Bitter or sweet, it’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it? It was an accident. The gourds (aka bitter melons) were lying on the counter for longer than intended. Blame it on inertia or lack of inspiration, the lush green beauties sat there placidly peering back at me every morning as I poured my morning […]
vegan
No animal products, including no seafood, eggs, dairy and honey
Easy Bruschetta
Begin what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake. – Sir Francis Bacon With sheltering-at-home and circuit breaker measures in place these past weeks, we got creative with using up every last bit of […]
- Appetizers
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Crispy Okra
It is our hope that this crisis that the whole world is facing together will unite us – that we forget our differences and stand together; that we be grateful for what we have and lend a hand to those who are wanting; that we never forget that we are one people, one world, one […]
Colorful Pea Shoot Stir-Fry
Spring: a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be ~ unknown Change. A single syllable that has catalysed so much in ways big and small, globally and personally. With everything that is published on popular media these days, it is easy to forget how beautiful change can be. As we are now midway […]
Spinach Linguine in 15 Minutes
Life is a combination of magic and pasta. ~ Federico Fellini Around here, great Italian restaurants abound featuring cuisine from every region in Italy. While I do not imagine to come close to the superb standards from these establishments, I do enjoy a simple pasta in the comfort of home. I have perused dozens of recipes, tried […]
Kale and Sweet Potatoes
Winter sports takes on a new meaning. Just how much longer is the cold and wet spell going to last? Skiing has been good with all the snow but enough with the rain already, yes? Looking for that silver lining, we are all hoping that the rains and storms we have seen will bring an end […]
Homemade Mushroom Soup
In the hopes of reaching the moon, men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet. ~Albert Schweitzer It was with some effort that I managed to haul myself out from under the covers, somehow managed to put on the right clothes, even matching socks, and crept my way out onto the trail. It was […]
Cold Tofu with Bonito Flakes
“If turkey vultures think it’s too warm to hunt, who am I to disagree?” Tofu ranks high on my list of pantry staples. There are always 2 or 3 packages in my cart on every grocery run. The best parts (my grammar teacher may remind me that the superlative of good describes a singular noun but hear me out) are how versatile it […]
Easy Water Spinach 空心菜 (Kangkung)
All things are difficult before they are easy. ~ Thomas Fuller Here is recipe that starts easy and stays easy. It will make a cook out of anyone. It’s that easy. Water spinach is more closely related to the sweet potato than to spinach as we know it in western countries. It is also called water morning glory, water […]
Chinese Green Bean Dessert Soup 绿豆汤
The wonder, The hunger, And the sound of distant thunder. ~ “Indian Summer”, Brooks & Dunn (released 2009) Warm, hazy, windless weather prevailed all last week following a few weeks of a cooling trend. This kind of tank-top-and-shorts weather right around Halloween means it’s Indian summer for us living in California. Soon after it will be time for […]