Joshua Tree Escape

One of my favorite quick little getaway spots is Joshua Tree.  As much as I love LA, it's always nice to have a little break from the stress of city life, lights, and action.  It's only a 2.5 half hour drive (w/o traffic) and it definitely feels as though you are in a different world.  I've been a total of 4 times now and I have loved it every single time.  Each time has been a different experience.  New trails are discovered.  Weather changes create different breathtaking views.  Sunrises and sunsets are never the same.  This time, I had the opportunity to bring 3 of my friends on a lovely girls' weekend trip.  Out of our group, I was the only one who had ever been so I was a little nervous that I set high expectations for them. 

We rented an Airbnb outside the national park, which I have done for all my visits here.  Although a lot of people like to camp in the park.  All of the houses I have rented in Joshua Tree have been really cute with very distinct decor and great outdoor space.  On our first night, we had dinner at the saloon down the street from the house.  That next morning, we cooked breakfast and enjoyed it outside on the patio underneath the sun, breathing in the fresh morning air.  We took some amazing pictures in the park, went on several scenic hikes, enjoyed bubbles and a charcuterie board while watching the sunset, and stargazed at night.  We had pizza and wine for dinner and watched movies before bed.  On our last day, we woke up at 4:30am to watch the sunrise in the park.  Can you remember when you last scheduled time to watch the sunrise or sunset?

I had the best time on this girls' trip this weekend!  Joshua Tree is one of my favorite places and I was so happy to have been able to share the experience with my closest friends.  There is a very unusual type of beauty and feeling of isolation that is formed from the desert landscape, giant rock formations, and the shape of the iconic Joshua Trees.  The peacefulness here provides space for rejuvenation, relaxation, and self-reflection.  If you haven't visited Joshua Tree yet, I highly recommend it for your next micro-adventure.  Not too far, inexpensive, and probably very different from your usual weekend trip ideas.  If you need any help planning your visit, let me know!  

Sunrise

Sunset

Wood Ear Mushroom Salad

I pretty much love every kind of mushroom that exists.  I haven't met a mushroom I haven't liked.  And I love mushrooms in EVERYTHING. 

Wood ear mushrooms are a little bit new to me.  I've had it in a lot of Asian dishes at restaurants but I haven't really cooked much with it myself.  This week, I thought I would try something new so I picked up a package of fresh wood ear mushroom at the Korean market while I was doing my weekly Asian grocery shopping.  I have recently used these mushrooms in a stew, but this time, I wanted to make an appetizer salad similar to the Taiwanese version that I've had at Pine & Crane in Silverlake.  

Verdict: Pretty delicious!  Slightly sweet, slightly sour, with a lot of crunch!  My recipe could probably serve 4 as an appetizer, but I ate the whole thing myself!

Wood Ear Mushroom Salad (Serves 4 as an appetizer or side)

·      3 cups of fresh wood ear mushroom, cleaned and coarsely chopped

·      2 birds eye chili, diced

·      1 garlic clove, minced

·      ½ cup of cilantro, diced

·      3 tbsp rice vinegar

·      1 tbsp soy sauce

·      1 tsp sesame oil

·      ½ tsp sugar

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Throw in mushrooms and boil for 10 minutes.  Then rinse mushrooms off in cold water and drain.  Repeat this step a couple of times.  In a bowl, mix together the other ingredients with the mushrooms and stir thoroughly.  Let sit in fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.

Coconut Ceviche

I had dinner at Gracias Madre this weekend in Weho.  It's such a fun and lively spot on the weekend!  It also has a very beautiful outdoor patio for al fresco dining.  When I used to be a vegetarian, this was one of my favorite spots.  Even though I eat meat now, I love my veggies and I still enjoy going to vegetarian restaurants that offer creative twists on traditionally meat-based meals.  One of the dishes I had there this weekend was their Coconut Ceviche.  I enjoyed it but I thought it could use a little more citrus and fruit.  This inspired me to create my own coconut ceviche this week.  In my recipe, I used mango, corn, diced grapes, red onion, and cilantro.  I combined lime, lemon, and tangerine juices.  I also served my ceviche with plantain chips instead of tortilla chips.  My only challenge was that I didn't have fresh coconut meat.  And I was too lazy to search for it, so I settled on frozen coconut meat from Trader Joe's, which I soaked in warm water to defrost.  I have to admit, the ceviche would have probably worked better with fresh coconut meat.  The coconut meat was a little too hard.  But I guess that could still be an issue with fresh coconut as well.  I also think the ceviche could be good even without the coconut actually!  Although, in that case, it's really more like a mango salsa.  Oh well.  I tried!  This was a fun experiment though.  My recipe is below if you want to give it a shot!  Or you could use cooked shrimp instead of coconut meat.

