cherry's kitchen

Sysco Spring Food Show 2012

2012-02-24T22:29:00.001-08:00

Those who have been to the Sysco spring food show know what I mean when I say that I "ate until surfeited collapse". The food show is a showcase of many different cuisines and new products. As usual, I went with an empty stomach in preparation for the food attack....

I was not able to take pictures of all the food but appreciated the fact that I was able to enjoy the day immersed in a sea of food-lovers like myself.

I like the idea of having the cake placed on top of a vase filled with the different types of food reflecting the flavor of the cake. So for example, the carrot cake had fresh carrot. Chocolate cake had cocoa beans and chocolate chips, Lemon cake had lemons in the vase...etc..

Using mirrors to accent the display...

A new breakfast product that I like:

piano made out of chocolate...

assorted chocolate products

Herbal lemonade:
Ingredients: 3 gallons Lemonade, 4 oz dill, 4 oz mint, 2 oz basil, 3-5 sprigs rosemary, edible flowers to garnish.
~ Place herbs and lemonade in container. Add water to top and stir vigorously, muddling the herbs to release flavor. Let stand for several hours if possible. Add ice and serve. If more lemonade needs to be replaced, keep the herbs in the same containers all day. Mix and muddle! Replace herbs daily.

Demo of how beef is dissected :(

Also, there were many technological products for business to attract more customers. Another cool idea was to in-print the name and logo of any company/ event onto a disposable plate.

Looking forward to the next show! :)

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

2012-02-18T00:07:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago, a bunch of people came over to my place for vespers and S. brought this simply delicious soup. I loved it ( similar to Trader Joe's butternut squash soup) and am glad that she shared the recipe with me. It might look complicated but it is actually very simple to make. :)

I used cashews instead of almonds and omitted the unsalted butter.

(Kurt Beecher Dammeier's Pure Flavor cookbook. 125 fresh all-American recipes from the Pacific Northwest.) Makes 10 cups, serves 6 to 8

The intense flavor of Autumn squash is magnified when turned into a smooth, luscious soup. Adding yams provides even more depth of flavor, and Middle Eastern spices keep the sweetness in check.

5 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons neutral flavored cooking oil, such as canola or soybean
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 3/4 pounds fresh butternut squash (1 large squash), peeled, seeded, cubed
1 1/2 pounds yams, peeled and sliced
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
3/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh sage

In a heavy-bottomed 8-quart stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft but not browned, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the cumin and coriander and cook for 1 minute.
Add the butternut squash, yams, 8 cups of water, and salt. Simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, pour the mixture into a food processor or blender and return it to the pot after processing.
Stir in the cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and black pepper. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, or black pepper as needed.
For the topping, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and saute until light golden brown, stirring frequently. Add the sage and continue to stir for 1 minute, or until the almonds are golden brown and the sage is fragrant. Remove the topping to a bowl to cool. To seve, garnish each bowl of soup with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the topping.

The soup will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Gently reheat over low heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning.

my passing thought..

2012-02-17T23:09:00.000-08:00

Cooking is an act of love, a gift to the person who eats it.

Food always turns out better when the heart and soul is in it. Anyone can cook a dish. A true chef cooks from the heart, personalizes it and that is what matters.

Earlier today, I cooked a dish in a hurry, without peppering it with love, and it didn't turn out right.

Love is never but a simple thing. It is so easy to forget how clearly it can be defined...
Love -is patient
Love -is kind
Love -it does not envy
Love -it does not boast
Love -it is not proud
Love -it is not rude
Love -it is not self seeking
Love -it is not easily angered
Love -keeps no record of wrongs
Love -does not delight in evil
Love -rejoices with the truth
Love -always protects
Love -always trusts
Love -always hopes
Love -always persevered
Love -never fails.
- Corinthians 13

Lord, help me to live out your definition of love.

Yard House Gardein Menu

2012-02-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

When I heard that Yard House implemented a gardein menu at all their restaurants, I immediately thought to myself that it was an ingenious idea. I had to try it! Hence, I brought several key people at work to sample the food and all of us liked it. It tasted the same as the real deal.

Here is the link to their menu: http://www.yardhouse.com/menus/gardein.aspx

gardein™ (MAC + CHEESE)2 - chicken, wild mushrooms, cheddar, parmesan, campanelle pasta & truffle oil

gardein™ THAI CHICKEN NOODLE SALAD - egg noodles, grilled chicken, broccoli-carrot-sprout-cabbage-cilantro slaw and spicy peanut vinaigrette

gardein™ CHICKEN & AVOCADO SANDWICH - swiss, lettuce, tomato & mayo on onion poppy seed bun

gardein™ ORANGE PEEL CHICKEN- crispy chicken, baby corn & bok choy in spicy sweet orange glaze with jasmine or brown rice

gardein™ SPICY THAI CHICKEN PIZZA - firecracker sauce, mozzarella, macadamia nuts, carrots, green onion & cilantro

I really enjoy talking about food with people, disecting the dish to re-create it at home.

