Recipes I’m Loving: Spring 2024
I don’t know about you, but by the end of the winter, it always feels like I’m running low in inspiration, especially when it comes to food and cooking. The things that seemed exciting back in November - think kabocha soup, vegetable chili, or other heartier curries and stews - have grown dull and I find my body craving something lighter, fresher, or at the very least, different. Yet by the time I hit this point, the weather starts to lighten up, spring produce fills the stores, and I somehow find inspiration yet again.
If you’re also lacking in inspiration during this end of winter but not yet spring season, below are a few of the things I’ve been making that have made me excited to get back into the kitchen. Some are old recipes I’ve unearthed after a lengthy hiatus, while some are newer finds that were pleasant surprises. Either way, I hope you enjoy them as much as we have. Itadakimasu!
1. One Pot Chicken and Quinoa in Mustard Sauce
This recipe is an oldie but goodie that I decided to make again after deciding that I could not bear to eat rice ONE MORE TIME. While we do eat quinoa on a regular basis, it’s usually a side dish, which is why having it as part of the main dish was a nice change, especially since quinoa is a high protein grain (well technically a pseudoseed, but I digress). Not only is this recipe nutritious and easy to make, but it also holds up to modifications – I typically add in more spinach and mushrooms, swap butter for olive oil, and if you don’t like chicken, you could easily switch it out for shrimp or beans. The mustard sauce is the MVP though so if you add in a lot of extra ingredients, don’t be shy and increase your sauce! It’s worth it, I promise.
I’m not sure why I find this embarrassing but here goes: it took me until my mid 30’s to make stovetop popcorn at home. While I’ve long been a popcorn fan, I grew up making microwave popcorn and never learned how to make it “from scratch”. Fast forward to present day where I wanted to make some popcorn for my family and I to share before a movie night, but didn’t want to use the microwave bags as they often use sketchy manmade chemicals called PFAS that are linked to adverse health effects. Thinking, “how hard can it be?”, I bought some kernels, got out my avocado oil, and googled a few recipes. As it turns out, this was the rare instance where “how hard can it be?” turned out to be “actually not hard at all!” and since then, I’ve been hooked.
Although popcorn isn’t ideal for babies or young kiddos due to the choking risk, popcorn is otherwise a healthy snack as it made from a whole grain, and you can modify the seasonings to your tastes and dietary needs. I find it doesn’t need any butter once popped (my husband disagrees and adds a touch on his), and my personal favorite seasonings are grated parmesan cheese or anything spicy like the Trader Joe’s Everything but the Elote seasoning I brought back from the US.
If you ask me what a good chunk of my 3 year old’s diet consists of at the moment, the honest answer would be bananas and peanut butter. At present, she is bananas about bananas, especially if topped with nut butter. While we often make a banana-based version of the classic kids snack “Ants on a Log” using a banana cut length wise in half topped with PB and raisins, we also made this chocolate banana bark that was a huge hit, both on Tiktok and in our home. As a bonus, it gave her an opportunity to practice her knife skills with something soft, which I’m hoping will accelerate her kitchen prowess so that she can start chopping vegetables and helping me make dinner as soon as possible (a mom can dream, right?).
4. Umeshu
Springtime in Japan means ume (Japanese plum) season, and while there are many ways to enjoy ume this time of year, a way that we’ve enjoyed was to make our own umeshu, or plum liquor. Even though we’re not big drinkers, it’s been nice to share this with guests when they come over and the sight of a large jar with strange round balls in it in our bar area has made for quite the conversation starter as we’ve had to explain that no, these are not eggs/brains/something else obscure, just plums! I also like knowing that this was made from simple ingredients without any added artificial colors or flavors, plus it is somewhat customizable as you can adjust the amount of rock sugar if you want your umeshu to be less sweet. The hard part is making it and waiting months until you can try it, so note that this is definitely an investment for future drinking!
Disclaimer: I have not made this recipe yet but am hoping that by posting it and talking about it, I finally will. Because as soon as I read the name – Cashew Cream Udon with Crispy Mushrooms – I was sold immediately. The only problem? I have yet to find raw cashews in the quantity needed for the recipe at a grocery store near-ish to me. While I find roasted cashews all the time, I need them raw to make this creamy, sure to be amazing sauce. I’ve already mentally planned how I want to serve it – with lots of seasonal veggies on the side of course – so now all I need to do is pull the trigger and make it. Wish me luck!