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Pumpkins and I didn’t always get along so well. There were a few years there when we flat out wanted nothing to do with eachother. Correction – I wanted nothing to do with it. I lumped it into the category with all those other confused vegetables – sweet potatoes, butternut squash etc, you know, the [...]The post Thai Pumpkin Soup appeared first on avocadopesto.
I’ve been reading a few heavy books lately. It started with Confessions of an Economic Hit Man which reveals how developed countries exploit the undeveloped world for their own gains and how the “global empire” is booming and causing distress to local communities worldwide. From there I started reading The Shock Doctrine – which details the history [...]The post Pad See Ew
Right now I’m feeling pretty cranky. The kind of thing where if I was still a baby I would just cry nonstop and throw my toys on the floor. Possibly with a few bouts of stamping my feet on the ground as well. Since I’m a so called adult, I’m simply throwing an internal temper [...]The post Thai Coconut Milk Soup with Shrimp – Tom Kha appeared first on avocadopesto.
I used to think sunsets and sunrises were overrated. To be fair I do still think sunrises can be a bit weak, sunsets though, sunsets deserve all the attention. Though the sun sets every single night, so many times there isn’t that magical spectrum of colors that you’re always hoping to see. Sometimes the sky [...]The post Lemongrass Salad Bites appeared first on avocadopesto.
Hello All – D here. Currently we’re in Cambodia and, unfortunately, we didn’t manage to do any cooking classes here…yet. Let’s take a look at how the site performed this month. Traffic: While March was AvocadoPesto’s best month to date, we took a sharp hit in April in traffic, coming in at about 10k pageviews [...]The post April 2013 Traffic and Income Report &#
Today I write this post from the beach. I’m sitting in a beach side cafe on Otres Beach in Cambodia and with a beer in hand and the ocean breeze coming in, I’m on my computer. This is what I see when I think of location independent living. The fresh air and beach as the [...]The post Deep Fried Fish topped with Lemongrass Sauce appeared first on avocadopesto.
How do you feel about fruit added to your food? Are you a fan? I’m usually not. I generally prefer my fruit separate and never really jumped on the adding berries to salad bandwagon. So when I saw that at the Blue Elephant cooking school we were going to make a red curry with pineapple, [...]The post Red Curry with Shrimp and Pineapple appeared first on avocadopesto.
It’s been a while since my last blog post. For a few days I was busy celebrating the Lao New Year in the country’s capital. And then a few more days I was traveling through remote villages without any wifi access. The new year festivities here are beyond awesome. The celebration lasts at least 3 [...]The post Grilled Chicken Salad with Thai Roasted Chili Paste appeared first on avocado
The other day we volunteered in Luang Prabang Laos at an organization called Big Brother Mouse, which makes and sells children’s book in both Lao and English to be distributed to village children in more remote areas in Laos. Some of those kids would be receiving their very first book ever. I think this is [...]The post Minced Meat and Herb Salad – Laap appeared first on avocadopesto.
The Asian cultures are so incredibly resourceful, even 7 months into traveling in Asia I am still stunned by the various uses they find for some things. Banana leaves are used to wrap veggies, fish, noodles, you name it. Thin strips of bamboo are then used to secure the banana leaf satchels. No plastic needed. [...]The post Fish Steamed in Banana Leaves – Mok Pa appeared first on avocadopest
What are your thoughts on lemongrass? Love it, hate it? Never even heard of it? I for one, love it. For those of you not familiar with it it is a long stemmed herb, hailing from India and tropical Asia and used in teas, soups, curries, stir fries, you name it. With a citrusy flavor, [...]The post Chicken Stuffed Lemongrass – Oua Si Khai appeared first on avocadopesto.
I’m breaking the chain of Thai themed recipes here to bring a Lao based dish today. D and I recently crossed the border into Laos and have been enjoying the sleepy country for the last few days. Things move slowly here. People are in no hurry, everywhere we go there is a relaxed vibe, and [...]The post Lao Eggplant Dip – Jeow Mak Keua appeared first on avocadopesto.
