Cooking with a Wallflower - Page 116 of 139 -

Asian Inspired Entree Quick and Easy Recipes Vegetarian

Easy Chow Mein

Egg noodles stir fry with sautéed onions, bean sprouts, carrots, and soy sauce for a quick meal. Simple yet flavorful, this chow mein can easily be adapted with different ingredients to satisfy your tastebuds.

We are going back to the basics with this easy to make chow mein. So simple that it barely requires any ingredients.

You’re probably wondering why I’m making a dish that barely has any ingredient in it. It’s hardly a recipe. But the thing is, once you have your basic recipe down, you can always customize it to suit your tastebuds. If you like chicken, you can always add it in yourself. If you like mushrooms, or broccoli, you can always add those.

What I love about this recipe is that it’s so simple yet full of flavor. Soy sauce can do that so well.

Follow these simple steps and you’ll have another easy meal in no time.

Roasted Butternut Squash Potstickers

Roasted butternut squash puree filled potstickers. Slightly crunchy on the bottom and soft on top, these sweet roasted butternut squash potstickers are the perfect appetizers.

I know it sounds strange, but I’ve been thinking of butternut squash potstickers since Thanksgiving. And of course, most of us probably associate butternut squash with fall. But why should we limit such a great ingredient to only a few months at the end of the year when it’s still available now?

You would think I would have worked on these potstickers as soon as I was inspired, but nope, it really did take me this long to finally get around to making it.

See, around Thanksgiving, I was watching an episode of the Chew. Have you seen it? I’m totally hooked on that show since their recipes are easy to follow with relatively common ingredients, exactly what I’m always looking for. In this particular episode that I watched, they visited a potsticker restaurant called Mimi Cheng’s Dumplings. I have never been there, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be inspired! The co-host of the show talked with the owners about making Thanksgiving potstickers. These potstickers are stuffed with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Which led me to think of uncommon ingredients in potstickers.

So I thought, why not roasted butternut squash potstickers?

Shiitake Mushroom Garlic Parmesan Noodles

Noodles tossed with thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, aromatic minced garlic, and grated parmesan cheese. Simple yet delicious, this shiitake mushroom garlic parmesan noodles are perfect for a lazy night in.

If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a fan of noodles. I’m also a huge fan of garlic. Which means you’re likely to see garlic noodles in many forms on my blog. This dish is one of them.

Just picture a plate of pasta tossed with minced garlic, olive oil, grated parmesan cheese, thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, a pinch of salt, and a little bit of crushed red peppers for a pop of color. Each bite of this amazing dish twirled around the prongs of your little fork. Spicy, savory, and aromatic. Yup. That’s soo what I’m having for dinner tonight. And if there’s some leftover, which I’m almost certain there won’t be, I am soo going to pack it up and bring these noodles to work with me.

Green Tea White Hot Chocolate

White chocolate melted in milk with green tea powder to create a deliciously unique hot chocolate. This green tea white hot chocolate is perfect for chasing away the winter cold.

Remember how I said I’m starting a hot chocolate series?

Well, I’m bringing you the third flavored hot chocolate!

Seriously, if you are absolutely obsessed with green tea, this is the perfect beverage for you to try to get through the January cold.

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Life of a Wallflower

Life of a Wallflower, 21 – San Francisco Ferry Building

I had all these recipe ideas I wanted to make these last few days, take photos of, and then share with you, but none of them worked out as I’d hoped.

I’m soo sick right now, I don’t think anything I make will turn out well. Sorry!

So instead, I’m sharing with you what I did right before I came down with whatever this is that I have.

I think I’ve mentioned this before. I was born and raised in San Francisco. You would think that meant I know San Francisco very well. But really I don’t.

I avoid tourist attractions. Which means all those places that San Francisco is known for? You’ll never find me there. Or at least, almost never.

Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge… All those places are always too crowded for me.

But, a few days ago, I decided to brave those crowds.

My friend Emily (from Emily’s Daily) and I decided to have lunch at the San Francisco Ferry Building. We were going to be tourists in our own city for the day.

Broccoli, Mushrooms, and Chicken Stir Fry

Fresh broccoli cooked with minced garlic, oyster mushrooms and sliced chicken in oyster sauce. This broccoli, mushrooms, and chicken stir fry is an Asian inspired dish that is a great entrée for dinner with a side of rice.

