Lots of laughs, fun, prizes and Wok Stars cooking including HGTV's Design Star Mark Diaz, Marti TV reporter, journalist, architect, models, attorney...

Wow, what an amazing event space! Coverings etc. is located at Miami Iron Side Campus, Miami. THANKS for hosting me! 

I'll be writing a full post later but couldn't wait for you to see these shots last night.

Thanks to sponsors Fiji Water and OWS (Gancia Prosecco), San-J Intl. tamari, Koon Chun hoisin & brown bean sauce, Earthy Delights gourmet mushrooms, MySpiceSage spices, enjoyed by all.

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I've had three breakfasts today but none had a good protein balance and it shows! My tummy's been rumbling. Whenever I'm hungry, I crave savory not sweet(think it's an Asian thing.) Going out to lunch so I didn't want to spoil my appetite. So I grilled tempeh with Earthy Delight's truffle olive oil and San-J tamari for a healthy protein hit. Boy, this was just the snack I needed. Grilling gave tempeh a crunch & tamari the savory flavor I craved. Lingham's chili sauce spiced it up. Even though this wasn't too much effort, would have been so much easier to warm up a slice of Little Red Dot's jerky pork!

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Rainbow Appetizer ingredients leftover from my cooking class yesterday were shouting to be repurposed into a curry dinner for tonight! Even had leftover diced garlic, ginger and some scallions. I didn't even have to pull out my chopping board. Notice, I didn't even have any rice or carbs! So light and refreshing.

Using same technique I teach in class: fry veggies first cause they don't stick to your wok like meat does. I used Earthy Delight's Tea Seed Oil. Oh, I added some red kidney beans to bulk it up. Do you see my lovely, unique batik wok mitt on the handles? It has a magnet so it stays on the handle when you take your hand off.  We designed this and has a patent pending. Everyone loves this cute concept and enjoy choosing their fav design. I pick up material whenever I go on my Asia travels.

Added dash of tamari, sherry and sprinkled MySpiceSage hot curry powder, plated it.

Reheated precooked ground turkey in the wok, added scallions and sprinkled curry powder.

Notice my cast iron wok and portable butane gas stove setup on top of my electric stove! I leave this permanently OUT so it's convenient. If you don't see it, you won't use it. I use my wok to cook most anything or just for reheating leftovers instead of using the microwave.

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Here's a Wok Star tip: My thought process for this stir fry came from a perfect broccolini we had at a restaurant recently. This is rapini but it's close. See how I don't even bother to dice the garlic? The rest of the veggies are just what I found in my fridge: sweetcorn, grape tomatoes to give some color, chopped onions and scallions. I use Earthy Delights' organic tea seed oil to fry garlic and shredded ginger in my cast iron wok and gas stove setup. Add in veggies, stir fry till crunchy but slightly wilted. Add a dash of San-j tamari and sherry are all you need to give these veggies an Asian flair! Viola. Happy vegetarian week. You can use this same technique for an endless combination of veggies you like, enjoy.

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Happy Mother's Day to all mothers as well as those of pets, me included! I'm working on a post about my mother and all her accomplishments!!! She was definitely a "Renaissance" woman.

To celebrate Mother's Day, we made French toast. I prep and he fries them in our cast iron wok! Today was the last of Blis Bourbon syrup(his favorite) and Strawberry mojito jam (my favorite), boo.

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I had all the ingredients to make a dinner: broccoli, penne, grape tomatoes, cured salted pork I used to experiment with seasoning a new cast iron wok! Lime to give broccoli some zest & Yuzu Pao chili sauce to spice it all up.

I fried these slices of pork till slightly crispy and all the fat was rendered. This pork is so similar to bacon except it's meatier which I prefer (definitely use this again.) Then used fat to fry the broccoli with garlic & ginger.

Fried grape tomatoes with scallions using Tea Seed Oil.

Combined the broccoli, chopped pork, grape tomatoes, scallions and penne, added Yuzu Pao chili sauce.

Dinner ready with side of my Easy Kimchi!

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It's like anything in life, the more you do it, the better and easier it gets! Folks are always asking me how I come up with a dish?

Well, I started a series on my main blog: Be a Wok Star, on my 'thought process' and how I come up with a dish. Yesterday's post, Buy What's Seasonal & Fresh really says it all. I don't know till I'm shopping and prepping & then even change mid stream.

There are may factors: what am I craving? Balancing textures, flavors, spiciness, saltiness. Can my leftovers be eaten hot or cold? How do I want to present my dishes? The last and most important is listen to what your body wants!  And I'm not talking about chocolate bons bons, ha.  Talk about your body is your temple and mindful eating, it's what I try to practice daily. I've recently lost 6 pounds and can fit into clothes I've not worn in years and I feel GREAT! 

I know you're saying, "how does that help me?" Well, with baby steps and just trial and error and doing it daily or often!!!  Another way? I'm not saying don't use recipes, I'm saying recipes don't make you an intuitive cook, you're just following a set of someone else's directions. Use recipes as a guide for quantities, technique and inspiration. It's so much more FUN to add ingredients on a whim and be surprised with your results, voila! 

I've always said, once I understand the Why of something, it all falls into place. We've all watched Top Chef and how experienced chefs get voted off cause their dish failed the taste test! We don't need to be professional chefs, we just want to make a nice dinner for busy weeknights! My recent Asian Moussaka couldn't be eaten! I had to make it into a curry, no biggie.

So, today's lunch was leftover chicken wing, some pork stew and quinoa. Bit brown looking and one taste level, so I added pineapple cubes to give color & sweetness. Still needed something, so I added Yuzupao, a citrusy chili sauce to spice it up, what a difference!

Salad - I wanted crunch and got iceberg instead of usual field greens just to change it up. My friend Michele gave me fresh basil from her garden, that made it pop. I always add some sort of nuts for texture & extra health benefits. Dr. Oz got me into walnuts.

So, that's how I come up with a dish! Hope this helped. Leave me a comment if you have questions or want to share how you come up with a dish?!

More tips here Cook Like a Wok Star 1.0!

and here Curry Yoki Salmon with Salad (Wok Series 2.0)

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Gorgeous day in Miami Beach! So, a must having lunch on the balcony. You can always come up with something to eat! My fridge for a change is totally empty, not even any fresh veggies. Grilled last batch of chicken sausage & squeezed some Yuzupao(yuzu citrus hot red chile sauce.) I just got a nice surprise parcel from Earthy Delights with all sorts of goodies, yay, can't wait to try them!!! I love the name Yuzupao, sounds like an explosion. When I took the sealer off, chile sauce squirted the wall, pao, pao! I like its light, citrusy flavor & that it comes in a squeeze bottle, makes it easier to dispense. It's how I Squirt, Squeeze, Shake my Asian seasonings for stir frys! So much FUN rather than having to measure.

Turns out a delish lunch with radish, carrot pickle and pineapple chunks and a slice of toast slathered with Cabot butter, so creamy. I saw their booth at Fun & Fit, Jungle Island, a part of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. I also love their Greek Style yoghurt which we have nearly twice a day with fruit or steel cut oats. Oh, drinking my daily dose of apple cider vinegar with just water. More about this later.

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