UnRecipe: I LOVE FUNGUS

Seriously, I do. The fungal sponge-y growth that someone, somewhere, some time ago, thought it would be okay to eat, is one of my favorite ingredients. Especially the wild varieties, like oyster, chanterelle, lobster -- all the names that don't evoke the idea of mushroom. They're fun ingredients to work with, and while each type of mushroom has its own level of earthy flavor, it's never so overwhelming that you'll ruin a dish in the name of experimentation. So here's to mushrooms, an easygoing, fun guy to cook with. Har har.

Holy Shiitake! It's mushrooms - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Mixed Plate: Summer's Last Rites and Just Letting Life Happen

Er...mah....gurd. Yes, I'm alive. And yes, I realize it's been freakin' FOREVER since I posted. Well, almost two months. I took an unscheduled break from blogging because of work and a much-needed vacation. But I'm back! Well, at least for this post. I admit, it's been nice to just enjoy life, live in the moment, and not concern myself with photographing and taking notes on every. little. detail. So that's what this post is all about -- enjoying the moment, carpe diem-ing it, and remembering the sunny summer that was.

Summer's Last Supper, chevre-stuffed squash blossoms with pasta carbonara - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Put 'Em On the Grill!

Yes, this latest post title is inspired by 90's classic, Sir Mix's "Put 'Em on the Glass," but of course this is far less boobtastic and way less sexist. Rant = Over. This sometimes joyous, sometimes way-too-flippin'-hot summer is a constant challenge when it comes to meal prep. While I admit to eating salads nearly every day, not everything can be eaten raw. Scratch that -- not everything can be ENJOYED raw. But is dinner worth heating up an already sweltering kitchen by turning on the stove? Absofreakin'-lutely NOT. Solution: Put 'Em On the Grill. (food, not boobs)

Majestic UnRecipe Grilled Salad - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Summertiiiiiiime.... and the Livin's Easy....

I don't know about you, but Summer Lovin's got me lazy as hell. The heat doesn't help inspire energy, but even when the blessed mild summer days (and by mild, I mean mid 70's -- anything beyond that, and we all turn into big PNW crybabies, myself being the crybabiest of the crybabies.) I'm still keeping up with our weekly produce delivery, as well as our happily flourishing herb garden in the backyard. So the menu this summer has been fresh stuff, grilled stuff and anything you can enjoy while sitting outside.

Summer pizza? Why not, especially when you've got fresh herbs aplenty - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Meatloaf is the New Ham (p.s. this title makes no damn sense)

My return to blogging after a short birthday/new dog break is, of course, nonsensical. As it should be. About as nonsensical as a freakin' hailstorm in May. We had one of those last week, and I was bundled up in two layers of sweats and freezing my buns off. Which makes something as cozy as meatloaf and roasted root veggies so fitting. Even though it's nearly Memorial Day weekend.

Meatloaf inspired by ham. JUST GO WITH IT. - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: An Egg-splosion of Flavor!

Don't give me that look of, "...but Easter was, like, FOREVER ago." You still have more than a few brightly-hued hard-boiled eggs sitting in your fridge, staring at you, begging you for a Special Purpose. Begone, glazed-over stares into the fridge! I present to you the BEA Sandwich. (Bacon Egg Avocado). *Boom* (that's me, dropping the mike on the stage and walking away)

Beautiful eggs that I couldn't bear to crack. OK, I eventually gave in - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Ingredient Obsession - Red Pepper Power (Powder)

"RAAAAAAAWKS-aaaaaaannnne..... you don't have to put on the red light... " That is, unless you're putting on the red pepper powder. On everything. To be filed under "random purchase at the Asian grocer," I bought a large container of Korean red pepper/kimchee (kimchi) powder, aka, gochugaru. While I haven't made a single batch of fermented cabbage buried in a clay pot in the ground, I have been sprinkling that powder into pretty much everything else, WITH NO SIGNS OF STOPPING.

