Closed Loop Cooking Weekly Newsletter 1.1.21

January 1st, 2021

Hi friends,

Happy happy New Year! While we’re still shouldering our way through this Groundhog Day around the sun I want to take a moment to reflect on a few small wins. You too can forget time is an illusion by celebrating the minor victories that made up the-year-that-must-not-be-named.

• Closed Loop Weekly came to fruition. For the last 52 weeks I’ve put out 50 newsletters, sharing the best plant-based, low waste recipes, stories, and food finds to inspire us all to take action. That’s 50 heartfelt letters from the editor I hope have given you something to think and / or scoff about. Thanks for reading y’all.

• We found connection in new ways. In the before times, CLC put on regular pop-up dinners + workshops for this awesome community. Seems like just yesterday we were rolling out dough snakes for our roasted butternut squash gnocchi night. But we found new ways to share–from crafty cocktails we can cheers over Zoom, to peeking into our friend’s kitchens in a new CLC series, to writing about the solo holiday experience, and using bake therapy as a way to cope.

• We looked hard at how far we have to go to protect our BIPOC friends and family. We have so much learning to do and work to create safe space. We took notes on the history of growing food while Black and have reconsidered entirely what it means to create truly accessible foodways.

• I started volunteering with Feed the Mass here in Portland, OR on a weekly basis. While it’s easy to fall into paralysis from the general terrible-ness of global affairs, you can make a real difference in your community given just a couple hours. (They need more volunteers for 2021 folx!) That’s pretty damn magical if you ask me.

• I took pause when I needed it. I’ve never been easy on myself or patient with my process. For the first time, I allowed myself some flexibility and kindness to navigate the overwhelm of uncertainty. And that, my friends, is a moment worth celebrating.

We look back on the past year and forward with resolute intentions. Let’s create space for the present as well. We’re here, now, and this moment matters.

It’s been an absolute pleasure spending time together these 52 weeks. You can look forward to more innovative, creative content in 2021 from the whole team at Closed Loop Cooking. Plus, kitchen fails, snarky words of wisdom, and always, good food + good friends.

Reply back with your 3 small wins, let’s celebrate them!

Stay hungry,Hawnuh Lee | Founder, Closed Loop Cooking

Peace in pom by Hawnuh Lee

To-do’sRepurposing our post-election wind down for a self swaddle at the end of a very, very long 365 days. Soothe that nervous system and embrace a new year filled with plant magic and deep breaths. Thinking back on Moji’s low impact intentions from last year. Making mindful adjustments is a practice in patience but more important than ever as we navigate the necessity for a sustainable future. What is 1 habit shift you can work towards in 2021? (Tell me!)

This week’s required readingAs 2020 winds to a close we consider our comfort foods, snacks we found solace in, and how we found grace on our plates. Check out Maia’s full roundup of what we ate and reply back to this email with your go-to quarantine meal ASAP please.Relics of a Roman food counter. This fascinating find from ancient Pompeii unearthed an intact, beautifully painted thermopolium. Remnants of duck, goat, pig, fish, and snails lined clay pots, offering some insight into these arcane, meaty flavors.Movie sans scene. Restaurants have been the backdrop of our cinematic narratives, from Big Night to Moonlight to Ratatouille. A film landscape in the time of covid looks pretty uncertain without them. Love this expose from The Counter–how will movies tell our stories without neighborhood restaurants?Thinking there might be a parallel between our own human resilience and this reporter’s steadfast quest to uncover the mystery behind the bucatini shortage of 2020. There’s a possibility I’m reading into things, but don’t tell me otherwise.Upcycling empowerment. Intrigued by this early food startup cultivating circular economy in Uganda and Kenya. Solar powered dehydrators turn otherwise wasted tropical fruits into dried snacks to sell in the US and keep dollars local.

The body electricI bet you didn’t know you pee gold. Well, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that is. Diverting urine as a crop fertilizer has been around for thousands of years and we’re finally catching onto the good stuff–improving water management and food production sustainability. Following along with the small-scale demonstrations at University of Michigan.I lost several people close to me this year. We’ve all experienced loss in 2020 in so many different ways. Without having our traditional methods to grieve and find closure, this grief feels nebulous. I found a bit of solace in this heavy thought piece on why grief doesn’t follow a timeline, even if we want it to. Food for thought.