Thank you Lord for all your blessings! :)

Baking with the ladies

2012-02-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

was such a pleasure and rare time for us to bond and chill. I used the Devil's food cake recipe that I got from the "Cake Making Made Easy" Chef Eric's culinary classroom class. Modified the recipe a little- added less sugar, used tofutti sour cream instead of yogurt and soy milk instead of milk. It turned out moist and delectable. It is definitely my keeper's chocolate cupcake recipe. We decided not to frost it to keep it simple and healthy.

Ingredients:
4 oz Bitter or semi sweet chocolate
1.5 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 c soy milk
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
1 cup brown sugar
6 oz butter
4 eggs

Method:
Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter and flour the cake pans, or place paper liners of the muffin tin, if making cupcakes. Set aside.
Melt the chocolate chips in a bain marie, stirring until the chocolate is mooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and let it cool until luke warm. Sift the flour, baking powder. salt and soda into a bowl. Set aside.
Place the milk and sour cream in a bowl and whip until smooth. Set aside.
Use an electric mixer, cream the sugar, butter until well smooth. Add the eggs in one at a time. Add the melted chocolate and mix until smooth.
Add one third of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture and then one third of the milk mixture. Make sure that the ingredients are incorporated before adding the next addition. Repeat until all the dry ingredients are added. Place the batter into the cupcake holder or cup cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes and let it cool for 15 minutes.

We made different types using the same batter- heart-shaped cakes, heart-shaped muffins, and regular round ones. :)

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

Berry Tart ( Quick)

2012-02-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

I posted a Brunch Berry Tart recipe two years ago and decided to make it again, modifying it to a semi home-made version that didn't take as much time. :)

Ingredients:

A frozen pie crust

Filling A

8 oz cream cheese

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1 t vanilla essence

Filling B

Frozen of fresh berries

1/4 cup sugar

2 T corn starch

1/2 c water

Steps

Prick the pie crust, and bake it for 2 minutes.

Using a hand-mixer, beat all the Filling A ingredients.

Add it the the pie crust and continue to bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to cool. For For fun, you can drizzle a little caramel :)

Puree the berries and sugar with a blender.

Mix the corn starch and water in a pot and place it on the stove.
Add the berries puree into a pot with the corn starch mixture.
Heat it for several minutes, until thicken.
Cool it down. If short on time, place in a pan of cold ice or refrigerator.

Pour it over the pie crust...and decorate with berries! :)

If you have more time and want to make the crust from scratch...check out this Brunch Berry Tart recipe.
Side thought: I just came back from church and the pastor talked about attitude and choices in life. There are always two sides to everything and we need to look at the positive side to gain good results. Two men were looking out of the prison- one saw mud, and the other saw stars. We are never too old to learn and grow, and to keep trying. One day, everything will make sense but we have to start from within ourselves to make the choices that will affect out life momentarily, and eternally.

God bless :)

Banana Bread ( Clay's recipe)

2012-02-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

Bananas ripen very easily and I'm always making banana breads. If you're like me, this is a recipe you have to try! :) This recipe was shared by Clay and I absolutely love it :)

Ingredients:

1 c oil, 2 c sugar ( Use 1 c brown, and 1 c white), 2 eggs, 2 c mashed bananas ( about 3 large), 3 cup flour, 1 t salt, ½ t vanilla, 1 ½ c walnuts, 2t soda, 2 T hot water

Directions:

Mix ingredients in order. Bake in a 350F oven. Bake 1 large loaf pan for 1 hour or 2 small loaf pans for 45 minutes. Top with quick oat meal for a healthy look.

* Variation: I added 2 1/2 cups of flour (instead of three cups), 1/4 cup flaxseeds, and 1/4 cup of chia seeds. Also, 1 Cup of dark chocolate chips made it taste even better! :)

For Chinese New Year, we went to Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Pink Coral Sand Dunes, and Upper Antelope Canyon. Breath-taking and amazing are two words I would use to describe these few places. Someone mentioned that the less time one spends in nature, the more harden they are to the word of God.

"Fiery Hair"

On our way to Zion National Park, we saw the biggest rainbow in our lives! It stretched all across the high way and touched the ground. Rainbow is a beautiful token of the Lord that reminded me of the Lord's protection and the keeping of His promises. ( This picture does not justify what we saw!)

It's late but I still have to say......Gong Xi Fa Chai! Happy Chinese New Year! :)

Mini Tarts W/ vegan cream cheese and chocolate pudding

2012-01-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

My first attempt at making this filling- recipe and we thought it turned out good. :)
Ingredients: 8 oz vegan cream cheese, 1 Tbsp raspberry preserves, 1 8oz packet chocolate pudding, soy milk

Direction: Mix the cream cheese and preserves together. In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of milk and chocolate pudding until it becomes very thick. Mix the pudding and cream cheese mixture together. Place the mix in a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe it onto the mini tart. Top with berries :)

Hotpot for dinner... Perfect for a cold and chilly day :)

Vegan food Adventure @ Santa Monica

2012-01-12T05:14:00.000-08:00

Went to True Food Kitchen, Real Food Daily, and Native Foods in one day!

