Recently, I shared a recipe for making easy cabbage kimchi, which is a staple at my house. The first kimchi I ever fell in love with, though, was oi sobaegi kimchi, or stuffed cucumber kimchi. I think of this as "gateway kimchi" — it's lightly fermented (or not at all), so it isn't as pungent as many other kimchis, and it has crisp texture that any pickle lover should appreciate. 

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This is a salad to put in your back pocket and come back to all summer long. It goes from weekend picnic to make-ahead weekday lunch in the snap of a finger, and it's full of satisfying nibbly, crunchy, chewy bits. The grapes are my favorite part — an unexpected burst of sweet in the middle of a bite. A tangy mustard vinaigrette adds the finishing touch and brings it all together.

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When you have severe or multiple dietary restrictions, traveling can be frustrating, depressing ... or a lot of fun, especially if you do some advance planning. Here are a few things I've learned from personal experience on the road and in the air. 

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Do you love horchata?  This sweet, creamy, rice-and-almond-based drink is not to be missed, especially now that summer is here and a cool, refreshing drink is always appreciated.  While traditional horchata contains milk and sugar, it can also be made without dairy and lends itself well to sugar alternatives such as agave or dates.  Read on for our classic Mexican horchata recipe with some extra ideas for non-dairy and sugar-free alternatives.

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Q: I'm an experienced baker branching out into nut flours and other gluten-free flour baking. When I bake with wheat flour, I use the Ina Garten method (fluff, scoop, level). But with these other flours, I don't know how I'm supposed to measure. 

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For better or worse, rice cakes have become one of my gluten-free travel staples. They're easy to find, are surprisingly sturdy, and make a decent alternative to sandwich bread when staying with non-GF friends and family. Yet rice cakes are boring and not especially nutritious (possibly even bad for you). I plan to replace them with this Super Power Chia Bread from Oh She Glows. 

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I long to be one of those people who packs a healthy, well-balanced meal when they travel. I have friends who pack lunches for their plane journeys — thinking out which foods will complement others and how it will affect the way they feel mid-flight. I don't do this. Usually I can barely manage to eat a decent breakfast before I get out the door. But what I can do is throw together a trail mix for those flights — one that's been put to the test during quick camping trips, day hikes or longer car rides. And I'm always thankful that I took the few minutes to do so.

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When I had to adopt a restricted diet last year, I also got a crash course in planning ahead for snacks. Grabbing an impromptu bite to eat became a lot more complicated, and even store-bought energy bars were off-limits due to various food allergies and intolerances. I quickly developed the habit of always — always! — carrying something edible and energy-boosting in my bag. Packed with fruit and seeds, these oat bars are like a thick, cakey granola bar, and so much more exciting than a bag of GORP. 

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The first meals alone in a foreign country are always intimidating. When I moved to a small city in central Japan to teach English for two years, onigiri was the first food I clung to. Like a life raft, these seaweed-wrapped rice balls — sort of the sandwiches of Japanese cuisine — kept me afloat in a sea of unfamiliar foods labeled in a language I could just barely read. 

Made with short-grain rice, toasted nori and a small amount of flavorful seafood, meat or pickles, onigiri combine some of the elements of sushi, but in a more homey, comforting form. These are not the elegant creations of highly-trained chefs, but the familiar, filling foods of school lunches and train trips, providing a little taste of home while on the road.

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Some of my best cooking came from accidents. These were often the accidents that were born of necessary substitutions when I ran out of something at home or, literally, from accidentally adding too much or too little of an ingredient only to be pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Such is the case with this genius single-serve muffin. 

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