Potato Leek Soup, link to recipe in post

Food is really hard sometimes. I am a picky eater which leads me to eating the same thing all the time. There are lots of reasons for my pickiness–there are a few types of flavors I dislike (earthy ones, mostly) and I also have texture issues–plus years of being forced to eat food I didn’t care for because it was what was for dinner. So we tend to default to the same five or six meals.

We’ve been making an effort to switch things up with intermittent success, perhaps these recipes will ring your bell, too?  Even if half the ingredients aren’t currently in season [insert sobbing face here].

Spite Lettuce vs. Big-Ass Delicious Salads with Blueberry-Avocado Vinaigrette

This. Salad. Is. Amazing. It is because of this salad that I have developed an obsession with arugula. I never, in a million years, would have thought about combining all these different ingredients together–blueberry avocado vinaigrette, really?–but it totally works in a way that makes my mouth super happy. It also has prosciutto in it. Prosciutto is an excellent ingredient in nearly anything. This site also sums up my food philosophy quite nicely:

This salad will make you feel fed but it won’t make you feel shitty. It’s the way all salads could be if we stopped thinking of nutrition like a series shitty, judgy Unchangeable Rules that demand forsaking all carbs and fun in exchange for anti-inflammatory super alkaline clean omega green skinny power smoothies.

I am looking at you, Moon Juice Lady. (However, Moon Juice Lady did spawn this delightful essay, so. Even Moon Juice Lady has contributed something positive to the world.)

Rad Rainbow Pad Thai

This is another thing I never thought I’d like: historically, I haven’t found zucchini particularly tasty and tend to avoid it in all forms. But last summer I was feeling adventurous and thought about trying this and lo and behold, I like raw zucchini (still iffy on the cooked stuff and other summer squashes are still on the do no eat list). It was delicious and it’s incredibly filling. This particular recipe is also meat-free and doesn’t have any processed carbohydrates if those are things you’re looking to avoid or not eat for any particular reason.

The thing about salads, though, is that they don’t keep particularly well unless you segregate ingredients and assemble shortly before eating.  This makes them less than optimal for work lunches, at least for me it does.

Potato Leek Soup with Dill

This recipe, on the other hand, is amazing for leftovers. So damn good. And I’ll admit: we use waaaay more bacon than the recipe calls for because bacon is the candy of meat and it makes everything taste delicious. It’s filling, it keeps well, and it’s not at all difficult to make–and the ingredient list is pretty simple (ignore the preciousness in the write-up about the bacon: not everyone has regular access to Fancy Pasture Raised Bacon and you shouldn’t let that stop you from trying this recipe out).

Nom nom nom potato leek soup.

Do you have any favorite recipes? Link me up in the comments!