Joanne L. Molinaro (이선영)

I started sharing stories about my Korean American immigrant family back in 2017, the first time this country elected an administration that made its xenophobia painfully obvious. This revealed to me that a lot of people had no idea what my family was like. Too many people viewed “American” through a monochromatic lens and I wanted to do my part in diversifying that lens, mostly through food and storytelling. I didn’t want to “ruffle any feathers” or be “too direct,” for fear of making people too defensive, which would, in my opinion, cut off any meaningful or potentially productive discussion. It is really, really hard to confront the fact that it feels like I’m right back where I started in 2017. I’ve been telling my stories, sharing our food, with the hope that in addition to loving our kimchi, you’ll grow to love the people who brought you that kimchi. I’ll be honest: I’m not sure any of it worked. Sometimes, when I read the news or see yet another person being separated from their family, I wonder whether I was naive, even arrogant to think my little “experiment” could do any real good. And yes, I am angry. I feel like I’m angry all the time, these days, and I hate that. Because I loved this country in 2016, continued to love this country even after seeing just how deeply ingrained racism is in the United States, and I guess my rage proves that some part of me still loves this profoundly flawed nation. Before telling me to “go back to [insert whatever random Asian country comes to mind],” ask yourself why I complain? Why I cry? Why I’m upset? Why I care? Sometimes, I wish I could answer that myself. #dumplings #koreanfood #mandu #vlog

This is my book, which I am so proud of. But, seeing everything that’s been happening in the world, it would be impossible not to remember that my own mother was once a hungry baby. And thus in answer to the question “why is a food blogger so political?” I don’t know how food couldn’t be political. Army Stew has such a fraught history attached to it. There’s a reason my mother still eschews this hearty, protein-packed dish. But as is the case with so many Korean dishes (like the iconic kimchi or kimbap), budae jjigae is a dish that, to me, symbolizes resilience, survival, and sheer will. These are all attributes I see in my mother, attributes I endeavor to emulate. Naysayers will come at me for this plant-based version (the original was all about protein, which makes sense given how malnourished the Korean people were at that time). Or, they’ll accuse me of romanticizing one of the uglier chapters in Korea’s history. Being political is an openness to having these tough conversations, a commitment to laying down one’s ego with the objective of learning how to reclaim our collective agency. There’s a lot of stones that remain unturned in my own journey towards that purpose; but, I believe that this stew represents something powerful and true, as much as it is delicious. I made this recipe for my father last year and he was quite surprised at how much he loved it. Thus, for all these reasons, when my editor suggested we go with this Army Stew as the cover, I wrote back, “I’d be very proud to have budae jjigae as the cover of my book.” If you’d like the recipe to this stew and 100 more delicious dishes, or, if you want to support my work, I’d be so grateful if you checked out the link in my bio for all the different ways you can preorder a copy today. Thanks to the compassion of that one soldier, my mother survived. And that’s the thing we must always remember: Compassion must play a role in our politics. #thekoreanvegan #foodispolitical #armystew #koreanfood

When times get tough (or authoritarian-y), eat eggless chocolate chip cookies. #chocolatechipcookies #EasyRecipes #egglessrecipes #vegan

I sometimes feel a little gaslit by people who claim they “love” running. Like, WHY? I mean, I can understand liking, a little, sometimes. I can also understand LOVING the benefits of running; however, to claim that you LOVE running because of what it does for you is a lot like saying, “I love paying for things because of what it buys me!” Ok, ok, I kid (sort of). I know there are legion of folks out there who truly enjoy huffing and puffing, the wind at their back (or in their faces), the thud of their feet on pavement, and just the sheer exhilaration of moving one’s body to capacity. Whether it’s a runner’s high or a human’s high, I can’t say I’ve ever experienced it, but I’m willing to acknowledge that others have. But the truth remains: I don’t like running. So, why do I run so much? Not gonna lie here: part of it is to keep in shape. I find it to be an efficient way to maintain my fitness. But marathoning? Isn’t that overkill? Well, I’ll be honest, again: I’m not marathon training at the moment (though, I like to believe I can shift into high gear training on a dime). Still, I probably run a lot more than is necessary to keep fit these days, and the main reason for that is simple: I don’t like running, but I am a runner. You see, the fallacy is that you have to be IN LOVE with running to be a runner. But that’s totally not true. Runners are a diverse and wide-ranging group, including within their ranks those who are obsessed and those who can barely bring themselves off the couch to run a 1k. Indeed, out of all the communities I’ve ever been a part of, runners are the least gatekeep-y folks you’ll ever meet. And that community is one of the main reasons I may not love running, but I love being a runner. I LOVED THIS POST-RUN MEAL (steamed broccoli, braised tofu, Korean omelet) because it reminded me of the foods my grandmothers used to make for me when I was little. I’m coming out with a second cookbook, HOMEMADE, filled with similar types of recipes—nostalgic, nutritious, comforting (link in bio). It would mean so so much if you considered preordering it. <3 #Running #runningvlog #marathonrunning #koreanfood

Happy Father’s Day to all the many folks who play the role of father in a person’s life! If I had to make only ONE dish in the world for Father’s Day, this jjajangmyeon or Korean-Chinese black bean noodle dish would be it! My dad LOVES this dish and the best compliment I’ve ever received on my cooking was the time I made it for him and he declared “You should open a restaurant!” If you want the recipe for these noodles, you know where to find it! #jjajangmyeon #FathersDay #noodles #vegan

