Avocado Tomatillo Salsa Recipe

I made a hearty soup for dinner and I thought it would be enough to fill everyone’s tummies. But by the end of the evening, my husband Lulu's stomach started growling. I made a little snack for him that consisted of smoked gouda cheese, honey wheat crackers and avocado tomatillo salsa. 

I thought of naming the salsa "avocadillo" or "tomaticado" salsa, but I could hear the collective sighs and groans of the internet in my head. No matter how you call this simple combination of tomatillos, avocado, garlic and cilantro, it’s a smart and healthy way to add more servings of fresh vegetables to your diet. 

Kiem Recipe (Vietnamese Vegetarian Pumpkin Soup)

This year, the Asian New Year celebration (called Tết in Vietnamese) will happen during the first week of February, according to the Lunar calendar. I've mentioned in the past that, traditionally, you're required to eat vegetarian food (ăn chay) on the last day of the previous year and the first day of New Year.

Today, I'm sharing a vegan dish called kiểm that's a staple during the celebration. The dish is a sweet, savory soup made of pumpkin, bananas, coconut milk, mung beans, lotus seeds, wood ear mushrooms, sweet potatoes, ginger, tofu and raw peanuts. This is not a very common dish and it's only made for the celebration. If you know its origin, please let me know in the feedback section.

The winner of this week's giveaway is Amanda O. Congratulations and I hope you enjoy using my first cookbook about gourmet potato dishes as much I did developing the recipes!

Masala Chai Eggnog Recipe

This weekend, in the spirit of the holidays, we wanted to make some eggnog. We’ve made eggnog and "soynog" so many times before that it seemed like time to mix it up a little. If you're a regular reader, you might know how much I love masala chai. I'm a weakling when it comes to caffeine but once in a while, especially when we have large family gatherings, we make loads of the fragrant chai and I just can't resist sipping a few cups. So why not combine the two?

Eggnog already has nutmeg, so adding the spices used in masala chai just enhances the flavor. The cardamom in particular really shines through. If you're adventurous (and not making this for kids), you could also spike it with a little rum or cognac. 

Pomegranate Acai Milkshake Recipe

This pomegranate acai drink is one of the many I make for breakfast after my morning workouts. I'm no nutritionist, but this drink works for me. It's filled with "superfoods". During the winter we almost always have freshly pressed pomegranate juice (here's why) in the refrigerator. To this fruit juice, I blended in some bananas, pure acai juice and mung beans for extra protein. 

It's delicious, plus it keeps me energetic and full until lunch time. Check out my other protein drinks; every day I blend a few ingredients, alternating between fresh fruits and vegetables, various kinds of milk and other sources of protein such as whey or soy protein. 

Quinoa Spaghetti with Asparagus (Gluten Free Pasta)

Since I gave birth to Aria 13 months ago, I've been determined to shed the weight I had gained during pregnancy. It took 9 months to gain the weight, so I knew it was going to take quite some time, perhaps even longer to lose it all. Part of my strategy has been to eat vegetarian 2 to 3 times a week. As you can imagine, this has made my husband Lulu (who is a vegetarian) very, very happy. “Halfway there,” he says.

One of my favorite dishes to make on veggie days is gluten-free quinoa pasta. The pasta is awesome. It has a different texture, but I really enjoy it. For this dish, I sauteed tomato-flavored quinoa spaghetti in garlicky baby asparagus spears and added sunflower seeds as the main source of protein. I’ll be eating this dish even after I reach my target weight, but I’ll be sure to throw in some meatballs or chicken breast (and of course, I’ll share the recipe). Sorry, Lulu!