Honey Sriracha Salmon with Miso Butter Ranch Rice
& testing cookbook recipes!
Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every week! Paid subscribers get even more on Saturdays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!
CATCH UP!
So, what’s new over here? I’ve been eating hot honey eggs with cheddar and lots of sumo citrus, seeing family, and testing so many recipes for my cookbook! One of the hardest things about working on a cookbook is not being able to share everything in real time. I make something I’m SO excited about, but then I have to hold it close.
I was really nervous to write a cookbook because I know how much of a time commitment it is, and when you pour your heart and soul into a creative project, it’s just a lot mentally. To add an even deeper layer, I decided to do this project the same year as having a baby, but everyone told me it was going to be fine. I wasn’t so convinced, if I’m being honest.
I’ve had my fair share of panic, for sure, but so far, this process has actually been way more enjoyable than stressful. I look forward to evenings when I recipe test — it’s the one opportunity I have to put something on the TV and just get in the zone. I don’t have to worry about lighting or angles or filming — I just have to make sure I write everything down, meticulously. I’ve made many of these recipes 4 or 5 times, and that’s before I send them to a recipe tester who will help give me feedback. Talk to me in 5 months and maybe I’ll be stressed and spiraling, but it feels really nice to have this project outside of social media.
That being said, I have started making an effort to get up earlier so I can have a few more hours in the day and continue to make content in the meantime. Even though I’m a little more tired, I end up feeling more relaxed. I love getting things done in the morning! I feel like I’m entering a new era. But again, talk to me in a month. I’m sure I’ll be eating my words!
THINGS I’M LOVING
My mother-in-law turned me onto this Mississippi Roast recipe from New York Times Cooking, and I’ve made it a couple of times now using the chuck roast I received in my Butcher Box. I’ve been trying to make more slow cooker recipes, and this one is really easy — I like it served over roasted potatoes. Anything with pepperoncini, and I’m in!
I’m really loving Old Navy in general right now — I’ve been getting myself and Sagan some very affordable, natural fiber options. I bought their wide-leg baggy jeans a couple months ago, which I wear all the time, so I got the shorts version that I love just as much. I’ve also fed my striped shirt obsession with this insanely cheap heavyweight crewneck. I love this little romper I got for Sagan and these jogger pants that are actually for toddler girls but bought for him to wear later.
I almost don’t want to share this product because it’s so expensive, but it’s just too good. And I’m never someone who cared about eye cream until a baby threw my sleep out of whack, and now my eyes are my most tended to feature on my face (especially if you know all the issues I’ve been having, ha.) I started using this Clarins Total Eye Lift Cream alongside my Three Ships Eye Masks, and I am loving how well it works. It just helps to perk up the skin around the eyes for those mornings you're feeling tired and filled with dark circles. Is it a necessity? Absolutely not. Do I enjoy it during this postpartum period of my life? Yes. I am minimal with my skincare, and this is one of the few products I’ve actually committed to.
DISCOUNT CODES!
~NEW CODE ALERT: NEEDED (in the supplements section)~
Supplements
KALEMEMAYBE25 gets you 30% off your first order with Ritual!
Use my link to get up to 45% off Grüns gummy vitamins!
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Armra Colostrum!
CARINA gets you 15% off Perelel Vitamins
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 20% off your first order at Needed
Food & Drink
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 10% off Fishwife products
DRIZZLE gets you 20% off Little Zing Mustard
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Kola Goodies tea lattes
CARINA20 gets you 20% off Primal Kitchen products
KALEMEMAYBE15 gets you 15% off Flour & Water products
CARINA20 gets you 20% off Juliet Wine!
CARINAWOLFF gets you 40% off your first order with Hungryroot!
CARINA20 gets you 20% off of Algae Cooking Club
Use my link to get 30% off your first order and a free gift from Thrive Market
KALEMEMAYBE10 gets you 10% off Culture Pop Soda
CARINAWOLFF gets you $30 off your first box + free croissants for life from Wildgrain
KMM25 gets you 25% off your whole order at Ground Up Nut Butters
KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Ippodo Tea (my favorite matcha)!
Home & Other Products
CARINA10 gets you 10% off Starter Kits from Branch Basics!
CW15 gets you 15% off Bon Charge Red Light Therapy
Use my link to get 20% off at Canopy
CARINA10 gets you 10% off at Print Fresh (100% cotton pajamas)
Use this link to get 10% off your order at Tubby Todd!
RECIPE!
I love bringing back recipes from my early days of cooking. Back in the ancient days of the early 2010s, I was obsessed with honey sriracha salmon. It was a staple in the apartment I shared with my post-college roommate and bestie Greer, and I know we just felt so gourmet making it. And you know what — WE WERE.
I stand by you, honey sriracha salmon recipe. And now I’ve paired this oldie with something new: miso butter ranch rice, a riff on an idea I saw from Glow with Ella. I added a little cucumber avocado salad to make sure I got in my vegetables, and it was such a flavorful, nourishing bowl that only takes 30 minutes or so!
Honey Sriracha Salmon with Miso Butter Ranch Rice
Ingredients (serves 2)
Honey Sriracha Salmon
1 pound salmon, cut into smaller fillets
Sriracha
Honey
Black pepper
Sesame seeds
Miso Butter Ranch Rice
1 cup uncooked medium-grain rice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons white miso paste
1 teaspoon ranch seasoning (I used Barnacle Foods Kelp Ranch)
Cucumber Avocado Salad
1 medium Persian cucumber, diced
1 medium avocado, diced
1 bunch green onion, sliced
Soy sauce
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Rinse your rise, and then add it to a pot with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until rice is fully cooked and liquid is absorbed, and then let sit with the lid on for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and add the salmon. Pat dry, and then top each fillet with a drizzle of sriracha and honey. I almost never exactly measure, I just drizzle on enough of each to be able to spread across the fillet using a spoon. Add a little black pepper, and then bake for 15 minutes.
3. When rice is done cooking, add the butter, miso, and ranch seasoning. Cover the pot, and let everything sit for 5 minutes to let the butter melt and the miso soften. Mix together until well combined.
4. In a small bowl, combine cucumber, avocado, scallion, and a splash of soy sauce.
5. Divide the rice into 2 bowls, and top with cucumber avocado salad and salmon. Top with more sesame seeds, if desired, and serve warm!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for cabbage soup! Sooo healing and ready in 30 minutes!
Just a reminder that anytime you become a paid subscriber, you get access to ALL of the past recipes in the archive. You can always do a free 7-day trial as well!