Three Things
Three Things
Protein-packed vegetarian dinners, rebranding the empty nest, and is tinned fish the new wine?
Greetings eaters and readers! Thanks to all of you who participated in last week’s thread: Where are you finding daily joy? If I had to tease out some themes I would say, we are all thrilled about spring approaching (daffodils and forsythia in particular), sharing food with the people we love (specifically baked goods), and Neil Young slowly making his way back to Spotify. (OK maybe that last one was in my head, but it’s legitimately joyful, no?) Also of note: Later in the spring, I’ll be announcing a few more food tours I’m hosting in 2025, but for those of you looking for 2024 adventures, two of my dearest friends from the food world are heading up tours in Italy this fall. Both trips are organized through Rome-based Italian food and travel expert Elizabeth Minchilli — check out A Week in Sicily with Odette Williams (September) and A Week in Puglia with Adam Roberts (October). And now, your Three Things…
1. Protein-Packed Vegetarian Dinners
The cookbook author and chef Lukas Volger has been writing a fabulous series focused on protein in his newsletter, Family Friend. “I’ve been reluctant to talk too explicitly about nutrition,” he wrote in the first post, “because in life and work I really put a priority on food as pleasure, culture, and a site for gathering, and I’m not a nutritionist.” He made it very clear that he didn’t want nutrition to get mixed up with weight-loss, “which is not where I’m coming from.” I totally related to that mission, but “Where do you get your protein” is a question I’m constantly fielding as a Weekday Vegetarian. (Both my last book and my next book go to great pains explaining how easy it is to add tofu, eggs, crispy chickpeas, and other high-protein hits at dinnertime.) In the course of reading his series, Volger linked to a helpful list of Brain Health Kitchen’s Top Ten protein-rich foods, and I was delighted to see that seven of the ten were plant-based including: Almonds (7 grams/1/4 cup), black beluga lentils (25 grams/1 cup cooked), edamame (16 grams) per cup, Greek yogurt (15-18 grams/1 cup), quinoa (10 grams/1 cup cooked); tofu (10 grams/1/2 cup), seitan/tempeh (20 grams), green peas (8 grams/cup).
So how to translate this information into dinner? Naturally Smashed Pea Toasts (above) were the first to come to mind. (And so springy!) You might also try swapping out puy lentils for Beluga (and dropping the pancetta) in Julius Roberts amazing Lentil with Spinach Stewy thing. For book owners, The Quinoa with Roasted Winter Vegetables in The Weekday Vegetarians doesn’t get enough love on this newsletter but is a no-brainer feels-so-good way to stretch out any vegetable in season. There’s Hsiao-Ching Chou’s Seared Crispy Tofu with Bok Choy — such a classic. Volger’s Pineapple-Gochujang Tempeh makes me think I should really stop dilly-dallying and start exploring Tempeh — along with James Joyce, understanding tempeh is a huge void in my oversaturated brain. Also, it goes without saying that Volger’s newsletter, Family Friend, is worth following! Check it out.
P.S. This creamy spring quinoa bowl is from my next book, The Weekday Vegetarians: Get Simple (The one you already pre-ordered!?) You’ll have to wait for the recipe, but you can see it’s protein-packed.
2. Is Tinned Fish the New Wine?
Do you all remember the last line in Charlotte’s Web? For those of you who need a refresher, it goes like this:
“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”
I think about this quote a lot — definitely earlier in the year when I was getting condolence notes about my father. I couldn't believe it — over and over, I’d read these beautiful sentiments and think to myself How do my friends know exactly what to say and how to say it? And with apologies to E.B. White, I also frequently have the urge to tweak the quote to: “It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good cook.” In other words: I feel lucky to be surrounded by good friends who seem to know good food, and all the good that good food can do! Including knowing that good food makes a very very good gift. Exhibit A this week: Fishwife tinned seafood. In the past week, I received them as gifts from not one food-loving friend but two. (Thank you, Ali and Kate!) Look at that packaging! Honestly, I’d be delighted to just ogle the boxes on my counter and not even open them, but of course, the fish is so tasty and special (particularly the smoked rainbow trout) that I’m already half way through my stash. Next time I’m invited to dinner, I’m definitely skipping the bottle of wine and instead showing up with tinned fish for the host.
If you’re lucky enough to be on the receiving end of a Fishwife gift, here’s a great way to turn smoked fish into dinner: Rice Bowl with Smoked Fish, Quick Pickles, and Dill. Or, just memorize this formula: Finn Crisps + Fish + Something Pickled. It will save you at lunch.
3. Empty Nest, 2.0
Phoebe is home on spring break for a few short days and you’ll all be happy to know that for her return dinner I made an old favorite — Grandma Jody’s Chicken Cutlets topped with peppery arugula, chopped tomatoes*, and long sheets of shaved Parm. (Here’s a recipe, but the chicken is so basic, you probably don’t need it.) It’s unclear what Phoebe’s summer plans are or, further down the road, if she and her sister Abby will be returning home when they graduate, so naturally I loved this little moment from Gretchen Rubin’s wonderful newsletter:
“As I headed into the ‘Empty nest’ stage, I wondered if there might be a better metaphor for this stage of life. I asked for people’s suggestions, and I couldn’t believe how many great ideas people had. In the end, I chose ‘Open Door.’ I like this metaphor because it emphasizes that family members are going and returning, and it reminds me that I want to cultivate an atmosphere of freedom, welcome, and tenderness.”
Open Door! I’ve never liked the way “Empty Nest” connotes only bereftness, instead of what this phase of life can potentially be, including an adventure, and a celebration that we all freaking made it. When Slate writer Dahlia Lithwick sent her son off to college, she wrote “Rebranding this whole ‘empty nest’ thing as the ‘fortunate world’ syndrome. In which we have to stop hoarding all their awesome for ourselves. Also calling it the soft pants and cheese plate years. But that’s a different post.” I’d say this is much closer to what I’m after. What do we think?
*I know, I know, not the season, but I do have luck with those “sugar bombs” on the vine, available nearly everywhere now
I didn't like 'empty nest' either. We call it free birding! And that applies to our children and us!
Yes to Open Door! I love that and it is so much more accurate than empty nest, which seems to ignore that WE STILL LIVE HERE! And I love the generous feel of no longer hoarding these amazing creatures all to ourselves. Perfect!