Oishikatta 美味しかった

Poppy Seed Cole Slaw w Apple

2012-02-04T12:28:00.001-08:00

Inspired by this post. Deceptively simple! Delicious with fatty meats like pork or rotisserie chicken. Changed it a little based on what I had on hand.

Dressing:
2.5 TB honey
1/4 C mayonnaise
2 TB apple cider vinegar
2 TB poppy seeds

Mix/shake in a jar.

Salad:
2 C shredded red cabbage
2 C shredded green cabbage
1 apple, julienned
1 carrot, julienned

Toss the salad and dressing together. Surprisingly keeps well in the fridge once combined.

NOTE: 2 oz/53 grams (approx 1 serving) cole slaw is 66 calories, 4 g fat, 7 carbs & 1 g protein. And it's packed with cruciferous veggies!

Shredded Pork (slow cooker)

2012-02-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

Thinly slice 1 onion. Layer onion slices in bottom of crockpot/slow cooker. Optionally add bay leaves.

Trim the excess gristle off 2-3 lbs pork shoulder, cut into chunks.

Coat pork pieces in spice rub (1 tea salt, 1 tea cumin, 1/2 tea corriander, 1/2 tea chili powder, 1/4 tea black pepper-- or your own favorite rub).

Place pork on top of onion in slow cooker.

Add 1 to 1.5 C liquid (chicken broth, or water, wine, orange/lime juice mixtures have all been suggested across the web).

Cook on low setting for 10 hours.

Shred with 2 forks. Enjoy over rice, with poppy seed cole slaw. Or top with BBQ sauce.

Breaded Cod (oven baked)

2012-01-27T17:41:00.000-08:00

Brush cod fillets with egg white.

Dip in breading (see master breading recipe).

Bake at 450 F for 10-15 minutes, until fish flakes apart (careful to not overcook!)

A 3 oz serving should have around 131 cal, 2.9 g fat, 18.1 g protein and 7 carbs

Breading Master Recipe

2012-01-27T17:37:00.000-08:00

Just realized that breading doesn't have to be unhealthy and can make healthy stuff taste much better! Especially when oven-baking!

Toast 2 slices of ezekiel/sprouted grain bread

Crumble toasted bread into food processor

Add to food processor and blitz until it is very fine:
2 TB Parmesan cheese
1/8 tea garlic powder
1/8 tea dried oregano
1/8 tea salt (or more)
cracked black pepper

Optionally add 1 tea olive oil (to help bind some of the crumbs togehter) and 1-2 TB cornmeal or corn flour.

You can use beaten egg white to make your chicken/fish sticky.

Then pat the breading onto the meat. Spray lightly with olive oil. Continue baking as planned!

Chris' Blueberry Muffins (optional protein)

2012-01-15T19:51:00.001-08:00

Great to have in the freezer for extra calories or for work snacks.

Mix in a bowl:
1.5 C flour
1/4 C oat bran
3/4 tea salt
2 tea baking powder
1/3 C sugar
Optional: substitute 1-2 scoops plain whey protein powder for some of the flour.

In another bowl, beat together:
2 egs
1/4 C melted butter
1/4 to 1/2 tea vanilla extract
2 drops almond extract
3/4 C milk, rice milk or other "mylk"

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine the two bowls' contents, stir with a fork (ok for lumps to remain in the batter- just combine and not overbeat).

Gently fold in 1 C frozen blueberries.

Pour into greased muffin pan (spread into 12 muffins). Bake for 20 minutes.

Instant Oatmeal (instead of packets)

2012-01-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

Instead of buying oatmeal packets at the store (at exorbitant costs) we suddenly realized we can make it ourselves!!!

Shake or mix the following together in a large container or ziplock bag, making sure to separate the raisins.

6 C "instant" or "quick" oats (these have been processed by heat/knife to cook up in hot water without being boiled. Higher on the glycemic index than old fashioned oats or steel cut but is more convenient)

1/2 tea salt
1/4 C brown sugar (packed)
2 tea cinnamon
1/2 tea nutmeg
1 C raisins

When you're ready to eat, scoop up desired amount into a bowl, add boiling water and stir. Let sit for a couple minutes-- it will fluff up.

Mexican sauces on Enjitomatadas

2011-12-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

Sauce goes over fresh tortillas, with toppings like avocado, crema (or plain yogurt + water), cilantro, chopped white onion and cotijia cheese.

Tomato version (rojas)
Blend:
2 garlic cloves
1-2 jalapenos
28 oz of tomatoes

Tomatillo Version (verde)
Blend:
3 garlic cloves
1 serrano or jalapeno
1.5 lb tomatillos, husked
3/4 C cilantro

Whichever version you choose, pour into hot saucepan w/ olive oil and reduce to thick sauce.

Add 2 C broth, stir, and simmer 10 minutes.

Slow Cooker Beef & Potato Tinga

2011-12-10T08:44:00.001-08:00

Cut 1 pound of potatoes, sweet potatoes or yams into 1 inch cubes. Lay on bottom of slow cooker.

