It’s tough to truly enjoy “eating healthy.” Let’s be real here: when I’m snacking on red bell peppers and non-fat yogurt-based tzaziki, I’m not sighing with giddy delight. Grilled chicken breasts aren’t at the top of my favorite foods list. And if you can tell me with a straight face that you prefer [insert healthy alternative dessert] over a crisp, chewy, chocolate chip cookie… then you’re a very talented liar.

That’s not to say that you can’t enjoy the accomplishment of eating healthy. I’m sure that we all feel like Rocky at the top of the steps when we deny ourselves those same cookies in lieu of a healthy alternative. But being proud of yourself and truly loving every bite of whatever you’ve chosen to eat are two different things, especially in today’s health-conscious society.

I’m not going to lie to you and say that kale chips fill in that deep, heartfelt desire that we all have… which is to eat potato chips until our mouths are numb from the salt. (Or is that just me and my inner fat kid?) But I will say that if you love kale–or even if you’re okay with kale–chips are a great alternative.

I decided to combine my (relative) love of kale chips with my (undeniable) love of sriracha… and so came this recipe! It’s not rocket science by any means, but I hope you like it as much as I do–and by that, I mean that I ate the entire thing in one sitting after taking pictures of it.

Definitely cut down on that extra ½ Tbsp. of sriracha if you’re not into spice… as I’ve mentioned before, James & I are spice fiends, so my taste buds are probably a little sunburnt. The sugar goes a long way to temper the spiciness, but certainly not enough if you order your wings or Thai food “mild”. Also, I should mention that it is very easy to burn these chips–so don’t take the bake times as absolute, and do check on them a few minutes before the time listed just in case! Every oven is different.

And now, if you’ll excuse me… eating all of this kale has made me feel like I should contemplate working out…

While reviewing past recipes and the write-up before the recipes, I’ve realized that my blog entries follow a very sad outline:

1. Kris used to think ________ was icky! What a travesty.
2. (soul-searching paragraph)
3. And now she doesn’t. Yay ________!

Today, we are tackling pickles–which I also disliked for a long time. But since I seem to have disliked everything when I was growing up (ha), I’m going to skip over that fact and talk about how amazing Korean food is instead!

My first and dearest experience with Korean food was at a little joint called San Chang in Colorado Springs when I moved there in 1999. I had tried “Korean” food before at Pan-Asian restaurants around Delaware as a child, but not like San Chang. What were these funny grills doing in the middle of the table? Why were there so many vents? And why were there so many versions of pickled vegetables in tiny plates?

It wasn’t until I befriended Korean-American classmates at college that I learned the magical name of these vegetable dishes–banchan. But I loved banchan from the start, and often stuffed myself on it before the main course arrived at the table. My favorite banchan involved radishes in various forms: julienned, cubed, sliced, and so on, pickled in so many delicious ways. I loved the cool, crisp crunch of the radish and the subsequent explosion of pickling juice that would follow with each bite. They were a sharp, effective palate cleanser to the salty savoriness of galbi or the sweetness of bulgogi. Ever since that first magical visit, I’ve been a fan of Korean food and flavors… and most importantly, pickles!

James linked this pickled radish & jalapeno recipe to me while I was in the Philippines, so I gave it a go when I came back to LA and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make. I tweaked the ratio of sugar and jalapenos because we prefer our pickles a little spicier and less sweet, but feel free to play with the ratio according to your preferences. I also chopped the radish rather coarsely because we are radish fiends–but you can make smaller slices if you wish, especially if you’re using the pickling juice as a sauce for meat. Either way, I hope you give this very simple recipe a try–whether you’re a banchan fan like me or looking to spice up the condiments at your dinner table. You won’t be disappointed!

Recipe adapted from Top Chef Korea.

