But the veggies happen to be good for us, so I suppose I might as well eat them.

Try this fruity salad and let me know if you are still bored with your veggies!

• Bed of lettuce
• Strawberries
• Mandarin Oranges
• General tso’s tofu
• Chickpeas
• Blue corn chips

Now that is a summer salad!!

The pasta would win.

Heck, so would a cookie.

But, what if I could trick myself into getting some green into my life?

Would you think I was crazy if I added 5, just 5 leaves of spinach to an amazing smoothie?

• Almond Milk
• Frozen Berry Medley
• Fat-free Vanilla yogurt
• 5 Organic spinach leaves

Tip: Adding frozen fruits is an awesome way to get a cool smoothie without spending too much on fruits!

Look at that color!!

Look at that color!!!!

When I am not running around campus trying to take care of last minute assignments or trying to find my lost keys I manage to find some time in my busy busy life to cook.

I decided to try my hand at Avocado Pesto. How can something that does not require any cooking be hard?

I am pretty sure I stole the recipe from someone. Well, actually, I googled “Avocado Pesto” decided that the recipe looked too hard, so did my own thing.

Which was pretty much the same as the recipe.

You could also call this recipe Yummy Guacamole, because that is what it tasted like.

Avocado Pesto

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 avocado, peel and remove the pit
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic
• 1 handful pine nuts
• 1 handful basil leaves
• 1/4 cup water
• Lemon juice to taste

Food process everything and serve over pasta with a healthy serving of cheese.

*I made up all the amounts for the salt, pepper and garlic. Just shake until it looks good. And lick the pesto from the food processor as you add to test for quality control.

The worst part is cleaning the food processor. Not fun.

I served this with a side of bruschetta. They went really well together.

Enjoy!

I love sweets and mochi has always been one of my favorites. My grandma used to make it for me all the time when I was little. For those of you who have never had or heard of mochis before, mochi is a glutinous rice ball with a sweet filling on the inside. They are vegetarian and vegan friendly so anyone can enjoy them!

Since my grandma always made hot mochi, I attempted to make the same ones over the weekend. They turned out to be really delicious! Here is the recipe I used:

• 4 oz. glutinous rice (sticky rice) flour— can be purchased at the international section of a grocery store
• 1/3cup water
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup sugar

1. mix glutinous rice flour with water into a consistent paste, it should no longer stick into your hand.

2. mix sugar with peanut butter

2. divide the flours into 8-10 balls of dough. Flatten each ball on your palm, add peanut butter into the flattened dough, then roll the dough back into the ball using the palms of your hands. Repeat the process.

3. boil a pot of water, then put mochis in the pot and bring the mochis to a boil. Serve in a bowl. Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found at ( http://rasamalaysia.com/black-sesame-dumplings-tang-yuan/ ), which is a lot more complicated. This simplified version is a lot easier to make and yields the same delicious result — but feel free to challenge yourself and be creative with the filling!

We all have foods that we love for memories. As a child, I remember my dad making me pasta. It was macaroni in a pink sauce.  I was only three or four years old yet his macaroni dish was vivid to me, though he only made it once. Since then, Macaroni became one of my favorite things to make. So guess what’s for dinner tonight?  I call this one “Macaroni in Red” which is basically Macaroni in Marinara sauce dressed in grated cheddar and sun dried tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup of Macaroni Pasta
• 8 pieces of sun dried tomato
• 5 Tbs of Marinara Sauce (more if desired)
• 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese (more if desired)
• chopped dried Parsley (or herbs of any kind) leaves (optional)

Directions

1. boil pasta in salt water
2. cut sun dried tomatoes to bits
3. mix sun dried tomatoes with Marinara sauce.
4. take out pasta and transfer into baking bowl
5. grate the Cheddar cheese (as much desired), you can have some freedom with this!
6. mix tomato sauce, grated cheese and macaroni in the bowl. Mix herbs also if desired. sprinkle some cheese on top.
7. set the baking bowl in the oven. 375° for 8 minutes, or until the cheese on top melts.

I guess you can see that this is a more “grown up” version of the simple macaroni and cheese. It’s quick and easy to make — perfect for a week night dinner or if you are having some friends over and are eager to show off some culinary skills (or just too embarrassed to whip out another good old can of Chef Boyardee).

Thank you Italians for introducing tomato to pasta…Buon appetito!

Avocado & Chickpea Salad

My mom randomly came up with this salad combination and I have just fallen in love with the combination and texture.

• cucumber
• lemon
• black pepper
• onions
• avocado
• chickpeas

This easy salad can go well with some rice or some chips! The lemon adds the perfect tangy flavor to this salad.

This is the perfect snack/ meal that you can whip up in the comfort of your dorm room!

Thanksgiving 2006, my mom asked me to check on the turkey that was roasting in the oven.

The turkey was turning golden brown, and smelled amazing. I reported back to my mom that all was good.

And went on my way.

All was not so good. A few moments later the kitchen filled with smoke and flames were shooting out of the oven.

