Celebrate St. Patrick Day -- Green muffins

I found this recipe on one of the blogs I follow. These mini muffins were amazingly delicious. I will for sure make them again and again, because my boys just couldn't have enough. They didn't even wait to swallow and stuff their mouth full of muffins. Perfect for St. Patrick Day treats too!

Stuffed tomato

This is a recipe I saw when I was watching the Create Channel, Lidia's Italy. I love her cooking show. Her dished are always so simple, easy and look delicious. Since I have tons of tomatoes from my in-laws kitchen, I decided to try this recipe. 

Cherry tomatoes with rasin 蜜餞櫻桃蕃茄

 Tomatoes can be vegetables and fruits. When I was little, there were no cherry tomatoes, only the big ones. We would cut it in chucks, sprinkle sugar on top and eat it as "desserts". However, it gets messy sometimes this way. Then cherry tomatoes were introduced, no cutting, no mess, no seeds to spit out, even better than cherries! My in-laws know I love them so much, they planted a few cherry tomato trees in their garden, and it is in season now.They have to be picked before it rains, otherwise they will swell and burst. They can also be picked while still green, and they will turn red when stored in a paper bag at room temperature.

Popcorns 爆米花

Popcorn is a popular snack at anytime any place. If someone pops a bag of popcorn in the office, people will follow the smell and gather at "the source". It is also a nice treat when we are watching movies in the evening. My husband is the chief of entertainment -- he is in charge of the movie, and I am in charge of food. Sometimes it's fruit, roasted nuts, and of course, popcorn. To make it healthier, we use vegetable oil to pop them, and we don't add any toppings, just a pinch of salt to season.

Japanese cucumber coleslaw 涼拌小黃瓜

Time has officially entered summer, and the weather proves it. I just feel sweating even I am sitting down doing nothing, not to mention standing in front of the stove cooking and baking. Oh, I miss cooking something cold. This cucumber coleslaw is a common summer dish when I was growing up. You could see it almost everyday on the dinner table. I bet my parents are still making it everyday now! It's easy, fast, healthy and delicious!

Seaweed coleslaw 涼拌什錦小菜

The temperature significantly increases today. Walking outside, I can feel the heat wave rolls me up like a hot towel. Cold dishes are a real treat in this kind of weather. Usually it accompanies with a little a vinegar and some aromas (cilantro, scallions, etc.) to help with the appetite. Again, this is from Carol's kitchen, but I also add some modifications. It tastes good no matter how you prepare it.

Spinach and mushroom risotto 義式菠菜香菇燉飯

I guess you can tell what this week's theme is, that's right, spinach! The recent weather makes the vegetables in my in-law's garden grow really well, so our dinner table is full of my in-law's labor of love. We love starchy and creamy risotto very much, and it's so easy and quick to make. Well, I know my way of cooking risotto is not authentic, so please leave some comments if you have good tips or suggestions.

Asparagus hollandaise 蘆筍荷蘭蛋黃醬

I first came to know hollandaise sauce when I was shopping in the grocery store. There was a hollandaise sauce ready-mix right next to the asparagus. I then saw it in the movie "Julie and Julia" and learned that the famous Julia Child has a classic recipe for it, which didn't look too hard to make. I also saw her making it on her cooking show on PBS.  Since then, it has been on my "to cook" list, and today I finally get to do it. It is basically to incorporate melted butter into egg yolks and produce this creamy and frothy butter sauce. The color is pretty too, like a baby duck's coat. It is a classic when served with egg benedict (a French breakfast sandwich) or asparagus.

Steamed pork buns and veggie buns 肉包和素包

I like to cook something that needs a little work to make on the weekend. Those are the things I don't usually have time to make on weekdays. Bao zi (steamed buns, 包子) is a something we love very much. The wrappers are made from dough after risen by yeast, and become so soft after steamed. The fillings can be anything, all meat, all vegetables or a mix of the two. I made both kinds. I made the wrappers for the veggie buns with vegetable juice so that they can be distinguished from the meat buns. We also invited my in-laws and sister-in-law's family to come over for lunch. My brother-in-law? Again, pursuing happiness -- the love of his life.

