Seeking Food - By Ketojinic

BEST FOOD OF 2022 RECAP

2022-12-31T13:45:00.003-08:00

I haven't been writing about food in a while. I've been busy on other platforms like instagram where I created a new food focused account, and Tik Tok where I do many reviews in video form which seems to be more my platform. However as this year comes to a close and I have an itch to write a more long form entry, I find myself back here to check in with myself (since I have zero readers lol).

If you want to see the best food of 2022 recap, they're in my main IG highlights which I will eventually migrate over to my food IG @kimchidripp.

What I noticed this year is that I am less of a home cook and more of an enjoyer of food others cook for me. Call it lazy, call me a bad cook, but I'm noticing this tendency. The other thing I noticed is that I tended to over cook for a crowd so that I could have leftovers the next days so I didn't have to cook again but then, I realized I didn't like eating leftovers. Even when we ate out and brought leftovers home, unless it was pizza or din tai fung, the leftovers would hang around for days and eventually thrown out.

Now that I'm here having wanted to write a more long form entry I'm realizing I have already said everything I wanted to say in these videos I made throughout the year. HAHAHa. So, I'm posting a couple here as samples but follow me on Tik Tok or Instagram if you want to see more. I will be uploading them eventually to youtube as well. The best part of some of these videos is that my son joins me in co-narrating some of them. Check them out!

Keto Holy Grail Products - Best Keto products on Amazon

2018-12-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

Here's my list of go-to products I get from Amazon. Some of these are available at specialty food stores, but not all. For example, It's really hard for me to find choczero anywhere in the real world, but I've seen Lakanto and Vital Proteins products around, some Lily's as well. However, they are all on amazon and shipping is quick if you have prime. Please use my code if you're going to purchase! This is how I make small change on maintaining this time-consuming blog. I would also love comments and shares if that's your thing! 💓🙏

1. Lakanto Monkfruit Extract.

If you start a Keto diet, one of the things you will miss are all the desserts your non-keto friends eat. Well, if you have a great sugar substitute, you can find amazing copycat recipes online. I've made everything from cookies, brownies, cakes, and even cornbread to fit my keto lifestyle and the best sweetener I found for me (it's different for everyone) is this lakanto monkfruit sweetener. I find it doesn't have as much of an aftertaste as stevia or the other more artificial stuff.

2. Choc Zero Syrups.
On a lazy Sunday morning, who doesn't crave a stack of pancakes or french toast or some other eggy, carby food item topped with glorious maple syrup? I'm just like everyone else. This is what I crave accompanied by bacons and more eggs and more maple syrup.

So, I tried multiple brands of keto friendly #maplesyrup and I was always disappointed. Either it had a strange aftertaste, a cooling sensation that accompanies #erythiritol or stomach pains, or the texture wouldn't fly because it was so watered down.

Enter #ChocZero. So many people online were raving about it so I decided to try it out.

I am obsessed with these #choczero syrups. They literally are thicker than the real stuff and I use it on everything. The maple syrup I put on my fried #eggloaf and it reminds me of french toast. The Chocolate syrup I use in my ice cream and it does that wonderful freezing action like magic shell but not quite, just thicker and more robust.

I'll continue to report back and make a series here of all the Holy Grails I find.

You can get ChocZero on their website or you can find them on Amazon. They quickly run out of stock on almost everything they have so if you see it on prime, snag it before it's gone!

3. ChocZero Milk chocolate Hazelnut bark
Everyone needs easy to reach for chocolate at hand at all times. Especially when shark week comes around and you're on keto and everything makes you wanna break this diet.

4. Lily's Chocolates

Speaking of chocolates, Lily's comes to the rescue. You can find these at specialty food stores like Wholefoods, but they don't always have all the flavors. I got the variety pack and it was good for me and everyone else around me that these babies were here for me when I needed something sweet.

5. Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides

I use this brand of collagen because I bought it during a sale. However, there are other more affordable brands. I do like how giant these tubs are though. I add a scoops or two to my morning coffee and I think I can go even harder. However, I don't believe anyone who says they do not taste or smell the beef. I always do. No matter what brand. My coffee has to be stronger.

6. Sports Research Collagen Peptides

This brand is much more affordable.

7. Legendary Nut Butter
All of these nut butters are insanely good. Sometimes, not all the time, I just eat it straight from the tub as a dessert. The flavors are out of this world. Pecan pie? Blueberry Cinnamon Bun? Peanut butter chocolate chip? OMG

8. Mio Energy Liquid Water
When you are over the tasteless taste of water, a squirt of Mio gives me a boost in my water drinkage and it has energy and vitamins (there are no caffeine options too):
This one is energy infused:

These are the Fit, which are enhanced with b vitamins and electrolytes (no caffeine)

9. Wellbee's White Blanched Almond Butter. If you never thought #almondbutter could get any better, you thought wrong. This is the holy grail of all almond butters if you can't buy it at your farmer's market (I used to get my blanched almond butter at a farmers market but I'm less inclined to drive far now to get it in). For that reason, I just get this version on Amazon and it's the best thing ever.

Oat Milk

2017-09-23T00:01:00.002-07:00

So simple and yet so delicious, and full of fiber to make you go #2!

This is a great gentle everyday detox to keep yourself regular. The first time I had oat milk in my latte, I was feeling gassy and poopy all day! However, as I keep drinking it, just like kombucha, the effects dissipate and keeps me happy and regular. Try it, especially on days after a heavy dinner.

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 tablespoon oat flakes or oatmeal
Honey or maple syrup or organic sugar + cinnamon or whatever sweetener you choose (I skipped the sweetener but kept the cinnamon).

Preparation

Get a cup and fill one cup of water and add the 1 tablespoon of oat flakes + sweetener + cinnamon. You can refrigerate it overnight or wait a couple hours.

Drink it in the morning on an empty stomach - I usually use it as my milk for my morning coffee!

Allergen Free Granola for Babies

2017-09-07T10:05:00.001-07:00

It's not easy to make granola free of gluten, dairy, nuts (NUTS!!!) but I had to figure out a way since my toddler is allergic to 9 things (gluten, dairy, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts, soy beans, sesame seeds, eggs).

quinoa seeds, canahua seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, maple syrup, sea salt is all you need for this delicious and healthy treat!

Easy Low Carb Pizza with Trader Joe's Ingredients

2016-08-22T16:44:00.001-07:00

It's easy to make a very fast low carb pizza when carb cravings strike. All these ingredients I got from Trader Joe's but you can get similar things at grocery stores. One Pizza will have more or less 7 Net Carbs depending on how much toppings you put on there. The Tortilla (which will serve as your pizza crust) only has 4 net carbs so everything you put on top of that adds to the net carb count.

