Welcome to another Fall weekend. I hope all of my American pals are having a peaceful and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday with lots of delicious leftovers. We’ve had a pretty hectic week, so I’m looking forward to some chill time at home. Maybe a board game or two, some bundled up dog walks and a coffee outing, but that’s about it. Ideal!
As always, if you have a question that you’d like answered in a future edition, feel free to leave it in the comments here or you can email me if that’s preferable!
Take care of yourselves and each other out there. Catch you back here next week 😉
5 Things I’m Reading:
- The Brilliance of Ram Dass via The Broad Place Substack
- How to Love Yourself via Lion’s Roar
- Chef José Andrés knows how to feed people in a crisis via Vox
- How to Focus Like Your Life Depends on It via The New York Times (gift link)
- After 30 years of not eating meat, I’ve made some unexpected discoveries via CNN
5 Things I’m Enjoying:
- Is creativity dead?
- Elijah Fox’s City In The Sky album on repeat. From a review: “I listened to this while walking through a forest preserve and I felt like I was in a Studio Ghibli movie”
- Lil’ Jon’s Wellness Wednesday newsletter
- I think P.F. Candle Co’s Smoky Cinnamon Special might be my favourite holiday candle. It’s warm, sweet, woodsy and a hint of citrus. I also love the limited edition green glass.
- Watching this weekend: Motorcycle Mary
5 Questions:
- After using part of an onion in a recipe, how do you store the remaining onion?
I usually put the rest in a sealable jar because it’s highly likely that I’ll be using it in the next couple of days. I have a bunch of old Bonne Maman jam jars that are perfect for this. Sometimes if it’s a red onion, I’ll just make pickled red onions with the rest. - Do you listen to music or podcasts when cooking?
If I’m working on recipes for the blog, it’s usually very chill instrumental music or just something calm that allows me to focus and not become distracted. If I’m cooking for myself, I’ll put on a podcast, something on TV (usually sports or Real Housewives lol) or some more bombastic music if I’m in the mood. - How did you get into food/recipe content creation?
I started my blog in 2011 before Instagram even existed! It was just a hobby for me while I still worked in restaurants. Prior to that I had graduated from a nutritional culinary management/arts program. Once I started posting to Instagram (in the photos-only days), my audience grew, and eventually I was able to test and post recipes full time. - How do you approach a dinner party menu when you have non-vegan guests?
I know this might upset some people, but I cook one vegan main and one non-vegan main. Typically my partner will handle the non-vegan main on the grill. I make all of the sides and dessert vegan. Sometimes people bring vegan or non-vegan things to contribute, which is fine! Barring any allergies or extra fussy eaters (which does happen sometimes), it’s a pretty easy strategy. If I’m hosting folks who I know will be down for an all plant-based experience, I just do that. My goal with hosting is to make everyone comfortable and to put them at ease. It’s not about me; I just want to enjoy our time together as much as possible. - Any simple vegan snack recommendations to add some extra protein to your diet?
I’m really into crispy edamame lately—both packaged and homemade in the air fryer. Similarly, I love the little bags of crispy chickpeas you can get at the grocery store these days. Lots of quick protein shakes with vegan protein powder. Hummus and veggies/seedy crackers forever. Mixed salted nuts or nut butter on a rice cake with a sprinkle of hemp seeds (I also love almond butter with carrots, but I know that might be a bit weird for some people haha). Bean salad scooped up with multigrain pita chips is another big fave!
5 Seasonal Recipes:
- Sweet Potato & Broccoli Rabe Sheet Pan Dinner with Ginger Peanut Sauce
- Coconut Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Sweet Chili Sauce
- Vegan “Butter” Chickpeas
- Broccoli Dill Pickle Soup with White Beans & Potatoes
- One-Pot Spinach Artichoke Orzo with Chickpeas (Vegan)
Thank you as always for this newsletter, its a highlight of my week!
Future question: can you share some of the chill music you listen to while cooking?
At your recommendation, we bought a Nama 2 juicer a year ago. We’ve loved it, and have used it often. The instructions say not to put in the dishwasher, and to only rinse it out. We’ve done that immediately and thoroughly every time, but now a year later, it is looking a bit grody. How have you kept yours clean and fresh?
Question for next week: Are there any online vegan cooking lessons you recommend for home cooks such as forks over knives or rouxbe? Thanks!
I just watched Motorcycle Mary. What a trailblazer! I always dip into whatever it is that you’re watching or reading. It’s something I would have never discovered on my own. Thanks for opening my mind with your Saturday Sun newsletter. xoxo
One thing I’ve wondered is.. can you pickle a white or yellow onion? Do we only do red because they look so beautiful when they turn pink in the vinegar?
One of my favourite travel sandwiches (long kayak trip) is spicy, wild arugula and almond butter, a sprinkle of salt/pepper. So no, carrots and almond butter is not weird.