Southern food has a soul and a story. As does Asian cuisine.

On this blog I love blending flavors from different cultures. That is what “Southern” food is truly all about.

Famed Atlanta chef, Hugh Acheson, said it best in this article: “Southern food is a celebration of the people within the community, using the agrarian bounty that is constantly around them. It pays homage to the past but is a constantly evolving, ebbing with the seasons and flowing with the constant progression of the South.”

Po’ boy (a traditional sandwich from New Orleans, Louisiana) meet Szechuan shrimp. Szechuan shrimp is one of my favorite dishes that my dad will make for us when we visit my family in Virginia. The taste is amazing, but the preparation is amazingly easy.

This Asian inspired po’ boy really gives you a swift kick in the mouth from the spices, and I think I may be serving this up as part of our Superbowl party on Sunday.

Szechuan Shrimp Po’ Boys (serves 2 to 3)
1 pound jumbo shrimp (about 15-20 shrimp), peeled and devined
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons, plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
2 tablespoons water
Wasabi Coleslaw (recipe below)
1 freshly baked French baguette (commonly found in most grocery stores)

Let’s Cook:
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Combine the egg whites and black pepper in a medium bowl. Dip the shrimp individually into the egg white to coat well. Then cover each shrimp with panko crumbs, making sure to press down slightly to ensure that the crumbs stick to the shrimp.

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat for about 2 minutes, then place the shrimp into the skillet. Let fry for about 2 minutes, then flip each shrimp to the uncooked side. Then place the cast iron skillet into the preheated oven and bake for 4-5 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink.

While the shrimp is in the oven, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic to the saucepan and saute for about 1 minute. Then add the ketchup, soy sauce, Sriracha and water – mix well. Turn the heat down to low and let the sauce simmer until the shrimp is ready to be removed from the oven.

To make the sandwiches, cut the French baguette into the length that you desire (5″ to 8″), cut the baguette down the middle but not all the way through. Add as much wasabi coleslaw as you would like, then top with pieces of shrimp (3 to 4 shrimp per sandwich) and finally spoon about 1/2 tablespoon of the ketchup sauce on top of each shrimp.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Wasabi Coleslaw
1 cup shredded green cabbage
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/3 cup wasabi mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Oh, how I love the South. The people and the stories that come with the food is what I am really in love with.

Jennifer Cole, editor at Southern Living, said it best during her opening speech at FoodBlogSouth: “Southern food has a soul and a story.”

FoodBlogSouth was my very first blogging conference when I attended last January. I had such a great time and met so many wonderful people, I knew I had to go again this year.

So back to Birmingham I went, this time to Old Car Heaven – one very cool event facility.

What other event space includes old cars?

Instead of trying to summarize the conference – I barely has the chance to pull my camera out! I was having too much fun chatting with fellow bloggers and event sponsors (Quick shout-out to our Atlanta favorite: High Road Craft. Everyone, and I mean everyone was gushing about the ice cream at the conference)

Here are a few takeaways from FoodBlogSouth (I learned so much, I hope this helps/inspires/intrigues you too)

On Recipe Development:
- Be consistent with the style of your recipes.
- Use an encouraging and approachable voice. But also be authoritative and an expert.
- Use titles that are straightforward and practical for SEO purposes
- We were crazy lucky to learn from an accomplished chef & author.

On Monetizing Your Blog:
- Focus on your passion and eliminate the noise. What are your goals as a blogger?
- Produce quality content with clear & concise writing, photos and video.
- Build brand awareness and traffic by posting frequently (3 to 5 times/week)

On Marketing Your Brand:
- Brand = Value + Perception
- A brand is a promise.
- A tagline is as much for you as it is for your customers/readers. It will help you stay focused.

Additional Thoughts:
- The most talented people are also the friendliest and most humble.
- FoodBlogSouth consistently has some of the best conference food I’ve ever had, hands down.
- If giving presentations that include video, don’t rely on streaming from the internet. The internet will let you down 99% of the time.
- Vibram five finger shoes make for great ice breakers.

As a Type A personality, though I may appear calm and relaxed on the outside, my mind is usually a constant whirlwind of thoughts, wants, ambitions… that godforsaken to-do list and must-accomplish-by-this-age list.