Ingredients:

Sonoma Carb Cutting Tortillas

Bruschetta Sauce

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Egg

Mini Heirloom Tomatoes

COOKED Sweet Chicken Sausage (Use your favorite Sausage or Pepperoni)

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt & Pepper

Fresh Basil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I used my toaster oven for this and it worked fine.

2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, or grease down a pizza pan.

3. Put the Tortilla in the middle of the pan

4. Spread the Bruschetta Sauce on top of the Tortilla

5. Cover with Mozzarella

6. Add toppings of choice. I put an egg, tomatoes, sausages, basil.

7. Add parmesan, salt and pepper

8. I baked mine in a pre-heated toaster oven at 400 degrees for 10 min and then broiled it for another 5 minutes. This part will vary depending on whether you use the oven or toaster oven. It's summer in LA so I'm not going to turn on the oven to 400 degrees, thank you very much! But, you do you. Just make sure the egg is cooked and you're fine since everything else is already cooked or can be eaten raw.

9. Serve immediately! Perfect thin crust LOW CARB pizza. You won't even miss the carbs.

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy/Nut-Free Matcha Calamansi Banana Bread

2016-08-08T16:27:00.000-07:00

In searching for an Allergen Free Banana Bread for my baby, I had to combine what was on the internet with some tricks of my own.

This moist banana bread recipe doesn't need eggs, milk, wheat, nuts, soy to make it taste amazing.

Ingredients:

The Base:
5 Ripe Bananas
0.5 cup sugar or your favorite sweetener
0.5 tsp matcha powder
2 calamansi zest

Oil/Liquid/Spices:
0.5 cup olive oil (use cold pressed)
0.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 good scrape of fresh nutmeg (2 pinches if using powder)
0.25 tsp cinnamon (I use 1/2 tsp of Saigon Cinnamon)

White Powders:
1.5 cups of Gluten Free Flour (I Use Pamela's GF All-Purpose Flour Mix)
1.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

The Crunch:
0.25 cup sunflower seeds
0.25 cup pumpkin seeds
0.25 cup coconut shavings

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a cake pan (7.5 x 4 x 2.5 inches) or a rectangular cake pan (7.5 x 2 inches) with some oil.

3. Blend all the ingredients in "The Base" - Bananas, Sugar, Matcha Powder, Calamansi zest in a blender until "The Base" is smooth.

4. Pour "The Base" in a large mixing bowl and add in all the ingredients into the mixture from the "Oil/Liquid/Spices" - olive oil, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

5. Now it's time to add the dry ingredients in "The White Powders" - Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Combine these ingredients and put them through a sieve over the banana mixture.

6. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the entire mixture looks uniform. This will ensure that the batter doesn't become goopy.

7. Now, add everything in "The Crunch" to your batter (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut shavings). You can add nuts if you're not avoiding it. Walnuts go really well with banana bread. You can also add chocolate chips or dry fruit. I'd avoid adding ALL of this. Just pick one or two.

8. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan of your choice, and slip it into the preheated oven.

9. 30-40 minutes later, depending on your oven, check on your Banana Bread by sticking a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean and the batter doesn't look like jello when you're moving it in and out, then it's done.

10. Take out the banana bread and let it cool on the cooling rack.

Serve immediately, or not. This should be good for a few days.

Pollo Campeon (Chicken Champion) - Santa Cruz, Bolivia

2016-06-09T22:11:00.001-07:00

What makes a chicken, a chicken champion?

Pollo Campeon (Translated to "Chicken Champion") has been around for more than 30 years and counting. The company started really small in a tiny location with barely enough tables to call it a restaurant. The owners are Korean immigrants who came to Bolivia to try to create a viable business. Since that time, they have expanded to 7 locations in Santa Cruz and counting. Some say the reason for their success is because of their dirt cheap prices (adjusted for inflation). Others say it's because they give you a consistent product, they have a drive-thru, they give you a little of everything, they give you a bucket of rice with your 1/4 chicken order. But, let's be real. The majority of people go back here over other rotisserie joints around town because of their incredibly addicting green sauce.

It's interesting to have seen their empire rise from a small restaurant to a chain beloved by the local community. A business created by immigrants is now definitely part of the fabric of Santa Cruz. It's everyone's Tuesday night dinner. It's easy, simple, delicious, pretty global in the way it suits people's tastebuds, cheap, slightly healthier than actual fast food. AND YOU CAN GET A HANDFUL OF EXTRA GREEN SAUCE FOR A COUPLE MORE CENTS.

Crack, I tell you. And no, this sauce is different from the green sauce in Peruvian restaurants that you will likely compare this to just by looking at the photos. The sauce at Pollo Campeon is creamier (maybe more mayo), less spicy, possibly a tang from mustard, possibly nutty from peanuts. Who knows what really goes in there. It's just crackiliciously good.

And now for pictures:

(How a 1/4 chicken combo looks from the exterior)

(When you open it, you see a 1/4 chicken resting its juices on handcut fries, 2 packets of green sauce, and a whole side of rice. You're going to want to mix all this together so you can stretch out the green sauce to douse it all over your food. If you were smart, you would have bought extra green sauce)

(How it looks all mixed in before the green sauce shower. Sorry I didn't take a photo of how it looks with the sauce all over it. I think I devoured it too fast)

Pollo Campeon

Various locations

Website

Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Cuñape

2015-07-27T17:12:00.001-07:00

"Cuñape" is the best cheeseballs in the world, and it’s from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. These gooey and addictive cheese balls are similar to the Brazilian "pão de queijo" or the French "gougères" or the Colombian "pandebono" but all of these are different from each other as well. Gougères are lighter and more airy while the Brazilian ones are chewier but drier on the outside. I would say the pandebonos are closest in taste and texture to the Bolivian cuñape but it is slight more bready.

In Bolivia, we use mennonite cheese (farmer's cheese) for this recipe and honestly without that cheese it will never be exactly like the original but you do what you can. I've been hunting down a similar cheese in the U.S. for ages but the closest I can get to it is to use the queso blanco or fresco and add some more salt (or even mix some feta into it).

