The tagline on my blog “Creating Tasty Concoctions in a Pocket Sized Kitchen” speaks to the fact that more often than not, my food comes to fruition in the form of a random concoction. Maybe it’s a lack of time, or maybe it’s laziness, but I like to just throw things together that sound good in the moment. What results is often times a very random meal, and people around me laughing and commenting on these seemingly strange “concoctions”.
However, they are almost always really darn good.
This dinner resembles a concoction. Random things, thrown together to create a balanced and satisfying meal. When coming up with concoctions, I like to think generally about what I am in the food for. Something heavy, or something light. Something veggie based, or something carb based. Those thoughts are my starting point. I also take into account some basic nutrition. I know myself and I know I am rarely ever satisfied without carbs and fat in my meal. I am CRANKY without carbs. I warned you. I also tend to stay full for longer with a form of protein.
Then I just kind of start cooking. Ideas come to me and I go with it. It also helps to read food blogs because I get inspiration all day long. For instance, avocado toast. That is an idea I may never have thought of, but I read about other people eating it and it has become a snack or side to many of my meals. Warm toast with mashed up ripe avocado is an absolute winning combination.
With salads, I have to really be in the mood for them. This hot summer night warranted a salad with crunchy spinach, cucumbers, and fresh corn on the cob. I learned a little secret about corn on the cob last summer. A guy at a farmers market pleaded with me to please try his corn raw, uncooked. So I did. Man oh man, when corn is in season, eating it fresh is all you need. No cooking necessary, just slice it off the cob and add it to your salad or whatever you are cooking. Or just eat it off the cob. It is so so sweet!
The tilapia was cooked in a frying pan with a little olive oil and tons of smoked paprika. Flip it after a few minutes, and just let it cook until it’s white all the way through. Add it to whatever vegetables you have. I also topped my salad with ricotta. I mixed some ricotta with balsamic vinegar and mustard to make a dressing, and then added a dollop of ricotta on top as well. I know, random, but it is a concoction, right?
I hope that this simple meal inspires some sort of concoction in your own kitchen 🙂
StudioEats 