I wish I had some romantic story for you, say, about how I spent a summer backpacking through Southeast Asia, staying in hostels, drinking cheap beer, eating green papayas for breakfast and learning to cook this dish.

What actually happened is that my friend and former roommate Ryan worked at P.F. Changs in Boston for a couple of years, and whilst living with him, I became extremely fascinated with his employee handbook. We kept it in the kitchen and I read it every morning while I drank my coffee—I practically had it memorized. He thought I was crazy. Adorable, but crazy.

Some time in 2002 or 2003, the company added a dish called “Singapore Street Noodles” in an attempt to capitalize on the fast-growing street food trend. I was thrilled by this prospect and brought it up frequently, which Ryan found endearing but very silly.

Obviously, I am still thinking about street noodles. Now I have to actually go to Asia…or at least make up a better story.

• ingredients
• 1 lb thick Chinese wheat noodles (dried spaghetti will work, but it’s not the same) $1.50
• vegetable or canola oil Pantry
• 1/2 onion, sliced $0.50
• 6 cloves garlic (2 chopped, 4 sliced thinly) Pantry
• 1/2 (14-oz) carton firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2” cubes $1.50
• 1 1” piece ginger, peeled and chopped $0.50
• 3 scallions (green onions), chopped $1 for a bunch
• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce $2 for 8 oz.
• 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp soy sauce Pantry
• 1-2 tbsp (more/less to taste) Asian chili sauce $2 for 8 oz.
• 1 medium Roma tomato, sliced $0.25
• 1 ripe mango, sliced $1.50
• 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch

Total Cost of Ingredients $11.75

Directions

Boil noodles, according to package directions. Rinse, drain and set aside.

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until very crispy. Remove the onions and drain on a paper towel, leaving the remaining oil in the pan.

Add the sliced garlic to the hot oil (it may be necessary to add another tbsp of oil—you want the garlic to be totally surrounded by hot oil) and fry until garlic is crisp (watch very carefully, to avoid burning). Remove garlic and drain on a paper towel.

Add the tofu to the hot oil and fry, turning occasionally, until very crispy.

Heat 1 tbsp oil (feel free to use any remaining oil from cooking the onions, garlic and tofu) over medium-high heat and add the ginger and remaining garlic. Cook for 1 minute and then add the scallions and cooked noodles. Cook, stirring occasionally (tongs work well for this), for 2 minutes. Add the hoisin, soy sauce and chili sauce. Stir well to evenly coat the noodles and cook for 6-7 minutes, tossing with tongs, until the noodles develop a bit of charring in places.

To serve, layer individual plates or a serving platter with the noodles, onions, tofu, garlic chips, mango and cilantro. Toss lightly and serve.

Serves 4.

My roommate, Kristina is under the weather. Coughing, sneezing, pajama pants at 3 PM on a weekday sick. She is not happy about it.

So, I made her a cup of this stuff. It’s magical—I swear by it. Whenever I feel a cold coming on, I make a big pot of it and sip it all day. It’s slightly spicy, thanks to the ginger, and soothing on the throat, thanks to the honey. It’s also delicious (even if you’re not sick), chilled and served over ice.

So, if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, chances are you’ve seen the seemingly constant flow of posts of late all about Appetites, the new recipe app for the iPad, created by Clear Media.

Appetites is, in a word, brilliant. It is, essentially, the cookbook re-imagined on the iPad. Popular food bloggers, including me (yay! I’m popular!), Matt Armendariz (from MattBites), Nick & Blake (from The Paupered Chef), Stephanie Hua (from Lick My Spoon), Adrianna and Caroline (from A Cozy Kitchen), and Gaby Dalkin (from What’s Gaby Cooking?) teach you how to create amazing recipes from start to finish in beautifully-filmed real-time videos. The videos are step-by-step and are shot from your point of view. Additionally, the app features a step-by-step written guide and an ingredients list that can easily be imported to your iPhone. I am beyond thrilled to have had the opportunity to participate in the making of this app. I truly believe it will change and improve the way people learn to cook.

Check out my video promo below and be sure to sign up here to be informed the second it goes live!

Appetites: BrokeAss Gourmet from Clear-Media on Vimeo.

This wildly simple, vegan pasta dish is delicious hot, though I love it cold, especially on a picnic. The Marcona almonds give the pesto a wonderfully creamy texture without a touch of dairy.

Toss it with whatever veggies you have around (shredded carrots and zucchinis work well), or serve it plain. This dish also works well with cilantro or mint in place of the parsley.

• ingredients
• 8 oz. angel hair pasta or spaghetti $1.50 for 14 oz.
• 1 cup (packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves $1 for a bunch
• 1 small (1”) piece ginger, peeled and chopped $0.50
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed Pantry
• 1/8 cup roasted Marcona almonds $3.50 for 8 oz.
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Pantry
• salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $6.50

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions in salted, boiling water. Drain.

In a food processor or blender, puree parsley, ginger, garlic, almonds and olive oil until a smooth paste is formed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss pesto with cooked pasta. Add more salt and/or pepper to taste if necessary.

Serves 2-3.

No joke: my grandparents used to import bialys from New York. They would freeze them and store them in zip-lock bags in the freezer of their Los Angeles kitchen. One of my favorite childhood memories is of sitting at their kitchen table, eating a hot, toasty bialy, sneaking sips of my grandfather’s coffee.

It’s hard to find decent bialy in San Francisco, but, amazingly, it’s quite easy to make them. Have yourself a New York morning and serve these hot out of the oven with cream cheese and lox.

• ingredients
• all-purpose flour for rolling and baking Pantry
• 1 batch pizza dough (about 1 lb fresh pizza dough) $1.50
• 2 tbsp olive oil or canola oil Pantry
• 1/2 onion, chopped finely 0.50
• 3 tbsp poppy seeds $1.50 for 1 oz.
• salt and pepper to taste Pantry
• 1 egg $1.50 for 12

Total Cost of Ingredients $5

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Lightly flour a baking sheet and set aside.

Cut dough into 8 (for larger bialys) or 10 (for smaller ones) equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into some semblance of a 4” or 5” circle (they need not be perfect—in fact it’s better if they aren’t). Let rest for 10-15 minutes.

While the dough rests, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 7-9 minutes, or until very soft and golden-brown. Add the poppy seeds and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Use your thumb to create a small well in the center of each dough round.

Beat the egg with 1/8 cup water to make an egg wash.

Use a pastry brush to brush the dough rounds lightly with the egg wash.

Put about 1 tbsp of the onion mixture (more, if it will fit) into the well you created in each bialy.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until bialys are golden-brown.

Serve hot, with butter, cream cheese or on their own.