The history of the cuñape is very interesting. It is a Guaraní word that means "a woman's breast" because when they bake, they form a little peak in the center. To get this "peak" you must insert your thumb into the bottom of the ball creating a little hole before putting it downward on that hole on the baking pan for the oven. If you don't do this, the cuñape can end up looking very flat when you take it out of the oven. Since baking powder is traditionally not used in making these, this "hole" step is really important for the right shape.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Yucca Starch (you can get these in latin mkts, also known as Tapioca Starch or Manioc Starch)
1 Round (3 cups) of Mexican cheese like Queso Fresco (or a mixture of fresco and feta)
1 egg
SALT, Water, and milk, as needed (use more salt if you're only using queso fresco, which isn't as salty)

Cuñape
1 taza de almidón de yuca
3 tazas de queso fresco
1 huevo
Leche o agua si es necesario (si está muy seco)
Instructions

Preheat oven to 305 degrees.
Crumble the cheese into a big mixing bowl (it should crumble easily) and add the yucca starch and egg and a pinch of salt. Knead it with your hands until you have a dough-like consistency. At this point, if it's too dry, you can add some milk or water.

Make them into little balls and insert your thumb into the bottom to make a hole in the bottom (this helps create that peak I talked about above).

Place them on top of a non stick pan or a floured pan. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
Place them in the oven between 15-20 minutes.
Do one batch first. If it comes out too cheesy, then add more starch.

Spanish instructions:
Rayar el queso, mezclar con el almidón de yuca y agregar el huevo batido. La consistencia debe ser blanda haga unas bolitas haciéndoles un pequeño hueco con el dedo por debajo y póngalas en una bandeja para hornear. Deje quince minutos. Ponga en horno caliente por 20 mins.

El Chato Taco Truck

2015-07-24T02:30:00.003-07:00

We alway drive by and see the lines, sigh, and say another time. This time though, the crowd's gone because it's a little later. Tonight's the night! We finally swing over to park (almost getting into an accident from an oncoming truck without his headlights on), and head over to the truck. Did I say head over? I meant skip over! Once there, a hipster looking dude makes a line behind us. We tell him to go first since we're El Chato virgins. He tells us to get the al pastor tacos. It's the best he's ever had. He then orders a quesadilla. Uh, okay. So we get 2 al pastor tacos, 1 chorizo taco, and 1 quesadilla with the mixed meats, and 1 horchata to go. The total comes to $8. Really? I just paid $9 for a shitty salad at baja fresh for lunch!

Once home, the devouring begins. Why is it SO good? Is it the price? Is it the spice? Is it the fatty goodness? Is it the convenience?

I don't know but I think it's one of the more legit Mexican fares in this area.

El Chato Taco Truck

5300 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019

Phone number(323) 202-6936

Popotla,Valle de Guadalupe, Ensenada,

2015-07-24T01:47:00.000-07:00

Oops I did it again.

I went back down to Mexico after my first amazing trip to the Valle de Guadalupe that I had to return with others.

This time, we stopped by the sleepy seaside town of Popotla first.

Here are the highlights:

my car, after it got stuck on the beach.

you roll your car right in front of the crashing waves, grab a table and order

We saw a fisherman get off his boat with this

BOATLOAD of uni.

this is maria with her stash

They are ALIVE

my hungry companions

A fisherman with his boat

Before our feast

fresh fresh oysters

Oysters so fresh all you need is some lime and hot sauce.

In Popotla, you buy the seafood and bring it to a stand like this

and ask them to do whatever you want. You can also buy the

seafood from the stands as well.

Our bowl of Uni that we got from our purchase.

Everything is so so fresh.

The campechana we got.

Our Uni

Oysters

Ceviche

Spider Crabs

Rowdy people watching the butchering of fish.

This area was very masculine.

We were the only women there apart from a

couple of women who were managing the stands.

The beautiful, dank chocolate mussels

Our spider crab deep fried

They gave us a rock to pound it with.

Maria is crying over how beautiful this lunch now dinner is.

We got another seafood cocktail.

Then we went to one of the restaurants there to check out the

Rosarito style lobsters.

We got the smoked marlin tacos here but they weren't as good

as the ones we had in TJ a while ago.

this rosarito style lobster was bomb.com.

The Spread

Then we went to see some dinosaurs before making our way down

to the Valle de Guadalupe

*****

After driving around in the dark with no streetlights or GPS we somehow found our bed and breakfast!!! It was so charming and beautiful. It's called Casa Encinares and we found them on airbnb.com and got a great deal. For the three of us, we got the big house on top of the hill that was divided in half. We got lucky!!! Well, except for the hike up to our quarters but then again, we sorta needed the exercise seeing how much food we had just consumed and we were about to tackle way more.

In front of our quarters. Too bad I didn't get a good shot of the house.

The main area

We joined the other people who were there for some brekkie

BTW their breakfast was fantastic.

We opted to do the wine tour with the b&b and oh look!

You can see our house on top of the hill.

Yup! Half of that was our quarters!

We made new friends quickly

This is inside our booze bus

Before the wine tour

LA Cetto Winery

Then we went to Endemico! Where I stayed the last time I was there.

So beautiful

Starting to get tipsy

quick cheese tasting

okay, drunk

At one of the 3 wineries we went to

***************

Before heading back to LA, we had to stop by Ensenada to eat at La Guerrerense. By far, this little stand is the most well-known seafood place from Ensenada in LA (and maybe anywhere outside of Ensenada).

Typically in any port city where cruises dock, you wouldn't assume

that the best place to eat at in that city is right in the middle of

tourist central. But in this case, it is!!!

Just look for locals whenever you travel and you will be at a legit spot.

We got a variety of seafood tostadas and devoured everything

After, we drove down a couple blocks to get some

amazing fish tacos, ensenada style.

This place was so legit, on the corner of the street.

Absolutely no tourists in sight.

There is no address for that fish taco spot but it was right next to this place

So we got some paletas...

and

Then we did some tourist shit:

Like order micheladas and get friendship bracelets.

It took forever to cross the border back to the U.S.

I think I have to get a SENTRY pass or a fast pass.

I can't deal with the wait and I'm itching to go back again.

My Loot:

Yes, I brought back ONE chair.

some wine, olive oil, bread, cheese,

two vases, a blanket,

some ceramics, ONE handmade glass.

La Rancherita

2015-07-24T01:45:00.000-07:00

I finally made it down to La Rancherita. This is hands down the best salteñas in California. When I'm craving Bolivian food, I usually only crave salteña. This place is super legit and they sell other stuff too, like Bolivian cheese in their fridge as well as other non-Bolivian pastries and other types of food but honestly I wasn't even paying attention to that because I legit got a dozen salteñas here to take to a potluck after I ate one and was like.. this is the BEST salteña!!!

