Smashed Egg & Rice Bowl with Chili Crunch

and do we always need to be in a period of self-growth?

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 in your inbox every Tuesday, and paid subscribers receive even more every Friday! You can also try a week for free!

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CATCH UP!

Over the weekend, I went to a bachelorette, and we played this card game called “We Are Not Really Strangers.” It ended up being a very special time where everyone really opened up and got vulnerable, and it left me with a lot of thoughts.

The main one I’ve been pondering is: is it always important to be in a time of self-growth?

As some of the girls discussed what they were going through in life, I felt myself experience a tinge of envy that I wasn’t going through a time period of powerful discovery, change, and healing. And I know it’s almost silly to say that, because oftentimes those periods are emotionally draining, exhausting, and bewildering. I know because I’ve gone through them, but I also know how magical it feels to come out the other side. Some of my favorite years of my twenties were those spent digging deep into my psyche and trying to put the pieces of life together.

So I wondered, should we always be reaching for self-growth, or should we enjoy the time that we are feeling confident and more carefree?

I brought this up to Grant when I got home, and he confidently said that we should absolutely not always be trying to go through growth. And I think I may agree, but the other part of me feels like maybe trying to mature and grow all the time feels like something that is tied to my identity. I thrive when I’m reading philosophical works or psychological concepts or even inspiring pieces of fiction or art. I enjoy discovering things about myself that I can work on, and I especially love having conversations with other people about that self-work, partially because I feel like it motivates them, but also, truthfully, because I enjoy how it makes them perceive me.

When I sat there listening to those other girls, I thought to myself, wow, I haven’t had that in a while. And I couldn’t decide if that was negative or positive because I definitely feel happy with who I am and where I’m at and the person that I’ve become. But I also know there is always room for learning and changing.

“It’s just where you are in life right now,” Grant told me, and I think for now I will accept that. Improving yourself is an ebb and flow, and I think we lose momentum if we tire ourselves out by constantly self-analyzing. I also think it’s important not to let self-work become your identity. At a certain point, many of these tools we learn will become second nature, but also some will fall off, and we will have to start again. If we rely on them too much for a self-confidence boost, we will only be left disappointed. There is beauty in those “cruising” time periods because really, isn’t that what we are aspiring towards?

THINGS I’M LOVING

Beach Necessity: At the aforementioned bachelorette in Florida over the weekend, the bride bought us the cutest beach towels! I’m a sucker for floral print, and I loved the retro vibe! There are a lot of groovy options when it comes to these beach towels from Cotton On, and there’s even a really cool checkered one if floral isn’t your thing.

Kitchen Item: I got these Staub Mini Cocottes as a wedding registry item, and every time I post them in a video, everyone goes nuts! I figured that must make them newsletter worthy. What would you make in these mini cuties, you ask? How about some Çilbir-Inspired Eggs en Cocotte or Healthy Lava Cakes with Ice Cream?

Ingredient: Okay, I’m going to let you all in on a little secret. In 2020, my friend introduced us to the best rice I’ve ever had in my life, and Grant and I have been rice OBSESSED ever since. In fact, this is the rice used in the recipe below. I can’t explain why, but this Koda Farms Kokuho Rose Rice is the best rice I’ve ever tasted, both their brown and white. It’s perfectly fluffy while perfectly chewy and just so moist and incredible. Any time I make it for someone, they ask how I did it, and I tell them, “It’s not me, it’s the rice.” We just cook it with water and salt in our pressure cooker, and it comes out flawless every time. I buy mine at Cookbook Market in Highland Park (LA), but you can check out their site to find out where to get it near you!

RECIPE!

This breakfast (could also be lunch, or hey, even dinner!) is super simple and easy, but it’s balanced and delicious! I got the idea to make this after seeing Justine Snacks make something similar, but these flavors and combos are essentially from Chinese cooking! Especially with the chili crunch, also known as chili crisp. I used Momofuku’s Chili Crunch for this one, which they say is a combination of Chinese Chili Crisp and Mexican Salsa Macha. But a regular chili crisp here works just perfectly (Fly By Jing is another great option!)

Smashed Egg & Rice Bowl with Chili Crunch

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup cooked rice

• 1/2 avocado, thinly sliced

• 1-2 tsp chili crunch/crisp (see above for recs!)

• 1 scallion stalk, thinly sliced

• Sesame seeds

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, gently lower the eggs in, and set a timer for 6 1/2 minutes. Prepare a bowl filled with ice water, and when the egg timer is up, immediately transfer to the ice water to let cool.

2. Add cooked rice to a bowl. Once the eggs have cooled, peel, cut in half lengthwise, and add to the bowl. Smash with a fork. Add the avocado slices.

3. Drizzle on the chili crisp, and then top with scallions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

DISCOUNT CODES

Fable: Code KALEMEMAYBE10 for 10% off ceramic dishware

Ruggable: Code KALEMEMAYBE10 for 10% off

Bindle: BEACHDAY for 20% off!

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