Hungry Eyed

A few years ago when I was still living in the Bay Area, I was OBSESSED with some Kimchi Fried Brussels Sprouts that were served at the Whole Foods Hot Bar, from special menu created by Top Chef Finalist Chef Melissa King.

I’m pretty sure I went there at least twice a week, just to eat them.

Since then every time I would buy brussels sprouts at the grocery store, I would wish that I could figure out what they were made with and recreate it. But I just ended up roasting them with some olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Nothing special.

Fast forward to now… when quarantine gives you endless time on the internet to feed your foodie curiosity while forcing you to evaluate and utilize all the ingredients in your pantry, I found this article, describing EXACTLY what was in those sprouts that made them so addicting.

I didn’t have pears or any gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) which is a core ingredient in making kimchi. But I did have a half tub of gochujang and figured I could at least try and recreate it with what I did have on hand.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs brussels sprouts sliced in half

• 3 Tbs olive oil

• 1/4 cup gochujang (Korean Chili Paste)

• 1 Tbs. rice vinegar

• 1 Tbs. agave syrup

• 1 tsp mirin

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

2. In a large bowl toss halved brussels sprouts with 2 Tbs of olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper.

3. Arrange seasoned brussels spouts on a lined baking sheets (I used 2) and roast in the oven for 20 minutes

4. While the sprouts are roasting, make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together gochujang, rice vinegar, agave syrup, mirin and soy sauce. (You can up the heat by adding more gochujang or dried chili flakes)

5. Once sprouts are done, heat the remaining 1 Tbs of oil in a wok or large skillet. Add roasted sprouts and sauce and toss until all sprouts are coated and fragrant (about 3 minutes)

6. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds and serve.

So while they weren’t the same, they did taste pretty bomb. Maybe next time when I can actually leave my house and go to an asian supermarket I can find the real ingredients for it and try again.

Do you think if I tagged Chef Melissa on instagram she’ll give me the recipe?

:)

Happy Easter Everyone! Time for More Quarantine Baking!

I technically made a dairy free version of this recipe, using almond milk as my milk of choice, and store bought cream cheese frosting because for some reason I had three containers of it in my pantry. :)

Time for More Quarantine Cooking!

All you need is the following:

• 150g of flour (about 1 cup)

• 250ml of water (about 1 cup)

• cooking oil

  • 2-4 tbsp for mix

  • about 1 qt for cooking

• 1-2 tbsp sugar

• mix of cinnamon and sugar for dusting

Recipe and Tutorial I used: Here

Tag @hungyeyedfeed in photos if you make it!

:)

When we ate most of our stock of “quarantine snacks”… I went into my pantry to take on Christina Tosi’s #quarantinebaking challenge.

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix

• 1/2 cup ( 1 stick) of melted butter

• 1 egg

• Whatever toppings you want in your cookie. ( I managed to dump the remnants of bags I had of mini chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, 2 tsp of instant coffee and some mini pretzels)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat 1 egg and melted butter, add in yellow cake mix and combine until dough forms

2. Add in desired toppings and mix

3. Form dough into 1 1/2 in balls (about 1/4 cup each), slightly flatten them on the top and place on lined baking sheet or plate

4. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours

5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F, and place cookie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

6. Bake cookies for about 15-20 minutes until edges are slightly golden, but middle is slightly undercooked for a chewier cookie

7. Sprinkle with some sea salt (optional)

8. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Its January!

Which means we are in the dead of winter and….

Cold season….

Yup!

In this house, when one of us starts feeling the sniffles, I whip up a Filipino version of Chicken Noodle Soup. It’s peppery and garlicky and with a squeeze of lime, enough flavor to sooth the sorest of throats.

Coincidently, making this soup this week aligned with my 2020 foodie goal of making and posting more Filipino Food. Fingers crossed I can keep up with that, because 2020 is going to be even busier than 2019 ever was! But I’m up for the challenge!

Sotanghon Soup: (the way my mom taught me how to make it) (6 to 8 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast ( about 1 1/2 lbs)

• 3 tbs of vegetable or canola oil

• 1 whole head of garlic

• 1 whole yellow onion (chopped)

• 2 large carrots (peeled and julienned)

• 1 large red bell pepper (seeded and julienned)

• 6oz of dried Vermicelli noodles (or about half of a 10.5 oz package)

• 1 oz of dried black fungus slivered (or about half of a 2.5 oz package)

• 4 stalks of green onion (diced)

• 1 lime cut into wedges (optional)

• Salt and Pepper to taste (seriously, lots of pepper to taste)

Directions:

1. Bring 4 quarts of water in a large saucepot, to a boil, season generously with salt, then boil whole chicken breasts for about 35-45 minutes.