La Rancherita Bakery
2709 Westminster Ave
Ste B
Santa Ana, CA 92706

Hangari Bajirak Kalgooksoo (or kalguksu)

2015-07-13T17:27:00.001-07:00

My Korean friend and I came here a bit early to avoid the lunch rush and I'm so glad we did. By the time we were finished, there was a grip of Koreans waiting to eat. This is one of the best kept secrets of Koreatown right now and most people still haven't quite jumped on the Kalgooksoo bandwagon yet but they will once they have a taste of this doughy hand pulled noodles set in a delicious seafood heavy broth.

Bajirak means clams and so I ordered the restaurant namesake's noodle dish (written out as "Manila Clam Kalguksu - $9.95 as of this writing) while my friend ordered the Spicy Seafood Kalguksu ($9.95 as of this writing). We also ordered a side of steamed dumplings (was a bit extraneous at $7.95 as of this writing).

My Manila Clam Kalguksu came out piping hot. The steam that rose from it engulfed my senses and I could smell all the wonderful sea creatures that died for me to enjoy their umami flavors. One stir into my noodles and I could see how the noodles were some next level stuff. I mean, it really looked hand-pulled with some parts fatter than others. The texture reminded me of my favorite doughy Korean soup called Soojebi, which is a dough flaked soup that my grandmother used to make for me. Here was a longer, noodle version of that and upon tasting it, it brought back all my soojebi memories. There also was a mighty portion of clams in my soup. So much so that if I were on a low carb diet and I just ate the clams and the soup of this dish, I would still be full.

My friend's Spicy Seafood Kalguksu was deeper and a bit more complex than my refreshing and clean clam kalguksu. It was the slutty sister of my saintly dish. Hers had a medley of seafoods including clams, crab, shrimp, and mussels.

After about 30 minutes of getting a mini steamed facial as we hovered over our hot bowl of pillow soft and chewy noodles, working our way through the generous portions of seafood, our damage looked like this:

I would eyeball about 1.5 cups of clams in my bowl of bajirak kalgooksoo (kalguksu) which is about the same amount of sea carcasses my friend put out as well.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish my bowl of carbs though I did manage to eat all the protein. My friend did a better job. I took the dumplings home. Next time, I will just get the bowl of noodles.

The best supporting actress goes to the fermented spicy radish (Kakdoogi). We had about 4 helpings of it (pictured to the upper right of my clam kalguksu). It wasn't as hard as the radishes you normally get at other restaurants (which I also loooovvveee) and was a bit more fermented so the funk was amazing. The kimchi was pretty stellar too.

Everything (food, tax, tip of %20) was $36.

Parking was valet for easy access ($2) and this place gets super crowded and loud so hurry up and eat and go so you don't get the evil eye!

It is located in the same plaza as Cafe Bleu, Paris Baguette, 7-11 across from the Chapman Plaza.

Hangari Bajirak Kalgooksoo

3470 W 6th St

Suite 9

LA, CA 90020

Koreatown, Los Angeles

(213) 388-2326

Curry House

2015-02-25T01:03:00.001-08:00

Old standby. Consistent. Not too crowded. Baby friendly. They even have crayons etc for some older babies.

We were craving something hot and comforting on a grim Friday night. Obstacle - we had a fussy baby on our hands. We wouldn't make the same mistake of taking him to shinsengumi or another hole in the wall in little tokyo so we set out to try our luck at Curry House.

Parking wasn't too bad in their underground lot (free for an hour). Once we arrived we saw that the restaurant was not that crowded. We had our pick of tables, stroller was no problem, and they have a changing table in the bathroom.

I ordered the deluxe chicken katsu and a side of curry pan. Devoured everything.

La Cabanita

2015-02-25T00:56:00.001-08:00

Baby friendly and stroller friendly and surprisingly delicious Mexican food in Glendale/Verdugo/Montrose area.

Their margaritas are strong. They ain't joking around and I appreciate that.

They have a separate back room for families and larger parties. It's quieter and more spacious for strollers.

I've had so much of their foods here. I love the moles, the chiles rellenos, chile en nogada. This time I wanted to try something new so I got the albondigas. Meatballs stuffed with hard boiled eggs and enrobed in delicious chipotle sauce. It comes with rice and beans.

As a new mom who doesn't want to sacrifice her adventurous foodie side, I fell in love with La Cabanita all over again.

Senor Fish - eagle rock, ca

2015-02-16T21:57:00.001-08:00

Went here on a weekday lunch with our infant and stroller. The outdoor seating was perfect for us as it was almost deserted in the back and we were able to make as much noise as we wanted.

The food was fresh and healthy (well, healthy if you chose grilled fish like my husband and not like me...I chose the traditional fish taco prep of battered and fried shrimp and scallop tacos). Overall it was a great deal, healthier than the neighborhood taco joint, and super family-friendly and baby-friendly. This will definitely make our weekly rotation.

The salsa and agua fresca was great, too.

Donut Friend & Town Pizza - York Blvd, Highland Park, CA

2014-11-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

First, Donut Friend - a DIY donut house. They also have some on their list that are already made. I like ordering off their menu because well, they spent a lot of R&D money to make sure some of these ingredients work together. When left up to my demise, the donuts I create end up tasting off.

My favorite off their menu is the Jets to Basil and Nutella Vision. This one below is neither of these. I don't even quite remember which one this was but it contained reese's pieces and it wasn't as good as the two aforementioned donuts.

You end up ordering at the cash register but the setup looks almost like you order it when you walk up to it and follow the donut maker to the cash register. That is not how it works here. You just order at the cash register and someone makes it for you (and you're allowed to watch this person make it for you). Yes, it is a confusing set up and I get annoyed as well.

Another place we go to frequently just because it is convenient and because sometimes you just want one or two slices of pizza - not having to commit to a whole pie or the temptation of one - is Town Pizza. Three doors down from Donut Friend and 2 down from Scoops. We love this corner.

Here is the Mole Pizza and the Cheese Pizza. The Mole Pizza is really good but not the kind of good that you want to keep eating after having tried it once. So you don't feel like you wasted your money ordering it because it is indeed good, but you order it more for the novelty anyway. The next time you're there you end up getting the Cheese or Sausage (they use Lindy & Grundy's sausage) or one of their vegan ones if you feel healthy (well, healthy for a pizza).

