Category: Dairy-Free

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Kimchi Fried Rice and Creamy Black Bean Burritos

When I make guacamole, I always make a ton. I want to expend the energy once and milk the benefits of my labor for a few days. I’m kind of lazy that way. And when I have leftover guacamole (remember to store it properly), I always make one or more of three dishes. I’ve already posted two of the dishes: the sweet potato and black bean tacos and the TLT (tempeh, lettuce, and tomato sandwich). And the last of the troika is the kimchi fried rice and creamy black bean burritos.

Continue Reading Kimchi Fried Rice and Creamy Black Bean Burritos . . .

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TLT – Tempeh, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich


This is how I fell in love with tempeh.

A few years ago, I decided to eat healthier and start exercising. It wasn’t a weight issue. In fact, I’ve always been on the very scrawny side – much to my mom’s chagrin. And because of this, I ate whatever I wanted. My biggest weakness was fried foods. But you know what? If it doesn’t show up as excess weight on your body, it will show up in some other form. Mine took on the form of CONSTANT fatigue – oh, and the moodiness, probably because I felt so run down all the time.

This is when I started cooking regularly. It’s so much easier to eat healthy when you have control over your environment and your ingredients. But it wasn’t easy in the beginning, because cooking can require some time and patience.

Continue Reading TLT – Tempeh, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich . . .

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Korean-Style Grilled Skirt Steak

My beef cut of choice is the tenderloin. If it were up to me, I would only get the tenderloin – not a lot of fat AND tender. But as a benevolent wife and partner, I let my husband pick the cut sometimes. 🙂 I love the buttery texture of tenderloin. But My husband goes more for flavor than texture. And he thinks cuts other than the tenderloin are more flavorful. One of his favorite cuts of meat is the skirt steak. He loves the “fatty” flavor of it. So I get it once in a while.

As you may have guessed or already know, skirt steak is not the most tender of cuts. But it’s not a lost cause. You can do a few things to make the meat more tender to the bite.

Continue Reading Korean-Style Grilled Skirt Steak . . .

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Miyeok Juk – Korean Sea Vegetable Porridge

Why not serve something unconventional for Mother’s Day? Something with significance and meaning, albeit from another culture?

Miyeok (sea vegetables or seaweed) is a food/ingredient that evokes mothers or motherhood in Korea. In Korea, most postpartum women – maybe almost all – eat miyeok guk (seaweed soup). In fact, hospitals serve miyeok guk to postpartum women to replenish nutrients that may have been depleted during childbirth; and they continue to consume the soup during lactation due to its properties that are believed to stimulate lactation. So it’s apropos that it is traditionally served on birthdays as symbolism for the first food consumed after birth. Thus, it is also a food that connects the mother and child.

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Sweet Potato and “Un-Fried” Bean Tacos


I love Mexican food. I partly “blame” or “credit” this affinity to my aunt. My aunt was a big part of my life growing up. And we spent a lot of time together when I was little.

When she became pregnant with her first child, the only dish she craved for a short period was rice and beans. I’m not kidding you. The only craving of this pregnant Korean woman was rice and beans. And she would take me along to various Mexican restaurants. It was at this time I realized how much I LOVED Mexican food. And not unlike my aunt, I am crazy about refried beans. I love everything about it: the creaminess, the slight saltiness, the richness … Yum.

Continue Reading Sweet Potato and “Un-Fried” Bean Tacos . . .