So, my grandma on my mum’s side was not - nor did she ever care to be - all that into cooking. My mum recalls a boiled ground beef dish from her childhood that turns her green almost every time she talks about it. Also she gags on the memory of tinned, mushed peas and tongue. Then there was the rutabaga casserole....I digress....it was post war times and it’s totally understandable. Anyhow.

My grandma was a great lover of the outdoors and a woman who paused to watch and help her grandkids (myself included) to notice things like poplar leaves applauding the wind. She was a pediatrician, a darn good one, and had such a special way with little kiddos. Enter nasturtium tea sandwiches (or rollers, as she called them).

Combining her love of nature with something she knew we would find fascinating, I’ll never forget her showing my sister and I how to carefully select and pick leaves off of one of her overflowing nasturtium pots that happily grew on her back porch. We followed her into the kitchen where she took some generic brown bread and rolled it over a few times with a glass bottle until it was good and flat. Then, she spread it generously with butter. My sister and I washed the leaves and tore them up into little strips. We mixed the leaves with cream cheese, salt and pepper and covered the bread with the mixture. Then we rolled them up into little pinwheels while grandma made some strong Earl Grey tea. We all sat at the kitchen table and ate these perfect little bundles - made o so peppery with the nasturtium and o so rich with the butter and cream cheese. Washed down with the hot tea. It was perfection in my memory. And then we each got a orangey nasturtium flower to wear in our hair the rest of the afternoon.

These are spicy tea sandwiches, perfect for a picnic on a sunny warm day.
Adjust the quantities of the ingredients to your taste -more or less peppery!

This is a Shanghainese dish my dad used to cook for me a lot. It's a crispy and oily vegetarian dish that even a child would love.

Nothing more fun than cooking home-made Yamballs with my family and friends on a relaxed weekend: This is a easy homemade recipe for everyone who loves Chinese desert to try out. If you like the bubbles in bubble tea then you wouldn't want to miss the yamballs.

Created for Rebecca Bradley's Illustrating the Edible course, Maryland Institute College of Art. Thank you for bringing up such a fun project!

Edible flowers

Simple Italian meal

I am a student at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

This chowder is absolutley my favorite thing that my boyfriend makes for us, and I often bug him to make it. You can make the cashew cream at home by blending up soaked cashews, salt, and water!

Guacamole is my favorite food so I've made an easy recipe for anyone to follow!

An easy and tasty breakfast treat!

Beets are truly magnificent. Not only can they grow in pretty much any climate, they are a chameleon in how they enmesh themselves into savoury and sweet recipes with equal aplomb. Oh! And they make wicked good tie dye, as their jewel toned stain is so deeply hued it is otherworldly in its vividness. So this beet hummus is freaking delish, AND it's good for you AND it will sustain you throughout the day. On crackers or toasted pita with veggies for lunch, snack or whatever, it fills you right up and gives you tonneau of plant based energy to burn. Can we also mention their earthy, sweet, mineral flavour profile? Beets, beets, magical beets✨

Here I tried to bring in some Indian influence on the border. I am a fan of the paper texture and how organic a drawing looks. This was supposed to have been submitted for the beans around the world contest but I didn't finish on time.

A really nice and refreshing chutney made fresh. It pairs well with cheese, dal and rice, some can even take it as far as having it along with eggs.

Lunch is sorted when you pack a week's worth of nutritious bowls. Start with some beans, add some grains like quinoa, a few roasted veggies, your favorite steamed greens and top it off with a tahini sauce!

This versatile bean salad contains basic ingredients and is easy to prepare. It can be served cold as a salad or warm as a dip!

Medu vada is a South Indian fritter made from Vigna mungo. It is usually made in a doughnut shape, with a crispy exterior and soft interior.