It’s embarrassing to admit now, but I was not a huge fan of Creole or Cajun food until recently. It seems blasphemous to say something that far-reaching as a food lover–to write off an entire region that is known for being a rich melting pot of vibrant flavors. But I like to blame my strange aversion to bell peppers as well as my unfamiliarity with New Orleans cuisine. I don’t ever recall having anything remotely Creole or Cajun when I was growing up, and my college isn’t really known for its diverse culture or cuisine…

(I know, I have no excuse for the bell pepper hatred. All I can say is that I’ve come to my senses, and that sad period in my life is over.)

Now that I’m on Team Cajun/Creole, I’m all about the flavors and richness of culture that you can taste in every dish. I especially admire Cajun cooking for its resourcefulness–which is great for those of us looking for a lot of taste on a more limited budget. Sorry, Creole: let’s do étouffée another night, okay?

I know I’ve stated this before, but corn is one of my favorite things to eat. I love its sweet flavor and chewiness and think it goes well with just about anything. And when I found this recipe in a Cajun cookbook, I was intrigued. How would the subtle sweetness of corn play with the spiced, sharp flavors of Cajun preparation? Quite well, it turns out, and even better than I expected. The bell pepper and onion sharpen the sweetness, while the earthy tang of the tomato sauce makes each bite savory. Throw in the Old Bay seasoning and cayenne pepper and you’ve just kicked these corn kernels up another level!

This side dish would pair well with a fish fry or chicken and grits–it really spices up a meal without being overwhelming! I definitely recommend using fresh ears of corn, but if you’re looking for a quick and non-messy alternative, use frozen corn instead. Just defrost the corn in the microwave until the frost is melted, then follow the directions.

Recipe adapted from About.com.

James & I hosted a game night at our place last weekend and had a lot of our friends over–certainly more than I thought would be comfortable in our cozy apartment. But our lack of space brought everyone closer together (literally) and made for a very fun time… or at least I like to think so! We asked people to bring over things to snack on or to drink while we would provide the main meal and dessert. While most opted to bring alcohol–which I could never complain about!–one of our friends brought a few side dishes from a restaurant called lemonade. Everything she brought was delectable, but one dish in particular stood out to me, both in its simplicity and its deliciousness: curried cauliflower with raisins and pecans. What a simple yet tasty combination! Even before I had finished eating the last bite, I was determined to replicate it at home.

There is one very important component to this recipe that I feel I should address, as everything else in this list of ingredients is very straightforward: ghee, or clarified butter. While you can technically substitute regular butter or even olive oil for this recipe, neither will provide the same subtle sweetness and clarity of flavor that ghee provides this dish. You can obtain ghee by either purchasing it at the grocery store (I would suggest Whole Foods or something more culinary/organic-oriented) or by making it at home–it’s really quite easy! I followed Nom Nom Paleo‘s guide to DIY ghee, which added an additional 10 minutes to my prep time.

Ghee differs from traditional clarified butter because you allow the solids that separate from the butter during the cooking process to brown, creating a nutty, slightly sweet flavor that isn’t unlike brown butter. This, coupled with the ginger and raisins, create a sweeter profile for this particular dish and pairs well with the curried cauliflower. Add the pecans for some crunchy texture and you’ve got a great Indian-influenced side dish that tastes a lot more complex than it actually is!

This is the honest truth–as soon as I put my camera down, I chowed down this entire plate of cauliflower and promptly ate another. If you’ve never considered the sweeter side of curry, I definitely encourage you to give it a try!

James and I are fortunate enough to live near Little Osaka in West Los Angeles–honestly, we probably patronize restaurants on this street at least twice a week. It is invaluable to have such a great array of places to eat near us, especially because traffic in LA can be so restrictive! It’s almost to our detriment that we live so close by; at times, it’s hard for me to muster the energy to cook something when I know we can eat delicious food for relatively cheap prices on Sawtelle. Our proximity to Little Osaka has also made me quite content to dine out for a lot of my favorite foods instead of trying to create them at home.

The only time I do try to make some of the dishes I enjoy at home, however, are when I think that the cost of eating out is grossly imbalanced with the effort it takes to make the dish. Corn potage falls into that category quite easily, as the ingredients are easy to obtain and the recipe itself is quite easy to make.

