Comfort Food

Are you a dunker?  Do you have a favorite comfort food from childhood?  For me, it's peanut butter sandwich and coffee.  

It's a cold spring morning.  It seems like spring cannot get started.  Just when you thought things are looking up sunny, it became grey out there again.  For a few brief moments the sun would try to peer through the clouds, as if saying, "it's my turn."  In the garden, weeds have taken over the landscape.  But I don't mind, since they bring about beautiful white and yellow flowers of their own.  And the clouds are a puff of white and grey.  And that's how it is here today in Los Angeles.

Can it be sunny already?  I guess being sunny is how you really feel inside.  For instance, what memories you treasure, what you choose to forget, and what you look forward to in the future.  There are different ways to stir the sunny up in me.  It could be music, a scent, or a photograph.  But for today, it is PB and coffee --- childhood comfort food that warms up the soul, evoking memories of care-free times, when everything was sunny, breezy, and green.  And yes, I like dunking it into my coffee (a childhood comfort drink for me, but that's another story).  Happy  Thursday everyone!  -GG-

Dry-Roasted Potaotes

Following yesterday's post, I created a video featuring a quick and easy recipe for my  

Dry-Roasted Potatoes

If you are cutting down on oil and would still like to enjoy potatoes for breakfast, follow the link above to my YouTube video and see how easy it is to make.  Believe me, in just a very short amount of time, my taste buds have adjusted to not wanting the taste or even the feeling of oil on my lips.  I hope you enjoy this quick and easy recipe.  Till next time, it's all-veggie, it's healthy, and it's tasty.  -GG-

Fruity Sunday

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Or, if you are not Irish, then simply Happy Sunday!  I just wanted to share my breakfast plate with all of you.  I never really used to eat fruits before, but I have now developed a craving for it.  Where a quick run to Mc Donald's would have satisfied a lazy Sunday breakfast craving prior to me being plant-based, I now look forward to reaching out for the fruits in the refrigerator.  Even if it involves washing them, cutting them, and removing seeds, in this case --- papaya seeds.  Whereas before, I would have found it much easier to get in my car, get in the drive-thru line (that would have probably extended all the way to the street), place my order, and head back home.  But now, I would not even consider that as my first choice, in fact it does not even enter my mind anymore.  And I figured, the time it takes to prep the fruits is just a fraction of the time it would have taken me to do the McDonald's run.  And the best thing is I did it all while still in my jammies.  

I was also debating whether to have toast for breakfast as my starch.  Instead, I opted for teeny-weeny potatoes which I bought at Trader Joe's.  I dry-roasted it, (that's right, no oil), and seasoned it with garlic powder, thyme, and rosemary, and a little bit of salt.  I will show you how I do my no-oil roasted potatoes in my next YouTube Vlog post, so stay tuned for it.

I hope you enjoy the rest of this weekend, and may we all have a wonderful week ahead of us. :-)  -GG-

Kimchi Pancake

Ah, kimichi.  It’s either you like it or you don’t.  I never used to like it, that’s why I was always the odd one among us Asian friends whenever we go to Korean restaurant.  But it’s not like I never gave it a try.  I would always take a small piece and see if I can enjoy it, and sadly, I just couldn’t.  Until one day, we decided to have a breakfast potluck at work, and my co-worker announced that she was going to bring kimchi pancakes and white rice.  Oh no! I almost wanted to tell her, “can you bring Spam and eggs instead”?  I did not want to tell her that I don’t eat kimchi.  I just said, “wow, I never had that before”.   Little did I know that this will be the day that I will learn to appreciate kimchi.  So, after breakfast, I finally admitted to my co-worker, “hey, I never used to eat kimchi, but this one, I really liked it”.  She then explained to me that the kimchi she might have picked up was still fairly new.  Wait, what?!  What does that mean?  Aren’t they all just uniformly packaged in a bottle in the refrigerator section of the store?  As it turns out, she went to a Korean store where they make their own kimchi.  I then further researched this and found out about fermentation and depending on how long it sits fermenting, the flavor changes in varying degrees.  So, the longer it sits, the more fermented it tastes.  That is probably the taste that I cannot get past when I used to not like it.  And to this day, when it’s too “strong”, I still couldn’t eat it.  However, I am proud to say that I can now eat kimchi (although not too “strong”), compared to not eating it at all.  So, I want to share with you this Kimchi PancakeRecipe that opened my eyes and palette to this super food, which also is surprisingly easy to prepare.  For me, it's an all-around food, that I like eating this either for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Enjoy!  -GG-

