I was doing my weekly grocery shopping when I saw this this weird looking orange-like fruit. It was the size of a mandarin orange but it had a funny pointy tip. Being the curious foodie, I just had to buy a few, of course.

I tried one right after I got home. The peel was thick but it was very easy to peel. The flesh was citrusy, very juicy and sweet with a slight hint of sourness which I felt was so refreshing! I loved it.

I later googled it and found that tangelo is a cross between a tangerine and a pomelo. How neat and delicious!

If you come across this interesting fruit, be sure to try it out!

To restart the momentum, here’s a quickie post!

Quick cooking tip: freeze blue cheese and then grate it with a microplane onto your food.

The blue cheese will be much more evenly distributed over your food and adding the blue cheese last as a garnish will accentuate its presence too. This trick will probably help you cut back on the amount of cheese you need as well!

Sound like a two bird one stone deal right? You use less for the same flavour punch!

Especially if you need to watch your cheese intake and possibly cut back, this trick will make your cheese quota stretch without missing out on the cheese flavour.

Give it a try!

Have you noticed that grocery stores now have squashes overflowing over in huge bins? That’s a big, bold signal saying that it’s time to enjoy winter squashes!

Winter squashes are deep yellow and orange vegetables. The colour comes from the abundant amount of beta-carotene, which is a potent anti-oxidant that may play a strong role in reducing risks of heart diseases. In addition to antioxidants, winter squashes are also rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium and folate. Plus, they are fairly low in calories and fat (about 40kcal and less than 1g of fat in a 1/2cup serving). Having a half cup serving of winter squash will satisfy the Canada’s Food Guide recommendation of having bright orange-coloured vegetable at least once a day. (Sources: Leslie Beck, RD and World’s Healthiest Foods).

If you’re familiar with squashes, you will probably have already bought some. But if you are not a big fan of squashes, here’s 10 recipes to try and hopefully they will convert you to a squash fan.

1. Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup. Kabocha is my absolute favourite squash, so sweet and so much flavour!
2. Mashed Kabocha Squash with Peanut Butter. One of my absolute favourite ways to enjoy Kabocha squash. Yuuuummm!
3. Squash Granola. Ever thought you can combine squash puree with granola?
4.  Butternut Squash Gratin. Comforting, warm and so satisfying.
5. Curried Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola. Fusion of Indian flavours with familiar western ingredients.
6. Vietnamese Spaghetti Squash Salad. A refreshing alternative to your everyday salad. 
7. Baked Butternut Squash Fries. Yes, fries! Go beyond sweet potato fries and give these a try.
8. 7-minute Squash. Crunched for time? Try steaming them for some moist and soft squash.
9. Kabocha Squash Cake with Brown Sugar Cream. Think outside the box and use squash in a sweet concoction.
10. Squash Brownies with Chocolate Swirl Topping. Chocolate enhances the sweetness of squash and the squash keeps the squares moist for days.

In case you aren’t excited by these 10 taste recipes, here’s 6 more recipes worth trying!

I highly recommend buying squashes when they are cheap and store them throughout the winter. Squashes store well in a cool place away from direct sunlight for up to 3 months. For longer storage, I suggest cooking them and freezing them in individual portions for up to 6 months.

Do you enjoy winter squashes? What’s your favourite way to prepare them?

Photo by John McClumpha

Toast in the morning is like the quintessential breakfast for most people. It’s convenient, cheap and fulfilling.

It may be the first thing that pops into mind when you think about what to have for breakfast on a busy weekday morning, but it can become so repetitive and dull if you always serve it the same way everyday, five days a week…

Personally I’m bored by the standard options of butter / nut butter / jam. It’s time to make toast interesting!

Here’s my top five creative ways to spice up toast:

1. Butter with light sprinkle of sugar. My grandpa used to make this for me when I was a small child and it brings back good memories every time I make this myself now. On lightly buttered toast, sprinkle on 1 teaspoon sugar (not too much or else the graininess of the sugar becomes unpleasant).
2. Condensed milk with butter or peanut butter. This is a typical menu item seen in Chinese cafes. Like peanut butter and jelly, condensed milk and butter / nut butter is a match made in heaven, really delicious!
3. Tomato sauce with baked egg. Somewhat like Egg in the Basket but with less work. On toasted bread, spread on tomato sauce, crack an egg on top and broil it in the toaster oven until egg turns white and the yolk is set (about 5 minutes). 
4. Kimchi with mozzarella cheese. This one is fairly strong flavoured, so pair it with a piece of thick toast. Chop up some kimchi into bite-size pieces and layer it onto toast, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and broil until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
5. S’more toast. This is a “sometimes” treat for me, more like dessert rather than breakfast food really. Place chocolate chips and mini marshmallows on toast, and broil until the marshmallows have melted and turn golden brown.

