“I’m buying these because I hate them,” I said, as I bagged up a pound of Brussels sprouts at Wegman’s (aka best grocery store ever but not in NYC). “Not sure what I’m going to do with them but wish me luck!”
I’m not sure why I never had a taste for this small, cabbage-like vegetable. But I never liked them.
Not too long ago, while dining at Recette with Robyn, and there were 5 Brussels sprouts on my plate. I could only stomach 2 of them before giving the rest to her, since there is no point in wasting food.
So what made me give Brussels sprouts another chance?
Here’s another quick recipe for you. The truth is – I’ve been busy lately, and find myself having to make dinner solely based on the ingredients I have on hand. It’s like a self-imposed Top Chef quick-fire challenge. Except my meals are not fancy, Padma is not here, and of course, there are no judges except for my starving belly.
This dish contains ginger, some fresh herbs that I had frozen from my CSA share, along with a hint of sesame oil. I found imitation crab legs in my freezer, so I threw them in there for color and protein. And if you did not know that topping off any dish with a well-cooked white and a slightly undercooked yolk equals a happenin’ party in your mouth – well, now you know. Looking at this picture makes me want to make this again tonight!
Somehow, I managed to cook a green meal the other day. I don’t mean green, as in environmentally friendly, but a monochromatic meal.
I made this delicious meal on the spot using some Thai basil, along with steamed Yu Choy vegetables as a side dish. I didn’t even realize how green my meal was until I took a photo. As we often eat with our eyes, it was not as aesthetically pleasing to look at, though it tasted really good.
Instead of a non-green colored produce for garnish, all I could find was a lonely walnut. So there it is. Maybe my meal would be more appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day? In any case, this would definitely fall under the category of “delicious weeknight meal in under 20 minutes.” (If you make the pesto in advance, even quicker!)
[I want to thank each and every one of you for clicking away for Haiti! Unfortunately, I'm unable to know how much was raised until later. I promise to keep you all posted!]
I recently came across this interesting article in the Huffington Post called Why My Food Is Always Gonna Look Better Than Yours. The author, Denise Vivaldo, states that her food pictures look so good that they “make vegans crave meat and forget about their animal friends.” Sounds great, right?
But if try to eat her food, “you will die of food poisoning.”
She points out that a lot of inedible ingredients are used to get the photos to look just right. After all, her goal is to get people to go out and buy the food she photographed! Fortunately for me, there is no shoe polish or glue in my kitchen, and I’m glad that I can eat the food afterwards!
© 2010 All photos and content by Esther Chai, unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved.
