What I Eat In A Week: Starting 2025 Making Kimchi
This week we are back for the first time in 2025, and we’re starting this year off simple and healthy with making some homemade vegan kimchi! Of course, if we’re making kimchi, we’re going to have to make a few other dishes to pair with it as well. Join me as I make delicious dishes with homemade kimchi, such as Spicy Tofu Noodle Soup and Bossam inspired Soy Glazed Pork Belly. Trust me, you’re going to finish all that kimchi in a month.
Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes
My current obsession is sneaking proteins into my meals, and these Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes are exactly it! These soft pancakes takes 10 minutes to whip up in the morning, and is a creamy rich base for fruits, chocolate chips, spices like cinnamon, or any of your other favorite pancake add-ins. Of course, my favorite is still the classic blueberry.
Pro Tip: Blend up your cottage cheese first if you’re scared of the texture it becomes this creamy fluffy batter that makes these pancakes so so so delicious.
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 3 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp butter (melted)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- Optional additions: chocolate chips, blueberries, bananas, cinnamon, or any other toppings you’d like
Crispy Salmon with Gochujang Compound Butter
For dinner, we made a simple Crispy Salmon with Gochujang Compound Butter. We got some beautiful salmon on our Costco run, and I’ve got some extra butter, so I’m going to be making some Culinary Class War inspired gochujang butter to put on top as well. The butter gives the fish such a punch of flavor while still keeping it super moist. I might just have to put this compound butter on everything!
- 2 salmon filets (skin-on or skinless, about 6-8 oz each)
- Salt & pepper, to season
- 2 tbsp corn starch (or just enough to coat the salmon lightly)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil (like vegetable or avocado oil, for frying)
Gochujang Butter
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 tsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Zest of ½ lemon
Garnish:
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Optional: chopped scallions or cilantro
Shanghai Stir-fried Rice Cakes
I actually found these Korean rice cakes at the grocery store, and their shapes instantly got me craving Shanghai style stir fried rice cakes. It’s really really easy – only 20 minutes. I used to have it all the time as a kid for dinner. Shanghai rice cakes are the ultimate comfort food: chewy like noodles, hearty like fried rice, and perfect for soaking up all the flavors. Think of them as savory sliced mochi that’s both satisfying and versatile. You can really add in any veggie and protein you have on hand, making it a delicious way to use up all the leftover ingredients you have in the fridge!
- 1 lb of Rice Cakes
- 15 Shiitake Mushroom (sliced)
- 3 cloves of Garlic (minced)
- 0.5 tbsp of ginger (minced)
- ½ Onion (sliced)
- 3 stalks of Green Onion (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 10 oz of Baby Buk Choy (cut and separated)
- ½ cup of Water
- 3 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine (optional)
Sauce
- 3 tbsp of Four Season Scallion Sauce
- 2 tbsp of Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp of White Pepper
- 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
Pomegranate Candied Walnut Waldorf Steak Salad
I found a really delicious looking steak at Costco, and I’ve been thinking about making it into a delicious Steak salad. I’m actually going to be doing a reverse sear method that has been my go-to option when it comes to steak lately. I find that it comes out perfect every single time. While it’s in the oven slowly roasting, I can prep everything else, like the salad dressing, the kale, the salad, and still be ready on time.
To pair with the yummy reverse sear steak, I made a super simple Pomegranate Apple Candied Walnut Waldorf Salad – with a honey mustard twist. Instead of my usual dressing, I threw together my go-to 1 minute honey mustard salad dressing, tossed it with any greens that I have on hand, plus cucumber, apples, pomegranate, and candy walnut that we made yesterday. Drizzle on balsamic glaze, and you got the fresh crunchy salad ready to go.
