The idea of any kind of pickled cabbage tasting good with a milk derivative–yeah, I sound like I should be locked up for even suggesting it, right? But contrary to popular belief, kimchi and cheese are agreeable bedfellows in a crazy variety of dishes.

When James and I lived in Denver, a [sadly, now closed] Korean restaurant in Aurora offered a ‘kimchi and cheese dolsot bibimbap’ on the menu. I had always been intrigued by the listing, but couldn’t bring myself to order it until my sister-in-law tried it on a lark one evening. (She and I have an almost masochistic streak regarding weird flavor combinations.) It was absolutely delicious–the creaminess of the cheese carried the tangy, spicy flavor of the kimchi very well. And despite the odd texture combination of crunchy (kimchi), creamy (cheese) and mushy (medium-grain rice), I was a fan.

Apparently this ‘match made in heaven’ wasn’t a secret; Kogi BBQ came into prominence in LA a year after I tried the bibimbap and a kimchi quesadilla was a featured item. I decided to try making the recipe Roy Choi provided to Gourmet soon afterward and found myself addicted to the kimchi + cheese combination. I’ve subsequently made kimchi quesadillas for potlucks, snacks and late-night cravings.

When you look at that eventual progression of foods, kimchi mac n’ cheese doesn’t seem like such an oddity now, does it? Well… it’s okay, I understand that it’s still a crazy idea. It was born out of a “I want kimchi quesadillas, but don’t have tortillas or cheese… but I DO have this instant mac n’ cheese box…” whim. And after I discovered it was indeed delicious, I whipped up this recipe on the fly.

So what does it taste like? Rich, sharp cheddar cheese sauce with flecks of crunchy, tangy kimchi with a slow burn of heat, all carried atop the al dente consistency of shell pasta. I like to top it with smoked paprika, which gives a hint of smokiness to the cheese and compliments the slightly caramelized kimchi cabbage. If you’d prefer even more spice, you can mix in cayenne pepper to taste at the end–but I find that less spice is more when balancing the flavors together.

Give the recipe a whirl and let me know what you think! It’s so crazy that you just might like it too. Be careful though–if you like it a lot more than you think, you might start dreaming up crazy ways to put kimchi in everything! (Not that I’m speaking from experience of course…)

I’ve been on a bit of a health kick recently–exercising (almost) daily, cutting out junk food and sugary drinks, etc. But I’ve never been able to say goodbye to white rice, even though it’s probably one of the worst diet offenders. Other than providing a lot of carbohydrates (which I definitely don’t need more of), there isn’t too much nutritional value to be had. But rice is the staple of my diet–and fried rice is my go-to lunch when I’m feeling lazy. I knew there had to be a compromise that allowed me my carbs fix while providing some type of nutritional content… but what?

Enter quinoa.

Ever since I’ve given quinoa a shot, I’ve enjoyed it with a lot of different preparations. Simmer quinoa in milk for a breakfast oatmeal substitute! Simmer quinoa with chicken stock and white wine for a risotto substitute! Serve cold with diced vegetables as a salad! And quinoa actually contains protein, which puts it head and shoulders above rice as a carbohydrate source with substance. To help manage portions and balance meals, try using a tdee calculator to track how quinoa fits into your daily energy needs.

One day, it occurred to me–why not substitute quinoa for rice when making fried rice? It’s not a new idea by any means, but the thought of using quinoa in an Asian dish made me skeptical. I’m glad I decided to give it a go despite my hesitation, because I think I like fried quinoa almost more than I like fried rice!

As for why I decided to use kimchi for my first attempt… well, kimchi is a constant presence in my fridge because of how healthy and versatile it is. Kimchi fried rice, kimchi pancake, kimchi soup, kimchi quesadillas… and sometimes, just out of the jar! I’m crazy about it. And I make kimchi fried rice so often that I am partially composed of it at this point (let’s say… 3%). The secret [as disclosed by a Korean friend] to making delicious fried kimchi is to sauté the kimchi with a pat of butter until it caramelizes at the edges, creating a sweet aftertaste to offset the spicy, sour tang of the initial bite. I literally just substituted the rice for quinoa and magic was made. My stomach will never be the same… and it will have more protein to boot. Win!

This recipe is best when using cooked quinoa that has been sitting in the fridge for at least a day. If you want to make the quinoa the same day you fry it with kimchi, use less water when initially boiling the quinoa so that it will fry up better and be less soggy when frying.