Cut 2-3 lbs of beef chuck or pork shoulder into 1 inch pieces, trimming fat. Layer on top of potatoes in slow cooker.

Blend:
28 oz can tomatoes
2 chipotle chiles from can in adobo (choose cans without caramel coloring if possible)
1 TB chipotle canning sauce
1-2 mild (guajilo) chiles, toasted over flame and de-seeded
1 TB worcestershire sauce
1 tea oregano
3 garlic cloves
1 onion
1.5 tea salt

Pour the tomato mixture over the meat in the slow cooker.

Slow cook on "HIGH" setting for 6 hours (you can use the "warm" function afterward for up to 4 hours).

Eat over rice or quinoa, or in tortillas.

Goes well with avocado, queso fresco/cheese, white onion and cilantro garnishes.

Small Batch Blue Cheese Dressing (1 cup) (dairy)

2011-10-18T19:15:00.001-07:00

Combine in blender:
1-2 oz blue cheese (depends on how strong your cheese is)
1/2 C mayo or greek yogurt
1 TB cream or buttermilk
2 TB water or enough to cover vitamix blades
1 clove garlic
1/8 tea smoked paprika
1/2 of chipotle pepper from can with adobo OR 1/4 tea chile powder
<=1 TB white vinegar or komezu

Great over stiff greens/salads like romaine, iceburg, cabbage or with veggies like green beans, asparagus, broccoli or potatoes.

Raw Pistachio Chai Latte

2011-10-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Combine in high speed blender:
1/4 C raw pistachios
3 dates, pitted
vanilla bean
1/4 tea cardamom seeds
pinch of cloves (whole)
chunk of ginger root
1/2 tea rose extract/rose water
pinch cinnamon
2.5 - 3C water

Vegan Apple Crisp (wheat free, no sugar added)

2011-10-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Slice apples uniformly into a pyrex baking dish.

Toss with lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla extract.

Combine in a food processor to make the topping:
1 C rolled oats
1/2 C pitted dates
1/4 - 1/3 C coconut oil
1/4 - 1/2 C pecans
1/8- 1/4 tea salt
almond extract
cinnamon

Sprinkle topping over apple mixture in pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until soft inside and slightly crispy on top. Or it would probably be good raw just as is without baking.

Pork Stew (Slowcooker)

2011-10-02T14:31:00.001-07:00

1. Saute 1 sliced onion in pork/bacon fat.

Add 5 cloves crushed garlic, stir. Once turning golden but not yet brown. Take off heat.

2. Put cooked onion/garlic in blender. Add:
1/2 jalapeno pepper
handful parsley
handful rosemary
2 tomatoes
1-2 cups water (enough to cover)

Blend until smooth.

3. Put the following in crock pot/slow cooker:

2-3 lbs pork roast, trimmed and cut into chunks
2 carrots, cut rangiri style (irregular chunks)
1 onion, cut into chunks
2-4 bay leaves 4 black pepper corns 1/2 tea cumin 1/2 tea paprika

4. Pour liquid (onion/garlic/tomato) from blender over the stuff in slow cooker to cover.

5. Turn slow cooker/crock pot on low heat for 9+ hours or on high for 4+ hours.

6. When ready, stir in 1 tea salt (or more to taste) and additional cracked black pepper.

Mexican Red Rice

2011-09-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

Prep:
dice 1 large yellow onion
mince 2-3 cloves garlic

Heat pan over high heat. Add 1-2 TB oil or bacon fat, swirl to coat pan. Add onion, lower to medium heat and cook until translucent and starting to brown.

Then add 1 C basmati or long grain white rice to pan. Stir into oil/onion and toast the rice - about 45 seconds (careful not to burn the rice).

Add 8 oz chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce, 3/4 tea salt, 1 tea chili powder, 1 - 1.5 C broth/stock and additional water if needed.

Simmer with lid on until rice is cooked/absorbs liquid (add water if rice isn't cooked yet)- about 15-20 minutes.

Asian Rice Wrapper Lettuce Veggie Wraps

2011-09-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite non-salad-y ways to eat up lots of veggies. Even though it's cold, tastes totally different from a salad!

FYI: Rice wrappers are round thin sheets of rice paper that are dry/hard and sold in the asian stores.

Wrapper:
Rice wrapper- soak one at a time in warm water to soften.
Lettuce- lay lettuce ontop of rice wrapper, then load in fillings

Filling:
Grated carrot
bell pepper
thinly sliced red cabbage
sesame seeds
Optional fillings:
green onion
cucumber, cut in matchsticks
zucchini, cut in matchsticks
basil leaves
fried rice sticks

Dip: raw ranch dressing

Small Batch Raw Vegan Ranch Dressing (1 cup)

2011-08-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

Yummy ranch dressing- fabulous on veggie wraps. Based on a recipe from this blog!

Blend until creamy:
3/4 C cashews
scant 1/2 C water
1.5 TB lemon juice
2.5 TB cider vinegar
2.5 TB olive oil
1.5 TB agave
0.5 tea garlic
1.5 tea onion powder
0.5 TB salt
0.24 tea basil

At the end add 2 TB parsley and pulse to chop coarsely.

