What I Cooked This Week: April 27–May 3

Tripp
April 29th, Swamp sauce chickpea fusilli with sous vide chicken breast and toasted chili oil bread crumbs
April 29th Dinner
A running list of what I am cooking. Use it for ideas, inspiration, or just to entertain your boredom. I’ll keep it simple. Each entry will include:
  • What I cooked (don't worry, there's always a photo)
  • What I experimented with
  • What I liked and disliked
  • Other thoughts (I'll try to spare you here - I'm a cutthroat critic of my own cooking)

 

April 20, 2025

Small salad in big bowl

Don't worry, this was for lunch. And I ate the dry chicken from last night on the side for a protein bump. Kale salad massaged with avocado, fresh orange slices, jumbo blueberries, bland pistachios, sweet honey pecans, goat cheese crumbles, pickled onions, and Defined Dish salad dressing (my go to recipe for every under-thought-out salad)

Kale salad massaged with avocado, fresh orange slices, jumbo blueberries, bland pistachios, sweet honey pecans, goat cheese crumbles, and Defined Dish salad dressing

What I experimented with:

  • Nothing. I eat this multiple times per week. It’s the stimulant that keeps me from nodding off in the slow, hot drag of Houston traffic.
What I liked and disliked

  • ✅ This salad is amazing
Takeaway:
A big bowl of kale salad with the misfits or extra in your fridge, topped with a good dressing, always make for an exceptional and healthy meal (or snack).

Rating: 9.3/10

April 29, 2025

Swamp chickpea fusilli with sous vide chicken breast & toasted chili oil breadcrumbs

Kind of a weird one to start with. I’ve never cooked this before — and I rarely eat this combination of ingredients.

swamp chickpea fusilli with sous vide chicken and chili oil breadcrumbs

What I experimented with:

  • "Swamp sauce" - Blanched kale, parsley, serrano, garlic, lemon juice and zest, EVOO, S&P.
  • Flavored bread crumbs - not sure why I haven't been doing this
What I liked and disliked

  • ✅ Swamp sauce: tasty and nutritious. It needed to be thinned out by more pasta water than I expected - ended up a bit dry.
  • ✅ Flavored bread crumbs: crunchy, spicy, and saved the texture of this otherwise mushy dish.
  • ❌ Sous vide chicken - about the only way I'll cook a boneless, skinless (read: flavorless) chicken breast. Salted 8 hours ahead. Flavor was solid, but slightly dry. Maybe overbrined? Sous vide at 158 F for 1 hour > rested 10 min > seared in leftover shallot avocado oil.
  • ❌ Chickpea fusilli is meh. Despite the ❌, I actually liked it. But it pales in comparison to an al dente egg and semolina noodle.
Takeaway:
A weirdly satisfying plate of health food dressed up like real pasta — the breadcrumbs did the heavy lifting.

Rating: 6.3/10

April 28, 2025

Pan fried flounder with lemon caper butter sauce, duck fat baby golds, and sauteed aspargus with chili oil breadcrumbs
A running list of what I am cooking. Use it for ideas, inspiration, or just to entertain your boredom. I’ll keep it simple. Each entry will include: What I cooked (don't worry, there's always a photo) What I experimented with What I liked and disliked Other thoughts (I'll try to spare you here - I'm a cutthroat critic of my own cooking) April 29, 2025 Swamp chickpea fusilli with sous vide chicken breast & toasted chili oil breadcrumbs Kind of a weird one to start with. I’ve never cooked this before — and I rarely eat this combination of ingredients. What I experimented with: "Swamp sauce" - Blanched kale, parsley, serrano, garlic, lemon juice and zest, EVOO, S&P. Flavored bread crumbs - not sure why I haven't been doing this What I liked and disliked ✅ Swamp sauce: tasty and nutritious. It needed to be thinned out by more pasta water than I expected - ended up a bit dry. ✅ Flavored bread crumbs: crunchy, spicy, and saved the texture of this otherwise mushy dish. ❌ Sous vide chicken - about the only way I'll cook a boneless, skinless (read: flavorless) chicken breast. Salted 8 hours ahead. Flavor was solid, but slightly dry. Maybe overbrined? Sous vide at 158 F for 1 hour > rested 10 min > seared in leftover shallot avocado oil. ❌ Chickpea fusilli is meh. Despite the ❌, I actually liked it. But it pales in comparison to an al dente egg and semolina noodle. Takeaway: A weirdly satisfying plate of health food dressed up like real pasta — the breadcrumbs did the heavy lifting. Rating: 6.3/10 April 28, 2025 Pan fried flounder with lemon caper butter sauce, duck fat baby golds, and sauteed aspargus with chili oil breadcrumbs

What I experimented with:

  • Cornstarch crusted flounder (nothing else in crust)
  • Flavored Toasted Breadcrumbs
What I liked and disliked

  • ✅ Flounder. Always liked it, but it fried nicely. Cornstarch crust nothing special but helped with crisp for sure. Crispy is homosapiens favorite food characteristic
  • ✅ Flavored bread crumbs (see Apr 29 for notes)
  • ✅ Duck fat potatoes always get the praise they deserve from me
Takeaway:
Pan fry more fish at home.

Rating: 8.1/10

April 27, 2025

Rainbow trout fish tacos with a citrus slaw, pickled onions, jalapeno crema on mitad y mitad tortillas, served with tostones and roasted corn

Sunday afternoon type meal

Rainbow trout fish tacos with a citrus slaw, pickled onions, jalapeno crema on mitad y mitad tortillas, served with tostones and roasted corn

What I experimented with:

  • Tostones - eaten them many times, even had carrots cooked tostones style, but never made them myself
What I liked and disliked

  • ✅ Grilled rainbow trout, though slightly fishier than most tacos
  • ✅ Tostones. Popped them like candy
  • ✅ Razor thin citrus cabbage slaw. I used plain greek yogurt to add the creaminess. Light and simple. Emphasis on razor thin.
Takeaway:
Not sure we need a takeaway for every meal. Maybe, eat more tostones? Keep your slaw razor thin unless you want to eat it as a side? Idk.

Rating: 7.7/10