We first encountered corn potage at Curry House on Sawtelle and instantly became enamored with its sweet, creamy flavor and thick texture. Japanese cuisine has embraced corn and tends to highlight it in peculiar ways–yes, I’m talking about corn on pizza and ice cream–but this particular preparation has been lovingly adapted from French cuisine. The word “potage” is an old French term for thick stew (potted dish, literally); as for how potage mades its way to Japan, well… I came up empty in my cursory research. Musings aside, corn potage has become a very popular Western-style food in Japan–but maintains its French origins in its preparation by building its flavor from a basic roux of butter and flour. Blending the corn into the broth creates the mushy consistency that normally takes hours for traditional potage soups, making for a soup that is hearty but altogether different than corn chowder.

I absolutely love corn potage with crusty bread, as a side with katsu curry, or even by itself–but then again, I am nuts about corn in general and love eating it in just about any preparation or style. Even if you don’t necessarily feel the same way, I hope you give it a try and enjoy it!

Recipe adapted from Little Japan Mama.

It’s that time of year again: when the all of your favorite machines at the gym are occupied no matter what time you try to beat the crowds. Taking high-quality pre-workout will give you energy for intense gym sessions. (Well, let’s pretend that we were the ones going to the gym during the holidays, shall we?) Additionally, if your natural collagen levels have declined, then you may consider trying collagen products from NativePath. Fitness pictures and memes dot your Pinterest page; your fridge is stocked with fresh healthy fruits like Rotab Mazafati Bam Dates and veggies, just begging to be blended into a nutritious smoothie. You’ve waved a tearful goodbye to your holiday leftovers and chips that you love to crunch on whilst watching your favorite show. All is well in January… or so you think.

Then February hits. The gym is looking post-apocalyptic: deserted and with a few determined stragglers. You are sick and tired of disguising kale and spinach with copious amounts of banana and strawberry in your smoothie, and those chips are looking mighty good at the store when you stop by after work. You’re back to pinning amazing cupcakes on Pinterest. Where, oh where hast thy resolution gone?

Don’t get me wrong–I’m not dissing on resolutions. I think that they’re great. But creating one that is realistic seems to be the hardest part. So why don’t we start with trying to eat just a bit healthier? But healthier is expensive, is more time-consuming… and those chips…

That’s where this spring pea soup comes in.

I first discovered this recipe in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table (which is now becoming dog-eared on my shelf) last year, when I was desperately trying to get fit in time for summer. And even though the other fad no-carb recipes have come and gone, I still make this soup regularly because it really is that good (delicious)–and easy (only 15-20 minutes!)–and most importantly, healthy!

Please give it a try; I think you’ll find that even if your resolutions fall by the wayside–as mine inevitably do each year–you will keep this in your recipe box.

Recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table.

When I tell my friends in Colorado that the nights are cold in Los Angeles, I get at best a jealous eye-roll and at worst a derisive laugh. I’ve already been told numerous times by different people that I’ve “lost my Colorado card.” Honestly, I’m fine with that; I can’t claim to miss the sub-zero wind chills, the 200% chance of eating it in a driveway on black ice or the biting pricks of pain at my earlobes when I step outside. I miss the snow when I’m feeling sentimental, but I think that’s almost exclusively connected to the Christmas season. I still remember being absolutely sick of snow in Februaries past when living in Denver; by the time May came around, I would be stir-crazy for summer. (Colorado’s Spring looks a lot like everywhere-else’s mild winter and only stops to become summer sometime in May.)

Whether I’m cold in Los Angeles or freezing in Colorado, however, the frigid weather always puts me in the mood for soup. I love rich, hot soup that warms me from the inside out. Even better if it’s a soup that is both substantive and comforting–no thin chicken broth for me, thank you. I want flavor that will linger on the tongue and keep my belly warm!