Blender Hummus

2011-08-30T18:43:00.001-07:00

Blend until smooth and creamy:

1 can chickpeas or approx 1 C cooked
1/4 C water
1/8 C lemon juice (from approx 1/2 large lemon)
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 tea salt
1 clove garlic

Optional: serve with herb oil, pine nuts and/or diced roasted red pepper or sundried tomatoes.

Small Batch Raw Ceasar Dressing (1 cup)

2011-08-21T12:56:00.001-07:00

Blend first til creamy:
1/4 C raw cashews
1/8 C lemon juice
1 TB white vinegar (white wine, komezu or other vinegar)

Then add and blend:
1/8 C cashews (in addition to what's already in the blender)
1/2 C water
2 tea miso
2 tea dijon mustard
1 clove garlic
1 TB olive oil
1 TB kombu, chopped

Last, add 1/8 C olives (black or kalamata, pitted) and pulse to combine.

Pour into containers and refrigerate. It will thicken as it cools. Makes about 1 cups.

Chocolate Chia Pudding

2011-08-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

Combine in a blender to make the chocolate mylk:
1/4 C walnuts
2 TB cocoa powder (raw or regular)
2 large Medjool dates, pitted (or a handful of small dates)
2.5 C water
optional: vanilla bean
optional: cinnamon and cloves

Pour all of some of the chocolate mylk into a container. Add chia seeds, stir or shake and chill in the fridge. Approximately 1 TB of chia seeds per 1 C of liquid- but you can vary the proportions. The longer the chia seeds soak in the liquid they will gel up more.

Tahini Chickpeas (Tahini Garlic Sauce)

2011-08-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

Rinse and drain canned chickpeas. Toss with chopped parsley

Make sauce (see below) and stir into chickpeas. Serve over greens.

Tahini Garlic Sauce
Combine:
2 cloves garlic
2 TB tahini
1 TB olive oil
1 TB water
1 tea apple cider vinegar
2 tea - 1 TB lemon juice
salt
1 TB + nutritional yeast

Southwestern Salad

2011-06-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Southwestern salad dressing
Combine in blender:
3 TB cilantro
1/4 C oil
1/4 C lime juice
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 jalapeno, seeded
1/8 - 1/4 tea salt
1/4 C walnuts
1-2 tea agave to taste
sprinkling of chili powder, black pepper & cumin

For the salad, toss greens (romaine is best) and then top/combine with all or some of the following:
tomatoes
cheddar or cotija cheese
corn
black olives
black beans
avocado
chopped tortilla chips

Virgin Raw Pineapple Coconut Water Mojito

2011-06-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

This is really refreshing as an afternoon or evening beverage in the summer- no alcohol and guilt free!

Combine in a blender until mint is cut into small flex and pineapple is fully pureed:
6 mint leaves
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 C pineapple
1/2 C coconut water
1/2 C water, to taste

Almond Goiji Cacao Cookies

2011-04-24T13:47:00.001-07:00

These are spectacular energy snacks, straight out of the freezer. Dairy free, gluten free, wheat free, sugar free, raw cookies. Make vegan by using agave.

Combine in large bowl:
4.5 C almond meal or ground almonds in food processor
1.5 C almond butter
3/4 tea salt

9 TB agave or raw honey (0.5 C + 1 TB)
6 TB vanilla extract or seeds from 3+ vanilla beans (0.25 C + 2 TB = 3/8 C)

3/4 C goji berries
9 TB cacao nibs (0.5C + 1 TB)

Shape into bite-sized balls. Freeze on a cookie sheet. Transfer to a bag or container and store in freezer.

Raw Banana Honey Oat Bars

2011-02-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

Combine by mashing with a fork or in food processor:

1/2 ripe banana
1 C oatmeal (not instant)
1/2 C almond butter or peanut butter
1/8 C raw honey
1 TB bee pollen
1/2 tea vanilla extract
1/2 tea cinnamon

Roll into balls, and eat. Keep in freezer.

Pineppale Coconut Mojito

2011-02-13T09:04:00.000-08:00

I had somehting like this at Mexico DF in San Francisco- amazing! Getting home, I found this website that had several good looking variations on the mojito.

Muddle:
3-4 mint leaves
lime chunks from 1/3 lime
1 TB pineapple chunks

Add:
2 oz coconut milk
3 oz light rum
agave
water to fill to 10 oz total
optional: ice
optional pineapple juice

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-02-07T18:12:00.000-08:00

Cut corn tortillas into strips. Spritz some olive oil and salt over the tortillas. Bake at 350 F for 10- 12 minutes. Set aside.

Saute 1 yellow onion, chopped, in butter/olive oil/bacon fat until edges start to brown. Add 2 minced cloves garlic and minced jalapeno pepper.

Add chopped bell pepper and cook slightly. Add 2 tea chili powder, 1 tea ground cumin, 1 tea taco seasoning and stir to combine.

Add liquids, stir and simmer for 10 minutes:
chicken broth
water
pureed tomatoes
chopped tomatoes
1/2 - 1 tea salt

Add rinsed cooked black beans, frozen corn, cooked shredded chicken and stir. Cook for 5 minutes to heat through.

