Hakka Noodles in Lettuce Cups

We just purchased the tickets for our next trip to Paris. My best friend Alexia is getting married and I wouldn't miss it for the world. For this reason, my husband Lulu and I have committed ourselves to looking good and being healthy for the occasion. I've controlled the portion size of our meals and we work out as often as we possibly can. This morning, Lulu woke up early to play football with friends and while he was busy during his game, I whipped up a light meal for him.

I tossed hakka noodles (vegetarian wheat noodles made without eggs) with mock ground meat, julienned carrots, bell peppers and yellow onions. I served them at room temperature in lettuce cups and added sweet potato shoestrings as a crunchy garnish. Whenever I make a dish, I try to balance the textures and colors, which I find key to the success of any meal. The sweet potato shoestrings, in particular, are extremely versatile and can be used as the crunchy element in many savory dishes. They didn't quite make my first cookbook, Haute Potato, but I still highly recommend trying them. You'll end up eating them by the handful!

As I mentioned last week, I will be posting a vegetarian dish on "Meatless Mondays" and a scrumptious dessert for the weekend. I figure one will cancel out the other. Last weekend I shared a Meyer lemon mousse in wonton cups, and this week, well you'll just have to come back on Friday and see!

Fresh Tomato Soup Recipe

Our entire family has been following the elections very closely. Knowing that Ohio is a key state in the home stretch, I did some research and found out that tomato juice was its official beverage. It's not warm enough to make tomato juice, so I made a warm tomato soup, using the very last batch of tomatoes in our garden. 

I blended the ripe tomatoes with roasted red bell pepper, fried yellow onions, garlic, cumin, clove, fresh basil and crème fraîche. The result was very soothing and, to my surprise, the soup turned out very sweet and not acidic at all.

Roasted Bell Pepper Soup Recipe

Since we arrived in Paris, my husband Lulu and I have taken the opportunity to have romantic getaways in Europe and leave baby Aria with my parents. My parents are thrilled to get to have time alone with their granddaughter, and thankfully, so is Aria. As the crazy mom that I am, I've left a long list of instructions for my mom to ensure the happy well-being of my baby girl, and that includes what she eats. Ever since Aria started eating solid food, I've managed to feed her only homemade baby food. I use the term baby food loosely, since I only feed Aria food that I would also eat.

I've taught Maman one of Aria's favorite soups: roasted bell pepper soup. It's a healthy blend of lentils, brown rice and roasted bell peppers. When Lulu and I came home, there was still some soup left, so we all ate it as a first course. I garnished it with sweet basil and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. It's fantastic!

Roasted Red Pepper Risotto (Ajvar Recipe)

This risotto recipe gets its rich flavor and color from ajvar, a Serbian mix of puréed roasted bell peppers, eggplant, garlic and chiles. It’s very versatile, easy to make and stores very well.

I prepared the sauce a day in advance. You'll likely have some leftover ajvar after making the risotto, which can be used on toast or as filling in puff pastry appetizers. 

Mi Xao Ca Ri Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Stir Fry Recipe)

We had Vietnamese chicken curry earlier this week, so I used the leftovers to make this delicious chicken and tofu dish (mì xào cà ri gà). I have an aversion to wasting food, but that doesn't mean that the second life you breathe into a dish has to be any less wonderful than the original creation.

I shredded the chicken from the curry dish and made a stir-fry adding cubed tofu and vegetables available this season. To complete the meal, I added egg noodles. The dish couldn't be simpler to make, and it will work whether you have meat, poultry or seafood.