Good Morning Weekend

If you’re like me, you’ve had enough of stress recipes, cooking for comfort and indulgence, cooking with pantry staples, cobbling together something that looks like dinner.

I’m tired of crossing the street when another human walks near me. I am tired of wearing a mask.

It’s spring. The flowers and trees are in full bloom and I am out in my little garden because I can’t walk outside freely without anxiety; my hands in the dirt, planting seeds, indulging in the season of rebirth and hoping we all find our way through.

This weekend, as we celebrate our mothers, either in person or virtually or if we’re praying for them, wherever they are, let’s cook for the pure joy and pleasure of cooking, all in their honor.

Cooking for sustenance and survival need not be grim or devoid of luscious flavor. Cooking is a beautiful, nourishing act on so many levels, not just the physical satisfaction that comes with eating. With each healthy meal, you are enhancing your body’s ability to fight infection (aka: boosting immunity).

Grab your last bit of flour, that last half cup of chocolate chips, your brown rice syrup, a handful of nuts and bake some cookies. Or pop that bag of frozen fruit in a baking dish; make a crumble out of some rolled oats, oil, coconut sugar and nuts; sprinkle it over the fruit and bake to crunchy perfection.

Make a simple fruit salad and enjoy the first taste of the warm days to come.

Pull out a bag of pasta, a can of beans and spices you love and make a main course that feels indulgent but is perfectly nutrient-dense and comforting. And if you happen to have some fresh basil or parsley that you wintered on the window sill, well, you will be in heaven.

And then there’s soup. Remember those vegetables that you bought frozen or chopped and froze yourself when you could get fresh? Make a seriously delicious minestrone and let it simmer for a long time, the aroma perfuming the house and for just a second, allowing yourself to be transported to the sunny Amalfi Coast (if only in your dreams).

All I am saying is that this weekend, try to set aside the terrors that threaten to consume us every day and cook for the joy of cooking with nothing but yummy, healthy satisfaction on your mind. You can enjoy little moments, tiny pleasures even in the midst of the horror that has become our new normal (but not forever…speriamo…we hope).

PS: Make this easy Vegan Pound Cake for Mom’s special day tomorrow. Recipe is right here on my site.