budget cooking
plus: carrot cake with coconut and dates
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Good morning!
Will one moldy berry ruin the whole box? [NYTimes, unlocked] sounds both interesting and philosophical!
I hope everyone who celebrates Easter had a lovely one; everyone who celebrates Passover had excellent Seders and feels ready to hang on for a few more days without bread, and everyone in the midst of Ramadan is having a joyful month with easy fasts; and to all those kids on spring break right now, do know that we adults are very, very jealous. I will not, however, be wishing anyone a happy tax day. In the U.S., April 15th is the tax filing deadline for the year before, and yes, this means I usually get mine in on April 14th because handing over money makes me grumpy and leaves me wondering how we can spend less on … everything. This also means it’s time for my annual Foods You Can Cook On a Budget newsletter. Sometimes — cough, April 15th at 9am — it’s nice to be reminded about wonderful things we love to cook that also don’t make us feel financially tapped out at the grocery store. Last week’s Bean and Vegetable Burritos definitely fit the bill too. I hope you find lots more inspiration below.
Cheers,
Deb
I’ve written three cookbooks and I’m a tiny bit biased but I think you, or someone you know who likes to cook or wants to start, would love them all.
While book tour events have otherwise slowed down, I will be in New Jersey at the Montclair Literary Festival on Saturday, May 6th.
carrot cake with coconut and dates
New: This flourless, dairy-optional carrot cake is hearty, spiced, and totally excused for being a little (cough) late to the April holidays because it's perfect for any day of the year, whether brunch or dessert or just because it's Tuesday and the vanilla bean-flecked cream cheese squiggles are calling to you.
spaghetti pangrattato with crispy eggs
One of my favorite things to make when I think I don't want to cook: spaghetti tangled with intensely seasoned crunchy breadcrumbs and a broken crispy fried egg comes together as a quick, perfect bowl of undiluted comfort. Tuesday dinner crisis, averted.
carrot soup with tahini and crisped chickpeas
An unboring carrot soup with a lemony tahini swirl, smoky spices, and crispy chickpeas as croutons that's vegan and magical, mostly because it was inspired by one of my favorite snacks, carrots dipped in hummus.
split pea soup
Split pea soup may never win the soup Olympics. It generally does not cause young children to stand up in their high chairs and cheer its arrival at the table. But I love this cozy, homey soup, especially when I make it my way: heavy on leeks, vegetarian, with a mix of punchy finishes and, before you even ask, InstantPot directions too.
breakfast burritos
If you've ever made breakfast burritos and realized they were a staggering amount of work, this is the recipe for you. This sheet pan method is 100% easier and I include instructions for freezing and defrosting because future you is so glad you made extra, it's verklempt with gratitude.
skillet turkey chili
A one-skillet, weeknight-friendly chili with a simple ingredient list that requires little planning ahead, which is awesome because I discovered during quarantine months that even with all of the time in the world, I never quite mastered planning far enough ahead to not be in a rush when making dinner. 🙃
curried lentils and sweet potatoes
A hearty and complex vegetarian stew with flavors that bridge the late winter chill and the longer, sunnier days ahead. A few crunchy finishes make each serving feel fresh, while the leftovers keep fantastically.
sausage and potato roast with arugula
A simple but exceptional sausage and potato roast that gets a lift two ways: the abundance of shallots that roast until they’re dark and sweet, and a great heap of arugula at the end, meaning that this dish is protein, starch and salad at once -- hooray.
roast chicken with schmaltzy cabbage
Cabbage cooked slowly in salty buttery chicken drippings until charred at the edges and caramelized throughout is the real star of this deeply cozy and rewarding three-ingredient roast chicken inspired by the wonderful Helen Rosner.
banana oat weekday pancakes
A fork-mixed, one-bowl whole wheat pancake that's miraculously not compromised in taste or texture. It goes goes from assembly to plates and mouths in 15 minutes, which means even a human who slacks as much as I do most mornings can pull them off.
mom's chocolate chip meringues
Crisp edges, soft, faintly stretchy and marshmallow-like insides and a not-insignificant amount of chocolate chips are the hallmarks of my mom's meringues, aka my favorite use for leftover egg whites.
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. Last week, I added several new favorites I’ve bought in the last year. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
See you next week!
