Category Archives: By Type

Macrobiotic Salmon Soup

Recipe slightly modified from: Mayumi’s Kitchen – Macrobiotic Cooking for Body and Soul (by Mayumi Nishimura)

Not many people know this, but I am following Madonna’s footsteps in many ways. I mean, a few ways. Okay, maybe three. What I’m trying to say is I enjoy yoga (both actually doing it and the thought of doing it), own Tracy Anderson’s exercise DVD (very strange but surprisingly effective… a long story) and have been enjoying cooking from a cookbook by a Japanese Macrobiotic chef, Mayumi Nishimura, who was Madonna’s personal chef for a long time.

Without going into too much details as I’m by no means an expert in Macroiotics – I have always been in general agreement with its concept of eating seasonal local produce and less processed foods, not necessarily because they are healthier but because I think they taste great that way. Plus I adore M cafe, one of well-known Macrobiotic establishments in Los Angeles, and used to go there for lunch quite often while I worked in Culver City. So when I got a new job in the valley, I thought I would try cooking some Macrobiotic foods myself. Continue reading →

Marinated Kale and Avocado Salad

Chickpea and Spinach Stew with Cumin and Harissa

4 Replies

Recipe inspired by: Chickpea Stew at Gjelina (and the lack of Robert Downey, Jr.)

Gjelina is a restaurant on trendy Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice, which is very popular despite of its unpronounceable name (it’s ja-lee-na). It is a kind of place that embodies everything great about LA when we get it right; The setting relaxed and casual but sophisticated and stylish, food simple at a glance but masterfully crafted and balanced with well selected ingredients, and wait staff good looking and friendly but not too friendly. You get the idea.

The problem is that EVERYBODY thinks the place is great (including Robert Downey Jr., who apparently makes frequent appearances… at least according to Yelp, although I have never seen him there) so the table is rather hard to book. But when I want to go there, I must go there and have their decadent maitake mushroom toast with truffle oil, super thin-crust pizza with Gruyere and arugula, and most of all, the unforgettable chickpea stew – NOW. Not tomorrow, not the day after. And definitely not in 2 weeks. Continue reading →

Indian Mango Dal

2 Replies

Recipe adapted from: http://www.eatingwell.com

I’ve always loved eating Indian foods, and I recently realized I love cooking Indian dishes as much as eating them. There is something magical about the process of layering ingredients and the spices – Aroma changes as each element is added and getting increasingly complex, then once everything is mixed and finished cooking, suddenly all the flavors are merged together to form one perfectly balanced taste as if it was meant to be. Truly fascinating.

I think this dish epitomizes such joy, but without having to go through elaborated steps. Red lentils are cooked with cinnamon and turmeric to bring out the nutty sweetness, while onion, garlic and ginger are pan fried with cumin seeds and coriander. Once the ingredients have completely absorbed wonderful flavor of spices respectively, everything is combined then further cooked with diced mango until the fruit becomes soften and jammy, and lentils are broken down. It is a fairly simple and easy dish to make, but has such an unbelievably intoxicating flavor that will make you cook it again and again. I sometimes serve this for guests and always get asked for the recipe. Continue reading →

Whoopie Pies (on the Lighter Side)

Snowcone Cooks

So many recipes, so little time