Tam Eats

Preparing winter melon grown from my parent's garden.  My puppy (she's 6 years old) watching me make soup. This is from when I first got her, around 4-6mo old. Her mannerisms haven't changed at all 😊 Simple Vietnamese Winter Melon Soup :) Winter Melon Soup with Shrimp Recipe (Canh Bi Dao Tom) (link) Serves: 3 S hrimp Marinade 5 large peeled shrimps 1 small shallot 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon fish sauce Mince up the shrimp with the shallot on a cutting board. Add the shrimp to a bowl and marinate with salt, black pepper, fish sauce. Set aside. Soup 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 small shallot (slice thinly) 4 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon  chicken, mushroom or pork seasoning 1/4 teaspoon MSG (optional) 1 small winter melon (peel, de-seed and cut into bite size pieces) 2 green onions (cut into 1-inch segments) Pinch of black pepper Heat up a small pot with vegetable oil. Add shall...

Had to figure out something to pack for husband's lunch. Just sat on it for awhile... Watched a movie... Getting close to 11pm...so then decided throw some random ingredients together .. and it turned out well! Inspiration... I could have just thrown that in his lunch bag 😂  Always gives a dish a nice salty kick. In the end, dressed the lentil soup up with sauteed shallots, kale, andcarrots then added veggie broth to thin it out. Quick. Easy. 

Husband was very excited about this, so per his request... Vegetarian chili Mac and cheese 😁 less labor for me, so I was happy to do it. Also, made a dessert to use our huge container of peaches that Brian's mom left us before going on her trip. I am always trying to  search the easiest recipes on Pinterest Peach Berry Cobbler.  I don't have a picture of the finished product... I kinda winged it making the crumble... Which yes, you can mess up crumble. Mine was too dry. Still tasted good though. 

So, we agreed that for some occasions we can have a cheat day and eat meat. We made it to one year of marriage, and returned to one of our first dates: Bolsa at Bishop Arts. The Prix Fixe meal was very filling.. so much food! The best was the dessert. We finished that up! Chicharrones + bruschetta Forgot what this drink was, but it was too strong for my taste. Salad More Salad Burger.. the patty seemed deep fried with a crispy crust but still juicy  Duck confit, barely made a dent... so full... HOWEVER,... His favorite, patiently waiting to take a bite  My favorite MANAGED TO FINISH THE DESSERTS... no prob at all 😂😅

Had this Kombucha squash sitting around for a while. With the weather cooling down, it was the perfect time to make this soup! Such a naturally sweet squash.  I made a balsamic vinegar reduction, added leftover chickpeas, cauliflower from dinner, and sauteed portabella mushroom marinated in balsamic vinegar + garlic + pepper For the reduction: just 1 cup of balsamic vinegar boiled, reduce to simmer and constantly stir for 15-20 min) Recipe for soup: http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/food-wine/the-best-pumpkin-soup-recipe-ever

Living next to H-Mart and 99 Ranch is so convenient.  I love it. Anyway, just threw together some stuff in the fridge from last night's dinner.  I made a brown rice bowl with pickled daikon, seaweed salad, chopped kimchi, stir-fried black beans, and spicy squid in the middle.  I debated a fried egg on top, but I liked it the way it was. So, buying all these sides added up to $30 but the number of meals it provided has already paid off. We are having portabella burgers tonight, the one when you buy a huge mushroom cap and grill it.  I've always wanted to eat one. So, I decided I'll have a fried egg on that instead. Can't wait for dinner :)

I am so happy with this lunch! I wanted something fresher with some greens. We have lots of veggie patties in the freezer too haha.  Then, I remembered we had an extra In-n-Out sauce packet. Lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, swiss cheese (no American in the house)... but I forgot about the mustard -_- Anyway, I am so happy with this. It was so good. 

Fishsticks!! We were excited for this simple meal over the weekend. 😁

Don Lee Superfoods veggie patty under that toasted poppy seed bun with trader Joe's Dijon mustard and carmelized onions. String cheese from Costco. Apples.