Making Mocochinchi

2014-11-03T17:32:00.001-08:00

I get really excited when I can think of a food or drink that is solely Bolivian. I admit there isn't too many Bolivian dishes that are not influenced by the many countries that it borders. Even the Saltena, Bolivia's most famous empanada looking pastry comes from a woman who came from Salta, Argentina, to Tarija, Bolivia.

So when I'm researching Mocochinchi, my favorite childhood and now adulthood drink, made from dehydrated whole peaches, sugar, and cinnamon, and I find that it's a "Bolivian"drink, I get really really excited. Bolivia Bella goes on to describe regional favorites.

In Santa Cruz, you can buy the dehydrated peaches in the open markets. I snag a pound of dehydrated peaches because you really can't find these in the U.S. except maybe in Miami or Virginia, where there is a huge population of Bolivians. Using sliced dehydrated peaches don't really work for this particular drink because the fun is eating the reconstituted peaches afterwards like a dessert.

Here is a lowdown on how to make your own mocochinchi if you ever find yourself with whole dehydrated peaches.

My recipe is very non-scientific but I basically tossed a handful of dehydrated peaches into a huge vat of hot water, cinnamon sticks, palm sugar (or reg sugar), to taste. I've had different variations of this from really sweet (almost syrupy) to more cinnamony. I like it less sweet and more spicy/peachy but it's all up to you.

Once it is done, serve the drink with at least one or two dehydrated peaches. Some people like to eat this at the end and others just like the drink without the peach since the texture takes some getting used to. I personally love sucking on the peach and the seed once I am done drinking it.

Serving it in a nice wine glass could up the luxe factor. Haha.

La Tranquera, La Paz, Bolivia

2013-10-21T14:51:00.001-07:00

Where do you eat when you are in La Paz? How about La Tranquera? It's a steakhouse with a huge salad bar. Technically speaking, you can just have the salad bar but the price difference is pretty drastic so if you eat meat, it's a better value to get the sizzling steak with chorizo (or just the steak) since it comes with the salad bar.

Then, you can stuff yourself with protein and carbs!

Highlights:
Fried Yucca, The pasta dishes, the key lime pie dessert, and the veggies. It's not so easy to find good veggie dishes in the carb and protein laden Bolivian diet so eat up when you can.

If you're not stuffed already, please do yourself a favor and order the Arroz con Queso. It is a Bolivian version of risotto, but more gooey and less rice-y. Very cheesy and pungent but amazing with the llajua and the steak juice. Yum, I'm dying here just thinking about this. I also ordered the Silpancho, which is a traditional Bolivian dish with rice, a thin layer of schnitzel-style meat (aka milanesa), followed by a layer of chopped tomato/onions/beets/parsley (Bolivian pico de gallo), and a fried egg. This dish reminds of loco moco.

The pricing is a bit more hefty especially compared to how cheap you can eat in La Paz but if you're staying in the Camino Real Aparthotel, closeby, or want a nice gourmet meal to offset all the street food you're eating, you won't regret it. Bolivian steakhouse culture is different from American steakhouse culture so you might as well chalk it up to culinary research and dig in.

La Tranquera
Located inside the Camino Real Aparthotel
Calle Capitan Ravelo #2123
La Paz, Bolivia

Finca Altozano, Baja California, Mexico

2013-10-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

The latest trip down to Baja California with my girlfriends was super fun. We stayed at a really cute B&B in the Valle de Guadalupe called Casa Encinares and stumbled upon Big Gay Weekend and were welcomed into a fun filled crazy weekend. The three of us were the only estrogen in the group and also the most tired. How the heck do people have so much energy??

We had some time to ourselves and got away to check out Finca Altozano, another one of Javier Plascencia's restaurants. It was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, though the Valle de Guadalupe is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. But we were excited to find a cute little area with interesting outdoor seating made from giant barrels. The vista was incredible.

We came right around when the sun was setting, which made for a beautiful dinner out, but not the best for pictures.

The setup is basically outdoors, with the majority of the restaurant underneath a roof (but no walls).

I took a pic of the menu at the time that we were there (prices are in pesos).

And now the bad pics will start:

Pulp del Pacificos a las brasas.

The octopus. So good.

Calabazas rellena de quesos oreado.

Cheese filled zucchini. These were a good accompaniment but not mind-blowing.

Borrego (lamb) de Rancho Cortes a la Caja China

This is the dish that everyone talks about. If you're a lamb person you'll love it.

If not, you will feel so so about it. Ours was cold by the time we ate it so it wasn't the best.

The night grew dark and cold really fast and service kept slowing down. It was to the point where once we got the food, it was pretty cold. We weren't sure if it was the weather or the lag but in any case it definitely took away from our experience. No one wants to eat congealed animal fat.

Cordoniz (quail) Asada en Leña

This dish could have been good if it wasn't cold. Just saying.

Polenta Vaquera (comes with chorizo and egg).

I would eat this hot or cold, day or night but it would be especially good

for BRUNCH.

I don't remember what this chuck of meat was to be honest.

I was so drunk by this time (to keep warm) that I don't remember.

Corazón de Tierra

2013-04-19T20:39:00.002-07:00

One of the most amazing places I've eaten this year was in Baja California, in the Valle De Guadalupe, in an intimate garden restaurant called Corazón de Tierra, a restaurant that frequent Baja Bound foodie, Chuy Tovar, recommended. We had just done wine tasting at Vena Cava, the winery on the premises of the restaurant and the hotel Villa del Valle. The winery was an interesting space, with three different reclaimed fishing boats used as roofs.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

The architecture of Vena Cava was interesting to say the least. It's built underneath a hilltop, creating its own man-made cave. Eileen & Phil Gregory, ex-Hollywood producer and artist/musician from Los Angeles/Europe are the owners of the adjacent Villa del Valle hotel, Vena Cava winery, and the restaurant Corazón de Tierra (with chef Diego Hernández).

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

Underneath a reclaimed fishing boat roof.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

All the wood here are recycled, reclaimed wood. So eco-friendly. So hipster. One step ahead. Never saw a winery that looked like this!

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

This is the entrance to Vena Cava and the bathroom is behind the people standing.
We had our very own private tour!

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

So lucky to get the whole winery to ourselves for our tour. Everyone who worked here spoke so highly of Phil and his vision for the winery. All the choices seem deliberate and thoughtful.

After our wine tour, we bought a bottle of wine and headed over to the restaurant, Corazón de Tierra.