Hello All – D here. Currently we’re in Laos and Vicky is at a cooking class. I figured I’d try to make myself equally as useful by writing our March income post before she gets back. Let’s dive in, shall we? Traffic: March was AvocadoPesto’s best traffic month ever, beating August by a hair. A [...]The post March 2013 Traffic and Income Report – $1719 appeared
I love shrimp, and do not get to eat it as often as I would like. I’m not even too picky. I’ll take boiled shrimp which I will happily peel myself and dip into mayonnaise. If I’ve got that I’m happy! Well, unfortunately I haven’t been able to get my hands on a stove or [...]The post Stir Fried Shrimp with Roasted Chili Paste appeared first on avocadopesto.
Stir fried veggies make perfect side dishes. It’s quick to make, lightly cooked and healthy. No mess, no fuss. Unlike in the US, here in Asia morning glory is everywhere. It’s this fascinating long stemmed green vegetable with long almost diamond shaped leaves. And it tastes really good. Trust me on that one. I even [...]The post Thai Morning Glory Stir Fry appeared first on avocadopes
Let’s start with the basil portion of the title. Did you know that even basil can be deep fried? This thought never even crossed my mind, until my cooking class at Time for Lime on Koh Lanta, Thailand. It’s not so much deep fried as “flash” fried, dipped in hot oil for a few seconds [...]The post Sweet and Sour Spicy Fish with Deep Fried Basil appeared first on avocadopesto
I normally don’t set aside a separate post for sauces, but honestly this peanut sauce was so out-of-this-world that it deserves it’s own spot on the blog. I mean this doesn’t even compare to those bottled, pre-packaged, additive ridden sauces. This is made from the heart and it shows. I prepared this at the [...]The post Peanut Sauce appeared first on avocadopesto.
I’m not big on beef. I was never a fan of steaks (if anything I would demand my meat to be well done before letting it touch my lips) and I never jumped on the burger band-wagon. Last year apparently I only blogged and shared two beef recipes the entire year (both prepared for the [...]The post Beef Satay appeared first on avocadopesto.
I first fell head over heels with Vietnamese fresh and fried spring rolls, and now that I’m in Thailand I’ve discovered they’ve got their own spring rolls over here. The spring roll wrappers here aren’t as thin as the ones in Vietnam but also aren’t as thick as the Chinese style egg roll wrappers – [...]The post Thai Spring Rolls appeared first on avocadopesto.
Traveling and not gaining weight in no easy task. I mean sure, there are days when I’m out walking all day, but there are also those days when I’m on a bus all day. But there’s always one constant – an abundance of new and delicious food. And no matter how much excersice I’m getting [...]The post Penang Curry Stir Fry with Chicken appeared first on avocadopesto.
Since we started traveling we have been trying to eat less meat, focusing more on vegetarian or vegan friendly meals. Yes this can be difficult while traveling through Asia and no we haven’t given up meat/animal products entirely but we do make a conscious effort to eat less and opt for veggie friendly meals. Without [...]The post Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry appeared first on avocadopesto.
Hello All – D here. After a month in Myanmar we’re back in Thailand for a few weeks. I wouldn’t say Myanmar flew by – it went at a medium pace. We liked it, didn’t love it. Unfortunately, the two cooking classes that Vicky had scheduled in Myanmar fell through and we won’t be able [...]The post February 2013 Traffic and Income Report – $1094 appeared first
Branching from my last potato themed post I just had to share yet another one of my favorite potato recipes. This one is even harder to make while traveling here in Asia, because even if I were to get my hands on an apartment kitchen so many of them come without an oven! Hard to [...]The post Oven Roasted Potato Wedges appeared first on avocadopesto.
I love traveling and eating the local food, like REALLY. But sometimes, when you’re sick all you (I) want is something familiar, something simple to remind you of home. And by sick I mean a mysterious illness possibly brought on by food poisoning or a case of heat stroke from a 3 day – 50 [...]The post Home Fries appeared first on avocadopesto.
