My year-end resolution is to incorporate more vegetable into my diet and reduce as much sugar and fat as possible to better my overall health. I’m certainly not the one to jump on the fad diet bandwagon and jeopardize my sanity so I need to look for ways to manage my health while still enjoying all the food I love (which, admittedly, is everything).

Okonomiyaki I cooked for dinner tonight held the key to sensible eating. Often dubbed as Japanese pancake, okonomiyaki is a playground of all things wonderful – a colorful array of fresh vegetable including cabbage, onion, scallion, carrot and grated yam, and perhaps add some meat, squid or octopus, bind together with flour, water and eggs. The original version also includes fried batter crumbs for texture, dashi (fish stock) and a few slices of bacon or pork for added flavor, but I omitted those items – along with any kind of meat – for obvious reason. The pancake is usually topped with katsuobushi (bonita flakes), aonori (seaweed) and a special okonomiyaki sauce (I personally like tonkatsu sauce better) and ginger. Despite my attempt to reduce fat, I could not resist the drizzle of Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise!

“Okonomiyaki,” translates loosely to “however you like it,” suggesting that your imagination is the only thing holding you back from creating a one-of-a-kind, satisfying piece of delight.

Just by looking at the picture, can you tell that this okonomiyaki has one carrot, one large onion and almost two cups of cabbage? Talk about nutritionally dense and satisfying meal – just the way I like it.