recipes I cooked in 2025
Some of the nicer looking food I made this year. I generally don't follow recipes very closely but I have included links to the recipes I used for inspiration, where applicable.
1. This resulted in the Month of Too Much Borscht which I may someday share about (although you can probably get the gist of what happened from the name). I used dried sausage from Taste of Homeland in Moncton and various veggies from the Sackville Farmers' Market
Recipe: https://ifoodreal.com/ukrainian-borscht/
2. Bagels with bryndza (a Macedonian soft cheese that I am obsessed with and lucked into at Taste of Homeland one day) + assorted fruits
3. This was a really nice flank steak I got at the Old Fashion Meat Market in Moncton plus chimichurri
Recipe: https://melissamayo.com/recipe/steak-frites-with-chimichurri-sauce/
4. Some call this "charcuterie". Some call it "girl dinner". I call it a "bug plate" because I think that if I was a bug I would really enjoy it. I also enjoyed it as a human. Notable - Lazur Gold, another cheese that lives rent free in my brain, also from Taste of Homeland
5. So-called lemongrass pork chops, in that they were pork chops with lemongrass on them. I don't have a method to really grill anything so they were baked. This is probably the furthest I have strayed from the source material of a recipe.
Recipe, allegedly: https://www.seriouseats.com/vietnamese-grilled-pork-chop-thit-heo-nuong-xa-recipe
6. Peanut butter chicken, baby. This was the first thing I made when I got back from the field and had access to like a stove and whatnot
Recipe: https://lowcarbafrica.com/moambe-chicken-congo-poulet-moambe/
7. Peanut butter continues with a peanut butter kale soup. Soup is the only place where kale belongs imo. No recipe just vibes - olive oil, onion, garlic, ginger, hot sauce, tomato paste, peanut butter, vegetable stock, lemon juice, kale, cilantro. It's good, it's vegan, I enjoy.
8. This is the second time ever that I have been arsed to caramelize an onion, and I hate that it really elevated the soup.
Recipe: https://cheflolaskitchen.com/doro-wat-ethiopian-chicken-stew/
9. The start of my daily bread baking bonanza. Fresh bread with every meal! This is the second farthest I have strayed from the recipe's guiding light
Recipe: https://lowcarbafrica.com/awaze-tibs-ethiopian-beef-tibs-recipe/
10. For this one I actually followed the recipe pretty closely, but I used chickpeas instead of prawns (also makes it vegan). This is the sort of thing that would usually make somebody go "this prawn curry was horrible, it didn't taste like prawns at all. Also, I used chickpeas instead of prawns." Not me, though, because I'm not a lunatic. I knew exactly what I was doing and acted with premeditation.
Recipe (with prawns): https://www.harighotra.co.uk/malagasy-laoka-vanillia-rice-recipe
Cooking throughout 2025 allowed me to explore a range of flavors and cultures from around the world, often adapting recipes to suit my tastes or available ingredients. For example, the Month of Too Much Borscht was a culinary adventure centered around a classic Ukrainian beet soup, enhanced by quality dried sausage from local favorites like Taste of Homeland in Moncton and fresh produce from the Sackville Farmers' Market. One of my standout dishes was the bagels with bryndza, a Macedonian soft cheese that I discovered serendipitously. This cheese added a creamy tang to simple bagels paired with assorted fresh fruits, making for a delightfully light and satisfying meal. Similarly, the charcuterie-inspired "bug plate" featured Lazur Gold cheese, another memorable specialty from Taste of Homeland, paired artistically with various accompaniments — perfect for anyone craving a sophisticated yet casual snack. Grilling skills might not be my strong suit, but I improvised by baking lemongrass pork chops, inspired by Vietnamese flavors. This demonstrated how adapting cooking techniques can yield delicious and authentic results even when traditional methods aren’t available. On the other hand, the peanut butter chicken and accompanying peanut butter kale soup brought contrasting experiences — the former grounded in a Congolese recipe, while the latter was a freeform vegan creation blending olive oil, garlic, ginger, hot sauce, and cilantro. Both offered rich depth through unexpected uses of peanut butter in savory dishes. Bread baking became a daily ritual, providing fresh, warm bread that accompanied many of my meals. This commitment to homemade staples added an enriching tactile and aromatic dimension to my cooking journey. Another highlight was the vegan adaptation of a prawn curry recipe, where chickpeas replaced seafood, proving how thoughtful substitutions can preserve flavor harmony while addressing dietary preferences. These dishes reflect not only a broad geographical culinary exploration — including Ukrainian, Macedonian, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, and Malagasy influences — but also a flexible, intuition-led approach to cooking. Incorporating local ingredients, experimenting with plant-based options, and valuing freshness over strict adherence to recipes made each meal both nutritious and gratifying. For enthusiasts looking to diversify their cooking style, embracing imperfections and personal touches can transform traditional recipes into personalized masterpieces that resonate with everyday life and adventurous palettes alike.
