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Photo: Getty / Amy Sussman / Staff
Yeh grew up in a musical family, loved writing and attended Juilliard before working as a celebrity chef. After meeting and marrying her now-husband, a fifth-generation farmer, she moved from Brooklyn to a farm on the border of North Dakota and Minnesota.
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Before we dove in, though, we couldn’t resist asking some other questions.
EatingWell:If there’s one recipe you think everyone should try from your site, which would it be?
Yeh:Probably the naturally dyed rainbow cake that I developed for my daughter Bernie’s first birthday. I dreamt about it for months and months, and I was just so happy with how the colors turned out. Then of course seeing her stuff it into her mouth with her little birthday crown on was the best!
EatingWell:Finish this sentence: To me, cooking is …
Yeh:My favorite creative outlet. I love nothing more than decorating cakes—picking the perfect sprinkles, color palette and cookie cutouts to adorn them with. Cooking is also a window into other places, cultures and communities. And it’s a way to connect to my Chinese and Jewish ancestry.
EatingWell:Is there a kitchen tool that you can’t live without?
Yeh:I love my kitchen scale because it eliminates most of the need to use measuring cups and that decreases the amount of dirty dishes! You also get more consistent results when you weigh things, especially with baking.
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EatingWell:What’s always in your fridge?
Yeh:Greek yogurt, because no matter what dairy product I’m out of, I feel like Greek yogurt can always be a good stand-in.
EatingWell:Is there a food that says home to you?
Yeh:I would say matzo brei. Growing up, my mom would make it for me, and when I moved from New York City to northern Minnesota, making it felt like bringing a little part of myself to this kitchen. It’s so comforting.
EatingWell:What was your biggest adjustment transitioning from city life to farm life?
Yeh:Learning how to live without a bagel place down the street! After months of ordering bagels online and keeping stashes in my freezer, I finally decided that I was going to learn how to make them. They require special high-gluten flour, which helps get bagels extra chewy … so I had to track that down. It turns out it comes from the type of wheat grown right in these fields. So, I basically live on a bagel farm!
EatingWell:How do you define healthy?
Yeh:Healthy to me is very much a process. It’s figuring out what makes me feel good and recognizing it can change over time. A few months ago I was doing a lot of HIIT workouts. I was exhausted all the time and began dreading them. So, I reassessed and started lifting weights instead. I’ll probably get sick of that soon, too, but it’s about listening to my body and striking balance when I can.
What Molly Yeh Eats in a Day
Breakfast
“Breakfast is almost always a fruit and veggie smoothie or yogurt and granola,” said Yeh, similar to thisSpinach, Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie. That way, she can kick the day off with some produce and protein—and balance out the many desserts she often tests and samples on a typical day. A seven-minuteegg with a slice of seedy toastis also an A.M. fave.
Lunch
“Lunch is a toss-up,” added Yeh. “Often, it’s leftovers, but if we don’t have leftovers then I make this quick stew where I throw a whole head of garlic, a bay leaf, a Parmesan rind, and canned tomatoes or stock in with white beans and let it simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. I spread the garlic on a piece of bread and use the bread as my spoon for the beans.” Homemademiso soupandcongee(an Asian rice porridge) are sometimes “on repeat” as well.
Dinner and Dessert
For dinner, salads and casseroles are frequently on the menu. Yeh lovessmoked salmon salad bagels. And artichoke chicken with biscuits is one of her go-to family nostalgia dishes to whip up when she’s in the mood for comfort food. Pizza Fridays are also a tradition in the Yeh household.
We couldn’t resist asking Yeh about her kitchen MVPs. (We can’t be the only ones who love spying inside celebs' fridges and pantries?!)
“It’s probably a three-way tie between butter, bread and beans. I could live on those three things! And since we have wheat and beans on our farm, I don’t have to go very far to get them,” Yeh told us, explaining why it’s a perfect fit that her newest role is as a partner with Northarvest Bean Growers Association for their"Beans for Life" campaign. “I keep dry beans on hand at all times because they are so versatile. I put them in soups, casseroles, stews—and between their nutrition benefits and creamy dreamy flavor, I feel so great about eating them all the time. For me, a perfect lunch or dinner is a bean stew with freshly baked bread and good salted butter.”
And no day is complete without a treat.
The Bottom Line
We love Yeh’s nothing-off-limits approach to eating, and the way she naturally balances out her day with sweets, plant-based protein and produce. Her all-foods-fit philosophy and love for (rather than stress over or fear of) food will be a great example for Bernie as she grows older and begins making her own food choices. Plus her ample use of leftovers and snacks throughout the day are brilliant ways toreduce her overall food waste, even while developing recipes. Yeh’s menu gets a “yay” from us!
Lucy M. Clark
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