Learning to cook with Carissa Stanton
Easy recipes, go-to snacks, and her favorite books of 2024
Welcome back to a new edition of Let’s Get Drinks, a series where I sit down and chat with writers, creatives, and interesting people I’d like to get a (non-alcoholic) drink with. ❤️
I love good food, but when it comes to making it myself, I struggle. I know what tastes good and what I like, but I get overwhelmed when I see all the ingredients laid out in front of me. Much like writing a bad first draft when you have read great books, cooking a meal that doesn’t measure up to the standards you expect can feel frustrating. I think that gap can get smaller, but it takes time and practice.
I’m starting out simple; we’re not talking finicky soufflés or time consuming sourdoughs. Now that I’m a mom, I’d like to be able to cook a few simple, go-to dinners for my family really well. I want these meals to taste good, be more healthy than not, and leave everyone feeling good. In my search for recipes that fit this criteria, I discovered Carissa Stanton aka @broccyourbody.
Carissa is an LA-based home chef who creates healthier versions of favorite comfort foods. She shares quick, easy recipes that leave you feeling good after eating. Think: crispy chicken thighs & creamy lemon garlic orzo, coconut green curry shrimp, and sundried tomato & feta turkey burgers. In addition to her food, I was drawn to Carissa’s authenticity. She has shared openly in interviews about making the difficult decision to end an engagement in her twenties, moving to a new city, and starting a new professional chapter as a home chef and content creator. As someone who restarted my life in many ways when I cut out alcohol in my twenties, I know how scary it can feel to walk away from something that isn’t serving you anymore. I really respect Carissa’s commitment to changing her circumstances and building something new on the other side.
Below, Carissa walks me through gaining confidence in the kitchen, a typical day in the life of a home chef and content creator, the best books she read last year, and her favorite snacks. For more of her recipes, pick up her New York Times bestselling cookbook, Seriously, So Good, out now!
Hi Carissa! Tell us a little bit about what you do and your new (NYT bestselling!) cookbook, Seriously, So Good.
I’ve always loved cooking and playing around in the kitchen – it’s an outlet for me. I started my blog in 2017 and initially started by posting really healthy recipes. Over time, my food has evolved with my lifestyle. Now, I post healthy-ish recipes and what I eat on a daily basis: simple recipes, 30 minute meals, a Trader Joe’s series that people love. The average home cook can feel like these recipes are approachable. I just came out with a new cookbook, Seriously, So Good and the tagline is “simple recipes for a balanced life.” “Simple” meaning the meals are easy to make, even if you’re a newbie in the kitchen, and “balanced” for the more decadent, indulgent parts.
When it comes to creating recipes, where do you draw your inspiration from?
I live in LA and we love going out to eat and trying new restaurants. I get a lot of inspiration from that and love doing my research! I love food and the fact that I have enough experience in the kitchen to create exactly what I’m craving is such a blessing. I’ll dream up what sounds good to eat tonight and go from there. Or I’ll do fridge cleanout meals where I take whatever items I have on hand – like chicken, orzo, and spinach – and post about how I make it into a complete meal.
What advice would you give to someone (like me) who feels overwhelmed by cooking but wants to become more confident in the kitchen?
I think a big misconception is that you need to make all these sauces and chop up all these vegetables in order to make something delicious. Don’t think that you need to make everything from scratch to cook a meal! Don’t be afraid to buy a rotisserie chicken or use a rice maker to make rice. Don’t think you can’t buy store bought or pre-cut things to make a delicious and healthy meal. Also, find a recipe (or two or three) that you really like and make them on a weekly basis. If you find a really good base recipe and then buy 4-5 different ingredients for small swaps every week, eventually you’ll feel more confident.
What does a typical work day look like for you? Do you have a morning routine?
Right now a “typical” day is a daydream because I’ve been going through the madness of a book tour. But on an ideal morning, I have a routine that I do to feel my best throughout the day. Every day is so different in this job, so I need my two hours in the morning to do the same thing and feel like I have some sort of normalcy and routine.
On an ideal day, I wake up, take my supplements, and meditate, either inside by the fireplace or outside depending on the weather. I do a 10 min meditation and then a 20-30 minute workout. Lately I have been loving this app called Evlo for my workouts. I do 30 minutes of strength training – nothing crazy. Movement just makes me feel good. Then I make myself a nice matcha and breakfast and start my day. Sticking to my non-negotiables in the morning makes me feel so much better. The rest of my day is always different. Sometimes I’m filming a video, sometimes I’m testing recipes.
On that note, what rituals help you wind down after work?
At the end of the day, cooking is my hobby and I really love it. So cooking dinner every night and making something new feels calming for me. That’s when the wind down process starts. After dinner my fiance and I will watch one of our shows – right now we’re watching Survivor and Top Chef. We’ll watch an episode of TV on the couch together and then I shower and get in bed early and read on my Kindle for an hour before going to sleep.
Speaking of your Kindle, I know you’re an avid reader. In addition to sharing your recipes online, you also post book recommendations on @broccsbookclub. What are some of your favorite recent reads?
Wellness by Nathan Hill, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll, and The Guest by Emma Cline.
Did you have a favorite go-to snack while working on your cookbook?
This is so basic but I love apples and peanut butter. I also love teriyaki beef jerky. And almost every day I will make a smoothie with strawberries, bananas, Ritual protein powder, and almond milk.
What are some easy and healthy recipes you typically recommend?
My One Pan Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet recipe is very popular on my blog and people make it every single week because it’s really simple to make and easy to swap out ingredients. I have a Trader Joe’s 20 minute dinner series and the Better Than Takeout: Beef & Broccoli is a favorite from there. In my cookbook, there’s a chapter on dinners in under 30 minutes, and my favorite is the Date Night Chicken in Creamy Mushroom Sauce. The Spicy Beef Rice Bowls are also really good and really easy.
You have spoken publicly about ending your engagement five years ago and how it changed your life. What advice would you give someone considering taking a leap into the unknown either personally or professionally?
Even though I was unhappy in that relationship, it felt so daunting and uncomfortable to think about leaving, finding a new place to live, and telling family and friends. I look back now and see that there was no other option but ending the relationship, but it felt really scary in the moment. This is going to sound so LA, but I really feel like the universe rewards you for making hard decisions that feel uncomfortable. When something feels like the end of your world and you think, “how will I make this change?” you’re probably going to be so much happier on the other side. We’re so much stronger than we think.
I love this, Sarah! I also get overwhelmed when it comes to cooking, and I loved reading Carissa’s reassurance and more about her own experience as a home chef 💛