Korean-style tacos, complete with gochugaru-infused tortillas! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Brock's Burgers and a Valentine's Day Redux

I know, it's not Valentine's Day. It's not even February anymore! But I don't care, I felt the need to share a post that perfectly illustrates how food and daily life are perfectly entwined, and that the date shouldn't matter -- we shouldn't require excuses to have special meals. What we eat isn't just fuel, it's a way of expressing our appreciation for others when we dine on something special or make someone their favorite dish -- it's a personal way to celebrate a loved one. Ironic that it's a priority on one of the most impersonal/faux-emotion day of the year: Valentine's Day.

Babe, this burger's for you - from the wonderfully amusing series, Bob's Burgers (no, not Brock's Burgers)

UnRecipe: What Up Shorty - Asian Cooking Shortcuts

Cutting corners on making traditional Asian cuisine?!!! All the Tiger Moms out there want to beat me with a bamboo cane for daring to suggest such a thing. They already lament my not being a doctor, or marrying a doctor, or not having six overachieving children who are on their way to becoming a doctor. Hell, I don't even hold chopsticks right. But whatever, my Wasabi Mom doesn't care, she loves her little underachiever no matter what. If anything, Mom would appreciate this post, because it's not about specific recipes, more about ways to make-do and cook with what you have, Asian-style. 

My version of Dan Dan Mein, using (gasp) spaghetti noodles - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Have Party, Will Travel

What...? You're talking about party foods and cocktails?! Shhhh.... I'm still nursing a holiday hangover from 2014, so says your brain as you read this post's title. Yes, I'm sure everyone's still partied-out from the holidays, but save these tips for the next time you're bringing a snack and/or drinks to a friend's party. Food and beverages that travel well is the great thing you never knew you needed! At least until you realize that 7-layer taco dip has now created a 7-layer avalanche all over your car. Whoopsie. Let Wasabi help you out.

Cheers to cocktails that can be brought to a party, ready to enjoy! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: I Like Fresh Buns (and I Cannot Lie)

I know I should be writing about New Years diets or cleanses or anything with a hashtag and "for the glow." But I won't. Nope. Not gonna do it. I'm not trying to be obstinate or throw off any resolutions, I just decided I want to talk about hamburgers. Not because they're so popular, but marveling at how versatile a food it is. It's practically its own food group. More specifically, I want to talk about hamburger buns -- we talk so much about burger fillings, but the bread is just as important and what makes the hamburger such a versatile and delicious food. 

Cheeseburgers celebrating Lunar New Year - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Cook Whatcha Got

A new year often prompts a bit of reflection. I'll keep my reflective thoughts specific to this blog, but I realized how much my personal cooking behavior has changed since starting the blog many years ago (2008/2009 - whew, that's a lot of posts). The nice thing about cooking is that repetition pretty much guarantees improvement. When you prepare meals 2-3 times a week, there's no pressure to make everything super-duper gourmet, you learn as you go, it's a constantly evolving process where it's not the meals that are the project, it's yourself. Cooking becomes less about the meal and more about methods of preparation, use of ingredients, and time management -- or at least, that's what I've gotten out of blogging and cooking regularly for the last several years. So this is my post -- I'm sharing some midweek meals over the last year that weren't necessarily conceived as blog projects, but I liked the look of them, and I feel like altogether, they represent what this blog has become.

You see: spice-rubbed pork with veggies over polenta / I see: clean out the fridge - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: To Manti!

Stupid/Nerdy Movie Reference Moment: that part in The Golden Child, where Eddie Murphy is performing all these different trials to earn the right to wield some mystical knife, so that he can save the Golden Child from a demonic captor (who also happens to be on Game of Thrones, as Tywin Lannister). I'm not making this up, People Who Were Born in/after the 1980s -- this movie exists. And it's wonderful. And in typical Eddie Murphy fashion, he's throwing humorous quips as he avoids Indiana Jones-like death traps, complaining that the trials are being run by famed game show host, Monty Hall. On one of the last trials, Murphy raises a glass of water and says: To Monty! And that long, stupid anecdote is how we get to Turkish dumplings, aka, manti. Sorry I'm a dork.