Picturesof some of the foods we ate :)

Happy Holidays 2011~

2012-01-12T04:44:00.000-08:00

2011 is gone.....welcome 2012! :) Here are some belated Christmas and Holiday pictures :)

B. made a huge gingerbread House for our Christmas Breakfast event. :)

BMC Christmas Breakfast 2011

Menu

Pancakes

- Pumpkin-cranberry

- Plain

-Mini Chocolate Chip

Mix and Match the following:

Strawberry Topping

Maple Syrup

Whipped Butter/ Margarine

Freshly whipped Cream

Cinnamon and Sugar Sprinkle

Chocolate Syrup

~:~

Roasted Garlic Potatoes with Red and Green Bell Peppers

~:~

Scrambled Eggs

~:~

Yogurt Station

Vanilla Yogurt, Strawberry Yogurt, Peach Yogurt

Cut Fruits: Blue berry, Peaches, Mangoes, Melon

Granola

Whipped Cream

Pound Cake

~:~

Beverage:

Home-made Hot chocolate ~whipped cream, marshmallows, Cinnamon Sticks

Orange Juice

Coffee service with condiments

~:~

Gingerbread House Displays

Decorate-your-own-gingerbread cookies w/ frosting and sprinkles

Assorted Holiday Cookies
~:~

Fuji Apples

In addition, we had a photo booth where people could use props to take pictures with each other. Click here for more Christmas Breakfast pictures...

For our Nutritional Services Managers lunch, we went to Cheesecake Factory :)

Annual Holiday Breakfast @ Jill P's Place!

For BMC Christmas Party....we had

Lasagna Roll-ups ( filled with Spinach, cream cheese)

Parmesan Garlic Bread Sticks, Gourmet Salad, Garlic Wax Green Beans...

Lots of desserts, as you can tell from the table: Apple Pie, Berry Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, Pecan Pie, Cookies...

Followed by Hot Chocolate, Coffee Service, Sparkling Cider..

Instead of the annual N.S lunch, we decided to give out a nicer gift bag to employees.

These bags contain lots of goodies from Trader Joes: Butternut squash soup, Pasta, Marinara sauce, Crackers, bag of tangerines, Pomegranate sparkling cider, chocolates, and a $15 gift card to Stater Brothers.

Tray line to prepare hundred of bags. It took us probably 2 hours to get it all done!

Employee Christmas Meal 2011

Employees who work on Christmas Day get this complimentary meal for lunch or dinner...

Choose an entrée:

Worthington Turkey Loaf

Orange Cranberry Chutney
OR

Roasted Turkey

Cranberry Sauce

~~:: ~~

Home-made Mashed Potatoes

Corn Bread Dressing

Green Bean Casserole

Malibu Vegetable Blend

Dinner Roll

Fresh Pumpkin Pie W/ Whipped Topping

Fountain Beverage

Milk

Winter Masquerade Party to start off 2012....

God bless and good luck on your new year resolutions!

Cheers and love,

Cherry :)

Chinese Cooking @ LLBN Cooking Studio

2011-11-20T10:24:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday, I did 2 cooking segment on Loma Linda Broadcasting Network. It was a live show~ which means that no errors can be made. Each segment was 10 minutes, making it a total of only 20 minutes. It was really short time to show 3 recipes. When the video was uploaded onto youtube, it was kind of weird looking at myself on TV, embarassing I woudl say. :P

The first one was Tofu Cabbage roll.

http://www.youtube.com/user/LLBNChristianTV#p/u/7/BmbVZ526_h0

Tofu Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:
1/2 box of firm tofu
4 dried shitake mushrooms - soaked and minced (reserve water for making gravy)
1/2 carrot, diced
Green onions, chopped finely
5 cabbage leaves
1 egg

4 oz water chestnuts, diced finely
Corn starch

Seasonings for tofu mixture :

Salt, pepper, mushroom seasoning, onion and garlic powder

Method:

Squeeze tofu between paper towels to remove excess water. Mash tofu with a fork. Add minced shitake mushrooms, diced carrots, minced green onions, seasonings, egg and corn starch. Mix well. Add enough corn starch to get a thick consistency.

Rinse cabbage, trim the stem and blanch in boiling water for a few seconds until tender.

Fill each cabbage leaf with enough filling and roll up.

Steam the cabbage roll for 10-15 minutes.

For the gravy: Boil the mushroom stock. Add seasonings like vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce, soy sauce and pepper. Add cornstarch mixture and allow the heat to thicken the mixture. Pour gravy over rolls and garnish as desired.

Followed by Oriental Cabbage Salad

http://www.youtube.com/user/LLBNChristianTV#p/u/6/UUd0wYfpL74

Oriental Cabbage Salad

Salad:
1/2 head cabbage, chopped ( or Napa cabbage)
6 green onions, chopped

2 Shallots

½ cup corn

12 oz Vegetarian Ham/ Chicken ( Opt. )

Topping

1 package vegan ramen noodle

0.5 tsp garlic powder

0.5 tsp onion powder

1 tsp mushroom seasoning

2/3 cup slivered almonds

2/3 cup shelled sunflower seeds ( OPT)

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Dressing:
4 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar / lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup salad oil

¼ cup sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

1. Crush the ramen noodle into small pieces. Add in the garlic powder, onion powder and mushroom seasoning. Bake the noodles, sesame seeds and almonds in oven for 10 minutes at 350F. Set aside to cool.