Cookbook clubSetting an intention for more improvisational cooking at home. We’re all about using recipes as a general structure and letting our seasonal inspiration lead the way (or that feeling of guilt you get every time you open the fridge and see the same wilty celery.) When I’m looking for gentle guidance in the kitchen, I always flip open The Nimble Chef by our friend Ronna Welsh out of Purple Kale Kitchenworks in NYC. Start where you are and learn your herbs and their many applications on page 63, dive into a myriad of beets, beginning page 161 and spend time setting up your pantry on page 347. This is one of my favorite cookbooks for figuring out the basics so you can experiment with the ingredients you have access to.

Seasonal eatingThis leek green and potato soup is in my weekly winter rotation and should probably be in yours. Hearty, savory, and a true root to stem blend. We use all of our leeks, greens included, for a little extra color on these grey days. Great with a slice of cast iron skillet bread (herb it up with some rosemary.)Making a weekly batch of homemade creamy tahini to use in dressings, baked goods, stir fries... anything that needs a little sesame goodness. Plus, warm tahini out of the food processor is a little miracle.New year’s adjacent, these vegan black eyed peas with tomatoes and greens from Eating Bird Food are calling my name. You don’t need an annual excuse for delicious plant-based bowl food though.

Here’s what’s for breakfastI, for one, am resolving to indulge in more breakfast food in 2021. This delectable cranberry pear oven pancake is the right way to start your next trip around the sun. Akin to a dutch baby, this festive, plant-based spin is slightly sweet and yours to share, if you’re feeling kind. A great use for your cast-iron skillet, you can use whatever fruit you have on hand, seasonal or frozen. Don’t skimp on those pecans though!

We’re cooking withMore slicing and dicing on the way. I heart this heirloom, round cherry wood cutting board that I can continue to cut on in perpetuity. Your knives will thank you.My kitchen will have a semblance of organization in 2021. I’m stocking up on these minimal, matte storage containers for leftovers and dry goods that will give me a reason to love my pantry again.This gorgeous, patterned, handwoven trivet. All hot things would be so lucky. I want to step into my higher kitchenscape and use utility items that bring me joy.

Listening inDigging into the Storytelling Series from Seeding Sovereignty, hosted by kakichihiwewin project, directed S.A. Lawrence-Welch. With a focus on community building, healing, and resiliency, these conversations discuss issues around forced assimilation and the vital work Indigenous peoples are doing to heal.Does food really bring people together? Restaurant editor at Food & Wine, Khushbu Shah sits in on A Hotdog Is a Sandwich. We ponder why people are averse to trying new foods, the divisive nature of “forgeign foods”, and the value of eating at the table.

AttendWe looove Christine Wong’s dumplings and love a class where we can learn from the best! Ring in the New Year Jan 10th for $25 with some dough folding magic and delicious fillings.Culinary historian Andrew F. Smith is highlighting strategies to tackle food waste, spurred from his latest book, Why Waste Food? Jan 6th, free to virtually attend and pull up a chair. Food waste happens for a reason folx, let’s dig in.

RitualA fervent reminder from poet Andrea Gibson–“In any momenton any given dayI can measure my wellnessby this question:Is my attention on lovingor is my attention onwho isn’t loving me?”Coming back to their words when I don’t remember.

Can’t stop staringBread thread. Pulling a sourdough loaf out now just to meta mitt. Impressed by and somehow not surprised by the amount of carb apparel unfurling here.Internet drama set to music. Wake up Doris, don’t steal broccoli. From @lubalin with gusto.Fully invested in the pink oyster cult. This mushroom makes better techno than any of the previous synth bro sets you’ve heard.

Sippin onWill continue to ring in auld lang style with these festive citrus sage ginger toddies from @micks_magic. With or without a splash of bourbon you will find a delightful wintry concoction to usher in this annual shift.

Make changeSupport a sustainable future for the Indigenous folx of Standing Rock with their new wind farm initiative, Anpetu Wi (morning light of the sun.) This renewable endeavor will help provide essential services in the area and further other green energy independence. Help them reach their goal!

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