Side Dishes

close up of bean sprout banchan in a bowl

Bean Sprout Banchan (Korean Side Dish)

This Bean Sprout Banchan (Korean side dish) was not something I grew up eating, but many people I know loved this side dish at Korean BBQ plate lunch joints. I was a slow starter when it comes to liking bean sprouts.   After trying many different dishes with bean sprouts, I eventually came to enjoy […]

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Hawaii-Style Cabbage Banchan in a bowl

Hawaii-Style Cabbage Banchan (Korean Side Dish)

One of my favorite things to regularly make and keep on hand is this Hawaii-Style Cabbage Banchan. Banchan (Korean side dishes) is my favorite part of a Korean BBQ plate lunch in Hawaii. Instead of a side of macaroni or potato salad in a typical Hawaii plate lunch, you get two or four choices of

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Chinese Cabbage Slaw on a plate

Chinese Cabbage Slaw

This Chinese Cabbage Slaw was created when my son decided he doesn’t want to eat mayonnaise-based coleslaw anymore. The inspiration for this slaw comes from the Chinese Chicken Salad found at Hawaii Chinese restaurants (without the neon orange creamy dressing) and the Thai Crunch Salad from California Pizza Kitchen. Look no further for the recipe

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kimchi pancake for one in a pan

Kimchi Pancake for One

Kimchi Pancake (kimchi jeon) is a great comfort food that’s easy to cook at home. It’s savory, salty, spicy, tangy, and crunchy all in one bite. You can eat it by itself or with a dipping sauce. Kimchi Pancake for One can be eaten as your meal to eat with leftovers or served as banchan

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korean side dish (banchan) made with spinach

Spinach Banchan (Korean side dish)

Spinach Banchan is an easy way to use up any spinach you have in your fridge that is no longer great for a salad. We’ve all had those moments of good intentions when we plan to eat a lot of spinach and buy the one-pound bag from the warehouse store because it’s so cheap. However,

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bowl of corn and black bean salad

Corn and Black Bean Salad (with avocado)

I had been making this Corn and Black Bean Salad for years as an alternative to salsa. The recipe was inspired by the Black Bean and Corn Salsa from the Summer 2014 edition of Island Scene magazine put out by HMSA. After recently resuming watching the Food Network, I learned that this is called Cowboy

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spinach orzo salad without cucumbers in a bowl

Spinach Orzo Salad (without cucumber)

I developed this Spinach Orzo Salad because I love pasta salads but could never find a prepared orzo salad without cucumbers. I could never quite get over the smell of cucumbers from childhood, though I do eat cucumber on occasion in a sushi roll. For those of you who are not cucumber fans, this is

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big bowl of japchae for a potluck

Potluck Japchae (Korean Glass Noodle Stir Fry)

A Hawaii-style Korean BBQ gathering wouldn’t be complete without this Potluck Japchae recipe. This chewy umami filled dish of sweet potato glass noodles is filled with healthy veggies that will balance out all the meat-forward barbecue offerings. While some kids love the texture of these slippery noodles, others may not like the chewiness, especially if

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moist whole wheat cornbread stacked on a plate

Moist Whole Wheat Cornbread

This Moist Whole Wheat Cornbread was inspired by my love of cornbread growing up, my desire to cut down on eating sugar, and Snoop Dogg’s cookbook From Crook to Cook. He had a corn muffin recipe that used sour cream and I realized that I should be using yogurt in the cornbread recipe like I

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