What is your favourite way to eat toast? Give me some new ideas!

I have, however, seen many lovely pictures of bright, vibrant pesto on difference food blogs and those pictures always make me drool. But then when I read through the recipe instructions, I just don’t get excited enough to jump out of my seat and rush off to the kitchen to make it.

That is…until I saw the recipe for cilantro pesto.

I didn’t grow up liking cilantro – thought its flavour was too overpowering. But now, I’ve started to seriously appreciate the bright, bold flavour that cilantro bring to the food. I even got a cilantro plant (although it got way too much sunlight and too little water and died…but that’s another story for some other time).

Now each time I visit a grocery store to get my scallions, garlic and ginger, I would always make sure I also grab a bunch of fresh cilantro.

However, that causes a small problem. Everyone in the family eats scallions, garlic and ginger and we have no problem finishing them up quickly; but I’m in the only one that’s in love with cilantro. And as much as I do love cilantro, there is no way I can possibly finish a whole bunch without some of it wilting and turning bad.

To avoid cilantro buildup and avoiding waste, the only possible solution is to find a recipe that uses a LOT of cilantro and would last for a fairly long time in the fridge or freezer.

Cilantro pesto is just that perfect recipe.

No more cilantro overload. No more guessing how pesto tastes like – I finally made my own batch!

The recipe I followed is one that has received 4+ stars on AllRecipes.com. It is perfect in that it calls for everyday pantry items that I already have and is quite forgiving in terms of substitute ingredients.

I swapped in toasted unsalted almonds (the only type of nuts in my pantry at the moment), pre-grated parmesan cheese (not the best I know, but again, all I have at the moment) and used lemon juice instead of white vinegar. I added the ingredients in two turns, tasting and adjusting as I go, and in the end, came out with a wonderfully fresh, bright green and superbly strong-tasting cilantro pesto.

The flavour was bright from the abundance of the herb, salty from the parmesan, creamy from the olive oil and had some crunch to it too, thanks to the almond. It was good!

Now that I know how cilantro pesto taste, I’m eager to make a batch of traditional basil pesto – just for my family.

P.S. The original recipe mentions that a food processor or a blender will work equally well, I would suggest sticking to a food processor or a mini chopper; I tried it first with my blender and it was quite a disaster.

Cilantro Pesto

Makes 1 jar (~12oz).

Recipe from AllRecipes.com

What you’ll need:

• 1 bunch cilantro, washed and patted dry, large stalks removed
• 1/2 cup unsalted almonds, toasted
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt, to taste

What to do:

In a food processor, or mini chopper (works great if you’re only making a small batch like me), put in toasted almonds and grind into a fine texture.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and half of the olive oil (1/4cup). Pulse until pureed and add the remaining olive oil until desired consistency.

Scoop into clean jar and keep in fridge for 2-3 weeks. Freeze pesto in ice-cube trays to keep them for longer.

After spending nearly 3 months in Hong Kong – the place with the most amazing food in the world (in my eyes) — I am finally back in Vancouver.

Home Sweet Home. In Vancouver ,the air is fresher, the sky is blue-er and the kitchen is three times as big!

So despite the fact that I still have not got over my jetlag, my head is already bursting with cooking ideas and I could just not wait another second to start cooking.

I went grocery-shopping and I saw these beautiful eggplants, and they were basically yelled at me to grab them and make something delicious out of them.

Back in Vancouver now, I am seriously craved simple, clean homemade food. I want light and refreshing food so a salad-type dish was definitely the way to go. Hence, this dish was born – Asian-style Marinated Eggplants.

Asian-style Marinated Eggplant

What you’ll need:

• 2 medium-sized Japanese eggplant, cleaned and quartered into long strips
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine

What to do:

Arrange the sliced eggplant on a large plate and steam until tender, about 12 – 15 minutes. When ready, drain off excess liquid that has collected at the bottom of the plate. Set aside and let the eggplants cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by combining the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, water and Chinese cooking wine. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

In a small saucepan, heat vegetable oil on medium heat. Add in garlic and saute until golden brown. Add in ginger and scallion and saute for another minute or so until fragrant. Pour in the dressing and let the mixture come to a boil.

Drizzle the sauce over the eggplant. Stir well and enjoy immediately or let it cool to room temperature before serving.

It was an Asian-style Coconut-y sweet soup with taro bites and assorted beans.

As the name implies, this menu item features root veggies and beans which makes it a good source of fiber and protein, perfect as a fulfilling and energizing meal to start off my day.

Yes, although this sweet soup is a dessert-like item, I would still consider it to be a smart option at Dim Sum restaurants since most other items are heavily loaded with refined carbs and/or fatty, sugary components.

And since I wouldn’t have dim sum for breakfast on a regular basis anyways, this dessert soup would at most become one of the many items on my “Eat Sometimes” list.