Thailand amazes me with the food. Especially the curry pastes. They have so many; green, red, penang, yellow, massaman, and they’re all different. My favorite used to be the red curry but now I’ve switched to green curry. Hmmm so good. I hate to say this, but you’ve really got to make your own curry [...]The post Green Curry Paste Stir Fry appeared first on avocadopesto.
Pad Thai is probably the first Thai dish I fell in love with. I would order it every chance I got and even now that I’m here in Thailand if I see it anywhere I must have it. From Junie, the founder of the Koh Lanta Time for Lime cooking schoo,l I learned that this [...]The post Thai Pad Thai appeared first on avocadopesto.
Thai food seems to be a problem for Dave. You see the Thais love their food spicy, but unfortunately Dave does not. Even though the level of spice added to Thai dishes made for westerners is considered “baby” it’s still too much for Dave. One of the cooking instructors, Mai, at the Time for Lime [...]The post Thai Green Papaya Salad appeared first on avocadopesto.
Though I’m not a big fan of sweets or dessert in general, I’m a sucker for cheesecake. As I’ve mentioned before it must be because the base is made with cream cheese – which is generally categorized as a savory ingredient. As I started thinking about my love of cheesecake I started to realize how [...]The post Vegan Cheesecake appeared first on avocadopesto.
I got my first whiff of roasted Thai chili paste at a cooking class in Bangkok with Silom Thai Cooking School. I’ll bet you’ve never guessed what it smells like. Caramelized or fried onions/shallots. Strange right? I would have though it would smell like chili peppers or something like that… but nope, it really smells [...]The post Thai Shrimp with Roasted Chili Paste Sauce appea
In Asia there is this amazing leafy green vegetable with a great english translation – morning glory. Doesn’t it just sound cheerful and lovely? And trust me it is. There’s really no substitute. You could use baby spinach instead but it’s really not the same. You’ve really just got to seek out morning glory in [...]The post Stir Fried Morning Glory appeared first on a
Hello All – D here. Another month another country. By the time you read this we will have just landed in Burma (and yes, we have cooking classes scheduled there too – can you believe it?!?). But for now, we’ve still got some catching up to do with Thailand. Vicky did a total of 5 [...]The post January 2013 Traffic and Income Report – $1260 appeared first on avocadopesto.
I went through a phase when I was younger when all I wanted to eat was chicken fingers and fish sticks. No joke. With all the amazing food out there I had narrowed in on two pre-cooked frozen food dishes and refused to branch out whatsoever. At the time my parents were trying to introduce [...]The post Thai Squash Red Curry appeared first on avocadopesto.
While my parents were visiting us in Phuket we had the luxury of staying in a condo right on the beach with a fully equipped kitchen. I wasted no time and started with preparing breakfast for everyone. Back in DC I always used to eat hard boiled eggs for breakfast; simple but I loved it. [...]The post Soft Boiled Egg Avocado Toast appeared first on avocadopesto.
If you’ve ever strolled through an Asian supermarket you’ll be amazed to see the different types of rice products available. There can be dozens of different types/brands of rice, accompanied with even more varieties of rice noodles. Over the last week with my parents visiting (tear, tear they’re gone already) we made many trips to [...]The post Mango Sticky Rice appeared first o
Finally, without further adieu I present to you my first Thai cooking class recipe courtesy of Silom Thai Cooking School - a creamy hot and soup shrimp soup. We’ve spent the last 2 weeks in Thailand (I really can’t believe it’s been that long already), split between Bangkok in Phuket. In Bangkok we met up with [...]The post Tom Yum Goong – Hot and Sour Thai Soup with Shrim
Is it still winter where you are? And I mean the kind of winter where you dare not leave your house for anything because it’s just so cold and unpleasant? Are you experiencing any of that? I’m not. I put in my time with New England winters and finally it’s time I escape. So this [...]The post Oven Roasted Vegetables appeared first on avocadopesto.
