Welcome! This is “Staying In,” a Sunday newsletter with recipe ideas for your week ahead. Every other Thursday I also publish a “Going Out” edition where I review a restaurant, bar, or activity here in Portland. What should I write about next? Feel free to leave a comment on this post or submit your idea here. And don’t forget to check out pdxrecs.com for even more recommendations and follow RR on Instagram at @rileysrecs. Enjoy!
Between Portland Burger Week, the ribs I made on Tuesday, and the Grasslands BBQ I’m going to eat today, 75% of my diet this week has consisted of red meat. It’s time for some clean eating.
Thankfully, TikTok has just the answer: cucumbers. If you’re unfamiliar or don’t have a TikTok account (like me), a food influencer dubbed the “Cucumber Guy” has gone viral for his single-container cucumber mixes. He mandolins a cucumber, adds toppings like soy sauce and sesame oil, and shakes everything up in a container. The New York Times calls it the “internet’s most riffable recipe.”
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It’s just a traditional cucumber salad, but sure, I’ll do it. I’ll eat a lot of cucumbers this week and be the most hydrated person on Substack.
✨ Inspo ingredients for the week: cucumber, asparagus, and zucchini ✨
DINNERS
Salmon with Lemon and Dill | Asparagus
Pan-Seared Asparagus with Cashews and Egg
Braised White Beans with Herbs and Parmesan | Crusty Bread | Sautéed Zucchini
Purple Cabbage and Parm Salad | Sausage
LUNCH
Chana Masala
SNACK
Cucumber Guy Salad
BREAKFAST
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
DRINK
Cucumber Agua Fresca
Notes:
The Chana Masala is a frozen meal from Apna Chat Bhavan, which I wrote about in the last edition of Going Out.
The Purple Cabbage and Parm salad is a repeat item from a couple of months ago. You can find the recipe here. I’m just going to serve with New Seasons sausages. Specifically, the green chili cheese ones.
Is it possible to ever eat zucchini that isn’t mushy? Sautéing vs roasting is key. Cut your zucchini into thick half-moons, sauté in olive oil, and finish with red pepper flake, salt, and pepper. Here’s a formal set of instructions.
Salmon with Lemon and Dill
Mark Bittman | How to Cook Everything The Basics
This is a trusty salmon recipe. If I was the type of person to print recipes —and, more importantly, owned a printer— this would be one of them. Mark Bittman delivers a simple salmon preparation that relies on butter, dill, and just a few minutes in a 475° oven. If you prefer your salmon skinless, place the salmon skin side up and halfway through cooking peel off the skin before flipping and returning to the oven. The skin should peel off easily. If it doesn’t try again in another minute or two.
Pan-Seared Asparagus with Cashews and Egg
Melissa Clark | New York Times (Gifted Link)
This is an empty-the-fridge meal. In the springtime, when I almost always have asparagus in the fridge, this is how I use those random leftover stalks. The asparagus is paired with crunchy nuts and coconut flakes and served on top of rice. Optionally, with an egg. The recipe takes about 20 minutes to make, meaning it’s a quick dinner or, if you work from home, lunch.
A few recipe notes: in the spirit of an empty-the-fridge meal, I usually just use whatever nuts I have on hand for this, but have found that sliced almonds are my favorite. You can also swap the lime juice for another acid like champagne or white wine vinegar, and I’ve never actually added pepitas.
Braised White Beans with Greens and Parmesan
Lidey Heuck | New York Times (Gifted Link)
I firmly believe that white beans and peanut butter sauce are weeknight warriors. If I’m ever in doubt of what to cook, I either throw together a quick PB sauce that I can put on tofu or vegetables or crack open a can of white beans that I can heat with herbs and oil or throw into a salad with some tuna and tomato. In this iteration of weeknight white beans, I’ll be using them to make a stew. The dish gets its flavor from a fennel, onion, and garlic base, and is a filling vegetarian meal.
I once served this stew to 10+ people on the night of an unexpected snowstorm. I called it “I’m Dreaming of a White Bean Christmas.” Because it’s been unexpectedly gloomy and cold here in Portland, not a bad time to revive this meal.
Cucumber Guy Salad
The recipe I’m linking here is actually from Buzzfeed since I don’t have a TikTok. It also conveniently has a nice intro explainer on the cucumber phenomenon.
Don’t feel like you need to risk slicing open your finger just to follow cucumber guy’s step-by-step instructions. You can just thinly slice using a knife.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Jesse Szewczyk | New York Times (Gifted Link)
The last time I made this zucchini bread, I gave some to my next door neighbor. She replied “THIS IS THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER!!!” and promptly served it at her next dinner party for dessert. Because zucchini bread feels like a breakfast item, I’m eating it for breakfast. But don’t be fooled, this is absolutely a dessert. So much for eating clean!
Chocolate prices have soared recently due to agricultural and political issues in places where cacao is grown, but you can still find ethical unsweetened cocoa powder for about $7.99. This is a worthy use.
Cucumber Agua Fresca
Making this refreshing drink involves blending cucumbers and mint simple syrup, which can also be used in cocktails like this one I shared a few weeks ago.
INGREDIENTS
2 cucumbers
1/2 cup sugar (scale back on this if you’d like)
Mint
Lime, juiced
DIRECTIONS
Bring a cup of water, sugar, and mint to a boil. Then slowly simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off and let cool.
Roughly chop the cucumber. Place in blender with about a cup of water, the lime juice, and blend. Strain, if you prefer a less fibrous juice.
Put the fruit purée into a pitcher or large container. Stir in about 1/4 cup of the mint simple syrup and voilà. This yields about 4-6 servings.
