Guidelines for creating your own recipe/template

What grows together goes together - regionally and seasonally. Regionally think tomatoes/olives/lemon and coconut/lime/rice. Seasonally think tomatoes/basil and squash/corn/beans
High notes (acid) and low notes (savory rich umami) to create balance and harmony in a dish. Think a squeeze of lemon with fish or squeeze of lime with pho.
Sentence structure - when you understand the grammar of a dish and the purpose of each ingredient, you can determine which ingredients are essential, which can be substituted, which can be left out altogether.

Roasted Gnocchi with Crispy Garbanzo Beans and Cauliflower

Serves 6

Remember, this is a template so feel free to use different beans, vegetables, greens etc! (We also made a version without the gnocchi and used dates and za’atar.)

1 pound shelf-stable gnocchi (in the dried pasta aisle, not refrigerated or fresh)
2 shallots, ends trimmed, peeled and quartered
1 small head cauliflower with leaves in tact - florets, leaves and stems cut into about 1-inch pieces
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and patted dry
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 - 3 cups baby spinach

Optional Saucy Components
¼ cup tomato paste
½ cup pesto
2 – 3 Tablespoons reduced balsamic vinegar
2 – 3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Optional Flavorful Textural Garnishes
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh basil and or flat leaf parsley
Roughly chopped olives
Capers
½ cup roughly chopped toasted nuts (pistachio nuts, almonds, walnuts, pine nuts – no need to chop the pine nuts though!)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Divide the gnocchi, shallots, cauliflower, and beans evenly between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Gently toss with your hands to coat, then lay the ingredients out in an even layer.
Cook, stirring after around 12 minutes, until the gnocchi are plump and soft on the inside and have a crust on the outside and the vegetables are tender and caramelized, around 20 minutes total. You can cook the gnocchi until they are golden brown and crunchier on the outside - it’s your preference.
Remove from the oven and turn the oven off. Immediately fold in the spinach along with any of the sauce components and place back in the hot oven for a minute or two so the spinach wilts.
To serve, divide evenly among bowls and add any of the garnishes.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The gnocchi will lose its texture over time, so reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water.

Shopping list

Produce:
2 shallots
1 small head cauliflower (leaves intact)
2 - 3 cups baby spinach
1 lemon
1 bunch basil or flat leaf parsley

Grocery:
1 pound shelf-stable gnocchi (usually in the aisle near pasta and shelf-stable polenta)
1 can garbanzo beans
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup pistachio nuts, almonds, walnuts or pine nuts
Salt and black pepper
Red chili flakes, optional

Andy Baraghani’s website, chef and author of the cookbook The Cook You Want to Be

The Benefits of a Well-Stocked Pantry (i.e. - less of a need for meal planning)

A well-stocked pantry (plus some cooking skills and know-how) is the key to throwing together a healthy meal on the fly and it comes to the rescue when you haven’t meal planned. You can always come up with a meal with what you have on hand if you have a pantry with various ingredients that you like so it’s less stressful when you don’t know what’s for dinner and it’s more difficult to justify a last minute decision to get take out or a run to the store. Having a variety of ingredients at your fingertips allows for creativity and will save you time and money.

I think of a pantry not only as the dry goods in the cabinets, but as the fridge and freezer. If you have a garden or any food you are growing, that’s your living pantry.

A word on splurging - that amazing condiment or olive oil that you love and is pricey? Think of it this way - it costs the same as a decent bottle of wine but you’ll enjoy it for many meals. It will make many meals better and therefore may sway you to cook at home. If you have a few ingredients in your pantry that inspire you to cook and that you can build a meal around, it’s well worth it.

Yes, food costs are rising across the board. But if you are surprised by cost of tin of fish, for example, calculate - this is actually going to feed 4 people, divide the cost by 4 it’s not that much, definitely less than ordering in. And if it’s a great product that is ethically sourced and made with care, it’s worth the money.

Pantry Reboot - do this at least a few times per year. If you do it often then it becomes part of your routine that you value because you’ll reap the benefits. And it’s one of those chores that once you actually do it, it’s not a big deal.

