Eggplant Sandwich Tacos (GF, LC, P variations)

Do you ever come up with an incredible recipe idea that you just HAVE to share with the rest of the world, so you create it and you photograph it and everything is perfect, but right before you post you realize that the photos of the delicious dish are all terrible? And no matter how

Sesame Salmon Balls With Ginger Tahini Sauce + GIVEAWAY

Wow! My first lowcarb Chanukah celebration! Wait, isn’t that an oxymoron – a low-carb Chanukah? A holiday that is traditionally carb galore: Potato Latkes, noodle kugel, jelly donuts. Yes, there is also a brisket somewhere there as well, but it is the carbs that take the center stage. Well, this year, I was forced to

Oil-Free Paleo Pesto Zucchini Noodles

I’m the type of girl that shies away from trends. For example, way back when every girlfriend of mine was in love with Brad Pitt, I fancied Angelina Jolie. And when everyone was getting diamond earrings for their birthdays, I was psyched about my new shiny design books. So when the whole world went zoodle-crazy,

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup – My Way

In our house, I am defiantly the obsessive health advocate. The person who keeps her kids from spending their lives in front of a computer, with a bowl of something carby, greasy or processed. But the truth is that everyone, even those of us hell-bent on staying healthy, has at least one guilty pleasure. Mine

Peruvian Quinoa Tortilla

I’m about to call it quits! It all started with my husband. He waited until our wedding to casually inform me that he eats kosher. That sent me for a spin, as I really liked my seafood and pepperoni pizza. Then my son was diagnosed with food allergies soon after he was born. So our

Soondubu Stew

When a health-conscious girl from Moldova makes Korean food in the States, it looks something like this: A BIG MESS. In other words, a Soondubu Stew. Soondubu, proper pronunciation not required, means “extra soft tofu”. My variation on the stew does not call for any tofu. Sorry. Inspired by both a Russian soup Solyanka and a Korean

Sage Gnudi & New Site Design

“If clouds were made of cheese, and naughty, they’d be gnudi.“ Serious Eats This year is off to a good start for Cucee! First and foremost, my blog has been redesigned! Personally, I’ve always liked the design of CuceeSprouts. But ever since the web world went “Mobile First”, my blog started exhibiting early signs of

Soba Noodles with Eggplant and Mango

As a child, I did not really like geography.  I liked poetry and art… Photography… Even math… But not geography.  And geography didn’t like me! From cartography and paleogeography to geomorphology and physiography, they all treated me with a contemptuous superiority complex.  But it was the political geography, with its locations on the map, names

Swiss Chard Roll-ups

A few months ago, my hubby and I wandered into the Italian food mecca of SF – the North Beach. It was Saturday night and getting a table was proving to be an impossible task. After hours of trying, starving and almost defeated, we noticed a small trattoria, tucked away in a cozy cul-de-sac. We

Swiss Chard and Potato Stew

After years of resistance, my husband and I have finally booked our next trip oversees. A trip that has been long overdue. A trip, frequently considered but always postponed until the next year. A trip too emotional to imagine or to plan. Vacation request forms have been submitted and approved; we are going back “home”!

Black-Eyed Pea and Quinoa Croquettes

“What would you like, Ma-am?” a flight attendant smiled at me as she parked her cart by row 3, my row for the next 6 hours. Hm, what would I like? I would like a long relaxing massage. A day all to myself with plenty of time to devote to a new complicated recipe and

Caramelized Onions & Mushroom Bake

My 6-year-old son has been known to forget. No, he does not have ADD or ADHD, or any other abbreviated disorder. He is just a happy kid with a condition that I call “selective forgetfulness.” He clearly always remembers: to ask for a desert after dinner, e-v-e-r-y   s-i-n-g-l-e  d-a-y to leave a trail of