Buttery Herb Biscuits Everyone in my life from family to friends to colleagues is in love with biscuits. For the longest time I couldn’t figure out why because all except one experience I’ve had with biscuits is that they were hockey-puck hard, tasteless and dry.…
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Shrimp Tacos Nearly all my friends and family adore soft tacos, especially with seafood filling. These easy Shrimp Tacos are fun to make, simple and great for both simple everyday dinners or parties where guests can assemble their own tacos. I added a touch of…
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Basil Shrimp Bites- Easy Shrimp Recipe Inspired by Thailand’s colloquial Miang Kum appetizer where fresh, vibrant raw ingredients are wrapped in a spinach leaf and served with a sweet and savory sauce, I created these Basil Shrimp Bites. Very easy to make, this quick and…
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Chicken Lettuce Wraps For years I’ve avoided putting up a recipe for Chicken Lettuce Wraps mainly because I felt this is one of the most overrated dishes in Asian restaurants in the West. From Chinese to Thai restaurants, I found this dish to be overpriced…
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Soft Boiled Egg with Miso Crostini I’ve always been a huge fan of deviled eggs but sometimes it’s nice to have a completely different twist on similar components. Here, I turn heart-healthy avocado into a smooth paste by adding savory Miso paste and charred Poblano…
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Garlic Herb Brie En Croute with Asian Pear Some friends say I’m obsessed with Brie; I say I have a longstanding love affair with any cheese that is soft and creamy. While I do love the traditional pairing of baked cheeses with grapes or figs,…
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Edamame Bruschetta An easy and healthy appetizer to add to your bruschetta repertoire is this Edamame Bruschetta which you’ll fall head over heels in love with at first bite. Don’t be intimidated by the number of steps here- this is a super easy recipe that…
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Crispy Shrimp with Spicy Lemongrass Sauce I’ve made these crispy shrimps at so many gatherings and they are always among the first to go. People can’t resist the crisp, warm shrimp with this tangy, spicy dipping sauce. Whether you’re making this for a regular family dinner or a…
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Citrus Fish Kabobs One of the best parts of hot summer months is marrying tangy citrus flavors with simple fish kabobs to create a simple but super flavorful appetizer. Put a bunch of these skewered fish on a plate with a side salad or a…
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Best Bruschetta Recipes- Brie & Asian Pear Bruschetta I’m a huge cheese lover, particularly of the soft, creamy kinds. I wanted to create an interesting twist that brought together my favorite elements from Italy, France and Asia using the simplest of ingredients and relatively no…
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Okra Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Some months I have an abundance of all types of mushrooms and one of those times I came up with these Okra Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms that incorporate other mushrooms and a salty, sweet sauce to drizzle on top. My kitchen is…
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Best Asian Appetizers- Bacon Wrapped Mochi I kid you not when I say that you should make three times as much as you think will be eaten of this sweet and savory appetizer. Every single time I have made this for dinner parties or beach…
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Warm Potato & Brussels Sprouts Salad Brussels sprouts is one of those vegetables that I wasn’t crazy about as a child but as an adult, I can’t get enough of it. I’m always thinking of new recipes to incorporate these little green globes and recently,…
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Sweet & Spicy Beet Salad I was never crazy about beets but with friends who love it, I created this beet salad recipe to find a happy medium. This easy beet recipe allows the beautiful, vibrant color of the beet and its natural flavors to…
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Quinoa Pancakes with Papaya Salsa Always on the quest to create simple, delicious and nutritious breakfast dishes, I was thrilled when I stumbled upon this winning Quinoa pancakes after throwing a bunch of ingredients left over in my kitchen together. At first I wasn’t sure…
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Easy Asian Appetizers- Chicken & Vegetable Skewers Maybe I’m biased but I think a party isn’t a party without Asian appetizers in the mix and skewering meats and veggies are one of the easiest ways to have fun flavors while still eating healthy. The spicy…
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Easy Asian Appetizers- Chef Chu’s Goat Cheese Wontons Glenn Chu is one of my favorite chefs of all time. While he was at Indigo Hawaii, he shared this Goat Cheese Wontons for my easy Asian appetizers collection. Chef Chu is famous for many of his Asian…
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Lychee Mozzarella Salad At first glance, you might think lychee and mozzarella to be a strange combination. However, once you taste this amazingly simple recipe that can serve as either an appetizer or light salad, you’ll be hooked. The creaminess of the mozzarella contrasts the…
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Agedashi Tofu- Easy Tofu Recipes Authentic Agedashi Tofu like it’s made in Japan is difficult to find even in the best Japanese restaurants outside of Japan. In Japan, the best Agedashi Tofu is made with silken tofu and has a perfectly light crisp exterior but a chewy…
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Asian Fusion Guacamole This is the most addictive guacamole ever and I thank the culinary Gods for allowing me to accidentally create this on a day when I was desperately craving a particular flavor and nothing else satisfied me. I kept mixing and mixing until…
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Molasses Chicken Wings Every time I make this dish I rarely get a chance to eat it myself. Everybody grabs at them before I can even get from the kitchen to the dining room. Slow baking the wings in the oven allows for a lot…
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Spicy Soy Avocado Appetizer When I reached my late 20’s, I reached a period of life where my hatred for avocado turned into passionate love. I now can’t recall why I would ever have hated this heart-healthy fruit that is mellow flavored and super creamy.…
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Crispy Pork Belly It’s a well known fact that Chinese people love their pork and this crispy skinned, tender pork belly gives credence to the other white meat addiction. I’ve searched the world for great pork belly dishes and recipes, finding but a handful of…
