Garlic Cucumbers

Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese restaurant chain renowned for its soup dumplings. But the dish that sticks in my memory most from the times I’ve eaten there is their Cucumber Salad. I’ve been craving those garlicky cucumbers, but since restaurants are still closed because of COVID, I decided to try to re-create the flavors…

Lemon Dressing

Continuing with my COVID-19 lemon series we have Lemon Dressing! Because you have to have a side dish to go with your lemon chicken, why not whip up a salad with lemon dressing? It’s easy, refreshingly tasty, and versatile – use it on whatever salad fixings you have around. Guessipe 1 TBSP lemon juice 1…

Butter Lettuce Swiss Salad

When I was little my mom would make this butter lettuce salad once in a very long while. It always tasted so good, looked so beautiful, and felt so special – perhaps because each person’s salad was arranged on its own plate, rather than a big salad being assembled in a serving bowl and then…

Caesar Salad

“Best Caesar Salad I’ve ever had in my life” – according to my friend who thinks Caesar Salad is the epitome of all salads. He also thinks he hates mustard, so I waited until after he was done eating his second bowl before I told him the dressing definitely contains mustard. Despite that, he keeps…

Crispy Harissa Chickpea Caesar Salad

Cookbook Club – Casablanca: My Moroccan Food To kick off Cookbook Club in 2020, we used Nargisse Benkabbou’s Casablanca: My Moroccan Food. The book was a bit hard to find, but luckily Benkabbou also has a website where she posts recipes http://www.mymoroccanfood.com/ which we also used. To experience our whole Moroccan meal, go to my…

Simply Tasty Heirloom Tomatoes

When you have peak season heirloom tomatoes at their optimal ripeness, you don’t need to do much to make them delicious. A little olive oil, salt, and pepper is all it takes to bring out their natural sweet goodness. Guessipe heirloom tomatoes, sliced olive oil Himalayan pink sea salt fresh ground pepper Lay out the…

Late-Summer Salad

Figs come into season in late summer, and if you’re lucky enough to have a fig hookup (AKA a friend with a fig tree) like me, then this is a refreshing and stunningly inviting salad that’s perfect for a hot summer day. Guessipe 1 head red lettuce, washed and hand-torn 1 head spinach, washed and…

Asian Slaw

This is a super easy slaw with an Asian slant that I like to whip together especially during the summer. Works great as a sandwich topping, or a side salad. Guessipe 1 head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced salt and pepper to taste DRESSING 3 TBSP miso 3 TBSP honey 1 TBSP Dijon mustard 5 TBSP…

Lemon Sesame Broccoli Salad

Blanched broccoli is so good for making a salad because it’s got great crunch and the tops absorb dressing super well so you get lots of flavor. And you definitely want all the sweet lemony nuttiness of this lemon sesame dressing. Guessipe 1 head broccoli, cut into florets DRESSING 1 TBSP lemon juice 1 TBSP…

Do Chua Salad

Cookbook Club – Appetites: A Cookbook This year we lost a titan of the food world, so in Anthony Bourdain’s memory we used his Appetites: A Cookbook for our October Cookbook Club. Anthony Bourdain captivated so many people with his fearless travels, so it’s no surprise that this book of his personal favorites includes recipes…

Crunch and Squash Salad

I like a hearty salad that really gives you something to chew on and fills you up. This is one such salad – with crisp and crunch from the cucumber and jicama, creamy avocado, and roasted squash that adds an almost meatiness. You can of course add in other veg that you like and change…

Miso-Mustard Dressing

Cookbook Club – Salt Fat Acid Heat For September’s Cookbook Club, we used Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat. I’d call it more of a book about cooking than a cookbook… you don’t actually get to the recipes until the second half of the book, but the first half is full of information essential…