Banchan – Radish Kimchi

A Banchan collection isn’t complete without what is probably the best known of all the Banchan – kimchi! While you can make Kimchi using a variety of different vegetables, cabbage is the most common. But of all the kimchi my favorite is Radish Kimchi. I can’t get enough of the firm crunch of the radish,…

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,…

Banchan – Pickled Korean Radish

One of the things I like best about Korean food is the banchan (small side dishes). Some of them require days of fermentation, but some are quick to make. A lot of them have great crunch. Many are spicy, or have a strong sesame flavor. I have Korean friends who always have a variety of…

Ponzu Cucumbers

When you’ve put in your order at a Japanese restaurant and you’re so hungry you think you might pass out before the food arrives, and then they bring a little dish of complimentary cucumbers to your table… cucumbers have never tasted so good, and it’s just enough to hold you over. You can have this…

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…

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…

Glazed Radishes

Cookbook Club – The Silver Spoon For February’s Cookbook Club, we used the The Silver Spoon, a bible of Italian food with over 2,000 recipes. To get a glimpse of our entire home cooked Italian meal, go to my Cookbook Club site. For now – my dish! Radishes are so rarely cooked. In fact, I…

Snap Peas with Chives and Bamboo Shoots

One time I over-bought chives for a recipe and ended up with a leftover bunch. I happened to also have snap peas and a jar of seasoned crispy bamboo shoots, which I threw together in what came to be a favorite go-to veg dish that I’ve made again and again. Super simple to make, but…

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…

Creamy Cheesy Cabbage

When I first met my boyfriend, I would joke that he’s the only vegetarian in the world who doesn’t like vegetables. I have however been steadily converting him to Team Vegetable, and this Creamy Cheesy Cabbage has definitely been part of the conversion. He’ll keep going back for more, even when there are other options…

Flowering Choy with Lime and Fish Sauce Vinaigrette

Cookbook Club – Holiday Year in Review We’ve found that the December Cookbook Club is the perfect time to celebrate the holidays and look back on all the food and fun we’ve had throughout the year. For our Holiday Year in Review event, any recipe from any of the cookbooks we’ve used in the past…