food

savoring every bite...

...because life's too short to eat bad food.

~

soups

 

"avgolemono" (Greek-inspired lemon soup)
chilled cucumber soup
chilled almond and garlic soup (sopa de ajo bianco)
creamy fennel and broccoli soup
creamy tomato bisque (non-dairy)
pesto pea soup
spring pea soup

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starters | salads | snacks

bean dip
cashew and almond pâté 
edamame "hummus"
fennel and grapefruit salad 
panzanella and warm marinated olives
quinoa and vegetable patties 
spinach artichoke dip (non-dairy)
spring salad with minted peas
sun-dried tomato and olive spread
watermelon and feta salad

 ~

main

 

linguine cacio e pepe
creamy polenta with poached egg
Cuban black beans and rice
Filipino mung bean stew (meatless version)
loubie bzeit (Lebanese green beans) 
Mediterannean-inspired orzo salad
potato gnocchi with sage brown butter sauce
Spanish-style white bean stew
sweet and savory pancakes
white bean chili

 ~

chocolate needs its own category

 

 chocolate pumpkin spice cake
chocolate tart with almond crust
chocolate zucchini muffins 
 dark chocolate orange pots de creme
fleur de sel chocolate chip cookies
lavender honey dark hot chocolate
Mexican chocolate cake
Spanish/Filipino style hot chocolate
the best fudge brownies ever

~

more baked goods {sweet} 

 

alfajores
banana chocolate chip muffins
blackcurrant spice cake
fruit, oat, and nut bars 
granola
grapefruit yogurt cake
meyer lemon mini cakes 
orange scones
tangerine olive oil pound cake
zucchini bread

~

other

no-bake protein bars

 

even more baked goods {savory}

 

rosemary crackers
spinach and cheese muffins

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savoring every sip...(or gulp, whatever you prefer)

banana peanut butter smoothie
ginger tea
matcha green tea smoothie 
mulled apple cider
white sangria

~


Favorite Reads (on the web)

There are so many... just listing a few here.

Food52

Burnt Lumpia (Filipino food blog)

Cleveland Foodie

Indian Simmer

Love and Olive Oil

Love and Lemons

Manger by Mimi Thorisson

Not Without Salt

The Splendid Table

~

Favorite Reads (on paper)

Memories of Philippine Kitchens by Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan

Ratio by Michael Ruhlman (there's an app for it too!)

Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser

~

Favorite Sources

Produce: Fresh Fork Market

 Tea: Essencha

Desserts/Pastries: Coquette Patisserie

Spices: Colonel De

Cheese: Mayfield Road Creamery 

Ice Cream: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
(at her scoop shop, or my own version based on her cookbook!)

~

Tips

How to store produce in the fridge (printable pdf from this website)

~

(Updated May 2012)
All the recipes posted here are vegetarian (no animal flesh, but with minimal to moderate amounts of eggs and dairy, depending on the recipe; with dessert recipes of course having more moderate amounts of eggs/dairy). I experimented with going dairy-free for a short time, but dessert made using fresh, real ingredients (not substitutes) were too good to resist.

I do occasionally write my journey as a vegetarian, and my reasons for becoming vegetarian, and the nature of my recent non-vegetarian food choices and its implications - as this is all part of my life.

When I write about my food choices, I am by no means imposing my dietary choices on anyone; becoming vegetarian was just a personal choice that felt right to me. I believe in the idea that each person decides and does what's right for his or her own body. :)

As ironic as this now sounds, I'm in this strange phase right now in which I am exploring seafood again, after being vegetarian for ~6-7 years. I've been having it maybe once a week or once in two weeks (usually Alaskan salmon, or halibut). I'll see where this goes. I'm still relying on a mostly plant-based diet though.

Regardless of your dietary choices and preferences, I hope you find something you enjoy here. Because I love making food, eating food, and sharing it with others.