Vegetarian

Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa

0 · Oct 22, 2014 · 6 Comments

Last weekend I stopped by my parents’ house and took a quick walk through their garden. Despite it being cold and rainy, the herbs were still green and I spotted a few tomatoes still on the vine. I was suddenly reminded that my dad had asked me to pick all the tomatillos that had ripened, heavy in their husks, the plants bowing towards the ground. There were about a dozen in varying sizes, still bright green in the gray and wet day. It was funny they were growing in our North American/Korean hybrid garden since no one in my family recognized what they even were.

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Apple and Cheddar Grilled Cheese

4 · Oct 19, 2014 · 8 Comments

I’m sure this is true of any area of the country that grows apples, but I feel like apple picking is an annual ritual here in Virginia that officially marks the end of warm weather. It confirms that we are in the middle of autumn and the quick slide into winter has already begun. When I was a kid, we went apple picking every year. My mom would prepare a picnic the night before, and we’d wake up early the next day and drive west towards the Blue Ridge Mountains. We’d stop at a Cracker Barrel on the way to fuel ourselves for some apple picking and it was really exciting because it was only once a year, like Christmas. We would end up at some orchard my dad read about the in the Washington Post and pick apples. I’m pretty sure I’d get bored of this after about ten minutes but it was okay because there was always warm apple cider. We’d pick enough to fill a few brown paper grocery bags and we’d hit the road again. Next, we would cruise on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park and take in the changing leaves.

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Fish Shaped Pumpkin Spice Bread

6 · Oct 12, 2014 · 16 Comments

Whenever the weather cools and fall is no longer punctuated by unseasonably hot days I think about my favorite Korean street snack, bungeobbang (also spelled bungeoppang). These are sweet, fish shaped treats that are made by street vendors that are reminiscent of waffles filled with sweet red bean paste. My first fall in Seoul, I’d get off the bus going home from the elementary school I taught at and before I crossed the road to get to my apartment building, I’d stop by the street stand on the corner selling these sweet treats. For 1,000 won ($1) I’d get three fish in a paper bag and I’d start munching on them before the crosswalk light changed. They’re best when hot and fresh off the iron since they start getting soggy quickly. A crispy, golden exterior encases a molten hot sweet filling that peeks through the crust.

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Homemade Goat’s Milk Ricotta Cheese

9 · Sep 28, 2014 · 10 Comments

I am crazy about goat cheese. Any type of cheese made from goat’s milk is bound to make a meal complete in my mind. To be honest, some days I come home from work exhausted and all I can muster up the energy for is a cheese snack for dinner. Cheese and crackers- is there anything so basic and satisfying? Give me a side of cornichons and/or olives, too, please. Sometimes I lazily attempt to add some green in there with a sprinkling of herbs or arugula. These days I’m topping it with the last of my CSA tomatoes. 90% of the time the cheese of choice is goat cheese: chevre, gouda, cheddar, even goat’s milk brie! Let’s just say the cheese section of Trader Joe’s is my happy place.

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Buckwheat Crêpes with Mushrooms, Brie and Thyme

0 · Sep 14, 2014 · 4 Comments

In the past few days the weather has cooled considerably and I’ve need a light jacket in the mornings and evenings when outside. Fall has arrived! Despite having an unseasonably cool summer here in the DC area I’ve eagerly anticipated the first signs of fall. Fall is my favorite season both here and in Korea. Cooler weather, a more relaxed pace of life, my favorite dishes and the leaves changing are all reasons I love fall. In Korea it was a short sigh of relief after the long and stifling monsoon season filled with unbearable humidity and unrelenting rain and a gentle period before the long winter with cutting Siberian gusts coming off the Han River.

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Fresh Tomato and Goat Cheese Mousse Tart + Goodbye Nabi

1 · Sep 8, 2014 · 10 Comments

The scorching hot weather of the past week seems to be the last gasp of summer. With it came what I expect to be some of the last tomatoes that will come in my weekly CSA. The tomatoes this season have been truly gorgeous and I think that having invested a share in a farm and seeing the progression week to week has really made me appreciate the seasonality of fruits and vegetables. Every time I make a meal of this produce I think of where it came from, Waterpenny Farm in Rappahannock County, Virginia and all the work and care the farmers took to bring this to my table. It makes me feel grateful and humbled.

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Grilled Ramps Tart

1 · May 12, 2014 · 7 Comments

I feel a bit silly writing about these alliums when every single blog seems to be exploding with their excitement over the appearance of ramps at their local farmers market or Whole Foods. There are so many beautiful recipes out there featuring these signals of spring. I wish there were more than a few weeks in the ramp season so that I could try more preparations of these delicious wild plants with their unique flavor that can be described as a blend of onion and garlic. Unfortunately, like most things this season, they are fleeting (it’s suppose to go up to 90 degrees this week and it snowed last month- spring, where did you go?).

