Sara Forte's 40 Forever Ingredients
Dinner Tetris in The Sprouted Kitchen
Welcome to Dinner Tetris, the new name for an advice column here at 40 Ingredients Forever where a reader shares the ingredients they always have on hand and I’ll dream up three dinners using those ingredients. If you’d like your pantries Tetris-ed into dinners, head here.
Sara Forte’s recipes—on Sprouted Kitchen, in first two cookbooks, and in her brand-new third cookbook—have so many colors, textures, and vegetables, it makes total sense she used to work on an organic farm in San Luis Obispo. But her food is more realistic than rarefied. That’s because she used to work at Trader Joe’s (and she’s feeding two kids now, too).
“TJ’s does not have the most beautiful produce you can find, by a stretch,” she wrote to me, “but people really just want to make a good dinner (you know this well!) and they don't want it to take a lot of time, but ideally it's healthy-ish and nice to look at and I feel that informs a lot of how I cook now.”
I agree! I adore that in her latest cookbook, Around Our Table, there’s a recipe for pizza knots followed by one for halloumi and nectarine skewers. She recommends adding bacon to her veggie burgers, and using vegenaise instead of regular mayo because of its milder taste. I’ve been cooking her recipes since we worked together on her first book, oh my god 12 years ago. We bonded because we’re shy and we love salad; this one, every fall.
Until I get to her beachy town, I’m making Sara three dinners here using her 40 forever ingredients (all of which you can find at TJ’s, or Safeway, or wherever you shop). Then scroll down for PhD student Lucy’s 40 ingredients and three dinners Caroline made for her.
P.S. avocado giveaway ends on Monday!
Sara Forte’s 40 Forever Ingredients
Pantry: olive oil, coconut oil, vinegar (apple cider, Champagne, red wine, and rice used most often), lentils (red for soups and hummus or de puy for salads and soups), rice (Cal Rose short grain white, jasmine or short grain brown), coconut milk, canned chickpeas, almond flour, dark chocolate chips, fire roasted crushed tomatoes, tahini, pistachios, almonds, pumpkin seeds, chili crisp, crackers
Countertop: lemons, limes, sweet potatoes, avocados, bananas, mangos (kids love them), onions, garlic, ginger
Fridge: eggs, parm, plain yogurt, sheep's milk feta, cauliflower, carrots, berries, salad greens, tortillas, veganaise, pickled pepperoncini peppers, olives, miso paste, flat leaf parsley, cilantro
Three Dinners Using Sara’s 40 Ingredients
🥑Chili Crisp Avocado Tostadas
Tortillas, avocados, eggs, chili crisp, cilantro, lime
My go-to order at For All Things Good, which was on the corner of my block when I lived in Brooklyn, was the Black Bean and Avocado Tlayudita. For a home-fashioned version of the thin, big tortilla chip topped with black beans, avocado, salsa macha, and fried shallots, let’s fry some corn tortillas until stiff, then shingle them with sliced avocados. Sprinkle with salt and squeeze with lime. Fry eggs in chili crisp, then lay them on top of the avocado. Sprinkle with cilantro and a another squeeze of lime.
🕶️Grilled Cauliflower with Chickpeas & Whipped Feta
Cauliflower, chickpeas, lemon, olive oil, olives, parsley, feta, yogurt, garlic
Use this recipe as a guide: Cut a head of cauliflower into slabs and transfer any little bits to a medium bowl. To the bowl bits, add drained chickpeas, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, chopped olives, and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Now we whip feta how Sara teaches us in her book: In a food processor, pulse feta (8 oz), Greek yogurt (1/2 cup), a clove of garlic, and pepper until smooth and fluffy, about a minute. Grill the cauliflower like so, then top with a swoosh of whipped feta and a pour of the chickpeas.
🥭Carrot-Mango Salad
Carrots, lentils, pumpkin seeds, tahini, lime, cilantro, salad greens, mango
No promises that this one will work out. Is it too weird? Inspired by the Carrot Avocado Salad from ABC Kitchen and Ottolenghi’s eggplant-mango noodles, on a sheet pan, toss together thin spears of carrots, cooked de puy lentils, and pumpkin seeds. Roast at 400°F for about 20 minutes until the carrots are tender and the lentils and pumpkin seeds are crisp.
Meanwhile, make a dressing with tahini, lime, and a heap of chopped cilantro. Scatter the carrots, lentils, and seeds on a bed of salad greens. Shingle in some sliced mango. Drizzle with the dressing, and more cilantro.
The cook: Lucy (she/her)
Occupation: PhD student
Residing in: North Carolina
Feeding: One
Notes: I just cook for myself but like to have leftovers/meal prep. Grad-student-budget-friendly ideas are appreciated!
Forever ingredients:
Proteins and starches: Farro, pasta, rice, vacuum-packed udon noodles, canned beans (chickpea, black bean), chicken sausage or ground turkey, peanut butter
Vegetables: Onion, garlic, spinach, bell pepper, jalapeño, scallions, lemon, lime, canned crushed tomatoes
Dairy: Eggs, feta cheese, parmesan cheese, oat milk
Other: Olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes, sriracha, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, honey, chili powder, capers, kalamata olives