Wow, is it already past two months since my post?! We are officially 36 days away from the end of 2024. My mom has been introducing me to the world of chayote because she and her neighbors has been growing their own crop within the last two years. My mom makes great braised sauteed versions of chayote, which I have yet to master because handling this type of vegetable with bare hands especially peeling the skin is equivalent to handling a prickly pear and cactus. I give my mom a lot of credit for getting rid of the peel from the chayote she used. I’ve been roasting chayote because it was the best way to introduce the vegetable to the my other half who is not person of color (although he has Native American blood in him through his grandfather who was part Cherokee). So what is chayote?
Chayote (Sechium edule) is a type of squash that originated in the Aztec period and it spread throughout Central America, Europe and Asia thanks to colonialism. This squash is part of the Cucurbitaceae plant family, which includes pumpkins, melons and cucumbers. Consumption of this crop has numerous health benefits. Chayote contains fiber which helps with blood sugar issues especially for people who have diabetes. The crop also contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory biomarkers that play a role in metabolic syndrome. The contents of this crop is still being investigated further.
Personally, I’ve been roasting chayote squash with parmesan in the oven by slicing the crop into thin slices and mixing the slices with olive oil, salt, pepper and bake for about 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. After 30 minute add the parmesan cheese and cook for another 10 minutes.
Recently, I roasted chayote with red onion at 400 degrees except I waited 10 minutes after the oven was at 400 degrees to place the chayote and red onion mixed with olive oil, salt and pepper in the oven.
Roasted Chayote tasted very good and healthy. I’d like to explore different cooking methods of chayote and even try chayote dishes at various restaurants.
Wow! It’s been awhile since my last post, which was my game plan for French Restaurant Week in June. There are officially 99 days left in 2024! I’ve been cooking a lot and replicating recipes using techniques rather than ingredients because I had to work with what I had. Over the summer, two months ago, I came home early enough to utilize the ingredients that are in the refrigerator before they went bad. After surveying the content at that time, I had leftover vegan cream cheese, spinach and unopened mushrooms that needed to be cooked or it would have been a waste. Therefore, after my child went to bed, I did a basic search on dishes containing cream cheese, mushrooms and spinach. The first thing that popped up on my search engine was the recipe from RiceSelect. After reviewing this recipe, I discovered I had all the ingredients: cooked rice, walnuts, butter, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. I gathered up what I had and here is what I had to work with:
See these ingredients I realized that I have a healthy comforting vegetarian dish in the works.
Butter from grass fed cows have good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, chromium, copper, iodine, manganese, and zinc. For this recipe I used Vital Farms Unsalted Butter, has been labeled as on the best butters according to taste tests from Serious Eats and and Healthline. Personally I like using grass fed unsalted butter because it makes dishes taste a little richer while consuming the fat soluble vitamins essential for bone health. For this dish, I melted less than 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
Then after the butter is melted, I added the mushrooms and let it cook for approximately 4 minutes.
One cup of mushrooms contain multiple cancer fighting antioxidants such as “polyphenols, polysaccharides, ergothioneine, glutathione, selenium, and vitamin C”, These antioxidants fight off oxidative stress, and prevent tumors. The presence of polysaccharides in mushrooms help regular blood sugar and insulin production. Mushrooms also contain a specific type of polysaccharide called beta-glucans. Beta-glucans has been shown to activate macrophages and natural killer cells to stimulate the immune system, which will inhibit further tumor growth, reduce proliferation and metastasis. In addition to the prevention of tumor production, beta-glucans in its soluble form is capable of forming a “gel on the mucosal surface of the bowel”, which will reduce cholesterol levels. The presence of glutathione and ergothioneine in white mushrooms display their respective roles in getting rid of potentially harmful substances and keeping the DNA safe from oxidative damage. Ergothioneine acts as a bioactive agent to prevent plaque development, which reduces the risk of early cardiovascular disease. The presence of Vitamin C and selenium also adds another layer of anticancer properties by respectively blocking specific enzymes responsible for spreading cancer and prevent cancer development. Finally, white button mushrooms have prebiotics, which is beneficial for intestinal health and gut health.
After the mushrooms are cooked, add the vegan cream cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and reduce the heat temperature to medium-low.
Vegan Cream Cheese
Add cooked brown rice (leftover brown rice – a day old), stir to blend and heat with the mushroom cream cheese mixture (3-4 minutes).
