Pineapple Ginger Popsicles

Enjoy some pineapple ginger popsicles - sweet pineapple with a bit of gingery zing in a creamy yogurt base.

Curry Chicken

Coconut milk, simmered into a complex curry with tomatoes, then served with seared chicken over brown rice for one scrumptious curry chicken.

Ginger Beer

Brew some refreshingly clean tasting Ginger Beer right at home! No special equipment required.

Salmon Fried Rice

We hadn't made fried rice in a while, and we both had a hankering for it, so I decided to make some. And then I went for Salmon Fried Rice since it was Saturday - seafood day. Two birds and all, right? I know last time, I said Fried Rice is good for using up ALL the things. However, it's also good when the refrigerator's empty. Just some eggs, rice, and mixed frozen vegetables, and you're good to go! (And in this case, salmon. Because you know, Salmon Fried Rice. A quick and enjoyable meal. Only thing I forgot was adding a bit of leftover bok choy into the mix. Yummy!

What's your favorite fried rice add in?

Salmon Fried Rice

by CJ Huang

Quick, simple, and healthy. Make this Salmon Fried Rice with leftover odds and ends or when you're low on groceries.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
393 grams		3 cups		rice, cooked and cooled	I used a mixture of white rice, brown rice, and barley.
194 grams	6.843 ounces		2	salmon fillets, cubed
			2	eggs
		1 teaspoon		ginger, grated
171 grams	6.032 ounces			vegetables, diced
		1 tablespoon		soy sauce
		1 tablespoon		green onions, sliced	optional, for garnish

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Slightly scramble eggs.
	3. Mix in rice and soy sauce, making sure to fry the rice a bit.
	4. Make a hole in the middle and add in salmon.
	5. When salmon is mostly done, add in veggies, and cook until everything heated.

Linked to: Full Plate Thursday, Artsy Fartsy Party, BFF Open House, Traffic Jam, Fiesta Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Handmade and Otherwise, Saturday Sparks, What's for Dinner?, Over the Moon, Hearth and Soul, Inspire Me Monday, Farm Fresh Tuesday, Tuesdays at Our Home, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Party in Your PJs, Your Whims Wednesday, Homestead Blog Hop

Tom Yum

Tom Yum Noodle Soup - a Thai style hot and sour soup with shrimp, tomatoes, and shiitake mushrooms.

Sesame Crusted Tuna

We recently saw some tuna steaks for sale, and since we'd never purchased any before, we decided to make an exploratory purchase. The first thing we wanted to try? Sesame Crusted Tuna Steaks! Making these steaks was pretty easy too. I thought I'd need to dredge the tuna in something before searing, but the tuna does a surprisingly good job of keeping the sesame seeds stuck. All you've got to do is press them into the tuna slightly if you feel like it. Even without pressing the sesame seeds into the tuna, the vast majority of the seeds will stay stuck. As part of this meal, I also made a ginger carrot topping or dressing. Feel free to serve it on the side, on top, as a dip, or not at all! Although, if you decide to leave it out, I would recommend mixing the other ingredients and using it as a sauce so you'll have a more flavorful tuna. :) Give this Sesame Crusted Tuna a try and surprise yourself with how easy it is to make!

What's a dish you thought was a lot more complicated than it actually is?

Sesame Crusted Tuna

by CJ Huang

Easy and yummy - try this sesame crusted tuna steak with an Asian inspired ginger carrot sauce!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
60 grams	2.125 ounces		1	carrot, chopped
		1 tablespoon		ginger, minced or grated
		2 tablespoons		green onions, sliced
		1 tablespoon		rice vinegar
		2 teaspoons		sesame oil
		1 teaspoon		soy sauce
38 grams	1.25 ounces	1/4 cup		sesame seeds
			2	tuna steaks	I cut each steak into two pieces, and I can't remember why!

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Process together carrots, ginger, green onions, sesame oil, and soy sauce until smooth.
	3. Press tuna steaks into sesame seeds to coat. Repeat for each side.
	4. Cook in a greased pan for 1-2 minutes on each side (for medium rare).

