My first & only sushi recipe I’ve published was on the same day I held my first giveaway. The recipe was simple, vegan, & healthy, but I’ve finally made some sushi during the day & photographed it. It’s not vegan nor is it vegetarian, but it uses a sustainable fish, it’s baked, & it’s spicy. My regular prop table is covered with cold process soap things, so I apologize these photos aren’t as white & bright as my other ones. The real testament is whether or not FoodGawker gives this a thumbs up. This sushi roll has a small element of baking in it, but I promise it’s worth your time. Plus, any extra filling you have leftover can be used in a salad, atop noodles, or to make even more sushi. Hmm…now that I think of it, this would’ve been a better post if I also ran my much delayed giveaway. Next time…next time…while I can’t giveaway my food, I can giveaway some of my awesome soapy-Martha-Stewarty creations (room sprays, soap, bath bombs, etc) so…yeah. That’s worth a lot. Anyway, recipe link & some pictures after the jump!
Photography
Wow, you guys, I actually forgot how to blog for a good minute there; it’s been so long since I’ve posted an edible recipe. Last Monday, I received my box of soap goodies from Bramble Berry, which got me so excited to make cold process soap for the first time. Melt & pour soap is really easy to do & I love the instant gratification of using your soap a few hours after you’ve made it, but since I’m a control freak, I need to have power over what goes into my soap. I don’t like the cheap feel of soap leaving your skin dry–something you can get from low quality melt & pours–so I just sucked it up & bought the Beginner’s Cold Process Soap Kit. I’ve made 2 bars of soap so far, so in 4-6 weeks–it takes at least 4 weeks for soap to cure–I’ll finally have my belated birthday giveaway! I guess it’s way too late to even call it a belated birthday giveaway, I’ll just call it my summer giveaway or something. Anyway, more details on that when the soap finishes curing.
Before I get too carried away with soap, let’s talk about my new edible recipe, which features a mix of oyster mushrooms & crimini, kale, cashews, & of course, creamy polenta. Don’t mind the flattened look of the polenta–took a picture of this when the polenta was at its least creamy aka the next day, heated up–this recipe will produce a very creamy bowl of polenta, which you can top off with your choice of mushrooms, greens, & nuts. It makes a really quick & easy vegetarian dinner & if you’re still hungry, you can grill some other veggies like asparagus or squash or any protein (tofu, fish, etc) of your choice!
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For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you know that Josh & I went on a little weekend getaway to Maine. We traveled up to Portland & then made our way to Bar Harbor. Although I love city living, I begged Josh to adventure up into Bar Harbor to see Acadia National Park because this city girl needs to immerse herself in nature every once. The mountains & the trees called to me like the colors of the wind call to Pocahontas. Lucky for me, Josh enjoys the great outdoors so we made plans to visit Bar Harbor & it was even better than we could’ve ever imagined! Funny how that all works out, kind of like when you don’t expect very much from a recipe, but it turns out to be something you want to eat everyday.
Speaking of which, this modified recipe from Clean Slate by the Editors of Martha Stewart Living really surprised me. I mean, I knew I liked oatmeal, but I wasn’t crazy about it. I am, however, crazy about the combination of caramelized nectarines, coconut flakes, & almond milk. You could grab that box of cereal in your cabinet or you could reheat some delicious homemade oatmeal, toss some fruits on top, & sprinkle with agave or honey for a really delightful breakfast. I loved the addition of coconut flakes to the oatmeal, but do you know what brought this recipe to the next level? Mint.