Recently, I have been having trouble finding balance in my life. I have neglected writing on this blog and keeping up with reading your blog posts on my Google reader. When I start neglecting this blog, that only means that things at dotdot have been keeping me busy. And boy have I been busy, with launching Imperial Fez’s website, working on Sprig Restaurant’s marketing collateral & photography and branding a new mobile yoga studio business.

All very exciting stuff, but I have missed writing and photographing for this blog dearly.

I need to find balance in my life.

Enter yoga.

Yoga is something that I need. Not only to prevent injury, but to also give myself the time to center my thoughts and calm my mind.

And to bribe myself into going to more yoga classes? I got myself a snazzy new yoga bag.

I have been lusting over this lululemon tote ever since Alison posted about it on her blog. Being the frugal person that I can be (especially when I don’t need something), I held off buying the tote since it was a bit pricey and I already have a gym bag that I was okay with. But, earlier this month I saw that the tote was on sale so I snagged one.

I’m in love already. It fits all of my yoga clothes, swimsuit and gym shoes… and my laptop. Heck yeah! If a bag can fit my laptop, it’s pretty much a winner in my book.

After a yoga class, refueling is a must. And since I have been on a smoothie streak, I’m continuing it with a Green Tea Coconut drink this week.

Matcha powder, have you heard of it? It’s this expensive Japanese green tea powder that is packed with antioxidants. It exceeds green tea in nutrients because instead of brewing the green leaf, you are ingesting it.

And if you’re like me, I prefer cold drinks especially after a workout. So, here is a quick cold matcha drink recipe that you can whip up in about 3 minutes.

Green Tea Coconut Drink (serves 2)
1 1/2 cups Coconut Dream drink
2 tsp matcha green tea powder
1 banana
1 tbsp agave nectar (more if you like your drink sweeter)
4 – 5 ice cubes

Instructions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender, then serve and enjoy!

When we moved out to the suburbs of Atlanta over two years ago, my mind went into cultural shock from being one of the very few couples in our neighborhood without children to having a 40 minute drive get to midtown Atlanta. Luckily (or not) I happened to work from home and a daily commute wasn’t something that I needed to worry about.

Over the past couple years, I went through phases of “I hate living out in the ‘burbs” to “well, I love our house so I guess I’ll deal” back to “when are we going to move already?!”

Well, I am glad to say that I’m finally, really(?) starting to warm up to living in the suburbs. It may be from joining a gym that I really enjoy or having new neighbors that we like chatting with or finally realizing that we won’t be able to have a monster-sized backyard if we move back into the city.

What do you do with a large backyard? You plant things of course!

Edible things, that is.

I’ve been wanting to plant a fruit tree in our backyard for a little while now and when I heard about Atlanta Local Food Initiative‘s Incredible Edible Grow-It-Yourself Fruit Tree, Vine & Berry Bush sale (wow, that was a mouthful!), I immediately hopped over to Georgia Organics’ website and pre-ordered a brown turkey fig tree and a blackberry bush.

Figs and blackberries – two of my most favorite fruits in the world. If we can manage to nurture and grow our little plants, just think of the lovely fruits that can be picked right out in our backyard!

Pick-up of our new plants was over this past weekend at the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Despite the crazy thunderstorm that morning, we picked up our little ones and brought them home, safe and sound.

Then it was time to place the fig tree in the ground. Of course, my lovely husband was kind enough to do the hands on part:

And put up some chicken wire to deter our dig-happy pups from the new tree.

“Hey Mom… whatcha doin’?”

Grow little one, grow!

Our figs and blackberries won’t be ripe and ready for picking for another year or two, so in the meantime, I thought I would satisfy my fruit craving with a nice coconut panna cotta with pomegranate jello inspired by my brilliant friend, Jen of Use Real Butter.

Coconut Panna Cotta with Pomegranate Jello (4 servings)
1 can coconut milk (15 oz)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons agar agar, divided
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup boiling water

Let’s Cook:
For the panna cotta, mix 1 teaspoon agar agar in a small bowl with 1/4 cup warm water, then set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk, agave and vanilla. Mix well and bring the mixture to a boil for about a minute. Pour the agar agar mixture into the coconut mixture and stir to combine.

