These sesame noodles are colorful and completely irresistible! I’m always excited when I find sesame noodles amongst a plethora of dishes at a gathering. As a solo dish, I crave noodles with a little more color, perhaps, and more texture and flavor. Must be the “maximalist vegetarian” in me. Always more veggies!

This riff on sesame noodles is exactly what I’ve wished for. This recipe features tender noodles and green onions, of course. I replaced some of the noodles with tons of crisp raw veggies, plus I added tiny sesame seeds, toasted to bring out their best.

The bold but simple seasonings include soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh ginger and garlic, and a generous sprinkling of fresh cilantro (omit it if you don’t like it). I added some chili flakes for extra heat, which you can scale up or down to suit your preferences.

From what I’ve read, sesame noodles likely originated in the Sichuan province of China (please let me know if you know more). These noodles are not authentic, but they are tasty. I can’t stop going back for more.

Bring these noodles to a gathering or serve them as a side dish. They are nice at room temperature or chilled. Or, turn this recipe into a light meal by adding shelled edamame, crispy baked tofu or a fried egg or two. This recipe keeps well for several days in the fridge, and packs well for lunch.

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As promised! This is the made-from-scratch version of the teriyaki stir-fry that my husband whipped up with our leftover veggies. He’s so good at improvising meals with what we have on hand.

I loved it, and decided to come up with my own homemade teriyaki sauce to replace the jarred kind. This dish is inauthentic (maybe we can call it Asian fusion), but definitely delicious and healthier than take-out.

This stir-fry has a lot going for it. It’s simple to make, especially if your sauce is ready to go. It’s loaded with fresh vegetables—in fact, it’s made with more veggies than noodles. Lastly, it packs great for lunch.

You can change up this recipe however you see fit. You could substitute leftover brown rice for the noodles. Add crispy baked tofu, steamed edamame, scrambled eggs or a crispy fried egg for extra protein. How about a stir-fry for dinner tonight?

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I’m going to go ahead and say it: This isn’t authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce. It’s the American version of teriyaki sauce, with loads of ginger and garlic. It tastes way better than the store-bought varieties, without the additives. It’s also naturally sweetened and easily made gluten free!

I came up with this recipe because I wanted a homemade alternative to store-bought teriyaki sauces. My husband made a great stir-fry with the jarred kind the other day. I set out to recreate it, starting with the teriyaki sauce. I’ll share the stir-fry later this week.

This homemade teriyaki sauce is sweet, salty and thick. It makes a great glaze for grilled or roasted ingredients, or a flavorful addition to a basic stir-fry. Stir or brush it on near the end of cooking, not the beginning, or it could burn.

I love this sauce with veggies and crispy baked tofu, over rice or noodles. It will also liven up your hodge-podge weeknight fried rice. When it comes to veggies, teriyaki sauce goes particularly well with cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, and snow peas.

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Are you acquainted with shishito peppers? They are thin-skinned little green peppers that you can cook up in a skillet in ten minutes. Once they have a little char on them, they’re so irresistible.

Nine out of ten shishitos are quite mild, but then you’ll come across one that makes your eyes water! That’s part of the fun.

I’ve been craving blistered shishitos since we returned from Spain, where we found the shishito’s cousins cooked the same way. So, I’ve been scooping them up at Whole Foods, and tossing them in a skillet at home.

It took me a few tries to get my technique down. Most recipes will tell you to cook the peppers over high heat, but that will fill your kitchen with smoke. I’ve dialed down the heat and figured out how to make consistently great blistered shishitos. Ready for the easiest appetizer recipe ever?

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My now-husband asked me out for spring rolls and beer for our first date. I vividly remember walking into the nearby Thai restaurant to meet him. Our waitress had to come back three times to get our order, since we could not be bothered to look at the menu.

We were too busy connecting over our love for our dogs (we each have one), coming from families of three kids (I’m the oldest; he’s the youngest), our shared love of food and travel, a million other little things…

He finally ordered us a double batch of his favorite spring rolls. I was too nervous and full from a day of recipe testing to eat much. The waitress kicked us out because the restaurant was closing. I came home and danced around in the living room with Cookie. He asked me out again.

A couple of months later, I confessed that I didn’t share his level of appreciation for those spring rolls. “Too much noodles, not enough veggies. The carrots taste like chlorine. The peanut sauce could be more bold.” He dared me to come up with something better, and I finally have.

