My Mom’s Kohi Kanten – Coffee Pudding (Vegan – and about $.10 per serving!)

Kanten…so many reasons I love it:

it’s a naturally ZERO calorie food. That’s right. I said, ZERO!
it’s filling and yet not wiggly-jiggly (unlike gelatin);
even the laziest prep yields yummilicious results; and
I grew up eating it!

Below is a picture of agar agar in stick form.

At any Asian market you can find premixed packets of almond kanten for [...]

Canned Fish is a Superstar I: Jack Mackerel (Capellini and Fishcakes)

Please, there is no reason to pretend. I know what you are thinking…I’m in love with canned fish too…
First in a series of posts about the wonders of canned fish.
Each can of jack mackerel (costing $1.29 ~ $1.79) yields a lot of protein (and omega-3’s). I have no idea why they are so inexpensive but [...]

My Bento with Latvian Sprats (shproti, šprotes) and Pretty Flowers

There’s a spat over sprats, between exporter Latvia and importer Russia. The sprat, a fish no larger than 16 centimenters, attracts the great affection of the global Latvian diaspora. Yes, yes, it’s important to millions of people, including little old me, because I adore having it in my bento. Here’s a picture of the Riga [...]

Subversive Peanut Butter Cinnamon Chickpea Fudge (under $.03 per serving)

Sssssh. I have a secret. Dessert can be nutritious. And, in the old countries, it frequently is. Recipes for yōkan, burfi, and halva routinely use beans, sesame seeds, and even carrots to establish foundations for sweets. They are dense dessert formats, just like fudge.
And what if such a dessert were to be made of chickpeas? [...]

Chana Masala (less than $0.50 per serving)

Everytime I go to the supermarket, I see MDH’s Chana Masala powder mix. Now, I’ve used it before…but not for its intended purpose. I see the happy picture on the box and I wonder if chickpeas can really be that glamorous? I bought the box and decided to take the plunge.

After watching the culinary superawesomeness [...]