#ad Introducing Korean Vegan Beauty. 🌷 When I went vegan in 2016, there were two things I knew I’d “miss”—Korean food and Korean beauty products. You all know what I did about the first problem! The second one … well, ngl, it was hard to find things not made out of snails or salmon eggs for a while.I’d always wanted to see a K-beauty line that was entirely VEGAN and CRUELTY FREE, founded by a vegan. After years of waiting... I did the same thing I did with Korean vegan food—I decided to create the solution to my own problem. It’s been 3 years in the making, but Korean Vegan Beauty is now a reality. TODAY is our official launch!! And today at noon PST, I’ll be going LIVE to personally fulfill your orders and answer any questions you might have about this dream project. In other words, if you order in the next few hours, watch me pack and ship your order! And this isn’t like one of those “influencer” businesses, where the pseudo-celebrity slaps her name on an existing label and calls it “her own.” Nope, I’ve been in this every step of the way from formula to packaging to photos. So I hope you can join me in welcoming KV Beauty (@koreanveganbeauty ) to the world!! 🥹 #koreanveganbeauty #kbeauty #kvbeauty #veganbeauty

Happy anniversary to @Anthony Molinaro 💜💜💜 #Love #lavacake #chocolatecake

Posting this shorter version in case it’s helpful. This applies ONLY to gaining entry to one’s residence (not to arrests outside the home). Pls be sure to check whether a warrant is a judicial warrant or an administrative warrant BEFORE opening the door to your home. #notlegaladvice #ice #lawyer

My mom claims she was a heartbreaker growing up... I invited her out to LA to put it to the test! Thanks to my pals at @genesis_usa for providing our ride and for making my mom feel like a total VIP!!! <3<3<3 #GuestOfGenesis

I can’t stop ranting sorry not sorry.

Where are all my GenX peri-people at?? I started going through “the change” for real last year and it’s been a JOURNEY!! I remember thinking how much I HATED that I was sleeping in—like somehow, I was a lesser human being by requiring the needed rest! But after a while, I realized I was actually being sort of an idiot for thinking that way…? The other thing that really threw me, though, was how fatigued I was throughout the day. I realized that I could no longer take for granted that my body would just compensate for things (like lack of protein, lack of nutrients, lack of water). Again, not sure why I thought that was the smart thing to do to begin with…? But, I started adding hi-protein snacks (like this delicious @Mosh Life protein bars), hi-protein meals (like my cashew nut stir-fry that Anthony so ably demonstrated for us all), and electrolyte drinks. I particularly like the Mosh bars because they also include brain nutrients (hello brain fog…?), AND, a portion of all proceeds for these MOSH bars go to Alzheimers research! #perimenopause #Vlog #vegan #moshlife

Ciao Friends! The recipe for these Honey-Do-I-Look-Like-I’m-Going-To-Fall-For-Your-Big-Beautiful-Bullsh*t-Melon-Bars is too easy to do a full blog post. You can find it below. Enjoy! 360 grams honeydew 1 cup coconut cream (solid part only) 3 tablespoons tapioca starch 3 tablespoons maple syrup Blend all the ingredients together. Place in popsicle molds and freeze for at least 5 to 6 hours before enjoying. #honeydew #melona #bbb

#friendship

Hey everyone! If you want the recipe to this Korean BBQ Dense Bean Salad, you can find all the other things you need to know about me! ⬆️⬆️⬆️ #densebeansalad #viralsalads #viralrecipes #healthyrecipes

This is a supplement to the video I did on how to tell the difference between a judicial warrant and an “ICE warrant.” This does not constitute legal advice as I am not your lawyer. This is just a friendly video from a person who happens to be a lawyer. Share this with anyone you think might find this useful and stay safe out there today. #nokings

Photos from today. #nokings

Sneak peek @koreanveganbeauty

#chatwithme #fyp

Hey everyone! The precise ingredients for this No-Knead Rice Bread are super simple: 21/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup (can substitute sugar) 1/2 cup (70 g) cooked rice 3 cups (370 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 teaspoon sea salt As you can see in the video, just mix it altogether to form a dough. Let it proof until it doubles in size. When it’s almost done proofing, preheat the oven to 450°F and stick your oven-safe vessel in. In the meantime, do the thing I show you with the parchment paper and flour. Place the dough, with the parchment paper, into your piping hot vessel and bake it, covered, for about 40-50 minutes for spongey, perfect bread! If you liked this recipe, check out my forthcoming book, The Korean Vegan HOMEMADE, which will have the full recipe for this bread, along with 100+ other fun recipes like this one! You can find it above! #bread #easyrecipe

This was a day in my life as CEO & Founder of @koreanveganbeauty . For most of my life, I hid the fact that I love the color pink, I love pretty dresses with flowers and lace trim, I love it when my hair curls just the right way, I love a good lip balm. Because I thought this made me immature or unserious. I thought being too “feminine” made me a bad leader. In other words, I bought into the LIE. But, the worst thing you can do for imposter syndrome is BE AN IMPOSTER. I learned as a Big Law Lawyer that the more I tried to be something I wasn’t, the worse my imposter syndrome grew. And honestly? I could be a decent lawyer while faking my personality. But… I could be a BADASS lawyer when I leaned into who I was instead of trying to hide it. I figured the same would apply to building a company. At the end of the day, what’s the worst that can happen? I’ll be surrounded by pretty pink things with flowers on them. 🌷 #kvbeauty #kbeauty