Here's a secret about food editors: we spend so much time developing recipes and cooking that at night—between the busy day in the office and after-work activities like dance classes and book clubs—the last thing we want to do is cook.
For me, that means weeks when I lean hard on leftovers from the test kitchen, fast 5-minute meals like fried egg sandwiches or pasta with jarred sauces, or—the worst—take-out. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather a cook a delicious from-scratch meal. But I sometimes get stuck in a routine and forget about, oh yeah, cooking.
But that's the beauty of the #Cook90 challenge, which my colleagues and I embarked on earlier this month: it's a reminder that I can, and do love, to cook. It's just that sometimes that cooking has to be fast.
Which brings me to pantry cooking, my plan for tackling #Cook90. The way I figure it, the only way I can get through a month of cooking three meals a day is by planning—and doing meal prep—ahead.
Luckily I have access to many great pantry recipes: sauces, pickled or roasted vegetables, and crunchy, crispy things that will all keep for a week and are all versatile enough to be tossed into all types of dishes.
My plan? Make a handful of these recipes (the recipes below in fact!) on a Sunday and then use them up in salads, rice bowls, quesadillas, burrito bowls, and more throughout the week. With just a few hours of weekend meal prep, plus a little time spent cooking each night, I'll be set for a busy week's worth of lunches and dinners. So let's do this, #team90—I'm ready.
Step 1: The Pantry Recipes
Easy-to-make and easy-to-use components such as sauces, roasted vegetables, cooked grains, and crispy toppings are the centerpiece of pantry cooking. Here are some of my favorites, and how to use them.
This versatile sauce is thin and drizzle-able, perfect for a creamy salad dressing or to spoon over a rice bowl. Add an avocado to the mix and you've got a dip for veggie sticks that's perfect for an afternoon snack.
These crispy chickpeas are great on their own as an afternoon snack, but are also the perfect mix-in for salads, rice bowls, and tacos or burritos. They do lose their crispiness after a day or two, but they still taste great—just toast them in a skillet for a few minutes to get them crispy again.
This simple spicy pickle recipe can be used with any vegetable, so if you aren't a mushroom fan, or don't have any on hand, swap them out for something else! Add the pickled vegetable to salads, toss them into a pesto pasta salad, or chop them up with thinly sliced cucumbers for an easy side dish.
The ladies of the Epi Test Kitchen are big fans of fast soft-boiled eggs. With these pickled eggs, you can have a whole batch done ahead of time, with extra flavor (and pretty color!) added in. They're great for a fast pick-me-up, added into rice bowls, or chopped into salads.
This recipe couldn't be more simple, and with just three ingredients, it packs tons of flavor, using the carrot stems, plus basil, to create a spicy pesto sauce. The carrots work by themselves as a side dish, or can be stuffed into veggie tacos or tossed into a grain bowl.
This four-ingredient cheese is similar to feta and can add rich, flavorful protein to your meal. It's a great addition to salads and pita pockets, and fabulous spread on sandwiches.
The Egyptian seed-and-nut blend dukkah is the perfect topping to sprinkle on salads, soups, and grain bowls for that extra kick of flavor and crunch. Added bonus: you can store it in the freezer for up to three months, so make a big batch and always have it on hand.
This Hatian relish is like a spicy, pickled coleslaw. It makes a great side dish for a sandwich and can be tossed into a salad for a spicy, pickled kick.
A whole head of garlic goes into making this spicy herb sauce, which can be used as a marinade, sauce, or thinned out with more oil and lemon for a salad dressing.
Step 2: How to Use Them
With the above components on hand, you've got the makings for a week's worth of snacks, lunches, and dinners. Here are five meals I'll be enjoying by mixing-and-matching them.*
* I'm mostly vegetarian, so these meals are veggie-focused, but I've given suggestions for how to add in meat if you prefer.
Stir 3-4 tablespoons pesto from the 3-ingredient roasted carrots into whatever cooked grain you'd like. Add a few chopped roasted carrots, some crispy chickpeas, and a pickled egg. Top with dukkah and fresh herbs. Want to add meat? Add in leftover roast chicken or shredded chicken thighs.
Toss 1 can rinsed black beans with 1-2 tablespoons roasted garlic herb sauce and cook on high in the microwave until warm, about 1 minute. Fill soft corn or flour tortillas with beans, 3-ingredient roasted carrots, and diced avocado. Drizzle with creamy tahini sauce and top with cilantro leaves. Serve pickliz on side. Want to add meat? Add in sliced, seared steak.
Follow recipe instructions to make the avocado version of creamy tahini sauce, reserving a portion of the thinner tahini sauce. Spread avocado sauce on pita, then top with crispy chickpeas, paneer cheese, and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with thin tahini sauce, and top with dukkah and fresh herbs. Want to add meat? Add poached, crumbled salmon or oil-packed canned salmon.
Spread one piece of whole grain bread with mayonnaise. Top with thinly-sliced 3-ingredient roasted carrots, paneer cheese (press down with back of spoon slightly), baby spinach, and avocado slices. Sprinkle with dukkah and top with another piece of whole grain bread. Thinly slice seedless cucumber and toss with chopped spicy garlic pickles and serve on side. Want to add meat? Add a few slices of bacon.
Whisk 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons roasted garlic herb sauce together to make a salad dressing. Toss with chopped romaine lettuce, paneer cheese, pickled egg, olive oil–packed tuna, and thinly-sliced red onion. Sprinkle dukkah ****on top.
