2010

Spiced Golden Plum Sorbet

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Spiced Plum Sorbet
Spiced Plum Sorbet

What book makes you to cry? I know of three. The first two are by Khaled Hosseini: The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Dave Eggers’ What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, is the third book. The stories center around unstable governments, conflicting religious beliefs, wars and family grief. All of the books are emotional. Particularly, when reading the first chapters about families who were living in peace with their daily routines and yearly cultural celebrations. Then the next chapters proceed to tell of tragedy, grief and lost. They end with the characters adapting to new lives, while living with vivid memories of their past. I once was reading one of Hosseini’s books in the middle of rush hour on the 4 train with tears welling up in my eyes. These books are page-turners. Eggers story is a true autobiography about one of Sudan’s Lost Boys. The other two have fictional characters, in which the stories are based on true events. All of the books capture a certain awareness about life. They’re reminders of what’s truly important in our so-called busy schedules: family and friends. Read more →

Seared Tuna served with Black-eyed Peas and Peach Salad

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Seared Tuna served with Black-eye Peas with Peach and Raw Grated Beet Salads
Seared Tuna served with Black-eye Peas with Peach and Raw Grated Beet Salads

The Seared Tuna with the Black-eyed Peas and Peach Salad was served a few weeks ago, when it was too hot to cook. As this post is being written, the weather is cooler. Clouds fill the sky. The ground is damp from last night’s rain. Do I crave this meal in cooler weather like this? Not quite, but I’m posting this meal regardless of the weather. It’s still summer. It’s the middle of August. I’m hoping for more hot days, even if fall is quite a few weeks away. Right now, I’m focusing on this beautiful weather, rain or shine. Peaches, plums, figs, nectarines are at their best this time of year. It’s a coincidence that these fruits pair well with cinnamon and nutmeg, too. Perhaps, they’re sweet fruits warming us into the fall. Read more →

FINALIST for the “Best Cooking or Food Blog” of the 2010 Black Weblog Awards

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2010 Black Weblog Finalist for "Best Cooking and Food Blog"
2010 Black Weblog Finalist for “Best Cooking and Food Blog”

{Top row, images displayed from left to right} The 2010 Black Weblog Awards’ Finalist logo; Ingredients for a Herbal Yogurt Sauce made with tarragon, chives and a shallot. {Second/Middle Row, images displayed from left to right} Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad displayed with a Boiled Egg Salad; Blueberry Pecan Cake; Frittata with Baby Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Young Fontina Cheese, Red Onions and Fresh Rosemary. {Third/Last row, images displayed from left to right} Banana Pudding; Pineapple Tomato Salad; and Strawberry Mint Smoothie.

It’s been less than a year since My Life Runs on Food started. In the beginning, it was a short-term project to learn about blogging applications for a beauty website. Being a Food Blogger, has introduced, or “woke up,” a new creative skill: writing. In addition, my knowledge of HTML, photography, food and Content Management Systems (CMS) continues to expand. Having a strong foundation in graphic design has made learning about blogging an easy endeavor.

Friends on Facebook were initially encouraging; for they would engage in updates about meals I cooked. They asked how-to questions and requested recipes. Then, someone recommended writing a blog. Last fall, I took a break from an entrepreneurial business. To make extra use of the time, I started using WordPress.com, because the website for the business was going to be based on that application. Once registered, I started writing posts to learn about the features. Naturally, the first few sentences were about food. Read more →

Salads for Breakfast

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Healthy Alternative Breakfast: Two Salads
Healthy Alternative Breakfast: Two Salads

The traditional American breakfast usually consist of pancakes, waffles, bacon, grits, sausages or frittatas. Honestly, these meals take too much time to prepare in mornings were time is short. There are faster alternatives. In the summer, an abundance of fresh, local produce are available that make great salads. Salads for breakfast, you ask? Yes. Let’s expand the concept of a salad. Some people think green leaves are too harsh to digest early in the morning. I agree, but baby greens are less harsh. Lightly sautéed spinach, beet and swiss chard greens can be prepared and served in less than five minutes (Meal planning tip: Wash and cut greens the night before). They pair well with Easy Fried Eggs that take less than one minute to serve. My favorite summer breakfast is the basic tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil salad. It’s delicious with drizzled olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper to draw out the flavors more. Sometimes, it’s garnished with toasted pine nuts and chopped kalamata olives. Another salad was made with the same dressing and garnish by using boiled eggs. No greens are included in those salads, and both paired well with crusty, wheat bread. Both salads are usually served as a side dish for lunch and dinner. Just as pancakes can be served for dinner, many light dinner recipes can be served for breakfast as well. Let’s think creatively about breakfast, and start our days on the healthy side. Read more →

Peanut Sauce with Udon Wheat Noodles, Vegetables and Shrimp

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Udon Noodles with Vegetables and Peanut Sauce
Udon Noodles with Vegetables and Peanut Sauce

Depending on how many Spring Shrimp Rolls are made, the amount of peanut sauce prepared could initially seem excessive. It was to me, and that sauce is too delicious to forget and let spoil in the back of the refrigerator. Taking a mental inventory of what’s in the kitchen, I remembered the wheat noodles left over from an incredible Asian soup made a few months ago. In the freezer, was a bag of frozen, precooked shrimp. The CSA share provided plenty of squash and carrots. However, broccoli, carrots, bok choy, bell peppers, water spinach, napa cabbage, baby corn, mushrooms (dried and/or fresh), daikon, snow peas, sugar snap peas, peas, cauliflower, celery, onions, scallions, garlic, ginger, parsnips, radishes, broccoli rabe, edamame, leeks, asparagus, bamboo shoots, and sweet potato all are delicious options to include. Was there a vegetable left out? Let me know, especially if it’s a vegetable not commonly sold in the United States. Read more →