Broccoli cheddar soup is one of those comforting, homey soups to me. When it’s cold outside and I’m in the mood for soup, the first thing that usually comes to mind is broccoli cheddar in a sourdough bread bowl. Creamy and luxurious, but packed with fresh vegetables that give the roux-based soup substance. Plus, broccoli and cheddar are a match made in heaven!

I usually wing it when it comes to throwing together the ingredients, but I hope that this recipe will serve as a good guideline to you when you’re in the mood for something comfy on a cold day. If you really want to up the ante on the creaminess of the soup, you can use half-and-half instead of milk and use an extra tablespoon of butter. Whether you add your own flourishes to this bare-bones recipe or stick to the basics, I hope it keeps you warm!

I think that being able to bake and cook for your own self is very liberating. You are no longer restricted by the nearby restaurants or the frozen food in the grocery store—the world of cuisine is your figurative oyster. This ‘romanticism’ of cooking is probably why I jump into multiple kinds of ethnic foods and genres of cuisine. But being self-sufficient in the kitchen also serves another purpose: it allows you to make a lot of the staple foods from scratch, which are almost always easier to make than you think (and tastier than the store versions).

Pickles easily qualify for both categories and more—they are extremely easy to make and more delicious when freshly made. There are no preservatives floating around in your jar with those crunchy slices. And best of all—when you take the jar out of the fridge and present it as a side dish at a meal, you can mention that you made the pickles yourself. In this day and age, your guests will be impressed. You can comment on how it’s nothing praiseworthy, and that anyone can do it. And you wouldn’t be lying for the sake of humility, either. It really is that easy.

The most important part of making pickles is patience. In order to ensure that signature crunch in every pickle slice, a large amount of the water content in the cucumbers needs to be pulled out of each slice before you combine the cucumbers with the pickling juice. The initial recipe I used mentioned that you needed to check the cucumbers every once in a while and mix them to ensure a maximum amount of crunch, but I left them undisturbed in the fridge for a few hours and still had successful results. Also, the recipe was for canning the pickles—I simply reused a jar of spaghetti sauce that has an air-tight lid. If you don’t have a jar, Tupperware will still do the job of keeping your pickles crispy. (It just won’t look as pretty or old-fashioned.)

Lastly, the amount of red pepper flakes in the recipe is up to you and your taste buds. The original recipe only called for ¼ teaspoon of the stuff, which is way too mild for James and me. For those of you that are squeamish about heat, then go with ¼ teaspoon—it’s a harmless amount, but still gives enough of a kick to balance out the sweetness of the pickles.

Go forth, my friends, and pickle!

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living.

Everybody makes the resolution to lose weight at the beginning of the year—so much so that it’s trite. But with the prevalence of Bad Food in our grocery stores and supermarkets today, it becomes increasingly harder to not only keep your resolution, but to continue it even after you’ve lost the weight. A great way to stay on the path to your fitness goal is to alter your diet in a healthy and non-dramatic way. But healthy weight loss is kind of slow… and so, I go the crazy-pants route by cutting carbohydrates out of my diet completely. (Disclaimer: This is NOT healthy and NOT maintainable! I will explain further below.)

My girlfriend’s bachelorette party is in Las Vegas, and one of the events on the itinerary is a Beach Club—if you’re not familiar with the idea, it’s a day club that is poolside and outdoors, with cabana service replacing bottle service along the sides. Basically, everyone is in their skivvies and there is no place to hide from judging eyes. I realized that this was going to be a part of the trip about a month before the trip… and that’s why I took such drastic measures and cut carbs out.

With all of that said, I decided to try my hand at cauliflower pizza because it was, in my mind, a great way to have Bad Food (pepperoni pizza) without sacrificing my diet. And yes, technically there are no starchy, carbohydrate components. But what it doesn’t have in carbs it makes up for in fat: cheese, cheese, and more cheese. This cauliflower pizza crust recipe is delicious, but I just wanted to debunk the idea that it is healthy because it doesn’t have bread in it. This is not the case. However, if you are looking for a way to have pizza that is gluten-free… this is the recipe for you. Keeping an eye on portion sizes and counting macros for weight loss can help ensure that even healthier swaps align with your nutritional goals. For those exploring surgical options, understanding the gastric sleeve uk cost can be an important step in planning a long-term weight loss journey.

