Milk Marinated Chicken Breasts

Yes, you heard me correctly, my favorite go-to recipe for chicken breasts is to marinate it in some good 'ol milk (actually lactaid because I was blessed with genes that prevent me from partaking in the wonderful delights of the dairy world). The marinade adds so much flavor and most importantly, it makes the meat super tender.

Here's a guideline for the recipe:

• Chicken breasts--I use breast tenders which are small in size so they're easy to pan fry
• A few cloves of garlic, either pressed or minced
• Salt: enough to your discretion and taste preferences
• Pepper (however much you like, I like to add a lot 🔥
• Optional: Red Chili Pepper flakes
• Milk

Put all those ingredients in a ziplock gallon-sized bag, or container, and mix until coated. Then let it marinate for a few hours. My best results have come from marinating overnight.

Korean Tofu Stew

This recipe takes me back to my childhood, when my mom would throw together a quick hot meal for dinner, this would be one of her classic go-to dishes. The savory umame tones of the miso with the spice of the jalepenos this soup is quite the multi-dimensional flavor experience. Definitely one of my favorite simple dishes to make and a pot will almost last me multiple meals which means meal prep galore

Here's how to make it:

• One onion, sliced
• White mushrooms, sliced into discs
• A loaf of tofu, sliced into cubes
• Two Jalepenos, sliced into circles🔥
• Two potatoes, sliced into cubes
• Red miso
• Dashi Powder (the key ingredient for an umame masterpiece

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, prepare all of the vegetables as described above. First add the dashi packet and the sliced onions. Then, add the potatoes, mushrooms, tofu and jalepenos about 3 minutes later. Finally 2 minutes later, add two tablespoons of miso or however much suits your taste, and let that baby simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes and veggies are soft. Serve over rice!

Plentea Milk Tea

I am stopping here for a quick commercial break. I just had to put this here as a tribute to my roots as a Northern Californian, and my love for boba. Plentea is this pretty cool place my family and I found with glass jars for their containers (that you can keep!).

Pictured:

• Brown Sugar Milk Tea (left)
• Thai Milk Tea (middle)
• Oolong Milk Tea (right)

Pleantea ranks on my list of top boba places for its unique menu, nice containers and cool vibes.