Reverse Sear Steak
- 1 thick-cut ribeye steak (~16.5 oz, about 1.5–2 inches thick)
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Optional: Garlic cloves, rosemary, and butter for basting during the sear
Candied Walnuts
- 2 cups walnuts (halves or pieces)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon optional
1 Minute Salad Dressing
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1.5 tablespoon honey (adjust for sweetness if desired)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (adjust to taste)
Cheesy Tomato Mozzarella Ham Melt
Make the most deliciously cheesy 5 minute Tomato Mozzarella Ham Melt with me. Yesterday when I was at the grocery store, I found these beautiful massive tomatoes. They are the same size as my hands – so juicy and delicious. I think these will pair perfectly with my mom’s homemade bread, so I wanted to make a quick sandwich.
When it comes to sandwiches, the key is fresh ingredients, no shortcuts. For me, the perfect sandwich is all about balance: juicy tomatoes, crispy yet fluffy bread, gooey melted cheese, and fresh vibrant veggies. It is simple but so so satisfying. This might just be the best sandwich I’ve ever made.
- 1 No Knead Bread Roll or any bread roll
- 1 Tomato, sliced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4-5 slices of ham
- 1/3 cup of sprouts
- 1/3 cup of fresh spinach
- 1 tablespoon mustard
Vegan Kimchi
My mom came by to make some refreshing Vegan Kimchi with us. Homemade vegan kimchi is packed with so much probiotics, it’s amazing for your gut health. Most of the time I just grab a jar from the store because making kimchi can feel a lot of work, but this recipe is worth it. The best part about making it at home is that you can really customize it however you like – you can make it spicer, saltier, more umami packed, or sweeter. Make sure to let the air out every day so it burps, or else it’s going to explode.
- 1 large Napa cabbage (3–4 lbs)
- 1/2 cup coarse sea salt or kosher salt (for salting the cabbage)
- 1 medium carrot, julienned (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium daikon radish, julienned (about 1 cup)
- 4–5 stalks of chives or green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
Kimchi Seasoning Paste
- 1 Asian pear (or apple), peeled and chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 18–20 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup gochugaru (Korean chili flakes; adjust for spice level)
- 1.5 tablespoons miso paste or vegan fish sauce (optional)
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1 cup water
Korean Soy Glazed Pork Belly
We decided to make some Korean Soy Glazed Pork Belly after we made so much homemade kimchi, becuase I knew I had to make something delicious to pair it with. We had a ton of leftover marinade and loose cabbage leaves, so we’re going to mix that up together, and enjoy it with our fatty pork. This is one of my favorite ways to make pork belly, because it’s not too fatty, and perfectly bouncy. The pork belly gets super tender and releases a ton of flavor – perfect to go with our kimchi!
Toppings
- Perilla Leaves
- Lettuce
- Kimchi
- Cucumbers
- Pickled Radish
- ssamjang
Classic Braised Taiwanese Beef Stew
My friends are coming over later, so right now I’m actually going to start prepping Taiwanese Beef Stew for dinner. Let me just say having a few go-to stew recipes up your sleeve is such a lifesaver, especially when you’re hosting. This short rib stew takes around 3 hours to fully cook and get super super tender. It is a labor of love that takes a few hours to simmer. But, the actual prep and cooking are so simple and easy. Once everything is in the pot, you just let the magic happen.
- 3 lbs boneless beef short ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 slices ginger
- 2 green onions
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 4-5 star anise pods
- 3 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
- 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 6 cups beef stock + rest is water enough to cover the beef
Seasonings
- 4.5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1.5 tablespoon spicy fermented bean paste (doubanjiang)
- 1-2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine
Cornstarch Slurry (Optional)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons water
Spicy Tofu Noodle Soup
The weekend is officially here, and it is kind of gloomy outside today which got me craving Lazy Spicy Tofu noodle soup. I think I’m going to pair it with the homemade kimchi that we made a few days ago. It’s going to be the perfect combo. The tofu soaks up all the yummy sauce and get super flavorful!
- ½ onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 green onions chopped (separate white and green parts)
- 1 tablespoon Korean red chili flakes adjust to your spice tolerance
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2.5 cups Dashi Stock or any stock of your choice
- 1 serving Noodles
- 1 servings Medium-firm Tofu
- 1 egg, optional