Double happiness 紅白報喜

This is a dish that I like very much since I was little. It's colorful and starchy. I guess little kids love soft and soupy food; it's easier for them to chew and swallow. Same idea; it is also good for elderly people. Starchy vegetables are like potatoes or yams (山藥). I like to add some carrots for more colors and nutrition.

Stinky fried tofu and Taiwanese coleslaw 自製臭豆腐, 台式泡菜

Stinky tofu is a famous snack in China or Taiwan. It is the most popular snack in the night markets and street vendors. It's also my all time favorite. It is stinky, yes, stinky, but I think it smells so good! Good stinky! It is fermented tofu, that's where the "stinky" smell comes from. When deep-fired, they are so nicely brown and crispy on the outside, but still soft on the inside. It's like a piece of heaven!! However, the traditional way of processing the stinky tofu is not so clean and healthy. Also, it is not available at where I live right now. To feed the hungry bugs in me, I found this recipe online.

Leek box 韭菜盒子

My in-laws have a garden in their back yard. They maintain a good variety of vegetables in the garden. Each month we will have a different vegetable "in season" and shows up on our dinner table for the entire month. Recently, the leek is very productive due to the rainy weather we have, so the best way to consume these leeks is to make "the leek boxes"! It is a traditional Northern Chinese food, especially in the summer time. The key is to use hot boiling water to destroy the gluten in the flour, and also they are half cooked this way, so it is very crispy on the outside.

Guacamole cheese hamburger 酪梨沙拉起司漢堡

We love avocados very much. Avocado by itself doesn't have much flavor, but we like its creamy, smooth texture and the pretty green color. Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid, acting as a "nutrient booster" and good for the heart! I've seen some people use avocado to make ice cream or eat it with cereal. We like to use avocado to make sushi and guacamole, which is our favorite! We love guacamole in a burrito or a dip for chips. It's delicious and economic to make guacamole at home.

Eggplants with basil 塔香茄子

Today we are having eggplants for dinner. I've been thinking about this for a long time. This is the oriental eggplants, and they are thin and long compared to the western kinds. Chinese cooking is really into "color", "smell" and "taste" all in one dish. However, once the eggplants are heated, they are very easy to lose the purple color and become brown. Also, you can't cut them too early in advance, because they will get oxidized and turn brown, too. So to preserve the pretty color of the eggplants, Chinese have developed several ways to do it. (This is never a worry for eggplant parmesan.)

Baked spring rolls "烤"春捲

Spring is here, so let's have some spring rolls. It is also called egg rolls. It is the perfect food for a day in spring, not too hot, but not too cold either. In Chinese culture, there is a typical day in spring (Qingming 清明), the first day of the fifth solar term. It is a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime and tend to the graves of departed ones. Spring rolls are the typical food for Qingming Festival (清明節), especially in southeastern China, like Taiwan.

Tomato soup 羅宋湯

This soup is part of my series of "Energy Soup". I just want to show how versatile it is. It can be a warm savory soup with the same great ingredients. I know this soup is "different" from the traditional version of tomato soup.

Homegrown sprouts 自製芽菜

As I shared earlier, we are into the Whole Food diet recently. Sprouting seeds is a part of diet. Beans and seeds are the tools that plants use to produce their next generation, so there are a lot of good nutrition in them, such as minerals and vitamins. I don't know all of them, but I am sure you can read about it on the internet. But why sprout? Why not just eat the beans and seeds?

Energy soup 精力湯

The Whole Food Diet is all about natural. It also encourages people to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables everyday. Most importantly, keep the seeds, skins or pulps that we usually throw away, because they are more nutritious. The best way to achieve that goal is to make "Energy Soup".