Hello!
I won’t be sending out a newsletter next Saturday, so a happy early 4th of July to all of you! Welcome to a few new readers and I wanted to remind everyone of the recipe index where you can find everything I’ve shared so far. Ok, on to the food!
Quick Links
zucchini spaghetti // stuffed peppers // chicken and rice // fruit salad
Weeknight meals
This is a summer staple for us. It’s just so delicious and my children, who are normally wary of zucchini, will eat bowls upon bowls of this and it makes me feel good about their vegetable intake.
Veggie-Loaded Stuffed Bell Peppers
Shoutout to my sister, Elise, who brought these to a family party this week. They were so tasty and fit the bill for something I’m always on the hunt for: a satisfying vegetarian entree. I’ll absolutely be making them again this summer.
Favorite Seasoning Blends
I restocked a few homemade seasoning blends this week and I thought I’d share a few I always have on hand in lieu of a recipe this week.
Taco Seasoning: this is my number one (after cinnamon sugar which you definitely don’t need a recipe for). It’s so much better than anything store-bought. Use it on chicken before grilling or in black beans. I usually substitute all regular paprika or only use half smoked. The smoked paprika flavor is a little aggressive sometimes.
Shawarma spice: So easy to put on cauliflower, chickpeas, chicken, anything, before roasting and putting in a pita and feeling very authentic.
My grilling blend: Equal parts garlic salt, paprika, lemon pepper and an extra pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. (admittedly I don’t mix this beforehand. I just eyeball it before I’m about to grill something, but I wanted to share it because it’s perfect.)
Ballerina Farm Seasoning: Okay, I follow her on instagram and she was talking about this seasoning blend they sell and I decided to recreate it. I didn’t measure but mostly just added equal amounts and it’s really good! I usually use it in oil and vinegar for dipping bread but she uses it all over the place, so go crazy! It’s flaky salt, garlic powder, freshly ground pepper, crushed red pepper, dried rosemary, oregano, thyme and dill.
I don’t make these but I also love having Za’atar and Everything Bagel Seasoning around and we use these very often.
Weekend meal
Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice
We don’t live in a big city and that suits me most of the time, but sometimes I really want some good street food like chicken and rice bought from a cart. This was the best dinner we ate this week and it made enough for us to eat it two nights in a row.
We didn’t totally follow the recipe for the chicken, just grilled it and didn’t reserve the marinade. No regrets. And then the second night to reheat it, I just sauteed it very quickly in some olive oil.
Vegetarians can replace the chicken with chickpeas or cauliflower cooked with the aforementioned shawarma spice. I would also love having halloumi in a meal like this.
Treat of the Week
This is a treat for the eyes as well. Paying attention to the color has been my guiding principle for fruit salad since reading this a few years ago.
Serve this with a little fresh whipped cream if you want it to really feel like dessert.
Something to Listen to
I’ve been really enjoying Wiser than Me this week. JLD is a delight and it’s so fun to hear from women who have done it all, lived through it and are ready to impart their wisdom. (Some language in these episodes.)
Have a wonderful week and I’ll be back on the 8th!
Emily