Take inventory of each zone and declutter as go - keep, toss, donate, compost
When was the last time I used this? Realistically, will I ever use this? I say goodbye if it’s been 9 months.
Can I/will I make a meal with this sometime this week?Do I enjoy eating this?
Clean - wipe down inside of cabinets, freezer, fridge etc along with their contents.
Organize
We eat with our eyes - make an appetizing meal and also make your kitchen an appealing place to be
Clear airtight containers with labels for bulk
Designated areas - group like items together
Use larger clear food containers to hold groups of small items like extracts or dried chiles
Display ingredients on multiple levels if you can’t see past the first row
Medications out of sight - ideally out of the kitchen
(While we are on the topic of organizing - give yourself as much counter space as you can. Clutter overwhelms the brain. If you have a knife block on the counter, consider storing your knives on a magnetic strip on the wall or in a drawer. That jar of miscellaneous pens and stuff - find a new home for it and also that pile of papers.)
Consider making an inventory list with dates so you know what’s in the bottom/back of the freezer and cabinets. If you know what you actually have on hand you’ll find there are so many opportunities. For example, had I known there was bulgur in the back of my cabinet, I would have riffed on winter tabouleh for the last few months. Or if I had a list of spices, I wouldn’t have bought cumin again when I have 3 containers of it already. You’ll save money by using more of what you have.
Restock with ingredients - see suggestions below

Dry Goods

Legumes (beans, peas, lentils)

Dry beans (I love beans from Rancho Gordo)– make a big batch and work it into dishes throughout the week – black, garbanzo, cannellini, etc
Canned beans
Lentils and split peas – quick cooking, no soaking necessary, also to sauté for crunch
Brami Lupini Beans - great for snacking or adding to your meals last minute
A Dozen Cousins - bagged beans that are seasoned, no weird ingredients just alliums, spices, herbs… mix that w bulghur and leafy greens and you have a meal in ten minutes.

Grains – for sweet or savory dishes, breakfast, lunch, dinner

Rice (short and long grain brown, jasmine, sweet brown wild rice – actually a grass)
Polenta – great soft, baked or grilled
Quinoa – ancient seed with high protein, gluten free. Great in salads, with fresh or cooked veggies. Cook and then toss with olive oil and salt and crisp in the oven in an even layer on a sheet tray at 375 degrees or in a skillet stovetop
Millet – gluten free, nice in salad, breakfast cereals, stuffing vegetables, absorbs whatever flavors are added to it. For a crunchy addition, simply dry toast in a skillet until fragrant and golden brown
Amaranth – higher protein than quinoa. Pop and mix into bars, sprinkle on soup, in salads, cook like porridge
Oats – Quick, rolled, steel cut - whatever your favorite. Steel cut oats have a bit more fiber and are lower on the glycemic index than quick and rolled, but take longer to cook. But you can always let them soak in liquid overnight for overnight oats! Make a big batch as they’ll keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like having rolled oats on hand to grind to flour and make milk.
Popcorn – high fiber snack, worth buying air popper for $25. Toss w all sorts of spices
Noodles – rice noodles, pasta
Rice papers for salad rolls
Shelf stable gnocchi found near pasta and polenta; frozen also available - Trader Joe’s makes frozen cauliflower gnocchi
Panko breadcrumbs

Canned Fish - sardines, anchovies, tuna, salmon etc

Dried Fruit and Vegetables

I typically have unsweetened coconut flakes, dried cherries, apricots, dates and prunes in the pantry. Sometimes dried blueberries, mango, currants, golden raisins. Soak in just boiled water and blend into sauces and dressings for added natural sweetener. Add into grains, vegetables, salads etc.
Sun-dried tomatoes, dried mushrooms and chilies
Tamarind paste
Jarred roasted red peppers, capers, tomato paste
Seaweeds- nori, kombu, arame
Canned – tomatoes, tomato paste, coconut milk (with no guar gum or other ingredients - Trader Joe’s carries and also the brand Native Forest which is more expensive)

Liquids and pastes

Tamari/Coconut Aminos
Mirin (check label to make sure no corn syrup. Eden brand is good)
Sherry wine
Honey
Vanilla extract (make your own to save $)
Dark pure maple syrup
Alt milks – Oat, almond, rice, soy, hemp – good to switch them up for variety. Even better to make your own.
Nut and seed butters – tahini (I love Soom), almond butter, peanut butter
Oils

Avocado – neutral and high heat cooking
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – one for cooking, one for finishing. I love Corto - I develop content and recipes for them and love the Truly Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Agrumato style olive oils - pressed with yuzu citrus and Calabrian chiles!
Coconut
Chili Oil (favorite local brand)
Toasted sesame
Roasted nut - (walnut, hazelnut) for finishing, for salads

Vinegars - balsamic (I love this one, it is thick, almost like reduced), red wine, sherry, apple cider, champagne, rice

Seasonings

Favorite brands: Diaspora Co., Rumi Spice, Burlap & Barrel, Boonville Barn Collective

Salt: I like Diamond Crystal kosher salt as every day salt. It’s used by many restaurants and is the standard for many cookbooks). For flake salt I like Jacobsen Salt Co. (started in Netarts, OR and HQ in Portland!). I also love smoked salt.

