Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

I tried sloppy joes for the first time at a church camp when I was in 6th grade. I didn't know what they were called or what they were but I knew I liked them because I asked for seconds! =) Fast forward 10+ years and I made a vegetarian version of sloppy joes, courtesy of Rachael Ray. In my honest opinion, although they were VERY good (even my meat-eating sister liked it!), they didn't hold up very well making it very messy and difficult to eat. But food is food right?

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
serves 4
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (21-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 (15-ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 lime
4 hamburger buns
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped jalapenos, bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook until they are tender (7-8 minutes).
2. Fold in the black beans, cumin, coriander and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Stir in tomatoes, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and simmer the mixture for a few minutes.
4. Serve on hamburger buns with a side of dill pickles.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day passed, so this post is late in coming, but May is Mother's Month anyway and technically we should be celebrating our mothers everyday! Am I right? So I was in the middle of finals, which means I had no time to shop for a gift or do other chores around the house, so my sister and I threw a little dinner party for her. And by "little" I mean just our immediate family.

Flower Arrangements by the lovely Ms. Ann

Our family dinner part was cozy and charming. It felt like the perfect way to celebrate our mom. Speaking of my mom, she is the strongest, most brave person I have ever met. Yet, she is so tender, beautiful, and loving. She truly is my hero. I am the person I am today, because of her.

To celebrate her, I made baked tilapia and saffron rice adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

Baked Tilapia with Onion and Lemon
serves 4
2 lemons, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
2 medium onions, sliced into thin rounds
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
1 tsp chopped thyme
salt and pepper for tasting
4 4-5 ounce tilapia fillets

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange lemons and onions in a baking dish. Add everything, except the fillets, and bake for 40 minutes, or until onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add the fillets and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.

Saffron Rice with Tomatoes and Oregano
serves 4
pinch of saffron
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup basmati rice
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and diced
pepper
6 sprigs of oregano

1. Fill a saucepan with cold water. Add saffron and salt and bring water to a boil. Stir in rice and cook until rice is tender. Cooking rice in this fashion is very similar to cooking pasta. Drain rice.
2. Place rice in a bowl. Add butter, tomatoes, oregano and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

I also served a side of greens with a lemon dressing. For dessert, we had strawberry and green tea mochi cakes!

A lovely Mother's Day celebration for my lovely mother.

I hope you all had a wonderful mother's day!

Pasta Arrabiata

I made a dish this weekend that is reminiscent of one of my favorite pasta dishes from Macaroni Grill, that is now discontinued. But no fear, because now I can re-create the dish whenever I want at home, and so can you!

I don't have any pictures to show how good the pasta was because it was gone as soon as I made it! just kidding..my camera broke and I lost the pictures. But it was good, you'll just have to take my word for it! Here's the recipe!

Pasta Arrabiata
(serves 4)

coarse salt
2 tbs olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp red-pepper flakes
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry wine*
1 box (1 pound) penne pasta

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook until garlic is fragrant (~1 minute).
3. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and wine. Simmer over medium heat for ~20 minutes or until you have reached your desired thickness for the sauce.
4. Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Season with salt and serve!

I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did! I know I will be making it again for sure!

*I used Sauvignon Blanc

Easter Chocolates

Let's get crafty! I made chocolates for my little ones (aka the tutor kids)~ Okay, I lied...I didn't MAKE it, I bought the DIY box and heated up the chocolates but it's the thought that counts!

A note to add here is, make sure the chocolate is hot. Not burning hot, because that would hurt your hands, and not warm, because your chocolates will not fill the mold correctly. So make sure it's hot.

Pour the melted chocolates into the mold and have fun!

I like these chocolates because there are not as sweet and they remind me of yan-yan chocolates, which are a favorite Korean snack of mine. =)

Tattoos on the Heart

Happy Easter! How should you start your Easter right? Celebrate your life! How do you start celebrating your life? Read Tattoos on the Heart!

Tattoos is written by a Jesuit priest named Fr. Greg Boyle who has dedicated his life to working with the gangs of Los Angeles. He spearheaded a company called Homeboy Industries to help ex-convicts and ex-gang members achieve a new way of life other than the street life they are used to.

This book, though, is not solely about Homeboy Industries. It is about the life Fr. Boyle shared with his homies. It is touching, inspiring, and so powerful. I had to only read this book at night because there wasn't a single page that didn't bring me to tears. This book had me weeping. out loud. so go read it. period.

I've already purchased eight copies of this book and gave it to friends and family. That's how much I believe in this book. My friends, I tell you, you will become a different and better person after reading this. Here's to our lives!

P.S. If you are in a situation where you can, please donate to Homeboy Industries. It's such a good cause!

Good Ole Kimchee Pancakes~

After tasting kimchee pancake from various sources, I have come up with my own. It's a hodge podge mix of everyone elses' and a little bit of my magic. =) I like to use 튀김가루 instead of 부침가루 because I like my pancakes really crispy. But if you must insist on using 부침가루, meet me halfway and use half of 부침가루 and half of 튀김가루. You won't regret it!

Original Korean Pancake mix that I do not use

Traditionally, Koreans like to eat kimchee pancakes on rainy days. Why? I do not know. It's just something my mama told me and her mama told her and etc. Even though there was no rain today, I made it because there was no food. =/

Add more kimchee if you want, but don't add any less! It is the superstar of the dish afterall.

Kimchee Pancake
1 1/2 cup 튀김가루
1 cup water
1/4 cup kimchee juice
1 cup kimchee chopped
1/2 cup ice

1. Add the first four ingredients and mix well.
2. Add ice. Although the ice may contribute some liquid, it's main function is to keep the mixture cold so that the pancakes will turn out crispier when fried.
3. Add a dash of vegetable oil on a frying pan at low to medium heat.
4. Add a ladle-full of your kimchee pancake mix to the pan. Cook until it's done. About 2-3 minutes each side.

can you say yum?

a fancy burger

After months of not seeing each other, my bestie and I finally hit the town! And the place we decided to grace with our presence was umami burger in Los Angeles. I got the Earth Burger (which is the vegetarian one) and chai cola. That's right! Chai Cola! It tasted almost like root beer but more spice-y. And the mushroom and edamame patty was yum, although the whole burger was a little too sweet for my taste. My favorite, though, was the onion rings. They were so light and crispy! I don't even think you can gain weight from eating them! They felt that healthy to me!

talk about a spicy drink!

Truth be told, I think the wait is too long for that burger. But I may reconsider for those onion rings. =) Pinkies up!

our burgers looked dinky, but they were filling. trust.