Oven Broiled Whole Zucchini

Oven Broiled Whole Zucchini

PLEASE DON'T JUDGE THIS DISH BY THE PICTURE!! I know what you're thinking and NO it wasn't a waste of three zucchini. Visually these zucchini are not going to win any prizes but once you take your first bite. You'll be a believer.

Taiwanese Spinach

Taiwanese Spinach

When I stroll through the produce section of my Asian grocery store I often get overwhelmed by the vast selection of Asian greens. They always look so fresh and inviting, but I don’t always know how to cook them. My go to method and recipe has been Chinese White Sauce. However, after bringing home a bunch of Taiwanese spinach which has now become my new favorite. I discoved a new method to cook Asian greens thanks to Nancy at YuCanCook. It’s a quick stir fry in a hot wok that brings out the flavor of the greens without overpowering them. So if you are looking for a quick and easy way to add Asian greens to your meal give this a try.

Hyotan Squash with Ginger Garlic Chicken

I was thumbing through one of my Hawaii cookbooks when I spotted this recipe. What drew my attention was the Hyotan squash. I had never heard of it, which stirred up my curiosity and got me surfing (not in the ocean) but on my computer for the answer.

That’s when I stumbled upon Suzi-Pratt’s blog that had pictures of her grandmothers Hyotan squash and recipe.

Mystery solved! Hyotan squash is what I have always referred to as Opo squash.

Basic Butter Sauce

EVERYTHING'S BETTER WITH BUTTER

I was making steamed broccoli and cauliflower as a side dish and would usually just toss it with a couple pats of butter. OK maybe more than that :)

Then I thought... there must be a recipe for a basic butter sauce that wasn't just melted butter with flavorings. And sure enough - there was!  I found this recipe on food.com that was recommended for pasta or veggies.

Collard Greens with Bacon

I was introduced to collard greens in North Carolina at the Midnight Diner which has become a have to - Nothing fancy - Just down home southern cooking.  My husband enjoyed the collard greens so much  that he asked me to recreate it.

Spicy Chinese Dry Cooked Green Beans

Chinese Dry Cooked Green Beans

I have a new family recipe...

Chinese dry cooked green beans are one of my husband’s favorite side dishes to order when we go out for Chinese food.  And though they are tasty they can often be very greasy.

There had to be a way to make them without greasing them up twice…

Chinese Spinach with ginger, garlic and green onions

Chinese Spinach

When I drive up to Portland I always stop by Fubon (Asian grocer) to restock my pantry and see what’s fresh.  They have a vast selection of the usual suspects like bok choy and gai lan, as well as, many seasonal varieties that I have not seen or heard of before.  Today’s discovery was- Chinese Spinach.

Eggplant Pie or Casserole

I’m calling this dish Eggplant Pie because it cut so nicely and reminded me of a slice of pie.

How long do you steam broccoli or cauliflower?

5 – 6 min. 

Make sure you bring the water in the bottom pot to a full boil before starting the timer.

This may sound like a ridiculous question to those of you whom are seasoned cooks, but I started thinking about how the basics sometimes get overlooked.  Truth is that we all started out as new cooks and someone had to teach us the little things. 

So, I decided to post individual estimated times for a few basic vegetables to use as a reference.

How long do you steam asparagus?

Thin: 3 – 5 min.

Thick: 6 – 8 min.

Bend and break ends off each asparagus to remove the tough stringy part.

My thin asparagus took 4 min. on high for a cooked but crisp asparagus.

The best way to know where the tough part ends and the tender begins is to; place the bottom of the asparagus and just about the middle of the asparagus between your thumb and index fingers, then bend it till it breaks.  Do this with a couple more; then measure the rest of the asparagus to those pieces and slice off the bottoms of the rest of them with a knife.

More Steamed Vegetables

BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER

SWEET POTATOES and YAMS

GREEN BEANS

How long do you steam green beans?

6 – 8 min.  

I steamed these on high for 7 min.

I am probably splitting hairs, but 6 ½ min. would have been optimum.

More Steamed Vegetables
BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER
SWEET POTATOES and YAMS
ASPARAGUS

Cauliflower with Avocado Mash

It’s hard to find different things to eat when you are eating low carb.  Everything starts to look and taste the same.  I love steamed cauliflower plain with just a sprinkling of salt and pepper, but I was in a been there, had that mood.  I needed a change.

Quick Sautéed Spinach and Mushrooms

Spinach and mushrooms go so well together.  They are quick to prepare and satisfying.

Asian Cucumber Salad (Namasu)

Every culture has their own collection of side dishes.  This simple and refreshing salad is a must when serving up a Japanese or Korean meal.  You can enhance this salad by adding thinly slivered ginger, bay shrimp, clams or squid and/or wakame (dried seaweed). It can be easily turned into a meal (especially when you add the seafood and wakame) by serving it over a bowl of rice or a bed of lettuce.

Broccolette

Broccoli's relative?  One we like or don't like?  

Hummm, only one way to find out...

Have you seen this product on your grocers shelf?

This was a new one for me.

  When I spotted it.  I quietly asked myself, "What the heck is broccolette? 

The package read "A sweet and tender relative of broccoli".  A relative?

I guess we are marketing our vegetables through relations these days, 

what happened to individuality?

Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

Magical Butter Sauce 3 - 2- 1

This was a great find from Jaden at Steamy Kitchen, and I was fortunate to bump into it.

The name magical butter sauce fits this recipe perfectly. All it takes are three basic stand-alone ingredients,

Roasted Beets & Parsnips with Orange Vinaigrette

My husband and I saw some beautiful beets and parsnips at the farmers market and that's how these two root veggies became one dish.
I usually wouldn't recommend mixing a naturally bleeding red vegetable with a white one, but they both looked so fresh, which made it impossible to choose, so I got them both.

Snow Pea Tips with Garlic Sauce

Snow pea tips are one of those mysterious Asian delicacy's that surprise the palate.  Tender leafy greens that are extremely flavorful with the distinctive flavor of fresh peas.  Their texture is very much like spinach, but taste nothing like spinach.  They cook up surprisingly fast with very little effort and are memorably delicious, simply stir fried with garlic.

Sauteed Kale

Kale has become the supper food of this generation which is awesome, because my family loves kale.   So I’m always looking for new ways to cook it, and as long as I don’t tell them about all the health benefits, they eat it with pleasure and only focus on the taste.  Kale is a great add in to soups as well as roasted.  I will blog on Kale chips soon.

Baby Bok Choi with White Sauce

Traditionally everyone tells you to get your wok smoking hot to cook any stir fry.  Well I think that Jaden from Steamy Kitchen has busted that myth.

I learned a wonderful trick from her blog about how to cook Chinese vegetables without burning the garlic and ginger, which usually results in a bitter taste.  Her fix is