Serve in bowls with tortilla strips, sprtiz with lime juice, and sprinkle with cheddar cheese or cotija cheese, cilantro, and avocado cubes or slices.

Chilaquiles

2011-02-06T13:24:00.001-08:00

I had something like this at a cart at the farmer's market- it was so good I started craving it! I guess it is the mexican version of quiche (in that it has a "crust" and eggs with stuff) and built like fried rice (uses up leftover ingredients).

Saute chopped onion and garlic in olive oil for a couple minutes. Now add eggs and fry or scramble with taco seasoning. When eggs are done, dish out and set aside to reserve.

Pour 1/4 C tomato salsa into a wide saute pan with about 1/4 C water and stir. Over medium heat, flip corn tortillas in the mixture to coat & soften.

Now layer egg mixture, shredded cheese, and vegetables over the top of each tortilla. Cover pan and continue cooking over medium heat until cheese is melted.

Serve immediately. Optionally- top with lettuce, tomato, sour cream and or avocado.

GomaDare

2011-02-04T06:42:00.000-08:00

Blend in high speed blender:

3 ounces (85 grams) white sesame seeds
2/3 to 3/4 cup dashi (or 3/4 water + 1 TB light miso)
3 TB reduced sodium soy sauce
2 TB mirin
1 large medjool date
2 TB sake

Serve over salads, or over steamed broccoli & asparagus for breakfast!

Abura Age & Inari Sushi

2011-01-02T14:52:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite sushi treats and is very approachable for non-seafood or non-Japanese-food people. This is also a good party appetizer as it is easy to eat with fingers!

The special ingredient for inari sushi is the wraper which is called abura age (fried tofu sheet). It is formed similar to a pita pocket in that you can open it like a pocket once you cut it open. Abura age looks like this:

It is sold with quite a bit of oil on the outside, so stick them in hot boiling water for 30 seconds and then drain. They will puff up and lose some of the oil. At this point, you can use them for anything; cut into strips for soup, salads, or in fried rice.

For using as pockets with filling and inari sushi, you will need to season them by simmering in a sauce.

Abura Age Pockets for Inari Sushi
1. Cut each blanched (see above note) abura-age square in half, and use your fingers to open the inside to reveal a pocket

2. Combine in a saucepan and bring to a simmer:
3 C water
2 TB mirin
1/3 C sugar

3. Submerge the pockets in the liquid in the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes

4. Add 6 TB low sodium soy sauce and stir to evenly distribute the coloring on the tofu sheets. Let cook a minute or two more, reducing the sauce a little bit.

5. Remove abura age from sauce and press out the extra liquid. The abura age are now ready to use. You can also use the remaining sauce for simmering vegetables for another recipe.

To make inari sushi: fill prepared abura age pockets with sushi rice, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve. Yum!

Alternatively, you can mix vegetables in to the sushi rice and fill the tofu pockets with this mixture (see photos).
Or you can use the tofu for wrapping just about anything else!

Sushi Rice using "Sweet Brown" short grain rice

2011-01-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

Surprisingly, the same method used for regular white rice can be used on short grain brown rice. This is quite tasty as is, used in inarisushi, sushi or stir fried the next day. This quantity will serve 3-4 people as a main dish or 2 people with leftovers.

This can be made ahead and will sit out on the counter for several hours. Once it is refrigerated the sushi texture is lost, so keep it out on the counter, covered with a towel until you are ready to use.

Pour water into a wooden salad bowl and wooden spoon and let soak for 30 minutes or more (this helps keep the rice from sticking). Set aside.

Soak 1.5 C short grain brown rice in 2.25 C water for 20 minutes or more. Then add the following, put the lid on and turn on rice cooker:
2 TB sake
small square of kombu kelp

Meanwhile, combine the rice "dressing" in a small cup and set aside:
3 TB komezu (rice vinegar- don't buy "seasoned" as it has salt and other things added)
1 TB sugar
1 tea salt

Once rice is done cooking, let sit, covered for 5 minutes. Pour soaking water out of wooden bowl and wipe dry.

Pour the hot rice into the wooden bowl. Pour the vinegar dressing over the rice, then stir in broad strokes to combine (don't overmix or mush the rice grains).

Now fan the rice to cool it down which will help it maintain a shiny, pearly appearance.

Glazed Japanese Sweet Potato (DaigakuImo)

2011-01-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how these got the name "college potatoes" (daigaku + imo) but they are tasty. I am trying out recipes from this new Japanese Shojin Ryori book and enjoyed this one! These would be really good at a party served with Asahi beer or sake and they are easy to eat with chopsticks or toothpicks. The only problem is they don't keep well overnight (the potatoes discolor in the fridge), so plan to make them the same day.

Buy "Japanese sweet potatoes" in the store, which are also called satsumaimo. They look like purple yams/sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are big in Japan: there are food carts with roasted satsumaimo with honey, and guys that walk around pulling wood fired ovens filled with sweet potatoes.