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Easter Egg Salad and Easter Brunch 2014

1 · Apr 26, 2014 · 5 Comments

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Baked Eggs with Soy Sauce Mushrooms

2 · Mar 31, 2014 · 2 Comments

The first time you cook for someone can be a bit nerve wracking. You hope what you make is to their taste and that it turns out well. You don’t want to make anything too complicated as it presents more opportunities for error but you also don’t want to make anything too simple because you want to impress. The choices are endless and if you’re as indecisive as I am (if you ever dine with me, take away my menu the first time I declare I know what I want) it can be an endless cycle of choosing and doubting. Choosing what to cook for someone I have over is so hard for me! Sometimes I plan weeks in advance so that I can properly prepare and maybe even practice once or twice. I know to some people this seems ridiculous- if someone is over shouldn’t they just appreciate and at least pretend to enjoy what you make for them? Yes, maybe. But I want a guest to think on the meal later and I would like to create a memory with them- I know, so dramatic.

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Butternut Squash Gratin with Sage and Shallots

0 · Dec 15, 2013 · 8 Comments

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I went to a local farmers market with my dad. I had lured him into going there with me by buying our family some delicious buffalo sausages from a local Virginia farm on my previous visit for dinner. He’s a huge fan of buffalo meat and he wanted to check out all that they had to offer. This lead to a bit of a buffalo meat shopping spree, which involved the purchase of various cuts to use in soups, stews and braises. We will even attempt to smoke a buffalo brisket for Christmas this year. Besides the delicious meat we procured, we browsed the various produce vendors and stumbled across an almost freakishly large squash. It was labeled as a type of heirloom pumpkin but it looked just like a butternut squash. It’s neck was at least four times longer than an average butternut squash, and it curved into a hook-like loop. When we had it weighed at the time of purchase, it was nearly 9 pounds! Before I cut it up for the gratin dish, my brother wore it around his neck like a yoke and walked about the kitchen. I regret that I didn’t take a photograph of it, because it was truly a marvel.

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Bourbon Maple Cardamom Cranberry Compote

3 · Nov 10, 2013 · 6 Comments

I have a cheese abuse problem. The other day I opened the refrigerator to find six or seven wrapped blocks of cheese. I also found two rounds of fresh goat cheese that I had no recollection of buying. I thought I was going nuts until I asked my brother where they came from and it turned out his friend had brought it over. Okay good, I’m not losing it. My brother really missed an opportunity to start gaslighting me. You can get me next time I buy an unreasonable amount of some food item, bro. But for now, what will I do with all this cheese?

…eat it, of course, but the real question is: how?

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Toasted Wheatberry and Arugula Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

1 · Oct 28, 2013 · 5 Comments

toasted wheat berry and arugula sale- Ginger & Toasted Sesame

It’s been a few weeks since I posted anything and in my last post I complained about the unseasonably hot weather. After that we had a week of dreary, rainy weather and ever since it’s been very, very cold. I love colder weather so I’m fully embracing the change in seasons by eating… salad! I know it seems a bit odd to crave salad in this kind of weather, but you need to understand that when you live for an extended amount of time overseas, there are certain things that you develop insatiable cravings for. And for me, it was arugula and goat cheese. I saw arugula in restaurants and maybe once in a while in a grocery store, but it wasn’t easy to find. I remember coming back to the States and being completely overwhelmed by all the salad green choices in the grocery store. It’s something you really take for granted until you can’t have it anymore. As for goat cheese, I would get it gifted to me whenever anyone visited me from the US (along with an assortment of all sorts of delicious cheese that is hard to find in Korea or very expensive there).

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Spaghetti Squash and Kale Casserole

0 · Oct 7, 2013 · 9 Comments

Spaghetti squash and kale casserole- Ginger and Toasted Sesame

I was really excited about it becoming cooler last weekend but the weather suddenly became incredibly hot for October, peaking in the upper 80s. Today as I prepared this casserole, between the sautéing and the broiler on high I was sweating profusely and wiping my brow between photo set ups. Although fall hasn’t really arrived yet it doesn’t mean that one can’t enjoy some fall produce. Perhaps I can will autumn to start by eating a lot of squash…

This dish has been on regular rotation at dinner time because it’s simple to make and delicious. The creamy ricotta and sour cream combined together make it seem rich but it’s balanced out by the healthy strands of spaghetti squash and the sautéd kale. A crust of salty pecorino romano lends nice flavor and texture to finish the dish.

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Baked Huevos Rancheros in a Tortilla Cup

6 · Sep 8, 2013 · 10 Comments

huevos rancheros tortilla cups

Sometimes I’m a lazy food blogger. Generally, yes, I love to get my hands dirty and I make a big mess in the kitchen happily. But I’m not ambitious enough to make things from scratch every time I want something to eat. I do have a day job and I am prone to watching entire seasons of TV shows in one sitting on the weekend (don’t judge me).

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Veggie Whip

1 · Sep 6, 2013 · 7 Comments

Veggie Whip-8

When I lived in Richmond, Virginia I frequented a bar just a few blocks from my apartment where my roommate and best friend worked. I spent many nights there with friends having drinks and listening to live music. I was really sad to hear it left its old space while I was overseas and moved to a new location. I visited the new version of it but sadly it just wasn’t the same. One of my favorite ideas on the menu was something called a Veggie Whip. It was the vegetarian version of the Whip McCord, which featured a potato pancake with sauerkraut and different kinds of meat. The Veggie Whip featured diced vegetables and sometimes it could be a bit hit or miss but I loved the concept.

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