Quick French Onion Soup

Ah! Just finished my lunch (at my desk - sadface). This week I thought I'd make some good ol' heart warming soup! Usually I bring my lunch to work and I always end up getting some Au Bon Pain soup to go along with the rest of my lunch. Last week I got the Wild Mushroom Bisque and after looking at the nutritional facts online- I was disgusted! Sodium galore in such a small cup of soup!!

I thought it was time to make my own soup for lunch (or at least to go with my lunch), so I went online and tried to explore some new healthy and easy soup recipes! This week I got the recipe off of Eatingwell.com (As with most of my recipes) and tried to make some great French Onion Soup! The recipe follows:

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1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large sweet onions, sliced
2 cups chopped spring onions, or leeks, whites and light green parts only
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium beef broth
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
1/4 cup minced fresh chives, or scallions
6 slices whole-wheat country bread
1 cup shredded Gruyère, or fontina cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sweet onions and stir to coat. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until softened and starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add spring onions (or leeks), garlic and thyme and cook, uncovered, stirring often, until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in sherry and pepper; increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in chives (or scallions).

Meanwhile, toast bread and divide it among 6 bowls; top with cheese. Ladle the soup over the bread and cheese and serve immediately.

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I was so surprised at how delicious this ended up being! I was talking to Eric on the phone as I was making the soup- and he got me a bit skeptical after pointing out the fact that French Onion Soup is only good because it's been simmering for hours on a stove. Well not this one!

The chickpeas add a great texture- making it a very hearty soup- perfect for a light lunch. I used leeks instead of spring onions and didn't add the bread. I also used reduced sodium chicken stock (just because I had 6 cans of it laying in my pantry) instead of the beef and it was still delicious!

I was very surprised by the flavor- I was expecting it to be a bit bland without any extra salt in the recipe, but it turns out that all you need is the flavor of the vegetables and broth as well as some thyme- and your soup is perfectly seasoned!

I definitely recommend this recipe- it was fast (ish) and easy to make. I must say, the more you simmer the better it tastes- so it may not necessarily be 'fast' if you want it to be 'better'. But either way- what a great recipe!

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 40 minutes

Taste: 9

Burmese fishcake salad

This past weekend, I thought I'd spend some good ol' quality time with my grandmother. Not only is she really funny and awesome, she's an amazing cook (obviously). What's interesting about my Grandma's cooking (and my entire family's for that matter) is that it isn't purely Chinese cooking. In fact, it's anything but. Born and raised in Burma both my parents and grandparents love Burmese food. However, we are Chinese. Therefore, it is only natural to have an influence of Chinese and Burmese dishes all at the table at once! Really, we have just a whole assortment of foods from South Asia at our table everyday.


I went over to my Grandma's for lunch and she had this special Burmese fishcake salad made that was simply delicious! Very similar to something you may find at a Thai or Malaysian restaurant, this salad is tangy and full of flavor!

I know a lot of us are out there, dying to make traditional Asian/ethnic foods but find that they don't even know where to start. Well don't worry! Helping my grandma cook since I was an infant has finally paid off! The recipe follows:

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1 package of fish cake

1/2 tsp canola oil

2 cups chopped cabbage

1 cup sliced onion

2 tbl fish sauce

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbl lemon juice

Cut the fish cake in quarters and slice to 1/4 inch pieces and fry in oil for 3-4 minutes. Combine cabbage, onion, lemon juice, salt in a large bowl and mix. Add in fish cake and fish sauce and mix well and serve.

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Now it honestly cannot be simpler than that. You basically just.. mix all the ingredients together in a huge bowl.. and enjoy! You can get all of these ingredients at your local asian market- just keep your eyes peeled- they're everywhere!

This is just a great and simple recipe, and the flavors are so wonderful. The salty fish cake combined with the tangy lemon juice is a great emulsion of flavor while the crunchy cabbage combined with the soft fish cake gives it a unique texture. Try eating it with some white rice and you've got yourself a traditional Burmese/Thai meal!