2. Mix all salad ingredients. Set aside.

3. Mix all dressing ingredients.

4. Pour dressing over salad mixture and toss together. Just before serving, top the noodle mix.

Serves: 4-6

Finally, mummy's corn soup :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/LLBNChristianTV#p/u/5/jTpkx6XsW_Y

CORN SOUP

Ingredients

Shallots
5 oz vegetarian ham, finely cubed
5 oz water chestnuts, chopped
2-3 shitake mushroom, chopped
1 tin Vegetable Stock or water ( about 400g)
1 tin Cream Style Corn (about 400g)
1 Egg, beaten
2 tsp Cornflour mixed with 2 Tbsp Water

Seasonings:

Dash of Pepper
1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
Dash of Sesame Oil
Stir-fry sauce, 1 tsp
Mushroom seasoning

Garnish:

Sprigs of cilantro and green onions

Soak mushrooms in hot water. Squeeze out the water before mincing it finely.
Cut veggie ham, water chestnuts, shitake mushroom into small cubes.
Heat up the oil and fry shallots until golden brown. Add in mushroom and continue frying for 5 minutes. Add in soy sauce, pepper.
Add in the creamed corn into the pot. Fill the can with water or vegetable stock.
Add 1 Tbsp light soy sauce.
When hot, add in beaten egg or egg white and stir gently, so the egg cooks in strands.
Allow it to cook until boiling before adding the corn starch mixture. Give the cornstarch slurry a quick re-stir and add to the soup, stirring quickly to thicken. Drizzle in sesame oil and pepper.
Divide the soup into individual bowls.
Scatter a few strips of green onions/cilantro on top of soup.
Serve.

Vegan Kale Salad & Healthy Taste of LA W/ Dr Colin Campbell

2011-11-20T09:17:00.000-08:00

Dr. Campbell made 2 keynote speaches and had a question-and-answer session.

Cooking Demos with various chefs.

Here's a brief summary of the recipes that were demonstrated:
-Chef Ramses Bravo demonstrated Oatmeal "French Toast", Banana -Pecan Bars, Coconut-Vanilla Granola and Dried Peach Sauce
-Chef Eric Tucker, Executive chef of Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco demonstrated Roasted Portobello Mushroom over a spelt Berry and Black Bean salad with Salsa Verde, Seaweed Salad with Bean Sprout and Miso Dressing
-Chef AJ made very delicious kale chips

-Ann Gentry, CEO of Real Food Daily Restaurant made Maple-Dijon Tempeh and Vegetable stew that is absolutely yummy

-Chef Eric LeChasseur from Seed Kitchen Restaurant made Butternut Squash and Kidney Bean Potage, Hazelnut Baci, and seaweed Salad with Bean Sprouts and Miso dressing

-Lindsay Nixon made Chocolate zucchini muffins, carrot cake cupcakes and instant cookie dough.

I bought several cook books from these presenters. They include: The Nut Gourmet, The Artful Vegan, The Millennium Cookbook, Vegan Family Meals, The Real Food Daily cookbook, The Happy Herbivore and Love Sante.

I loved the Kale Chips so much that I decided to make a Kale salad with the same dressing. :) It was made several times befoe coming up with this winning recipe~ :)

Vegan Kale Salad

Salad
4-6 heads curly kale, torn into pieces
½ Fuji apple, diced into cubes
¼ Red onion, diced into cubes
6 Cherry tomatoes, halved
4 oz Cranberries
4 oz Walnuts

Nut Dressing:
8 ounces raw pine nuts
8 ounces raw cashews
1 cup nutritional yeast
¾ cup of lemon juice
½ cup low sodium miso paste

Seasoning:
Black pepper, dash
Salt, dash
Mrs. Dash, dash
Garlic powder, ½ tsp
Onion powder, ½ tsp
1 generous teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preparation:
Place all the dressing ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Water or olive oil may be added to give it a creamy consistency.
Place all the dry ingredients and seasoning into a large bowl and pour the nut mixture over the kale. Using gloves, massage nut mixture into kale until it is well coated.

Enjoy!

"Jungle-themed" Benefits Fair

2011-10-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

Ambrosia Fruit Salad

Monkey Mix : Bake coconut shreds, cranberries, cashews, olive oil, brown sugar, and salt. After these items have been cooled, mix in chocolate chips, and banana chips.

Ape-Man Treats: Cookies!

Passion -Guava 7-Up Juice

Animal Crackers

(Pictures taken on my iphone. )

Foodservice Week 2011

2011-10-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

was first week of october but I did not have the time to blog about it so this is a back-dated post..

