As the Culinary Ambassador to City of Hope and its Super Foods initiative I did a cooking demo at the 135th Easter Egg Roll at the White House this past Monday.   Yep, that’s the White House behind me!  I made two dishes that day, Blueberry Banana Boats and Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups, that included City of Hope’s Super Foods:  blueberries, pomegranates, cinnamon, mushroom and grapes.

Check out my demo:

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My cooking demos are in a just few hours at the White House Egg Roll!!  I wanted to make sure I posted one of the dishes I’m sharing tomorrow at my demo.  This is one of my favorites because it’s so flavorful and healthy.  I added mushrooms to the original recipe because mushrooms are one of City of Hope’s 5 Super Foods.  As their culinary ambassador, I am so proud to be representing City of Hope tomorrow to educate families on how foods such as mushrooms may help fight cancer.  I also made this recipe more kid-friendly by eliminating the srircha.  Mom & Dads – if you like things spicy, then serve these with a side of srircha.  Please check my blog in a couple of days as I’ll have a full report and some fantastic pictures from the Egg Roll.  I’m still pinching myself because I can’t believe this is actually happening tomorrow!  Continue reading “Thai Chicken Lettuce Cup Recipe” »

Is it just me or is this a crazy week?  I’m gearing up for my cooking demo at the White House!  If you haven’t heard, I’ve been invited by City of Hope to do a cooking demonstration at the White House for the 135th Easter Egg Roll on  Monday, April 1st.  Make sure to follow me on twitter and Facebook as I’ll be tweeting and posting live from the event.  I’ll be posting the recipes I’m making at the White House next week so stay tuned!  Whether you’re getting ready to meet the President and First Lady (I’m sorry if that was obnoxious, but I had to say it:), keeping your kids entertained because it’s Spring Break or running around getting ready for Easter, this Easy Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry is an simple, healthy and delicious dish you can get on your dinner table in under 30 minutes.

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Legend has it that this sweet and slightly spicy chicken dish was named after a general and statesman from the Qing Dynasty named General Tso Tsung-tang.  The reality is that this dish was invented by Chinese chefs who had immigrated to America and was first introduced to New York City on the ’70s.  Whether or not you choose to believe the legend, everyone can agree that this popular Chinese restaurant dish has legendary flavor.  The chicken is flash fried resulting in tender, juicy pieces which are then tossed in an addicting sauce made of soy sauce rice vinegar, Chinese rice wine, garlic and ginger.  This dish takes a bit more time than a simple stir-fry and something I make as a special treat for my family.  If you can’t find Chinese Shaoxing Wine (sold at Asian markets) you can substitute with dry cooking sherry.  Dark or black soy sauce can also be found at Asian markets.  For a lighter touch, you can use lite rice vinegar which has less sugar and sodium.  You can find lite rice vinegar in the gourmet section at Cost Plus World Market.  Continue reading “General Tso’s Chicken” »

Look up Bulgogi in any Korean food lover’s dictionary and you will see Garlicky, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth goodness next to it.  Bulgogi is so yummy it is listed at number 23 on World’s 50 most delicious foods readers’ poll compiled by CNN Go in 2011.  Bulgogi translates as marinated grilled meat.  The succulent deliciousness comes from a marinade of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and garlic.  By using lean beef, it’s loaded with flavor but not a lot of fat.  It’s very common to use a fruit puree or fruit juice to tenderize meats in Korean recipes.  I chose kiwi which I think works best and you can easily puree in your blender or food processor.   Bulgogi is also fun for kids because they can make their own Bulgogi tacos by rolling up the beef in a lettuce leaf.  While Bulgogi is typically grilled, I pan-fried the beef for this recipe for ease and convenience.  Roasted sesame seeds add flavor and texture and are a nice garnish.  You can find roasted sesame seeds in the gourmet section of Cost Plus World Market.  Continue reading “Korean Beef (Bulgogi)” »

These Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles are SO easy to make and have just the right amount of creamy heat and tender crisp crunch from the carrots and snow peas.   Coconut milk, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, red curry paste and srircha sauce are blended together to create the perfect balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavors.  You basically just bring all the sauce ingredients to a simmer in a pan and and then add the blanched carrots and snow peas.   Toss with some freshly cooked pasta and you’re done!  This is a one-pot vegan meal which I love to serve at parties so there’s something for everyone.    Great served warm or chilled.  Add some some cooked chicken or shrimp if you wish.   I like the Chaokah brand of coconut milk which you can find in the gourmet section of Cost Plus World Market.  Continue reading “Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles” »

What is the difference between chow mein and lo mein you ask?  The main difference is that lo mein noodles tend to be softer while chow mein noodles can be crispier.  Both types of noodle dishes are usually made with Chinese egg noodles.  For this easy Chicken Lo Mein recipe, I’m using dried spaghetti because I know that’s what most of you have in your pantries right now!  Use whole wheat pasta for added nutrition if you’d like.  This dish is so simple and my kids just love it.  It’s a complete one-dish meal because it’s chock full of protein from the chicken, crisp and colorful veggies and carbs from the noodles.  This is my go-to dish on a busy week night because all of the sauce ingredients are something I have in my pantry at all times and you can use any veggies or protein you’d like.  I recently made these noodles for a Chinese New Year party I had a couple of weeks ago (hence the festive photo!) but they will bring good fortune to your dinner table any time of year. As you may have noticed, most Chinese recipes call for white pepper instead of black pepper.  White pepper has a sharper bite and enhances traditional Chinese flavors (plus your stir-fry and noodle  dishes won’t have black pepper specks all over it).   It’s a good idea to keep some white pepper in your pantry for all types of Asian cooking.  You can find white pepper and all sorts of Asian spices in the gourmet section at Cost Plus World Market.

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Chap chae or jap chae translates as nooodles mixed with meat and veggies and is one of the most popular noodle dishes in Korea.  I try to get to LA’s Koreatown as often as I can (to get my chap chae fix followed by karaoke) but since we had the twins it’s not as easy these days.  Whenever I get the urge, I whip up a batch of this easy recipe which satisfies my chap chae craving.  I could eat this chap chae every day as it’s so flavorful and simple to make.  You can find sweet potato noodles at Asian markets but you can also use dried cellophane noodles which are a bit more accessible.  These type of noodles absorb tons of flavor and you can use whatever meat and veggies you like.  I use spinach, red pepper and carrots but go ahead and be creative with whatever is in your fridge or garden.  It’s also great for leftovers.  I love to make this the day after a BBQ because I can throw in the leftover cut up steak (If you’re using leftover meat, add it at the end after you cook the veggies until heated through).   Soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar are the backbone of flavors in traditional chap chae.  Whenever an Asian recipe calls for sesame oil make sure it’s toasted sesame oil.  You can find toasted sesame oil in the gourmet section at Cost Plus World Market. Continue reading “Chap Chae (Korean Noodles)” »

Gung Hay Fat Choy!!  Chinese New Year is this Sunday, February 10th and it’s the Year of the Snake.  Chinese New Year is a very special holiday as everything you eat on this day and everything you do determines how your entire year will unfold. Chinese people eat things like Long Life Noodles to symbolize longevity (the longer the life the longer the noodle!) or a whole steamed fish to symbolize abundance.  I like to serve my family and friends
Potstickers on Chinese New Year because they symbolize prosperity and riches as the dumplings resemble gold ingots.  This recipe is made with pork but you could substitute with ground chicken or turkey.  It’s also totally okay to use store-bought potsticker wrappers.  You can find them in the produce section of most grocery stores.  If you only find the square kind then cut of the edges with a cookie cutter to form a round shape.  Kids have fun making these and love gobbling up their creations.  Serve with a yummy dipping sauce made with premium soy sauce and sesame oil.  Premium soy sauce can be found in the gourmet section at Cost Plus World Market.  Continue reading “Chinese New Year Potstickers” »