It’s 5:00. You know what that means. You have about 10 minutes to get dinner on the table before things get ugly. Sound familiar? You are not alone. In fact, two local mamas made it easier with their company, Not Just Co.
One of them, Catherine Smart, says, “I met my co-founder (Jacqueline Grady Smith) when we were teaching cooking classes together and we would always commiserate, like, we are professional cooks and we still can't get dinner (done). So, we made this line of plant-based, really delicious, clean-labeled pantry staples to just help make everything."
She offers some simple tricks for us to help us get dinner on the table on busy nights.
Outsource
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“Check the guilt and feeling like you should do everything and outsource some of your labor to the grocery store, whether that means a rotisserie chicken or some precut squash or just buying those frozen grains like quinoa or rice and keeping those in the freezer,” says Catherine.
Give leftovers a lift
Smart says one way to jazz up yesterday’s food is to change the flavor profile. “For instance, we had Italian (last) night. You want to take that leftover pasta and toss it with our ‘Not Just Salad Dressing’ or something with a different meat and veg, whether it's Asian or Mediterranean. Another just great tip is I always love to make fried rice. Add eggs and sesame oil, a little soy sauce” and you’ve got a new meal, she says.
Spice things up
Catherine says condiments and spices are having a moment during the pandemic. It’s all about a little prep. “Whether it's a chili crisp or a vinaigrette, stock your pantry and then whatever you have in the fridge, the freezer, you can turn it into dinner that actually is really delicious.”
Catherine cooked up a quick and easy miso soba noodle salad with our own Maria Sansone. Watch above for the easy recipe.
