 50/50 mix of it with russett potatoes for mashed potatoes. Sometimes I make this simple shaved salad with apple, raw celery root, and regular celery with the sherry shallot dressing from this post (minus the garlic clove)–I’ll top it with chopped walnuts. Another salad we’ve been into lately is a mix of matchstick celery, granny smith apples and fennel with a simple lemon juice and olive oil dressing and lots of finely crsuhed salted pistachios. You could definitely add some matchstick celery root to that!

Pinned Recipes This Week:

1. Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta with Veggie Sausage & Fried Sage
2. Vegan Parsnip Soup with Apples & Curry Spices
3. Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Warm Olive & Chickpea Dressing
4. Spiced Chickpeas & Rice with Roasted Crispy Cabbage and Sweet Mustard Dressing
5. Vegan Spelt Pumpkin Bread