2. While chicken is cooking chop and prepare remaining vegetables, and soak vermicelli noodles and black fungus according to package directions

3. Take 3 cloves of garlic mince, and set aside, mince the rest of the remaining head of garlic and set aside

4. Once cooked, remove chicken breasts from pot, and allow to cool before Shredding. KEEP broth from boiled chicken, transfer to a large bowl, and set aside. This will be the base broth for your soup.

5. In the same large saucepot, add 2 tbs of oil and bring to a medium high heat. Saute the minced 3 cloves of garlic until fragrant, then add chopped onion, and cook until onions are translucent. Add carrots, and bell pepper and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, followed by shredded chicken. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

6. Add chicken broth, vermicelli noodles, and blck fungus to pot, add salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil (add more water if more broth is needed to fill pot).

7. While soup boils, in a medium saute pan, head 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat, add the remaining minced garlic and toast until golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to burn! Once browned, set toasted garlic onto a paper towel lined plate to dry.

8. Once soup comes to a boil, bring heat down to a simmer and add green onions. Taste soup broth and season with salt and pepper until reaching desired flavor (I personally like mine really peppery) Simmer for about 3 to 5 more minutes.

9. Serve with a few lime wedges and a sprinkle of toasted garlic.

Enjoy!

Day 31

December 25, 2019

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas season has become affectionately known in my household as baking season. Ever since I was little, my mom would spend most weekends in November and December endlessly baking yummy treats to give to family and friends. Eventually my dad, my brother and I were recruited to join in her assembly line, mixing the cake batters, switching multiple trays in and out of the oven, or hand stamping dozens upon dozens of tartlet crusts.

I soon wanted to make treats of my own to share. I loved Christmas sugar cookies, and cutout cookies weren’t part of my mom’s baking menu… yet… So I went looking for some recipes. In my old trusty Good Housekeeping cookbook, I found the perfect pairing of gingerbread and sugar cookie cutouts, with their shared frosting right on the same page.

Perfect!

My mom agreed to share her kitchen space with me to let me experiment, and in 2012, Janelle’s Christmas Cookie Factory was born! (and immortalized on instagram haha!)

8 years later and I am still using the same recipes, and now in own kitchen. While my mom and I don’t share the same baking space every weekend of the holiday season anymore, I do find myself following in her footsteps. By November I’m already planning how many batches I will make based on how many people I’m giving it to, how many events I’m attending and then some, because there just never seems to be enough to go around.

And just like her, I get the occasional request to bake something outside the holidays. :)

I will be totally honest, this will probably be the last photo post of the year. But I feel like this post perfectly summarizes how far I have come with my food journey.

While I had hoped to post more than a month’s worth (31 total days) of photos, life happens! I am very happy with how much it has taught me about photography, and how much it has challenged me to be creative. It was the perfect avenue for me to explore the many opportunities I could take in my love and curiosity of food.

I hope to continue posting more in 2020 and who knows where else it will take me.

Cheers!

Day 30

November 16, 2019

As the holiday season creeped up, I found myself in need of various easy dishes to prep for potlucks.

My personal opinion? If I ever need to bring anything to a potluck I think of two things:

#1. You can never go wrong with a dessert dish (my go-to happens to be an apple cobbler)

#2. Appetizers or anything bite sized will be sure to get eaten first, and therefore finished.

If I have more time on my hands, i’ll put in the extra effort to find something to bring that focuses on the second, and the easier the better.

So when I came across the ingenious idea of having mini chicken and waffles, I was sold.

I will definitely be serving these the next time I host a brunch.

All you need:

• Eggo Mini Waffles

• Tyson’s Fully Cooked Crispy Chicken Strips (cut into bite sized pieces)

• Maple Syrup

• Toothpicks or Cocktail Picks

Really its that simple. Follow heating instructions on the waffle and chicken packages, then assemble your mini sandwiches. Drizzle some maple syrup over them and serve!

:)

Day 29,

October 9, 2019

By the time that October rolls around, everyone is all about Pumpkin Spice everything!