Black peppercorns (in a grinder or grind in coffee/spice grinder)

Spices: coriander seed, cumin seed, sweet smoked paprika, turmeric, fenugreek, fennel seed, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, brown mustard seed, whole cloves, cardamom pods, sumac, za’atar, nutritional yeast.

Dried herbs: thyme, oregano, rosemary, bay leaf

Some favorite combos:

cumin and coriander (plus smoked paprika, or brown mustard seeds, or cardamom)

za'atar on its own (plus mint and oregano)

sumac, citrus, fennel seed

curry powder, turmeric, fenugreek

parsley, mint, dill, sweet basil

oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary

Spices and dried herbs keep well for around 6 months. When their color and fragrance has faded they’ve lost their flavor and potency, though they won’t harm you. Great to buy spices you don’t use frequently in small amounts in bulk so they don’t go to waste. Store in a cool, dry, dark place.They keep longer in the freezer. Ideally purchase whole spices so they stay vibrant longer, and grind them using a small coffee/spice grinder. Clean your spice grinder with a damp paper towel or grind uncooked rice and then wipe it out.

Baking

Cacao and/or cocoa powder
Pearl tapioca - for puddings and can grind into flour for a thickener
Arrowroot
Baking powder
Flour (all purpose or gluten-free blend) (store in freezer if you won’t go through it quickly)
(plus maple syrup, honey, and ingredients in other categories)

Frozen
Make good use of your freezer. Start with a frozen base - pizza, dumpling, ravioli - and augment with fresh or frozen vegetables

Fruit for smoothies, desserts, pancakes, hot cereal (berries, stone fruit – ideally pick over the summer, buy at farm stand or farmers market)
Leftover cooked grains and beans
Leftover soups, stews, chilis
Makrut lime leaves, curry leaves
Curry paste
Citrus zest
Garlic and ginger paste cubes that you make or buy - Trader Joe’s carries them and they are flash-frozen so they retain the potency, flavor, and nutrients of fresh.
Pesto
Butter
Peas
Spinach
Gyoza and ravioli
Pizza
Nuts and Seeds - for salads, snacks, breakfast cereal (oatmeal), baked goods. Buy whole and raw so you have the option to have them whole or chopped; raw or toasted. If you go through them quickly, no need to freeze them.

Raw cashews, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, almonds pistachio nuts, hazelnuts
Flax seeds, chia seeds, pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds (white and black)

Chop half into bite-sized pieces (the stem, too! peel the tough outer layer), steam, blanch, or roast, and toss into a grain or bean salad. Fry leftover salad and add into a frittata or soccata (like a frittata but using chickpea flour). If there's no leftovers, add remaining broccoli to a frittata or soccata, soup, pasta, frozen dumplings or ravioli (add it to the water during the last 2 minutes of cooking).

Refrigerated

Jorinji Miso (Portland brand!)
Dijon mustard
Baking soda
Hot sauce
Chili Crisp
Thai and True (Portland brand!) curry paste
Tillamook Butter and Miyoko’s vegan butter
Ota Tofu - Portland brand, oldest tofu factory in the US! 1911!
Tempeh
Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives
Plain yogurt
Butter
Eggs
Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano
Kimchee or Sauerkraut

Refrigerated produce:
Lemons and limes
Seasonal fruit and veg
Dark leafy greens
I pretty much always have a cabbage in my fridge. Cabbage lasts a really long time and is so versatile and good for you. If I have cabbage and my pantry and/or freezer, I can make a variety of meals. (Other hard vegetables that last - carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash and pumpkins, beets, radish, onion)
At least one herb - basil, cilantro, flat-leaf parsley, mint, Thai basil

Storing herbs- Basil doesn’t like cold. Best to trim the bottoms of the stems and keep in a jar of water with a plastic bag loosely over the leaves. Change the water and trim the stems daily. Other herbs with delicate leaves like cilantro, mint, and parsley do well with the same jar treatment, stored in the door of the fridge.
Fresh herbs

Room temp produce
I always have some kind of onion on hand - red, yellow or white onion or shallot. Or green onion/scallion in the fridge.