Welcome to the July 2025 version of RPL at House, the place I share what I’m as much as once I’m not within the kitchen or in entrance of the digicam. 

Every month (or so), I offer you a glimpse into what I’m engaged on, habits I’m cultivating, issues bringing me pleasure, books/TV reveals/podcasts I’m having fun with, and extra. Consider it as stream-of-consciousness blabbering meets a semi-curated record of suggestions meets life replace.

👩🏽‍🍳 Thrilling replace! 

In case you missed the e-mail announcement, newest YouTube video, and Instagram submit, I needed to share some thrilling information right here! 

I’m formally a contributor to New York Instances Cooking!  

A number of months in the past, I obtained a message from NYT Cooking that mentioned one thing like, “We love your recipes and content material! Would you prefer to collaborate?” 

I assumed it was a phishing try as a result of why would the New York Instances be excited about little ol’ me? 

Seems it was not a phishing try! They actually favored my recipes and cookbook, Massive Vegan Taste, and needed to showcase my recipes and movies 🥹

We met in individual throughout one among my journeys to NYC and after just a few months of hashing out particulars, we’re lastly right here! A number of of my recipes will seem on NYT Cooking’s web site and app, lots of which can even reside on my YouTube channel (and some on the NYT Cooking YouTube channel!). 

After I wrote Massive Vegan Taste, my greatest purpose was to empower residence cooks to cook dinner downright scrumptious meals with out animal merchandise. However I additionally had a secondary purpose, and that was to raise vegan meals within the culinary world at massive, to point out people that you simply don’t want meat or dairy to make meals style unimaginable. 

So being invited to contribute recipes and movies to such a celebrated culinary outlet has been a surreal second for me. Thanks all for watching my movies and making my recipes–your help is the explanation I’ve been given superb alternatives like this! 

You may get my first three recipes on NYT Cooking’s web site or app without spending a dime! 

1) Whipped Tofu Ricotta
2) Heirloom Tomato Salad With Ricotta and Chile Oil
3) Jammy Zucchini 

😎 What I’m engaged on in life 

My relationship to work has been evolving over the previous couple of years, which I’ve written about a number of instances. For these of you who aren’t acquainted, let’s simply say I labored myself to the bone for just a few years, and the stress manifested itself by way of many bodily well being issues. 

I’ve come a good distance since these 90 hour workweeks, and proper now, I can truthfully say I’m in a reasonably good groove: (1) I’m engaged on largely issues I really like, and (2) I’m nonetheless working arduous however approach smarter than earlier than (and approach fewer hours). 

One of many issues that has actually redefined my relationship to work is taking aware breaks in the course of the workday. 

Up to now, once I was bored with working or simply felt like procrastinating, I may need grabbed my telephone as a break…however that by no means actually felt like a real break. For those who’ve ever scrolled social media with no goal, you recognize precisely what I’m speaking about. The expertise doesn’t really feel enjoyable or restorative; actually, it typically feels disturbing or anxiety-inducing. 

Now that I’ve kicked my social media habit, the breaks I take throughout my workday are way more intentional. And actually restorative.

Listed here are a few of my favourite breaks in case you want some inspo for our personal work-life steadiness: 

1) Go for a stroll outdoors. I’m fortunate to reside in a stunning, walkable neighborhood in sunny, temperate San Diego so this can be a no-brainer for me.

2) Sit on my porch and skim a novel for quarter-hour (or some days, 45 minutes).

3) Drink a fizzy beverage and play a crossword puzzle.

4) Shade in my grownup coloring books (deemed “grownup” as a result of the designs are complicated, not as a result of the pages are full of nudes).

I can’t clarify how luxurious it feels to take a seat outdoors in the course of the center of the day and skim a novel. And 95% of the time, I return to my desk feeling higher, extra energetic, and able to work. The opposite 5% of the time, I simply need to proceed studying, which can be okay. 

Taking breaks in the course of the workday won’t sound revolutionary to some people, particularly for readers outdoors of the U.S. the place hustle tradition is just not as pervasive. However as somebody who has struggled with workaholic tendencies and who operates in a nonstop business that rewards fixed work, this seems like my very own little personal revolution. 

What I’m watching, listening to, and studying

📺 Watching

We lately watched the 2021 film Pig starring Nicolas Cage, which I’d extremely advocate. 

Vegans, beware, you can be unhappy (a beloved pig is kidnapped, in any case), but it surely’s a fantastically instructed and filmed story a couple of man’s relationship along with his truffle-hunting pig. There’s loss and melancholy, however there’s additionally pure, unadulterated love.  