I annually join this craze and whip out this muffin recipe I stumbled upon a few years ago on pinterest.

They’re super simple to make, and are great for breakfast, AND dessert! Sometimes, I’ll change it up and bake them in mini bread pans to pass out to coworkers for a fall gift.

I highly recommend you make them! :)

Day 28

September 30, 2019

September 27, 2019

Day 27

Prepping for a date night in? This recipe for sticky short ribs is easy and doesn’t compromise on the indulgence. Fall off the bone tender and full of flavor, you’ll find yourself making these for any occasion. AND as an instant pot recipe, it means less time in the kitchen and more time to spend with your date. ;)

Day 26

September 16, 2019

Sometimes you just crave brunch food for dinner 

September 12, 2019

Day 25

While everyone else was already freaking out about Pumpkin flavored everything way before the first official day of fall, I still dedicate September to Apples. Maybe it’s the former primary teacher in me, since the beginning of school year always involves apple crafts and lessons on Johnny Appleseed.

These are easy to make for a warm weeknight dessert topped with some vanilla ice cream, and maybe some extra caramel sauce.

I snagged this recipe from eatwell101.com and will probably be baking them all season long.

All you need are 4 Ingredients! to make 4 tarts

• - 1 red apple (Honeycrisp, Royal gala or any red baking apple)

• - 1/4 cup caramel sauce (get the recipe here)

• - 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (follow directions on the box for thawing)

• - (optional) cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 400ºF (200°C). Core the apple, cut in half and slice thinly.

2. Place apple slices in a single layer on a plate and microwave on high for about 45 seconds to soften. Set aside.

3. Unroll the puff pastry sheet. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut pastry sheet into 4 even pieces, and roll out into 3-inch by 12- to 14- inch strips.

4. Brush the surface of the dough with the caramel sauce.

5. Place the apple slices lengthwise on the long edge of the dough, about ¼-inch above the edge of the dough and slightly overlapping. Fold the bottom half of the dough over the apple slices with the rounded edges of the slices exposed. Then starting from the end, roll the dough to form a rose-shaped pastry.

6. Generously butter the muffin tin and transfer roses to each cavities. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar on top and bake in the oven on the middle rack for about 40 minutes or until well browned (check often, baking time depends on our oven). Remove from oven and place on a rack and cool 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack.

7. Serve warm or cool drizzled with even more caramel sauce , cinnamon sugar or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy! :)

July 24, 2019

Day 24

I’m super grateful to be staying in a furnished apartment with a stocked kitchen for the summer in the Bay Area. But not having all my usual kitchen toys and tools left me a little stumped on what to make.

Thankfully Trader Joe’s is down the street, with their simple ingredients and yummy variety of foods. So I researched and pinned yummy creative recipes to whip up while I’m here.

This fun simple recipe on their website caught my eye, and as I picked up the ingredients for it, I thought that adding a kick with one of their other creative sauces would satisfy our tastebuds. To think that this “pulled pork” bbq sandwich has no meat! You won’t believe it once you taste it.

INGREDIENTS:

• For Pulled Jackfruit

• - 2 cans TJ’s Green Jackfruit in Brine

• - 1 1/2 cups TJ’s Sriracha Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce

• - 1 tablespoon TJ’s Olive Oil

• - 3 tablespoons Water

• - 1 package TJ’s Honey Wheat Hamburger Buns

• - 1/4 cup Cilantro (optional)

• For The Cole Slaw

• - 1 bag TJ’s Organic Shredded Green & Red Cabbage with Orange Carrots

• - 1/4 cup TJ’s Mayonnaise (or TJ's Greek Yogurt)

• - 1/4 cup TJ’s Apple Cider Vinegar

• - TJ's Salt & Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Prepare Pulled Jackfruit: Drain jackfruit and partially shred jackfruit chunks into smaller pieces. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add jackfruit and sauté for five minutes. Add BBQ sauce and water to pan and stir to evenly coat jackfruit. Cover pan and simmer on medium-low heat, 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally and pulling jackfruit apart as it becomes tender.

Prepare Tangy Cole Slaw: While jackfruit cooks, in a large bowl, toss cabbage blend with mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Prepare Sandwiches: Toast Hamburger buns, and place a scoop of cole slaw on the bottom of a bun. Place a scoop of pulled jackfruit, over slaw then top with cilantro leaves, and bun top. Enjoy! :)

June 13, 2019

Day 23

Sometimes life gets filled with many exciting and unexpected things that keep us busy and challenged.

