JAPANESE COLD SUMMER NOODLES, or HIYASHI CHUKA in Japanese, is a cold ramen dish made with fresh ramen noodles topped with a variety of toppings dressed in an easy sweet and tangy soy based sauce. It is one of the tastiest and most refreshing meals to enjoy during the hot summer months!
Read moreRoasted Sockeye Salmon + Pineapple Basil Sauce { made in 20 minutes! }
Here's a tasty and healthy option for a quick weeknight meal. Did I hit all the right words...tasty...healthy...quick?! Not lying, this meal can be made in 20 minutes flat. We all need more of those in our busy lives.
Read moreChinese Chicken Rice (Easy Weeknight Version)
This is, hands down, one of our favourite dinners of all for adults and kids. The aromas of ginger, garlic and scallions permeate every component of the dish, resulting in something far more than the sum of its parts. It is really, really spectacular. I'm talking about CHINESE CHICKEN RICE. Made simpler and easier for a weeknight hit.
Read morePappardelle with Pulled Pork & Wilted Spinach
This recipe is a supplement to my previous post "Simple Beer Braised Pork" as one of a few ways to transform a single braised pork shoulder into several different meals that can be made in less time, by freezing portions of pork to defrost and use as needed on busy weeknights. See also my recipe for "Pulled Pork & Brussels Sprouts Fried Rice", another versatile dinner idea that can be assembled in a jiffy once you have portions of the braised pork tucked away in your freezer.
Read morePulled Pork & Brussels Sprouts Fried Rice
You need a good fried rice in your weeknight repertoire. You really do. I wrote up this recipe as a supplement to my previous post "Simple Beer Braised Pork" as one of a few ways to make a single braised pork shoulder and turn it into multiple delicious meals by freezing portions of it to pull out as needed on busy weeknights. (See also my post "Pappardelle with Pulled Pork & Wilted Spinach" for another scrumptious meal idea).
Read moreSimple Beer Braised Pork
What if I told you that all you need is half an hour of active prep time (excluding oven time) for this beer-braised pork, which can then be turned into 3 or 4 different dinners? Do the work upfront say, on a Sunday and reap the rewards on hectic weeknights. I think you maybe definitely should read on.
Read morePerfectly Crispy Sheet Pan Chicken { No Oil! }
I have been making this crispy chicken forever but it never occurred to me to blog it because it is just so simple. I finally decided it is less about a 'recipe' and more about the method. One that is tried and true and results in the crispiest chicken to come out of an oven without a single drop of added oil.
That is correct. Crispy. No oil. Skeptical? Let me explain.
Read moreTangy Yogurt Marinated Chicken Skewers
A tangy, garlicky, finger-licky delicious yogurt marinade works its magic by simultaneously flavoring and tenderizing pieces of chicken, which get skewered and seared on a hot grill to give you juicy, tangy, garlicky, finger-licky morsels of yumminess! Serve it with rice and your favorite veggies for a bright and healthy weeknight meal.
Read moreBraised Beef Shortribs, Korean-style {gf}
In Korean, this is called Galbijjim. Since I am not Korean, I do not have a "mom's best" recipe passed to me for these Korean-style braised shortribs. So I did the next best thing and adapted my recipe from David Chang's mom's recipe posted on the GQ site. After I made his version a couple of times I wanted to simplify the ingredients and cooking method for more practical home cooking, so I can make and enjoy it more often of course!
Read moreStuffed Sweet Potatoes & Portobellos with a Crunchy Walnut Breadcrumb Topping
I most frequently make this with sweet potatoes and portobello mushrooms because they are my family's favorites, and that is how I wrote this recipe. However it is also wonderful using acorn squash, baking potato, eggplant, sweet pepper, heck hot pepper even. Once you make the stuffing and walnut breadcrumb topping, you can personalize the meal by putting it into everyone's respective favorite veggie vessel, adjusting time in the oven based on it.
Read moreAvocado Veggie Rainbow Rolls + Tangy Tahini Dipping Sauce
I generally abhor salad prep. I love to eat salad. But the prep, no. So much washing and spinning and trimming and seeding and cutting. But these rolls and the dipping sauce. Oh I'll do it for them. They are one of my favorite ways to eat a load of vegetables in one sitting. The filling can be quite versatile. The only 'formula' (for me) is the inclusion of buttery avocado + crunchy carrots + refreshing cucumber + something leafy. Beyond that, almost anything goes.
Read moreTurkey Sausage, Butternut Squash & Turmeric Chili
When the weather is cold, I turn to hearty chilis and stews to warm up. I'm also lazy. And stews and chilis are wonderful one-pot meals loaded with meat, beans and lots of veggies! This recipe has no actual heat (spiciness) so who knows if it should still be called a chili. Feel free to enlighten me on this in the comments. Regardless, if you are unlike me and have no young children to worry about, by all means add a tsp of chili flakes when the turmeric goes into the pot.
Read more4-Ingredient Crunchy Chicken Nuggets
This is an essential weeknight recipe that I default to again and again because it is so easy to prepare and because of how much my girls love them! Think 4 ingredients, 15 prep time, 25 mins bake time. There is no reason to buy packaged nuggets ever. EVER. I also make this recipe regularly with ground turkey with wonderful results too but of course it will be a tad less juicy. I always make a double-batch and freeze a portion of uncooked nuggets for future school lunches.
Apr 2017: I have added gluten/grain-free AND dairy-free alternatives. Hurray! Nuggets for everyone!
Read moreLion's Head Meatballs
Lion’s Head Meatballs is a very traditional Chinese dish featuring large pork meatballs and leafy greens. This is a family recipe passed down from my Shanghainese grandmother, which always uses bok choy. The big fluffy meatball represents a lion's head and the surrounding leafy greens, its mane. Don't you love the fanciful name? Just as much to love is the dish itself, a mainstay comfort meal to be certain.
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