Peanut Butter Banana Milk Drink Recipe

This recipe is for the ones who love the good old combination of peanut butter and banana, but with fewer calories. As I've said in the past, I always try to find ways to ensure that my husband Lulu, who is a vegetarian, has enough nutrition in his diet. He's also been exercising regularly lately, so I figured a healthy treat was in order.

I made banana milk that is vegan (Lulu's lactose intolerant too!). The drink is a blend of bananas, soy milk, peanut butter, cinnamon, whey protein and vanilla extract. It's a delicious way to start the day with healthy servings of potassium and protein, which is great for a vegetarian diet. Best of all, Lulu loves it! And if you like this drink, I'll post more whey protein-enhanced beverages soon.

Canh Kho Qua (Bitter Melon Soup Recipe)

Khổ qua ("bitter melon" in English) is a truly unique vegetable. Its warty, pale-green color could scare even a veteran foodie away. However, it’s actually a very forgiving and versatile veggie! In Vietnamese cuisine, it's often served with pork or shrimp; I filled it with soybean stuffing instead to imitate the meat and served the bitter melons in canh (Vietnamese broth).

I love this dish because it's so flavorful and the texture of the soybeans is dense and very similar to meat. I also flavored the filling with fresh wood ear mushrooms for a more meaty texture. If you're trying this dish for the first time, I have to warn you that bitter melon, as its name indicates is, well, bitter. But really, you have to try it at least once. It's a love-it or hate-it kind of vegetable, but who knows, my might get struck by Cupid's arrow!

Red Hummus with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

My husband Lulu is still heartbroken that the Giants beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game last weekend, but our party for the Super Bowl is still on. At least I think it is. I'm planning on serving a lot of finger foods and this red hummus will be part of our tasty feast.

Though it's bursting with flavor, hummus can look a little dull, so I spiced it up with chile oil and sun dried tomatoes. The preparation is fairly simple and doesn't require more than a few ingredients, such as garbanzo beans, lemons, oil and of course sun dried tomatoes. Roasted or pickled garlic would be great here as well, but since we're going to be entertaining, I decided to omit it.

What are your plans for the Superbowl?

Tofu Stir Fry Recipe

Catering to a large crowd of vegetarians in my house, I often find myself cooking a lot of lentils (or any legumes) and tofu dishes. I realized I haven't cooked any tofu in quite some time, so I made my quick and easy tofu stir fry this evening. I sautéed a bunch of vegetables (Brussels sprouts, straw mushrooms, zucchini and red bell peppers) that I had on hand and mixed them with the tofu.

My husband loves this dish and says he could eat the same thing every day. I usually serve it with brown rice and a bowl of canh (Vietnamese broth). It's a complete, flavorful meal, plus it's healthy! What else could you ask for?
 

Indian Pizza Recipe: Tomato Chutney Pizza

Since I had my daughter, I haven't had a lot of time to cook so I got some ready-made pizza dough from Trader Joe's. instead of using regular tomato sauce I used indian tomato chutney to make the dish more flavorful. I topped it with fried paneer, smoked goat cheddar cheese, mozzarella and parmesan. This is not your average four-cheese pizza!