Linked to: Full Plate Thursday, Friendship Friday, BFF Open House, Saturday Sparks, Meal Plan Monday, Handmade and Otherwise, Fiesta Friday, What's for Dinner?, Inspire Me Monday, Over the Moon, Hearth and Soul, Inspire Me Monday, Tuesdays at Our Home, Fabulous Party, Inspire Me Monday, Farm Fresh Tuesdays, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Party in Your PJs, Homestead Blog Hop

Ginger Tofu

I had some tofu leftover, and I needed another side, but looking around I didn't have too much else. What to do? Maybe something like a stir-fry? But I wanted something crispier, so I opted for pan frying. If you're in a rush, you can serve these tofu sticks with a sauce (like me). But if you marinate the tofu beforehand, you'll get more flavor penetration. Either way works - just depends on your preferences. This gingery tofu is so simple you can go from raw materials to the table in 15 minutes! Just cut, cook, pour on some sauce, and you'll have some flavorful crispy, gingery tofu sticks!

What's your favorite way to enjoy tofu?

Ginger Tofu

by CJ Huang

Flavorful, gingery tofu sticks with a tender inside and a crispy exterior.

Prep time: 5 minutes + optional marinating time
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes + optional marinating time
Yield: 4 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
	1 pound			tofu, cut into sticks	Mine were about 3/4 x 3/4 x 3 inches.
		1/2 tablespoon		ginger, powdered, minced, or grated
		1 teaspoon		sesame oil
			2 cloves	garlic, minced
		1 tablespoon		soy sauce
		1 teaspoon		corn starch	optional

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine all materials, making sure to cover tofu in sauce. Marinate if desired.
	3. Pan fry tofu sticks until outside crispy.

Linking to: Inspire Me Monday, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Homestead Blog Hop, Party in Your PJs, Full Plate Thursday, Farm Fresh Tuesday, Reader Tip Tuesday, Making a Home, Artsy Fartsy Party, Thursday Favorite Things, BFF Open House, Friendship Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Saturday Sparks, Handmade and Otherwise, Fiesta Friday, Inspire Me Monday, What's for Dinner?, Over the Moon, Inspire Me Monday, Hearth and Soul, Tuesdays at Our Home, Artsy Fartsy Party, Thursday Favorite Things

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Easy pumpkin spice muffins - healthy enough for breakfast, tasty enough for dessert!

Asian Cole Slaw

An Asian inspired cole slaw with peanuts, ginger, lime, and soy sauce flavorings.

Sesame Chicken Sauce

Sesame Chicken - it's a dish commonly found in Chinese restaurants. It's also one of my favorites. I think There was a time when I'd eat Sesame Chicken at least once a week, usually more. (My parents owned a restaurant, for those of you wondering.) If I'm going to a new Chinese restaurant, the first thing I check out is their Sesame Chicken. Only then will I look at other options. And yes, I frequently use Sesame Chicken as a gauge for determining whether a restaurant is worthy of a return trip. While Sesame Chicken can seem a bit complex, it actually boils down to getting the sauce right. So that's what I'm sharing today - Sesame Chicken Sauce. Feel free to adjust to your own tastes and preferences!

For a recipe on how to cook Sesame Chicken using this sauce, check out this Sesame Chicken recipe. :)

Do you have a certain food you order to "test" a new restaurant? What is it?

Sesame Chicken Sauce

by CJ Huang

A sweetly savory and slightly tangy sauce perfect for Sesame Chicken.

Prep time: 1 minutes
Cook time: 4 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1.5 cups

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
		1/2 cup		soy sauce
124 grams	4.375 ounces	1/2 cup		rice vinegar	You can use white wine vinegar as a substitute.
92 grams	3.25 ounces	3/4 cup		brown sugar
136 grams	4.75 ounces	1/4 cup		corn starch	optional - this ingredient is used as a thickener. You can see the difference between the top and bottom pictures.
12 grams	3/8 ounces	1 tablespoon		ginger, grated or minced
6 grams	1/4 ounces	1 tablespoon		chili pepper flakes	I used gochugaru.
18 grams	5/8 ounces	2 tablespoons		sesame seeds	optional - toast beforehand for a bit of extra flavor

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine all materials and heat.
	3. Continue to whisk together materials until thickened.