Coconut Ceviche (Serves 4)

·      1½ cup coconut meat, cube or sliced

·      1 cup of mango, cubed

·      ½ cup of red grapes, diced

·      ½ cup of corn (from the can is ok)

·      ¼ cup of red onion, finely diced

·      ½ cup of cilantro, diced

·      ½ cup of lime juice

·      ¼ cup of lemon juice

·      ¼ cup tangerine juice or orange juice

·      1 tsp sugar

·      dash of salt and pepper

Mix the above ingredients in a large bowl and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.  Serve with tortilla or plantain chips.  

Mayo-Free Chicken Curry Salad

Chicken curry salad is one of my favorite salads.  I first discovered this salad at Urth Caffe on Melrose when I moved to LA about 12 years ago.  I have been wanting to recreate this dish for awhile now.  It wasn't until I returned from a rejuvenating yoga retreat in Costa Rica this past summer that I finally felt inspired to make it myself.  The yoga retreat provided us with all of our meals during our stay.  AND they were all healthy, gourmet dishes!  For lunch one day, we had a chicken salad that was made with greek yogurt and avocado instead of mayo.  It was SO delicious that I had to create a version of my own.  I hope you like it!

MAYO-FREE CHICKEN CURRY SALAD (Serves 4)

Ingredients

·      2 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into cubes

·      ¼ cup finely diced red onion

·      ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions

·      1/3 cup golden raisins

·      ½ cup celery, vertically halved and then diced

·      ½ cup sliced red grapes

·      ½ cup of greek yogurt

·      1 avocado

·      3 tbsp lemon juice

·      1 tbsp olive oil

·      2 tsp honey

·      1 tsp salt

·      1 tbsp curry powder

·      dash of pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, mix chicken, celery, grapes, onions, scallions, and raisins. 

In a separate bowl, mash 1 whole avocado with a fork.  Blend in greek yogurt.  Add olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, curry powder, and pepper and mix thoroughly.  If the mixture is too thick, add more olive oil and lemon.

Combine the avocado-greek yogurt mixture with the chicken medley.  Serve over a bed of mixed greens, use it in a sandwich, or eat it with lettuce wraps.

Chia Seed Pudding with Coconut Milk

What is your favorite meal of the day?  I think a lot of you would say breakfast or brunch (especially, those of you in LA).  I'm probably part of the minority.  I don't really like breakfast.  Within the first 2 hours of waking up, my body just isn't ready to take in any food.  I often skip breakfast (I know, *gasp*) and maybe eat an early lunch.  But I know this is not healthy.  When I can, I will have fruit for breakfast or a boiled egg.  I don't have a a sweet tooth for pancakes or waffles.  I also don't really love yogurt and oats (I'm semi-allergic to oats).  However, chia seed pudding I LOVE!  It's a light, easy-to-make breakfast and also a great snack for a girl on the go like me!  It is also rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, omega-3 fats, proteins, and antioxidants!  There are many recipes that use almond milk but I'm mildly allergic to it.  As an alternative, I make my chia seed pudding with coconut milk and it's delicious!  

Recipe below.  How do you like to eat your chia seed pudding?  What is your favorite breakfast or snack on the go?  Please share!  I'd love some ideas!

CHIA SEED PUDDING WITH COCONUT MILK (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

¼ cup of chia seeds

1 cup coconut milk (about half a can)

½ cup of coconut water (only needed if you choose to use coconut milk since it's thicker than other milks.  Otherwise, you can skip this ingredient if you decide to use almond milk.)

½ tsp vanilla extract

a couple dashes of cinnamon

½ cup of fresh berries (rasberries, blueberries, strawberries)

2 tsp of honey (optional)

Directions:

Using a large glass jar, mix chia seeds, coconut milk, coconut water, vanilla extract, and a couple dashes of cinnamon.  I prefer using 2 small 8 oz mason jars and dividing the above ingredients for the convenience of having the servings already separated and ready to eat.  Mix thoroughly and then shake the jar.  Make sure the chia seeds are fully coated and are not clumped together. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 3-4 hours before serving.  Top with fresh berries and honey. Other toppings you can try are coconut flakes, almonds, chocolate shavings, pomegranate, and bananas.  So many options! 

Green Mango Relish

Have you ever bought a Green Mango before?  I haven't until now.

I had to ask my mother about it and it was not an easy conversation.  Sometimes, she doesn't make any sense! Our heated conversation went something like this:

Me: Do I just buy a mango that is not ripe?

Mom: Yes, get a green mango.

Me: Aren't all mangoes green?

Mom: No, some mangoes get yellow/orange inside but green mangoes don't.

Me: But if I get a firm, young mango, it should be fine right?  I will just use it right away before it gets ripe sitting out on the counter.

