This One Change Unleashed My Cooking Creativity

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When learning to cook it can be easy to focus all your energy on new techniques in order to improve in the kitchen. But sometimes it takes a major mindset shift in order to take your creativity and skills to the next level. In todays episode I'll be talking about one of the biggest shifts that transformed the way I bring meals together in the kitchen and to demonstrate, I'll take a little trip to the garden to harvest a special treat!

00:00 - Intro
00:58 - Garden Harvest
04:45 - Spanish Tortilla
9:26 - Potato Pancake

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The complete breakdown and recipes for this video:

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All music provided royalty free by Epidemic Sound

-Video Credits-
Creator and Host - Mike G
Producer - McGraw W @McGraw_Wolfman
Co-Editor - Christopher Pressler
Blog Writer - Alex C @threhungrybellies

[ShubhendraSingh]

You might as well start a gardening series! Amazing.

[Ella-xnpv]

This is such an important lesson to learn with regards to sustainability as well! If we rely too much on fulfilling our recipe’s ingredients needs then we may end up picking ingredients that travelled miles upon miles to reach us. Cooking with what is in season and local is a great way for everyone to make even just a little bit of a difference.

[michellegarnica]

This is the way to do it! It’s all about fresh, home grown ingredients. Nothing more rewarding. You can go far with this theme. I grow new things each year and wonder how to make them sing in the kitchen. I and many other avid veggie gardeners would love to talk recipes/inspiration, etc.

[heidiquint]

Love that all the ingredients came from the garden. Those potato plans could have produced a lot more potatoes. Potato plants in bloom are just starting to produce tubers. You harvest potatoes when the plants are starting to die…but if you cannot wait, you can feel inside of the soil and harvest a few early 😊.

[sarth]

“Let the ingredient dictate what you make”
Over the last year I got tired of sourcing ingredients to make this or that dish especially because I moved back with my parents in a small town. Ingredients I’d normally use back in the city are either too hard find, super expensive or can only buy in bulk in the town. I simply started with cooking what I have in the fridge or can buy easily in the market and it’s made a big difference in how I think about food now!

[Jeff_PNW]

Nice looking garden, Mike! 👍There's nothing like fresh produce that you grew yourself. I also like to build meals & snacks around what's popping in the garden at any given time. And sometimes I just wander around the garden & graze, lol.

Potato pro tip from a long time gardener. Hunt for new potatoes just under the surface when your plants are flowering, but don't dig the plants up. Let them die down naturally until the foliage is brown & crispy, then dig up the rest of your spuds. The tubers bulk up when the plant dies, so you'll get bigger potatoes that'll store longer.

[notsewmuch]

So true 👍. It's funny your channel changed the way I cook and even just what I have in the refrigerator and cabinets. I'm not having to even go to the grocery store to get a meal on the table. Now I look in the fridge after two weeks and think wow I still have so much food. I also dont have as much food waste. 😀

[GeckoHiker]

This is a brilliant change in how we can regard food and cooking. Ingredient centered cooking helped me achieve a $1 a day food budget, just to prove it can be done.

It starts by looking at the food languishing in the refrigerator and creatively turning that into a meal. Like leftover baked potatoes, parmesan cheese rind, half cup of milk, half of an onion, a few slivers of sweet green pepper, a newly expired can of corn, the last egg, and suddenly we have a free meal because that lot might have been trashed. With an indoor garden full of greens, herbs, scallions, celery, sugar snap peas, and root vegetables, I tend to stay on top of my ingredients as they grow and prevent waste through creativity. That potato-corn savory pancake was tasty and nutritious when accompanied by a fresh homegrown kale salad.

[paulnolan]

You're kicking ass in the garden, great job.

[YOUENJOYLIFE]

Glorious garden! Excited to visit soon. Also, for potato’s, you can technically cut a chunk from each potato of every eye and each eye makes a whole plant!

[victoriaallison-patrick]

I do this all the time and tell the family this is a once in a lifetime meal. Enjoy!!

[originaldahha]

potato omelettes are my go to for an awesome breakfast, the main differences when i make it are that i use less oil and a non stick pan (also lets you have fun flipping it with just the pan), and i cut the potato into smaller cubes and fry the outside till gold and crunchy for some more fun textures. (oh and added cheese)

[kabutsch]

Dude I remember you explaining to people how to use and prop up a Foreman Grill for stoner munchies. And now this. Good for you

[imnotmarbin]

You literally changed my life with your recipes, love that you use homegrown veggies, really inspiring me to plant some more in my garden.

[kaylathompson]

Hell yes!!!! This is what I’ve been waiting for out of your channel. Excited to see where this series goes & can’t wait to see more of the garden!

[shelgeetar]

My mom's method for crispy latkes: after shredding the veggies put them in a sieve over a bowl and press with a towel. Pour out the liquid and add any starch at the bottom of the bowl back to the veggies. Thank you for more ideas for cooking from my garden!

[nataliedube]

I started cooking like this and I swear it changed my life. Makes me eat better, stay present in each season, and plan for future seasons as well.

[cathychoi]

The veggie pancake you made reminded me of Korean "jeon" (or "Korean pancakes") which is typically made with green onions (chives are also a delicious option) and seafood mixed into a flour and starch batter! You can also kinda throw in whatever u want. We typically eat it on rainy days because the sizzling of the oil on the pan sounds like the pattering of rain on the windows :) I would definitely recommend giving it a shot! (The green onion pancake is called "pajeon" and the chive pancake is called "buchujeon" BTW!)

[maryruiz]

i love you so much! thank you for taking us along on your journey :)

[cheriekalel]

Yay!!! LOVE seeing you harvesting ingredients from your garden/chickens, and then creating a delicious meal!