This Christmas Salad is a delight for the eyes, perfect for the holiday season. I made this beautiful, jewel-toned salad for some special friends to kick off the holiday season. Featuring arugula and jewel-toned radicchio, beets, pomegranate arils, Medjool dates and macadamia nuts, this Christmas Salad is as delicious as it looks. This salad was…
Healthy Vegan Recipes
Vanilla Soy Pudding
Vanilla Soy Pudding is light, healthy and delicious, perfect for a snack, breakfast or dessert. Vegan and vegetarian adaptable, and gluten-free. Suitable for soft-food diet. I made this vanilla soy pudding for a cancer patient who has been experiencing bad side effects from chemotherapy and radiation. Some of the side effects include very bad mouth…
Cranberry Pear Sauce Recipe
This easy Cranberry Pear Sauce can be ready in less than 15 minutes; make it ahead of time for Thanksgiving or on the day of the big feast. For the past month, I’ve been volunteering in the kitchen at Grace Farms, a brand new community center in our town, built on 80 acres of open space for…
Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup Recipe
Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup is vegetarian and vegan friendly soup that is healthy, delicious and light. I made this Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup for a friend who just had oral surgery. She is one of the sweetest, most considerate and thoughtful person I know. Of course, she didn’t tell anyone she was having…
Oyster Sauce Tofu Recipe
Oyster Sauce Tofu is a delightful vegetarian main course that is light and healthy. My dad used to make oyster sauce tofu often. I was always so surprised by how a few simple ingredients could result in such a tasty dish. Often, the most humble dishes are the most delicious ones. Early last year, we…
Farmer’s Market Corn Salad Recipe
Farmer’s Market Corn Salad features fresh corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and basil at their peak. I made this simple corn salad for our Dominican Republic mission trip reunion this past weekend. It was the first time our group has gotten together since our trip in early August. We bonded during the nine days we…
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce is an easy, healthy and delicious vegetable dish for everyday meals. I had this dish in Cantonese restaurants many times before I realized how easy it was to prepare at home. This week, I prepared a meal for one of our church families, including this side dish. Little did I…
Instant Pot Vegetarian Lentil Tacos Recipe
Instant Pot Vegetarian Lentil Tacos are delicious and so flavorful, even non-vegetarians will enjoy them. Two of my boys are dating vegetarians, so during “girlfriend week,” I made vegetarian dinners along with regular meals to satisfy everyone’s dietary choices. The twins actually have high cholesterol (they inherited the bad cholesterol genes from my husband’s side…
Corn Tomato Avocado Salsa Salad Recipe
This Corn Tomato Avocado Salsa Salad is perfect for warm weather entertaining. Serve it as a dip for an appetizer, salsa on top of grilled chicken or fish, or as a salad. Casual summer dinners, barbecues and get togethers call for easy recipes that can be thrown together quickly with fresh in-season ingredients. I love…
Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho Recipe
Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho is a refreshing, healthy cold summer soup that features summer produce at their peak. My mom used to make gazpacho in the summertime. It was perfect for the sweltering heat as no cooking was involved and the soup was served cold – that’s a win win in my book. Most people either…
Georgian Tarragon Soda (Tarkhun) Recipe
Georgian Tarragon Soda (Tarkhun) is a refreshing drink with a touch of anise flavor, perfect for a hot summer day. Recently, I hosted a birthday party for our Georgian friend, and made this Georgian tarragon soda as a special treat. I learned of tarragon soda a number of years ago, but didn’t realize how easy it…
Georgian Beet Green Pkhali Recipe
Georgian Beet Green Pkhali are a traditional dish made with finely chopped beet greens, walnuts, garlic and herbs. Spinach Pkhali was one of the first Georgian dishes I tried when our Georgian friend invited us out for Georgian New Year a number of years ago. That evening remains fixed in my memory as everything we…
Cilantro Lime Brown Rice Recipe
Cilantro Lime Brown Rice is a versatile whole grain side dish. Enjoy it with beans, with chili ladled on top, chicken carnitas, in burritos, or stirred into black bean soup. My boys love Chipotle Mexican Grill. It’s a restaurant chain that serves semi-fast Mexican food made largely with sustainable ingredients. They try to source antibiotic…
Caribbean Black Beans Recipe
Caribbean Black Beans is a quick and easy dish. Serve with grilled fish or chicken carnitas and steamed rice. I first made these black beans about twenty years ago, and still have the original recipe cut out from a magazine. Before the internet days, I used to clip out recipes and put my favorites in…
Quinoa Kale Tomato Corn Salad Recipe {Video}
Quinoa Kale Tomato Corn Salad is light, healthy, and delicious. I love salads that can be enjoyed as main course salads when I’m looking for a satisfying, but light lunch or dinner. Quinoa is a versatile grain (it’s actually a seed) that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It can be eaten in…
Kale Basil Hazelnut Pesto Recipe
Kale Basil Hazelnut Pesto is a healthy and delicious condiment that doubles as a way to get extra leafy green vegetables into everyday meals. Growing up in a Chinese American family, I did not get my first taste of pesto until I was an adult. But, once I tasted it, I was hooked. Although traditional…
Chipotle Black Bean Tomato Corn Avocado Salad
This Chipotle Black Bean Tomato Corn Avocado Salad can be enjoyed as a dip or salad. It’s perfect for entertaining during warmer months. We’re hosting a celebration in a few weeks, and this salad is going to be on the menu. It’s great for a crowd, and fits right in during grilling season. This post is…
Red Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
Red Chimichurri Sauce is smoky and slightly spicy compared to the more common green chimichurri sauce. It’s delicious served with grilled proteins (chicken, fish, beef, tofu) or grilled vegetables. I love Latin American food and recently discovered red chimichurri sauce as I was planning the menu for my husband’s birthday dinner. I’ve been making green…
Easy Tomato Paste Pasta Sauce Recipe
Tomato Paste Pasta Sauce is a quick and easy dish that comes together in less than 15 minutes. Perfect for nights when you don’t know what to make for dinner. I’ve been making this simple pasta for more than a decade. It is made with literally three ingredients ~ extra virgin olive oil, tomato paste and garlic….
Red Bean Sticky Rice Cake (Instant Pot)
Red Bean Sticky Rice Cake is a traditional sweet enjoyed during Chinese New Year. Adzuki beans add texture to this soft, sticky rice cake. This is one of many sticky rice recipes my mom has collected over the years. I have a black binder full of her favorite recipes, and I have sectioned off a…
Instant Pot Three Chile Dal Recipe
Instant Pot Three Chile Dal takes just 15 minutes to cook, including the fragrant and flavorful tempering oil or tadka that infuses the cooked lentils. I learned to cook my first Indian dishes from a local woman about 7 years ago. Before that, I was completely ignorant about Indian cooking and quite intimidated by all…