Banana-Caramelized Plantains-Walnut-Mini Cupcakes

No frosting on these cupcakes.  Because, well, I don't like frostings on cupcakes.  Unless it is a really light sponge cake type of cupcake.

"Healthy" Cake

Banana-oatmeal-oat bran-yogurt cake.  Lightly sweetened with raw honey.

I may have to bake more of this and freeze them, and have them for breakfast (or for the occasional snack time).

Pork, Peppers, and Vermicelli

Ginger Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Crispy, chewy oatmeal cookies with golden raisins, lots of cinnamon, and bits of ginger through out, as well as a slice of candied ginger nestled in the center.

Lemongrass Tofu with Cabbage Stir Fry

Easy side dish: Shredded Cabbage and Red Pepper Stir Fry

Spicy Crispy Lemongrass Tofu

I like to score the tofu, so that the flavor can get inside too.  Some people like to deep fry this, but I found that the lemongrass would fall off to the bottom of the pot and burn.  Just a little bit of oil in the pan is fine for me, and I don't have to any waste oil either.  The time consuming part is to turn them on all sides to get every surface crispy.  But that's just me- I like crispness. 

Steamed fish

I have no idea what I made.  This was from some time ago.  Think this was ginger steamed fish with 3 kinds of salads and relishes on top.

Dark Chocolate Almond Cookie

There were a few surprises to this cookie.  For one, you might bite into a piece that has ginger, while another does not.  I baked this as a very crispy biscotti-like cookie, but it turned soft after a few days.  Weird!  Wonder what it will be in a couple of days?  Crispy again??  In any case, it was really good with a glass of milk or cup of  tea.  

I like using Valrhona 71% cacao dark chocolate.  The 81% is a bit too bitter to leave as chunks in the cookie.  Maybe next time, I will make a cardamon-pistachio-dark chocolate variety.