Deniz has always had an affinity for south east Asian peanut sauces, but has always been disappointed by the Massaman […]
Appetizer/Side
Savory appetizers/sides are soooo good. Dim sum, mezes, tapas… whatever the country, they’re delicious. Heaven for me would be having dozens of tiny appetizers/sides for dinner, every dinner. Too bad they take so long to cook, or I’d be in my heaven. Anyway, here are some of the best appetizers/sides that we discovered and developed. We love them, and hope you do too!
Nigerian Black Eye Pea Fritters (Akara)
After a busy and eventful number of years, life somewhat calmed down in our second home, and Deniz and wanted […]
Bean Chili with VegBeef and Corn
Growing up vegetarian in an age where vegetarian was not particularly common, I ate an awful lot of vegetarian chili […]
Savory Veggie Cheddar Balls
I love muffins and have been searching for a healthy way to make them (reduced fat, sugar and salt), but […]
Healthy Carrot Muffin Balls
I love carrot cake. After being diagnosed with diabetes, it became a mission of mine to find a healthy recipe […]
Crispy Air-fried Chickpeas
Air-fried chickpeas are such a great snack! Healthy and super tasty. Crispy on the outside and slightly soft on the […]
Air-Fried Kale Chip
My sister Vicky developed a simple and incredibly tasty recipe for air-fried kale. Comes out perfectly crispy every time, and […]
Turkish Carrot Yogurt Dip (Yoğurtlu Havuç Meze)
Got this delicious recipe from anne on our Thanksgiving 2019 visit to Turkey. So healthy and flavorful at the same […]
Turkish Beet Arugula Salad
Gulevren taught us how to make this delicious salad during our Thanksgiving 2019 visit. The sweetness and softness of the […]
Tabouli
Deniz and I modified this recipe of tabouli from the Ziad bulgur package to meet our tastes. It has a […]
Turkish Leek and Carrots
One day we were searching for a vegetarian recipe as usual, and we came across this leek & carrot recipe […]
American VegSausage Cheese Swirls
This is a great snack and tea companion. Crunchy puff pastry filled with vegetarian sausage and cheese, baked for perfection. […]
Creamy Cauliflower
Vegetables in a cream sauce, there’s something so satisfying about the combination. The richness of the cream pairs so well […]
Creamy Kabocha Squash
I modified Food Network’s Roast kabocha squash with lemongrass cream soup recipe on a whim to make this amazing squash side dish. The […]
Fusion Indian-Chinese Pani Palak Paneer / Pureed Ong Choi with Tofu
Deniz and I love indian food and palak paneer is one of those great flavorful and healthy dishes. We had […]
Australian-Italian Beetroot Arancini
During our Australia trip we had a chance to taste few unique vegetarian dishes and snacks. One memorable item was a […]
Turkish Mung Bean Salad (Maş Salatasi)
This is a light and healthy Turkish Salad that Gülevren taught us. In Taiwanese cuisine, green mung beans are always […]
Turkish Zuchinni Salad (Kabak Salatasi)
Gülevren also taught us to make this tart and creamy dill meze. It’s refreshing to the pallet, especially with rich […]
Turkish Ali Nazik Kebab
We were blesssed to get a private cooking lesson from Gülevren last night. It was a unique treat watching superwoman. She […]
Turkish Lentil Balls (Mercimek Köfte)
While visiting Turkey this year, we had the great honor of learning to cook from Deniz’ mom, ane Fatma Turkmen. […]
Quinoa Salad
Found this quinoa salad recipe on Food Network and made minor modifications to fit our taste. Has a lovely mildly […]
Fusion Bangladeshi Pancakes
I’ve always wondered why there aren’t many savory pancake offerings. I love the texture of pancakes, but don’t much like sweet […]
Beijing Tangy Stir-fried Bean Sprouts
Deniz loves these bean sprouts, we’ve made them more than any other recipe on this blog. I’ve never been a […]
Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers with Chipolte VegPork and Cheesy Rice
Deniz and I were doing Mexican taco/burrito this week and saw beautiful baby sweet bell peppers on sale in the […]