Simple Cooking

This makes enough milk tea glaze for one full recipe of gem cakes; you can halve the recipe if you’d like an assortment of flavors.

This dish, a riff on perennially popular sesame noodles, features sweet potato cellophane noodles. Pleasingly chewy and gluten-free, they’re a great alternative to wheat noodles, and particularly friendly to those living with Crohn’s disease, who often avoid gluten. Additionally, while classic sesame noodles are often made with spicy ingredients like chili, garlic, and onion—all of which can trigger a flare-up for people with Crohn’s, says registered dietitian Andrea Kirkland—these noodles are b.…

These simple, flavorful noodles are seasoned with soy sauce and a sprinkle of umami-rich dashi powder, plus three dimensions of garlic: fresh, fried, and infused into oil.

The crunchiness and juiciness of flowering chives combined with tender, lightly seasoned pork is an unbeatable combination—and this dish is super quick to make.

Our new favorite pot roast is just a pile of veggies. Here, carrots get a fresh wake-up from a combination of bright, lemony sumac, funky anchovies, and sweet spring onions.

White port and tonic can handle all sorts of garnishes—I tinker happily with thyme, basil, mint or even cinnamon; but I love the rasping austerity of rosemary. Lemon is always my citrus of choice.

Manhattanesque in both composition and deliciousness, this whiskey and sherry welcomes swapping in bourbon if you prefer your drink a little sweeter.

The flavors in this dish are a combination of two tapas favorites: patatas bravas and huevos rotos. You get the best of both worlds with the runny yolks, crisped potatoes, chile-based sauce, and creamy mayo.

All good and decent breakfast spreads deserve some slow-cooked beans. These also freeze very well should you find yourself with leftovers.

Minced garlic gets doused with oil and microwaved until it becomes golden-brown and crispy.

The dressing was a crowd-pleasing sweet onion recipe that we’d used at Old Lahaina Luau. It's made with a fresh, uncooked sweet onion, that gets puréed with cider vinegar, sugar, Dijon mustard, and oil. Try it on our Maui Kale Salad with cabbage and spicy peanuts.

You only need one bowl to mix this easy, cheesy, savory-and-sweet corn muffins.

Monte Cristo sandwiches usually have a sweet element, like powdered sugar sifted over the top, or raspberry jam served on the side for dipping. In this version, you’ll cook green apple and canned green chiles down into a sweet and spicy compote to slather on your bread.

This omelet, with its rich, comforting, fiery gravy, is enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Of course, you could also whip it up deep into the night, the time when most Goan partygoers looking for something to fuel their endless dancing sessions seek it out on the lively Goan streets.

No chopping required for this weeknight dinner. Just blend spinach, kale, basil, and garlic with feta, cream cheese, and olive oil to make a fresh, rich sauce that wraps itself around pasta.

These nachos lend themselves to customization and are an excellent place to use up little bits of leftovers (extra black beans, crumbled sausage or bacon, roasted vegetables—or a random radish or extra scallion).

This mixed vegetable dish takes its inspiration from Buddhist vegetarian cooking and can include any combination of ingredients that represent good luck, prosperity, happiness, family wholeness, and longevity. 

Rice cakes are available sliced, marble-shaped, and in batons. There are dried versions, but the refrigerated version is widely available and easier to work with. You can use any combination of vegetables and seasonings here, so feel free to experiment with flavors.