Fruit Plate and Oatmeal Breakfast

It’s one of those days when, before I can even get up from bed, I am already feeling hungry.  It doesn’t help that I can smell the coffee brewing automatically in the kitchen.  I think to myself, only a big hearty breakfast can satisfy me now.  But I have to push through and let my will take over.  Before I became plant-based, going to our local breakfast restaurant will really hit the spot.  An order of pancakes, bacon, and eggs, or maybe something from the “Scramblers,” “Omelettes,” or “Skillets” menu would really satisfy me --- so much that as soon as I get back home, I would lay on the couch as old movie re-runs lull me back to sleep until well past lunch time.  While I do still think about those gastronomic indulgences, I have now come to the point where I can stay away from them as much as I possibly can.  Today is such a day when my will won over those deliciously haunting breakfast plates.  Yay!

So today’s breakfast is a Fruit Oatmeal, and two slices of Papaya.  And of course, coffee. Let’s try to eat healthy, one day at a time.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone! 😊 -GG-

Hello everyone, this blog is alive by way of YouTube.  I have now adopted a plant-based eating lifestyle and have decided to Vlog about it instead.  The old recipes here will stay, but will now continue most of it on YouTube.

The channel is about joining me on my journey as I transition to a plant-based diet.  I started on this diet in the spring of 2018, and have lost 15lbs. since.  People who do this aggressively have lost more weight in a shorter period of time, but I on the other hand decided to transition slowly.

A transition diet for me is not quitting cold turkey.  It means slowly cutting back on the regular diet we used to eat such as processed food, meat, sugar, oil, and salt, until we don’t crave them anymore.  Believe me, I still have cravings for the food I used to eat.  But proudly, for the most part, I choose not to give in.

On The Red Gingham channel, I will tell you how I used to make it, and show you my plant-based twist to it.

I am such a newbie with YouTube and video editing in general, so bear with me.  I hope to see you there by searching us under the same name or by simply clicking here      -GG-

Crispy Sweet and Salty French Toast

Today is a french toast kind of Sunday. I woke up and just had the hankering for french toast. That and the fact that I had an excessive amount of several-days-old bread in the from of loaf and hamburger buns staring at me in the face. Both were getting too dry for as-is use so I had to do something with them and french toast is one of the best ways to use up stale bread.

Cheese Cupcakes

Hello everyone!  I wanted to share with you a Filipino treat I grew up with. Unlike most cupcakes that are moist, this one is more of a muffin in texture.  It's a little on the heavy side, and I love to pair it with coffee.

I found this recipe on the internet at Filipino-Food-Recipes.com  What I will share here is half of the recipe which makes 12 standard size cupcakes.  I hope you like it too. -GG-

Easy Chinese Hot Chili Oil Recipe

How time flies! My friend Yangmei from China will be returning home next week after an extended stay in the USA. She has taught me many quick and easy Chinese recipes and I will have to find the time to post them all one of these days. However, my favorite recipe that I've learned from her is also the easiest. It is this Chinese chili oil recipe.

Chinese Pork Dumplings (Jiaozi)

For the last month and a half, I've had a guest in my home. She hails from Beijing, China, and even though I hadn't met her before she came to stay with me, I feel that we have become fast friends. I have learned so much about China's people, places and culture just by listening to her fascinating stories. Best of all, she has cooked for me on numerous occasions and has taught me so many new ways of cooking Chinese food.

