Category Archives: homemade

Sesame Short Ribs

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Ingredients: 

2-4 pieces beef shortribs
1 head garlic, peeled
1 head onion, peeled
1 large piece of ginger, about the size of an egg, peeled and sliced
2 green chili peppers, hot
4 bay leaves
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup water
5 scallion stalks, chopped
1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Place the beef in a casserole and fill with water until beef is covered. Add garlic, onion, ginger, chilipeppers and bay leaf, soy sauce and sugar. Simmer for two to three hours on low heat until meat is tender.

Roast sesame seeds in a hot pan. Top stew with seeds and scallions before serving. Serve hot with rice or noodles.  Mangia!

A bunch of brocollini added during the last minutes of cooking makes for a good side and a colorful dish!

 (For homegrown Filipinos, this is an imitation of the Korean Beef dish popularized by the Kimchi fastfood chain. Enjoy.)

Other sesame shortrib preparations here. 

Fun Salads

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Trying to eat fresh and healthy can become boring after many, repetitive salads. Here are some ideas to mix things up a little bit. It helps to have a fully stocked fridge to be creative.


Arugula, grape tomatoes, goat cheese.


Olives, roasted peppers, white kidney beans and lemons.

Red radish, lime vinaigrette, and garlic scapes.

Tomato slices, basil leaves and burata cheese.

Sweet peppers, avocado, red cabbage and lemon.

Stirfried Tofu and Asparagus

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1 square firm tofu, sliced thinly
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1/2 head garlic, finely chopped
soy sauce or oyster sauce
chopped chives or scallions

Saute garlic until brown. Sear tofu on both sides until brown and set aside. Stirfry asparagus in soy sauce or oyster sauce to taste until almost cooked. Return tofu into the pan and sprinkle with chives or scallions. Serve with rice or grain. Mangia!

Homemade Pizza

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These are actually semi-homemade as we haven’t attempted to make our own dough. These pies were made with store-bought dough, either organic whole wheat from the food coop or the frozen ones from Fresh Direct. Either way, making your own pizza allows you the creativity to use any ingredients you may have at hand as well as choose healthier options. Arugula-topped slices give a nutty and fresh flavor. Once you get the hang of rolling your own dough and arranging your toppings, it’s hard to order a pie from a restaurant when you can make your own. Mangia!


Prosciutto and arugula


Fresh mozzarella, organic ham, mushrooms.


Sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, olives

Mushrooms and onions

Sesame Shortribs and Sauteed Bokchoy Over Vermicelli

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The problem with making Sesame Shortribs is that the sauce turns out so rich and tasty that you can’t just throw it out even if all the meat is gone. Today I tried to make the little leftover meat a topping for vermicelli along with the sauce.  I also sauteed some baby bokchoy as a side and to add color to the dish.

The Sesame Shortribs recipe is here, while the sauteed bokchoy recipe is below:
                                                             



Sauteed Bokchoy

8-10 bunches baby bokchoy
or
1 big bunch regular bokchoy
1/2 small white onion
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 cup water

Saute onions in olive oil until transparent. Add fish sauce, bokchoy and water and cover until cooked, stirring occasionally for even cooking.

Serve hot.

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