But there will always be moments that present itself for opportunities for some creativity if you look for them.

:)

Keeping this recipe in my back pocket for fun party treats. The toppings possibilities are truly endless and can’t wait to experiment with more!

May 14, 2019

Day 22

Finally back to playing in the kitchen! But I would rate this batch a 6 out of 10.

I’m still figuring out the temperament of my oven since I’ve used this recipe from @kawaiisweetworld religiously, and have had better results in the past. 

The spreading of the macaron shell feet, and hollowness of the cookie is a result of the 1. Overworking the batter a bit too much and 2. The oven being too hot at baking. 

Lesson learned: I need more practice

Good thing I have a few flavor combos I wanna try out soon for the summertime! 

Day 21

April 30, 2019

Day 20

April 29, 2019

April 9, 2019

Day 14

After about 3 weeks spent away from structured food styling and shooting (because work life, a week trip to Japan and spring break happened), today I decided to try and document a recipe the new “eat healthier” phase I’m currently in.

Day 15

Weeknight Dinner for Two <3

March 17, 2019

Day 13

Day 16

April 15, 2019

Blackened Fish Tacos to be exact. With a mango salsa, red cabbage slaw and a avocado creme sauce.

While I love a good battered and fried fish in a taco, the flavors of this grilled version packs just as much of a flavor punch, while providing a healthier option for your Taco Tuesday.

Blackened Fish:

2 lbs tilapia/cod or other white fish fillet

2 Tbs olive oil

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Mango Salsa:

3 to 4 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 mango, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice of 1/2 lime

Red Cabbage Slaw:

1/4 red cabbage thinly sliced

2 Tbs mayo

juice of 1/2 lime

Avocado & Cilantro Cream Sauce

1 avocado pitted and diced

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp garlic powder

4 Tbs plain Greek yogurt

salt to taste

March 2, 2019

Day 10

Tip for hosting a dinner party:

No matter how many guests you have, bite sized food always serves best!

March 10, 2019

Day 11

I loved it when my mom baked brownies.

You know the kind, chewy, slightly crispy edges, with the gooey fudgy middle. A freshly baked batch would rarely last a full day in our household.

But here’s a secret. While there are several pastries in my mom’s repertoire that are made from scratch, the red Better Cocker Fudge Brownie box was the easier way to satisfy my enormous sweet tooth. For years I wanted to learn how to make brownies from scratch, but was too terrified of them coming out too cakey.

After researching various recipes, and finding useful tips in Tasty’s Brownies 101 video, I tested out this variation of their recipe and…. I am in love.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/4 cups of unsalted butter (or 2 1/2 sticks)

- 2 Tbs softened butter for greasing

- 4 oz mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

- 4 oz mini dark chocolate morsels

- 3/4 cups cocoa powder

- 1 Tbs espresso powder

- 2 cups granulated sugar

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 6 large eggs

- flaky sea salt (optional for sprinkling)

Preparation:

1. Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C)

2. Grease a 9x13 in pan with 1 Tbs of softened butter and line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment with other Tbs.

3. Combine semi-sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, espresso powder and 1/4 cup of cocoa powder in a heat safe bowl and set aside

4. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, until it comes to a simmer (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Then pour hot butter over the chocolate mixture. Whisk until all components are melted and chocolate is completely smooth, then set aside

5. Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, into a bowl, using an electric mixer or hand mixer on low speed, gradually add eggs 1 at a time. Set the mixer to high and beat eggs and sugar mixture for 10 minutes until light and fluffy. (The mixture should resemble a thick pancake batter like texture)

6. Lower the mixer speed, and pour the chocolate and butter mixture and blend until smooth

7. Sift in flour and remaining cocoa powder. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold until just combined.

8. Pour batter into greased/lined baking dish and smooth the top with spatula. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly puffed on top.

9. Remove baking pan from oven (using oven mitts or kitchen towels) then lightly drop the pan onto flat surface 1-3 times until brownies deflate slightly and even out. (sprinkle with flaky sea salt at this time if desired)

10. Return to oven and bake for another 20 minutes. (Test doneness with a wooden skewer in the center, center should be slightly under-baked but fudgy, and edges look cooked through).