I hear you, I hear you. “Mint, Tiff? Really? It’s just an accessory, a garnish.” OH, but you are wrong, soooOooOoo wrong. Mint may be a pretty little garnish or accessory to any plate, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t add another dimension or complexity to any dessert or savory dish. When Gaby visited, I added mint to our oatmeal with some mixed fruits & she remarked that it was a very surprisingly good & refreshing addition. So, when the people of Invaluable–a website dedicated to auctioning off nifty valuables such as art, jewelry, a signed jersey, etc–inspired me to write about my accessories or jewelry, I was dumbfounded on tying something completely unrelated to food or how anyone who would be interested in their company would be interested in my blog. But then I realized…
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Today, I’d like to share with you my delicious new recipe of Blackened Cocoa Fish Tacos, which has a fantastic mix of coffee & cocoa powder. Coffee infused with cocoa is also a great alternative to coffee + cocoa powder. After my nearly month old post on South American inspired recipes, I’ve found myself on a bit of Latin kick. While I haven’t explored much of Boston’s offerings–honestly I’ve been told that there’s not much to explore anyway, I mean we don’t even have Valentina or Tajin, you guys; the struggle is real–I love making my own Latin dishes whether it’s tacos, nachos, enchiladas, or mole. Seeeee, I don’t only eat sushi & various Asian food, gosh.
Lacey, one of my best friends who’s currently studying abroad in Sydney, took note of my absence on TB the other day. She knows I loathe Facebook, so I don’t update it, which means she doesn’t get updated on what I’m doing with my life unless it’s on my Instagram or I text her. Well Lacey & other curious/noisy people, I’m updating, so I hope you can handle it. You ready?? I’m ready.
Last month, my former roommate Gaby visited me in Boston. She had never been before & wanted to eat ALL THE THINGS. Not only did Gaby & I share a bedroom back at our days at UCLA, we also share very similar backgrounds. Both our fathers are physicians, our parents are immigrants, our cultures value family & good food, & obviously, we both grew up in Southern California. Aside from all that, Gaby is a delight to dine & travel around the city with. She’s up for anything & eats it all, raw, cooked, fermented, whatever! She has a much stronger aversion to fennel than I do, which makes pho–a very popular Vietnamese noodle soup–on her list of, “I wish I could like it, but it has fennel [seeds].” So while she was here, we avoided Vietnamese food because no one (besides Vietnam) does Vietnamese food like SoCal anyway & went for New England’s finest: clam chowder, lobster rolls, & oysters. Gaby didn’t get to try my tacos, she did get a bowl of my Bun Rieu, a delicious Vietnamese tomato & crab noodle soup that happens to both be our favorites. It’s my specialty Vietnamese soup & her favorite thing I make. I hear she’s paying me in a surprise package of Valentina & Tajin, so I’m really excited. La vida es mejor picante!! Una vida sin picante es una vida muy triste. Muchas gracias, Gaby. 🙂
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If you’ve ever taken a little gander at my recipes, you might notice I don’t have very many baked goods & that’s because I’m not much of a baker. You’d think my love for science would translate to baking being my forte, but no recipe = inedible hot messes. In high school, I baked a lot of cakes using a Better Homes & Gardens cookbook my mom had. I loved that I could easily make an apple, carrot, or miscellaneous fruit cake from scratch & I always had friends over to lick my cake pans clean. I didn’t think it was challenging back then, but now? Trying to create the best chocolate chip cookies from scratch or even some elegant French macarons result in failure. I probably jumped the gun trying to tackle the macarons, but I figured since they’re some of the hardest things to bake; if I can’t cut it with those, I’m probably just bad at baking.
On the other hand, cooking comes really natural to me; toss a bunch of complementary ingredients together et voilà, dinner! So, one day I stumbled upon a beautiful recipe for Earl Grey Tea Loaf Cake & I was inspired to use my love for tea in my next baking adventures. While I still haven’t quite perfected the macaron, I have to start with my baking basics: cake. I’ve made a bunch of different breads in the last 3 weeks, but this recipe for my Maté Carrot Cupcakes is one of my favorite things I’ve baked so far. Using my new love for DAVIDsTEA’s Honey Bee maté, I figured it’d be delicious to bake with, but the remaining question was “in what?” Since maté originates in Argentina, should I make an Argentinian inspired cake for the first time or should I make a fancy smancy version of a cake I’ve made before? I went with the latter, because I figured I wasn’t about to infuse maté with 3 different kinds of meat.