UC Davis Connecting Through Food Project aims to collect and distribute beloved recipes from our community so that everyone can learn and enjoy.
Food is culture. Food is memory. We all have recipes that we cook at home or eat with people whom we love. Sharing a meal together can be a practice self-care and celebration of community. Here are some recipes shared by the community for meals that are dear to their hearts.
Connecting Through Food Recipes
Braised Bitter Greens
Linda's Braised Bitter Greens has been a favorite at Thanksgiving! It is a wonderful, healthy addition to a rich meal. The bright, mildly spicy flavor is delicious with turkey, stuffing, gravy and all the other fixings. It goes well with most winter fare.
Borghild's Lefse
Erika's mother taught Erika how to make Borghild's Lefse. Lefse is a Norwegian-American staple around the holidays. One of Erika's favorite ways to eat lefse is with gjetost (a caramelized goat milk cheese) and pickled herring. Sugar and butter are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!
Cabbage Rolls
Kimberly's grandmother developed the recipe for these delicious Cabbage Rolls! Kimberly's grandmother was second generation Polish-American and thanks to her, Kimberly grew up eating cabbage in many forms. The ingredients for this dish are simple, but it's delicious and perfect for colder days!
Cranberry and Walnut Sauce
Becky's Cranberry and Walnut Sauce recipe is one that riffs on that “traditional” Thanksgiving meal, but with a fresh, low sugar, and spicy twist. Becky was surprised that raw cranberries could taste so good - they are a tart and fresh addition to the heavy meal. The chile gives it just a little spice, too!
Czech Sauerkraut
Czech Sauerkraut is a dish Laura grew up eating as a kid with bread dumplings, another Czech favorite! Laura developed this vegetarian recipe of her family's classic dish, using a vegetarian bouillon.
Frog Eyed Salad
Stefanie's Frog Eyed Salad became a family tradition about 20 years ago. How could there be a dish that is sweet yet made with pasta? This dish became a crowd favorite and is now served every Thanksgiving.
Healthy Berry Honey Jam
After Eleise was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 21, she decided to stop eating sugar-filled foods. This recipe is one of her favorite fruit toppings and has replaced syrup, jelly, meat pan sauce, berry tarts, dessert, yogurt toppings, and fruit popsicles (jam thinned out), without added sugar or unnecessary additives.
Jeyuk Bokkeum
Jeyuk Bokkeum, a Korean spicy pork recipe, was passed down to Dabin from her mom. Moving to Davis, Dabin indulged in lots of good food, but sometimes missed the spicy dishes back in Korea. This recipe is one of the many popular Korean BBQ dishes. It is really easy and does not take a whole lot of time to make!
Lemon Garlic Scallops Pasta
Adapted from a family recipe, Laura has added a twist to the original dish by adding lemon to make it zesty. This dish is a favorite for Laura to enjoy after a long work week!
McIntosh Applesauce
McIntosh Applesauce was a fall classic during Trudy's childhood in upstate New York. After moving to Sacramento, Trudy discovered McIntosh apples during a trip to Apple Hill in late autumn. These apples foam up and break down perfectly for applesauce and have a great tart taste!
Oats Upma
Upma is a famous Indian breakfast prepared by using dry roasted coarse semolina. Anagha has grown up eating this simple, delicious recipe for many years. Recently, Anagha has been substituting coarse semolina with rolled oats for its health benefits. Oats Upma is perfect for breakfast on chilly winter mornings!
Palabok
In Catherine's family, Palabok is a special holiday food. With its gorgeous orange color, the dish is perfect for fall and Thanksgiving. Cooking it has a lot of steps, so the whole family can get together and help out!
Red Cabbage Salad with Oranges and Pomegranate
Sanne's salad with red cabbage, oranges, and pomegranate is a perfect and tasty side for most meat dishes, and is a very popular side dish for Danish Christmas dinners. The red cabbage brings a fresh and crisp flavor to the salad!
Toffee
Melissa's grandmother developed the recipe for this toffee, which would be served all day during family holiday gatherings. The recipe is simple, yet so very tasty!
Vietnamese Bánh Xèo
Angela grew up eating Vietnamese Bánh Xèo at family-friends' houses and parties. The fresh herbs combined with the pork loin, shrimp, and other meats are first wrapped in a crispy crepe and then rolled into a delectable lettuce wrap. This dish brings back warm memories for Angela!
Vietnamese Steamed Egg - Chả Trứng
Vy's favorite dish from back home is Chả Trứng, a steamed egg dish. There are many ways to make Chả Trứng and this recipe is Vy's family tradition. Chả Trứng is best paired with Vietnamese broken rice and fish sauce. The dish is very easy to make and also pairs well with regular rice!