Chicken salad on a croissant might be one of the most delightful things on earth, and this rendition I dreamt up is next level...
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Although I often associate fennel and apples with the colder months, this salad is so light and bright that it screams summer to me...
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Something I never, ever buy anymore is salad dressing. It is way too easy to make a million (better) varieties on the fly at home. All you need is a few pantry ingredients on hand, and little mason jars for optimal ease and convenience, and these dressings are simple to whip up ahead of time for weekday lunches or dinners.
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For a minute there, I was convinced that winter was behind us and spring was here. And the way my brain works, it may as well be summer...
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Coconut milk and red curry is, hands down, one of the most divine combinations on all of planet earth. Absolute no-brainer. And although it's unbeatable from an authentic Thai place, it's such a tasty thing to make at home for dinner or in advance for weekday lunches with whatever vegetables/proteins you have in your fridge. I especially love it because once you have purchased a couple of the pantry staples, the rest can really be improvised.
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On Friday night, I threw a Mexican themed birthday party for Ellie. Although there are many more pictures to come in a later post, I thought I'd kick off the week with one of my favorite recipes from the night. It sort of doubles as a salad and a salsa—it's as good eaten with a spoon as it is on chips. But really what's not good on a chip doe?
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This is a simple, easy lunch that comes together very quickly with only a few ingredients. It's nothing fancy or complex, but with the right spice blend, it becomes a great lunch standby. I almost always have everything on hand, which is probably how this dish (and a few variations on it) came into being. All it takes is canned tomatoes and chickpeas as a base, with add-ins such as garlic, spices, spinach, kale, sharp cheese, parsley or other herbs, or topped with a fried or poached egg. It's always delicious, but also healthy and filling.
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Please don't be scared away by the strange name that immediately goes to the same vault in my brain as "split pea soup" and "shepherd's pie" for some reason (even though none are anything alike—there's just so much in a name that has held a certain connotation for everyone since childhood). This soup is rich, decadent, and just delightful—you might never want regular old chicken soup ever again...
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Sometimes, you have to just let a picture speak its thousand words without adding your own thousand words below it. I think that's how I feel here. This sandwich is so, so right. Just look at it.
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I’ve been back at it with make-ahead lunches after a few weeks (months?) of buying lunch on the go most days...
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Things I always (weirdly) have in my cupboard: chickpeas, 14 different kinds of rice, sweetened condensed milk, and lentils. This is a result of those grocery shopping trips in which I wander down each and every aisle and robotically throw things in my cart. My thought process is something like, "Think about those times you've wanted to bake something without leaving your house and the one thing you need is sweetened condensed milk." (Has that ever even happened??) And then there are all the recipes I've made that have called for various kinds of rice—jasmine, long-grain, arborio, the list goes on. And since it seems like 1 grain of rice uncooked magically turns into 35 grains when it's cooked….my supplies are never ever depleted. My digression is leading me to a discussion of lentils.
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This is one of those weekday lunches for which noon cannot come fast enough.
*Checks clock.* *Checks clock again.* *Checks clock and IT'S STILL ONLY 10:30.*
The worst.
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Have you guys ever had lettuce wraps before? They are so tasty. And it seems strange to say, but the lettuce actually makes this meal, in my opinion. In contrast to all those recipes out there that sub lettuce for some kind of carb, this one isn’t making any substitutions. The lettuce is purposeful and right, and I promise you—you will not want to eat this dish any other way. It consists of ground turkey (or chicken, I've used both!) and sautéed onion and garlic with all the best Asian flavors: fresh ginger, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and Sriracha. And water chestnuts! One of the most underrated ingredients—such great texture and flavor. The result is such a satisfying light lunch that just might rival the version you’ve had at that one Asian restaurant chain that I secretly love.
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Quinoa was last seen here in my post-Thanksgiving detox effort that lasted for about one day. I might be back on the wagon now that the holidays have finally wrapped up. Although, I say that, but I'm not actually sure if these are healthy. I think I could have a candy bar with quinoa in it and feel like I'm living right, when in reality we all know the truth. But seriously, these are healthy in comparison to most brunches or lunches or dinners, and this meal would satisfy for any one of those. In fact, the first time I ever made a version of these cakes was for dinner, and it was to prove to Jon that he could, in fact, actually like quinoa (pronounced kwi-noah in that stage of my life), and also be fulfilled by it in meal form. He's since become a convert! I mean topping things with fried eggs never hurts. And it's not bad on the eyes, either—I love a good yolky egg pic.
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In what feels like a constant “attempt” to eat healthier (using attempt lightly here because my efforts are limited, at best, most days), the one kind of lighter meal that never makes me feel like I’m skimping is soup. I love soup, and I love nearly every variety. But a spicy Mexican chicken soup with a la carte toppings? I’m in, every time.
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For all my office worker bees, or anyone who packs a lunch during the week: this is for you! I understand the effort required to A. make lunch ahead of time, B. pack it up for work, C. make and pack up a lunch for work that still sounds appetizing come lunchtime when there are paninis/pizza/pho just around the river bend AKA block. I rely on make-ahead lunches for work and I promise I’ll only ever tell you about them if they’re worth it. Chicken salad is one of my favorite things to make because there are so many directions you can go with it (traditional, with celery and tarragon / summery a la Pioneer Woman with sweet corn, blueberries, and feta / Asian, loaded with veggies, Sriracha sauce, and sesame notes—the list goes on), and all feel indulgent and satisfying.
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I’m such a sucker for sports culture—the comradery, the excitement, the sportsmanship, the win-big together / lose-big together attitude, the drinking, the tailgating, everything. I’ve never been a diehard sports fan, although I loved playing sports myself, but I love the community surrounding sports. There’s a book by political scientist Robert Putnam from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government called Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. It is about the decline in all forms of social and communal engagement among Americans—and he famously uses the example of how the number of people who bowl has increased in the US, but membership in bowling leagues has steadily declined over the last couple of decades. Putnam is concerned about the education, enrichment, and general sense of civic duty being lost if people choose to do these kinds of activities alone, rather than with other people. (I promise this will eventually be about pulled pork)
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