Wash and cut 2 Japanese sweet potatoes rangiri-style (into irregular chunks), making most pieces about the same size.

Combine in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat to dissolve the granules:
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C canola oil
2 TB water
1 tea soy sauce
1 tea komezu (rice vinegar)
1/2 tea salt

Dump the cut sweet potatoes into the pan in one layer across the bottom. Simmer gently for 3 minutes.

Stir, cover and cook for another 3 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Now remove the lid and stir to cover the potatoes in the glaze, allowing to cook for 5-6 minutes with the lid off which will reduce the glaze.

Pour onto a serving tray and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Let them cool before eating (I burnt the top of my mouth on one!!)

Cherry Chocolate Shake (Raw Vegan)

2011-01-02T14:19:00.000-08:00

Bought 2 lbs of cherries at Costco today- this is a delicious way to eat cherries!

Combine in a high speed blender:
1 C cherries (pitted)
1/3 C walnuts
3 small delget dates or 1-2 medjool dates (pitted)
1/4 vanilla bean (bark & all)
1 TB raw cacao powder (Holy Cacao brand)
1 1/3 C water

Enjoy!

Mango Pineapple Shake

2010-12-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

Combine in a high speed blender and enjoy immediately:

1 banana
1 C frozen mango (Trader joe's sells peeled, precut and frozen)
1/4 C walnuts
Optional: 1/2 C frozen pineapple (trader joe's sells precut frozen)
Optional: add 1 C baby spinach - the vitamix will blend it completely into a pretty green color
filtered water to fill 20-25 oz total

Almond Hemp Protein Shake

2010-12-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

Hemp protein is a raw protein powder made from ground hemp seeds. They have lots of omega 3s and fiber and have a nutty taste. Hemp pairs well with nut milks or nut butters (like almond butter).

Combine in a high speed blender:
2-4 TB hemp protein powder
1 banana
2 TB almond butter
1/4 C dates (pitted)
filtered water to total 20-25 oz in the container

Vegetable Stock (Pressure Cooker)

2010-12-26T16:11:00.000-08:00

Prep & coarsely chop veggies:
2 stalks celery
3 carrots
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 C parsley
Optional: other veggie scraps

Combine the above in pressure cooker with 2-4 C water (depending on the size of your pressure cooker- following instructions for how far you can fill the pot). Add spices:
1-2 sprigs rosemary
1/4 - 1/2 tea whole peppercorns
1-3 bay leaves
Optional: other spices or herbs

Put on lid, bring to pressure and cook, pressurized over low heat, for 20-25 minutes. Then let pan come down in pressure naturally ("slow release" method). Strain and use in soups, mashed potatoes or wherever else you'd use stock.

Freezes well- just put in chunks that you will actually use.

For more directions or ideas, see this NY times article on the same topic.

Raw Vegan Strawberry Sauce

2010-12-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

This is super easy, and is good on oatmeal or cheesecake, or any other dessert!

Combine in a food processor or blender:
1.5 C strawberries (frozen is ok)
1/3 C agave syrup

That's it!

Go Omega! Rice Cooker Steel Cut Oats (with Flax and Walnuts)

2010-12-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

This is a great breakfast! Steel cut oats have a lower glycemic index than instant oats (the kind that you pour hot water over) and they are yummie. You won't even notice an addition of flax meal either. Prepared with flax meal and walnuts, this is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.

This is easy to do with a cheap rice cooker overnight for a first thing breakfast. Purchase a programmable appliance timer at a home improvement store (ours has an LCD display and you can program for different days of the week, both the "on" and "off" times). Make sure it is capable of handling the right amount of current (i.e. don't get one intended for low wattage like lights or lamps). You can set the oats and the water in the cooker in the evening and plug in, switch the button to "cook" (not warm) after plugging into the appliance timer and outlet.

Combine in a rice cooker and start on "cook" and let it finish the cycle:
1 C steel cut oats
3 C filtered water
1/4 tea salt

In your bowl, combine a portion of cooked oatmeal with:
1-3 TB flax meal
1/4 C walnuts
jam, Frog Hollow fruit conserves, fruit or strawberry sauce (pictured above)

Puttanesca Sauce

2010-12-12T18:27:00.001-08:00

Puree in blender or food processor, then set aside:
1 can (28oz) of tomatoes (Trader Joe's with basil)
1/2 C kalamata olives

Carmelize in a pan with butter, oil or bacon fat:
1/2 C chopped yellow onion
garlic, minced

Now add the pureed tomato/olive mixture as well as:
1 TB capers
1 TB chopped basil
salt
cracked black pepper

Stir over medium heat until tomatoes are sufficiently reduced to a sauce.

Serve over grilled veggies, raw zucchini pasta, grilled fish or regular pasta.

Okonomiyaki

2010-11-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

This is ultimate Japanese comfort food. It would be really good with sake or beer, and I think that's why it is commonly served at Izakaya. In Tokyo, there are restaurants that specialize in Okonomiyaki (like my personal favorite, Chibo Okonomiyaki, in Ebisu). This is also good served with salad or daikon salad.

