January reset: more veggies, less booze

Spicy oven cauliflower wings

***Popping in for an annual update! I've been following this "January reset" tradition since 2021. Here are some new healthy recipes on my agenda to make this month.***

• A New Year's day tradition for good luck: Cajun black eyed peas and greens stew
• Sichuan eggplant with tofu
• Roasted Greek salad
• Middle Eastern nachos
• Instant Pot sambar
• Air fryer salmon with spinach borani or arugula salad with shaved Parmesan and lemon
• Simple broccoli cheese soup
• To bring to work for lunch:
• Green soup
• Silken tofu with spicy no-cook sauce

My resolution for January is to eat more veggies. It's also the second year in a row that I'm doing a dry January. Even though I have been pescatarian for three and a half years, it is easy to fall into a pandemic rut of carby comfort food (and a drink or two with dinner every night). In an effort to eat more veggies and to get some new flavors into my diet, I've developed several new recipes, brought back some old favorites, and I've been enjoying new finds on others' blogs as well. Now that I'm halfway through January, here's a roundup of what I've made far.

1. 15-bean soup. The perfect New Years day meal, this soup is full of legumes (which are indeed veggies) and swiss chard.

2. Indian eggplant. Baingan bharta is one of my go-to's at a Indian restaurants, and it was high time for me to make it at home!

3. Roasted antipasto salad. A hearty, zippy bowl of roasted veg.

4. Spicy oven cauliflower wings. These are so satisfying that we've had them twice this month. First, I made the spicy Korean version and served it on rice. Next, I made the buffalo version and served it with a side of sweet potatoes.

5. Brussels sprouts and gnocchi frico. Just a bowl of 50/50 brussels sprouts and browned gnocchi, plus lots of parm, please!

6. Chipotle portobello fajitas. Piled these smoky caramelized veg on a taco with refried beans and cheese. 

7. Berry kefir smoothie with secret veggies. I've been having this for breakfast most days for years. 

I also made these balsamic portobello steaks with butter bean mash from one of my favorite blogs, Dishing out Health. This was a rare moment where I made the recipe exactly as written. I usually riff off of recipes, adding in my favorite flavors. But Dishing out Health has great recipes, and I was also really tired of things that tasted like "my cooking." This recipe is perfect and I wouldn't change a thing! However, I will note that if you can't find butter beans, any canned white bean will do. Once they were blended, they were indistinguishable from cannellini, navy, or great northern beans.