Ahhh… Tostones. I love tostones. I love saying the word. I love eating them. They bring a smile to my face.

I thinly sliced one large plantain and pan fried it in approximately 1/4 cup peanut oil until they were nicely browned on both sides. Drain on a few paper towels, sprinkle with sea salt, and enjoy. I had mine with Black Beans and Carrots with Guacamole for a simple, fast meal.

Sesame noodles are a great side dish. You can make them very quickly and easily, and there are lots of variations so you don’t always have to make the same kind of noodles.

In this version, I used:

• Soba noodles, boiled and rinsed in cold water to cool
• 2 TB toasted sesame oil
• 1 TB soy sauce
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• Aleppo pepper flakes (use red pepper flakes if you haven’t purchased Aleppo pepper from Savory Spice Shop)
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

I got this recipe from My Year On The Grill, and it was so fast, so easy, and so delicious, that I added it to my “favorites” category on my blog. Here is the original blog post I visited for this month’s Taste & Create.

I bought Asiago imported from Italy, Oregon blue cheese, and bulk walnuts.

Simply grate the asiago, crumble the blue cheese, and chop the nuts. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 300 for approximately 10 minutes.

Try not to eat them all at once.

Here are some chopped snow peas tossed in a little toasted sesame oil, juice from 1/2 lime, a splash of soy sauce, and chopped green onion.