Steamed Chocolate Chip Tofu Cake (rice cooker recipe)

Yes, I know what you're thinking. Tofu in cake? I've actually had tofu bread before and I really liked it so when I came across a recipe for tofu cake, I just had to make it. This all started with a mean cake craving that I've had all week and wouldn't go away. It didn't help that every time I used my rice cooker, I would see the "Cake" setting so I thought, why not finally make cake in my rice cooker? I'm a total novice in using my rice cooker for cake so I went searching for a recipe online.

Umami Beef & Potatoes

You guys didn't think this blog would die did you? I did. GG and I have gotten so busy that food blogging became a thing of the past. But tonight, I thought, why not refresh this old blog of ours, even if it's with a recipe of a simple dish that I concocted over 10 years ago. And so, The Red Gingham lives on!

TJ's Cinnamon Rolls + Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello everyone!  I am back.  I was away for quite a while, and after I came back from my trip to Manila, I have been very busy with stuff...just stuff of all sorts.  But why bore you....today I am reviewing Trader Joe's Cinnamon Rolls using my own frosting.

Boxes As Luggage + Airline Food

Hello everyone!  I am writing you from Manila, Philippines.  Yes, it is good to be back in my native land to see good old friends and good old places, and of course the new places as well.  Boy, does Manila have anything new?  Are you kidding me?  The city is in constant evolution.  Perhaps we will get to that as I blog from here.  But first, ever wonder why Filipinos bring boxes instead of Samsonites?

Good Friday Menu

There are two more Fridays left in this season of Lent, that means two more Fridays of fasting and abstaining from meat.  So I decided to give you a compilation of previous recipes I have created that you can make for the next two coming Fridays before you have your glorious Easter meal.

Good Friday Soup:  Click here for the recipe.

Linguini With Mussels:  Click here for the recipe.

Shrimp Pasta:  Click here for the recipe.

Shoyu Sesame Salmon:  Click here for the recipe.

Sweet and Spicy Crab:  Click here for the recipe.

Asian Style Tilapia:  Click here for the recipe.

Braised Tofu:  Click here for the recipe.

We have other meatless recipes here on the blog.  Just click on the Recipes page and scroll down to the following categories:  Sauces, Soups and Stews, Salads and Sandwiches, Seafood Entrees, and Vegetarian.  I hope you enjoy these recipes all year round.  -GG-

Tuna Pasta for Friday Lent

Here's a quick meal that I would like to dedicate to all Catholics out there.  If keeping your "no meat Friday" is a challenge, here's a quick and delicious alternative to help you fulfill your religious duties.

Chicken & Walnut Kale Salad

As Veggie Girl had mentioned, she and I are on a quest toward healthier eating.  Though I don't aim to be a vegetarian, I am trying to minimize my consumption of meat and have more veggies in my diet.  Here's a quick salad dish I made up, and it's what I had for dinner tonight.

Light & Easy Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is one of those comfort foods that'll warm your soul but could really stick to your ribs at the same time. Anyone who loves meat and potatoes will enjoy Shepherd's Pie because it's essentially ground meat and some mixed veggies topped with a layer of mashed potatoes and baked until golden brown on top. My family loves Shepherd's Pie but since I'm on a quest to shed some weight, I thought, why not make a lighter and healthier version that everyone will still enjoy?

Salmon Ochazuke + Quick Japanese Cucumber Salad

 

I recently bought a new kettle/teapot and I've been in tea heaven! I love tea and I used to have an old metal kettle which started rusting, believe it or not, so I went shopping on Amazon and saw an awesome glass kettle. It now doubles as both my kettle and teapot (since I prefer loose tea) and I've been sipping tea all day long on a daily basis this week.

NutriBullet (My New Toy)

 Hello once again! I have been so busy the past couple of months with other projects I am working on, that is, my landscaping business, that I have not blogged for so long.  I know, that is a sin in blog world.  But Veggie Girl and I are back with exciting things to share with you.