Sometimes it amazes me how easy it is to transform a plain vegetable into a delicious meal, such as this curried vegetarian pumpkin soup. During the winter, I usually stock up on kabocha squash when it’s in season. I steam the squash instead of baking it, just like we do in China. I cook a lot in batches and freeze the portions that I don’t use immediately. Then I use the squash in salad, or sometimes simply serve it as a side....

Updated March 26, 2019 It’s been a hot week in Utah. So much for a slight warm up to summer. Summer weather is in full swing! We’ve been eating a little lighter this week-Greek Quinoa Salad and my favorite Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich. I also made Edamame Basil Hummus from The Yummy Mummy Kitchen Cookbook by Marina Delio, one of my new favorite cookbooks. The hummus was easy to make and perfect for a light lunch....

Updated September 11, 2019 This post is sponsored by Kroger. Panzanella Salad is my favorite. How could you not like a salad that has bread in it? Ok, maybe bread in a salad sounds a little weird, but it’s not soggy bread. The bread is crusty and will remind you of croutons. I promise, it is a good thing. Carbs in a salad, it has to be a good thing:) I am currently obsessed with this Fall Panzanella Salad....

Updated January 19, 2021 Fall Vegetable Quinoa Soup-this healthy, one-pot soup is the perfect meal for a chilly day! Josh had a great time and picked a great game to go to (Go Giants), but I think I had an even better time at home with the boys. We watched movies…I introduced Caleb to Beethoven, not the musician, but the movie about the dog:) We also went on walks, played with toys, snuggled, and Caleb helped me make soup for dinner....

Updated March 26, 2019 This year we are partnering with Land O Lakes® Butter and Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, to create recipes and share tips as part of Land O’Lakes Kitchen Conversations. We are super excited because we love Land O Lakes® Butter and we adore Ree. She is the sweetest gal on the planet. I’ll also be joined by some other wonderful gals: Brenda from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles, Sommer from A Spicy Perspective and Julie from The Little Kitchen....

Updated March 26, 2019 When I went to Austin last month, I ate a lot of Mexican food. I was in heaven. One of the best things I ate in Austin was the Green Chile and Roasted Tomato Guacamole recipe Jenny and I created during our little cooking challenge. Our guacamole didn’t win the grand prize, but that didn’t stop everyone from eating it! The bowl was licked clean! It was a hit!...

If eating unpeeled prawns or shrimp freaks you out, I understand. They look gnarly and weird but BELIEVE ME, you have never tasted anything so delicious. Even more so when the prawns have been grilled before being coated in a garlicky, lemony butter sauce. It’s a very similar experience to eating crawfish (in the USA). They also stay super juicy because the shell acts as a barrier against the fierce heat from the grill....

Updated May 21, 2019 The lovely Cristina Ferrare, hostess of Cristina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love on Oprah’s OWN Network, recently published a cookbook, Big Bowl of Love. The cookbook is filled with more than 150 simple, fabulous recipes that the entire family will love. I’ve bookmarked almost every recipe to try, but the Grilled Polenta Cakes were really calling my name so I started with those. I love polenta, but don’t eat it often enough....

Ingredients Needed Shrimp. I used frozen peeled shrimp. Spices: I used smoked paprika, oregano and garlic powder to season the shrimp. Use your favorite spice mix as substitute. Lettuce/salad greens. I used a combination of butter lettuce, arugula and basil. Romaine lettuce, Iceberg, Cos lettuce, etc. will all work. Cherry tomatoes. Avocado. Cucumber. For the vinaigrette: I made a simple lemon dressing consisting of extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, fresh garlic, salt and black pepper....

One of the things I try to do with my blog is make authentic Chinese food easy for you to make in your kitchen. When cooking a different cuisine, it’s often our perception that it’s harder because it’s not familiar. I want to make Chinese cuisine more familiar with this ground beef stir fry, a dish you can have hot on the table in under 30 minutes. It’s incredibly delicious....

