Bowls & Builds

This is the bowl that started it all. Esalen serves a version of this at breakfast — warm quinoa, lightly sautéed greens, a lemony Bragg’s dressing, and whatever you want on top. It’s simple in a way that takes a minute to appreciate. Make a big batch and eat it all week.

The trick to good fried rice is cold rice and high heat. Fresh rice steams instead of fries — plan ahead or use leftovers. Everything else is flexible.

Bell peppers halved, filled with beef, rice, and cheese, and baked until the edges char. Simple assembly, one skillet for the filling, and the oven does the rest. Make a full batch — they reheat well all week.

Most meals come down to the same logic — a grain, a legume, a vegetable, something creamy, something bright, something with heat. Protein if you want it. The combinations are endless. The method doesn’t change.

A flexible, fridge-friendly soup built around a spiced broth. The curry paste and lemongrass do most of the flavor work. Everything else is adjustable — protein, vegetables, heat level. Make it once and you’ll make it on rotation.

Avocado does the work that cream usually does — blend it in at the end and the texture is rich without being heavy. Make a full batch. It keeps well and reheats beautifully.

A pantry recipe in the best sense — yellow split peas, aromatics, and time. The spice list looks long but most of it comes from the same shelf. Layer the spices into the oil before anything else goes in and the whole pot builds from there.

Garlic, cherry tomatoes, parmesan, and pasta water. Twenty-five minutes.

The tomatoes collapse into a loose, jammy sauce in the same pan you’ll finish the pasta in. Reserve the pasta water — it’s what makes it come together without needing a jar of anything.