Chickpea Salad

I’ve been lazy about cooking lately, but please allow me some grace. I spent the past several years actively working on a cookbook, and now that the manuscript is finished, I think I just needed a break. My creative energy has gone into the design phase instead: fonts, colors, format, all the micro decisions you take for granted. Plus, I’m cooking for one in a small kitchen with no dishwasher. Simple meals are about all I’ve got in me, which brings me to the simplest chickpea salad.

I love salads and have to eat them regularly. But I don’t always love lettuce. Is that strange? Hear me out. Not all salads need lettuce or kale or arugula. My favorite salads at restaurants are the ones that don’t come with any lettuce at all, like caprese, tabbouleh, citrus salad with beets and goat cheese, or watermelon and tomato salad with burrata. I love any salad that incorporates fruit. Add some pear, some citrus, some persimmons. Oh, and kumquat! It’s always a nice surprise to find kumquat in a salad!

Saying I don’t like lettuce in my salad reminds me of my mother, who once announced, “I want a chocolate muffin, but with no chocolate chips.” I looked at her like she was crazy. Was it her brain injury talking? Where can you find a chocolate muffin with no chocolate chips?! It’s like when she says she doesn’t like the beach because of the sand, and how she doesn’t want the sand to touch her toes. She thinks we should wear boots to the beach instead. Anyway, I digress. See? I can’t even talk about food without thinking of my mother. Hence, the memoir cookbook about her.

I came here to talk about chickpeas, and somehow we ended up at my mother’s beach preferences. Back to the salad.

I try to eat vegetarian at least three times a week, and when I do, I make sure I get my protein and iron. I always have cans of chickpeas in my cabinet because I also like to roast them, season them with Tajin, and eat them as a snack. This is an easy chickpea salad recipe, and you can serve it with additional protein on the side. I didn’t measure, so I’m sharing a loose recipe for your inspiration and modification.

Serves about 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1 long English cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• ½ cup of diced red onion

• shallots, optional (I had them on hand so I just threw them in)

• ¼ cup of diced pepperoncini

• ½ cup of fresh dill, roughly chopped

Dressing (I eyeballed these amounts, so taste and adjust as needed):

• about ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil

• about 2 Tbsp white vinegar

• 1 Tbsp pepperoncini juice

• 1-2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp oregano

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 garlic clove, minced, optional

Directions:

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss.

Optionally, add protein to your salad (like rotisserie chicken) or serve the salad over labneh or Greek yogurt.

Chinese Egg & Tomato Stir-fry

Chinese Egg + Tomato Stir-fry. Easiest thing to make when you’ve run out of most of your groceries and don’t know what to make. So yummy! This is my recipe but there are so many versions out there with subtle differences. Some use garlic. Some use ginger. You can make it saltier or you can make it sweeter. You really can’t mess up eggs and tomatoes! I keep it simple with three main ingredients. Try it! It’s delicious and comforting. Also, check out the reel I made for this recipe on my Instagram.

CHINESE EGG + TOMATO STIR-FRY (serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

·       4 eggs, whisked

·       8 plump Campari or pearl tomatoes, quartered

·       2 tbsp olive oil

·       ½ tsp salt

·       ¾ tsp sugar

·       ½ tbsp vinegar or rice vinegar 

·       ½ tsp sesame oil

·       3 tbsp water 

·       ⅓ cup scallions, diced

· 1 tsp minced ginger (optional)

Directions: 

Whisk eggs with ¼ tsp salt.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium frying pan. Pour in eggs and softly scramble. Plate and set aside.

In the same pan, add another 1 tbsp olive oil. Lightly sauté the ginger. Throw in tomatoes. Add ¼ tsp salt and ¾ tsp sugar. Let the tomatoes cook for a couple minutes. Pour in ½ tbsp vinegar, ½ tsp sesame oil, and 3 tbsp water. Let tomatoes soften for maybe another minute without letting the tomatoes get too mushy.

Sprinkle some of the scallions. Turn the pan off. Add scrambled eggs back into the pan and lightly fold into the tomato mix. Garnish with additional fresh scallions before serving. Eat with rice.

Hot & Sour Soup

Whenever I return from a trip, all I want is a hot bowl of soup. As you may know from following my Instagram account, I love all types of soup. One that I started making more regularly recently is the Chinese Hot and Sour Soup. It’s so flavorful. There’s something about the sourness, saltiness, and the spice that just hits the spot. I love the crunchy textures of the bamboo and water chestnuts as well as the softness of the tofu and egg ribbons. So yummy. It tastes so much better when you make it at home yourself. Restaurants sometimes overdo it on the cornstarch, soy sauce, or spice. I don’t use cornstarch in my recipe at all because I generally prefer thin, brothier soups. You may add cornstarch if you like a thicker texture. If you’re a soup lover, try my recipe!