I was impressed that on my first try (see photo above)- it tasted better than the kinds I have had in the States. Still working on topping the specialized Okonomiyaki restaurants in Tokyo, but this is very very close.

Prepare the sauce ahead and cut/prep the fillings first before making the batter.

Tonkotsu/Okonomiyaki sauce

Feel free to double the sauce recipe!
Simmer on low boil for 3 minutes:
1/4 C ketchup
1.5 TB worcestershire sauce
1/4 Tea mustard
2 TB mirin
1 TB sugar
1 tea soy sauce

Prepare ¼ C mayonaise in a squeeze bottle or pastry bag fitted with a round hole tip. Set aside.

Cut veggies/fillings:
napa cabbage (or perhaps savoy might work), hand cut (don't use a shredder b/c it will be too thin and watery)- use 2-4 cups until the dough isn't soggy
2 TB beni shoga (picked ginger), diced or cut into strips
1/2 C thinly sliced green onion or Naganegi

Pick some optional fillings:
shiitake, button/cremini or chanterelle mushrooms

mochi (kiri mochi block type, cut into 1/4 inch cubes)
cheddar cheese (cut into 1/4 inch cubes or smaller)
thinly sliced beef, cut into strips
shrimp (deveined & sliced in half or chunks)

Make the batter
Mix together, beating out lumps, only adding as much water as is needed to form batter:
1 C cake flour
2 eggs
<= 1 C dashi (or water)
1/2 tea salt
4 - 5 TB grated yamaimo or nagaimo (strange root vegetable from japan, looks like hairy daikon) - grate using large box grater-- it will become gooey liquid.

Now mix in the fillings into the batter. You want to have a thick mass with the fillings, so it should not be liquidy. If it is still got liquid, add more cabbage or other fillings.

Preheat a pan on the stove to medium hot. Pour in just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Ladle in batter/filling mixture- make the size manageable for flipping (which can depend on the size of your spatula).

Flip to cook the other side and layer a couple slices Japanese thin sliced pork (buta bara usugiri type- looks like thin bacon) on top. Cover, cook until both sides and bacon is done.

Spread tonkatsu/okonomiyaki sauce generously over the top of the bacon side. Squeeze mayonnaise in squiggle lines across the top of the sauce. Then sprinkle katsuobushi (fish flakes) and aonori (green/blue seaweed powder) on top and enjoy!

Blistered Green Beans

2010-11-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

Cook trimmed green beans in boiling or almost boiling water for 6-10 minutes, until tender and that squeaky texture is gone. At this point, you can stick in the fridge and finish preparing later -- this is a great way to do fresh veggies for a big meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Heat a large skillet pan, then add butter/oil/bacon fat to coat the bottom of the pan.

Add parboiled green beans, searing/blistering the beans and stirring.

Add seasonings (pick one grouping), stir & cook a little longer, then serve.

Group A:
salt
minced garlic
red pepper flakes

Group B:
drips of sesame oil
salt
garlic
sesame seeds

Group C:
reduced balsamic vinegar
cracked black pepper

Banana Walnut Shake (Raw)

2010-11-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite breakfast! This makes enough for two people.

Blend in a high speed blender (i.e. Vitamix) for about 30 seconds until combined:
1/4 C walnuts
1/4 C dates (pitted)
1 banana
1/4 vanilla bean (bark & all)
Add enough water for a total of 20 oz.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

2010-11-14T11:57:00.000-08:00

Preheat oven to 500 F.

Meanwhile, wash fingerling potatoes, and cut into pieces if they are large (or leave as whole potatoes).

Put the potatoes on a pan, and add:
olive oil
crushed or diced garlic
salt
pepper
Optional: rosemary, sage, other spices/herbs

Stick in oven, and decrease temperature to 425. Roast for about 20 minutes. Delicious with other veggies or with fish or steak.

Raw-ish Corn Chowder

2010-11-07T19:18:00.001-08:00

Makes two servings. Inspired by this book. My husband liked it so much he went for seconds and finished it off!

Start a kettle going with a couple cups of distilled or filtered water. Once it gets hot but not quite boiling, pour 2 C hot water into blender, along with:

1 C frozen corn (Trader Joe's has some good sweet organic corn)
1/4 C + 1 TB walnuts
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 clove garlic
1/2 tea salt

Blend in high speed blender until smooth, adding more water as needed.

Garnish with a drizzle of hot chili oil, avocado slices, and chopped cilantro.

(Can also be made cold, but I think it is best hot!)

Raw Pecan Praline "Milk"

2010-11-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

Really tasty and actually filling vegan raw milkshake!

Blend in high powered blender on high until smooth:
1/4 C pecans
1/2 C pitted dates
<= 2 tea coconut oil
1/4 vanilla bean - bark & all
1/16 tea salt
2.5 C distilled water

Spinach Dal

2010-11-02T19:56:00.001-07:00

This is a new favorite dal! It went together faster than my rice cooker did the rice.

