Warm Vegetable Salad Recipe

I'm still on the quest to follow Joy Bauer's 90 |10 food philosophy. By that, she means eating healthy foods 90% of the time and splurge on treats the remaining 10% of the time. Today I paired a very healthy portion of seasonal vegetable salad with a much more reasonable serving of succulent roasted a leg of lamb, which I admit is probably not the healthiest dish (look out for that recipe soon - probably when I feel less guilty!). The salad consists of zucchini, white asparagus and carrots cut into long, thin linguine shape strips. The trio is quickly sautéed with coriander and ginger and finished with lemon juice. The result is a crunchy, naturally sweet, warm salad with a little fresh zing from the lemon.

What I like most about this dish is how vibrant the colors are. Over-cooking veggies depletes their nutrients and can result in less attractive hues, so make sure you give the veggies just enough time to soften and you'll have a beautiful dish.

Muop Tau Hu Xao Recipe (Vietnamese Loofah and Tofu Stir-fry)

Mướp tàu hũ xào (loofah squash and tofu stir-fry) is a standard in Vietnamese vegetarian cuisine. Mướp (Vietnamese Loofah) is stir-fried along with tofu in black bean sauce and chili garlic sauce. The dish is seasoned with soy sauce and fried garlic. I also added straw mushrooms as a foil to the loofah. It's a very quick and easy dish I often make when I'm in a rush and I want a tasty, healthy meal.

Vietnamese loofah is a very common vegetable in Vietnam that is also used a lot in making canh ("soup" in Vietnamese) because of its natural sweetness and tender texture. You won't be disappointed by this, and if you like it, it’s easy to put together non-vegetarian versions.

White Asparagus Salad Recipe (Goi Mang)

Traditional Vietnamese cooking is widely known for its healthy properties and for the freshness of the ingredients. The food is simply prepared with very easy cooking techniques, which is great if you’re in a rush.

Gơi măng tây (which literally translates to "French bamboo shoots" in Vietnamese) is a typical Vietnamese salad that embodies these qualities. What are French bamboo shoots you ask? Asparagus! Fresh white asparagus are available at my local market, so I decided to use them in this dish. They provide a different texture for this type of raw salad. It's a bit more work than cooking green ones, as white asparagus have to be carefully peeled for optimum tenderness. 

Spicy Eggplant Recipe

This eggplant side dish is very easy to prepare. It's perfect if you want to cook Asian food for a vegetarian crowd. I sautéed Japanese eggplants in a hoisin sauce-based mixture for its caramel color and subtle sweetness. To this, I added several crunchy ingredients  such as shredded bamboo and black fungus mushrooms (called nấm mèo in Vietnamese) to balance the soft texture of the eggplant.

It's important to add spiciness to the dish as the eggplant can be a little bland. I added sliced jalapenos, grated ginger and store-bought chile garlic sauce. The result is a combination of sweet, garlicky, spicy and savory.

Grilled Baby Artichoke Recipe

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I'm always shocked when people say they don't like fresh artichokes. They are so underrated. I think it's because they look difficult to cook. During my childhood in France, I enjoyed a very simple presentation that Maman would often serve us when artichokes were in season. She would boil then grill the artichokes so that the hearts were soft and creamy.

Artichokes prepared this way taste great with some sort of dressing. This particular one is made the way Maman used to, using vinegar, mustard and olive oil. To add a little twist, I "stuffed" a mixture of green olives and parsley into the artichokes. I served the finished artichokes with braised chicken as a side dish. Eating artichokes can be a little messy but the meal tasted heavenly. The dish was very tasty while still being healthy. It doesn't take too long to prepare and you're in for a special treat!

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