Vermicelli Salad

Made with fresh picked herbs from my garden.

Peanut dressing:
Equal parts of fish sauce, rice vinegar,
soy sauce
Triple parts natural crunchy peanut butter
Small drizzle of sesame oil

Nuoc mam:
3 table spoons each: brown sugar, rice vinegar & fish sauce
2 minced garlic cloves
1 bird eye chili pepper

Rice noodles, boiled and drained with a wash of cold running water.
Julienne carrots/ cucumber
I didn't have any bean sprouts, those would've been lovely. I snipped some perilla, mint and houttuynia (my favorite herb).
Toss everything together. Top with chopped scallions and shrimp, chicken would be better. And sprinkle peanuts of you have any.

Korean cold noodle

Bun Rieu

Comfort Food 101

The gluten free days are not exactly over, but once in awhile it is necessary to indulge. Just this once.

 

6 baking potatoes

Stems of one broccoli, peeled, cut.

1 package mix of cheese sauce, follow directions.

5 button mushrooms, sliced.

Butter

Salt

Wash and scrub potatoes. Half them lengthwise. Bake in 350 F degrees for 50 minutes. Boil broccoli stems and mushrooms for a minute. Scoop the middle out into a bowl, smash with a bit of butter, add veggies, salt and pepper. Spoon generous amount into potato skins and top with cheese sauce.

This is the ultimate comfort food, a bowl of creamy dreamy pasta. I adore bechamel because it is quick and easy so baked pasta in bechamel seemed perfectly right. Forget the fat and calories, let go of the gluten control. Just this once.

1 heavy cupful of rotini, boil in salt water until al dente. The broccoli florets from the stems I used for the potatoes? Cut into small flowers and throw into pasta water right before draining. 1 chicken breast, boil and chop.

Melt 5 tablespoons of butter, keeping heat at medium low.

Whisk in 4 tablespoons of flour. Cook until golden.

It starts to look funny like this. Perfect color.

As soon as you add in 1 cup of milk the mixture thickens.

Add a second cup of milk, stir!! 

Third cup of milk.

 This is the last cup of milk, 4 in total. Creamy and dreamy. Add 2 teaspoons of salt.

 Looks good already doesn't it?

You could eat it now...Or put it in an ovenproof bowl and sprinkle bread crumbs and parmesan on top. Bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy your cheesy potato and creamy pasta on a cold day!!

Oil Dressed Pasta

 

 Recently I had this salivating craving for pasta dressed with oil. It's not over powered by a marinara or cream sauce. The oil acts as a saucy medium and helps intensify the natural flavors for the vegetables and herbs you use. Simplicity is key, it only takes a few good components to snazzily dress a dish.

Ingredients: pasta of your choice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, cilantro, grated parmesan, meats/fish

Salt your boiling water. Grab a hand ful of pasta, makes 4-6 servings depending on your palm size.

Drain when al dente. Reserve some of that boiling liquid. About a cupful.

 

In a saucepan on medium heat, pour in about 1/3 cup of oil

 If you are like myself and enjoy heat in every meal, throw in some dried chili flakes.

Sliced white mushrooms, don't have to cook them down because textures are good.

I used both shrimp and squid

Stir that right in

Lastly, the garlic, tomatoes, cilantro and other seasonings last. Just long enough to heat up the tomatoes.

In come the noodles, may be sticky, pour in liquid.

Sprinkle on some parmesan and enjoy!

Pad Thai

My goblin of a sister making faces at my creations.

Used the simplest of ingredients: beans, tofu, chives, parsley, scallions, bean sprouts

dried rice noodles

boil rice noodles, when al dente, add in tofu and beans

Drain. Using the same sauce pan, on med-high heat, drizzle in oil and saute ingredients with desired sauces. I used hoisin and chili oil, stir in bean sprouts and chives.

garnish with parsley and scallions.

Easy.

Deokbokki!!

Click to see my favorite Korean food!!!

Some years ago I had friends whose mothers taught them how to make this delicious dish of spicy rice noodles! They're actually more of a noodle shaped rice cake that's cooked with gochuchang hot sauce along with green and white onions and sometimes fish patties! I really love Maangchi's website, I hope you all enjoy it too!

Vegetarian Lasagna

 

The most common theme about my cooking is that I don't intend to make anything until I am left with half used ingredients. There was 1/4 box of oven ready lasagna noodles and scarce vegetables left from making pizza. I almost always have tomato sauce in the pantry.. and this proves to be another super easy and fast meal when you're low on the dough!  Please don't mind the lack of ingredients.

 

I made a bechamel sauce for added flavor and moisture in the lasagna. Melt about 2 tbsp butter on medium low heat. Stir in 2 tbsp flour and whisk at low heat for a few minutes until your roux is golden..

 

In a separate pot heat 2 cups of milk. Whisk milk into the roux, making sure heat is still low. Let it cook for 10 minutes, whisking when needed. Take it off the heat and season with 1 tsp salt and a pinch of nutmeg. Pour into a bowl and put plastic wrap on the sauce to prevent a film.

 

To make the sauce tasty, saute 2 chopped carrots, 1 onion, and a handful of mushrooms in olive oil. When the vegetables have softened a little, add some chopped garlic. Pour in a large can of tomato sauce.  Stir constantly until well mixed and then take off the heat.

 

I sliced some eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes. Spread a little tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan.

 

Here is the really sad part, I only had 8 lasagna noodles, not enough to make 3 layers. Break the noodles up to fit. Spread more tomato sauce on first layer of noodles.

 

 Spoon on 1/3 of your bechamel sauce. Layer with vegetables and some morsels of cheese. Repeat with layering noodles, tomato sauce, bechamel, vegetables and cheese.

 

Pour on the rest of your tomato sauce and sprinkle cheeses, cover with tin foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for half an hour.

 

After half an hour, remove foil and continue baking for 15 minutes.

It is very healthy due to the fact that there isn't a lot of noodles.

So delicious!