Brown rice has been advertised and promoted as a healthy carbohydrate ingredient because it is considered a whole grain. Four years ago, a three prospective cohort study covering self-reporting, follow-up questionnaire with supplemental questionnaires covering a period of 33 years (1984-2017) was published. The results from this cohort study showed that higher consumption of whole grains, which includes brown rice was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes among the “158,259 women and 36,525 men who did not have type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline”. However, in 2023, there was an article that was published revealing that there is more arsenic found in brown rice versus white rice. The article addressed that arsenic is considered an environmental pollutant that has contributed to higher risk of arsenic-induced metabolic syndrome whose symptoms include “a large waistline, high blood pressure, elevated fasting blood sugar, high triglyceride level, and low HDL cholesterol”. These symptoms often lead to cardiovascular disease in the long term. Ultimately, based on these two studies, more studies and research need to be completed to validate the health benefits of brown rice. In the meantime, we should limit food and products containing arsenic due to more consistent findings.
Add spinach to the rice mixture and stir until wilted.
Spinach is one of my favorite vegetable because of its versatility but more importantly this vegetable contains a large amount of health benefits. I have shared recipes in past blog posts containing spinach:
Recent research reveals another another component that is found in spinach called Betaine. Betaine has been known to help regulate homocysteine levels in the blood, which may contribute towards disease prevention such as heart disease, and stroke, Betaine has also been shown to with endurance, reduce fatigue and improve muscle power and strength.
After the spinach is wilted, remove pan from heat and add walnuts. Walnuts usually adds another layer of flavor and texture. They are great for garnishes. I personally like to include them when baking banana bread or incorporating them in a salad. There have been recent research showing that walnuts are beneficial for improving cognition and reducing the risk and/or progression of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. In additions the properties found in walnuts may provide protection against neuroinflammation.
Happy National Rice Month! I hope to continue to blog more successful dishes before the year ends!!
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There is so much hysteria to the point that we are on the brink of becoming a martial law country. This lockdown game plan to “flatten the curve” is set up by NYC mayor and governor to hopefully reduce the number of new COVID-19 cases. As a result, I will be working my paid job, which funds this blog remotely. What does this mean?
This means I get the opportunity to hopefully reset and continue where I left off writing this blog. During the past few months I feel like I am getting ghosted by social media platforms such as Instagram. The only silver lining is that businesses and owner have liked my posts but there are so few of them.
When I launched this blog back in 2016, I had a vision that it would progressively grow and turn it into a career that is fulfilling and rewarding. Unfortunately I have experienced a lot of downfalls due to the lack of support and continuously fighting the powerful establishments and potential haters from the past who feel that they are entitled to any achievement on my own through emotional blackmail and spreading rumors by framing me as the evil, crazy and toxic person because I am finally free.
Still fighting the good fight as these people from the past who knew everything about me inside out are using it against me and taking credit for everything I have worked for including my degrees from Fordham, Hunter and University of Illinois. These same people are bragging to other people that without them I’ll never succeed. Ok..I’ll stop..
Given the circumstances that occurred the last month, normalcy on this end has come to a pause overall. However, I am very thankful to God and the good spirits that I have a roof over my head and a job at least for two months. So making every effort to work for the glory of God because HE controls our fate.
With the exponential increase of COVID-19 cases in NYC and in Long Island, and the origin of this debilitating and mysterious virus came from China, there is also an increase in hate crime against Chinese and Asian Americans because people are ignorant. I am thankful that I have not had that experience personally but given the fact that I am a first generation Asian American born in America with a background in public health and health communications that is passionate about food, culinary medicine, health, and research.
While COVID-19 is still hot press it is also an important public health issue because through health promotion, advocacy and communication communities are actually complying with the progressive martial law mandates such as social distancing, limiting store hours, working remotely and shutting down non-essential businesses. While these measures are implemented, the long term effects will be the disappearance of human social interaction that is essential to survival.
In order to stay in compliance, we went to the supermarket two days ago and brought 1-2 weeks worth of groceries. So without further ado and after hours of planning here’s the weekday game plan based on what’s available in the present moment:
We would love to hear any feedback regarding this week’s game plan. Stay tuned for pictures of my journey through this game plan. Everyone stay safe and may God Bless America!
Hello everyone! So tomorrow is July 1st and this is the perfect time to make a change with the end goal being weight loss and eventually getting into my dresses comfortably.