Menu

Monday: Hawaiian -theme food
Wednesday: Sweet Dessert Treats
Thursday: Home-cooked meals
Friday: Pizza, Potato Twisters, Chicken Strips

Everyone's names were thrown in the raffle basket and a few names were drawn each day. Raffles comprised of serving dishes/ bowls, kitchen utility, book ( travel or cook), fleece blanket, container of nuts, box of candy and gift card.

Guesstimate~ guess the number of candy in each jar, and you'll get to take it back home! :)

A coupon booklet was also given out. It consists of vouchers for - a free cookie, a free healthy snack, one free ice cream, a free hot dog, a free fountain beverage of choice, a free whole hand fruit, a free bag of chips, a free meal, and a get-out-of-jail-free card for minor violation. Also, we gave out ruby -studded pins with minature forks and spoons for everyone to wear. Appreciate all they do......thank you! :)

Sysco Holiday Food Show Pictures 2011

2011-10-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

South of France Cooking class

2011-09-25T23:19:00.000-07:00

@ Ecole de Cuisine Cooking School....
Menu:
Pizzaladiere ~

Basque style chicken ~

Ratatouille Nicoise ~

The instructor, Chef Zadi did not hand out recipes because he said that it is all about the "touch" and feel. Notes were scribbled and here is a brief description of how each dish was made. :)
The first dish was Pizzaladiere- a light pizza without tomato sauce.
To make the dough, add 250g flour, 20g sugar, 5g salt into a bowl. Next, add the wet ingredients- 3 eggs, 2 T olive oil, and yeast mixture ( 10g yeast and 1/4 cup H20) to the dry ingredients. Knead the dough until it does not stick to the bowl. Add olive oil into a bowl before placing the well-kneaded dough. Wrap and leave it to proof, approximately 1 hr.

Sprinkle oil into wax paper. Roll out dough onto a quarter sheet pan. Add whatever toppings you like but this was what we used...caramelize onions, anchovies, rosemary, thyme, garlic, heirloom tomatoes, olives. Grate Parmesan cheese on top of mixture. Bake at 400F. Before serving, sprinkle olive oil on top of pizza. :) I love this pizza crust! :)

Time to have some fun with cutting and cleaning chicken... :( Another reason for being a vegetarian.... :P Here are several pictures on the cutting process, after removing all the items inside the chicken...

Make a slit to see the cartilage. Remove it.

Use scissors to cut the fat, and middle of the chicken

Cut it into half and remove more fat at the ends

Cut the drumsticks side cartilage ends. ( for presentation purpose)

Season with salt, pepper, chopped herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary), lemon ( cut small wedges of half a lemon, and juice the other half lemon), olive oil, saffron, preserved lemon ( place lemon and salt in container and let it age for a month), 1 Tbsp of Tapenado olive paste.

Place the marinated chicken in a roasting pan. Add chicken stock ( To make: boil chicken bones, water, 50% onion, 25%carrots, 25% celery. Allow it to SIMMER for 24 hours. ) Top with chunks of butter. Bake at 350F for 1 hour. Remove from oven several times and pour liquid over chicken constantly. This is to keep it moist and tender.

The chicken tasted yum! The burst of lemon gives it a tangy feel with flavorful herby aroma. :)

Now on to Ratatouillr Nicoise.... To make tomato composte: Slit the ends of the tomatoes with an "X". Once the water boils, place it in for 30 seconds. After removing it from the hot water, dip it in cold water immediately. Remove the outer skin from the tomato and slice in to quarters. Remove the seeds and use the outer layer. Slice into strips.

Cut the eggplant into round circles, followed by strips. When cooking, be careful not to place too many pieces into the pan as it will "steam" the eggplant. "Brown" eggplant is what we want. Feel free to drizzle olive oil. Add salt and pepper.

Saute onion until it is caramelized. Add salt and pepper. Remove from pan.

Saute green/red bell peppers next. Add salt and pepper. Remove from pan.

Saute squash. Add salt and pepper. Remove from pan.

Saute garlic next.

( Trick- while chopping garlic, sprinkle some salt. This will keep the oils of the garlic. )

Bread Crumbs: Bake day-old bread in oven until crisp. Place in food processor until finely grounded.

To assemble:

1. Drizzle the bottom of the pan with olive oil

2. Add peppers

3. Followed by Onion and garlic

4. Next is the eggplant mixture

5. Add onions and garlic again

6. Add the sliced raw tomatoes

7. Sprinkle fresh thyme

8. Add squash

9. Top with breadcrumbs

10. Drizzle with olive oil

11. Add pieces of butter on the top layer

Bake at 325 for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven occasionally to drizzle olive oil on top.