Pressure cook for 5 minutes:
3 C water
1 C yellow dal
1 TB (or less) olive oil (to reduce/prevent foaming in the pressure cooker)
1/2 tea fenugreek seeds

Release pressure and lid, then add and stir over medium heat until water is reduced and spinach is cooked but still bright green:
1 tea salt
1/4 tea turmeric
1/4 tea asafoetida
4 - 6 oz spinach (washed and big stems removeD)

Meanwhile, in another pan, heat:
3 TB ghee or oil
1/2 - 1 shallot (sliced)
2-3 cloves garlic (sliced)
1/4 tea salt
1 tea cumin seeds
1 tea mustard seeds
1/4 tea paprika

Serve dal mixture over rice, spooning oil over the top.

Skillet Cornbread (wheat free)

2010-10-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a first try at wheat-free corn bread, inspired by this recipe.

1TB bacon fat in cast iron pan. Stick pan in oven and begin preheating to 400 F.

Meanwhile, mix:
1.25 C cornmeal (or mix of polenta/cornmeal and 100% cornflour)
1/2 C rice flour (mochiko/white or brown rice flour)
1 tea salt
1 tea aluminum free baking powder
1 tea baking soda

Add in wet ingredients as the oven is preheating and stir:
2 TB cider vinegar
2 C milk (whole milk, rice milk or other type of milk)
2 eggs, beaten
1 TB agave (optional)

Open the oven and pull out the oven rack with the cast iron skillet. Carefully pour batter into the hot skillet and gently stir a little bit in the cast iron pan to make the batter even. Close door and bake for about 20 minutes.

Cut into wedges and serve with butter and honey. Yummy with soup!!

Summer Salad Rolls with Mango

2010-08-12T18:38:00.001-07:00

I love salad rolls, so I thought I'd try out a new recipe that includes mangoes!

Get a kettle going with water. When it is ready, you will fill a shallow pan (like a pie pan) with the hot water and use to moisten the rice wrappers.

Dipping sauce: the recipe I followed called for a vinegar & peanut dipping sauce, which was ok but clearly lacking something. I will keep working on a better "light" summery dipping sauce... for now use your favorite dipping sauce, or simply combine soy sauce and mirin!

Prepare the fillings:
mango slices
bean sprouts
thinly sliced green onion
cilantro or chives
tofu (medium firmness)- cut into matchsticks
yellow or red bell pepper
chopped peanuts

In a moistened rice paper wrapper, add about 1 C total of various fillings. Carefully roll the rice wrapper around the fillings, burrito style, stretching slightly to ensure the rice paper sticks. Set aside for a couple minutes before serving to firm up.

Chirashi (sushi lunch bowls)

2010-08-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

This is a fun way to eat raw fish (sashimi) and is easier to prepare than actual sushi. Make sure to buy and use fresh fish-- any kind or a variety of fish will work in this type of recipe. I used some Tai fish (not sure what the english translation is- we don't have as many words for fish as the Japanese!), but salmon or tuna would be good too.

Cook some Japanese rice (my favorite kind is Tamaki Haiga which has more nutritional value than normal white rice). Meanwhile, prepare the ingredients:

avocado
daikon sprouts (you could use other types, but daikon sprouts have a nice peppery spicy flavor that pairs well with sashimi)
bean sprouts
other delicate vegetables, like thinly sliced green onion (or the Japanese negi if you have it).

When the rice is ready, assemble in small bowls with rice on the bottom, then layer on the thinly sliced raw fish and other toppings.

Serve with dipping sauce or plain soy sauce and enjoy with chopsticks.

Green Juice

2010-08-12T18:29:00.001-07:00

I have seen several recipes like this in raw food books, and found I really like it! It is a great way to shake up breakfast or lunch. And the lemon and apples do a good job of cancelling out the bitter taste of the kale.

I love the color of the finished juice- it looks a bit like matcha (but tastes nothing the same).

Juice in this order:
3-4 kale leaves other greens like cabbage, lettuce etc.
1/2 organic lemon (seeds, peel and all)
1 apple (seeds removed) or some other sweet fruit (grapes work well too)

Watermelon Juice!

2010-08-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

Watermelons juice easily and produce a lot of juice since they are so watery. The juice is quite refreshing on its own, but tastes best when fresh right off the juicer.

It is also really good blended with bananas and raspberries or tayberries.

Raw Zuchini pasta

2010-08-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly for someone who is not big on zuchini, these noodles taste better than brown rice pasta or whole wheat pastas, without all the calories and refined flours! And this version is much more filling than normal pasta. Inspired by this recipe. This is a great summer "pasta" that won't heat up the kitchen!

Prepare the zuchini noodles by cutting them into small fettuccine like shapes. I used a small hand held julienne slicer, but I've seen it done with a "spiral slicer", mandolins or even with a vegetable peeler. Set aside "noodles".

Raw marinara sauce
Blend in a food processor until sauce-like:
4-6 tomatoes (depends on size)
up to 1/4 C sundried tomatoes
basil (couple leaves)
onion powder to taste
salt to taste

Compile the "noodles" and top generously with sauce and pine nuts.

Ceasar Dressing (Raw & Vegan)

2010-08-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Actually very good dressing, looks and tastes like ceasar!