One of the easiest ways to get dinner ready quickly is to stir fry your entrée. What I love most about stir frying is that you can pretty much add whatever it is that you like to your skillet, toss your ingredients in a sauce, and you’re all set. Sounds simple enough, right? It really is.

In this dish, I chose to use broccoli, oyster mushrooms, and sliced chicken. I love the freshness of broccoli, the hint of garlic, the chewy texture of oyster mushrooms, and sliced chicken cooked in a savory oyster sauce. But the combinations could be endless.

What will you add to your stir fry?

Mashed Avocado and Egg Breakfast Sandwich

Mashed avocado with a hint of garlic topped with a fried egg and dried cranberries in a delicious breakfast sandwich. Quick and easy to make, this mashed avocado and egg breakfast sandwich is the perfect way to start the morning on the go.

Let’s talk breakfast.

On days that I work, I’m up super early in the morning, like before the sun comes up early. I’m sure we all have experienced that at some point.

The truth is, I’m not a fan of eating right after I wake up. I have no appetite early in the morning, and I really don’t like the idea of forcing myself to eat. So instead, I make breakfast to bring with me while I take the bus to work. Sometimes it’s a yogurt, sometimes it’s a fruit, and sometimes it’s these breakfast sandwiches. I mean, avocado and egg? Love, love, love the combination. And hopefully, so will you.

White Hot Chocolate

Melted white chocolate in milk with vanilla extract topped with whipping cream and a chocolate drizzle. This white hot chocolate is a delicious twist on the classic hot chocolate, another way to stay warm during the cold winter.

A few months ago, I bookmarked an interesting coffee shop I found on Yelp: Never too Latte (isn’t that cute?). They served flavored specialty hot chocolates, mochas, and lattes.

Oh my god! Flavored hot chocolate?! Of course I wanted to go. But this coffee shop was located all the way across the city, and since I’m rarely ever in the area, I didn’t have a chance to go. Then when I’m finally in the area because I was volunteering at a preschool dental screening, I was soo disappointed that the shop closed! I really wanted to try the pistachio hot chocolate and the red velvet hot chocolate! They have a main store in San Bruno, but it’s way too far, and out of the way, for me to go for hot chocolate. But can you imagine trying all these flavors? White hot chocolate, red velvet, pistachio, toasted marshmallow, peppermint, white hazelnut, raspberry, nutella, banana, ying yang, and de Amaretto?

Drool worthy.

So guess what? I’m going to try to bring these flavors to you in a hot chocolate series that I’m starting, well, now. =)

Edamame Soba Noodle Salad

Soba noodles tossed with edamame, sliced mushrooms, sautéed onions, and baby spinach leaves. Drizzled with a lemon soy sauce dressing and topped with red chili peppers for an optional spicy kick, this edamame soba noodle salad is delicious and a great selection for any meal.

I think I’ve just discovered my new favorite dish. Not that I’m lacking in favorite dishes. I apparently have tons. But there’s always room for one more, right? =)

Tangy with lemon juice, spicy with the red chili peppers, and savory with the flavor of soy sauce, this soba noodle salad is addictive and guilt free. This dish is also gluten-free, vegan, and dairy free, so it’s perfect for just about everyone!

What I love about this edamame soba noodle salad is that it’s soo simple to prepare and make, something I wouldn’t mind making after a long day at work. I mean, who wants to come home exhausted and then realize that they have to spend hours in the kitchen to get dinner ready? Definitely not me.

Because what’s the point of spending all that time making dinner only to fall asleep with my face planted in my food? I reserve time-consuming meals for my days off.

I wanted something fresh, something simple, something easy to make.

Ta da!

Edamame soba noodle salad requires several fresh ingredients and takes about 20 minutes to cook and prepare. You don’t have to make my recipe exactly either. Use your favorite fresh ingredients, and you can still make this salad.

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Holidays Life of a Wallflower

Life of a Wallflower, 20 – New Year’s

Hope your New Year is off to great start!

I thought I’d do one last holiday update.

On New Year’s Eve, my friends and I decided to go to Christmas in the Park in downtown San Jose before it closes for the year. It sounds so odd, right? Considering that we went after Christmas? But it’s actually very nice because there’s less of a crowd.

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