My sister told me about this kale salad at Chik Fil A. It's been a very long time since I've eaten there but the recipe looks pretty simple and I have all the ingredients. I'll try it soon. https://mommyshomecooking.com/copycat-chick-fil-a-superfood-salad/ 1. Copycat Chick fil A Superfood Salad Prep Time 5   mins Total Time 5   mins Servings :  4 Author :  Oriana Romero Ingredients 4   cups   kale, loosely chopped or torn Maple vinaigrette to your taste 1   bunch broccolini, chopped 1/2   cup   dried cherries Roasted nuts to your taste (I used walnuts) Instructions Combine the kale, broccolini, dried cherries, and nuts in a large bowl. Add  vinaigrette  to the salad, and toss well. Note: I like tossing with the vinaigrette about 15 minutes before I serve it because the kale will soften in the vinagrette. Serve. 2. Maple Vinaigrette Prep Time 3   mins ...

I have been such a Trader Joe's since.. for-ever!  I love all the variety, unique foods there, and REAL ingredients that taste good: no preservatives, no artificial coloring, no GMO, and no partially hydrogenated oils in their foods. There's always something new I find when I go there. So many new items to try. Anyway, just a few items to share. I bought it cuz I liked it at the sample station :) Eggplant garlic spread Pretty good, the texture is not like the meaty Italian sausage, but I would buy it again. We have eaten it by itself, put it on pizza, and with the eggplant spread. This soy chorizo has been a favorite in our home even before we changed our diet. These are so good. The texture is pretty much like pork and had good flavor. It gets a nice crust too when you cook it on the skillet. My husband prefers this over Morning Star. I haven't compared it yet.

Kale is the rage, kale is also overgrown at my parent's garden... so, I constantly get a bag of kale from my mom. This is my favorite kale recipe right now.  The warm cranberry vinaigrette really makes this so delicious. Also, "massaging" the chopped kale with olive oil so it softens really helps. https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/kale-salad-warm-cranberry-vinaigrette-recipe/ INGREDIENTS: 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 1 cup dried cranberries 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons honey juice and zest of half a lemon 1/8 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. black pepper 1 bunch kale, very thinly sliced 1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional) 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese DIRECTIONS: Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add shallot and saute for at least 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Then add cranberries, red wine vinegar, honey and lemon ...

Nothing exciting yesterday. Breakfast: sunny side up egg on toast, half sliced apple Lunch: fried rice, mini  crab pancake, seaweed salad, spicy squid, fishcake from H Mart premade foods Dinner: leftovers from lunch Snacks: a few tablespoons cottage cheese + raspberry jam from TJs, one slice bread with almond butter and raspberry jam Our pups got a nice treat today though.  So Freddie's Frozen Custard will give you a free puppacino for your dogs: Frozen Custard + dog treat. We went on Saturday and the guy was nice enough to give us one even though they weren't in the car. Anyway, I left it in the freezer cuz it melted on the way home.  They loved it! Drool City.

An all time favorite.  My father in law is a quiet man, but we know when he enjoys something.  One day, I just chopped up a cauliflower, tossed it in olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper... then threw it in the oven at 450F for 30-40 min until nice and browned to your liking.  The next day, he brought home 2 cauliflower heads.

Hatch Chile season is Soo good. We love going to Central market during this time. They have an awesome hatch Chile cheddar popcorn too ($1.99/bag)  Well, this is an old recipe. Problem with most of these recipes is that I don't measure anything. I eyeballs it and adjust accordingly when I taste. 1 cup Low-fat plain yogurt 4-6 Roasted Hatch Chiles ( got mild, still has a kick) 1 medium ripe avocado Chopped cilantro Cumin Lime juice Salt and pepper Seriously threw everything in the food processor. Enjoy. So, we cut out chips and crackers, etc.. so we started to use this as a spread for our sandwiches and veggie burgers. Also, used as a typical dip with carrots. Good stuff.

So, I just wanted to start this blog to keep a little cook book of my meals.  To start off, my husband and I recently changed our diet to transition to healthier eating habits for multiple reasons. We actually had started a food blog years ago.  http://thadeechin.blogspot.com/   "Thadeechin's Favorite Stuff" (Thadeechin = "Fat Guy" in Malayalam). We also went to 100 restaurants in DFW before I went to PA school in 2012-2013, which I have listed somewhere in my old blog.... foods that we don't really eat anymore. Foods of our past. Anyway, our diet mainly consists of eating meat 1x a week and during the rest of the days, we are pretty much pescetarian (fish, dairy, eggs, plant based foods) it's been really good so far. Really cut down on snacking also. Instead of chips (which we have put in the pantry way up high where I can only reach with a stool .... not worth it) we eat fruit like an apple with almond butter or P3, watermelon, turkey jerky. We hav...