🫙 Food People, Parent Picks: Micah's Favorite Things
Micah Siva on pantry staples, no-guilt shortcuts, and the salad dressing ratio she makes by the jar.
Food People, Parent Picks: we ask our favorite chefs, food writers, and industry insiders who we interview in our Order Up! Series to share the products, books, and bites they can’t live without.
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If you read our Order Up! conversation with Micah Siva earlier this week, you already know she’s not interested in making food look hard. Micah is a registered dietitian, chef, and cookbook author whose work lives at the intersection of Jewish food, vegetarian cooking, and the reality of feeding a two-year-old who won’t touch pasta in any form. She talked about growing up as the vegetarian kid in a meat-loving Jewish family in Calgary, the grief that pushed her toward writing a Jewish vegetarian cookbook, and why she calls her weeknight dinner strategy “triaging the fridge.” If you missed it, go back — it’s one of those conversations that stays with you. [Read it here!]
Today, we’re getting into the practical stuff. Micah shares what’s always in her pantry (canned beans, lots of them), the one kitchen tool she’d replace immediately, the shortcut she thinks every parent should take without guilt, and her go-to salad dressing ratio. If you’re looking for real recommendations from someone who develops recipes for a living but also made her kid a sweet potato at six in the morning because he asked — this is that. Don’t forget to pick up her cookbook, Nosh: Plant-forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine [Bookshop, Amazon].
What’s always in your pantry?
Canned beans. Lots of canned beans.
What’s the most important plant-based ingredient in your kitchen?
Honestly, spices. Beans, tofu, tempeh—those ingredients are pretty neutral on their own. What makes them exciting is a good spice cabinet. Having a solid mix of spices and spice blends completely changes plant-based cooking.
Is there a Jewish dish you’ve simplified for real-life parenting?
I’ve kind of made every meal a little Jewish-adjacent. But one thing I make often is a vegetable soup and I’ll just add matzo balls. Sometimes they’re homemade, sometimes they’re from a box, sometimes they’re frozen—whatever works.
I always keep matzo balls in the freezer so I can turn a simple soup into something a little more special.
One kitchen tool you’d replace immediately if it broke?
A zester. Mine actually broke—the handle fell off—but it still works, so I’m just using it anyway.
What appliance gets the most use in your kitchen?
My food processor.
What shortcut should parents take advantage of—no guilt attached?
Frozen fruits and vegetables are fantastic shortcuts. So are pre-cut vegetables. And something I never thought I’d rely on but now always keep on hand is pre-cooked rice—the little bowls or packets. They’re so convenient when you need something fast.
On the flip side, what’s something you always make from scratch?
Salad dressing.
What’s the secret to a great salad dressing?
I like mine a little more acidic. I usually do about two parts olive oil to one part acid—vinegar or lemon juice. Then I add something sweet like honey, maple syrup, or pomegranate molasses.
After that I’ll mix in whatever I have—maybe tahini, mustard, or grated garlic. I usually make a big batch and keep it in the fridge as my go-to.
Is there a snack your son is obsessed with right now?
Sweet potatoes! He woke up at six in the morning today asking for one, so I made him a sweet potato at 6 a.m. He also loves these bars called Dino Bars. They’re fruit and vegetable bars wrapped in an edible potato-starch paper so they’re not sticky—which makes them great for the car. They’re a little expensive, but he’s obsessed with them.
A cookbook you love and actually cook from?
I’m really excited about an upcoming cookbook called Zarees by Adeena Sussman [Bookshop, Amazon]. It focuses on meals with about 15 ingredients or fewer and many under 30 minutes. Her recipes are vibrant and the photography is beautiful—I think it will be great for parents.
One food rule you’ve let go of as a dietitian and a mom?
Dessert after dinner. In our house, dessert might happen with dinner. Sometimes it’s five o’clock and I’m like, “I could go for dessert now.”
If a family wants to add more plant-based meals, where should they start?
Start with a side dish. Add something plant-based to a meal your family already loves. Maybe beans stirred into pasta, mashed chickpeas in tuna salad, or hummus alongside dinner.
Kids often need to see a new food many times before they’ll try it—sometimes ten or more exposures. So keep offering it in different ways and don’t give up.
Any final advice for parents?
Bring your kids into the way you already eat. We’ve been really intentional about bringing our son to restaurants and letting him try food from our plates—even when it’s something people think of as “adult food.”
Kids’ menus can be fun, but kids can also eat what adults eat. At home we’ll give him some of our dinner and then one or two foods we know he loves. That way he’s always seeing new foods on his plate.