28 Days of Snacking
Plus, banana pancakes, Jewish breakfasts, and good reads
February is here! And already a 1/4 over. I’m leaning into coziness with lots of books, a SAD lamp shining on me and some good meals eaten around the island (I shared more winter improvement tips here).
This week will be a busy one—Erica and I are teaching a meal prep class on Sunday (join us here to cook live or get the replay) and I just switched to an unlimited MetroCard again, a sure sign that the calendar is filling up.
Over on Instagram, be sure to check out the weekly cooking recap, which is now meatless. And thank you for being here!
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
Since moving into a larger apartment, I’ve really embraced having people over. Hillary and Julia came to watch the Bachelor and I had a dream about this baked feta pasta (normal?) the night before. I realized I had almost all the ingredients and made it. This version of the recipe bakes the pasta with bread crumbs and parmesan, which really improves the texture. I served it with a salad (and my #pantryempties salad dressing) and it was great and pretty hands off.
Ad break: Longtime (and maybe short time) readers know that quesadillas are a TNHS staple. I’m excited to partner with Fridge No More to share a special discount code—TNHS50—to give you 50% on your first order. Get your quesadilla ingredients and lots more—they’ve got drinks like Topo Chico and kombucha, local goods like sourdough and chocolate, and all the condiments, including hot sauce— in 15 minutes. Fridge No More delivers in New York City and parts of Boston and doesn't use gig workers, which we love! Both the delivery workers and packers are employees with benefits, and surplus food is donated to community fridges around the city. If you’re having some guests over for Valentine’s Day or the Super Bowl (or Bachelor Night, let’s be real), you can download the app here and don’t forget to use code TNHS50 to have the snacks ready. Thank you for supporting the brands that support This Needs Hot Sauce!
Making a good breakfast is a life skill and I had so much fun teaching some of my students to make banana pancakes. We used the recipe from Good and Cheap, Leanne Brown’s cookbook that uses a $4 a day budget, which is designed to work for SNAP recipients. The PDF is free to download and the recipe is on page 18. They’re really fluffy pancakes thanks to both baking powder and baking soda and you can definitely add chocolate chips.
Last night, I made a batch of black bean burgers for lunches this week. I serve them on a potato roll (which I keep in the freezer) with whatever veggies I’ve got (onion + lettuce + avocado is ideal) and some sriracha mayo or ketchup. I cook them in a cast iron skillet but Hillary confirmed you can also cook them in an airfryer.
Lastly, I did lots of recipe testing for Sunday’s class, which is going to be tasty!! And on Friday night, I had popcorn for dinner (with a side of spicy smashed cucumbers and some leftover dumplings).
Something to order:
Melissa invited me to lunch at Cucina 8 1/2 in midtown. It’s a huge restaurant with some old school power lunch vibes and the food was really good, especially the tableside caesar salad and the spaghetti al limone. I got an Arnold Palmer to drink and need to remember those exist because they are delicious.
We went to Teal’s for dinner on Tuesday and got takeout from Fonda. Their mushroom huarache was so good and the enchiladas also earned high praise.
Simply Nova is a brand new appetizing shop in Williamsburg with so many kinds of lox and traditional Jewish food (they’ve got babka, rugelach, kugel, chopped liver and more). I brought Julianne a bagel and pickles to help her Covid recovery and will be back soon.
Dale and I got an early dinner at Estancia 460 on Saturday. I studied abroad in Argentina and always get nostalgic for the food (I moved there a few months after becoming a vegetarian which was challenging). We got empanadas, grilled mozzarella, and I had polenta with vegetables. Two big highlights are the wine selection and the bread they give you with chimichurri sauce for dipping. So good.
Reclamation Bar is collaborating with Claudia’s on Fridays and Saturdays. Now you can get Guatemalan food while you have a drink, which is so nice. It just started and hopefully expands to more days.
Something to read:
I share more links (with a little more commentary) in the Thursday newsletter for paid subscribers.
A Queens Grub Street diet from the co owner of Burlap and Barrel
The future of fine dining is queer
The legacy of plant based eating in the African diaspora
What can one teenager do about climate change? Adah Crandall will find out (this is a devastating read)
Things to do in South Bronx (with a great introduction about the neighborhood’s history)
Three considerations for employees navigating toxic workplace cultures
Cheap things to do in NYC (also follow @howtobebrokeinnewyork for ideas)
The lost African American bartenders who created the mint julep
I am such a fan of Abbott Elementary and love learning about Quinta Bruson’s career
A walk in Brooklyn with Mira Jacob (also recommend both of her books)
Diversifying the face of travel, one TikTok at a time
Lukas Volger’s 28 Days of Oatmeal is back on his Instagram. Major breakfast inspiration.
You all shared some fantastic snack ideas for any time of day!
Mallory makes big batch smoothies: My favorite snack has been a green smoothie. I made a triple batch of this one from Vitamix:
½ cup (120 ml) water
1 cup (150 g) green grapes
1 (130 g) medium oranges, peeled, quartered
1 (100 g) small banana, peeled
½ (90 g) Bartlett pear, cored
1 cup (60 g) kale (or spinach)
2 cups (260 g) ice cubes
I store it in a huge jar and pour off a single portion each morning for a mid-morning snack! Having it ready to go is helping me to snack healthier.
Julianne is a pickle queen (no surprise there): My favorite snacks are really good Jewish pickles (I think it makes sense which pickles I'm specifically discussing when I give them a bar mitzvah, you know?) and chips and salsa. Also I am missing your cheese boards with the castelvetrano olives!!
Julia has a near identical answer (love that): here is my answer on snacks!
Pickles. Straight up pickles out of a jar in my fridge. Truly cannot get enough. Unparalleled snack.
Kate’s snacks sound nostalgic and delicious (I’ve also been working through a box of dates): I've been very into one or two medjool dates halved and filled with peanut butter. Also, rice cakes, usually topped with hummus or peanut butter. They're very nostalgic for me - I ate a ton as a kid.
Sarloah is living right with her snack: Mmmm, my favorite snack right now is a little bowl of Ruffles Jalapeño Lime potato chips and a glass of wine while I prep dinner.
Chrissy is a certified snack fan (check out her newsletter for more): I love snacks! That's why I have a whole section of my newsletter devoted to them. :) My current obsession is a Perfect Bar, specifically the cookie dough flavor. Super filling and a great source of protein! My perennial favorite, however, is a bag of Snappea Crisps. A whole bag, because once you start it's impossible to stop.
This week, I have a lighthearted question: For you, is the week ahead more about the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day or something else entirely? And what will you be eating? Erica and I scheduled a meal prep class for Super Bowl day and I usually watch for the commercials/half time show. Valentine’s Day is fun and pretty low key for us and I have fun Galentine’s Day plans I’m looking forward to! Reply to this email with your answers and I’ll share them next week.
Thursday’s newsletter is about procrastination and how I manage my calendar (I’m a longtime procrastinator). I’ll also share midweek reads and a fun advice column inspired by Chopped! Thank you for supporting This Needs Hot Sauce.
xo, Abigail