Every chef has his/her way of cooking. I have been to many cooking class and felt that this was one of the classes that could be more organized and have better sanitary practices. I have to say that the chef knows his stuff and seemed to have great french cooking techniques. Overall, the food we cooked at this class tasted YUM! and I would like to try to make them on my own one of these days. :) I am so glad that J and I were able to go to this class together! :)

Tuscan Kale Salad

2011-09-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

~:~ meant to be ~:~
it almost seems that
if it’s meant to be,
all things in the universe conspire to get you there
and if it’s not,
all things in the universe conspire to not get you there.
a lot of times in life, it is so.
i tend to believe it’s meant to be,
the path taken.
- Elvin Ng, MediaCorp Artist

Today, I tried making a salad with Kale and it turned out very nice! It's something new in our cafeteria and people came back for seconds. :)

Inspired by True Food Kitchen Restaruant's visit few weeks ago, this Tuscan salad is made with strips of Italian kale, fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, grated parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. These bright, refreshing flavors combine to bring the sunny flavors of Tuscany to your tastebuds. :)
Kale is among the most nutrient-dense commonly eaten vegetables. One cup provides 1,327 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin K, 192 percent of DV for vitamin A, and 88 percent for vitamin C. With such rich nutrients, it is a waste to use it as a salad bar decoration.

Ingredients
2 bunches of kale, sliced leaves, midribs removed
6T lemon juice
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
salt, pepper, sugar to taste
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup freshly made bread crumbs

Steps:
Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a generous pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flake, 2/3 of bread crumbs, 1/2 cheese. Pour over kale in serving bowl and toss well. This will help to "break down" the vegetable and make it easier to chew. Let salad sit for at least 15 minutes. Add bread crumbs, toss again, and top with remaining cheese.

not-your-regular Pizza :)

2011-09-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

This pizza creation was inspired by one of the vendors at the TASTE food show that I went to last week. It was not your regular "heavy" cheesy pizza, but rather had a light, fresh touch to it. YUM :) Interestingly, they added ricotta cheese instead of the usual mozzarella cheese. I have never had ricotta cheese on pizza and was determined to re-create this recipe. :)

I did exactly what they said- top ricotta cheese, tomatoes and basil on top of the baked dough. Somehow, it did not turn out right....something was missing...they did not reveal their secret ingredient. I bounced the idea off my cook and we guessed that there was probably some cream cheese in the ricotta mix. Hence, I tried making it again, with a few modifications. The verdict - a recipe keeper! Several people liked it and asked for the recipe.... I'm glad it worked out the second time! :) It would have tasted even better with a pizza oven but I did not have one and had to make do with a regular oven.

Ingredients:

15 oz ricotta cheese

8 oz vegan herb cream cheese

2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese

fresh basil

cherry tomatoes

pizza dough ( 2 packets from Trader Joes)

dash of salt

dash of pepper

Balsamic vinegar/olive oil

1 onion, sliced

garlic, minced

Steps:
Take the pizza dough out from the packet to let it sit and rise.
In a mixer, blend the ricotta cheese and vegan cream cheese until fluffy. Add in salt and pepper.
Slice the cherry tomatoes into half and mix it together with a few drops of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Let it sit for several minutes in the refrigerator.
Chop the basil leaves.
Once the dough has risen, roll it out and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes.
Remove it from the oven and top with the ricotta- cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle vegan cheese over the mixture, followed by onions and garlic.
Place it back in the oven and let it continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and just before serving, top it with basil and tomatoes. :)
~~::~~
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to All! Enjoy your mooncakes! :)

TASTE of LA Food Show & True Food Kitchen Restaurant

2011-09-05T00:04:00.000-07:00

Just came back from LA. :) It was a fun food expedition where the only theme was food, food and food! :)

We started out at a restaurant in Santa Monica, True Food Kitchen. I love the concept of their restaurant- simple, fresh, pure ingredients to create the most satisfying and memorable dining experience. We ordered almost all the salads on the menu...Tuscan Kale, Farmers Market Kale, Summer Chopped, Mediterranean chopped, Chicken Chopped...Other items on the menu: edamame dumplings, quinoa pancakes, wild mushroom arugula pizza, espresso pistachio date muffin...

Followed by a stroll along the beach before heading out to the long-waited TASTE of LA food show. :) It cost $150 to get in so I expected something good....

The event took place on the Paramount Studios backlot in Hollywood, a setting that seriously made me wonder if I was in Universal Studios Hollywood or Brooklyn. It was hard to tell with the mash-up of some of LA’s best purveyors of street foods. There was unlimited tastings from over 30 of L.A.’s tastiest restaurants/chefs, food trucks, cooking demos, engaging panel discussions .
Caught a few foodnetwork celebrities...Claire Robinson’s “5 ingredient Fix”

Alex Guarmaschelli, recurring judge on "chopped"

Susan Feigner of Top Chef Masters, Border Grill and Susan Feniger’s STREET :):) My parents met her in Singapore. She is such a nice, down-to-earth person, like how my parents described. :)

Tasted some of the best foods in LA...What a nice way to spend a Sunday! :) On the flip side, I think I gained a few pounds... :(

More pictures of the food and event can be found here!! :)

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150279112461611.338757.731096610&l=9fcecc4dc7&type=1

Celebrate National Day! :)

2011-08-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Singapore! :)

Few of us decided to have a "celebrate national day" party...and eat local foods.