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 15 minutes

Taste: 8.5

Whole wheat spaghetti with Spinach, Sun dried tomatoes and Feta cheese tossed with Garlic and Olive oil

So I bought a jar of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil a while back to make a chicken dish, but never got the chance to. I thought it was time to use things up in my pantry and explore new pasta dishes and hope to make a healthy meal out of it.

My pantry is always stocked with whole wheat pasta. I used to not like it in the past, but now I am so used to whole wheat pasta, that anything but tastes bad to me. The nuttiness and texture of the pasta is far different (and better) than the regular, and it makes me feel a little bit better stuffing myself with all these carbs!



I decided to make Whole wheat spaghetti with sundried tomatoes, feta cheese and spinach tossed in garlic and olive oil. The recipe follows:

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1 pound of whole wheat spaghetti

3 tbl of olive oil

1 cup of chopped onions

7 cloves of minced garlic

7 slice sundried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)

2/3 cup of feta cheese

1 bunch of fresh spinach

red pepper flakes

shaved parmesean cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook the pasta according to directions until pasta is al dente. Meanwhile, cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat for 3 minutes, then add red pepper flakes (to your liking). Keep over low heat while pasta cooks to ensure olive oil is enfused with the garlic. Add the sundried tomatoes and spinach and cook until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and add the cooked pasta and feta cheese and toss until coated/mixed. Top with parmesean cheese and serve warm.

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This recipe is so easy and so delicious. (Pictures coming soon) Simple and fast, I barely had to do any prepping and I got a great meal in return. It even tasted great after reheating it for lunch the next day! If you're craving for some (semi) guilt-free carbs, this recipe is simple and quick and healthy! What more could you ask for!

Pair with your favorite white wine and some candles for a nice date at home ;)

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 30 minutes

Taste meter: 9

Southwestern Beef & Bean Burger Wrap

The real world is sort of boring, which I am sure many of you have noticed. You really can't do anything "fun" after work, being that you are exhausted out of your mind. The weekends are my days for relaxation/restaurant exploring- but what do I do on the weekdays for fun you ask? Cook, of course!

I thought that I would start another blog, separate from my food/restaurant blog. I thought it would be a good idea to share the recipes I have tried out during the week and hope that people at home can learn to enjoy cooking as well!

Eric is a huge health nut. He blames it on his little "health nazi" brother, but he has rubbed off on me and I always do try my best to eat healthy nowadays. I try my best to bring lunch to work everyday as it is not only cheaper but it is a lot healthier than grabbing a slice of pizza from the cafeteria downstairs.

This week, I thought I'd try out the Southwestern Beef & Bean Burger Wraps from Eatingwell.com

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The recipe follows:

12 ounces 93%-lean ground beef
1 cup refried beans
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapenos
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 whole-wheat tortillas, warmed
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

• Position oven rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray.


• Gently combine ground beef, beans, cilantro and jalapenos in a medium bowl (do not overmix). Shape into four 5-by-2-inch oblong patties and place on the prepared pan.


• Broil the patties until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 165°F, 12 to 14 minutes.


• Meanwhile, mash together avocado, salsa and garlic powder in a small bowl.


• Place tortillas on a clean work surface. Spread each with the guacamole, then sprinkle with lettuce and cheese. Top each with a burger and roll into a wrap. Serve immediately, with lime wedges.

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I decided to omit the cilantro in the burger mixture, I don't really like it much - I think it has to do with a supressed childhood memory that I really can't recall. I also used fresh garlic instead of garlic powder and smashed the garlic with a bit of salt against my knife and it made the guacamole a lot more tasty. I warmed the tortillas for 30 seconds in the microwave and it turned out to be perfectly warm and soft (try not to over heat as it can overcook the tortilla and it will start to become hard). Be careful moving your bean burgers, as the beans make the burger very soft and it makes it easy to fall apart!

This recipe is delicious and so simple! This is a must if you are busy and don't have the time to cook, as it is fast and great for lunch and/or dinner! For those of you who are busy and don't want the exert any more effort after work, believe me, I feel ya. Try this simple recipe out, you won't regret it.

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 15 minutes
Taste meter: 8