Eating out has truly become an inseparable part of many people’s lives and it would irrational for them to cut back dramatically. Thus, choosing foods smartly when dining out takes on a key role for maintaining steady weight and good health.

And think of it this way: treat finding smart eating out options as a challenge (look at it as an exploration, as a new chapter and opening doors to new foods!). Enjoy the process, and stay positive!

The main point of this post is to show off the most beautiful and tasty soft-boiled egg that I’ve ever made.

There are various methods that I’ve tried before but I think this new technique has given the most satisfying result yet.

The trick is easy: bring a pot of water to boil, then gently lower the eggs one by one into the hot water with a slotted
spoon, cover, turn heat down to medium-low and set a timer for exactly 7 minutes. When timer rings, immediately plunge the eggs into a pot of icy water to cool the eggs.

Seem a bit risky to put in cold eggs into boiling hot water? I was a little scared that it could turn into a disaster before I tried it too. But based on the results of the many people who tried this method before me, this trick works and seems practically failproof!

There is one key point to take note to make sure that this is a success though: handle the eggs with care and slowly place them into the pot. If you play rough, the shells can crack and you’ll leak egg white and that could turn into a complete egg-boiling catastrophe. So, don’t rush it, play gentle!

Eggs have been my top protein choice for the last little while now (my second favorite is tofu). It’s cheap, fuss-free and lasts in the fridge. Plus I just love that there are so many ways to prepare eggs.

I never get tired of eggs. And, this is definitely my new favorite.

Salad is not a regular item in Hong Kong people’s diet. And even if restaurants do serve salads, they are never as fresh and tasty as the ones I enjoy in Vancouver (in my opinion anyways!). So I was prepared to go without salads for three months.

But the other day when I was browsing the Japanese food department at Jetsco, I discovered a very interesting product — prepackaged pickling spices in convenient single-serving portions. There were many kinds, one for cucumber, one for eggplant, one for bok choi and there was even one for making kimchi!

It was quite cheap too so I just had to try it. I bought the cucumber kind and tried it right away!

The instructions were very simple. I took 200g of cucumber, sliced it thinly and placed into a ziploc bag. Then, I poured in one package of pickling spice, zipped the bag up and shook it violently. After two hours in the fridge, the cucumbers released juice and were ready.

The first taste was slightly salty, but after a quick rinse with cold water, the cucumbers tasted just right. Crispy, cool and tasty! Although not exactly a salad, these lightly pickled cucumber slices offer the same refreshing taste that I crave from my salads. It really hit the spot for me!

I love this pickling salt. It’s easy, fuss-free and makes veggies that much more fun and tasty to eat.

Browsing grocery stores is one of my secret hobbies. I just love, love, loveeee to cruise through Japanese food products and admire them for their well-designed food packaging that makes the food look so appetizing. And sometimes, I will find a really brilliant product, like these individual-sized pickling salt.

Can’t wait to dig through more Japanese foods and tell you more. Stay tuned!

Got any suggestions on how I can incorporate more salads in my HK life?

I think I found myself a new comfort food dish – oyakodon. It takes no forethought, only requires about 30 minutes to prep (the longest part is cooking the rice) and gives me that much desired soul-comforting feeling without weighting me down and making me feel sluggish afterward.

Oyakodon is a traditional Japanese meal consisting of chicken and egg scramble served over rice. It is simple but yet it has that oh-so-satisfying factor. And the best part about it is that, it’s not just meat and starch, it has veggies incorporated right into the dish, making it a well-balanced nutritious and delicious dish.

You may have doubts thinking how these few ingredients can create such a fasty dish, but I’m telling you, the flavours are subtle yet addictive. You’ve just got to try it yourself to know!

Oyakodon

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion, sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup vegetable broth (or water, or chicken broth, your choice)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 2 boneless chicken drumsticks, skin removed and cut into 4 pieces each (for more depth in flavour, marinate with salt and pepper for 1hr in advance)
• 2-3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 scallion, julienned, for garnish
• 1/2c dried sushi rice (add 160ml water and cook in rice cooker)

Directions:

• Prepare rice in rice cooker.
• Heat oil in sauté pan on medium heat. Add in onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add in broth, soy sauce, mirin and sake. Cover and bring to a boil.
• Add in chicken pieces and let simmer with lid on until chicken is cooked thoroughly and onions are soft, about another 5 minutes. Chicken pieces will be ready when easily pierced with the chopstick and no juice gushes out.
• Stir in eggs, cover with lid and turn off the element. Leave the sauté pan undisturbed and let the residual heat cook the egg, about 3 minutes. If you prefer your eggs less silky, keep heat on low and cook until desired doneness.
• When ready to serve, scoop rice into bowl. Top with chicken and egg scramble. Be sure to drizzle on the broth over the rice for more deliciousness. Sprinkle on scallion to garnish.