Pork Banh Mi Lettuce Cups

Anthony and I spent a weekend in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam a couple of years ago. Today's Eating with Ellie recipe is Vietnamese Pork Banh Mi sandwiches, and it brought back memories of our trip.

Daikon "Risotto" with Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nuts

I have so many ideas to share about how to eat more vegetables! Recently I have been replacing different parts of our meals with vegetables. Last week and this week I made vegetable "risotto". Last week I made turnip rice for a red wine risotto and this week I am sharing a recipe for daikon rice. Daikon is a little like radishes in taste and like a rolling pin in size. It is quite crunchy when raw and cooks up quickly. This risotto made an excellent weeknight meal.

Carrot and Daikon Fritters

Daikon is also called Chinese radish. The one pictured here is medium sized; they can be as small as a carrot and as large as a baseball bat. If you see one at an Asian market or farmer's market, buy one that is shiny and medium sized or smaller.

Daikon taste a lot like red radishes. Their larger size make them ideal for cutting into batons or matchsticks or grating. (Peel them first.) They are a brilliant dipper for creamy cauliflower hummus. You can also use them as a salad ingredient, especially with a lemon- or vinegar-based dressing.

Chickpea and Carrot Salad with Japanese-Inspired Carrot Dressing

When I go food shopping I try to always pick up something new (to me). Otherwise it can be much too boring to go shop for food time after time. I recently came home with a little bottle of shichimi togarashi, a Japanese spice blend made with seaweed.

carrot and daikon salad

The daikon is a well-built radish with a peppery bite. Grate it up and it makes a perfect partner for the smooth and sweet carrot. Mix them up with a delicious sesame dressing, and sizzle some hot oil on the scallions at the end, and you have the perfect crunchy side dish.