Welcome to the first edition of RPL at Home, where I share what I’m up to when I’m not in the kitchen or in front of the camera.
Each month, I’ll share snippets of what I’m working on, habits I’m cultivating, things bringing me joy, podcasts/books/TV shows I’m enjoying, and more. Think of it as stream-of-consciousness blabbering meets a semi-curated list of recommendations meets life update.
This month’s edition
1. What I’m watching, listening to, and reading
2. What I’m working on (in life)
3. What I’m working on (in the biz)
4. Recipes you might have missed
5. What I’m eating
6. What’s bringing me joy
What I’m watching, listening to, and reading
Watching
The show I’ve been most excited about tuning into is The Last of Us. I don’t typically gravitate towards dystopian sci-fi, and I must admit I’m an actual baby who wears noise-canceling headphones during the scenes with scary sounds (I know, I know), but…I’ve been hooked by the magnificent acting and the relationship between Ellie and Joel.
Pedro Pascal (Joel) is having a moment. And Bella Ramsey (Ellie) is a proud vegan!
Reading
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. I went full suburban and recently joined a neighborhood book club! And this was our first book. It weaves together two topics I knew nothing about (horse-riding rural librarians during the Great Depression) and the rare blue-skinned people of Kentucky, but I really enjoyed it. It’s written beautifully and hard to put down.
A few shorter pieces I enjoyed this month
He taught Americans how to cook Indian food
The Fleishman is in Trouble Effect
100 centenarians’ 100 tips for a life well lived
Listening
This recent episode from NPR’s Throughline tells the story of an Indian American man who argued in 1923 that he should be considered white and thus eligible to become a U.S. citizen. The episode covers the creation of race and the myth of whiteness, and for me, it brought up painful memories of my childhood where I wished I was white so I would not feel Othered. But it also made me proud because I no longer feel that way. I love when a podcast can teach you important stuff, prompt a good cry, and spawn a personal epiphany all at once.
What I’m working on (in life)
Becoming “a reader”
Back in first grade, we had a reading marathon. For every book you read, the teacher would paste a paper star on the wall with your name on it, starting at the bottom of the wall and working her way up. I read so many books that my stars started to creep up the ceiling (my poor classmates had no chance with this nerd). So I’ve always considered myself “a reader.”
But truth be told, I’ve put reading on the back burner since I started my business. While I did read 10 books last year (not bad), I read them all while on vacation because my regular life was “too busy.”
Recently though, I started doing a few things that have helped reading become a habit I look forward to:
- Joining a book club (see above)
- Carving out 10 minutes to read each night (it usually extends longer once I get into it) and 10 minutes to read each morning with a frothy matcha latte.
- Leaving my current book on the dining table so I read while I eat lunch instead of the usual doomsday scrolling
- Treating myself to a new book at our awesome local bookstore each time I finish a book
- Allowing myself to read whatever I want instead of forcing myself to read the latest self-improvement or productivity book.
And it’s working! I’ve read four books in the last three weeks. That’s four gold stars for adult Nisha.
What I’m working on (in the biz)
One of my favorite YouTube videos we published recently was for my Thai Green Curry recipe. The video is fun and playful, and you get to see my parents (and Max!) in a delightfully funny taste test.
On the recipe development side, I want to share more desserts this year (not a lot, just a little). I recently realized that I had published only 6 dessert recipes in the last 2 years. To be fair, one of them was my absolute best vegan brownies (recently picked by a group of 47 taste testers as the best vegan brownie!) and I don’t think I can top that recipe, but we all need a little more sweetness in our lives.
Have any dessert recipes you’d like to see? Leave your requests in the comments!
And here’s a sneak peek of recipes I’m working on! If you want to get notified when new recipes hit the blog, subscribe to my newsletter!
Recipes you might have missed
- Tofu Stir Fry. A Chinese restaurant-style stir fry with crispy-chewy tofu and a deeply savory sauce.
- Chickpea Curry. Big bold Indian flavors in an approachable weeknight dinner package.
- Creamy Coconut Rice with Five Spice Tofu. Creamy rice and five spice tofu crumbles meet nutrient-rich vegetables and crunchy peanuts.
- Beet Hummus. The most gorgeous dip you’ll ever make. Also nutrient-dense and so versatile.
- Thai Green Curry. My favorite takeout dish made at home! Easy but gourmet.
What I’m eating
During the week, we mostly eat leftovers from recipe testing and “bowl style dinners” using building blocks (and occasionally some sort of Asian takeout or pizza). One of my favorite things for those bowl-style dinners is vegan Tzatziki.
The tzatziki takes just 10 minutes to make and is so versatile. Last week for lunch, I spread it on bread from our local bakery (first, I toasted the bread underneath the broiler, then smeared with a cut garlic clove and drizzle of olive oil, my go-to method for toasting bread). Then I piled it with pan-fried tofu slabs, arugula dressed with Brightland olive oil & champagne vinegar, and pickled carrots. :::::chef’s kiss:::::
For dinner, a recent favorite has been to pair the tzatziki with crunchy roasted chickpeas or white beans and a simplified Greek salad with cukes, cherry or heirloom tomatoes, capers, kalamata olives (no olives for Max), drizzled with olive oil & vinegar + toasted pita wedges (or cooked farro) + pickled onions.
