Cookin

Just a few things I gone and made over the past months

Homemade Cashew, Spinach, and Lemon Pesto with Brown Rice and Quinoa Fussili

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to eat healthier and more plant-based. I was a strict vegetarian growing up after a run-in with PETA at Warped Tour when I was 16, and I stuck with it for six years. That all changed when I moved to Texas and caved to the scent of BBQ being everywhere. I finally tried brisket for the first time and I never looked back. Still, because I spent so long eating plant-based, most of the recipes I cook are naturally meatless. I actually struggle with cooking meat now since I make it so rarely and feel out of practice.

I always have a cabinet full of nuts and seeds, and there’s almost always spinach or kale in my fridge. Recently, I tried a healthy pesto recipe using what I already had on hand.

Sweet Potato Ratatouille

Ratatouille was something my dad made for me all the time growing up, mostly because it was the only vegetarian dish he really knew how to make. I’ve seen it made a bunch of different ways since then, but I’ve always liked the more aesthetic lookin versions—the ones where the vegetables are thinly sliced and layered all nicely and organized. I love it when it’s cooked in a cast iron skillet, with the vegetables arranged in a neat little circle around the pan. Sadly, I do not own this pan.

Butternut Squash Soup

I make sooo many soups and this is one of my go tos.

Pigeons (Golumpki/Halupki)

I can't find my final product shots but this one is special to me. It’s something I ate all the time growing up, along with so many other great Polish dishes my nana used to make. I’ve made it a few times now, and I’m finally getting it to taste exactly how I remember it from when I was a kid

Pierogies

One of my fav foods and probably my most eaten food of my childhood. I made a few different kinds: cheddar bacon, cheddar chive and sour cream, spinach & feta, and sauerkraut. They look a lil dry in the pic but I buttered the fuck out of them after.

Haluski

This one almost doesn’t feel worth posting because it takes like two seconds to make, but it’s also something I ate a lot growing up. Usually when I’m making pigeons, I’ll just chop up the leftover cabbage and have this as a side.

Cauliflower Stem and Tahini Dip

I really hate wasting any part of food, and lately I’ve been noticing just how much of a fruit or vegetable usually gets tossed. I’ve read a ton of food blogs and even worked for a food sustainability nonprofit, where I learned that you can pretty much use every part of produce. You can ferment watermelon rinds into pickles, make “bacon” from banana peels, or even turn fruit scraps into soda!

I’ve been trying to get more creative with food scraps myself. About a week ago, I tossed cauliflower stems into a food processor with tahini, garlic, lemon, and a bunch of spices. Depending on how thick or thin you make it, it can be a sauce or a dip—I went the dip route and had some baked veggies with it.

Pad Thai

For years and years and years, I've been trying to master a pad thai recipe so I can just whip it up myself when I want it. I've been getting closer to making something comparable to what I like but still on that journey.

I accidentally made 3 liters of it last night which is at least, 10 restaurant servings. It was prolly one of my favorite one yet which is great because it's all I'm going to be eating for the next few days.

Thats all I got.