A simple and elegant salad that brightens up whatever you serve it alongside. Crisp, tangy, and refreshing, it’s a perfect accompaniment.
Chiyo Ueyama, Recipe Tester
A list of all the recipes Chiyo Ueyama has tested.
First and foremost, Chiyo Ueyama loves to eat. She grew up in a three-generation household where food was the most frequent conversation starter. Meal prep was always in progress in the small urban kitchen where written recipes were rarely seen.
Fast forward to 2008, all grown up and still thinking a lot about food, she stumbled upon Leite’s Culinaria during a random recipe search and became a recipe tester. Having no experience as a professional cook and no formal culinary education, she calls herself an “enthusiastic home cook” and embraces her small minimally equipped kitchen. Her tools for testing and reviewing recipes are her inquisitiveness and love of words. (Visit museums much? She has many years of experience writing and editing descriptions of artwork, like those labels you see in exhibition spaces.) She credits her longevity with Leite’s Culinaria to her friends who are always happy to serve as “tasters,” and are good sports when the results are less than impressive.
Some of her favorites on Leite’s Culinaria are Spiced Maple Pecan Pie with Star Anise, Moroccan Lentil Soup, Orange Olive Oil Cake, Buttermilk Drop Biscuits, Lemon and Thyme Risotto, Portuguese Mini Lemon-Orange Cakes, Masala Chai Crème Brûlée, Sheet Pan Chicken with Apples, Bacon, and Brussels Sprouts, Flaky Ribbon Pancakes, and Buttery Crab Pasta.
Maple Pumpkin Pie
This is just about as traditional as tradition gets. Save for the slight plot twist of maple syrup. Intrigued? You should be.
Sweet and Spicy Tacos
Happy National Taco Day! Who needs those spice packets when you can make your own sassy, satisfying, and sophisticated tacos with a citrus zing?
Pear Turnovers
“Much more sophisticated than the turnovers from my childhood.” “Very subtly sweet.” That’s what folks are saying.
Smoky Chipotle Vegetarian Chili
Happy World Vegetarian Day! Here’s a soupy, stewy, smoky chili with stealth veggie goodness galore. Healthful never tasted so darn good.
Blueberry Custard Pie
A custardy pie, filled with summer’s favorite berry (come on, you know it’s true), and baked into your choice of crust. Sweet, silky perfection.
Creamy Mushroom Soup
Sometimes, a creamy, comforting soup is all you need, especially if you can make it vegan. Topped with yogurt and hazelnuts, it’s superb.
Roasted Onions Stuffed with Ground Lamb and Apricots
Moody and a little brooding, this autumnal-ish dish melds earthy spices, sweet apricots, fresh herbs, and lamb to a simply elegant effect.
Kale, Butternut Squash, and Farro Salad
This kale, butternut squash, and kale salad may conjure notions of autumn but it’s actually really quite lovely all year long.
Vegan Walnut Fig Bars
A quick, healthy, vegan, fruit and nut-filled snack. Not too sweet but still good when you’re craving something less granola and more like dessert.