Wee manti - Turkish bite-sized dumplings with yogurt sauce and paprika butter - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: White Fungus Can't Jump (but it's a good noodle replacement)

Tis the season for using the stove and oven again. And not doing the mad dance of opening all the windows around 6pm to let some marginally cooler air circulate around the house, and then by morning, shut all the windows and close the drapes, turning your home into a dark Batcave to preserve what little cool air you collected the night before. Tis the season to be easing into that glorious time of year called FALL. That being said, let's talk about mushrooms -- not the typical autumnal chanterelle or earthy morel, but the lesser known white fungus/snow fungus/silver ear fungus/white jelly fungus. Or what I call, the paleo/low-carb noodle replacement fungus. 

There's a white fungus among us - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Challa-back Girl

Hello, my name is Wasabi and I'm a Stress Baker. It's certainly not an unfamiliar means to combat anxiety, and to be honest, it's a great motivator to try new, overly complex things. In this case, I learned to make the traditional Jewish bread, challah. To which we all love to shout, "Challllllahhhhh!" like we're in a Missy Elliot video. That being said, I've most certainly become a Challah-back Girl, baking up a storm when times get wiggy.

Challah, you knotty little mix of a bread, you - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Live Every Day Like it's Aloha Friday

I think many share this sentiment, which is: I'm not in Hawaii, but I sure wish I was. Maybe not right now, in the heat of summer where it's hot, humid, no one has air conditioning, and the airfare prices are as much as dragon eggs on the Westeros black market... but you know, all the other times when you're Not in Hawaii. Which leads me to the insatiable craving I get for the most unholy of unholy Local Kine Grindz, the infamous Locomoco. Beef burger patty, rice, gravy and a fried egg. It's so simple and cbeap enough to where it's about as much to go out to have it as it is to make it at home. I'm pretty sure McDonalds makes a version for the Islands. But we don't have such luxuries on the Mainland. We must fashion our own Moco of Loco!

Locomoco, Cascadia-style - yep, with kale - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Salt of the Earth Eats

We're definitely in the months where the notion of cooking over a hot stove is just not an option. But there's no reason not to celebrate ingredients while trying to beat the heat! This week's post is all about the magic of salt. It's a wonderful preservative and is a one-step miracle ingredient if you don't want to fuss with making a brine for a jar full of fresh vegetables. I'm parading the miracles of salt, but I'm also giving a head's up to a site I've been using as a great reference guide: The Japanese Food Report, which has been helpful for a lot of simple, everyday techniques.

The simplicity of salted radishes -- and not wasting any of the parts! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: You're My Hero, DIY Gyro! (and the Interwebs, too)

Sometimes I think, I should try and write down more of my recipes and actually make this a real recipe blog. And then I ignore that voice and keep reading through cookbooks, browsing recipes sites, and other cooking blogs, which basically all inform how this blog winds up. In the evenings, I multitask while re-watching that Downton Abbey episode for the fourth time to figure out what the hell is going on, and dinking around on my smartphone, reading recipes and looking up what other people do with specific ingredients. This is exactly what happened not long ago, when a wicked craving for gyros came about, and the solution was (as always) The Interwebs.

Make-at-home-gyros on lavash; a near-perfect restaurant-style reproduction - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: The Sweet Life - Dish Up!!

Much like our blessed Memorial Day holiday week, this post is gonna be short n' sweet! Not that you need anyone's permission -- much less mine -- but it's all good in the hood to savor the sweet life. If you can have a bit of dessert, ENJOY IT.

Salted Caramel Chocolates from Fran's? OM NOM IMMEDIATELY - Photo by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Asian Creature of Habit

A friend had mentioned, just based on the endless photos I post on the social media-verse, that I pretty much cook only Asian food. Really? Is that the cuisine profile most people associate me with?? (blog name notwithstanding) I'm sure I've cooked other things! I thought about it for a bit and realized, jeeze, it really has been a while since I've cooked a meat loaf or anything the average American/Western European would consider "dinner." Not that cooking primarily Asian cuisine is a bad thing -- 1.3 billion Chinese can't be wrong -- it's just interesting to get an outsider's perspective of what's cookin', if all you saw was a social media feed of what's on the menu. So the unsurprising truth is OUT: I'm totally an Asian Creature of Habit when it comes to cooking. Apologies to Mr. Wasabi, who probably just wants a grilled cheese sandwich now and then.

Even when it's not Asian food, it looks like fried rice or stir fry - Photo by Wasabi Prime