Guidelines for creating your own recipe/template

1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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.

Easy Homemade Granola Recipe from The Kitchn - here with more details
Makes 5 cups

Once you’re comfortable with this basic recipe, you’re ready to experiment. Swap in cashews, hazelnuts, or pistachios. Dice some dried apricots, dates, or figs. Try cardamom or allspice instead of cinnamon. The variations are almost endless.

1/2 cup neutral oil, such as canola, avocado, sunflower or grapeseed (use extra virgin olive oil if you prefer a little savory flavor)
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or other spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds or other nut or seed
1 cup raisins or other dried, chopped fruit

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place the oil, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Add the oats and almonds and stir to coat well. Go ahead and measure the oats and almonds right into the oil mixture — don’t worry if you add a little more oats or almonds — granola is very forgiving.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer. If the granola is clumpy, use a spatula to press it into the pan.

5. Bake, stirring halfway through, for about 20 minutes total. The granola is ready when golden-brown and the almonds have toasted — it will still feel wet coming out of the oven but will dry as it cools.

6. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and sprinkle on the raisins or fruit. If you want clumps of granola, press and tamp down the granola before it cools, which will help it stick together. Cool completely before storing.

7. Transfer the cooled granola to an airtight container for long-term storage at room temperature.
   
   

Dressed up Hard Boiled Eggs - Recipe template here

1. Place 6 eggs into a medium bowl and fill it up with hot water so the eggs are submerged (this step brings the cold eggs up to temperature so when you drop them into boiling water they won’t crack open).

2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil with ½ teaspoon baking soda (you won’t taste this—it’s simply a trick to make the eggs easier to peel once they’re done). Once the water is boiling, use a slotted spoon to carefully lower the eggs in one at a time and set a timer for 10 minutes.

3. After 8 minutes, refill your first bowl with ice and cold water.

4. After 10 minutes, transfer the eggs to the ice water to cool before peeling.
   
   
   

Strawberry Spinach Smoothie
Serves 1-2

Consider assembling individual portion jars including all the ingredients except for the liquid and store in the freezer. Pop it out of the freezer in the morning, add liquid and blend, and you’re off! Switch out the greens, fruits, berries, spices, extracts, nuts/seeds/nut or butter/seed butters and even add tofu or mild tasting legumes like chickpeas or white beans for more protein and fiber.

1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup spinach
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1 -2 dates or dark pure maple syrup/honey to taste, optional
Pinch of salt

Place all the ingredients in a blender with ½ cup of cold water or milk and a few ice cubes. Blend until smooth, adding more water to thin as you like. 

Switch up the ingredients:

Mango, kale, tahini, coconut milk

Lentil Hummus
Makes around 1 cup

Eat with vegetables, crackers, bread, as a sandwich spread…

½ cup French lentils (1 cup cooked)
1 garlic clove
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoons tahini
1/8 - ¼ teaspoon salt

1. Pour the lentils out into a large pot and sift through them, removing any debris. Rinse the lentils with water and drain, then place back in the pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring the lentils and water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Transfer to a colander and drain, rinse with cool water until cooled, then drain well.

2. Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend, scraping the sides as needed, until the ingredients become a smooth creamy texture. Taste and adjust flavor, adding more lemon or salt as needed. The garlic will become more pronounced over time, so I recommend holding off on adding more at this point.

3. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Switch up the ingredients:

Black bean dip – garlic, olive oil, lime, smoked paprika (and/or cumin and/or coriander), cilantro, salt
White bean dip – garlic, olive oil, lemon, rosemary, salt
Traditional hummus - use garbanzo beans instead of the lentils

Basic Overnight Oats
Makes 1 serving

The vanilla adds flavor and the chia seeds add texture and nutrients but both are optional. All you really need is oats and liquid! You can even use water since the oats have a sweet flavor and creamy texture.

¾ cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
½ cup rolled oats
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

1. In a large, resealable container, jar, or bowl, stir together the milk and vanilla. Mix in the oatmeal and chia seeds until well-combined, then cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least four hours. (It keeps for up to 5 days but the texture is best within 24 hours.)

2. Enjoy right out of the fridge or at room temperature with your favorite nuts, seeds, fruits, etc.

3. Make a larger batch and scoop out portions each morning or store in multiple 1-serving size containers.

* Sweeten to your liking with maple syrup or honey.
* Add berries or fruit – pomegranate, blueberries, (sliced or mashed) banana, (grated or diced) apple, grated carrot, toasted coconut…
* Spice it up with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger
* Add nuts like pecans, walnuts, pistachio nuts, almonds, Brazil nuts
* Add seeds like sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds
* Add nut or seed butters like almond butter or tahini
* Add extracts like vanilla, mint, almond

Popcorn

Stovetop instructions
Microwave instructions

Toppings:

Oil and melted butter help the dry toppings stick to the popcorn. I like butter, extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil

Salt
Nutritional yeast
Spices + Herbs - everything bagel spice blend, dried dill, garlic powder, smoked paprika…
Nuts + Seeds - chopped toasted pecans, toasted sesame seeds…
Dried fruit - chopped dried mango, dried apricots…
Liquids - soy sauce, hot sauce…
Grated lemon or lime zest
Grated Parmesan cheese
Cinnamon + sugar (or maple syrup or honey)
Curry powder + coconut flakes
Ground cumin, coriander + chili powder