Air Fryer Burrito

I recently read Margaret Eby’s “You Gotta Eat.” As the blurb says:

A trained chef teaches you how to keep yourself fed–and maybe even enjoy it!–in the face of stress, burnout, and exhaustion.

Eby makes a great point about cooking: “the best food is the food that you’ll eat.” I forget that a lot when planning what to cook for the week. I want to make fancy, gourmet, health-conscious meals that feel special. But when it’s actually time to make lunch or dinner, I have the energy to…microwave something. Or boil water. Maybe even stick something in the toaster oven / air fryer.

The book is organized by that kind of energy level, with chapters like “Open something” and “Microwave something.” You can open a can of soup and maybe add a few things to level it up. Or make microwave eggs, rice, cakes, etc.

There are some things in the book I already make, although my versions are even lazier, like nachos, ramen, and boxed mac ‘n’ cheese. But it’s interesting to see and learn from Eby’s variations and additions. Since reading it I topped a microwaved potato with leftover chicken, butter chicken sauce from a jar, and microwaved peas, and called it dinner. It was low effort delicious.

For dinner this week I tried Eby’s sheet pan formula: cut up a bunch of veggies (or buy them pre-cut!), add a protein, add oil and salt and pepper and spices, and bake until cooked and browned. That last part made me nervous — what if the protein isn’t cooked through? So I decided to stick to my usual 35 minutes at 425 F for boneless skinless chicken thighs, then 1-2 minutes under the broiler. I also used parchment paper, whereas Eby recommends placing everything directly on the pan. It’s just a pain to scrub off.

I also made Eby’s “sheet pan sauce”: 2 tablespoons tahini, 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, and 2 tablespoons water. It sounds weird but it’s sweet and nutty. I put some on the chicken before baking and drizzled it on afterwards.

Overall, the book is more of a mindset than a set of recipes. I’m looking forward to trying out more of the concepts and combinations.