These are the fresh, veggie-packed spring rolls I want to order at Thai and Vietnamese restaurants. I can’t say they’re 100 percent authentic, but they’re pretty close.

Of course, I came up with an irresistible peanut dipping sauce to go with them. Invite some friends over and make it a spring roll party! Ready for the recipe?

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Think of these sunny mango bowls as a Thai spin on your favorite burrito bowl. They’re refreshing and hearty, sweet and savory, and my new favorite summertime dinner.

These bowls were inspired by my Thai mango cabbage wraps, which are such a fun appetizer. I’ve added rice and shredded the cabbage to turn them into a more hefty dinner.

These bowls feature perfectly cooked brown rice and shredded cabbage topped with crispy baked tofu, fresh mango salsa and peanut sauce. None of the components are difficult to prepare, and the combination is irresistible.

You could make these bowls on a relaxed weeknight, or save them for the weekend. Invite friends over, or keep your leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. You can’t lose with this one.

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Repeat after me: No more mushy rice! No more mushy rice! I’ve been using this brown rice cooking technique for years, and it never fails.

A few reasons to love this recipe:

• You don’t need a rice cooker or any special equipment (just a pot with a lid, and a kitchen stove).
• You can use this technique on any type of brown rice (long, medium or short grain, as long as it’s not a quick-cooking variety).
• It’s so easy to remember, you’ll never need to look up how to cook brown rice again.

For this technique, you’ll boil your rice in an abundance of water for 30 minutes. Drain off the excess water, return the rice to the pot, cover, and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Ta da! Perfect brown rice, every time.

I originally found this technique on Saveur, and I’m so thankful I did. Their recipe calls for 12 cups of water (that’s a lot) per cup of rice, and I’ve learned that it really only needs 6 cups.

However, you don’t actually have to measure the water as long as you’re using a large enough pot. If too much water evaporates during the cooking process, just add more and return the water to a boil. Your rice will still turn out perfectly!

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Have you had panang curry yet? Panang curry is rich and creamy, spicy yet balanced, with underlying notes of peanut and coconut.

I make my panang curry with lots of bell peppers and carrots, and optional tofu for extra protein. It’s a perfectly satisfying weeknight meal for cold days.

Panang is one of my favorite Thai curries, right up there with red curry and green curry. If you haven’t ordered it at your favorite Thai restaurant yet, you’ve been missing out!

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Let’s talk about tofu! Even as a vegetarian, I don’t eat a ton of it. When I do, however, I want it crispy, and crispy tofu is an elusive beast. I’ve shared this method here and here, but I’ve gotten such fantastic feedback that I wanted to highlight it.

Even tofu skeptics love this tofu. Try it, and you will see!

Tips for Irresistibly Crispy Tofu

1) Choose the right kind of tofu.

Extra-firm tofu is the only way to go, and I’ve found that the Trader Joe’s brand is the most firm of them all (plus, it’s only two dollars). It’s organic, too, which is important when you’re buying tofu because soy is conventionally treated with fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides. Look for tofu in the refrigerated section by the produce.

2) Squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Water-logged tofu never gets super crispy. The key here is to slice the tofu into pieces before pressing it. Have you ever tried pressing a whole block, or even two halves? They just sit in soggy puddles. Slice them into smaller pieces to maximize the surface area. Press those, and you’ll extract more moisture—faster, too.

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You’re looking at roasted Brussels sprouts and crispy baked tofu over brown rice, drizzled with an irresistible honey-sesame glaze that brings it all together. This recipe features a few staple Asian ingredients, but it’s not one you’ll find on a takeout menu.

Have you made this recipe already, by chance? It’s one of my favorites from four years ago, but I was afraid the photos weren’t doing it justice. Over the weekend, it got some new beauty shots, and I’m sharing it again with some new notes!

This dish reminds me of one of the Annie’s frozen meals that I used to take into my office job when I was starting this blog, the broccoli teriyaki one. Maybe you know it. This is its homemade counterpart, which would coincidentally pack great for an office lunch.

While this recipe requires making several components, I love how the recipe comes together. You can bake the Brussels and the tofu in the oven at the same time, which might seem complicated at first glance, but it’s absolutely not! While those bake, the rice and glaze will be simmering on the stove. Then, it’s assembly time and dinner time.

In fact, I love this recipe so much that it inspired one of the recipes in my cookbook—the Roasted Broccoli, Bell Pepper, and Tofu Bowl with Peanut Sauce on page 175. I get hungry just looking at its photo. So good!

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