We weren't sure if we wanted to eat here or at Javier Plascencia's Finca Altozano but hunger took over and when we asked what the menu was, a server told us simply, "the garden" and we were immediately taken over by how fresh and beautiful and organic and awesome the garden was.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

The flowers and vegetables were in full bloom and bountiful. I was seriously jealous of this garden. I'm no horticulturist but I didn't know half the things thriving here.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

Looking at the restaurant from the garden. I loved how the restaurant and garden were seamlessly woven together in this landscape. How perfect.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

From inside the restaurant now, looking out into the garden. We wanted to sit where those kids were, having front row seats to the garden but obviously it's not cool to kick out people who are already sitting there, especially children. So, we got our red faced bums over to the side so we could keep ourselves from creating a scene.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

Some pictures of the decor inside the restaurant.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

Plus the chairs here were awesome. They were made with hand-woven textile from Chiapas. I wanted to take all of these chairs home with me.

I really wanted to take all this furniture home with me. I had to remind myself that I was not to act like an entitled foreigner, asking the price for everything as if it's even for sale.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

Annabelle, containing her glee for what is about to happen.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

Dawn and I, right before we lost ourselves for a few hours in the gastronomic delight that was presented to us.

On to the food. The best part of this experience actually. The Pre-fixed meal was $65-68 USD and they use a higher exchange rate so it ended up being more like $68 USD (something to ask about before you commit, if that matters to you).

The amuse bouche was a smoked tuna with avo on a tostada. It was bite sized and the tuna tasted almost like a smoked jerky. The green powder reminded me of furikake but not sure. I want to know more about their preparation!

Cheese plate: Dicot and green beet flowers; fresh greens, and almonds decorate the Valle cheese (tasted like a medium hard farmer's cheese), and Asian mustard. This plate completely woke up our palate. There are so many herbs that I've never tasted before all on this plate. Like, what is green beet flowers or dicot? WTF.

Oyster flowers with Geoduck, avo, red seaweed, alfalfa, and a taquito. The taquito was okay. but the geoduck was refreshing and it went wonderfully with all these herbs. The oyster flowers tasted like oysters but we were sort of tipsy by then so we would have believed anything.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

If I could eat like this all the time, it would be a no brainer going low-carb! Minus the taquito, which I could live without.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

The soup course was really interesting. It was Asian flavors all the way...well, almost.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

They poured a dashi soup over the other soup ingredients which included shiitake mushrooms, wakame seaweed, and CHICHARRON, beans, cilantro, mint, and coriander flower. Yes, chicharron with all these Asian flavors = AMAZING.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

The Seabass, the catch of the day, was decorated with celeriac puree, winter purslane, green beans, and rapini flowers.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

Yup, I had to look up a few ingredients. So cool that there are things I've never eaten before right there in their garden!

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

Next up we had the braised oxtail dish with swiss chard and beet plant. It reminded me of a really hearty meat stew shaped like a meatloaf. I can't say I was a fan of the texture but the flavors were powerful and deep. Like poetry.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

By this time we were just being wild and erratic. We didn't finish our 2nd bottle but dinner was drawing to a close.

The palate cleanser (mint gelée, lemon and water) came at an opportune time to rinse out the fat from the oxtail dish so we could coat our mouths with even more creaminess.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

Chocolate sorbet, pink beet cake and sauce with orange cream, flowers, apples, and some nuts. By this time we were a bit sloshed so not really taking too many notes.

(photo courtesy of Dawn Kim)

But it was obviously good. The entire meal was amazing. Even the oxtail that wasn't what I expected, was still actually really tasty. Chef Diego Hernandez is a genius and locavore's dream. He seems to rotate dishes frequently, based on the fact that I couldn't find the dishes we ate online anywhere (yet).

Next time I have to try a bit harder to pay attention or film all the dishes, not just some. Thanks to Annabelle Oh for taking extensive notes on the food and sharing it with me and Thanks to Dawn Kim for taking good photos as I ran out of batteries on my camera and my camera phone worked only when I was sober enough to take pictures. As I'm writing about this restaurant, I am just dreaming about the next time I can go back.

If you wanna go check out Baja California (esp Tijuana and Valle de Guadalupe), and you don't want to drive there like we did, Bill Esparza from Street Gourmet LA is hosting some tours with Club Tengo Hambre in conjunction with Jason Thomas Fritz (Tijuanalandia), and Antonio and Kristin Díaz de Sandi (Life and Food).

Another great resource is Dave Lieberman from the OC Weekly.

Corazon de Tierra

Valle de Guadalupe, Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico

646 1568030

Endemico, Tacos, and a Police Chase

2013-04-19T20:31:00.001-07:00

No one ever told me how distractingly beautiful the drive would be. I've asked around and people told me to take the "scenic" toll road or the Tecate HWY to get to Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California. Little did we know that once past the sketchy border rife with hitchhikers, the road would spread out before us and take us up and down these beautiful Big Sur-like cliffs.

The weather was perfect - one of those top down, driving along the coast kind of days. Too bad we were in a hard-top Honda Fit. The drive was sort of like driving down Pacific Coast Highway, but BETTER.

The roads cut across mountains like a knife through a piece of amazing Mexican cheese.

After some girl talk and catching up, we were on the 3 HWY and started seeing these tiny pods along the cliff. We knew we arrived at the Endemico Eco Lodge!

We drove up the sandy pavement, were let in by the friendly guard, and parked along the dirt path on the level of the lobby. This was no hotel. This was a retreat. This was camping with style. This was GLAMPING.

The art here was interesting. This black twisty thing that reminded me I should go to the bathroom was worth $30,000. I got yelled at for sitting on it and taking lewd pictures. Randomly, there would be these art pieces all over the premises. It was interesting to see something so iconic blending into the sandy, mountainous landscape.

We checked in and were driven to our pods. The first night, we had to separate since they didn't have a 4 ppl unit. Dawn and I got the honeymoon suite and Annabelle got one all to herself. It is possible to walk to the pods, which we did on our final night there, but it's definitely a trek/hike and not for the unfit.

The bar and restaurant at the lobby.

At the restaurant on the lobby level.

Each room is its own pod and they only have a few units that can hold 4 people (2 queen beds). Most are 1 king bed units and they dot the mountain in an almost camouflaged way. If it wasn't for the sparkle from the window you wouldn't be able to make it out so fast.

Each pod has its own balcony and a furnace and sitting area. Since Dawn and I were staying in the honeymoon suite, it was further away from the other pods that are all connected with a walkway. Our suite had an amazing view of the vineyards.

The modern industrial decor inside fell in line with their minimalist theme. Adorable. I never saw lightbulbs like this but when I instagrammed this pic, The Minty introduced me to The Drunken Crane. I'm going to buy myself one of these when I move into a bigger space.

