calling all cooking newbies!
I while back, I was working nights. This means I go to set at bedtime and work until the sun comes up...not the easiest in general, but especially with baby! Recently, I was feeling a little overwhelmed, so I just scrapped everything for a day, held my baby, breastfed him all day, and cooked! Cooking just four dishes made me sooo happy. Then, I took Bear out in the Ergo and went for a walk. And I was good as new!
My diet keeps me feeling pretty darn great, and making time to cook really relaxes me. So, for all you cooking newbies, I wanted to share some tips for falling in love with your kind kitchen. If you're new to cooking, or just don't have time to buy new ingredients, start by picking one or two recipes from my book, the kind recipe gallery, or wherever you like to find groovy veg recipes. Make these dishes once or twice a week, and have fun. It will relax you and can be like a game. Cooking is very therapeutic, and of course, you get nourishing food at the end.
If you liked the recipes you chose, make them again with your leftover ingredients. For example, I bought some lemongrass and enoki mushrooms because I wanted to make a special soup. Then, a few days later, I made it again, because I had the ingredients lying around.
Anywho, I hope this helps! Is there a recipe that you love to make when you feel like relaxing?
Related Stories:
Kind Classics: Moroccan Couscous with Saffron
Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip
My Husband's Fave After Breakfast Snack
Delicious Sunday Dinners
14 comments
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Eating healthy is the best, I have much more energy and overall I fell a lot better! I'm glad I've found this website. Yes, I agree cooking is a joy and very relaxing when making satisfying and delicious food. Thank you for the inspiration.
Tiffany Briseth
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I never thought I'd say this but I've started to enjoy cooking too. I've even bought a new apron and dug out some utensils and serving dishes that have been stuck away at the back of a cupboard for years. Suddenly I'm happy to take my time and get everything exactly right so it looks beautiful and tastes wonderful. Cooking no longer feels like a chore.
Brilliant. :-)
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I couldn't agree more. Sometimes when I'm feeling overwhelmed, the best thing I can think of is to get in the kitchen and cook. I find recipes where I'm chopping a lot of veggies to be soothing, the monotony of chopping can be very calming. I put on some good music, my cats usually join me in the kitchen and by the end I have a delicious meal and I feel much more centered.
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LOVE this post! I feel the same way- whenever I feel out of wack, it usually can be cured up by some love making (and by that I mean food cooking, mostly) in my kitchen. That is why my business and blog are called Make Love in the Kitchen!
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That is so funny that you talk about loving kind cooking today because last night I made your Seitan Piccata with White Wine and Capers (it is the yummiest thing ever and I've made it at least a dozen times) and my husband asked if I minded spending all that time in the kitchen making dinner and I said "i LOVE it! I love making an entire dinner without so much as waking an animal from a nap." It is so rewarding to know that your food is nutritious, delicious and completely kind. My Kind Diet book is a stained mess with notes written on every recipe I've tried! Thank you, Alicia!
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Alicia, I've tried many of your recipes and love them all! I take the Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip to parties, often make the easy Toasted Nori Burritos, and learned about quinoa with your Quinoa with Basil and Pine Nuts. Samantha Waldo is so right about the Moroccan Couscous with Saffron. I made it for non-vegan friends and they loved it, too. I wanted to note that I never enjoyed cooking before I stopped eating meat and dairy four years ago. I now believe it was because I just couldn't deal with the raw animal products. Now that my ingredients are wonderful whole foods, I truly love trying new recipes and creating some of my own. Thank you so much for all you do to encourage all of us to be kind to ourselves and to our planet!
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That's just what I was wondering Diana, it looks SO good! Does anyone, or Alicia, know and can tell us where to get the recipe?
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Forgot to ask, Alicia, where can I find this Enoki Lemongrass soup recipe, it looks so good?
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While I like cooking in general, I find that when I'm making cookies, or anything else in the sweet category, very relaxing. I just take my time, put on some good music & focus on getting my ingredients together & following the recipe. And then think about how yummy it's going to taste. My husband has a sweet tooth so he ends up eating most of the treats or I take extras to my dad, this way I don't end up eating everything.
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My Tips for Cooking Newbies,
Thank you for your advice as every time I tried to cook newbies they came out really tough and chewey. LoL!!
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I love making your barley casserole. Personally I like pearled barley better but it still rocks!
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I brought your cheesy, oozy guac dip to my boyfriend's family gathering yesterday and everyone loved it (and they are a tough crowd when it comes to vegan food...I didn't tell them this time and they scooped it up). Homemade food makes everyone happy!
Angela www.veggievinyasa.com
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I make your Moroccan Couscous with Saffron all the time! It is seriously the best dish EVER! Super easy to make and I usually have all the ingredients already around the house. Thank you for introducing me to this super fly dish!
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