When I was a kid, it took me a while to understand that people couldn’t really say my name the way I’ve always heard it from my parents growing up. The ‘Ng’ sound in Vietnamese is actually extremely difficult for people to pronounce unless you are used to it. In 4th grade on a field…
GREEN ONION AND GINGER AP SAUCE
This is the quickest sauce that will spice up your everyday meal prep protein. In just 5-10 minutes you can add so much flavor into a plain-ol-piece of chicken that will WOW your taste buds. But don’t stop there, you can use it on top of pork and even tofu – healthy doesn’t have to…
EASY CHAR SIU PORK
Out of all the animal proteins, I know and have experimented the least with pork. Due to the lack of knowledge, it’s quite intimidating trying to figure out the right cuts to avoid eating cardboard. Pork can sometimes be referred to as ‘the other white meat’, but it is in fact part of the red…
CUTTING JACKFRUIT 101
Before jackfruit became the coolest kid on the vegan block, it was my best fruit friend. Growing up I loved the yellow pungent fruit and I remember that it wasn’t always as accessible as it is now. My mom used to bring home frozen packs or canned jars from the Asian market because fresh jackfruit…
SORRY I’M CORNY
When your SO orders corn at a restaurant for you – it is a true testament of love. At least that’s how I felt on my 28th birthday when JM ordered overpriced $7 street corn for me at Water Grill. He doesn’t even like corn, but I would eat it in every meal. I do…
VEGAN MAC N ‘CHEESE’
My friend Kelly convinced me (and like 10 other people) to try out a plant-based diet. At first, I was very skeptical because I wasn’t (previously) a fan of plant-based proteins. I didn’t care for tofu and I never opt’d in for beans so I was worried about my gainz lol. However, I bit the…
MISO BLACK COD
If you don’t know, I’ll let you in on a secret. Costco sells black cod and it is fantastic! Black cod is my favorite fish, it is buttery, fatty, and flaky – it’s great on its own without seasoning but 1000x better marinaded in miso. You’ll likely find miso black cod in most Japanese sushi…
BRUSSEL SPROUTS SALAD WITH HONEY MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
I made this salad for Thanksgiving last year when I was experimenting with being vegan for a period of time. It surprisingly was a hit with my sister who does not like brussel sprouts and does not like salads even more! I’ve made this multiple times in quarantine and have gotten positive feedback from family…
HOUSE FAVORITE ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP
Before all this quarantine stuff, I came home from the gym to find Jon-Michael standing over the stove making some secret concoction. Earlier that day he told me he was going to make chicken tortilla soup but what I’m looking at isn’t that. He surprised me with Italian Sausage Soup instead! It was so good…
WHITE FISH, QUINOA, AND TOMATOES
My favorite restaurant in Orange County is Habana, the original location in Costa Mesa (the Irvine location does not compare). They specialize in Cuban cuisine and everything from the ambiance to the food is *chef’s kiss. I have tried multiple items and there’s nothing I wouldn’t order again but my absolute favorite is the salmon…