View from our window inside the honeymoon suite.

We settled into our pods, had a drink, and went for a quick tour of the grounds and used our free drink tickets at the pool for some micheladas.

When we got restless and hungry, we asked our driver, Danny, where he usually eats. We wanted something simple, cheap, and didn't want to drive all the way to Ensenada for tacos. He told us there are a few taco stands on Franco Zarto hwy sort of where the hwy splits, except, just stay on Franco Zarto.

We didn't have high expectations since we were saving up our money and expectations for our blow out meal at Corazon de Tierra but our hearts and minds were definitely open for adventure.

As we drove, we saw a really crowded taco stand and a few well-lit taco kiosks that dotted the hwy. We kept driving into the darkness until we saw one that had a small crowd but the crowd was definitely local, family-oriented, and the stand had some great veggie decorations. I spotted a woman making handmade tortillas so I pulled over. My friends and I sheepishly walked in, hungry but also trying not to startle/offend anyone since it looked like a small mom/pop taco shop that didn't necessarily cater to the tourist crowd.

We ordered the adobado and the carnitas and asked to sit next to a family since there was only one table. The only distinguishing sign that they had at their taco stand was their sign, "El Pariente" jumbled into their menu, which we saw after we had finished eating and telling the owners how awesome their tacos were. We wanted to eat more but we were on a mission to go taco hopping so we didn't want to overkill at the first spot. My friend Annabelle wanted some homemade tortillas to go so they threw that in for free. For $48 pesos which is around $4, we had 4 tacos and 3 handmade tortillas. The quality at "El Pariente" is noticeable. All their ingredients seem local and the salsas have a great kick to them. The handmade tortillas were one of the best I've had. Jin approved.

We were excited to see what else Baja had to offer so we drove back down to the first taco stand where we noticed a lot of people hanging about. This one may have had a sign but we didn't notice it. It's the taco stand across from the PEMEX gas station and diagonally across from the liquor store that is named... "Tecate" an actual branded beer. There are a lot of stores like that and it reminds me of Bolivia where stores just call themselves whatever they want, usually a well-known brand name. It's probably not sanctioned by the brand but I'm sure they could care less.

Anyway, we walk into this taco shop and it's filled with Californians. At first we thought it was going to be great but soon after talking to a few people waiting in line, we realized they were missionary kids and this taco shop is probably the closest to their stationed church.

We got a torta and an adobado and carnitas to compare it to El Pariente and quickly noticed that their ingredients were not legit. No handmade tortillas here and the bread was way too thick to be any good for a torta. I compare all tortas to Wash Mobile's torta in Tijuana and I'm probably ruined now forever because of it but anyway, all in all this place was not impressive and we were full by this point so we decided to go across the street to get some beer at "Tecate" and wash it all down since this taco stand nor the one before sold any beers.

After we got the beers and we walked out from the liquor store (we couldn't go in since the owner barred it up and just sold goods through the hole), a white truck parked right next to us and the drivers looked super freaked out. When we got into our cars, we saw a police car drive behind us to lock us both into our parking spots. They must have noticed three Asian girls who had nothing to do with anything since they sort of moved so we had room to back out and get out of the way. After we moved, the white truck backed out too, swung around, and sped along the highway. The police car and two other police cars came out of nowhere and a police chase ensued. The three of us were suddenly freaked out thinking that we could have been in the middle of a police chase. Annabelle mentioned that there was another car involved that highbeamed the car next to us to signal something or other and got away. I wonder if they got away because of us.

Back at the hotel, we were telling everyone about our car chase debacle but no one really seemed that shocked about it. One guy even joked and said that usually happens on a Saturday, not a Sunday. The next day, someone at the wineries reassured that it was probably a drunk driver or something like that since it's a really safe area. All we knew was that both parties moved out of the way for us to get out of that situation before they started chasing each other so the best thing I can say is that they tried not to involve us in something when clearly, we were just trying to get some beers.

Taco stands should sell beers.

ENDÉMICO
Ctra. Tecate-Ensenada, km 75
Valle de Guadalupe
Ensenada, Baja California
Mexico

Boiling Crab

2013-03-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

Boiling Crab. Wow. So much food, so little manners. This is the type of place you go to for a binge session with your binge buddy.

Who has time for utensils when it's all about stuffing your face with seafood and licking the garlic spices off your buttery fingers?

We started off ordering something more classy. We had this grand plan of acting proper, then putting on our plastic bibs and ripping off little crustaceans' heads.

Where is my mignonett, kind sir?!

Oysters on the half shell ($15 a dozen), raw, with tabasco and lemon.

Oh good, the bag of food came.

One bag of shrimp ($9/1LB.), and one bag of crawfish ($15/1LB.), sir!

You might be able to see it in this pic but there are half corns in there, too.

We added 2 corn on the cobs ($.75 cent each).

This is what happens when two hungry Korean girls decide to binge on a sunny afternoon.

BTDubz, the cajun fries ($2.99) were Amazeballs.

Get it with the Sha-bang sauce, which is the ultimate mixture of all the sauces they have (original rajun cajun, lemon pepper, and garlic butter).

One lesson learned though, is that we're no crawfish eaters. We are the worst at snapping off the head and sucking all the juices through it - brain, eyeballs and all. Makes us feel a little sorry for those little monsters. Shrimps on the other hand, are no brainers (no pun intended).

The Sexiest Bread Pudding You'll Ever Eat

2013-01-31T01:58:00.003-08:00

Hi Friends! Long time no blog. So many things ahve been happening lately I got away from food-blogging for a while. I'm getting more and more into cooking recently because I'm trying to watch my waistline and my wallet. It's difficult though, to have the time to cook and be inspired all the time. Because my husband and I are going through some sick times (flu, then cold, allergies, etc.) I think Bread Pudding is the ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD. Here's my recipe, in a video!!! I hope you can create it also and let me know what you think!

THE SEXIEST BREAD PUDDING YOU'LL EVER EAT from jin yoo on Vimeo.

Uni Shooters - Arigato Sushi, Santa Barbara, CA

2012-11-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places in Santa Barbara, CA is Arigato Sushi. They don't always have these gems (they run out quickly) but when they do, I make sure to get a bunch of these decadent uni shooters and oysters on the half shell. At first I was wary - why would this place be any better than any LA sushi joint? Well, it is.

These uni shooters come with raw quail yolk, salmon roe, and uni. So decadent.