Hot and Sour Soup (serves 4-5)

Ingredients:

·       32 oz low sodium chicken broth

·      1 quart & 1 cup of water

·       15 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrate in bowl of hot water for 30 minutes, thinly sliced

·       1 small 8 oz can of bamboo shoots

·       6 oz tofu, cubed

·       3 eggs, lightly whisked

·       1 small can of water chestnuts, sliced (optional)

·       1 clove of garlic, mashed

·       1 nubbin of ginger

·       4½ tbsp soy sauce

·       6 tbsp vinegar

·       ½ - 1 tsp chili flakes

·       2 tsp sesame oil 

·       ½ tsp black pepper

·       ½-¾ tsp salt

·      ¾ cup of scallions diced

Directions: Bring the broth with water to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes with ginger and garlic. Add tofu, bamboo, rehydrated sliced shiitake mushrooms, and water chestnuts. If there is not enough broth, add more water. Cook for 15 minutes. Season the soup with soy sauce, vinegar, chili flakes, sesame oil, black pepper, and salt. Cook for another 15 minutes. Create egg ribbons by slowly pouring in the whisked eggs into the pot. Stir the eggs in the pot of soup with a fork or chopstick. Toss in half of the scallions and then continue to cook for a couple more minutes. Top with additional fresh scallions when serving.

Mushroom Marsala

Whenever I’ve had Chicken Marsala out at restaurants, it’s usually not that good. It’s always too creamy. They never use enough mushrooms and that is my favorite part of the dish! I decided to make the dish myself minus the chicken, so basically a Mushroom Marsala. I served mine over spaghetti but I think it would be really good over mashed potatoes too. Try the recipe and let me know what you think! If you want to make it vegan, skip the butter, use coconut milk instead of cream, and substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth.

Mushroom Marsala (serves 2-3)

 Ingredients

·       1 lb of cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced

·       3 cloves of garlic, minced

·       ½ sweet yellow onion diced

·       ⅓ cup of heavy cream (½ cup if you prefer it on the creamier side)

·       1 cup Marsala wine 

·       1¼ cup chicken broth

·       1 tsp salt

·       pepper to taste

·       1 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary

·       1 - 1½ tbsp flour

·       1 tbsp butter

·       1 tbsp olive oil

Directions: Heat olive oil. Sauté onions until brown. Add butter and then mushrooms and ½ tsp salt. Add garlic and rosemary. Let mushrooms cook for a few minutes. Add ½ cup Marsala wine and 1 cup chicken broth. Add 1 tbsp flour. Stir. Let sauce reduce. Pour in another ½ cup of Marsala wine and ¼ cup of chicken broth. Let sauce continue to reduce. It might seem too liquidy, but once you add pasta or let it cool, it will thicken. Then add ⅓ cup of heavy cream. Sprinkle in remaining ½ tsp salt. Cook for a few minutes longer. Taste the sauce. Adjust w additional salt if necessary. Toss in pasta. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Alternatively, you can eat with rice or serve over mashed potatoes.

Garlic Butter Shrimp

Who loves garlic butter shrimp? I do! It’s also a super easy dish to make with few ingredients. I always have frozen shrimp in my freezer so this was an easy go-to meal to make, especially after not having been to the grocery store in almost a week!

GARLIC BUTTER SHRIMP (serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

·       20 shrimps, deveined with tail on

·       4 tbsp butter, melted

·       ¼ cup olive oil

·       8 cloves of garlic, minced

·       ½ tsp salt

·       ½ tsp black pepper

·       1 tsp red pepper flakes

·       ½ lime or lemon, juiced + additional slices for serving

·       1 tomato diced (optional)

·       ¼ cup chopped cilantro (for garnishing)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Make a shallow cut on the back of the shrimp. Line an 8 or 10-inch cast iron skillet with shrimp. In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together (except for the tomatoes and cilantro). Pour marinade over the shrimp. Add diced tomatoes on top.

Bake for roughly 15 minutes. Oven times vary so make sure you check the shrimp around 10-12 minutes in.

Serve over rice or pasta. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and garnish with slices of lime or lemon.

