This recipe is TRULY IMPRESSIVE, and this is coming from a newly-converted vegetarian! I had always thought that juicy beef made good chili. No, I was wrong! As this recipe demonstrates, it is the right choice and proportion of veggies and spices that blends the flavor and texture together that makes this chili outstanding. I halved the recipe but followed the ingredients proportion exactly. I do not have a slow cooker so I simmered it in a pot on stovetop for about 2.5 hours. The "mountain" of chopped veggies was reduced quite a bit at the end, and gives a thick, authentic consistency. All the spices are just right. Thank you so much for this recipe -- I have no regret turning vegetarian!

Reviewed On: Jul. 5, 2009

Oh, this bread is absolutely heavenly! I promise you'll never switch back to the ordinary banana bread after trying this! I love how I can use cooking oil (instead of butter) since I hate melting butter and also canola oil is a healthier substitute. The consistency is perfect -- very fruity, not buttery, not overly sweet. I used all whole wheat flour and substitute white sugar with brown and it still turns out perfectly. (However, I had made this with white flour and sugar before, and the bonus is, the bread will be in a very cute shade of pink from the strawberries!) Next time I'll experiment with other fruit combinations... maybe banana+mango and strawberry+kiwi!

Reviewed On: Mar. 7, 2009

Like another reviewer here, I also grew up in Hong Kong and this IS indeed the authentic taste of this soup. We've had too many watered down versions of this in so many American Chinese restaurants that we often forget how it is supposed to taste. For a truly authentic touch I added a can of white crab meat and the end product not only looks pretty (with tiny yellow threads of egg and white threads of crab meat) but also has a gourmet feel. I tried a version without the chicken stock (used a can of water instead) and found that in fact the stock did't add much to the taste, except the saltiness. (And, I thought it was pretty salty already even with low sodium chicken stock.) So, to be health-conscious, I prefer to use a can of water plus 1/8 teasp of salt. (Check the ingredients: often there is salt in the canned cream-style corn already.) Thanks for a great, easy recipe. I hope everyone enjoys it!! P.S. I've also discovered that the BRAND of your cream style corn matters quite a bit. In the beginning I was always using a generic brand (Roundy's from Rainbow Foods) and the soup is fantastic -- creamy even before you add the cornstarch. But this time I've switched to Green Giant, and the end product is obviously watery. I guess it has to do with how much the corn gets meshed. So I guess you have to explore different brands a little bit! Maybe this is the reason why some reviewers didn't get satisfactory results.

Reviewed On: Jan. 18, 2009