No longer updating, but hope you enjoy the recipes!
Unfortunately, I got too busy to go back to blogging, after I was forced to take a break from it in 2015 because of tendonitis.
But you can still follow my cooking, eating, and travels on instagram: (@spontaneoustomato)
Green Bean Black Sesame Goma-Ae
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My summer of snacking on cold salads directly out of the fridge continues!
Not that this is a salad; it’s more of a side dish. Goma-ae is a delicious Japanese vegetable side dish, often using spinach (or another green vegetable, like green beans) and always seasoned with goma (sesame).
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It’s such a simple recipe, I have a feeling this is going to be a short blog post…
Roasted Tomato Gazpacho
It’s summer! But I am still, technically, a grad student until the end of my 6-week summer TA-ship… so the crazy feeling of having finished grad school probably won’t quite hit me until then.
In the meantime, starting last week, I’ve been waking up early to teach (and grade for) a summer intensive course in first-year Japanese, and it’s led to something of a rude awakening: waking up early five days a week is exhausting!
(Don’t laugh — after seven years of grad school, I have a lot to re-get used to…) The sad part is that Paula still wakes up earlier than I do and leaves the house before me… so obviously I have nothing to complain about.
Whole-Grain Dijon Mustard Potato Salad
This potato salad is like a collection of all of the foods I used to hate.
Key words: used to!
Mustard, pickled red onions, and even capers have all grown on me in recent years. (Capers, most recently — they used to be the bane of my bagels & lox experiences.)
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So the other day when I picked up a little container of this vinegary, mustardy red potato salad from a sandwich shop, I enjoyed it immensely. Possibly because it was the first thing I ate after I defended my dissertation…
But don’t get me wrong, it tasted good for other reasons, too!
Taquería-Style Creamy Avocado Salsa
Add this to the list of recipes filed under: WHY did it take us so long to try making this?!
There are many reasons we frequent some of the taco shops in Santa Barbara. Hunger, convenience, Groupons, entertaining visitors from out of town… And, aside from all of the obvious ones, Paula gets to eat carne asada (which I don’t eat), and I get to eat rajas con queso (melty cheese over grilled onions and peppers) and pico de gallo (both of which she doesn’t eat, because: onions).
But really the salsas rank right up there for THE reason to go out for Mexican food. If it weren’t for those tempting salad-bar-style salsa bars with their rainbow of assorted roasted, charred, blended, spicy, medium, mild, red, green, smoky, tangy, fresh-diced salsas, then we could just make ourselves the same Mexican dishes at home!
Peaches and Cream Cake
I’m back! With about thirty new mosquito bites and one PhD!
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As you can imagine, I’ve had an eventful break from blogging…
After 7 years (!) of grad school, last Friday I passed my dissertation defense. (You may now call me “Dr.” but you might be one of the only people calling me that, since my PhD is in linguistics.)
The weekend before that, my little sister Jess got married.
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Her wedding was beautiful. The ceremony was on a sunny hilltop in the countryside, and Wisconsin was looking greener than ever. (Or at least I thought so anyway, coming from drought-stricken California.)
Kimchijeon (Kimchi Pancake)
A note to my dear readers: I haven’t missed a single week of posting in over two years, but it’s finally happening — I will be taking the next two weeks off. I’ll be back on Thursday, June 12th! (And if you’re wondering why: One week from today, I give a talk about my dissertation, then fly to Wisconsin for my sister’s wedding. The following week, I fly back to CA to defend my dissertation. Wish me luck!) I’ll miss you while I’m away!
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Remember back when I wrote about how sauteed kimchi is like the gateway drug to raw (fermented) kimchi? Well I’m giving you one more recipe that uses cooked kimchi to really win over anyone who still has any doubts.
That’s how passionate I am about the combination of kimchi + heat.
And yes, I know you lose the probiotic benefits of kimchi when you cook it, but what better way to use up that really sour kimchi in the old jar, before you open up a new one? (Although I’m pretty sure you could justify this to any skeptics with the taste alone.)
Kimchijeon is a crispy, savory pancake, packed with tangy kimchi.
spontaneous tomato 