Coco Blue Pudding

The weather is getting gorgeous here, cool or cold in the mornings and perfect in the afternoons.  I’m feeling the itch of spring – my farmers’ market should be opening up soon and I’m keeping my windows open.  I find the beautiful weather motivates me:  this weekend I cleaned house, made a big batch of muffins, planted some vegetables in containers on my patio (tomatoes, peppers, and an assortment of herbs; plus a fuchsia snap dragon just for fun), and made this yummy, rummy bread pudding.

China: Day 6

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The first thing we saw exiting the train station in Shanghai was the World Expo mascot who was literally everywhere and looked like a blue Gumby with a cowlick.

Sweet Potato & Sausage Saute

With the disclaimer that I’m a dietitian and I love vegetables, even I occasionally (*cough* frequently *cough*) have veggies that hide in the back of the fridge or in a cabinet that I find after they’ve been there just a little too long.  I can never resist a good farmers’ market, or even a particularly colorful produce section.  End result: more vegetables than even a veggie-happy girl can eat on her own.   Sometimes they get tossed, which I hate doing, but most of the time they’re at least partially salvageable.

China: Days 4 & 5

Sunday, May 16^th, 2010

Eggplant Parmesan

Thanks for this one go to my good friend Jess who first introduced me four years ago, both to cooking with eggplant and to her mother’s eggplant parmigiana.  It was absolutely delicious and I was instantly smitten.  One of the things we talked about, as two dietitians, while we hovered over the stove in Jess’s rented house was the amount of oil it took to get the eggplant nicely browned and crispy.  Jess insisted that her mother’s eggplant parm was far better than anything she’d ever been able to make and concluded that it was because she just couldn’t bring herself to use enough oil when panfrying the eggplant.

China: Days 1-3

This summer I was privileged to be able to visit China for two weeks.  I got to see some phenomenal sights, try some phenomenal food, and watch my brother graduate with his Master’s in International Finance and Business.  I also got to watch and listen to him demonstrate some pretty impressive skills in Chinese language and culture.  He acted as both tour guide and interpreter for the entire trip.  Over the coming weeks, I’ll share with you images, impressions, and memories, both cultural and foodie, of this trip.  To keep this from becoming a travel blog, I’ll be alternating with regular recipe posts.  Lastly, thanks for your patience as I (finally) put this all together (as I only have seven pages of notes and 1100 or so pictures). 

Coco Can Whirl

So you fantastic readers won’t think I’ve forgotten you while I wade through pictures and notes from China, here’s a smoothie I whipped up for breakfast the other day.  By using frozen fruit, you can skip the addition of ice and still get a thick, frozen smoothie, which means more fruit per glass.  If you want to make it a meal, try adding some plain or vanilla soy milk or yogurt for protein.

Scallops a la Bing

Ok, yes, I know, I’m an awful tease.  I have come to the realization that there is absolutely no way I’ll finish sorting through my 1000+ pictures and very cramped notes from my trip this week.  Pause for dismay.  So, to tide you over, here’s a teaser preview of what’s coming.

Mexican Lasagna

Here’s another stashed recipe that took me a couple tries to get just right.  It’s just one more use for my Texican black bean mix and makes a very filling vegetarian meal.  Since I haven’t even begun to sort through the pictures and notes I brought back from China, I’ll leave you with a poll.

For the next few weeks, would you like to see:

• A journal of my trip, including both cultural and food experiences
• A journal of my trip, recounting ONLY the food experiences
• OR, just recipes as usual?

Please leave your vote in the comments.

Penne e Bisi

I’m on a pesto kick, I guess.  Here’s a delicious pesto pasta recipe that’s also a great way to use some of those Easter ham leftovers.  For those of you who don’t eat pork, just substitute smoked turkey or roasted vegetables.  On another note, I’ll be back from China by next weekend!  I look forward to sharing all sorts of fabulous food experiences and inspiration with you all!