Burnt Basque Cheesecake

I’m not a huge baker, but lately I’ve been enjoying trying new dessert recipes. Maybe it was the holiday season that got me in the mood. Desserts can sometimes be challenging to get right but they are pretty simple to make. It’s always nice to have a sweet treat throughout the week that you made yourself! I’ve had a Burnt Basque Cheesecake a few times in the last year even though it’s not a common dessert you find at restaurants. I had been wanting to test it out myself for a while. Although I generally like graham cracker crusts, the burnt edges of this crust-less cheesecake is different. It’s light and sort of cake-y. I thought my version was pretty good! You can freeze it too if you don’t want to eat the entire cheesecake on your own or you can even gift it.

BURNT BASQUE CHEESECAKE (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

·       18 oz cream cheese

·       ¾ cup sugar

·       3 eggs

·       ¾ cup of heavy cream

·       1 tsp vanilla extract

·       3 tbsp flour

·       ¼ tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

You will need a 6 or 7-inch spring form pan. Line it with parchment paper with the edges sticking out above the pan.

Mix the cream cheese with the sugar. Then add eggs and mix again thoroughly. Pour in the cream and sprinkle in the salt and vanilla extract. Toss in the flour and mix again.

Pour batter into the spring form pan. Place a baking sheet underneath. Bake for about 60 minutes. Oven times may vary. Check cheesecake at the 50-55 minute mark just in case. The cheesecake should be slightly jiggly in the middle and burnt on top. My oven requires me to bake things a little longer. I actually had to broil it for a few minutes to get the burnt crust and then I accidentally sort of overburnt it a little. Thankfully, this recipes allows room for that and it turned out okay! Hopefully, your oven won’t require you to do that! Let cool for about an hour before serving and then refrigerate the leftovers.

P.S. What dessert should I try making next?

Indonesian Mie Goreng Noodles

Mie Goreng is a popular Indonesian fried noodle dish made with mixed vegetables, topped with a fried egg, and served with lime and chili sauce. It is sometimes served with meat or shrimp. When I traveled to Bali years ago, I ordered this dish at almost every restaurant I visited. I love noodles and thought it’s about time I try making the dish for myself. I packed my recipe with lots of vegetables because I love vegetables and wanted the dish to be healthier and less carby. Feel free to cut down on the veggies and add protein.

MIE GORENG (serves 4)

Ingredients:

7 oz of dried egg noodles (I used lo mein noodles but you can also use noodles from instant ramen packets)

1½ cups of shredded cabbage

1½ cups of bean sprouts

2 cups of shredded bok choy

1½ cups of scallions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 shallot, thinly sliced

7 oz of fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp dark soy sauce (for color)

½ tsp sugar

1 tsp chili sauce

1 lime, cut into wedges

4 fried eggs

extra chili sauce for serving

Directions:

Cook egg noodles and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots. Lightly toast.

Add cabbage and shiitake mushrooms and let cook for a few minutes.

Throw in bok choy and scallions and cook lightly. If your veggies start to burn, add a tablespoon or two of water.

Lower heat. Add noodles. Pour oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and chili sauce over the noodles and toss thoroughly.

Add bean sprouts and toss some more. Cook briefly.

Turn off heat and set aside.

Fry eggs sunny side up.

Serve noodles with fried egg on top, chili sauce, and lime.

Garlic Noodles with Parmesan

I only learned how to make garlic noodles recently after having it out at a restaurant and I was immediately hooked! I could not stop stuffing my face with noodles! The recipe only involves a few ingredients and is so simple to make. Garlic noodles is the perfect weeknight dinner or side dish. And it’s addictive. You won’t be able to stop making it. Sometimes I unintentionally end up making it because I run out of groceries and these ingredients are all I have on hand. Try it and let me know what you think! I have a reel up on Instagram if you want to see the video of the garlic noodles being made.

GARLIC NOODLES WITH PARMESAN (serves 4):

Ingredients:

1 lb thin spaghetti pasta

4 tbsp olive oil

12 cloves of garlic, minced

4 tbsp unsalted butter

4 tsp soy sauce

4 tsp sugar

3½ tbsp oyster sauce

3 cups of sliced scallions

¾ cup Parmesan

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and butter. Lightly toast. Add sugar and oyster sauce and mix. Lower heat. Throw in sliced scallions and lightly cook. Toss in cooked pasta, coating it with the sauce. Add soy sauce. Turn off heat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese in layers directly in the pan and toss again. Garnish with additional fresh scallions and more cheese.