“The recipes (in Laura's new cookbook Recipes for an Aching Heart) represent the delicacy of our bodies during grief and stress, and they are meant to nourish both physically and emotionally. They are simplified and softened compared to my previous books, and that is what we need in a season of suffering. I encourage anyone who uses this book to constantly return to their humanity and treat themselves with the kindness and delicacy that I’m sure they do others.” - Laura Lea
Asian Tuna Salad Boats
Single serving
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini
- Pinches salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon mayonnaise (sub tahini)
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- ¼” piece ginger, freshly grated (sub a pinch of ground ginger)
- 2 tablespoons kimchi, roughly chopped
- 2.6 ounces tuna ( I buy the single-serving packets but you could also use approximately ½ of a 5 oz can)
- Optional: 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot or red onion
- Optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds, honey-roasted peanuts, cilantro, chives or green onion
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with nonstick parchment.
- Trim the ends of your zucchini and slice in half, lengthwise. Use a metal spoon to scrape out the middle of each half, trying not to cut through the bottom. You can freeze the inside flesh to throw in smoothies!
- Place zucchini halves flesh-side up and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a small bowl, combine sesame oil, mayo, maple syrup, tamari, garlic, ginger, kimchi and onion/shallot, if using. Whisk together, then fold in tuna.
- Allow zucchini halves to cool for 5 minutes (this is also delicious chilled), then fill halves with tuna mixture. Add any optional garnish of choice and enjoy!
Rotisserie Chicken Brunswick Stew
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 medium rotisserie chicken, meat pulled off (I suggest the plain or salt and pepper flavor. Sub 1 ¾ pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs and cook in an IP or crockpot*)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 ounce can butter beans, rinsed and drain
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced into ¼” pieces
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup tomato-based BBQ sauce (can you store-bought or the recipes from my IP BBQ Chicken Thighs page X)
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 12 ounces frozen mixed veggies
Directions
*NOTE: I recommend pulling your rotisserie chicken while it’s still warm, because it’s so much easier to pull than when it cools.
- Heat a large soup or stock pot to medium and add avocado oil. When oil moves quickly around the pan, add diced onion. Saute 3-4 minutes, until softened and translucent. Turn heat to low and add a splash of water, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir constantly for 30 seconds.
- Add pulled chicken, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, 2 cups water and broth. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer soup for 15 minutes, then add frozen mixed veggies and butter beans. Simmer until veggies are thawed and warmed through. Add more seasoning to taste before serving.
- Reheat on the stove. Leftovers will keep tightly sealed in the fridge up to 4 days or frozen 3 months (you may want to freeze in individual servings).
Pumpkin Pie Cobbler
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Scant ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar (sub granulated monkfruit sweetener or coconut sugar)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (sub gluten-free AP flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (sub refined coconut oil)
- ¼ unsweetened milk of choice, room temperature
- ½ cup raw pecans, roughly chopped
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick parchment.
- In a blender, combine cream cheese, egg, pumpkin, starch, vanilla 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and 6 tablespoons sugar. Blend until smooth and pour into baking dish.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together remaining ¼ cup sugar, remaining ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, flour, baking powder and salt. Pour in butter and milk and mix to form a wet dough. Fold in pecans. Evenly dollop over pumpkin filling in approximate tablespoons. Bake for 40 minutes, then cool 20 minutes before serving.
- Reheat in the microwave or in the oven at 300 until warmed through. Leftovers will keep in the fridge up to 4 days. Do not freeze.