If I had to name just one person in this world who has an appetite for food, it would be Nigella Lawson, aka the domestic goddess. I remember one of her TV series in which every episode ends in a dark kitchen, Nigella in a bathrobe by an open fridge, savouring a couple of bites of whatever leftovers she would find in there. And in another series, she enjoys the dishes she’s made with a couple of her friends. I know this has probably been thought up by some clever TV maker, but still. It tells a story. And to me, that story is that she unapologeticly loves food. And is not afraid to share it with the world.

I used to have a similar love for food. In my early twenties, I cooked countless meals for groups of ten to twenty of my friends at a time. At least once a month. And I loved every minute of it. I would start days in advance, reading cookbooks and marking recipes that would accommodate everybody’s needs and were doable in large quantities on an electric stove. I would shop for groceries at the local Turkish supermarket, mostly for their huge array of spices. If I had the time, I would start at the beginning of the afternoon, prepping the vegetables and making the marinades. But a year and a half of crippling pains caused by some of my favourite foods made me lose this joy I used to have up to a point where I don’t feel like cooking at all anymore. I simply don’t know where to begin.

My dietitian suggested I make a list of all the things I can eat. To help me get more creative, I started to read my cookbooks again – yes, I read cookbooks – and in one of them, I found the concept of a recalibrating meal. This is a meal you can turn to when you need a quick reset. I love the idea of a fallback option when I’m feeling off or don’t know what to cook. Unfortunately, the recipe in the book doesn’t work for me. But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t come up with my version of a recalibrating meal inspired by something Nigella made in one of her shows: chilli & lime chicken paired with avocado, sweet potato, coconut yoghurt, and iceberg lettuce. In the past couple of months, I have made it more times than I can remember. Just because it’s delicious, simple to make, and easy on my body. But even if you can eat everything in the world, I would recommend you give it a try.