By way of TV, we lately completed season 4 of The Bear (animal titles are the theme this month!).  

The professionals: I really like the forged: their complicated lives, their storylines, their relationships to the opposite characters. And the cinematography is beautiful.  

The cons: This season moved too slowly for my style. And Carmy appeared incapable of verbalizing any actual phrases in addition to “No, I do know” and “I’m making an attempt,” which received annoying (albeit hilarious on the similar time).

Criticisms apart, I’ll clearly be watching season 5 every time it drops!  

📚Studying   

The Dedicated by Viet Thanh Nguyen. 

A number of months in the past, I learn (and cherished) The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, which gained a Pulitzer Prize in 2016. The Dedicated picks up the place The Sympathizer left off, following the lifetime of the narrator as a Vietnamese refugee in France the place he continues to reckon along with his identification as a spy, in addition to questions of identification, colonialism and empire, capitalism vs. communism, immigration and assimilation.  

Suggestion: Begin with The Sympathizer. For those who like it (chances are high excessive), attempt The Dedicated subsequent. It’s a denser learn, however learn collectively as a complete, that is modern literary fiction at a few of its most interesting. 

That is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz.

After studying (and, once more, loving) The Wondrous Lifetime of Oscar Wao, I began studying Díaz’s assortment of quick tales, which options the identical narrator, Yunior. Yunior writes concerning the Dominican-American immigrant expertise, masculinity, and love with such unimaginable uniqueness. He’s witty but deep, humorous but profound, significantly flawed but significantly lovable. 

Suggestion: Studying The Wondrous Lifetime of Oscar Wao is just not a pre-requisite, but it surely offers you extra context and appreciation for the narrator. 

Remainders of the Day by Shaun Bythell 

Written by the proprietor of the biggest second-hand bookshop in Scotland, that is principally a every day diary of all the purchasers who come into the creator’s retailer, what they purchase, and importantly, their quirks and eccentricities. The creator is sarcastic and his humor jogs my memory a little bit of Ricky Gervais’ however in a PG approach.  

Suggestion: For those who want a light-weight and humorous learn that you may choose up for 10 minutes a day, this can be a enjoyable one. 

Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius.

A coming-of-age novel that takes place within the Arctic Circle (Northern Sweden to be actual), it tells the story of an indigenous Sámi lady who struggles to defend her household and tradition’s lifestyle—herding reindeer—towards a backdrop of xenophobia and discrimination, violence, and local weather change. 

Suggestion: This options the torture and killing of reindeers (primarily based on actual life occasions), in addition to suicide, so it’s not for everybody. However if you wish to find out about an indigenous tradition you’ve possible by no means heard of whereas concurrently studying a heart-wrenching but inspiring coming-of-age story, that is an eye-opening learn.

🎧 Listening

I lately listened to an episode of the What Now? with Trevor Noah podcast, the place he interviewed Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and creator of The Anxious Era. 

It’s a frank dialog about how smartphones and social media have rewired childhood and created a psychological well being epidemic for Gen Z particularly, however actually for all of us.

It’s dialog not with out hope although. Haidt gives a number of options for empowering children to step out of the smartphone entice, from adjustments in class and authorities coverage to extra particular person adjustments, like permitting your children to discover the outside on their very own. 

At the same time as a non-parent, I believed it was a very necessary and engaging episode.

🎤 Enjoyable Issues

Again in June, we traveled to Boise, Idaho to attend the Craft and Commerce convention. It’s the annual convention hosted by Equipment, the e-mail advertising and marketing platform we use to ship our emails (those you possible are subscribed to!). 

Earlier this yr, Equipment requested me if I needed to offer a keynote speech on the convention–and so they mentioned I might talk about no matter matter I needed! 

Impressed by my very own journey of carving out a sustainable relationship with work, in addition to conversations I’ve had with fellow creators who’re both working so arduous they’re burning out or are so caught up in metrics that they’ve misplaced the enjoyment of making, I made a decision to offer a speech on “the creator’s information to sustainable productiveness.” 

Although I’m a type of uncommon individuals who isn’t afraid of public talking, I used to be nonetheless a bit nervous within the days main as much as the speech, contemplating it was my first time giving such an extended speech (20 minutes) to such a big crowd of individuals (400 different creators). 

Fortunately, as quickly as I received on stage, no matter nerves I had disappeared, and it felt like I used to be speaking to a bunch of pals (or a reside YouTube viewers). Regardless of a pair minor technical difficulties, it went rather well and I can completely see myself doing extra speeches sooner or later!

Okay, that’s it for this month! Drop me a line under and let me know what you’re studying, watching, or engaged on in your individual life!