Kohlrabi and Zucchini Fritters with Wasabi Mayo

I didn’t even know kohlrabi existed until a few months ago. It was my brother’s birthday, and someone decided to give him seeds to plant in the garden. I looked at the package, frowning at the foreign name, and that was my first encounter with kohlrabi. Fast forward to the present, and the seeds have transformed into lovely green bulbs with leaves on top. These fritters are the first time I used the vegetable, so I was quite surprised by how hard of an effort it took to cut into it! I also recognized a smell but couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Of course, my mind needed to know, so one online search later and I came up with Martha Stewart’s definition of kohlrabi: it’s like a cross between a radish, jicama, broccoli, and collard greens. And that was it! My nose had detected the radish smell. But when the kohlrabi’s cooked, it doesn’t really taste like radish but more of a mixture between broccoli, zucchini and potato. Strange, huh?

These fritters are a wondrous combination of the strange veggie named kohlrabi, zucchini, egg, breadcrumbs and spices. It’s crunchy and soft (oxymoron point in English class!) plus the fritters smell so good when they’re cooking in the pan. It’s excellent with the wasabi mayo, which gives it an extra pop that I love.

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Healthy Winter Buddha Bowl

I finally made something other than desserts and baked goods! Since my mom usually makes dinner every night, I never make dinner, but this time, my parents were out and I had to prepare dinner myself. I have been longing to make a Buddha bowl in, like, forever, so that’s exactly what I did.

It might not look like the best dinner ever, but it certainly tasted like it. And it took me under 30 minutes to make, so I call this a successful meal.

Who knew Buddha bowls could bring so much joy to the eater? And I think the cold winter weather (it was snowing here!) might have made me appreciate a warm bowl of yummy veggies even more.

Creamy Celery and Carrot Soup

On Saturday, my brother had a soccer game that was pretty far away from home, which meant I was home alone for the entire day. Which also meant that I had to make dinner. My mom requested soup, so I had to look in the fridge and there were not a lot of vegetables. Just a few stalks of celery, carrots, and bell peppers.

And that is how this soup came to be.

Considering that I only added water (chicken stock, to me, always seems so unhealthy for some reason) and spices, the result was so creamy, I was shocked!

Easy Bibimbap

Surprise! You might have noticed that I’m posting on a Wednesday instead of the weekend like I normally do. Well it’s all due to the great outdoors. My family and I are going camping for the weekend so I won’t have access to internet, which is why I’m leaving you guys with this easy dinner idea before I go. I got this idea from a recent episode of MasterChef where I saw all these really yummy looking bowls of bibimbap being made. The contestants on that show are so talented! (I’m cheering for Dan by the way. Love him!)

Let me first explain what bibimbap is. A Korean dish, literally meaning “mixed rice”, it is usually served in a hot stone bowl with rice (the stone bowl is so hot that there is a delicious layer of crispy rice on the bottom) and topped with vegetables, meat and an egg in the middle. The most traditional dishes use raw eggs and raw meat which should get cooked as it is mixed in the hot rice before eating. I, sadly, do not have stone bowls and had to content with these colourful Moroccan bowls that my dad picked up from one of his many travels all over the world. And since I couldn’t heat my bowls over the stove top, I couldn’t get a crispy layer of rice on the bottom, but it still tasted delicious!

My version of this Korean dish leans towards the healthier side, with delicious pan-fried chickpeas, minced turkey and lots of vegetables.

Oven Baked Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

One of the most popular ways to cook fish is to pan fry it. Though that is an awesome way to do it, I tend to bake my fish if I coat it with something so there is no hassle about flipping it and making sure the coated ingredients don’t fall off. This tilapia tastes perfect with a crunchy coating of breadcrumbs (HOMEMADE!) and melted cheese.

Really nice fish does not need to be breaded, but with simpler fish, such as tilapia, I coat it with breadcrumbs and cheese to give it a crunchy, delicious, exterior. Oh, and of course, baking it in the oven is healthier than pan frying it because you use less oil!

I was inspired to make this by going to this awesome Greek restaurant in the neighborhood. When you enter, the tzatziki smell immediately hits you and and there are plants which have vines intertwined all over the ceiling, creating a very nature atmosphere.I usually order a starter for my main dish because, boy, their main dishes are enormous! The plate is literally twice as big as my head.