Sometimes you need to get back to basics and simplify. Here is a line up of my favorite basics that I love to have on rotation to keep things really simple and satisfying.
Back To Basics Recipes
In a world of recipes that offer dozens of ingredients, what I find most comforting is simple, really good food. Back to basics, recipes that never fail and always deliver. Such recipes are really my anchor, since most of my days are filled to the brim with things I love to do: work, teach, create, organize, read, move my body. I find that complexity breeds more complexity and weighs me down. And especially in a season of abundance (like December, holidays, the New Year), I find it heartwarming to return to a simple recipe that I know I love, one that nourishes me, is done in minimal time, simple, delicious, and nutritious. Here are some of those beautiful recipes that I call home. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Breakfasts
I tend to have the same breakfasts on repeat: it’s usually some kind of oats and/or tofu scramble. I serve them up with some seasonal fruit (right now, I love apples and pears and oranges) plus any frozen past-season fruit that I put up for the future (like my frozen berries from last summer or frozen stewed apricots from last spring).
Leftovers: But probably my favorite breakfast is leftovers from the night before that I can just quickly whip up, like the tofu and red rice. I love rice for breakfast! It actually keeps me more satisfied than most other grains, and is super hearty on winter mornings.
Make it easy: Sometimes the old standby of buckwheat bread and roasted sweet potatoes win because, well, you can make a lot and freeze the bread or just have sweet potatoes in the fridge for the week going forward. Simple eating requires simple recipes and a plan to make it work for you. I hope you find these recipes fun and satisfying.
Proteins
Planning: Not sure if you knew, but when I plan my meals for the week (or for the day), it most always revolves around the proteins I have. Having a variety of proteins is a must, especially when plant-based, because I want the complex nutritional proteins of all sorts of plant-base proteins in my life, and they need to be in rotation for me to make the most out of them.
Some stand by’s are: lentils, beans, tofu, and tempeh. They can come in the form of soups, stir fry’s, stuffed in cabbage or collard rolls, or mixed in with a salad. Proteins for me are key to making sure I’m satisfied and anchored for a happy and energetic day. Enjoy!
Veggies
Learning to love veggies: I’ve met quite a few number of people that believe veggies are hard to deal with, time consuming, and they end up chopping a ton and ultimately, chewing a ton. It’s not untrue, especially if you’ve just now gotten back into the kitchen to make healthy nutritious foods for yourself. But really, veggies are what make this lifestyle so delicious. You end up craving the colors, flavors, and also the satiety factor they deliver. If proteins are king, veggies are queen for me.
My favorite green salad: This was my favorite side at Thanksgiving, and I have it, well, almost every day in some version or another. My favorite is to use red leaf lettuce, but often it’s not the season’s highlight, so romaine also works.
I’ve also included my favorite veggie sides below: Romanian cole slaw, parsnip fries (they’re my favorite), my chopped salad (even though it uses summer veggies, I have it as often as I can using seasonal veggies), and in a pinch when I want hot food, a simple stir fry or garlic green beans/broccoli is my heaven. Enjoy!
Back to basics: Starting With A Good Pantry
Some staples in my pantry to keep cooking and eating simple and easy. Here are some of my favorites:
- Oats: (steel cut, rolled)
- Rice: brown, jasmine, forbidden black, wild
- Other grains: quinoa, millet, kamut (my favorite), teff
- Legumes, dry or canned: lentils (many different types, such as pink, green, black, Puy, beluga, brown), chickpeas, cannellini beans, kidney beans, black beans
- Spices: I especially love smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, chili flakes, cumin, oregano, basil
- Nuts: walnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews
- Seeds: pumpkin seeds, hemp (I refrigerate these), chia, sunflower seeds
- Flavor bombs: hot sauce, tamari (gluten free soy sauce), soy sauce, tomato products (such as sauce, marinara, crushed tomatoes), olives, canned artichoke hearts, light coconut milk, sun-dried tomatoes, capers
- Fruit: the pantry is also where we store all of our fruit (except berries go in the fridge). You choose your favorites!
- Unripe avocados (once ripe, they go in the fridge)
- Roots and Everything Else: the pantry is where we store onions, garlic, potatoes, squashes, etc. Just make sure the pantry is cool if possible.
Back to basics: Fridge Staples
It goes without saying, we eat more veggies than a handful of the people we know, right? I especially love cleaning out my fridge, wiping down the shelves, and filling it with farmers market produce (which is usually way cheaper than from the store), fresh veggies and fruits, and also as many veggies as we can grow from the garden. Wherever you shop, opt for a variety of colors and tastes. Here are some of my favorites:
- Brassicas: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, collards
- Greens: arugula, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, romaine, Bibb lettuce, arugula
- Herbs: parsley, cilantro, mint, dill
- Nightshades: tomatoes (these stay out in the pantry), peppers, eggplant
- Ripe avocados
- Freezer: I love frozen artichoke hearts, edamame, frozen fruit (berries), extra tempeh (it freezes well), extra greens from the garden, home made pesto (in ice cube trays), surplus of nuts (we try to keep our pantry supply small since they go rancid), cauliflower rice, etc.
Storage
Here are some storage solutions that have helped me in the pantry and fridge:
Glass Tupperware containers: to easily see your leftover foods in the fridge and they stack well too. (Blue link above are similar to the ones I use.)
Glass Ball Jars for the pantry: I keep food fresh by storing nuts, seeds, grains, etc. in ball jars (also you can easily see when you are running low). I use wide mouth pint ball jars for nuts/seeds and smaller items and wide mouth quart ball jars for larger items like rice and quinoa. Also, I love plastic wide mouth ball jar lids since they don’t rust.
Enjoy!
I hope this blog post was helpful. Enjoy the process, get back to basics, keep food simple, keep your pantry and fridge well stocked with colorful, healthy whole food, and have a wonderful, healthy and happy New Year! Comment below if you’ve implemented any changes, we love sharing fan photos and favorites! Hashtag #feedingtherealyou so we can see them!
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