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What does “feel-good food” mean? It depends on who you ask. That’s why, each month, our Feel-Good Food Plan—with nourishing recipes and a few wild cards—is hosted by someone new. For December, senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk shares how he eats during his off-hours as someone who bakes for a living.
As an editor at Bon Appétit and Epicurious, I create all sorts of recipes, but my coworkers will tell you first: I specialize in cookies. (I did write a whole book about them.) From July through September, I spend almost every work day thinking about cookies, talking about cookies, and yes, baking cookies. In fact, I developed all of BA’s holiday cookies this year.
“Develop” is industry speak for: pitch ideas to our editors, workshop them until we have every detail just right, bake round after round in the test kitchen with a team tasting after each, then write up the recipes and send those to a cross-tester, troubleshoot any feedback, and finally work through multiple stages of edits. It takes months from start to finish.
All this might sound cool (it is!), but it also means I’m eating cookies extremely often. When I’m developing a cookie recipe, I bake it over and over, tasting each batch multiple times to pinpoint the exact changes I need to make. Often I plunge straight into the bowl of raw cookie dough [editor’s note: please do not try this at home] to taste it for seasoning. And once baked, I taste it several more times: when hot, when cooled, after it sat overnight. Again, this might sound cool (it is!), but too much of anything can become exhausting.
Over the years I’ve figured out ways to make sure my body feels good, despite the yearly influx of cookies. This month’s Feel-Good Food Plan is all about finding balance when certain parts of your life are in excess. And if that’s desserts for you too? It’s a fun problem to have.
December’s Feel-Good Recipes
Because I spend my work days surrounded by baked goods, I don’t crave dinners that center sweet flavors or anything bready or too heavy. Not that I have a problem with bread! In fact, I need carbs to sustain my early-morning workouts. But what my body wants most is proteins and veggies. After baking all day, I’ll whip up a super simple meal that highlights proteins such as fish or chicken and whatever produce looks good at the market. Even in the morning I follow this mentality, cooking up egg dishes on weekdays and weekends alike.
Every morning I attend a HIIT class and become ravenous afterward, so I’ve started to cook heartier breakfasts. On the busiest mornings, this can be as simple as smoked salmon folded into scrambled eggs. On more leisurely days, I turn to these spanakopita-inspired eggs. What I love about this recipe—which also makes for a great dinner—is that it is irrefutably savory, hinging on a fuss-free protein and loaded with spinach. But it’s also comforting: It has lots of cream and cheese (as I said, I’m ravenous!). It’s a verdant skillet that comes together in under an hour.
I love chicken breasts, but I acknowledge they need a little love to shine. This recipe cooks them in an unabashed tomato sauce enlivened with preserved lemon. I especially like making this recipe in the colder fall and winter months, when tomatoes are at their saddest. The addition of chopped preserved lemon perks up off-season cherry tomatoes, giving lean chicken a must-needed boost. And as a bonus: The recipe cooks the meat directly in the sauce, making it a weeknight staple for me.
If given the choice of any protein for dinner, my forever favorite will be salmon. There’s something so luxe about cooking it on a weeknight, yet it’s the easiest and quickest to pull off. This recipe has become a go-to of mine thanks to a hardworking blend of spices that crusts the fillets in a flavorful bark reminiscent of pastrami. Served alongside a crunchy fennel slaw, it’s an ideal dinner to eat after a long day of work (especially if that work is baking).
I’ve never been a fan of tempeh. I struggled with its fermented, slightly bitter flavor and crumbly texture, but this recipe changed my mind. Paired with shredded coconut and infused with the punchy flavors of fish sauce, garlic, ginger, and plenty of lime, this plant protein has become a new essential for me. (Thank you, fellow test kitchen editor Kendra!) I like to eat mine over cooked rice—mixing it all together to become one comforting amalgamation—but serving it with lettuce or noodles would be equally delicious.
More Feel-Good Finds for the Month
Recently my toes started hurting after exercising. (Yes, just my toes. Weird, I know.) After doing some research online, I learned I was wearing the wrong type of shoe for the workout I was doing. Instead of wearing running shoes—which are flexible, lightweight, and curved—I needed to switch to a pair that was specifically designed to be used for cross-training: flatter and more rigid. I decided to splurge and buy a pair of cross-trainers that were recommended to me by multiple people. As soon as I started using them, my toe pain was gone and my squats were more balanced.
Once I get to work, I switch into a pair of Dr. Martens to wear in the kitchen. And while my colleague Kendra might question my decision to wear them, I find them surprisingly comfortable. I don’t wear the classic boots (that would be crazy), but a more casual, lighter pair that proves to be totally wearable even after eight hours of standing. You can tell I wear them every day while cooking from the crusty sheen of oil coating the leather.
I’ve made it a goal to jog the perimeter of my local park at least once a week. Luckily I live by Prospect Park in Brooklyn, which has a three-mile running loop. When I first embarked on this journey, I would hold my phone in my hand as I jogged. Then I splurged and bought myself a running belt that holds my keys, wallet, and phone. Having my hands free as I jog has changed everything. I’m able to zone out and just run. I queue up a playlist (lately FKA Twigs, Cobrah, and Eartheater) and stash my phone in my belt. It’s a small purchase that has made my jogs so much more enjoyable. Without the distraction of my phone, I’m able to enter an almost meditative state and sometimes even forget that I am, in fact, running.
I play video games almost every night before bed. I have a handheld Nintendo Switch Lite, which means I can take it to bed with me. I love diving into narrative-driven games that some would dub “cozy.” These types of video games play out more like a graphic novel versus the shoot-’em-up style games many people associate with the pastime. My current obsession is a game called Inside, which follows an unnamed character as they try to navigate a monochromatic, dystopian world. The game has hardly any sound or color, and it puts me in such a relaxed state. It’s dark and moody, unfolding its murky storyline like an arthouse film.
That’s all from me for the month! Keep an eye out for next month’s Feel-Good Food Plan, when test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin shares a comforting soup for the next time you’re under the weather. Until then, have fun baking holiday cookies—and tag me on Instagram if you make any of mine!