Ingredients Full recipe and amounts can be found in the recipe card below. Puff pastry. Leftover ham / gammon. You could use bacon, prosciutto, chorizo or sliced ham too. Cheese. This is a great recipe for leftover cheese if you had a cheese board over Christmas. Any good melting cheese will work. Cheddar, Gruyere, Havarti, Raclette, Brie, Camembert, etc. Onion marmalade/onion jam. Egg. Sesame seeds. (optional) How to make ham and cheese puff pastry pies Leftover ham recipes

Who knew that whizzing spinach, oats, nanners, and a few other baking essentials could result in such a gorgeous green muff? It’s a veggie party and you’re all invited! Have you gobbled up my healthy banana muffins, healthy chocolate banana muffins, or chickpea banana muffins yet? Gasp: no spinach banana muffin can be found in the muffin library! That all ends today. I adore these because a) they’re made in the blender, b) they have a fabulous lightness, c) they get my toddler to eat a vegetable, and d) they’re way lower in sugar than most....

You know those times when you need a totally foolproof, prepped-in-5-minutes kind of breakfast bar? We’ve all been there. I go through so many Morning Glory Baked Oatmeal Bars and Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars with my toddler Max. Let’s be honest…they’re a food group. So when I have time to make homemade breakfast bars the whole fam will love, it’s a win. These have a soft and fluffy granola bar texture similar to baked oatmeal....

Tofu is one of those ingredients I love because it has such a fun texture and you can use it so many different ways. And one of my favorite ways to use it is in this home style tofu recipe. This sauce will turn you into a believer in tofu once you taste it, I promise! In China, home style tofu is a hugely popular dish. Every family and restaurant has their own special formula for making the sauce....

Soup dumplings are one of the most memorable dishes I ate during childhood. I grew up in Beijing in the 90s when restaurants from other regions were still scarce, and we rarely ate out. But there was this hole-in-the-wall Xiao Long Bao spot near my mom’s office that had the best soup dumplings. Once in a while, she would take me there to enjoy a steamer of piping hot soup dumplings as a treat....

Updated March 26, 2019 I’ve been on a muffin kick. Caleb loves muffins so I have been making them for him, or at least that is what I am saying. I am enjoying the muffins too:) Yay for muffin madness! I recently made Apple Zucchini Muffins, Mixed Berry Granola Muffins, and now Honey Peach Muffins with Oat Streusel Topping. I love making muffins because they don’t take long and I love unwrapping my own individual muffin....

I have a few weak spots for foods such as donuts, pizza, and steak. Chicken wings are also up there, easily in the top 5. In the past I would stop by KFC to get my dose of guilty pleasure. But since I moved to the US and started to cook more often at home, I feel more and more reluctant to get my meals from a fast food chain....

Whether you are looking for a healthier alternative or want to switch up your usual meals, quinoa is a great choice. In this guide, I will discuss how to cook quinoa to replace rice and answer common questions like “Can I replace rice with quinoa?” and “Is quinoa a better substitute for rice?” I agree to be sent email. How To Cook Quinoa Start by rinsing the dry quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water....

If you don’t know how to use quinoa flour then you must try simple gluten-free baking recipes like quinoa flour muffins, pancakes, and gluten-free chapati recipes. As popular as quinoa has become, quinoa flour is also becoming a great replacement as the go-to option among gluten-free flours. I agree to be sent email. I like the nutty flavor that it brings to any dish. But there is one problem. Quinoa flour costs 5 -10 times more than the grains for every pound....

Whether you are dairy-free, vegan, or simply love the taste of soy milk, one thing is for certain… Making it at home is a better option. You can use quality ingredients (such as non-GMO soybeans), control the texture, make better tasting soy milk, and lower the cost, all without using any additives or preservatives. What’s not to love? Let’s get started and learn how to make soy milk yourself, save a bundle, and have a delicious and nutritious drink any time of day....