The beautiful oyster.

They also have quail and uni sushi, and the albacore was amazingly fresh, clean, and the soft shell crab roll was freakin awesome.

Santa Monica Farmer's Market + Recipe for Low Carb Squash Blossom

2012-08-09T18:45:00.004-07:00

I've never been to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market before.

(/ducks hurled insults and flying shoe).

I live East of the 405!! Besides, I live walking distance to a permanent farmer's market (even though I've never been impressed with their selections). I've always been dying to go but never managed to make the effort.

Anyway, yesterday was a good time as any to check out the Santa Monica Farmer's Market especially since I was being guided by a film professor and advisor of mine who is a long-time veteran of local food shopping and farmers market connoisseur.

I got there a little early so I had time to drive close to the beach to get my yearly dose of some waves. It was so hazy and gray though - the beach was barely visible.

My professor was saying that it's the beginning of apple season! What? I thought you could get apples year round! See, this is the kind of thinking someone does when they only shop at supermarkets that have fruits flown in from different countries.

There were little crab apples which I have no idea why they were so cute and delicious looking. This stall had over 6 different varieties of apples - ones I've never heard of before. My professor bought a bunch of fruits and veggies at this stall. They even had carrots of different colors and sizes.

Next we stopped by the sprouts stall. OMFG they had things sprouting that I never knew about. Thankfully because of working on The Raw Truth, I already knew you could sprout beans, seeds, rice, etc., but I didn't know people ate onion sprouts or broccoli sprouts. I got a handful of each. The onion sprouts had the essence of onion without the overpowering flavor of onions if you just need a hint of it in cooking. My professor busted out her German in speaking to the man - they seemed to know each other. When was the last time I talked to someone about where the food I was buying came from or what to do with it?

Next, after unsuccessfully looking for blueberries (the season is over) we headed over to the peach farm. Wow. They had at least 5 different varieties and they were SWEET. I'm currently on a low-carb diet so I only managed to taste a tiny piece. But, as we turned the corner, there was one berry farm that still had a few blueberries. I scored a container of it. They were so plump, huge, and sweet, unlike most blueberries I've been eating all summer (and I thought those were sweet and good before trying these).

Next, I found some squash blossoms that I never cooked with before and got so excited that it was only $2 so I bought a bunch. I had my own conversation with the lady selling it to me about how to prepare it. This was so much fun! I also got a handful of shishito peppers, some giant green beans, and some cute baby eggplants. There were a few things that I've never seen and if I had more time to cook this week, would have gotten to get creative in the kitchen (like cranberry peas? WTF is that). Sorry for not taking a final picture of my loot. I was too busy talking life/career with my professor. Hey, sometimes there is more to life than just food.

After a rewarding day at the Farmer's Market, I drove to meet my mom to give her the cute baby eggplants. They reminded me of her. She took me to Kobawoo House where we ate bulgogi and squid. I had leftovers to take home so I decided that for dinner, I would make stuffed squash blossoms with Korean beef and squid! I had to be creative because we were about to leave for vacation and we had to eat everything in the fridge lest they spoil.

First, I gently washed the squash blossoms. They weren't too bloom-y because I was carrying them around all over town before refrigerating them when I got home. I took the stems off and it's a little prickly where the stem is attached to the flower.

All I would use for this is 1-2 eggs, beaten (also got this at the Farmer's Market. They're delicious!!), squash blossoms (washed and kind of dry), and a whole tray full of leftover Korean food.

As you can see, I had about 1/3 squid, and 2/3 bulgogi complete with onions and scallions. The lettuce will be used as ssam (wrap). I cut up all the meat into little tiny pieces.

Then, I dipped it in the egg batter and fried it in my cast iron in delicious butter.

I have a habit of drenching leftover egg batter over the food. I don't know why I do this. They always come out a little too eggy for me, but I can't waste egg.

They stayed nice and stuffed though, without any spillage. While that fried, I washed the shishito peppers to try to grill these on my stove top. The lady selling these to me said that once in a while, they would be hot. I'm glad she warned me.

I skewered the shishito peppers and put it on open fire over the stove top (on top of a grill rack). They definitely flared up fast and if not careful, this could be pretty dangerous. I can't wait to have a house with a backyard so I can grill everything outdoors!!!

I decided to try the onion sprouts I got as well so I made an arugula salad with onion sprouts, sweet peppers, parmesan cheese, and some lemon juice.

I also made sriracha with kewpie mayo dip for the shishito peppers. I didn't taste a single hot shishito pepper so I should consider myself lucky! The squash blossoms were definitely a little eggier than needed but the egg was so delicious that I didn't mind.

My hubby loved the dinner. He's also trying to refrain from eating too much carbs. He thinks he's fat, which is hilarious to me.

The dinner was delish! Obviously, I'm not quite suffering on this low carb diet. It helps too, when you have amazing ingredients. Farmer's Market for life!

Low Carb Korean Meats-Stuffed Squash Blossom Recipe:

The Egg Batter:

2 eggs, beaten

The stuffing:

Honestly, anything you want. I had already cooked leftover Korean meats so I used that instead. You can use 1/4 cup ricotta cheese with herbs, spices, mozarella, or any variation of what you think sounds good. I think this is where you can get creative.

A bundle of Squash Blossoms, washed

Butter, for frying.

Prep the batter first. Crack two eggs and beat them with a whisk. They do not have to be whisked too much. Just blended.
Prep the stuffing. In my case, I just minced all the meats together into tiny pieces for easy stuffing.
Open the blossoms gently. They're very fragile. Mine were all men so I had to cut out their stamens with my bare fingertips. Make sure you don't pull too hard or you will rupture the petals.
Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of the stuffing mixture into each blossom. Avoid overfilling the blossoms. You want the petal part to be nice and crispy when you fry it. Twist the top of each blossom together.
Butter up the cast iron skillet or any frying pan you have. I use my cast iron for everything. Heat over medium high heat until butter melts completely.
Dip each stuffed blossom into the egg batter and carefully slip it into the buttered skillet. Do this with each blossom and cook on this side without turning for 1-2 minutes. Turn. another 1-2 minutes. Don't mess with it! It's done when they're golden.
Transfer fried squash blossoms to a paper toweled plate to soak up a little of that butter.
Serve immediately.

Santa Monica Farmer's Market
Wednesday Edition

Arizona Ave & 2nd St
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
(310) 458-8712

http://www01.smgov.net/farmers_mar…

8:30 am - 1:30 pm

Cash Only

Street or Structure Parking