Springtime eats and treats
Hello!
I hope everyone who celebrates had a happy Easter yesterday and that springtime has come to where you live. We have classically unpredictable weather for Idaho in March but I’m looking forward to more time spent outside and hopefully staying healthy. The highlights of March were Spring break when our daughter learned to ride a two-wheel bike, my husband playing at the music festival in town with his band and all of us enjoying the ripe and delicious mangos we’ve been able to find in the grocery stores lately.
Quick Links
fried rice // huevos rancheros // ribollita // coconut meatball soup // turkey meatloaf // grilled chicken and mango salad // mango tart // feta scones
Weeknight Meals
This is such an easy, delicious dinner. Inexpensive ingredients bringing tons of flavor and color!
An egg based dinner really pulls me out of a cooking rut, especially now that our chickens are laying again! The only thing about these is that it’s hard to make them for a group and be ready at the same time, so they’re really perfect for the days when you are cooking for one or two or as a nutritious breakfast or lunch.
I love this kind of soup for these spring days that still feel a bit like winter. I like to really toast up the bread cubes and serve them on the side for each person to take as they like and not make the whole thing soggy.
A new find for us this month and we loved it. I made the aromatic mix in the food processor and that cut down on time very effectively, as the comments proved that this is not a 30 min meal for most folks.
Here’s a thai style tofu coconut soup for the vegetarians with a lot of the same flavors.
Weekend Meals
One of my favorite recipes from her cookbook Smitten Kitchen Keepers is available on her blog now. We all looove this, especially the ranch-y potatoes that she serves with it. I was truly a meatloaf skeptic and now I’m converted.
Pork Banh Mi (a non authentic approximation!)
Tofu Banh Mi. Make this if you want to skip the meat.
I love banh mi and I’ve wanted to make them at home but I’ve always worried that they wouldn’t turn out perfectly and it would be a bust. But we just went for it and had a great sandwich from our efforts, although they were definitely not authentic. We used this recipe for the meat, but cooked in the instant pot for 20 minutes instead of slow cooker. Then we piled on our baguettes: pickled carrots, fresh cucumbers, cilantro, scallions and a mayo-sriracha-lime juice dressing.
Here is a more authentic recipe if you are interested.
Grilled Chicken with Mango Salad and Coconut Rice
This is so flavorful and we definitely didn’t have any leftovers. We always serve this with black beans on the side.
If you wanted to make this vegetarian, just serve coconut rice, beans and the mango salad.
Treats of the Month
I got the recipe for the mango tart from the Smitten Kitchen Keepers cookbook and the recipe I was able to find online is similar but not the same. Find the cookbook at your library because this one is not to be skipped. It took a lot longer to bake the curd than her recipe stated and I was very worried that I had ruined it after about 30 minutes in the oven, but it set while cooling and it was so unbelievably delicious. Highly recommend.
Also, I always want to make key lime pie this time of year, always so good!
Sour Cream, Feta and Chive Scones
These are so good, a great side or brunch option. They are very flaky and loaded with flavor. I needed a few drops of water to get the dough to come together, but it definitely depends on your sour cream.
Something to Listen to
I’ve loved Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee and Bright Future by Adrianne Lenker so much. Both provide great ambiance but also have really thoughtful lyrics.
A couple podcasts I’ve enjoyed: Sara Hildreth talking about Classics and Retellings on Sarah’s Bookshelves, Gaby Dalkin on So Into That and Pop Culture Happy Hour talking about rom coms and Girls5eva. Fun stuff!
Audiobooks I enjoyed this month: The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan, Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson and Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll. Check them out if you need a new book!
Have a lovely April,
Emily
We made the grilled chicken with mango and coconut rice for dinner tonight. 10/10. My meat eaters loved it and I can’t wait to have the leftover salsa over salad tomorrow. Thank you so much for the rec! I am going to have to make this rice once a week now, it was so simple and delish!