Mediterranean Salmon bowl with Chickpea Mash

Hello!

Happy 2025. It’s officially the middle of the decade!

It’s kinda crazy to think about, and to also reflect on how the last 5 years have changed.

5 years since covid started, 5 years since I first left the “traditional path” and went to culinary school, and 5 years since I met Shiping. There have been many unique experiences, challenges, new routines, and life milestones - I can’t pinpoint a single thing that was most memorable or meaningful. But instead, many moments that have created the life I love right now and many memories that I will treasure dearly.

I still love the same foods as I did back in 2020 - salads, homestyle Chinese food, balanced meals, cookies, and ice cream, but I find myself eating a lot more fish these days (very fitting that I’m sharing a salmon recipe today!)

Over the past 5 years, I’ve found my own style of food I like to create and eat, and I feel like I’ve grown up a lot in the sense of adulting. 5 years ago, I enjoyed cooking but never made dinner regularly (I traveled a lot for work back then and Sweetgreen was my dinner most nights…).

These past 5 years have been some of the best years of my life, but I can also only imagine the next 5 years to be just as great, or even better. I hope to revisit this newsletter January 2030 and reassess how my eating habits have changed… I bet they will!

I’m curious to know, how have your eating habits changed since 2020? Is there something that’s noticeably different? Something that you’re proud of, or want to learn more about? Let me know in the comments below.

To kick off the new year,

I’m sharing a simple but delicious salmon dinner. 

It’s mediterranean-esc with mashed chickpeas, tomatoes, and green olives.

The mashed chickpeas are a version of braised beans - something I love to eat, and is an elegant and fiber packed side dish. I throw in some spinach at the end to add in some leafy greens into the meal, and it’s so, so good. 

Finish the mashed chickpeas with some chopped fresh parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and you’ll feel really good eating this.

It tastes clean, is flavorful, and it’s a fresh way (in my books!) of eating salmon. 

Other recipes to make this week

In addition to this salmon bowl that would be perfect for dinner one night this week, there are a few other recipes that are new to my website.

Lately, I’ve been craving foods that feel different.

I’m a bit bored with my usual go-to’s, and I’m very open to trying new flavor profiles and using new ingredients.

This salad recipe was inspired by a 7 layer dip my mom told me she had on new year’s eve. Shiping and I ate it on a casual Saturday for lunch, and we both LOVED it - it was super flavorful, slightly familiar, and very satisfying.

That questionable pile of brown on the side of the salad is refried beans. I know it’s not the most beautiful thing (I probably should have spread a layer of it on the bottom of the bowl for a nicer presentation), but it complements the salad really well. It’s totally optional and isn’t *needed*, but we both enjoyed it on the side.

Grilled Chicken 7 Layer Dip Salad

Now, onto our Mediterranean Salmon Bowl with Chickpea Mash: