Tomato Watermelon Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette

It's that lazy Sunday where I don't really feel like doing anything but eat frozen chocolate covered bananas in bed. I've had a week filled with cooking and baking disasters. I just kept burning everything I made. Like my batch of green tea macarons :( So labor intensive and then gone to waste by 5 minutes of extra time in the oven. Ughhh macarons!! So when it came to the day of my bf's birthday two days ago, I was super super hesitant to cook dinner. But, I did it anyway...because "best gf". you know? Ha

Anyway, I wanted to make sausage and biscuits, because he loves that gloopy stuff. Baking the biscuits was a disaster. My first batch well... I might as well have made hockey pucks. I know when I have a bad week, I just need to stay out of the kitchen! Luckily, this salad turned out pretty decently. And I say lucky, because I spent a few hours cleaning the mess I made in the kitchen after dinner :(

Tomato Watermelon Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette

serves 3-4

Read More

Grain Salad with Walnuts, Figs And Grapefruit + GIVEAWAY

Hello from Los Angeles! It is so hot and dry here, I love it! I've had about 2 weeks of "vacation" from Richmond to Charleston to DC to LA. It's been quite a whirlwind of traveling and eating (4 times my body weight). And, now I'm starting summer research stuff at my old lab. I've been meaning to travel around the world before med school life sucks up all my time later...but I'm really indecisive and...(insert more excuses) and sometimes I feel I might need to study :O ?!  Having all this time to do fun things other than studying is a little unusual right now. Since I just spent the past year with my butt glued to my desk chair.

Even if I'm back in LA, I just found out that my mum is not coming back from her holiday in Hong Kong and Korea until the end of this month. What?! Where was the warning? Does this mean I have to wash my own clothes..? (haha kidding, I'm a real adult :\)

I digress!! I have a giveaway sponsored by California Walnuts, where they are giving away TV personality Joanne Weir's cookbook to one of my readers. Yay! Scroll all the way to the bottom to enter (US + Canada readers only, sorry!). Here is an adaptation of her salad recipe. I substituted figs, added some agave and a new grain, Freekeh, that I just discovered. Apparently, it has a higher protein content than quinoa? I love it's texture... very chewy like barley. Anyway, this salad just represents sunny LA and is very easy to assemble the night before. Enjoy!

Whole Grain Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Figs And Grapefruit

serves 6 
adapted from Joanne Weir

Dressing
1/2 tsp finely grated grapefruit zest
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp agave syrup
salt

Salad
3/4 cup millet
3/4 cup freekeh (or any whole grain like quinoa)
1 cup walnut, halved
2 grapefruits
1/2 cup dried mission figs, cut in pieces
3 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Dressing: mix grapefruit zest, vinegar and olive oil in a small bowl and let the flavors meld in the fridge
3. Place millet and freekeh in a saucepan with 2 1/4 cups water and 3/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15-18 min (until all the moisture is absorbed). Set aside to cool
4. Lay walnuts on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant and golden ~7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool
5. Using a sharp paring knife, cut tops and bottoms off the grapefruits. Cut off the peel and white pith from top to bottom and work your way around the grapefruit until it is bare naked. Cut sections out (between the membranes) and set aside on a plate
6. Squeeze the membranes into the bowl with the dressing to extract about 3 tbsp of juice. Season dressing with salt to taste
7. In a large salad bowl, toss grains with figs, toasted walnuts, parsley and grapefruit sections. Add dressing and toss together

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I received products or coupons for this post. But all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Sweepstakes

Read More

Asian Quinoa Salad

Only 1 more week until Thanksgiving!! No more sleep deprived state... I am going to get in all my beauty sleep, eat and hibernate for the weekend. My bed and I are going to be best friends :D

I am also going to bake and cook up a storm and maybe I'll have to wear sweatpants for a while, but it is going to be SOoo awesome. Just one more hurdle of an exam. Here's one more recipe before the fat weekend - a super fast salad to make for potlucks and just gluttonous healthy eating (oxymoron?)

Click read more button below for recipe :)

Read More

Roasted Beets + Spiced Chickpea salad

Hooray! Free few hours after an exam before I have to study again...booo... :( I feel a little delirious from no sleep, but so happy to blog! Also, I just ate a lot of brisket and maybe a half a rack of ribs, and I am hitting serious food coma right now. Thought I might put up a recipe I made last week before I go to sl..zzzZZZZZzzzz

Roasted Beets + Spiced Chickpea salad

Adapted from 'love and lemons' blog
Serves 3-4

Ingredients
4-5 medium sized beets
1 can chickpeas
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp paprika
I threw 2 thai chilis for some extra heat
salt and pepper

handfuls of arugula
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
crumbled feta
Red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
olive oil
yogurt (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Wash beets and wrap in foil. Roast for 40-50 minutes or until fork can pierce through easily. Let it cool and slice it up!
2. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a skillet. Add the the chickpeas, garlic powder,chili flakes and italian herbs. Cook until chickpeas are golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste
3. Assemble your salad. Place beets and spiced chickpeas on a bed of arugula. Crumble with feta cheese, drizzle olive oil and red wine vinegar. Garnish with parsley and yogurt. Finally, crack some fresh pepper.

Read More

Roasted Eggplant + Quinoa w/ Yogurt

So darn bored in class... sitting in the back and flipping through my favorite cookbook of the month, "Jerusalem" by Ottolenghi. Gawd, I love cookbooks with pretty pictures. I own all their other cookbooks too (Plenty, The Cookbook). My mouth is watering, even though I already had a fat sandwich. Is it weird that I love to gawk at food?

Anyhoo, just wanted to share a super simple and quick recipe. Roasted vegetables for fall!! This vegetarian recipe will convert any eggplant hater. Fo' reals.

Click read more button below for recipe :)

Read More