The key to making the crust cohesive and not crumbly is the amount of water you wring out of the ground cauliflower before shaping the crust. You cannot do this half-heartedly—I don’t know how else to emphasize this point, other than to say that your hard work will look more like cheesy cauliflower mash than crust. I spent over 5-7 minutes just wringing the water out of the cauliflower as hard as I could, and I ended up with a perfect crust that held together—even when I picked it up by the edges.

This recipe is for the crust only and not for the toppings, as I am assuming you have an idea of what you would prefer on your own pizza. For reference, I have used tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and thinly-sliced pepperoni… simple, but delicious!

Recipe adapted from The Lucky Penny Blog.

I stopped by the Sprouts that just opened in Westwood today and was figuratively pummeled by the amount of sales on produce. Since our spring this year in Southern California has been a bit… well, chilly for the average (spoiled) bear, it was awesome to see all of my favorite things on sale for early summer. Strawberries ($0.88 a pack!), raspberries ($1.50!), apples ($0.88/lb!)… the humble little housewife in me was brimming with excitement. When I saw that large artichokes were on sale for $1.00 per artichoke, I almost fist pumped. (I wish I were exaggerating.)

A freshly-steamed artichoke is a thing of wonder, but there is some prepping required before you can enjoy your bounty. In this particular entry, I’ll talk about steaming it—but there are other ways, such as grilling or even microwaving, that yield equally delicious results. It’s a great appetizer or low-key snack, and healthy too! The best part about eating a whole artichoke despite the initial prep work is the ‘snacking sensation’ you get, similar to digging into a bag of chips. Since you can’t jam all of the leaves into your mouth, you’re forced to eat it slowly—and you end up feeling fuller than you expected when you’re done! Just keep in mind that when you buy artichokes, the freshest ones have leaves that are still tightly bound to the center.

(Note: Since this isn’t much of a recipe and almost more of an informative blog post, I’m foregoing the normal “recipe” format. What a deviant I am!)

Ingredients:

1 artichoke

1 slice of lemon

1 garlic clove

Instructions: 

1. Rinse the artichoke thoroughly to make sure there isn’t anything caught between the leaves.
2. Cut the tips off of the leaves to get rid of the pokey thorns—I use my kitchen shears, which is much easier than a knife!
3. Use a knife to cut the top off of the center of the artichoke (for larger artichokes, usually ½ -1 inch will do). This makes it easier for you to access the center (and for the steam to reach the center as well).
4. Fill a larger pot with 1-2 in. of water, then toss the lemon slice and garlic clove into the water.  Place the steaming basket inside, then place the artichoke on top.
5. Bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer for ~30 minutes. Artichokes can vary in cook time depending on how large they are—I would check at 30 minutes to see if the leaves pull away easily. If they still provide resistance, wait for another 5 minutes and check again.
6. Carefully remove the steamed artichoke from the pot and enjoy!

For the uninitiated when it comes to eating a steamed artichoke:

1. Pull off a leaf.
2. Grab the leaf where you trimmed it, then turn it so that the white pulpy side is facing down.
3. Pull the leaf through your teeth so that your bottom set of teeth scrapes the pulp away from the leaf.
4. Repeat until you reach the purple-tipped leaves/fuzzy center.
5. Use a spoon to cut into the circumference of the fuzzy center, then gently spoon the fuzzy center away from the artichoke heart.
6. Eat its heart!!! (This sounds rather barbaric, doesn’t it?)

I like to dip the artichoke pulp into a small amount of balsamic mayonnaise—just 2 Tbsp. of mayonnaise mixed with ¼tsp. balsamic vinegar. But you can really eat it plain with a little bit of salt if you’d like—the lemon and garlic give the artichoke a nice fresh flavor.