Linked to: Happiness is Homemade, Inspire Me Monday, Inspiration Monday, Dishing It Digging It, Over the Moon, Merry Monday, Fabulous Party, Recipe and DIY Linky, Tasty Tuesday, Wonderful Wednesday, Wine'd Down Wednesday. Wow Me Wednesday, Party in Your PJs, BFF Open House, Traffic Jam, #HomeMattersParty, Funtastic Friday, Saturday Sharefest, Saturday Sparks, Meal Plan Monday, Mini Linky Party, What's for Dinner?, Happiness is Homemade

MaPo Tofu

We'd gotten a box of tofu (the 6 pound box, that is), so I needed to find a way to use it all before it turned into Stinky Tofu. I'd already made several versions of my usual tofu sticks, and James kept requesting MaPo Tofu. So MaPo Tofu it is! MaPo Tofu is originally from the Szechuan (although I think the current spelling is Sichuan) province of China. It's got tofu (obviously) cooked in a fiery and intensely spicy sauce flavored with fermented black beans, chili, and Sichuan peppercorns.

Those Sichuan peppercorns! They're actually not tooooooo spicy. However, after eating some, you'll start to feel a spicy numbing sensation (mala - 麻辣 in Chinese) in your mouth. This hot spiciness and numbing spiciness combo characterizes Sichuan cuisine.

MaPo Tofu will sometimes contain ground pork as additional flavor, and you could add a bit if you'd like. I didn't because I didn't think of it until too late. And then, it was, well - too late. You may notice a few ingredients you don't normally keep on hand - Sichuan peppercorns and fermented black beans. Both are available at Asian groceries or some better stocked groceries, and I am noticing the Sichuan peppercorns more frequently. Sometimes they're labelled as pink peppercorns.

I know I always hate buying a bunch of stuff I'll only use once, but once you've made this MaPo Tofu, you'll definitely want more. You could also make Pink Peppercorn Hot Chocolate with the Sichuan peppercorns, and the fermented black beans work wonderfully as a flavoring for lots of different stir fries. One of my favorites is a bitter melon stir fry.

Do you prefer things more on the spicy side or the mild side?

MaPo Tofu

by CJ Huang

A popular Sichuan dish - you'll want to prepare your tastebuds for this bracingly spicy MaPo Tofu flavored with fermented black beans, garlic, ginger, and Sichuan (pink) peppercorns.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
	1 pound			tofu, cubed
		2/3 cup		chicken stock
		1/4 cup		oil	I used olive oil. You could also use hot pepper oil for some additional heat!
		1.5 tablespoons		chili pepper flakes
		3 tablespoons		ginger, grated
		3 tablespoons		garlic, minced
		2 tablespoons		fermented black beans, rinsed
		1.5 teaspoons		corn starch
		4 tablespoons		green onions, sliced

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Heat Sichuan peppercorns and chili pepper flakes in oil until fragrant.
	3. Stir in ginger.
	4. Mix in garlic, cooking until fragrant.
	5. Add in fermented black beans.
	6. Toss in tofu, making sure it's cooked in the sauce.
	7. Mix corn starch into chicken stock, then pour mixture into pot, simmering until thickened.
	8. Throw in green onions, cooking until just wilted. Serve over rice and garnish with additional green onions if desired.

Korean Sauerkraut

We recently got a head of cabbage, and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. Then James mentioned he thought some sauerkraut would be good, but I didn't want to risk making a whole cabbage's worth of sauerkraut only to not have it turn out since I remembered the last time I did, and we ended up discarding most of the batch. So I thought maybe I could make a few different batches. As luck would have it, I was also reading through Nourishing Traditions, and they have four sauerkraut recipes! I figured if I made 4 different batches, at least one would turn out, right? Plus, if they didn't, at least we wouldn't have to eat too much before moving onto the next flavor. I'll share these four sauerkraut recipes (regular, Latin American, Korean, Japanese) with you over the next weeks.

