What I'm cooking this April
colors are back, baby. Especially green.
I’m back in NYC after a sun-kissed week in the Bahamas where it appeared that all of the East Coast had migrated for spring break, judging by the lines. The vegetarian food options were very good, though. I tried snorkeling! Also, we had a surprising number of animal encounters.
Welcome to Q2, everyone - so much to look forward to on the produce calendar! Plus, we can stop pretending we love root vegetables.
Steal my seasonal shopping list
What I’m cooking
(Note: In most cases, photos are snapshots of the respective websites and link to them directly where applicable)
Steamed Artichokes from The Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman
Confession - I have never cooked an artichoke from scratch. But perhaps this is the perfect time to learn a new skill? And who better to learn from than Deb Perelman. In her characteristic opinionated way, she swears by steaming the artichoke (in place of boiling it) and searing it in garlic butter. Sold!
Steel-cut Oats Risotto by yours truly
A hug in a bowl, inspired by the late chef Floyd Cardoz. Starchy and chewy steel-cut oats stand in beautifully for rice in this easy risotto, which puts spring flavors front and center.
Sardinian Lentil Soup with Lots of Herbs from
by
If you can’t go on
‘s retreat to Sardinia, you can still get there (or your tastebuds can) via this lively herby minestrone. I bookmarked it as soon as the recipe came out for a chilly day in April. And if you’re not subscribed to her info-packed newsletter on all things brain-health, what are you even doing!Asparagus Poriyal by yours truly
In Tamil, poriyal usually means a dry stir-fry of any vegetable along with spices and often, coconut. The most ubiquitous preparation is using green beans, although you could really use most vegetables. In this recipe, we use slender spring asparagus, which is absolutely delicious and a great way to incorporate seasonality into South Indian cooking! And what’s more, it’s ready in a flash.
Cranberry Coconut Pistachio Walnut Cookies from
by
If you’re a cookies-for-breakfast kind of person (is there another kind?), look no further than this nutritious version. And while you’re there, check out Sheryl’s impressive roster of Mediterranean-style recipes!
Ideas from The Vegetarian Reset
Lemon Risotto (page 51) - Another alternative take on risotto which uses a cauliflower rice base. This is definitely not an April Fool’s joke - watch how this recipe transforms cauli rice into a creamy and luxurious meal that’s ready in under 30 minutes.
photo credit: Alexandra Shytsman
Chutney Ramen (page 69) - This was inspired by the fiery ramen I had in Tokyo a few years ago, after navigating the labyrinth that is the Tokyo subway station. Always a fan of spicy food, I had a lightbulb moment when I realized other spicy sauces could probably be used to flavor the base as well. Thus, Chutney Ramen was born! I have experimented with a tomato chutney and a coriander (cilantro) chutney with great results, and you can also always fall back on a basic chile garlic sauce.
photo credit: Alexandra Shytsman Huevos Rancheros (page 134) - My chickpea crepe gets fried to make a crispy tortilla, and is then layered with black beans, a fried egg, a fiery tomato salsa, cheese and avocado. Pro-tip: Make the Black Bean Soup (page 112)for dinner and then upcycle leftovers in the Huevos Rancheros for a protein-packed Easter brunch.
photo credit: Alexandra Shytsman Leaving you with lots of food for (hopefully more than) thought!
I’ll see you next week with a special guest edition of Weeknight Simple, xoxo.
All of this looks so delicious! It has been a while since I've made an artichoke from scratch but now I'm inspired to again. :) And what a fun-looking trip!
It all looks divine! Especially that steel cut oats risotto. We’ll be cooking up that Sardinian Lentil Soup in Sardinia—I cannot wait!