Menu:

Ee-fu noodles

Hainan Chicken Rice ( veggie and non-vegetarian)

Mee Siam

Assam Laksa

Savory Taro Cake

Bak Ku Teh ( vegetarian)

Glass Jelly Drink

Cantalope w sago/milk/coconut shreds and juice

Ice Kachang

Pandan Chiffon Cake

Apple Pie ( made by my white American friend:P )

These noodles were brought over by mummy when she came over last month. This particular brand is the best and cannot be found at Asian markets in the US.

To cook eefu noodles,

-First, boil the noodle in hot water. Once cooked, remove them from water and set aside.

-Fry onion/ garlic in a pan. Add the noodles and seasoning. Remove from pan and set aside.

-Fry onions until crispy. Add in sliced shitake mushroom ( it must be soaked until soft...keep the mushroom water) boil for 10 mins.
-Add in straw mushroom, and chives followed by seasoning, salt
-Off the fire, mix the noodles and ingredients together

Vegetarian Chicken Rice

To cook the chicken rice

-Heat oil. Fry minced ginger until crispy. Followed by garlic, then pandan leaf
-Add rice. Continue frying for 5 minutes. Add in soy sauce, mushroom seasoning, salt, pepper.
-Remove from pan and place in rice cooker to cook. For regular chicken rice, add in the chicken stock. for vegetarian chicken rice, add in water.
(4 cups rice = 1 clove garlic and 2 inches ginger )

Chili - Blend 1 pc small onion, 2 inches ginger, 2-3 garlic, 10 chili ( take out seed). Add salt pepper, sugar. Lime can be added just before eating.

Picture of Assam Laksa brought by A. :)

Mee Siam Recipe found here...

Grass Jelly Drink..refreshing on a hot day!

more pictures of the table full of food...

Cantaloupe, coconut shreds, coconut milk, milk, sago....

Apple pie..

pandan cake

Forgot to take pictures of the ice kachang, bak ku teh, and taro cake. :)

It was a fun gathering and a big thanks to all the people who came to help out. :)

God bless! :)

Herbal Chicken Soup

2011-08-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

Aunty J invited me to her place for lunch and one of her dishes she made was herbal chicken soup. Inspired by her dish, and since i had a packet of black fungus in my refrigerator, I decided to make it. :)

Here's my version of it...

Used the herbs above ( picture courtesy of Noob Kitchen)

In addition to those herbs, I added

1/2 clove of garlic

5 red dates

ginseng ( 1 inch)

ginger ( 1 inch)

barley ( 3 Tablespoon)

"tiny" chicken ( that can be bought from Stater Brothers frozen section)

Place the above in the crock pot and leave it for several hours, usually overnight, so that it is ready the next morning.

Add in the black fungus ( that has been soaked in the water for several hours), mushroom seasoning and salt. Remove from crock pot and cook on the stove for several more minutes.

After having it for dinner, I kept it in the refrigerator. Removed the layer of oil on top of the soup the next day and used it to make noodle soup. :)

Family Vacation 2011

2011-07-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

It was such a nice vacation! A time for me to be refreshed, reconnected, recharged, realigned and regrouped....A time to dig into my depths of emotions and be with the people I love.

We saw several paintings by Picasso in San Francisco and I like this quote that was framed....Picasso said, " my mother said to me, "If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the pope. Instead I was a painter, and became Picasso.""

Many pictures were taken and wish that I can post all of them here....

My sister kept up with the pictures and happenings on her blog and here are the links to some pictures :)

http://kawaiisunrize.blogspot.com/2011/07/professional-family-photos.html

http://kawaiisunrize.blogspot.com/2011/07/farewell.html

http://kawaiisunrize.blogspot.com/2011/07/ordinary-day.html

http://kawaiisunrize.blogspot.com/2011/06/san-fransico-muir-woods.html

http://kawaiisunrize.blogspot.com/2011/06/yellowstone.html

http://kawaiisunrize.blogspot.com/2011/06/zermatt-resort-snow-city.html

http://kawaiisunrize.blogspot.com/2011/06/las-vegas-with-family.html

http://kawaiisunrize.blogspot.com/2011/06/las-vegas.html

Mummy, Darl and Noi made lots of yummy home cooked food. :) :)

And I got to make macarons with them! It is papa's favorite dessert and specially requested that we made it together. It was a fun family activity. :)

Thank you for all these memories....

I love you all very much!

*hugs*

Tarts W/ Chocolate Ganache, Topped W/ Berry

2011-06-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

Made these mini tarts for a Graduation party :)

Healthy Carbohydrates.....

2011-06-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

Few weeks ago, I was one of the speakers for the Wellness Health Seminar at Loma Linda Chinese Church. The topic I was asked to present focused on what healthy and unhealthy carbohydrates are. Here's a brief summary of the powerpoint slides, adapted from Dr. Hall of the Wellsource group. Throughout the presentation, many studies were given to demonstrate the effects of how these 4 factors helped with a host of diseases.
The 4 factors are:

1. Eat more fruits and Vegetables

2.Choose Whole grains

3. Avoid a high glycemic Load

4. Eat more high fiber foods

What are carbohydrates?
People usually associate carbohydrates with white bread, pastry and rice but it includes a host of other food like soda pop, sugar, candy, sweets, french fries, and refined breakfast cereals.
Healthy carbohydrates are:
-plant based foods that have not been highly refined or processed
-high in dietary fiber
-high in antioxidants, phyto-chemicals
-absorbed more slowly ( hence normalizing blood sugar and insulin levels)
-moderate in calories but high in nutrition.
Examples include fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains...These foods can help prevent obesity, diabetes, CHD, certain cancers, strokes, digestive problesm such as constipation...

