almond berry breakfast smoothie

I'm not a breakfast smoothie kind of person, but lately I've been making this every once in awhile. Marcy likes it because it always ends up pink or purple.

almond berry breakfast smoothie
makes 1 pint glass and 2 half kid cup portions

1/2 cup raw almonds whole or chopped
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup frozen berries
1 banana
1 cup milk or almond milk

Combine all ingredients into a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. If using a blender, you should probably make sure your almonds are chopped first.

chicken ginger congee

our family would eat this almost every weekend for breakfast.

chicken ginger congee
makes 6 servings

1 1/2 lbs bone-in chicken legs or thighs, skin removed and trimmed of excess fat
1 cup long grain white rice, frozen
6 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
1 (1 in.) piece ginger, skin on and sliced into 4 pieces
2 tsp salt
sesame oil or fish sauce, to taste
pinch ground white pepper
cilantro, chopped
scallions, chopped

Combine all the first 6 ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium-low and continue cooking at a lively simmer for 1 hour.

Add a splash of fish sauce or sesame oil to the pot and stir.

Serve topped with cilantro and scallions.

ginger clam soup

I made this for lunch today before our giant and slightly heavier Christmas dinner. If I remember, I will probably do this every Christmas lunch.

ginger clam soup
makes 3-4 servings

1 lb winter melon (optional)
1 lb clams
3-4 slices ginger
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp cooking wine
scallions and cilantro (optional)

Soak clams in salt water and a little bit of corn meal to remove sand.

Peel winter melon, remove seeds and dice.

Pour water to cover winter melon and cook until soft.

When water boils, add clams, shredded ginger and salt. Once clams open, turn off the fire and pour cooking wine.

Serve with sliced scallions and cilantro, if desired.

nuomi fan

I've made this every Christmas for the last 3 or 4 years, making it our family's first real Christmas tradition. 

nuomi fan (sticky rice with Chinese sausage)
makes 8-10 side servings

3 cups Chinese or Japanese short-grain sticky ("sweet") rice
1 cup Chinese dried black mushrooms or dried shiitake mushrooms
5 Chinese sausages (6-8 oz total)
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (1 bunch)
1 1/2 cups bottled peeled cooked whole chestnuts, coarsely chopped or raw peanuts
1/3 cup Chinese rice wine or Sherry
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 cups chicken broth

Cover rice with cold water by 1 inch in a large bowl and soak at least 2 hours. Drain in a sieve and rinse well under cold running water.

Soak mushrooms in warm water 30 minutes, then drain, squeezing excess liquid back into bowl, and keep liquid. Rinse mushrooms to remove any grit, then discard stems and coarsely chop caps. Quarter sausages lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Heat a 4-6 quart heavy pot over high heat until just smoking. Add peanut oil and heat, swirling in wok, until just smoking. Add ginger and scallion and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add sausage and stir-fry 1 minute, then add mushrooms and stir-fry 1 minute. Add chestnuts and stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in rice wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper and remove from heat. Add drained rice and stir to coat.

And add broth (broth will not completely cover rice) and drained mushroom liquid. Bring to a simmer, stir once, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 25 minutes more, then remove from heat. Stir from bottom to distribute ingredients and let stand, covered, 10 minutes before serving.

chinese winter melon soup

For something clean, light and soothing, especially to go along with a heavier meal.

winter melon soup
makes 3-4 servings

1 cup winter melon (1/2 lb)
2 cups chicken broth
5 Chinese dried black mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped (optional)
2-3 slices ginger
1/4 cup cooked ham, diced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 green onion, chopped

Reconstitute the Chinese dried mushrooms by soaking in hot water for 20 - 30 minutes until softened. Squeeze out any excess water and chop coarsely. 

Wash the winter melon, remove the green skin, seeds, and the pulp. Cut into 2-inch pieces.


Place the winter melon in a pot of water, bring to a boil, and simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until the winter melon is tender.


Add the chicken broth, mushrooms, ginger, cooked ham and carrots, if using. Add seasonings as desired. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add green onion for garnish. Serve hot.

Variations: If winter melon is unavailable, this dish can also be made with a seeded and peeled cucumber. 

russian tea cookies

Our Christmas dinner dessert for 2014. 

russian tea cookies

2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup (about 50 grams) powdered sugar, sifted, plus more for rolling the cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup (about 85 grams) finely chopped pecans, preferable toasted but optional

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with handheld beaters), combine the butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating just to blend. Add the pecans, and mix just a little more, until the nuts are incorporated. Use your hands to gather the dough into a ball, pressing in any runaway nuts. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 375°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge, and allow it to soften for about 10 minutes before handling it. Pinch off small lumps of dough, roll them into 1-inch balls, and space them evenly on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until they are set but not browning – though, yes, the undersides will brown slightly. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Put some powdered sugar in a pie plate or shallow bowl. While the cookies are still warm, roll them in the sugar, and then set them on a cooling rack. The sugar will only coat them lightly, and they may feel a little sticky. Cool them completely, and then roll them a second time.

Yield: about 35 cookies

tomato garlic shrimp pasta

I made this tonight when looking for something light on meat before all the Thanksgiving food comes. I thought it was good, but none of the boys really liked it. Because we didn't have all the ingredients, I improvised a little. I think next time I'll try it without the cream and make sure to have diced tomatoes and see if everyone else will like this dish, too.

tomato garlic shrimp pasta

makes 8 servings

4 tbsp olive oil, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups  or two 14 oz cans diced tomatoes (ran out, so I used 1.5 cans of tomato paste)

1 cup white wine

3/4 cup heavy cream or half n half, optional

2 tbsp butter, optional

salt and pepper to taste

1 package linguine pasta

1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 package mushrooms, sliced

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, wine and cream, if using. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 mins, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the butter, if not using cream. 

Cook pasta according to directions on package. 

Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the shrimp and cook until pink on the outside and no longer translucent in the center (about 5 mins). After 2-3 mins, stir in the mushrooms. Stir the mushrooms and shrimp into the pasta sauce, then stir the sauce into the linguine, along with chopped cilantro to serve.