Divide the coconut mixture evenly into four serving containers and place in the refrigerator to set for about 4 hours.

To make the pomegranate jello, mix 1 teaspoon agar agar with 1/4 cup boiling water. Then pour into a small mixing bowl with the pomegranate juice. Mix well, and then pour onto the panna cotta after the panna cotta has set.

Then place the containers back into the refrigerator to set for another 4 hours.

Note: If the pomegranate juice is too tart or sour, mix in some agave or sugar to taste. The result should still be tangy.

The weather has finally turned cold, then warm, then cold again.

Oh the perks of living in Georgia.

Thankfully, I joined a gym back in December, complete with whirlpools, steam rooms, sauna and spa. Not to mention the complete yoga and Pilates studios. Who am I kidding? I joined a resort.

In spite of all of this, some days it’s tough to get myself out and to the gym. Winter workouts that have been inspiring me to get my booty to the gym lately.

1. Kickboxing – There is no better way for me to workout my stress (and burn some major calories) than with kickboxing. With my current tendonitis (aggravated by our recent car accident), not having pressure on my hands has been great. Not to mention the great music and always energetic instructors.

Note to self: I need to figure out how these ladies constantly have this much energy.

PSA: If you don’t look where you are kicking when doing a back kick, you look like an ass donkey.

2. Swimming – A good swim does wonders for my cardio and stress level. I am a total water baby and just love being in the water. Plus, swimming is really great for cross training, and my favorite way to work on strengthening muscles.

3. Cycling – Have really only been to one spinning class… because I can’t hoist myself up on a hurt wrist. But working out on the stationary bikes has been great for me, especially if I do a swim first and then head into the fitness area for a 30-40 min session of stationary cycling.

4. Yoga – For the Type A part of my personality, making myself go to a yoga class, calm down and center myself is a challenge. I would much rather be in a martial arts class, swimming in the pool or riding away on the bike. However, balance is important in fitness, as well as flexibility, so off to yoga classes I go.

Replenishing your body after a workout with nutrients and protein is just as important as the workout itself. A great smoothie usually hits the spot.

And this particular one may be my new favorite post workout smoothie. It contains clementines, bananas and ginger – a wonderful winter combination that also reminds me of the beach.

Citrus Ginger Smoothie (1 serving)
2 clementines, peeled and divided into sections
1 banana
1/4″ piece of fresh ginger, skin removed
1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tsp agave nectar
4-5 ice cubes

Instructions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender, pour into a glass and enjoy immediately.

I started this blog almost two years ago as a not only a way to archive my family’s recipes, but to also explore eating health benefits of Asian cuisine and staying fit and healthy.

I have always prided myself on being more on the athletic side, from cross country in middle school to varsity tennis in high school to dancing in college. (Yup, that’s me)

When we moved to the suburbs 2 years ago, I stopped dancing but took up kung fu. After almost a year of training in kung fu, and working my way up to a brown belt, I quit because I realized that I was more of a lover than a fighter.

Over the past year I have relied on my own will power to stay in shape, with my only form of exercise being when I am able to somehow convince myself to go for a run (I hate running) or when I take the dogs for a walk. (I did manage to complete a half-marathon though.) This, combined with an incredible amount of stress from work, not treating myself well and eating like crazy (a side effect of having a food blog).

I finally came to the realization that the reason I was feeling so crappy was because I was slowly gaining weight, pants were getting tighter and I was just was no longer feeling healthy anymore. Even though I think we eat relatively healthy foods in our house, not working out was starting to take a toll on me, both physically and mentally.

So, while this is not exactly a New Year’s resolution (I started a membership at the gym in early December), I am on a quest to get myself back to my high school weight (have about 35 lbs to lose). And I decided that if I share this goal with all of you… you can help hold me accountable for my actions.

Never fear, this will remain a primarily a food blog. Food is one of my great passions, and it is also such a big part of staying healthy and fit. I will throw in a bit of…
- Thoughts about working out… the blood, sweat and tears,
- Workouts that I am currently obsessing over,
- Any races or events that I’m training for,
- What foods and recipes I’m working on that are both healthy but yummy.

