Build Your Own Bowl

These “Build Your Own Bowl” restaurants have been popping up all over the place. We have an Asian-themed one near our local movie theater which we would occasionally patronize after seeing a movie… that is, until I decided it would be easy enough to re-create my favorite sauce flavors and build my own bowl at…

Buta No Shogayaki (pork with ginger and onions)

Cookbook Club – Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking Our cookbook in May was Iron Chef Morimoto’s Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking. See all the Japanese cuisine we cooked at home on my Cookbook Club site. For now – my dish! Pork with ginger and onions sounded so good to me, and…

Saltado de Vegetales

I introduced my boyfriend to Peruvian food and he became obsessed with Saltado de Vegetales, begging me to figure out how to make it at home. The waiter at my favorite Peruvian restaurant informed me that the key is aji amarillo paste. So I acquired some aji amarillo paste and got to work. My boyfriend…

Kabocha Squash with Ground Pork

I love the taste of squash, but it can be hard work to cut, remove the seeds, and peel. Kabocha is one of my favorite squashes because the skin is edible. It’s so much less work when you don’t have to worry about removing the skin, and it makes a hearty and delicious stir-fry with…

Spicy Garlic Tofu

Thanks to the air fryer I’m not avoiding frying tofu anymore, so I’m free to experiment with what I can do with fried tofu. At a local restaurant recently my boyfriend had a spicy garlic tofu that he wouldn’t stop talking about. I tried a bite and it was indeed tasty – spicy sweet with…

Banchan – Korean Bean Sprouts

Another Banchan that I really like is these Korean Bean Sprouts. Bean Sprouts are so inexpensive and they have such a nice pop when you bite into them, which I feel somehow gets enhanced when you cook them. Bean sprouts are an underutilized vegetable in my opinion. This is one great way to use them….

Banchan – Sesame Bok Choy

Continuing my Banchan series… this dish is more commonly made with spinach (which is good too), but I like the extra crunch of Sesame Bok Choy. The combination of sesame oil and sesame seeds really brings out the sesame flavor I love. Guessipe 8 baby boy choy, separated into individual leaves marinade 3 green onions,…

Zucchini Stir-Fry with Ground Pork

Zucchini is awesome for stir-fry because it soaks up the flavors of the sauces so well. In this case I just use a handful of sauces and seasonings that I always have on hand. Great for when you need a quick but satisfying weeknight meal. Guessipe olive oil for stir-frying 5 cloves garlic, minced 1…

Garlic Chili Noodles

My friend gave me a jar of homemade chili oil. A few days later I found myself in a food pinch – scrounging around in the pantry to see what I could use to whip up a meal. I came across a package of rice vermicelli and that jar of chili oil, added a few…

Lettuce Wraps

I find myself drawn to lettuce wraps when I see them on a restaurant menu. But they’re also pretty easy to make at home, and people are so excited when I serve lettuce wraps. You can pre-assemble them, or just put out all the elements and let people build their own. Interactive dishes are always…

Veggie Bowl with Apple Carrot Dressing

In the last couple years, it seems like “Assemble Your Own Bowl” places have popped up everywhere. It got me thinking that I could buy my own favorite ingredients, whip up a tasty sauce/dressing, and for the price of one restaurant bowl have a large enough quantity to share with friends. My friends immediately declared…

Japchae

Japchae is a Korean dish that uses noodles made from sweet potato starch. I love the flavor and texture so much that I eat it at AYCE Korean BBQ, even though I should be getting my money’s worth with the meats instead of filling up on noodles! It usually has beef in it, but I…