Parchment Steamed Broccoli and Bell Peppers

Stir-fry vegetables is enjoyable but there is always a pan/wok to wash - no matter how "clean" the cooking can be.

And not all vegetables can be possibly blanched? Well, broccoli or cauliflower...yes, ok, blanching. But what about zucchini and red bell peppers?


Parchment-steamed veggies to the rescue! Parchment so that moisture can be retained as much as possible; and parchment so that there are less dishes wash.


Parchment Steamed Broccoli and Bell Peppers
Julienned organic red bell peppers, thinly sliced organic zucchini, broccoli florets and thinly sliced broccoli stems, whole garlic crushed, dash of pepper, pinch of oregano, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Wrap in parchment and steam for about 8-10minutes. Before serving, pinch of sea salt, toss to combine well.


Tag: parchment-steamed vegetables, vegetarian

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Farm-Fresh Aglio e Olio

10 minutes, or no more than 15 minutes - that's all you need, and...P-L-A-N-N-I-N-G.


Do the veg. prep. on a Sunday evening night, wrap them up properly, store in the fridge; come Monday, 10 minutes and you get this.


10 minutes to steam (and cook) the envelope of vegetables and simultaneously cook the pasta in another pot.

Parchment steamed vegetables - Way to go! No doubt, this has been my regular go-to cooking method for vegetables since early this year. Why haven't I done (or discover this) earlier? Beats me.

Steamed Fava Beans and Mushrooms 蒸扁豆

Rejuvenated freshness in the pocket!


There are certainly many simple ways to cook fresh fava beans and I have found my own simple way of enjoying them.

This has been my favorite method to cook recently. Parchment-steaming! Yay! Fuss-free, simple, delicious creations always till I find something that do NOT work on parchment-steaming, and sure I will let you know.


Other parchment cooking recipes:
Steamed Arugula
Steamed Fava Beans
Steamed Veggies


Tag: fava beans, broad beans, beans

Asian Salad Bok Choy and Tomatoes in Ginger Dressing 白菜拌蕃茄

Have you seen these vegetable names such as Bok Choy, Baby Bok Choy, Bok Choy Sum, Zen Choy, Tagu Choy, etc., This brings me to the different varieties of Bok Choy seen in my nearby Asian supermarket in California. Today, these three different varieties placed side by side for the benefit of you. Look (stare) - what differences or similarities do you see? Well, one has a greener leaf than the other; the other has a shorter stem than the next other - physically.

Personally, I prefer the Baby Bok Choy Sum (Bok Choy Sum seen here), how about you ? I find them "sweeter" than Bok Choy and the green leaves are more "attractive" to me. Nutrition wise, I believe they should be quite similar to one another.

With the abundance of heirloom tomatoes right now, make an Asian-style salad of Bok Choy Sum and Tomatoes in Scallion/Ginger Dressing. Easy.

Ingredients you need and what to do with them:
1. Baby Bok Choy Sum - quick-blanched in water, then drained away excess water; when most water is drained, chopped the bok choy sum into smaller than bite-sizes
2.Tomatoes - cut into smaller cubes
3. Dressing: Spring onion and minced ginger in extra virgin olive oil . Basically, this is just mincing, and blending.
4. Mix items 1. to 3. and happy tossing!

TADA....this easy refreshing salad for you, if you wish to have a change from using romaine or green-leaves lettuce in your salad.

Tag: vegetables, bok choy sum, chinese salad, salad