After doing some research I read an article from Woman’s Day regarding a 6 day summer weight loss program and as much I want to replicate the plan, I have to do some modifications because I had to work with what I had. In addition, I will be traveling back and forth so planning healthy meals will be tough. The article set a plan where the most calories come from dinner. The calorie outline listed on the article was 300 calories for breakfast, 400 calories for lunch, 500 calories for dinner and 150 calories for snacks. Therefore the total calorie intake is 1350 calories.
For this week’s game plan, I have listed meals for 7 days instead of 6. In addition I didn’t count calories so I am unsure if I went over the total calorie intake. So below is the list of breakfast, lunch and dinner meal plan for the week.
Pictures of these proposed meals will be posted on my Instagram: tablespoonsandteaspoons.
Hello everyone Happy Presidents Day! We as the title states it’s that Christian season again, Lent. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which was the same day as Valentine’s Day. This Lenten season I decided to give up sugar with the exception of fruit and vegetables. So far, I’m getting through it but at the same time it is difficult especially when I had to eat out for Chinese New Year. Eating out was a challenge because I don’t know whether sugar was added to the diet. As a result, I ended up at a buffet, a Middle Eastern and Hibachi restaurant.
For the first five days of Lent, here were my meals containing 0g of sugar:
What I’ve realized is to successfully accomplish this I have to cook my meals at home.
After going through my current pantry at home, I’ve discovered more limitations to this no sugar sacrifice. However, this week’s game plan will consists of the following ingredients that contains no sugars to date:
Black beans
Red Kidney beans
Eggs
Salmon
Cod
Ground Kobe beef
Ground Turkey
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Ghee
Butter
Quorn Chik ‘n Patty
Cauliflower
Asparagus
Oats
Rice
Parmesan cheese
Cream cheese
Almond milk
Strawberries
Blueberries
Follow me on Instagram at tablespoonsandteaspoons for updates on the recipes made this week with these ingredients.
Happy Meatless Monday! Can’t believe October is almost ending and before we know 2017 is going to end and I am playing catch up with game plan recipes that we made this year to date.
On my New Year’s Day – Sunday Game Plan post there were a list of good luck foods to consume during the New Year. One of these lucky foods is buckwheat noodles especially soba noodles. Unfortunately, I ended up getting udon noodles, which also contains buckwheat. In Japan, people consume long buckwheat noodles to signify good fortune. Confession, I did not end my making the Udon Miso Noodle Soup until well after New Years due to leftovers and lack of room in my refrigerator.
easily digested – udon dissolves faster than regular pasta & three times faster than beef
due to its easy digestion and dissolving properties, it helps retain heat in the extremities during winter because blood is not rushing to the stomach.
Thiamine (Vitamin B1): plays a huge role in metabolism preventing headaches, fatigue, muscle weakness, nerve damage, brain disorders, especially Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS), and memory disorders e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease, stress, inflammation and vision problems e.g. glaucoma.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): prevents cancers, migraines and hair/skin damage
Niacin (Vitamin B3): plays a role in improving cholesterol levels, lowering heart disease risks, joint pain, treating diabetes, preventing acne, headaches, migraines, Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD, memory loss, depression, motion sickness, insomnia, muscle weakness, digestive problems, alcohol dependence and erectile dysfunction.
Folate (Vitamin B9): plays a critical role in healthy pregnancy by preventing neural tube defects, which causes spina bifida, anencephaly, malformations of the limbs and heart complications, prevents cancers, anemia, heart attacks, strokes, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and depression.
So finally, here’s my recipe for Udon Miso Noodle Soup:
Obviously, I did not provide a calorie count for each of the ingredients because I cooked this dish in bulk (Serves 4 people).
2.5 cups of water
Left over mushrooms and kale (part of the spinach & greens family) (Mushrooms were 0.69 per package at Aldi, and kale was 0.99/lb on sale at local supermarket)
3 tablespoons of Yamajirushi Awase Miso ($4 lasts about a year)
1 package of Sunrise Extra Firm Tofu, cubed ($1.50 at Good Fortune Asian Supermarket)
1 red onion, sliced ($1.49 a bag at Good Fortune Asian Supermarket)
1 package of udon noodle (approximately $3 or less if on sale for a pack at any Asian Supermarket)
Here’s a quick pick-me-up that is cheap, healthy, gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian side dish. Recently I brought a bag of Dole Baby Spinach, on sale at Shop & Shop (buy 1 get 1 free) and homemade minced garlic (thank you dad) and put a quick side dish together.
Spinach has many health properties, which were previously mentioned on a past Meatless Monday post. In addition, spinach has one of the highest if not the highest level of folate, which helps prevent depression, neural tube disorders during pregnancy, and dementia.