11. Set baking pan on a cooling rack and allow brownies to cool completely

12. Using parchment paper, lift the cooled brownies out of the pan and cut into desired squares.

Enjoy! :)

Here’s Tasty’s 101 Brownies video.

February 23, 2019

Day 9

After watching her Chef’s Table episode on Netflix, I found nose stuck in the 2 of the 3 Christina Tosi cookbooks that I own.

She is basically my hero.

February 10, 2019

Day 8

I am Disney Obsessed.

Disney Snacks are probably what I crave the most on a regular basis. My recent discovery of fellow food blogger Picky Palate aka @disneyhungry on Instagram, with her copycat recipes and up to date Disney Park Food reviews have been both a lifesaver and a tease on days I cant actually make it out to the parks. Her Copycat Churro Toffee recipe made my mouth water for the real thing that I ended up making a batch myself. Addicting is an understatement. I can’t get enough!

March 15, 2019

Day 12

January 19, 2019

Day 2 of Food Photography

The two main reasons I made this dish:

#1. My parents were coming over for dinner.

#2. I’ve been wanting to make Ratatouille since I saw the Disney Pixar Movie.

Thankfully I found this recipe from Williams Sonoma that was just as pleasing to the eye as it was to our tastebuds. It’s become a new veggie side favorite and parent approved!

Day 17

April 16, 2019

January 30, 2019

From an InstantPot?

Yes!

This dish for Day 5 was the perfect weeknight dinner recipe for the straight week of rainy days we were having.

While the curried sauce with rice had enough flavor to be a full meal on its own, I felt like I needed to make some naan and add a veggie dish on the side.

Luckily I found a homemade garlic butter naan recipe that didn’t require yeast and added a curried roasted cauliflower to continue the spice palate.

January 12, 2019

This is Day 1 of my food photography journey, and I would give myself a 50%.

For the past month I have watched countless youtube videos just trying to grasp the concept of the exposure triangle and the mere basics of what it means to take a photograph. From lighting, to composition, and styling, I feel like I could reiterate what all of that terminology means. But when it came to taking actual pictures of food, I had yet to do so.

So today I got up, took a look at my pantry, and whipped up something with color. I filled up a bowl, threw on some toppings for interest, then prepped my kitchen for a set up. Thankful for the rainy day clouds defusing the sun, the natural light coming in at noon though our kitchen windows lit my very first shoot.

And, here we go.

February 9, 2019

Day 7

Citrus fruits are something I always thought of as a summer fruit. So my rediscovery of blood oranges and the various winter themed drinks and recipes sent me running to the grocery store to find this vibrant beauty.

My go-to drink is a gin and tonic. I was enticed by various recipes called for a splash of ginger ale here or stir of St. Germain there (which I am very eager to try). But I just figured I would go simple, and add the tart juice into the classic drink and let it work its magic.

Inspired by this drink here.

January 20, 2019

Day 3 of Food Photography

My favorite pastries from Whole Foods are their Raspberry Oat Crumble Bars. While researching similar copycat recipes, I stumbled upon this one, allowing me to take advantage of the excess amount of blueberries I happened to have in my fridge.

Day 8

I got tired of standing on my dining chairs, dining table, and stools of various heights, in order to get my overhead shots. So I invested in a c-stand.

My loving boyfriend filmed a BTS on his Instastory, basically depicting how our house has turned into a “studio” and he has to wait even longer to eat anything I cook.

Yes it did take longer, but I’m pretty happy with my wannabe “Tasty” set up.

Looking forward to playing with it more. :)

January 20, 2019

Day 3 Food Photography Take #2

Basically a giant lemon bar recipe with a 50/50 shortbread cookie crust to lemon curd ratio. I approve and highly recommend that you make for your next party!

February 3, 2019

Super Bowl Sunday and Day 6 (aka the one day a year where cooking dishes that are super junk food worthy is acceptable).

I’m currently writing this post during the 3rd quarter… because… well its more interesting than the game right now.

Every year I try and make a few dishes for our household that have become some of our traditions, like pigs in a blanket, two to three types of chicken wings, and don’t forget the pizza and beer! Anyway, this easy throw in the oven recipe will make a good addition to any Super Bowl menu.

Day 18

April 20, 2019

Day 19

April 21, 2019

“Eat Real Food, Mostly Plants, Not Too Much.”

-Michael Pollan