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.”)!
Love you and am glad you’re finding time for things that bring you joy! Looking forward to finishing boards and reading for pleasure again! Our happy hours are looking similar lately… although starting to add wine back into life 🙂
Aww hi bug! You’re so sweet to stop by. Reading for pleasure is so rewarding, I hope more is in store for you. Can’t wait to squeeze you in a few months!
I a big fan you yours! Keep them coming. Your family is hilarious! I love getting to watch those videos.
HA, aren’t they? Thank you Kimberlee, so happy you enjoy our videos!
I am also trying to become “a reader” again. And surprisingly you are about the 4th person I know who has wanted to start reading more regularly again. I think doing my masters then the reading I need to do for my job had beaten the enjoyment of reading out of me. So I’ve had to label this “reading for pleasure” in my head. I picked a couple of book duds to start with but now I’m reading a good one!
Reading for pleasure is such a fun way to enter a new world without having a screen in front of you with a million distractions (I think that’s probably why many people want to get back into reading). I hope there will be lots of good books in your future!
I think it’s fun to learn more about the people who cook for us (by sharing their recipes with us of course). Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself. I’m also in the San Diego area and grew up in Southern California my whole 35 years. If you’re not on Goodreads yet, it’s definitely a place to add a long list of books go read! I also like “Nisha at Home”. There are too many acronyms in my work life so I feel I have to interpret acronyms all the time. Hah!
Also, I have a bundt cake pan that I rarely use. Possibly create a recipe? Also scones. I actually have a nordicware scone pan that I feel has been a waste of money because I’ve used it once.
Hi Allyson, this is my third winter in San Diego, and I’m like wait…what happened to the sunny and warm weather I thought I signed up for, HA! Thank you for the goodreads and title suggestion! And I do have an apple cinnamon spiced cake that uses a bundt cake pan. I love this recipe, and hope you will too! https://rainbowplantlife.com/vegan-apple-cinnamon-bundt-cake/
I loved this. Took several of your suggestions about reading more. Love the video with your parents in making the Thai Green Curry – so funny! This is a great resource you are giving to us all. I will look so forward to the next issue. Please, please keep them up. I really enjoy your recipes – although I am not vegan – but a vegan wanna-be and working toward that goal. Your recipes inspire me to do just that. Yay! So glad you are doing these.
Hi Debbie, how sweet are you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the video with my parents and that you’re loving this new type of blog post 🙂 And I’m honored that you’re loving my recipes and eating more plant based!
Thanks, Nisha, that was fun! Look forward to next month’s edition.
For what it’s worth, two great books I’d recommend are by Matt Haig: The Midnight Library and The Humans. Had to force myself to put the books down so I could do “chores” (as we used to say on the farm when I was growing up). Both are thoughtful and thought-provoking.
Hi Ana, Thank you for the lovely feedback and for the book recommendations. I love a thought-provoking book!
This is great! Love the glimpse into your life. Keep ’em coming!
Hello Nisha.
I really enjoyed reading your RPL at Home – I agree with another of your readers that “Nisha at Home” has a nice ring to it. I have made many of your recipes and enjoy them immensely and I am excited to make your Thai Green Curry.
I’m 84 today and still learning and reading.
💕
Hi Christine, happy belated birthday! I hope you had a lovely day and spoiled yourself 🙂 I’m honored you took some time out of your day to spend it with me 🙂
I love your thoughtful emails and variety of recipes! Good luck with your reading time. Ive switched to audiobooks since I spend so much time working in my studio.
Thanks for sharing, love your recipes and your YouTube segments, lots of fun. I also have just got back into reading and I realized how much I missed it. Your happy hour sounds just my cup of tea. Will look forward to the next RPL at home. Hugs.