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Garlic Honey Cashews- Healthy Homemade Snacks I was a tot when I first had honey cashews on a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to Hong Kong. I remember thinking how wonderfully sweet and crunchy they were. Years later I understood that the bagged version of…
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Spicy Garlic Shrimp Typically I’ve served these spicy garlic shrimp as appetizers at dinner gatherings or finger food at larger parties. Always a crowd pleaser with the pungent garlic and lovely contrast of fresh cilantro and lime. The prawns can be served as they are…
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Sweet Garlic Almonds- The Perfect Afternoon Snack I created this recipe one day when I discovered that I had accidentally bought a bag of raw almonds instead of already seasoned ones. Wanting my father to get his healthy dose of nuts, I knew I needed…
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Sausage Stuffed Peppers These sweet peppers are packed with flavors and great as a filling appetizer or as a light main meal. The sweetness of the bell pepper blends well with the ground pork in the sausages. Crisp bacon bits add a smoky saltiness while…
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Onion Rings with Chaat Masala Indian street food goes gourmet with my friend Monica Bhide’s Onion Rings with Chaat Masala. These are deliciously crisp, savory and earthy all in one bite. Her recipe begins here. Several fast food places in India serve these light, crispy…
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Vegetable Dumplings- A Classic Dumpling Recipe Let’s face facts here- if you’ve never made dumplings before, it’s not going to be easy but if you follow these steps carefully, your dumplings will turn out just fine. Vegetable dumplings are a staple all over Asia, not…
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Best Fusion Recipes- Fig & Paneer Pizza This recipe is borrowed from my friend Monica Bhide, who is a highly successful cookbook author and speaker. Monica is one of the kindest, most talented people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and her recipes have won…
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Tamarind Tilapia Bites- Easy Fish Appetizers This easy fish appetizer is meant to be served as little bites (though you could alter the proportions for a main dish), particularly a lovely presentation for a festive occasion. Every sense of your palate will be awakened with splashes of salty,…
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Crunchy Garlic Pasta Chips This is one of those appetizer recipes that came about from an afternoon of experimenting with everything in the cabinet. I was in one of those moods where I just wanted to create something new with mundane ingredients, this time being…
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Easy Pork Dumplings While dumplings are now widely available in supermarkets around the world in the frozen section, there’s nothing like the taste, texture and aroma of freshly made pork dumplings. With a little time and patience, these dumplings will go as fast as you…
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Easy Appetizers- Avocado & Corn Confetti I didn’t learn to appreciate the mild creaminess of avocado until I was in my late 20’s. Once I did though, I fell completely in love with this super food that contains healthy fats we need for bone and…
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Easy Pizza Recipes- Roasted Squash & Tocino Pizza If you’ve never had Filipino Tocino (sweetly flavored boneless meats), you need to go to your nearest Filipino restaurant and try it. The Tocinos I’ve tried have all been either pork or chicken but as I’ve been…
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Endive Salad with Plantain Chips – Easy Appetizers A little trivia here- endive is popularly believed to be European due to its French name but the plant’s actual origin is traced back to Indonesia or Africa. Health benefits of endive (also known as Belgian Endive)…
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Sweet Potato Fries with Gochujang Sauce Sweet potatoes have long been a staple in Asia and South America and the craze with sweet potato fries is no surprise. After all, sweet potatoes do pack a wallop in vitamins, more so than their plain potato cousins.…
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Easy Egg Recipes- Baked Eggs in Shiitake Mushroom While I love breakfast, admittedly I don’t always make the time to eat it given a hectic schedule. Every now and then, I take a few weekends to sit down and create a few interesting and easy…
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Teriyaki Chicken Quesadillas I absolutely adore creating fusion recipes that bring flavors and ingredients from Asia and Latin America together. These Teriyaki Chicken Quesadillas are super easy to prepare and require little time; they’re great fun for kids to make as well. Sweet and savory…
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Best Bruschetta Recipes- Brie & Caramelized Onion Bruschetta This party favorite is a marriage of two ingredients I adore- Brie cheese and sweet onions. These bruschetta are amongst the first to run out at gatherings. Crisp French baguette sliced thinly contrasts beautifully with the warm…
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Garlic Edamame Recipe- Healthy Eating Made Easier By now, parboiled Edamame lightly salted is standard appetizer fare at Japanese restaurants the world over. Edamame, or soy bean pods, have a high nutritional content with a major dose of protein, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. This easy…
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Roasted Red Cabbage Many of us forget that cabbage exists; it’s not the tastiest of vegetables and for a long time, it was ignored for more trendy leafy greens. Red cabbage deserves more than a passing glance though- this powerhouse vegetable has an enormous amount…
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Quinoa Egg Tartlets- Easy Breakfast Recipes Talk about getting your healthy proteins and vegetables in early in the day- these egg tartlets blast the notion that breakfast has to be time consuming or complicated to taste good and be nutritious. Prep time is all of…
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Smoked Salmon Tapenade in Cucumber Cups Smoked salmon with cream cheese on bagels used to be one of my favorite comfort foods. Knowing how caloric that little sandwich is, I decided to remove the bread and rework my favorite flavors into an adorable and addictive…
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Salmon Carpaccio with Ponzu Mustard Dressing If I could transport myself from Japan to Italy and back in an instant, I’d be thrilled. From salmon sashimi to salmon carpaccio, I never say no to salmon in all its beautiful omega glory. With a savory and…
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