Tea

March 28, 2014

Weekly Obsessions 3.28.2014

Oh hot damn! Savory salt-free mini tarts. Homemade. Real deal. Let’s talk about it. If you’re like me you live at coffee shops. And while you love your cup of joe, you eye those golden pastries, nestled in the glass shelves, with longing. Maybe sometimes you sneak in a bite (no judgement – if no one sees you, it doesn’t count). But your low-sodium ways keep you from ordering the puffs and popovers and muffins and glazed thingamajigs. Sigh. Now if you’ve read this blog for a while, you know what I’m about to say – make them at home! […]

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March 7, 2014

Strawberry Obsessions 3.7.14

This will not be shocking news to anyone who is a longtime reader, but I am pretty hopeless when it comes to baking. I mean, I get anxious just thinking about cupcakes. The words “baking powder” and “baking soda” make me dizzy. And my hands sweat at the notion of making something sweet for a loved one. Unless that something is a meatloaf muffin — yeah, that happened. But a three layered cake? You’ve got to be kidding me. The way I see it (slash, explain my lack of skills in this area) is that I am plain awful at baking […]

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January 30, 2014

Salt-Free Super Steam Buns

Happy almost Super Bowl Chinese New Year. If you’ve never celebrated before, it’s a very special time of year where people eat dumplings and chicken wings all in the same weekend. Or at least, that’s what is happening in my house. And if you’ve been on the Internet lately you’ve probably been bombarded with different recipes for dim sum, pot stickers, and egg rolls, all loaded with high sodium products (including those ready to use wrappers). Which is why I made something special for you: SUPER SALT-FREE STEAMED BUNS. All so you can celebrate, of course. First things first, I […]

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January 15, 2014

Banana Blueberry Coconut Pancakes

I’ll start with an apology as I’ve kind of gone bonkers for bananas lately. They’re just so mushy and malleable and crazy transformative when it comes to creativity in the kitchen. And I just simply cannot get enough of them lately. Of course there are banana breads and banana smoothies. But did you know that bananas can also be used as a substitute for eggs? True story. Or that with a little powdered sugar, they can become buttercream-like frosting, without the buttercream? Or that, when mixed with sugar and cinnamon, they make a delightful and sweet stand in for butter […]

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January 6, 2014

Breathing and Blueberry Banana Bread

As I kid, I  announced new career aspirations as often as the months changed. In January, I wanted to be a veterinarian. By August, an archeologist. And come October, a mermaid. So let’s just say commitments and resolutions have never been my thing. Which is why each new year, I don’t make promises. I choose mantras. A word that helps define my every move for the days and weeks to come. A word that remains the same even as plans change and life does its twisty turny thing. And this year, I picked the word BREATHE. To remind myself to […]

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December 20, 2013

Weekly Obsessions 12.20.13

Okay, first of a all I finally made those banana bon bons from Nom Nom Paleo that I was talking about a few weeks ago. And you know what? BONKERS. Totally crazy good. Absolutely bananas. Literally. And speaking of bananas, um hello, next week is Christmas. And even for those of us that don’t celebrate this holiday, we all know that the next few days will be hurried with wrapping, gifting, and spreading love. If this stresses you out a little, have another bon bon. But hopefully these low-sodium gift guides (here and here) have helped you make your wish […]

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November 13, 2013

Pomegranate Blackberry Winter Tart

When the ancient philosophers of times long ago decided how things should work, someone silly came up with the idea that dinner always comes before dessert. And I guess I understand. If you served me caramel filled doughnuts before a hearty helping of vegetables, I might never make it to that cauliflower and broccoli course. Let’s be real. But let’s also break the rules. Because sometimes dessert needs to proceed the roasted meat and sautéed greens. Sometimes pumpkin pies need to be replaced with pomegranate and blackberry tarts. And sometimes, as we prep for the Thanksgiving meal ahead, we need […]

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August 30, 2013

Bake-less Low-Sodium “Cheese” Cake

Cheating as a kid is bad. I think I did it once and I’m pretty sure it didn’t make me feel very good. But when you enter adulthood, the rules totally start bending. And “cheating” a bit to make life’s to-do list  a little easier, faster, and mostly easier starts being a good thing. And whether you call it cutting corners or life hacking or dry shampoo — taking a short cut every now and then is always acceptable, often genius, and when it comes to overcoming dietary challenges, totally necessary. So let’s do it. Let’s cheat on cheesecake. And let’s […]

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July 25, 2013

Salt-Free DIY Dumplings

You better believe that a little soy sauce wouldn’t stop me from DIYing one of the most enviable bites around town: dumplings. Because if you’re like me, your relatives LOVE dim sum and as a result, you’ve spent a lot of time soaking in the sights and smells of these savory Asian bites. Dreaming of having a pile of salt-free dumplings to call your own. I’ve spent years now waiting, watching, and researching all in the name of recreating these tastes at home. And recently, thanks to one of my favorite food site, theKitchn.com  (if you don’t go there regularly, […]

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June 21, 2013

Greek Yogurt Egg Salad

I never understood why tea was for two. I mean, it’s fabulous to have one-on-one time with a special friend.  But if I’m making tea (or cocktails) you better believe the more is always the merrier. And summer seems to be filled with these kinds of last minute get togethers. Whether it is a beautiful sunny day and you skip work for a picnic in the park.  Or have breakfast plans for a few that quickly turns into brunch for many. Needless to say, I’m the queen of over-inviting and finding reasons to rally people around my table (or bar). […]

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