This time, we're making another sauerkraut with an international flair. This Korean-inspired sauerkraut captures the spirit of kim chi without being overly spicy. (Although you could easily add chili pepper flakes if you're so inclined.) :) Often, when eating a Korean-style meal, you'll have one main dish, and a plethora of sides, the most common being kim chi. This Korean sauerkraut doesn't taste exactly like kim chi, but it definitely gets the idea across!

Do you prefer your food spicy or mild?

Korean Sauerkraut

by CJ Huang

A Korean-inspired sauerkraut brings together the traditional flavors without being overly spicy.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 10 minutes + fermenting time
Yield: 1/2 quart

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
294 grams	10.375 ounces		1/4	cabbage, shredded
104 grams	3.75 ounces	1/4 cup		carrots, grated
		1 teaspoon		ginger, grated
		1 teaspoon	1 clove	garlic, minced
		1 teaspoon		chili pepper flakes
		1 teaspoon		salt
		1 tablespoon		whey	I strained some from my kefir. You could also strain it from yogurt. Just make sure it's got some cultures in it! :) Or if you prefer not to use whey, you could increase the amount of salt.
12 grams	0.375 ounces			green onions, sliced

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine all materials and mix together.
	3. Place mixture into a jar, and press/beat down until liquid covers all solids.
	4. (Optional - Place a layer of plastic film on top to decrease exposure to oxygen. I like to use this layer of plastic film to slow evaporation and decrease air exposure, but as long as the sauerkraut is covered in liquid, you should be fine.) Allow to ferment at room temperature, tasting the sauerkraut to determine if it has fermented enough. Once fermented to your taste, store refrigerated.

Shared with: Delicious Dishes, Wonderful Wednesday, Waste Less Wednesday, What's Cookin' Wednesday, Wednesday Showcase, Creative Ways, Pinworthy Projects, What's For Dinner? Sunday, Happiness is Homemade, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sustainable Sunday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, What'd You Do This Weekend?, Turn It Up Tuesday

Spiced Date Ice Cream

We were trying to use the cashew milk we bought since we didn't enjoy drinking it plain, and I didn't want it going to waste. With this weather and my love of chai, I thought about making a refreshing treat. I froze this spiced date mixture to ice cream, but I'm thinking it'd be even yummier as a smoothie. Yum! Or maybe even popsicles. :) Lots of possibilities! The recipe's not too sweet as written, so you might want to use more dates or add a bit of sweetener. I really liked all the spices mixed in, and I think this would taste even better with cream instead of cashew milk since the richness would serve as a perfect counter to the aromatic spices!

Do you prefer the lighter taste of cashew milk or the richer flavor of cream?

Spiced Date Ice Cream

by CJ Huang

Aromatic spices, frozen with cashew milk (or cream) and slightly sweetened with dates for one yummy spiced date ice cream!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
		1 tablespoon		ginger, grated
		1/4 teaspoon		cardamom, ground
		1/4 teaspoon		cinnamon
		1/8 teaspoon		cloves, ground
42 grams	1.5 ounces	1/2 cup		coconut shreds
		1/2 teaspoon		pepper, ground
484 grams	17.125 ounces	2 cups		cashew milk	Substitute cream or half and half for a richer ice cream.
85 grams	3 ounces	1/2 cup	12	dates
		2 teaspoons		vanilla extract	or alcohol free vanilla extract

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Chop the dates. I've found chopping the dates on the coconut shreds solves the issue of the dates sticking to each other or the the knife.
	3. Combine cashew milk (or cream or half and half) with all materials except chopped dates and coconut shreds.
	4. Pour milk mixture into ice cream maker, following instructions. Add in chopped dates and coconut shreds towards the end of freezing time.

Shared with: Delicious Dishes, Wonderful Wednesday, Waste Less Wednesday, What's Cookin' Wednesday, Wednesday Showcase, Creative Ways, Pinworthy Projects, What's For Dinner? Sunday, Happiness is Homemade, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sustainable Sunday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, What'd You Do This Weekend?, Turn It Up Tuesday