Mom: No.  These green mangoes don't get ripe.  Ever.  They can sit on your counter for days and still don't get ripe.

Me: Then how do I know if I got the right mango?

Mom: I just know the difference.

Me: Ok, that's great but how will I know??? (Getting frustrated at this point)

Mom: The young mangoes are separated.

Me: So they have boxes that note that they are GREEN mangoes? But most mangoes are green on the outside! I don't get it!!! I've bought green looking mangoes before that are sweet! Mom!!!! 

Mom: They are different!  These mangoes never get ripe!  They are picked when they are young and never get ripe.  The regular ones are picked when they are ripe, so they will continue to get riper and sweeter after you leave them sitting out. 

Me: Ok, so the difference is when they are picked?

Mom: Yesssssss!!!!

So now I've learned that these mangoes aren't just green-colored mangoes.  They are actually referred to as "Green Mangoes" because they are unripe.  They have a slightly sour, tart flavor.  If you have never bought one before, this might all be new to you like it was for me.  However, if you have experience in Southeast Asian cooking, this may be common knowledge to you and you probably think I sound like an idiot.  WHATEVER! This was a learning experience for me.  Green mangoes can look like regular mangoes, and sometimes even have a slight exterior reddish coloring that regular mangoes can have.  But they are 3-4 times more expensive!  Who knew?! I spent $8 on 2 mangoes in order to make the above-pictured Cambodian Green Mango Relish dish. 

If you have the same question regarding Green Papaya, it also has a similar story.  I know this because I got into this same 15 minute heated conversation with my mother about green papaya.  It is different from the ripe orange flesh papaya that is used in smoothies and eaten as a fruit.  Green papaya, like green mangoes, are unripe.  They are supposedly not more expensive than regular papaya the way that green mangoes are more expensive than regular mangoes.  However, I don't have first hand experience with buying a green papaya yet (I cheated and bought my papaya pre-shredded at a Thai grocery store).  And my mom's suggestion for finding the right green papaya is to dig your nail into it while shopping for the fruit to see if it is ripe or not since she says they don't separate them at the grocery store.  Not sure I will follow her suggestion but ok, thanks, mom.  Super helpful.

Finding Inspiration...

As I mentioned in my About section, I don't really know what I'm doing.  I have never made a professional cookbook before.  I have never not worked a corporate job before.  Making the decision to take the rest of the year off to work on a creative passion project was liberating, but also simultaneously terrifying!  At first, I was excited and inspired.  Then in the next moment, I felt discouraged and doubtful of myself.  It is difficult to make that first step.  Actually, I take that back.  It's fucking scary to take that first step.  But it's even harder to take those second, third, and forth steps!  The drive that forces you to make that initial decision is an adrenaline rush.  But then it wears off.  Somehow, you have to find the courage to push through your moment of self-doubt to keep moving and taking action.  And it has not been easy.  It has been a journey.  It has been a learning process. I've had lots of pep talks with myself.  My friends have had pep talks with me.  Who knew I needed so much support?!  And that's okay!  At least that is what I'm learning.  It's okay to ask for support.  I have often felt discouraged each time I encountered an obstacle.  But I have had to remind myself not to get overwhelmed with the bigger picture and to focus on that next step that I need to make in order to keep myself moving forward.  This week, I felt recharged after taking a break from my cookbook for one day to help my friend with her yoga photoshoot.  We spent the first part of the day at El Matador Beach in Malibu taking beautiful shots in the sand, on the rocks, in the water. We took a nice little lunch break at Malibu Seafood along the PCH.  I treated myself to a WHOLE lobster for lunch!  We then spent golden hour at Pan Pacific Park near The Grove climbing trees and doing yoga poses down in the dirt.  We ended the day sipping on wine on my balcony at sunset.  It may have been just one day of ordinary activities, but it was the fuel and inspiration I needed this week to keep moving forward.

Shopping for Props

I decided that I needed to up my photo game for my food pics if I really want to elevate my cookbook.  This means that I needed props--different tabletop backgrounds, cute utensils, colored plates, spice bowls, and linen napkins.  Last week, I took a trip to all of the major bargain stores HomeGoods, TJMaxx, Marshalls, World Market, and even JoAnn's Fabric to look for props.  It took some time digging, but it was SO much fun!  If you love cooking like I do, you probably love kitchen gadgets and accessories.  I wanted everything!  I definitely had to stop myself from getting carried away.  Sometimes it was difficult to distinguish between what is necessary for the cookbook photos and what is just an indulgent purchase.  I found some great tabletop options using wooden serving trays, a slate cheese board, a marble cutting board, and a wooden photo collage board.  My favorite purchases were the wooden spice bowls from World Market shown on the homepage. What is your favorite kitchen accessory?