Practical ways to increase your intake of high-fiber foods:
1. Eat more fruits
2. Eat more vegetables
3. Eat more whole grains
4. Eat more legumes
5. Choose fruit/vegetable juices ( instead of soda pop)
6. Eat Nuts and Seeds
7.Eat less refined foods
8. Read food labels

In conclusion, I talked about the story of Nina Wang, Asia's richest women with an estimated net worth of US $4.2 billion at the time of her death. She is the 35th richest person in the world, according to forbes magazine, a fortune which exceeded that of American talk show host Oprah Winfrey, but she spends s$600 per month on food from KFC and McDonald's. She died of Ovarian cancer and left her entire estate to the ChinaChem Charitable Foundation.

A Billion is 1000 millions in USA, that is 1,000,000,000...

Nina Wang left behind a fortune of US$4000,000,000.

Without health as Number ONE, everything became ZERO for her.

The speaker after me spoke about the effects of stress and health. One of the ways to cope with stress is to have vacations and spend time with your loved ones. I am so blessed to have my parents and sisters here with me in the US now! :) So far, we have visited Park City/ Zermatt Resort and Spa in Utah,Yellowstone national park in Montana, Las Vegas... It has been rejuvenating and I thank God for this precious memory and moment.... :)

Old Faithful :)

I love Yellowstone National Park...it is a breathtaking place.... :)

Cooking Demos

2011-05-22T23:26:00.000-07:00

It is always a treat to watch Cooking Demos because every person has a distinctive flair of cooking and brings a different dimension to a dish. Since I had the day off, I took the opportunity to go down to The Market @ Santa Monica Place for their Grand Opening where delicious chef demonstrations were held @ Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories throughout the day. The first one was an Indian Cuisine with Chef Kaumudi from Uncurry restaurant. She made two delicious, easy-to-prepare dishes and here are her recipes! :)

Muttari Chi Usal ( Lemony Green Summer Peas)
This is a lovely bright green dip that has the texture of a hummus dip, with an Indian touch of spices. It went really well with crackers. She mentioned that she even uses it as pesto on pasta.
Ingredients:
2 cups shelled fresh peas
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 white onion, minced
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/2-3/4 tsp salt
pinch sugar
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp lemon/lime juice
a few sprigs of cilantro, washed and finely chopped
Method:
Rinse the peas and drain well. Heat oil in a skillet. When it is almost smoking, add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Brown the onions slightly, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the green peas. Cook covered 1-2 mins. Stir in cumin seeds, tumeric, salt, sugar and chili powder. Cook for several minutes until peas are tender but still bright green. Stir in lemon juice.
Pease can now be served as a side dish, garnished with cilantro.
To make dip: Cool peas slightly, then grind them to a smooth paste in the food processor, using more lemon juice or water if needed. Taste and correct the seasonings. Garnish the dip with cilantro and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Carrot Peanut Slaw ( Gajrachi Koshimbir)
A healthy low-cal alternative to a mayo based coleslaw, the flavor comes from lemon juice and spices. Use fresh curry leaves, not the dried ones.
Ingredients:
3 large carrots, grated ( or combination of finely chopped cabbage and carrots)
1/2 tsp white onion ( minced)
1/2-3/4 tsp salt
pinch of sugar
1 1/2 tsp grated coconut (OPT)
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds or mustard
2 green chillies, sliced
1 branch fresh curry leaves
1 tsp lime or lemon juice
3 Tbsp peanuts, coarsely ground
few sprigs of cilantro, washed and finely chopped
Directions:
Place carrots ( or cabbage ) in a bowl. Toss with sugar, salt and coconut . Heat oil in a pan. When it is almost smoking, add in cumin/mustard and let them pop. Add tumeric and chillies. Stir well, add in curry leaves and let them sizzle. Immediately mix the spice seasoning into the carrots. Add lime juice and salt. Stir well and garnish with cilantro. Now....here's a candid shot of me at the photo booth :)

After this Indian Cooking session, it was on to Ahi Crudo Appetizers Demostration with Chef Lisa Browne. Followed by Sustainable Chocolates and Demo with Patricia Tsai of ChocoVivo and special guest.

Lastly, Pastry Chef Ruth Kennison did a chocolate demonstration where she demonstrated how to make yummy chocolate truffles! :) She had different types of coatings for the truffles- toffee, pretzels, cocoa powder, and pistachio powder. Several chocolate flavor variations were demonstrated- infused fresh lavender, balsamic, and white chocolate.....will have to talk more about it next time, if I have time :) It's time to sleep.......:) Good night! :)