I’ve finally gotten over the fear of using raw eggs in a salad dressing.  Being able to make the Classic Caesar Salad at home was my motivation.  Trust me, I’ve tried alternatives, like recipes that use mayonnaise in place of raw eggs, but it just didn’t taste quite right.  I wanted restaurant quality, and to get that I had to use raw eggs.  If you’re like me and hesitant to use raw eggs too, maybe it helps to know that the acidity from the lemon juice typically kills off any lingering bacteria.  This little tip was good enough for me to give raw eggs a try. (more…)

Vietnamese Spring Rolls are like veggie-noodle salads… in a roll.  It’s a fresh and healthy alternative to the deep-fried spring rolls we’re better familiar with. (more…)

I’ve been cooking a lot of Asian-inspired dishes lately.  I don’t know if it’s because of the anticipation to my upcoming trip to Tokyo and Seoul or my need to reconnect back to my roots in Chicago.  Whatever the reason it’s inspired me to make this Asian Glazed Baked Salmon.  Keep reading if you can say ‘delicious’. (more…)

Momofuku’s David Chang has a Netflix series called Ugly Delicious. It basically means the uglier the dish the better it tastes; it doesn’t have to look pretty in order to taste delicious. The same idea applies to my Angry Delicious Penne Arrabbiata. Why ‘angry’? Well because Arrabbiata literally translates to ángry’ in Italian (which in this case means ‘spicy’) and with the Penne Arrabbiaita, the angrier the dish the tastier it is. (more…)

This is a dream salad for those who love to eat a big bowl of delicious noodles.  With the Citrus Ginger Tofu Soba Noodle Salad you can do this…guilt-free!  The soba noodles are made with buckwheat flour so it’s high in fiber, high in protein and packed with many essential vitamins and minerals.  Best of all it has about half the calories and carbohydrates as traditional spaghetti noodles.  This means you can simply eat a normal portion and consume less calories.  Or do what i always do…eat double the amount!

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The Portobello Mushroom on Puff Pastry is a recipe I found in a cookbook called Fresh by Michele Cranston. At first glance it looked too elegant, thus too complicated to make (probably due to the combination of making a puff pastry and Portobello in one dish), but the list of ingredients was so simple that I decided to give it a try. Good I did because not only did it turn out looking just like Michele’s picture but it was fast, easy and really REALLY delicious. (more…)

Have you ever been to a restaurant only to find yourself wanting to eat just their House Salad? Why are House Salads always a side dish anyway? Why do I get the funny look when I order the House Salad as my main course? (Note to the waiter: I’m not trying to be cheap and I’m not on some really weird diet. I just LOVE your House Salad.  There’s nothing else i want to order from your menu.) (more…)

With obvious reasons my husband and kids are the first to try any new recipe I make. Most of the time they are willing to try everything, but this time, with the Broccoli Salad with Red Grapes, it took a bit of convincing from my end. I guess you can say I have some non-broccoli lovers at home.  (more…)

If I were to describe Gimbap (김밥 or Kimbap) I would say it is the friendly version of sushi.  All the ingredients are cooked (no raw fish!) and the popular beef marinade that makes Korean BBQ so popular is included.  It’s easily portable too so it’s a favorite choice for picnics, outdoor events, and large parties to feed a crowd.
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Either you love hummus or you don’t.  Which side are you on? At home we have a 50/50 split with daughter #1 and I loving it and daughter #2 and husband preferring something else.  My son will eat it one day and the next day not, so it continues to remain a family tie.

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