Recipes That Feel Like a Hug

photo by Ostara Maharaj

Recipes That Feel Like a Hug

Fall brings blankets, horror movies, and a desire to be cozy. Making hearty, nutritious recipes is one of my favorite ways to achieve that last one. From me to you, here’s two fall recipes that will make you feel snug despite the eighty-degree afternoons Georgia fall brings. 

by fourth year Ostara Maharaj

 

Cooking, to me, feels like a part of growing up. As a senior in college, I’ve moved from dorm-room ramen (Sriracha added if I’m feeling fancy), to turkey sandwiches made with ingredients I went to the store and bought, to meal prepping weekly after saying a bittersweet goodbye to my meal plan. Food also feels like home. A familiar flavor dancing on my tongue can be a time machine: somewhere in that waltz I am five years old in my childhood kitchen. It is ironically beautiful that the skills we learn (or fail at learning) as part of our “coming of age” can bring us back to our most juvenile moments. Over time, we learn to care for ourselves the way others once did. Fall brings blankets, horror movies, and a desire to be cozy. Making hearty, nutritious recipes is one of my favorite ways to achieve that last one. From me to you, here’s two fall recipes that will make you feel snug despite the eighty-degree afternoons Georgia fall brings. 

 

Hearty Vegetarian Chili 

(if you’re trying to get more protein in, feel free to add turkey or beef!!) 

Ingredients: 

  • One can of black beans 

  • One can of red beans 

  • One can of yellow corn 

  • One can of diced tomatoes

  • One packet of chili spice mix (brand and spice level is up to you)

  • One onion (the color of which is up to you, I like red) 

  • Spices from your drawer measured with your heart (I suggest a pinch of: salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and chili powder)

Cooking Instructions: 

  • Dice the onion, sauté in a pot in olive oil on medium-high

  • Add the spice packet and your powders of choice 

  • Let it all cook until it smells like fall 

  • Dump all the cans in the pot. Don’t mix.

  • Let it simmer for 10-ish minutes on medium 

  • Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread; top with optional cheese, sour cream, and green onion 

 

Tomato (kinda) soup 

Ingredients: 

  • One sweet potato 

  • Two white onions 

  • A clove of garlic 

  • Five tomatoes (it doesn’t matter which type. some people would say it does; I say get what’s cheapest in the aldi produce section.) 

  • Heavy cream OR blended cottage cheese (iykyk) 

  • Spices: salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder

  • Dried herbs: basil, oregano

Cooking Instructions: 

  • - Preheat oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit

  • Peel and dice the onions and sweet potato

  • Cut the tomatoes into fourths

  • Peel each clove of garlic

  • Place onto a pan + drizzle with olive oil

  • Coat the surface of everything with a thin layer of spices

  • Bake for 40ish minutes (or until you can poke a fork in the sweet potato)

  • Once out of the oven and cooled, add to a blender your cream OR cottage cheese

  • Blend until smooth

    (best served with a grilled cheese, blanket, and good movie.)

Fall 2024Ostara MaharajComment