Nutritional yeast, aka flake yeast.

Intense flavor, goes with damm near anything parmesan goes with, and things it doesn’t. It’s fairly cheap, lasts ages when stored decently, and it packs a nutritional punch.

People like to talk about how umami’s spread as a specific flavor into awareness in the west was a massive shift. But a lot of people got locked into the soy and fish sauce focus that was the first thing that western tastes became familiar with as umami. Even when folks are aware of other things, they still tend to think in terms of sauces and complex recipes for pastes and fermented products. But good old yeast is right there, cranking out a deep and rich flavor.

So it gets slept on pretty hard. It doesn’t help that it isn’t marketed well. A lot of people that have heard of it think it’s more along the lines of a vitamin you take on its own, or lump it in with woowoo nutrition in places where it’s called nutritional yeast.

One of my favourite things that really focus on it as a major flavor component is roasted cauliflower. You mix it with the spice blend, and toss it in a bowl, and it opens up with that rich, heady scent that yeast has. I don’t measure for it, it’s just dumping a bit of garlic and onion powders, salt & pepper, then some paprika. Then maybe two to three tablespoons of the yeast. It’s mouth watering, just the smell. Fuck, my mouth is watering thinking of it.

You get that amazing caramelized flavor from the roasting, that delicate floral note that some cauliflower has, the slightly sulfuric tang too. Then the spices lift those, and the yeast ties it all together and becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

Lately I have been a huge fan of Zartweizen, you can just use them in nearly any way you would use noodles or even sometimes rice. Also great in salads or soups.

Is this some kind of new trend? Why would you sleep on food? Wouldn’t it be a lot of trouble to clean out of the mattress? Is this a sex thing? It usually is and I’m in the wrong place when I’m this confused.

Since you’re talking about Germany: Tofu has been unfairly demonized here (maybe because it can serve as a meat substitute).

It is a great source of nutrients and protein. It can be prepared in many different ways. It is environmentally friendly, can be conveniently stored and has a relatively long shelf life.

Various spices and dried herbs? Get a whole bunch of different ones, perhaps even some premixed from India (though unnecessary, but may be available even in places like Lidl every now and then IIRC)

I always fall back on chicken breast, what most people seem to find bland and dry. Well, you can mix up some spices together, figure out some combinations you like and put them on your protein/vegetable of choice (will work well with olive oil too as another person mentioned). Want it done quick? Chop it up into smaller pieces and throw in a frying pan. Don’t want it oily? Swap it out for butter (just use lower heat) although I prefer sunflower oil.

You’ll probably have few that you eventually always use in combination with others. E.g. my favorite to use are sweet paprika, coriander and turmeric. Turmeric seems kinda crap on its own, but works well with other spices. Coriander doesn’t need much added, if anything and smells good imo and paprika just goes well on lots of various stuff (note that smoked or plain paprika is also very different from sweet kind though)

Take vegetable. Saute with olive oil, a little salt, and some seasoning. Vegetables taste amazing and people just don’t eat enough of them, and I think it’s because they don’t cook them right.

My bed, normally, with a rare nap on the couch. Why would anyone sleep on food?

Wer nie im Bette aß
weiß nicht wie Krümel pieken

Hard boiled eggs, super food, very portable, easy to throw in a backpack or lunch box. Available in most convenience stores

It’s good that you’re looking to expand your food repertoire

If you’re dealing with arfid though you should consider a desensitization protocol to help deal with sensory or phobic response driving the arfid. What this looks like varies because it depends on what drives your arfid: is it a fear of aversive reaction, is it sensory, disinterest, etc.

That said building on what you have can be helpful. Changing the burritos slightly - change the protein, add a new vegetable, add guacamole, etc. try a new flavor of protein bar, etc.

If you’re looking for something in the healthy/low prep side of things I tend to make one big meal on sundays for the week and portion it out. It takes about 30-60 minutes depending on what I make. Japanese curry, various pastas, salads, soups, etc. how healthy these are varies. I am vegan so they tend to be a little bit better than the typical recipe you’d see online but some are still not the most healthy (Japanese curry for example is fairly high in fat but portioned correctly with rice is still filling and a reasonable amount of calories)

My partner says tomato paste, not that it is slept on but that most people use it incorrectly. She also thinks people should use more cilantro but she is a fiend for cilantro so take that with a grain of salt. In my opinon people don’t eat enough seitan, that shit is gas and very healthy. Most people seem to view it as a meat substitute but I think that takes away from how fantastic it is as an ingredient in its own right.

Get a rice cooker with a timer. Aside from steaming rice to perfection it can also make perfect omelets, al dente pasta, soups(no raw chicken! Not hot enough) I replaced my old gas stove for this and a microwave to effectively reduce my energy bill. So slowcooker + microwave for sauces and garlic infused bread you can make very diverse combos of 15 minute meals. I am on a lean meat and vegetarian diet.

Also a cool hobby is fermenting and preserving. Like making your own jam from leftover fruits.

cottage-cheese pizza flats: Ingredients: 400 g cottage cheese, 3 eggs, 1 tsp baking powder, salt-pepper-oregano to taste, 150 g wheat flour, 120 g ham, 60 g grated cheese, plus any extra filling you like.

Scoop one tablespoon each flat on a bakingsheet

Bake 15–25 minutes at 200 °C with top-and-bottom heat on the middle rack.

Since you’re in germany the “lets do pizza” spice is pretty good for this.

Brining chicken for salads! I eat a salad every day for lunch, which sounds boring. But if you brine your chicken breasts in a salt solution for about an hour before baking, it gives you amazing salad chicken, like you’d get in a restaurant. Just pat dry, brush with olive oil, season with your vibe of the week, and bake for like 45 minutes. Then you can mix up what else you put on your salad greens - different nuts, cheeses, veggies, dried and fresh fruits, etc. I also eat pretty seasonally/locally so salads change with the seasons. But in general, brining meat is a game changing kitchen hack that few people take the time to do.