The Best of Simplicity

Grilled chicken, ripe avocado, 1 tbsp of ranch dressing. That's all there is.

The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace

It is over 2.7 meters high, weighs over 4 tonnes and is the largest Buddha carved from jade in the whole world. This is not just any statue, it represents world peace with the purest of intentions to unite people together. The jade buddha is on it's world tour and has stopped in Aldergrove, B.C this week. As a buddhist, the first time seeing the jade Buddha has not only brought great joy to my life but it has also given me power. It is energizing just being in it's presence. It is an opportunity I am honored to have had in my youth.

Inspired by Hien & Vy

On my recent trip to Calgary, AB, my cousins, sisters Hien and Vy made their wonderful homemade salsa as a side on our spaghetti dish one night. Their salsa consisted of 4:1 of tomatoes to avocado, light and fresh with hints of lemon and cilantro. Until that point I had never considered making salsa and guacamole into one.. but it is genious! Of course being a MUFA lover my tomato to avocado ratio is more like 1:4! Hien and Vy made a base of tomatoes with avocados as a background.. myself I love guacamole so it is more "mole than toes" says my sister Nancy. Funny because I started out with more tomatoes than avocados but to adjust to my own taste there had to be more avocado in the end.

Ingredients:
~ 7 small tomatoes
6 avocados
1 medium red onion
juice of 1 lime
4 cloves of garlic
Tabasco to taste

Notice the difference between the romas (top) and regular tomatoes (bottom). The romas I find contain more water and are more tart than average tomatoes that hold their shape better.

 Chop your tomatoes!

Chop your avocados! When picking out avocados, I choose the teardrop over the round. The teardrop shaped have been tree ripened and are richer in taste. Hass avocados (California) contain almost twice the amount of MUFA than their Florida counterparts.

The pit is so small in this avocado that I sliced it right in half! I usually buy about 10-12 avocados in a week, only half of them ripe enough to consume leaving the other half to shelf until they soften.

This is the essence of my guacamole. A little bit goes a long way.
In a large bowl mix your tomatoes, avocados, chopped red onion, lime juice, garlic and hot sauce.

Enjoy with your loved ones!

Barley and Vegetable Stew

This delicious bowl of homey goodness is full of fiber and does not lack in flavor! I used chicken broth but vegetable broth would be equally as good too. As you can see.. I use the same ingredients for just about all my recipes.

Ingredients:
3 cans of chicken broth
2 celery sticks
2 carrots
3 tomatoes
1 onion
1 cup frozen veggies
1 cup of dried barley = 5 cups of cooked barley
olive oil
poultry seasoning
salt and pepper

I pureed my chopped tomatoes..
Some pictures are missing so here it goes:
Chop up celery, carrot and onion
Heat up pot, splash of olive oil, sweat your veggies!
Cover with lid for 3 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Add in your dried barley and poultry seasoning (super fragrant). Stir and reduce heat.

Once the veggies and barley have been mixed, pour in your tomato puree.

skim off the foam!

Pour in chicken broth and 1 can of water. Cover and let simmer. Stir occasionally to check if barley has softened. Add in frozen veggies and turn heat up to cook thoroughly and serve hot.

Insta-fun!

That's right, there's shitake mushroom, clam and octopus in the spoon, plus imitation crab in the soup.

Just thought I'd share my typical bowl of noodles with you. Its just what I have available in the fridge and freezer that day. Start with your favorite pack of instant noodles, add some veggies, meat, and voila!

Theres a pack of Nongshim Neoguri in Spicy Seafood...
Add:
-2 tbsp dried shitake mushroom
-1/4 cup frozen veggies, clams and octopus
-after i took this picture I found some imitation crab in the fridge and shredded it into small pieces.
-sometimes its nice to put in scallions and cilantro, or what I do when the noodles aren't spicy - chili in oil
-soy sauce flavored noodles or anything salty can use a squeeze of lime

I almost always have dried shitake and frozen octopi on hand.

Instant noodles are a must in my household.

Follow the cooking directions on the package. I boil 500mL(2 cups) of water. Add the frozen octopus (give it a head start), the seasonings, dried mushroom, clams, and imitation crab.Then the frozen veggies (or at the end after the noodles are soft)

I put the meats in before the noodles because my meats were frozen. Then add the noodles in and cook until your desired softness. I personally don't like soft expanded noodles.

mmm the seaweed in the soup makes its soo seafood-y

serve hot and enjoy!