New series: Mel's Staples
Your No-excuse-recipe-guide
Dear reader of Mel’s Treats
I hope, you’re well and are enjoying some delicious food this weekend.
I sure was in a baking mood yesterday, baking yet another German cake, Marmorkuchen (English: marble cake).
I tend to opt for traditional German recipes these past few weeks while I’m still staying in my home country after already having made a German cheesecake (Quarktorte) and a cake that is called Eierschecke in German using tons of eggs as the name already is giving a clue about.
So much for my baking adventures…
This blog post is about to announce something new for this publication, a new weekly series called Mel’s Staples.
The first blog post goes out next Saturday, March 2nd. Perfect for spring time, isn’t it?
What is Mel’s Staples & who is it for?
This series is for everyone who might be thinking the following:
I can’t cook or bake!
I don’t have any ideas or inspiration on what to cook or bake!
I don’t have the time for elaborate recipes... let alone the ingredients to make them.
Mel’s Staples is here to tell you: No excuses anymore!
Even if you do know how to cook or bake, with Mel's Staples your veggie cooking & baking becomes incredibly easy & fun. Oh and healthy, too.
As an avid Hobby Chef & Baker I always opt for ingredients that are being sourced local & seasonal, trying to keep my ecological footprint as low as possible.
I’m a Vegetarian and mostly prepare Veggie and Vegan dishes using organic whole foods, and as little processed as possible. I’m very passionate about homemade products, e.g. ferments, pickles, dips & spreads.
So in this new series I’ll be sharing many plant based recipes using whole foods and ingredients with you. Some of them are among my favorite sweet or savory dishes.
I do have a sweet tooth, so not everything I make is healthy healthy, if you know what I mean. Pancake-Sunday is absolutely a thing for me.
But I choose to use ingredients that are organic (flour, eggs, etc.) and coming from small businesses (maple syrup).
What’s about to happen?
Every week, every Saturday actually, I’ll share one amazing recipe with you that is based on the most crucial part of this No-excuse-recipe-guide: Your staple shelf.
In the past 10 years of my own cooking & baking adventures, I’ve noticed something very important. I love trying new recipes, but started rolling my eye balls, whenever I saw a recipe that called for ingredients that I didn’t have at home.
So I learned that in order to eat healthy, yet delicious, it’s not necessary to buy all those fancy ingredients that you’ll never be using again.
But that it is essential to have certain ingredients on hand, that is in your pantry or your fridge. These are your staples.
Staples are for example ingredients such as sweeteners like honey or maple syrup, condiments (mustard, etc.), vinegars, oils, nuts, grains, spices, flours, baking essentials, etc. You get the idea.
With those staples, cooking and baking becomes incredibly easy! With every recipe that you’ll be finding here, you’ll literally be like: “Awesome! I’ve got everything at home to make that!”
But, don’t worry, I’m here to get you stocked up on those staples. Hence the series doesn’t only have recipes in store for you, but a handy list of staples.
Some of them you may already have at home. So do check out your fridge or pantry, before buying anything that I’m suggesting here.
Your Staples list will have
Must haves: Staples that you basically need all the time, such as oils & vinegars.
Essentials: Staples that you might need for your baking, but not for cooking.
Nice to haves: Staples that have a certain shelf life, such as proteins (eggs, Tofu, etc.)
Side note: Not every item that might call for a certain list, necessarily goes into it.
For example: The Must haves might include condiments such as Ketchup, Mayo, etc. But, if you’re not into spicy/hot food, something like Sriracha might rather be on your Essentials list or even your Nice to have list.
I’d love to provide a template, where you can fill in all your personal staples, either as a print-out or on your computer. I need to check on that, though. You may need to subscribe to receive something like that from me.
Anyway, with that list that I’ll be sharing with you beginning next Saturday (March 2nd), you’re able to start making dressings & sauces, dips & spreads.
Savory dishes such as soups, curries, stir fries, pasta dishes, lasagne, you name it. Think Indian cuisine, Asian-Fusion, Italian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern.
Sweet Treats such as loafs or breads, Brownies and cookies and much more. Oh, and the pancakes recipe, if you like.
Of course, healthy cooking and baking doesn’t work using staples only. All my Indian Curries, Stir Fries or Pasta Dishes have loads of veggies in them, depending on what’s in season.
Once you’ve stocked up on the staples, all you need are fresh seasonal ingredients - veggies & fruits - from your local farmers market, nearest CSA (community supported agriculture), your closest organic food store or, if you happen to have one, your own Veggie garden.
When does it start?
Watch out for your inbox next Saturday, March 2nd. In that first post I’ll share with you the Must haves in your future staple shelf. Plus one recipe to get you started on your own cooking & baking journey.
The blog posts of Mel’s Staples go out every Saturday after that. To not miss it, make sure to subscribe.
Why you should subscribe:
Because you are looking for recipes that are easy & fun to make, but with a twist, if someone spontaneously shows up for dinner. ;-)
I’m excited to start this journey and share my favorite recipes with you!
Until then
Yours truly
Mel
P.S. I’ll have a slice of that marble cake now.