Hi, everyone! Mia here, filling in for Emily Weinstein today. (Ali Slagle will be with you next week!)
It’s the last day of the year — congrats, everyone — and, naturally, I’m thinking about what and how I want to eat in 2025. Nothing drastic: less “don’t eat this” and “stop doing that,” and more “lean into this” and “try some of that.”
Below are five weeknight-friendly recipes I’ve bookmarked for five personal cooking goals — maybe what I’ve outlined for myself rings true for you, too? What are your cooking plans for 2025? Anything you’re excited to try? I’m @mcleimkuhler if you’d like to follow along (or see lots of photos of my dog).
1. Chicken Breasts With Lemon
Why don’t I: Give chicken breasts a chance.
I will choose chicken thighs over chicken breasts 100 percent of the time. I know this isn’t fair; it’s just that thighs are so much more forgiving to cook (and so much more succulent). But white meat is also delicious, especially when it’s prepared with lots of lemon, garlic and shallots, as it is in this New York Times Cooking classic from Pierre Franey. I’ll make extra so I have leftovers for salads and rice bowls. (We have lots of great chicken breast recipes here.)
2. Sticky, Spicy Tempeh
Why don’t I: Explore more plant-based proteins.
I’ve long loved tofu and feel pretty confident cooking it in all its iterations — crispy, silky, blended, crumbled. But I’m less familiar with tempeh, having eaten it in Indonesian restaurants and never yet cooked it at home. This five-star recipe from Ali is where I’ll start: Irregular, hand-torn pieces of tempeh are seared in a hot skillet and glazed in a sweet, spicy sauce for tumbling on top of freshly cooked rice or tucking into a lettuce wrap.
3. Slow Cooker Chili
Why don’t I: Get my money’s worth from my machines.
My pressure cooker has a slow cooker function that I’ve never used, which feels like a waste given the dinner possibilities that could open up. So 2025 will be the year I realize the full potential of my kitchen appliances, starting with this richly spiced chili from Sarah DiGregorio that needs only about 15 minutes of prep before it simmers away all day. (See also: making steel-cut oats with the porridge setting on my rice cooker.)
4. Roasted Mushroom Larb
Why don’t I: Make more salads that aren’t salads.
Leafy green salads built on lettuce, arugula or baby spinach are great, but I never crave them as a dinner main — they’re more of a lunch thing for me. (My friend has a similar view on sandwiches: Discuss.) But Yewande Komolafe’s roasted mushroom larb, a vibrantly flavorful pile of crispy mushrooms, toasted rice powder and heaping handfuls of mint, cilantro and basil, all tossed in a limey dressing? That’s essentially a salad, and I definitely want this for dinner.
5. Vegan Dan Dan Noodles With Eggplant
Why don’t I: Eat more noodles.
This one isn’t based on anything other than the fact that eating noodles always makes me happy. Hetty Lui McKinnon’s recipe is smart and fast and makes even the most ho-hum, out-of-season eggplant taste like something special.
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