Since changing my diet, I have been forced to be more thoughtful about grocery shopping and cooking in general. I noticed this most once the farmer’s market started. My carefully laid plans could be ruined by a nice bundle of asparagus I couldn’t resist out of a cute stall. I had to relearn flexible grocering habits that I abandoned in order to stay pescetarian. I had learned to avoid old temptations out of habit, and this became a useful trait. I still make a list, but anymore it can be very bare bones. I plan a few meals, usually things for the blog, and I decide on the rest of the week from there. This way, I don’t feel bad for picking up new things at the farmer’s market. Below is an example of a usual list. I decided that I need to cook 4 things FOR SURE this week, one of them being for the Cookbook of the month. There are a lot of things I need to get for it, mostly pantry staples I lacked. Those will come in handy for any spur of the moment meals that I haven’t planned. Same goes for the fresh herbs the farther you go down the list. Some things are missing from the list, but that’s usually when I already have them in my cupboard. You’ll notice shrimp is only listed once, and I have two shrimp recipes on my list. I have a bag in my freezer waiting for use. I also didn’t get any noodles for my Thai shrimp because I have a veritable treasure trove of soba and udon noodles in my pantry to choose from. When I’m really getting ready for the week ahead, I look at my pantry to help guide my shopping. This is my way going forward. One recipe from a cookbook a week and usually one new one from pinterest help guide my eating choices through the week. A good ol’ standby or two fill the rest of the space and give me days to experiment.
1 Comment
My opinion on Vegan cooking remains largely unchanged after cooking a handful of recipes out of Thug Kitchen. I do, however, feel more knowledgeable about it. That’s the best I can say, given I did not enjoy some of the flavors from the recipes I sampled this month. I even neglected doing the last recipe this week because I just wasn’t sure it would live up to my expectations after two of three disappointments.
The book is packed with recipes and information usable in at least understanding vegan cooking, which is definitely their mission. They explain the more unusual ingredients such as ‘nooch’ that are not typically seen in other diets, how to use them, and where you can look for them. For this reason, it is an excellent introduction. For someone like me, however, who has no actual desire to become Vegan, there isn’t much here to drag me into the lifestyle. For that reason, I am not sure I’d recommend it going forward. The one recipe I really enjoyed was the tofu scramble. At the very least, the book introduced me to their online community and podcast which I do still enjoy despite it being vegan based. They do their best not to use the ‘cursed word’, which definitely helps them online. If you are considering a vegan diet, this may be a good place to start if you want to understand what you might be getting into. If you’re a curious cook, like me, maybe look elsewhere. |
The MissionAn idea born in Normal, Illinois, Eating Normal hopes to chronicle the eating Experiences of a Red bird. Pledge monthly to our patreon!
Or, you know, support the mission with caffeine! Buy me a coffee through Ko-Fi. Archives
May 2020
Categories
All
|