What’s bringing me joy
Bi-monthly “happy hours”: A technical happy hour involves adult beverages and usually a bar, but I’ve co-opted the term for something very different.
A couple times a month, I’ll end work earlier than usual and make hot chocolate. Meanwhile, Max pours himself a glass of wine and, upon my request, lights an obscene amount of candles in the living room and turns on the “relaxing jazz” station on Spotify.
Then we hang out on the couch until dinner time. We chat for a bit, sometimes about work, but usually about non-work stuff, and then we stare at each other silently like we’re deeply in love but also like we’re in a cult.
Just kidding, we read our respective books while I occasionally sneak a few sips of his wine (but not a lot because I discovered last year that drinking booze hurts my stomach and that getting old is a real party pooper).
This may not be a traditional happy hour in any sense of the word, but it’s an hour or two where I feel great happiness. And self-righteous because I am collecting more golden stars for all the books I’m racing through.
Hope y’all enjoyed this first edition of RPL at home! You might have noticed that I was sharing mini life updates in our newsletter recently, but the long-form blog format just felt easier and more natural, and I’m already excited for the April edition.
Please let me know what you’d like to see in next month’s edition (and if you have a more clever title than “RPL at home.”)!
Hi Nisha!
I’m happy to hear you’re thinking of putting out more dessert recipes 😈
I’d love to see a no-machine ice cream recipe, something like Thai style cut ice cream bars made with condensed milk, but vegan of course!
Perfect for summer 💐
The other dessert I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since I tried it was a coffee-coconut concoction: espresso poured over some sort of coconut soft serve slushee hybrid. Best flavor combo ever 😭 💕
Thanks!
Hi RPL,
My dessert fantasy does not exist yet, but I think you are the perfect person to pull it off.
A chocolate curry! indian style. It would have a similar viscosity to your tofu Tikka masala. But it would be blackish brown. And have a deep/rich chocolate flavor and also other accompanying spices (classic RPL style).
I really think if you pulled something like this off it would be a revolution!
Your chocolate curry idea seems a lot like Mexican mole. Mole Poblano is chocolate based and thereby sweet. Black mole uses chocolate but focuses more on the savory side.
I would love to dip some cinnamon-sugar-butter naan in that 🙈
Aww, wish I had someone who would gaze into my eyes cultishly 🥺🥺 Haha.
As far as desserts, it would be amazing to have a vegan tiramisu recipe that isn’t overly coconutty or dense! That was my favorite dessert before going vegan! Or anything citrus flavored.
The last of us is absolutely riveting!
Dessert wise, would love to see something italian like tiramisu or semifredo. Also anything with red fruit, citrus and or chocolate . For summer I would love a picknick dessert recipe, something that is easy to maybe make ahead and transports well.
Also, any Indian bread recipes, such as paratha or chapati or poori etc
Munch love from the Netherlands
Would also Love to see a dessert (Lemon cake?) that incorporates a good quality extra virgen Olive oil
Great suggestions, Margot!
As for treats you can take with you to a picnic, these blueberry muffins would be a great pick! I’d also say these chocolate chunk pantry cookies would work as well as this banana bread. If you have a cooler, you could try making these pb&j bars!
We only have one Indian bread recipe on the blog, but IMO this vegan naan is the BEST!
And as for a lemon olive oil dessert- you’re in luck! We have this mouthwatering well-loved lemon olive oil cake on the blog!
This was such an awesome read!! It’s refreshing to get to see what you’re up to outside of giving us incredible recipes to try 🙂 I’d love to see you post a German Chocolate Cake recipe! Making the frosting without egg yolks has been a challenge, but I have faith you’d be able to do it <3
We’re delighted you enjoyed the blog post, Lea 🙂
German chocolate cake sounds like such a good idea, we’ll definitely take the suggestion into consideration! In the meantime, have you tried Nisha’s chocolate layer cake with hibiscus frosting? You can swap out the frosting for any frosting of your choice- we hope you get a chance to try it!
And if you’re a fan of the coconut chocolate combo, this salted chocolate cream tart is incredible!
Do you have a recipe for mango curry? Just had it at a restaurant and loved it. Can’t handle spice, it was mild and sweet. Thanks
I’m glad I spent a few minutes to read this. You motivated me to achieve my goal of reading books every month. I’m also new to veganism. It’s much easier to plan & cook vegan meals since you’re my go-to resource for possible dishes. Looking forward to the next RPL at home. I hope you and your family are doing well! 💐
Please make lemon bars! I know you’ll come up with the best recipe!
Hi Emily, thanks for the compliment- I think Nisha would too! We’ll definitely keep the suggestion in mind. In the meantime, have you gotten the chance to try Nisha’s lemon olive oil cake or lemon poppyseed layer cake? Both are INCREDIBLE vegan lemon desserts!
Okay, I definitely need to start doing one of these happy hours!!! Loved reading this, and would love to also know what products you’ve been loving lately (could be food related, or also like skincare or hair care, candles or household things, that kinda stuff)!
Loved reading this!! love the idea of a hot chocolate happy hour 🙂
Loved reading this, Nisha ❤️ And you’ve convinced me to start watching The Last Of Us 😉