CHICO — After over two months of limiting grocery shopping and getting takeout meals, it can feel tough to keep going and not feel like you’re running out of ideas.
Under lockdown, it can be hard to not get fatigued or get into ruts, especially if you’re trying to keep cooking from home. I’ve kept going to the Chico Certified Farmers Market every week to try to maintain some kind of routine, and after a while it can feel like you’re starting to eat the same meals or get stir-crazy with the desire to finally eat out.
I’m with you — even if you have piles of cookbooks and Pinterest recipes on hand, it can feel like a chore cooking from home night after night and not getting to go sit down at your favorite place for dinner.
However, while restaurants start reopening for dine-in, I think it’s worth considering how we can continue to support these businesses while protecting others’ health as well as our own.
Part of why I continue to be vegan is that I want to keep being mindful of how my choices affect others, including the global food chain. It’s no surprise that the meat industry continues to feel the effects of thousands of workers exposed to COVID-19 — even more reason to stick with buying produce from our local farmers.
In the same way, I want to be mindful of what I do and where I go while I am getting my daily meals, and the potential impacts on our communities as a whole if we all start gathering too quickly.
That means that for the time being, I can’t really justify going to get food and staying at the restaurant to dine in, when I could just take it home and eat it on my own couch. You can still help support your favorite eateries and businesses by ordering food to-go and tipping.
It’s currently everyone’s choice now how they choose to support those businesses as some have started reopening during the pandemic. For me, it looks like buying as much of my produce as possible from farmers at the market, and only occasionally buying food from local restaurants to eat safely at home.
In the meantime, it will help to keep from getting stir-crazy to make healthy routines for yourself, perhaps by getting your ingredients locally or starting a home garden, even if on your window sill for the time being, and planning exciting new meals to try. Take ownership of what you eat and cook and it will change your overall mindset and make it easier to stay vigilant during this crucial time.
Recipes
This week, I wanted to share two very comforting meals you can make any day of the week and easily customize to your taste.
Overnight Oats
This cool oat pudding will make your morning both refreshing and easy, because it’s made the night before. Adjust ingredients based on the amount of crunch, sweetness and protein desired.
- 1/2 cup steel cut oats
- 3/4 cup creamy nut milk (my favorite is Silk Almond Cashew)
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter or other nut butter
- 1 tablespoon maple or agave syrup or desired sweetener
- 2 tablespoons flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon hemp hearts
- 1 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
- Optional: 1 mashed banana
Directions: Put ingredients in one mason jar, add milk, nut butter, sweetener and seeds. Stir well. Add mashed banana if desired and stir.
Add oats to the mixture and stir again.
Secure lid tightly and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Enjoy.
Authentic-Style Spaghetti
Because a quality pot of spaghetti does not need meat or cheese to satisfy your household and be absolutely delicious.
You will need:
- Your choice of spaghetti, 3/4 – 1 lb (I use Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat, Yellow Lentil Quinoa or Red Lentil)
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 shallot
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
- Diced tomatoes, fresh or 1/2 can
- 1 zucchini or yellow squash, sliced and quartered
- 5 baby bella mushrooms
- Optional: Your choice of spaghetti sauce, 1/2-3/4 cup
- Optional: 1/2 cup white wine
- Basil
- Oregano
- Garlic powder
- Optional: cayenne pepper
Directions: Start boiling water for the spaghetti.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan. Add diced onions and fresh garlic and coo for about three minutes. Add in shallot and cook for additional two minutes.
Add zucchini and mushrooms and cook in onions for additional two minutes.
Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes and white wine. Stir into veggies well. Add in spaghetti sauce if you desire.
Add 1 teaspoon or more of basil, oregano, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Stir and simmer for at least five minutes to let flavors blend well and thicken sauce.
Cook spaghetti until al dente and drain. Transfer to plate or bowl, and top with sauce. Garnish with extra basil if desired. Serve alongside a salad with balsamic dressing.
New local recommendations
This week I want to shout out the following:
- Ginger’s Restaurant, at 2201 Pillsbury Road, No. 100 in Chico, for their ability to produce quality tofu like the Orange, Kung Pao and Sesame Ginger Tofu.
If you are impacted by advice to self-quarantine due to the novel coronavirus and have found ways to preserve valuable non-perishables and cook creative meals while self-isolating, Natalie would love to hear from you — email her at nhanson@chicoer.com. Natalie Hanson was inspired to write this biweekly column after meeting more vegans in Chico and seeing the need for representation in the north valley. Send vegan-friendly restaurant or business recommendations her way to nhanson@chicoer.com and visit @northvalleyvegan on Instagram for more recipes and cooking inspiration.