À La Carte: Recipes for easing back into a routine

P.S. "The Weekly 5" is so last year

Hi friends,

The Weekly 5, my Sunday five-recipe round-up, has been going strong for about two years now. As this newsletter community grows and evolves, I’ve been feeling the itch to refresh it a little.

After marinating on it over the holidays, I decided a new title would suffice. So, welcome to the new and improved À La Carte! Same format, Frenchier name.

If your last couple of weeks looked anything like mine, there were way more cookies, slices of pizza, and glasses of wine than usual. And that’s okay, because that’s what the festive season is all about.

Now that we’re getting back to regularly scheduled programming, I’m craving the kind of simple, nourishing meals that help me feel balanced throughout the week.

Below are five easy dinners I make regularly - ones packed with fiber, colorful veggies, and fragrant spices.

1. Creamy Tomato Beans

These indulgent, saucy white beans are made entirely with pantry staples and require minimal chopping. Coconut milk gives them a rich texture, while the combo of tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes infuses them with sweet-tangy flavor.

2. Tempeh Curry

This Thai-inspired curry has a creamy peanut-tinged broth, meaty tempeh crumbles, plus bell peppers, red onions, and potatoes. (Catch the video on Instagram.)

3. Pasta with Beans and Greens

This skillet dinner makes 4 generous servings, yet only uses half a box of pasta. It gets tossed with a hearty sauce of silky kale, white beans, shiitake mushrooms, and canned tomatoes.

4. Veggie Sushi Bowls

Everything you love about sushi rolls - rice, veggies, nori, spicy mayo - with none of the fussy rolling. Here, the fillings are simply layered into a bowl.

5. Red Lentil Dal

A TNB reader favorite, this Indian-inspired red lentil soup is packed with vegetables - mushrooms, cauliflower, spinach - and anti-inflammatory spices.

Planning to make one of these? Tell me how it goes in the comments section or tag me with your creation on Instagram.