Intuitive batch cooking

Okay, sure—planning ahead might have saved me a few minutes in the kitchen… but I just made six dishes in under an hour, and honestly? I took my time. No recipes, no pressure. I think I was making up for not cooking all that thoughtfully lately.

Note to self (and maybe to you, too): shop the sales, buy what’s in season, wash and prep your veggies, and throw together a few meals that feel easy, tasty, and good for you.

I had some leftover raw Asian cashew sauce—kind of like a Pad Thai-style flavor—and used it as the base for the first two dishes. I just tossed everything together in a bowl and popped them in the oven at 435°F. Simple.

1) Spicy & Sweet Jewel Potato Fries: with pad thai sauce, sliced jalapeños, lots of chopped kimchi, cracked pepper

2) Roasted New potatoes: in a mustard, oregano and cumin sauce (pad thai sauce, German mustard, pickle juice, honey, chopped fresh oregano, cracked pepper, cumin and Korean red pepper) fresh onions and more sauce added after roast.

Then I realized I had a boat-load of cucumbers, tomatoes and green beans from my grandma and uncle’s garden. First I tackled the cucumbers. 1/2 were sliced and added to the brine of my mom’s pickles from her garden that I just ate the last one of, 1/4 were julienned and stir fried with the green beans and the remaining 2 are our to chomp on for a snack. Garden pickles are wonderful snack options.

Green beans: Greens beans, julienne cucumbers, sliced almonds, shaved onion, lemon, honey, crushed red pepper, jalapeño vinegar, dice nectarine & salt to taste

Lastly I threw on a pot of red quinoa to use throughout the week in salads, snack plates and maybe some veggie burgers and then made use of the tomatoes.

Tomatoes sautéed with garlic, white wine, cumin, paprika, korean red pepper, a nectarine pit with the good stuff attached that doesn’t want to leave the seed, basil front the garden, and paprika….I cut the heat and added finely shaved collards to steam with the lids on.