Garlic has been considered to be medicine food especially in India and China. It was used to aid respiration and digestion. It helps reduce inflammation and even prevent cancers. It also contains neuroprotective properties that helps with visual memory and performing executive functions. It is also an immune system booster, which helps treat colds and flu. It helps with high blood pressure and may help treat diabetes.
1 bag of Dole Baby Spinach, washed = 20 calories for 3 cups.
2 tablespoons of minced garlic = 30 calories
Spray the pan with cooking spray
2. Add minced garlic and saute until starts becoming golden brown
3. Stir in spinach gradually until wilted
At various Chinese restaurants I’ve eaten at, this dish or any other green vegetable dish and garlic would cost over $10 (family style) and they use vegetable oil, which is less healthier than olive oil, and grapeseed oil. This dish can be made with other vegetables such as bok choy and watercress.
Happy Monday, it’s been a long while since I’ve posted a recipe here.
Recently, during my food exploration, I visited Trader Joe’s and they were selling a 12 oz. bag of organic broccoli slaw for only $1.69. In addition, my boyfriend and his friends visited Apple Festival at the Harbes Family Farm where he gave me Blondie apples, gala apples and honey crisp apples. Finally, I found leftover unopened pack of Dole Caesar Dressing Vinegrette from Caesar Salad Kit.
With the three ingredients, one of each kind of apple was diced. All of the broccoli slaw and apples are combined. The dish was completed with the Caesar Dressing.
It’s simple, quick way to utilize leftovers while using fresh healthy, organic ingredients.
Happy Monday! With halfway through NYC restaurant week, I’m playing catch up. Over the last 3-4 weeks, I’ve been thoroughly reviewing 337 out of the 390 menus for this season’s restaurant week. This week I will be blogging my picks that I believe is the best bang for your buck.
In addition, if you have an American Express credit card you can register your card to get an extra $5 off your meal purchase of $35 or more for up to 4x for restaurant week.
If you have instagram you can take pictures of your prix fixe course and tag #NYCrestaurantweek for a daily chance of winning a $50 gift card.
So let’s get to it:
Since it is Meatless Monday, I came up with seven (7) participating restaurants that you can enjoy a three course vegetarian meal for either $29 or $42.
Here’s the game plan for vegetarians who want to enjoy NYC restaurant week:
Three course Prix Fixe Vegetarian Options picks for NYC Restaurant Week.
Out of the 7 restaurants, I’ve only eaten at Empellon Taqueria and their Brussels sprouts with Toasted Almond taco was so good but the portions are very small, definitely pricey for $14 for 2 tacos.
Looking forward to blogging more restaurant options this week. Enjoy and stay tuned!
Two Mondays ago, on March 20, I’ve had the privilege to attend the launch of Assouline’s “Dinner with Georgia O’Keefe” at La Sirena located in the Meatpacking District in Manhattan. The event was well attended by local TV personalities and celebrities such as Carla Hall from ABC The Chew, Nicky Hilton Rothchild, Timo Weiland, Prosper Assouline, and Alexandre Assouline.
Artistic and natural images depicting the relationship between art and food were provided by Robyn Lea who was present to sign copies of the book. Recipes from the cookbook utilizes local and traditional ingredients inspired by the artist’s relationship of food and the New Mexican landscape.
More importantly I came there to explore and taste the food created by La Sirena’s Michelin starred chef Anthony Sasso. Cocktails were sponsored by VDKA600.
The food was overall tasty and natural. The recipes provided appear to be user friendly and ingredients are health-friendly and accessible at any supermarket. Unfortunately I was unable to taste everything because of the sacrificial commitment to give up meat for Lent.
Top: Miss Scarlet “O’Keefe” containing VD600Vodka in Mandarin orange. Bottom: The Tao Margherita
Chilled Gazpacho
Chickpea and Eggplant Casserole with Fresh Basil
Split Pea and Ham appetizer inspired from the Rancho de Abiquiu Split Pea and Ham recipe
Finger food version of the Spaghetti with Pesto Genovese
Steak tartare using ingredients from the Sizzling Bourbon steak with garlic and crushed peppercorn recipe
Pecan Delights
Finger foods inspired by recipes from the book
For the next two weeks, I will be seeking to test out the meatless version of this recipes such as the spaghetti and pesto Genovese and chickpea and eggplant casserole.
Tablespoons and Teaspoons 