Switching gears again. I know you were all expecting a Thai recipe (weren’t you) but I’m in a pasta mood today. In almost 4 months of traveling can you guess how many times I’ve had American/Italian style pizza? Just once. In Kyoto, Japan less than a week into our traveling adventures, after a home cooked [...]The post Shrimp Scampi Pasta appeared first on avocadopesto.
I know I’ve already mentioned that we are in Thailand, but for just a moment we’re going to jump back to Vietnam. So as not to bore you with consecutive spring roll recipes back to back I spaced them out with some others, but now we’re back to the spring rolls. Remember I took that [...]The post Hue Spring Rolls appeared first on avocadopesto.
If there’s one thing I miss dearly about being home (aside from cooking, of course), it’s have my very own TV and being able to watch whatever I want. TVs in hostels are lacking, to say the least (if you even get one). They rarely have English channels and if they do it is likely [...]The post The most popular TV chefs appeared first on avocadopesto.
I go through food spells. Generally, I love eggplant but after overdosing on eggplant (and tofu) in China I was ready to part ways for a little while. Sorry eggplant – it’s not me, it’s you. Well it’s been over a month now and I’m ready to welcome eggplant back into my life again, if [...]The post Baked Eggplant Circles appeared first on avocadopesto.
Post By D Hello All – D here. Just the other day Vicky and I arrived in Thailand where we’re going to be spending 30 lovely days in Bangkok, Phuket, and probably a few other islands. Vicky’s parents are coming and we’re really looking forward to some R&R. And of course, Thai cuisine. Vicky has [...]The post December 2012 Traffic and Income Report – $837 appeared f
Happy new year to everyone! A few days late I know – I’ve been slacking. Travel has been getting the best of me. Can you believe I’ve already spent a month in Vietnam and am now on to a new country – Thailand? I certainly can’t. So since I’m in a dwelling in the past [...]The post Tuna Tartar appeared first on avocadopesto.
As I mentioned in my last post, I have been feasting on spring rolls here in Vietnam. They are always a little bit different, but seriously delicious every time. I just can’t get enough. What will I do when I travel to countries without spring rolls?! Make my own I guess. Predicting this dilemma ahead [...]The post Fried Pork and Crab Spring Rolls appeared first on avocadopesto.
When I first heard about cauliflower mash I wasn’t all that interested. Sounds kind of strange right? I mean I’m a potato girl all the way. And I love my mashed potatoes made from scratch, with butter and milk. To be eaten immediately of course. I don’t know what it is but mashed potatoes just [...]The post Cauliflower Mash appeared first on avocadopesto.
How are you spending the Christmas holidays this year? Cozying up from the cold by a warm fire? Watching the snow flakes float past your window? Or are you in tropical part of the world where the sun is shining and the beach is a-calling? We are the latter – here in Vietnam and spending [...]The post Lacy Tuna Spring Roll appeared first on avocadopesto.
The first time I saw patty pan squash was at my grandmother’s country house outside of Moscow, Russia. I was puzzled by this flying saucer shaped flat summer squash. What an interesting shape and color as well. I had never before seen it in the US and didn’t even know the squash family could be [...]The post Pan Fried Patty Pan Squash appeared first on avocadopesto.
Yep, BLAAT. And we’re not talking about the Russian curse word here. We are talking about the sandwich that will break hearts. One bite of this and you’ll never go back to those soggy peanut butter and jelly monstrosities. Sure the BLT has been around forever, but my take on it is completely new (as [...]The post BLAAT appeared first on avocadopesto.
D’s sister has been vacationing in the Canary Islands recently and has been absolutely raving about the food. Right around this time I also received an offer for a guest post about the food in the Canary Islands. It seems like such a coincidence I just had to say yes and learn more about the [...]The post Canarian Cuisine appeared first on avocadopesto.
I came to China and fell in love with eggplant (and enjoyed a few others things along the way too). Sure, I had always “liked” eggplant, but love, no. Now we are entangled in a deep love affair, eggplant and I. I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart and never get sick of [...]The post Fish Flavored Eggplant appeared first on avocadopesto.