It’s only been a month, but I am already feeling happier and much less stressed now that a regular workout schedule has been put in place.

Glancing over at my 101 in 1001 list, here are a few goals that I’m working towards in the health section:

1. Get back to my high school weight
2. Go on a yoga retreat.
3. Go without soda for a month
4. Complete a sprint triathlon

I hope you join me on my journey. I’m excited to see what’s in store this year!

In the meantime, I will leave you with this easy tilapia recipe that incorporates the Chinese cooking “holy trinity” if you will: green onions, garlic and ginger. This dish is easy enough to make for a quick and healthy lunch, but fancy enough for a weekday dinner.

Tilapia with Green Onions, Garlic and Ginger (2 servings)
2 tilapia fillets
1/2 tablespoon canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 thumbsized piece of fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
4 green onions, cut into 1/2 inch long pieces

Let’s Cook:
Rinse and pat dry the tilapia fillets, then cut each fillet into 7 or 8 pieces, about 2 inches long.

Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Then add the tilapia fillet and let cook for about 2 minutes until the side is slightly golden. Then flip the fillets over and add the garlic and ginger to the skillet, sprinkle evenly over the fillets. After cooking for about 1 minute, add the soy sauce and let cook for another minute.

Finally, add the green onions and flip the tilapia fillets again. Let cook for another minute, then remove from heat.

Serve with jasmine rice and enjoy!

2011 ended on a high, with both my work and personal lives.

As I look back on this year, I’ve realized that it’s been a year of great growth and wonderful things.

After attending my first blog conference ever  in January, I have been so fortunate to have been able to grow my blog and thus, meet so many amazing new friends. Then getting the opportunity to attend the first annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, followed up by some really great events at local restaurants.

And if that wasn’t enough, ending the year with some really fantastic projects with some really fantastic clients has been the icing on the cake.

I have a gut feeling that this next year is going to be a doozy. But in a good way.

I was planning on writing a recap post filled with photos from the past year, but while I was procrastinating and reading blog posts in my Google Reader, I spotted this linkup on Mele Cotte’s blog. What fun! And I get to celebrate this past year with a great group of fellow food bloggers. This virtual party is being hosted  at Lite Bite.

So, instead of the recap post I was planning on posting, here are my top 11 recipe posts of 2011.

11. Strawberry Banana Pancakes

10. Roasted Sweet Potato Panini

9. Blackberry Lemon Goat Cheese Cheesecakes in a Jar

8. Sea Salt Caramel Rice Krispies

7. Chinese Sauteed Eggplant

6. Vegetable Soup with Sweet Potato Wontons

5. Tomato Cucumber Fried Rice

4. Peppermint Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

3. Asian Barbeque Tofu Sandwich

2. Vegetarian Meatballs

1. Cavatappi Amatriciana

So, what did you think? I was surprised that only 4 out of the 11 were sweet recipes. I guess you guys like your savory dishes, just like me!

I hear ya, loud and clear – more savory Asian-inspired recipes coming next year! Happy New Year everyone!

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As promised from yesterday, here is the recipe for the Clementine-Vanilla Quick Bread that we enjoyed at our holiday brunch.

Continuing on with my current obsession with baking goodies from scratch, a clementine-vanilla quick bread was in order.

This time of year is when those adorable Cuties clementines are all over the grocery stores, thus making this bread absolutely perfect for a winter brunch. And I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to bring home a box of clementines (not that I really needed an excuse to).

Since making the quick bread the day/night before was recommended, I ended up baking my little butt off at 11pm the night before. So… vanilla beans were a tad more difficult to find at that time of day. So, instead of using whole vanilla beans, I just used extra vanilla extract.

Clementine-Vanilla Quick Bread (adapted from Martha Stewart) – makes one 5″ x 9″ loaf
10 clementines or tangerines
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs

Let’s Bake:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter and flour a 5″ x 9″ loaf pan.

Zest 4 clementines. Juice 2 zested clementines and 6 remaining unzested clementines into a small bowl. Cut out segments from 2 remaining zested clementines.