Easy Everyday Recipes

A collection of Dina's favorite personal recipes from her Grandfather's French Toast to easy party appetizers to quick, healthy dishes.

Easy, Healthy Salads- Sweet and Tangy Cabbage Salad

I can hear the naysayers who think cabbage is a boring vegetable with no redeeming qualities other than its myriad health benefits. [Read More]

Easy Appetizer Recipes

From healthy appetizers that you can easily turn into a full meal for one person to sophisticated finger foods perfect for your next party, these easy appetizer recipes will enchant your taste buds.

Smoothies, Cocktails & Drinks Galore

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with smoothies. From healthy breakfast smoothies to refreshing afternoon boosts, smoothies make staying healthy super easy. I also love my tropical cocktails and rich hot chocolates; enjoy my collection of easy drink recipes!

Creamy Orange Blast- inspired by one of my favorite childhood drinks found in malls, this is a healthy version and tastes like a creamsicle.
Healthy Smoothies- Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie is one of the best breakfast drinks for on the go.
Banana Oatmeal Smoothie- a quick and easy breakfast recipe for getting the day started on the right note.

Breads & Pizza

There are few things more comforting than a warm loaf of bread or a fantastic slice of cheesy pizza. You don’t always need fancy bread making machines or know how to toss pizza dough like a true Italian to churn out delicious and easy breads and pizzas.

Breakfast

There’s good reason why physicians and nutritionists encourage us to eat breakfast regularly and why the healthiest people in the world all do so. A well balanced breakfast is crucial to getting the day started on the right note. If your mornings are hectic like mine, you’ll appreciate quick and easy breakfast recipes that you can prepare the night before or in minutes in the morning.

Fish & Seafood

Having spent some of my childhood years in Southeast Asia, I grew up on the freshest fish and seafood dishes available. From expertly prepared sashimi in Japan to a simple fire-roasted whole calamari on a beach in Bali, fish and seafood are a huge part of my everyday diet. Here are a collection of my favorite easy fish and seafood recipes.

Poultry

Chicken is arguably the most commonly consumed item for non-vegetarians in home cooking. It’s incredibly diverse, affordable and prepared properly, it’s a lean and healthy protein. From easy stir-fries to fancier steak presentations, here are my favorite easy chicken recipes with a few duck and turkey recipes thrown in.

Rice, Noodles & Pasta Recipes

There are few things food-wise that I find more comforting or satisfying than a fabulous rice, noodle or pasta dish. Whether it’s Soto Ayam (Indonesia’s version of Chicken Noodle Soup), Japanese Fried Rice or a simple Linguine with Classic Tomato Sauce, this is probably my favorite category of food. Here are my favorite easy rice recipes, noodle recipes and healthy pasta recipes.

Salads

Growing up partly in America, I remember hearing my parents’ American friends complain about how boring healthy eating was because they were stuck eating bland salads. When you collect ingredients and tips from cuisines around the world, you get to create delicious, healthy and easy salads that are anything but boring or run of the mill. From Spicy Thai Beef Salad to easy Cabbage Slaw, my collection of easy salad recipes will leave you wanting more.

Soups

Soups are generally popular during cold winter months but really, you don’t need a cold weather front to enjoy all kinds of easy and healthy soup recipes to feed your body and spirit. While certain soups like that of broth used in classic Pho take days to make properly, many other soups can be easily prepared in just minutes with the proper technique and few simple tools.

Vegetables

Growing up in an Asian family, vegetables have always been a huge part of our everyday eating. No vegetable goes unturned or unseasoned in my family’s household. When you have a few basic ingredients and tools, preparing healthy and easy vegetable recipes can be done in just minutes so there’s no excuse for not incorporating enough veggies into your daily diet. From delicious vegetable stir-fries to smart substitutions, these are vegetable recipes you’ll want to bookmark.

Desserts

While I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, I do love my occasional desserts. Many of these Asian dessert recipes were passed down from my grandmother to my mother to me while others I created after finding that most desserts in the West were too sugar-laden. I love desserts with fruits and cakes that have complex flavors with just the right touch of sweetness. Have a sweet time with these easy dessert recipes!

Sauces

The French, Italians and Asians will tell you that sauces can make or break a dish and I couldn’t agree more. A plain chicken dish can go from zero to wow with the addition of a perfectly executed red wine sauce and an Indonesian satay gets elevated with real peanut sauce (as opposed to those derived from peanut butter). I’ve always loved using sauces to dress up even the simplest of dishes.

Condiments

Many Asian cuisines are all about pungent, bold flavors and a lot of these bright accents are found in condiments regularly served with every meal. I’ve lost count of the number of times many of you have asked for my “Acar” (Indonesian pickled cucumber) recipe so here’s a collection of my favorite condiment recipes.