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This warm chocolatey pudding is eggless, creamy, and a snap to make if you use fine grain or instant polenta. More

I've been a fan of instant noodles all my life and in 2002, decided to turn this passion into a blog. While living in Seattle, I've found Asian grocery stores aplenty and my love affair with the instant noodle has only increased. Over the years, I've found some pretty amazing varieties; this list represents the best of the best. More

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My favorite version of wonton soup—the version that's good enough to eat like a meal and not just an MSG headache-inducing appetizer, is the rich, shrimp and pork version served in Hong Kong. The broth, a far cry from the salty, one-dimensional versions I had as a kid, is made with chicken and pork, with a rich body and a faint aroma of the sea. The wontons are stuffed fuller than most, folded into little round parcels, filled with juicy pork and shrimp pop out as you bite through the thin, thin skins; the shrimp crunching under your teeth as you chew. More

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There is something so satisfying about a farro salad, especially when it's a complete meal. All you have to do is toss some in a big bowl, grab a fork, and dig in. More

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Whole pureed oranges make this cake one of the most moist I've ever had. Ground almonds. saffron, and a honey syrup complete the Middle Eastern theme. More

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This soup has lots of flavor, and takes a lot less time to make than you may be imagining. Miso soup (just miso paste and boiling water here) basically makes itself while you're preparing the mushroom-scallion dumplings. The mushrooms are cooked with a bit of vinegar and soy sauce so they burst with dark, earthy flavors in the soup. That may sound like a lot of soy-on-soy action, but the lemongrass keeps it from being overwhelming. More

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How many great tacos are there in Chicago? Well, there are enough that I was able to try a new restaurant or taqueria every week for a year and never come close to exhausting the possibilities. Sure, some were simply mediocre, while others were merely adequate, but occasionally I'd stumble upon a true find. More

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Now that my wife has decided to go 100% vegetarian for good, she's had to resign herself to the sad truth: the perfect buffalo wing can never again be hers. In an act of selfless valor, I made it my mission to provide her with a suitable alternative: deep-fried cauliflower. More

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Mapo Tofu is one of the greatest dishes in the world, and it exists not only inspite of, but because of the fact that the ingredient options were so severely restricted when it was created in the city of Chengdu in Sichuan province. Here's how to make a vegan version that is not only as good as, but may well be better than the real thing. More

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Don't you hate the term detox? I sure do. It's not that after two months of eating roast meat, roast potatoes, pies, cookies, and cakes I need to detox (whatever that means), but honestly, winter is one of the greatest salad seasons with peppery, bitter greens, great root vegetables, and an excuse to put nuts in everything. Here are eighteen awesome winter salads that are hearty enough to eat like a meal, but healthy enough to make you feel good about your new years' resolutions. More

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I read a lot of books for this job—about 52 a year, in fact. In all this page turning, there are many books that are just not memorable. But luckily, there tend to be many more that are. Here are my picks for the best non-cookbook food books of 2012. Now you know just what to buy for your pickiest literary friends this holiday season. More

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Ever since tasting April Bloomfield's awesome fall green salads at The John Dory, that combination of crisp, bitter greens and savory anchovy dressing has been one of my favorite combinations. More

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If Thanksgiving can be recreated completely in pie form, can't the holiday's many familiar flavors be translated into a satisfying salad? This is not exactly a completely original idea, but I really wanted to get the homey aspect of Thanksgiving right in this. More

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Marzipan made from pine nuts make this tart from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle unique. The rich, nutty filling is enveloped in a double layer of buttery tart dough, making it a delicious breakfast sweet or an elegant end to a meal. More

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This mac contains just as much greenery as pasta. Braised collards and bok choy pair perfectly with the gooey cheddar-gruyère-parmesan mix, and the hints of soy and coconut lend rich depth. Green as it may be, this is no health food; there's bacon, heavy cream, and plenty of cheese in each and every nook and cranny. More

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The sprouts are given a high-heat treatment, emerging from the oven blistered and crisp. And then instead of coating the sprouts in a honey glaze, they use that glaze to candy walnuts. A final flourish of sauteed Granny Smith apples completes the dish, balancing the bitter notes of the sprouts and nuts. More

In today's food- and foodie-obsessed culture, cooking shows have taken on an amazing cultural importance. From Ina Garten to Guy Fieri, from old-school Ming Tsai to the newest competition show on the Cooking Channel, everyone has their favorite program and style of culinary entertainment. Kathleen Collins explores the history of food television in her new book, Watching What We Eat: The Evolution of Television Cooking Shows. More

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Every time I make this I remember how good it is. There's the heat of the chili oil countered by the cooling cilantro; the richness of the sesame oil, cut through with sour pickles, and that pudding-like tofu. More

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A love affair with Greek yogurt can claim a serious chunk of your grocery budget and represent a distressing volume of packaging in your trash can. In the DIY final analysis, making your own is hands down the way to go. More

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Commercial cereal bars laced with artificial flavors, dyes, and 12 grams of sugars are not my idea of an energizing breakfast. While studying the package, the familiar refrain of "you know, I bet I could make those" began running through my head. More

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Moist and tender, the flavor from this loaf comes from the combination of whole grain gluten-free flours, cocoa powder, and freshly grated zucchini. More

Yes, Chef is the pinnacle of chef memoirs; Samuelsson conveys his passion for food and details his long and driven journey to the top, while still recognizing and considering the broader impact of his work. More

Planters may be one of the biggest name in peanuts, but they certainly lag behind Jif and Skippy when it comes to the ubiquity of peanut butter brands. In fact, I never really knew they made peanut butter until a few jars of their new line "NUTrition" (hah, get it?) showed up at SEHQ. The three new butters feature mix-ins like raisins, other dried fruits, and granola. More

The idea behind this ice cream maker is to make a quick batch of ice cream—it took about nine minutes to churn most of the recipes I tried—and then just dive in with a spoon. If you've got the ice cream mixture ready ahead of time, that's just enough time to clear the table of the dinner dishes and be waiting with that spoon in hand. More

It's common knowledge that our food industry is dependent upon the cheap labor of scores of workers in all kinds of service jobs. Journalist Tracie McMillan went undercover as an employee at Wal-Mart, Applebee's, and in the California produce fields to tell the story of these workers first-hand. More