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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Love explanations of why this lamb is chewy from twitter buddies: left leg is more tender than right leg cause they get up with right & scratch with left!? I have to remember to ask next time, ha, ha.

Too bad, the salad was magnificent: mango, pineapple, snow peas, cue, tomatoes, scallions, carrots, black quinoa. Dressing is what brings your salad to life: balsamic & rice vinegar, tamari, French mustard, olive oil AND Yuzu Pao chili sauce! This salad took TWICE as long as if I had just stir fried baby bok choy with bell peppers! It was my initial idea but dying to try mango.

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Finishing off Rainbow Lettuce Wrap left from class. You can download the free recipe here. To change it up, instead of hoisin sauce, I topped with Yuzupao chili sauce, delish! It's so easy to assemble this dish last minute, the ground turkey is already pre-cooked and the cubed veggies fry up in a nanosecond! Bursting with flavor, texture and color! Perfect party dish to serve as an appetizer or snack.

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Lots of great ingredients leftover from prepping for my cooking class: red bell, scallions, straw mushrooms, YUM! Cooked in my cast iron wok, the best material for omelets and most anything! Oh, spiked with a little Yuzupao chili sauce.

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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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