“I’d rather be cooking.”

That’s what I say when any other chore or job takes me away from the kitchen. It was honestly hard to narrow down this month’s roundup of recipes from the vast array of things I cooked. Ultimately, it came to those dishes that made me most satisfied as a cook and kept the family fed. Below are the five recipes I made in October that took the top spot.

I hope one (or a few) of these recipes inspires you to throw together something delicious of your own!

01

Vegan Rice Bowl

This is a recipe that feels really nourishing and life-giving. I basically tried to recreate my favorite thing to order at Tao Natural Foods in Uptown in Minneapolis.

Here’s how to make it: Fill a bowl with hot brown rice, black beans, raw purple onion, avocado, chopped tomatoes, and kimchi. Drizzle the whole thing with toasted sesame oil and some sesame seeds. Enjoy. (YUM.) 

02

Mushroom and Leek Risotto

This is my favorite way to serve risotto and it’s also fancy enough to serve for guests. Plus, it’s a great vegetarian meal that leaves everyone satisfied! You can find a similar recipe below—feel free to adapt which vegetables you include, depending on your preferences!

03

Palak Paneer from Indian-ish

Costco had paneer and I had copious amounts of spinach, so of course I made Priya Krishna’s Palak Paneer recipe from her cookbook, Indian-ish. It’s so easy and flavorful and totally changed how I feel about cooking Indian food at home (a big part of this is because Priya breaks the recipe down so well). If you don’t have the book (which I wholly recommend purchasing!) you can find a similar recipe from Priya online here, which swaps the traditional paneer cheese for feta.

04

Aphrodite’s Roast Chicken from A Table for Friends

I’m pretty proud of my roast chicken but this recipe from Skye McAlpine’s cookbook, A Table for Friends, caught my eye and I wondered if I could learn a thing or two to improve my favorite meal. This is a simple recipe but when you do simple really well it can become something so, so special. And my GOD. The potatoes underneath the chicken catch all the drippings and almost steal the entire show. What a gorgeous mouthful this dish offers. 

05

Cheesy Potatoes

This dish is so simple to make it’s almost not a recipe. I shared it on Instagram Stories and got a bunch of messages from folks who were curious how to make it. So, even though I don’t have a great photo of it (shout-out to the above screenshot from a video I took!), I figured it was well worth including in this month’s recipe roundup.

Here’s how to make it: Season some baby potatoes with olive oil and salt. Roast said potatoes. When they are done roasting, coat them in shredded white cheddar, then pop them back in the oven until the cheese is just melted. Optional: Add a drizzle of your flavored olive oil of choice on top (I used Chili Olive Oil from Brightland!). Enjoy. 

Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.