We were able to salvage the turkey, but I was no longer allowed to use the oven.

Somehow in the middle of checking on the turkey, I had left an oven mitt INSIDE the oven.

So for the past 5 years I have been making do with things that don’t require actual stove and oven use.

I am pretty sure my first time eating an avocado was in guacamole from Chipotle.

The only non-Indian food consumed at my house came in a kit. Avocados not included.

Holy pit!

So, my mashing may have gotten a little bit messy. I got avocado in places avocado does not go. Like my pants…Oh and I used my hands to mash. Don’t judge.

Things got a wee bit messy!

I added some color with 3/4 of a tomato

Some tart with 1/2 a lime

What do I do with this pit? Plant a avocado tree?

I seasoned with lots of pepper, salt and chili flakes.

Next time I will add some garlic and onion. That is if I decide to cook again that is.

Actually I am just going to Chipotle. It’s less messy!

Onion-mushroom-feta Flatbread

Do you ever have those days where you open up your fridge and have no idea what to do with your leftovers?  Have a dangling onion and a few mushrooms leftover from pasta night the other day?  Not including salt and pepper, I’ll have your leftover ingredients turned into a simple, elegant, delicious dish!  Try this easy method of getting rid of leftovers.  It’s quick, easy, super delicious, and a great crowd pleaser (even for vegetarian friends!)

Make Your Own Flatbread

Makes 1 flatbread pizza
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

*Check out my helpful tips along the way!  They will be starred (*).

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough

*Available at most grocery stores.  Check out Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods for awesome fresh balls of pizza dough!

• ½ cup of mushrooms, sliced (about 6-7 mushrooms)

*I recommend crimini mushrooms (baby portabellos) but any mushroom will do!

• ½ cup of onions, diced (1 medium onion)
• ⅓ – ½ cup of Feta cheese, crumbled

*You can substitute with goat cheese or any shredded cheese you like!

• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.     Roll out the pizza dough until it is about 1/8 of an inch thick.  Continue to throw flour underneath and overtop of the dough to keep it from sticking.

*If you like thicker crusts, by all means, leave it a little thicker.  Flour your rolling pin before working the dough.  Make sure to always roll from the center of the dough outward.

2.     With a fork, prick the center of the dough to keep the center from rising and to have a nice puffy crust.

3.     Drizzle the dough with olive oil and pop it into the oven and 375˚ for 3-5 minutes.

4.     While the dough is baking, coat the bottom of a non-stick skillet with olive oil over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and onions and sauté them until they’re a nice golden brown.

*Add the pepper after dropping the onions and mushrooms into the pan, but hold off on the salt.  Wait until the onions have gotten little translucent and the mushrooms have a bit of a golden-brown to them, then add the salt!

5.   Pull out the crust and arrange the onions, mushrooms, and cheese on the pizza.  Drizzle the crust with a little more olive oil.

6.   Put the flatbread pizza back into the oven at 375˚ for another 3-5 minutes to melt the cheese.  Enjoy!

What will your favorite flatbread combinations be?  Post them here!

Pictured here: chocolate crepes!

The other morning, I had some serious craving for comfort food. When I think of breakfast and comfort foods, I think of pancakes or crepes. Fluffy and warm pancakes on a Sunday morning bring memories of happiness in a home cooked meal, a much needed bliss in a food-on-the-go setting.

You need:

• 4 cups wheat flour
• 6 ripe bananas
• 3 cups of soy milk/almond milk
• fruit of your choice
• cinnamon
• olive oil

1. Cut the bananas in a bowl, mash until soft.
2. Mix the flour and the milk with the banana mixture. Stir until soft and smooth.
3. Slice the fruits into small pieces.
4. Heat the pan.
5. Drizzle olive oil to grease the pan, set the heat on low.
6. Use a tablespoon and scoop out about two tablespoons of the pancake mixture. Spread evenly across the surface of the pan. When the bottom has stopped sticking to the pan, carefully add fruit filling of choice to the surface of the crepe. Flip half of the crepe to cover the filling. applying pressure on top the secure the filling.
7. Flip the crepe. When the bottom has stopped sticking to the pan, flip the crepe again. Scoop out and enjoy!

These vegan crepes are soft and a little chewy, with hints of the sweetness of banana and tenderness of the fruit filling. These crepes are a perfect lazy Sunday brunch to share with friends!

to make tofu scramble you need:

A box of medium firm tofu ( can be purchased from local grocery store such as superfresh)

3 green peppers

half of a red onion

soy sauce

chopped scallions

olive oil

1. use 4 tablespoons of olive oil, grease the pan and heat the pan on medium heat for 3 minutes

2. while the pan is heating, slice the tofu into cubes. Mince the onions and the green peppers.

3. put the tofu cubes into the pan and let it fry in the pan for 2 to 4 minutes, until the bottom of the tofu has turned golden.

4.  flip the tofu and let the other side of the tofu  fry. Add the minced pepper, onion and scallions.

5. add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce.

6. add salt and pepper.

Photos by Jedda