Appetizers, Sides, Vegetarian

Miso Glazed Asparagus

Asparagus is the Rolls Royce of vegetables. It seems you can always spot some asparagus spears glamorously paired next to a juicy looking steak or atop a fresh salmon fillet at any fancy restaurant. Call it subliminal messaging, but I certainly bought into the hype. Asparagus reliably adds an elegant touch to any meal, while packing in lots of flavors and nutrients. My favorite part? The tips of course; they soak up all the seasonings and just melt in your mouth. Rumor has it Madame de Pompadour had these points d’amour, literally “love tips,” regularly served to her as a delicacy during the French Enlightenment.

Because asparagus has such a great flavor and texture on its own, I usually like preparing it with very few ingredients – a little butter, lemon juice, and fresh garlic will usually do the trick. I decided to add just a tablespoon of miso paste for some extra umami and Asian flair; it really enhances the savory flavor of the dish without distracting you from the other ingredients in the mix. Serve these up with some fresh cracked pepper and a poached egg, a la David Chang, for a five star touch.

miso glazed asparagus

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Appetizers, Seafood

Asian Tuna Salad Cracker Bites

There aren’t many cold dishes in Asian cuisine. Other than ice cream or fruit, foods that can’t otherwise be eaten hot or at room temperature rarely made an appearance in my house. In fact, I distinctly remember being about 5 years old, suffering through a salad and cold cut sandwich on a play date, thinking that my friend’s mother didn’t love her enough to warm up lunch. Twenty years later, I’ve learned that cold food can actually be really tasty and that love comes in forms other than food (although the best kinds of love usually do!). My favorite cold food has always been tuna salad, which is surprising considering that I don’t love cold foods to begin with but mix some cold fish up with mayonnaise and I’m hooked. It’s great in pasta salad or in a classic sandwich. I decided to make a healthy, Asian version, adding in some refreshing ginger and cucumber and substituting a creamy but caloric mayo for some soy sauce and sesame oil. Try it atop some crackers or bagel chips for an easy snack or light appetizer.

asian tuna salad cracker bites
asian tuna salad

 

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Appetizers, Sides, Snacks, Vegetarian

Wasabi Pea Guacamole

As an Asian fusion food blogger and an overall food enthusiast, I love creating my own recipes and adding a different, modern touch to traditional dishes. If recipes are my masterpieces, then the ingredients I use are my oils and paints. Likewise, I genuinely appreciate seeing how other foodies, culinary artists, and food scientists reimagine the way we interact with and think about food. However, these innovations, however small, are sometimes too shocking for some people to digest (literally and figuratively). Such was the case this past week when the New York Times suggested adding fresh peas to guacamole. Little did they know that just a few peas would cause a scandal as big since the Princess and the Pea.

Almost immediately, the world rejected the idea, clinging furiously onto the suddenly sacred guacamole. Some vowed to cancel their NYT subscription, while others began referring to the whole incident as a scandal, accompanying their disdain for the simple recipe with hashtags such as #guacgate and #whitepeopleruineverything. Heck even President Obama chimed in via Twitter that he didn’t buy the idea of peas in guacamole either.

In defense of the pea guacamole and all other seemingly crazy food ideas, I’m here to stir the pot even further with the Wasabi Pea Guacamole. Even crazier, but like my mother always said, don’t knock it til you try it! Dream on foodies, dream on!

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wasabi pea gucamole
wasabi pea guacamole

 

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Drinks

Sriracha Bloody Mary

I love a good ritual. With change being the only constant in life, rituals allow me to cling onto something special, something I can reliably look forward to even on my worst days. My Saturday morning ritual? I wake up at 5:30 AM to go to the Dane County Farmer’s Market, which is actually America’s largest producer only (you can only sell things you grew or made yourself) farmer’s market. I love seeing the vendors’ meticulous placement of fresh produce, baked goods, and colorful flowers in their respective booths. I get so much pleasure out of seeing the fruits of their labor laid out for the world to admire. They give tremendous faith to artists and dreamers like me. The second best part of getting to the Farmer’s Market early – first dibs on free samples and the freshest produce. I don’t necessarily buy into the ridiculously overpriced trend of groceries that have the word “organic” on the label, but boy, fresh fruits and vegetables straight out of the garden ALWAYS taste better.

I can even get this sleepyhead to join me once in a while, coffee in hand of course.
I can even get this sleepyhead to join me once in a while, coffee in hand of course.


fresh produce

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After a nice walk through the booths around the Capitol Square, my boyfriend and I head to brunch where one of us reliably orders a Bloody Mary, part deux of the Saturday morning ritual. This weekend, I decided to combine the farmer’s market and brunch by making my own Bloody Mary from things I bought at the farmer’s market (why this hadn’t occurred to me earlier is beyond me). The result – an extremely spicy wake up call: all Blood Marys were meant to be made from scratch. Yes, you won’t always have the option or the time to do so (a can of spicy tomato juice on an airplane will usually do), but if you do, TRUST me it is so worth it. Try adding in other unique ingredients and flavors to make it your own; I added lots of Sriracha, curry powder, ginger, wasabi powder, and a dash of coconut milk.


Sriracha Bloody Mary
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