Recipe and photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelley. 

This picture is an ode to meal prep, and the highest form of self-care for me. It’s a colorful, nourishing, party-in-a-bowl that happens best when I am in a creative rut with a fridge full of already cooked veggies.

Pinto beans, farro, vinegary mustard greens, coconut braised red cabbage with miso and garlic, turnips boiled in salty water, then mashed with labne or greek yogurt, pomegranate seeds, fresh dill, pumpkin seeds, toasted pecans, and aloo bhujia. My cooking style is guided by the idea that leftovers can be used as brand new components for our next meal. At our table, cooked veggies will always have a place in a pot of beans, a quesadilla, a sandwich, a grain bowl, pasta, taco, dumpling, dip, enchilada, the list goes on. This bowl of beans and things came together on a Thursday, with farro I had made on Tuesday, and veggies I had made on Monday of the same week. The beans were fresh out of the pot, hot enough to warm farro and veggies straight from the fridge. When I’m making something I intend to put in a bowl, I try to hit as many flavor zones as I can think of. See below for a list of those zones, and how each veggie fills that space.

 

• Chewy: farro, buckwheat and freakeh are my favorite
• Soft: beans
• Tangy: vinegary mustard greens
• Bitter: mustard greens
• Creamy: yogurt turnips and coconut braised cabbage
• Crunchy: nuts, bhujia, chips
• Sweet, juicy: pomegranate
• Zingy: herbs (I use dill, cilantro, mint and parsley interchangeably)
• Spicy: chili oil, hot sauce, peppers, etc

 

Now, think about what veggies you have on hand, how you will season them with a big pot of beans in mind. If you are looking for inspiration, see the JBG archives, where you will find many ways we have talked about wrangling the veggies in your CSA over the years. Happy cooking!