People often ask me when I started to cook for myself, and I tell them that it was during my college days at UC Davis. More than anything, I cooked out of necessity. There was no other way to satisfy my cravings for garlicky bok choy or fried rice like the way Mama Lin cooked it! But when finals came along, all bets were off. There was just no time to even care about cooking, so I would make my way to the local Nugget Markets, trying to figure out what to eat for dinner. More often than not, I filled my basket with tubs of their potato salad and hummus, bags of sweet onion chips and raisins. I’m not even sure if those things were actually brain food, but they sure helped make paper writing and studying more bearable. Fast forward to 10 years later, I’m still shopping at Nugget! (Of course, I’m no longer searching for sustenance to get me through finals week.) I’m very fortunate to live in California, where fresh ingredients are just a stone’s throw away, and I try my best to cook with the food around me. Nugget Markets is a family-owned and operated company, and I love that they offer a wide range of local produce and meats. Even the food sold under their “Fresh to Market” label are developed in partnership with local producers. I also do a lot of gluten-free cooking, and I appreciate that Nugget labels their gluten-free products clearly. They also label products that are suitable for other lifestyles, like vegan, non-GMO, organic, fair-trade, etc.
Now that it’s properly summer, I find myself reaching for chilled desserts every day. I don’t eat ice cream very often because I usually find it too sweet (I know, call me weird). Instead, I make healthier desserts like this chocolate chia pudding parfait. All of the ingredients for the parfaits came from Nugget! The chia pudding layer is made of chia seeds that are soaked in almond milk for at least a few hours. Over time, the seeds expand and you’ll be left with a treat that has a pudding consistency. If you’ve ever had bubble tea before, the chia pudding will remind you a lot of the tapioca pearls. For the fruit mousses, I’m blending fruit with silken tofu. The tofu gives the mousse it’s creamy texture. The mousse layers are light and contain much less fat than traditional cream-based mousses. This is a great refreshing dessert on a summer day!
a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Nugget Markets. Visit their website for more information or follow them on Facebook or Twitter! Click here find a location near you.