Blend:

2 stalks celery
shoyu
white miso (like saikyo type)
lemon juice
water
2 delget dates (pitted)
salt & pepper to taste

Raw Vegan Onion rings in the dehydrator

2010-08-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

I followed a couple different recipes to make raw onion rings. Some people go as far as making their own almond milk to soak the onions in first, but I'm much too lazy for that. I did find that the thick onion rings were too onion-y. Unlike deep fried onion rings (where I like the thick ones best!) these should be kept thin so they dry faster-- raw onion in the middle gave me heartburn!!

Slice 1 sweet onion (Walla Walla) into THIN rounds. If they are too thick they won't fit in the dehydrator or dry properly. I did mine 1/2" to 3/4" and that was way to thick. Next time I will do 1/4" or 3/8" thick.
Food process almonds into fine chunks, add salt, pepper, paprika to taste. Pour the mixture into a ziplock bag.
Dunk the onion slices into the almond mixture and shake to coat (won't stick so well yet but it helps).
One by one, coat the onion slices in a bit of olive oil and water mixed together, then stick back in the back and toss to coat a second time in the almond mixture.
Dehydrate overnight or longer at about 115 F.

Raw Vegan Coconut Ice Cream

2010-08-02T14:27:00.001-07:00

Combine in a blender and blend until smooth:

2 C Nut milk or blend 1 cup of nuts and 1 cup water in a blender along with the other ingredients. THe original recipe featured cashews, but I think hazelnuts or almonds would be better
1/3 C agave, honey, or maple syrup
1/4 C coconut butter/oil
1 C soft young thai coconut meat or 1/4 C shredded coconut, or mixture of both

Chill in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour to aid in freezing, then process in an ice cream machine until frozen, then transfer to a container and store in the freezer.

Juicing Melons!

2010-07-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

I had never thought to juice a water fruit like a melon before but saw it in a book and decided to gie it a try! So delicious! It would be a decadent and unique beverage for summer guests- just buy melons in bulk at Costco!

Run through the juicer:
1/2 ripe cantaloupe melon
1 carrot

Add & stir:
1 TB fresh lime juice

Serve as is or chilled. This would be good as a flavor base for cocktails as well- I could see it pairing with vodka or perhaps tequila.

Berry Puree (quick berry sauce)

2010-07-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

After seeing beautiful berry sauces drizzled on dessert plates, I realized that you can do this with plain berries pureed in the food processor.

Simply wash and drain the berries and then puree until smooth.

This is a great sauce to add into smoothies, drizzle over ice cream or greek yogurt or plate with a fancy dessert (like panna cotta).

Great berries for pureeing are:

raspberries
tayberries
blackberries
currants (although you'd need to add some sweetener)

I doubt blueberries would be good, unless you use a strong blender -- blueberry skins are hard to break down.

Asian Cole Slaw (Raw) with Shiitake Mushrooms

2010-07-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

This is a really good Asian inspired raw (if you use nama shoyu) salad. It pairs nicely with Thai or Chinese takeout food too.

Thinly slice 10-12 leaves napa cabbage into fine strips, then press water out of the cabbage using a paper towel. Reserve.

Thinly slice and chop 4 shiitake mushrooms. In a small cup or ramekin, mix mushrooms with 1 TB soy sauce and let sit for 3-5 minutes.

Now pour the extra soy sauce (from the mushrooms) into a cup for the sauce and add:
1- 2 tea komezu (japanese vinegar)
1 drop chile oil

Stir together sauce. Plate individual salads with some cabbage shreds, marinated mushrooms and a couple drips of the sauce. Serve immediately.

Vanilla Pecan (Raw) Oatmeal

2010-07-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is a delicious raw oatmeal that is pretty easy, just takes a little foresight to get the oat groats soaking first!

Soak in water overnight, then let strain for 6 hrs or more:
1 C oat groats

Add the soaked/sprouted oat groats to the food processor with:
1/2 C pecans
2 tea vanilla
pinch of salt
2-4 TB ground flax meal
1/2 C (packed) pitted dates

Serve with cinnamon!

Strawberry Panna Cotta

2010-06-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Combine and let sit in saucepan for 10 minutes:
2 C pureed strawberries
1 C milk (rice milk, or cream or milk)
3/4 tea kanten/agar-agar powder
1-2 TB sugar (to taste)

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer for a few minutes, stirring until kanten is incorporated.

Pour into lightly greased individual ramekins. Chill until set (40 min to an hour).

When ready to serve, carefully remove panna cotta from ramekins and invert onto serving plates.

What to do with egg yolks or whites and leftover eggs

2010-06-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

I tend to make recipes where you use part of the egg and you end up with extras left over! Here is a collection of ways to use extra eggs.

Ways to use any leftover eggs (yolks or whites):

Use extra eggs in an omlette, quiche, fritata, or scrambled eggs. You can even use the cooked eggs/fritata in a sandwich like Lovejoy Bakery's fritata sandwich.
french toast batter
bread pudding batter

Ways to use egg YOLKS:

Mix extra yolks into sweet/rich bread doughs, like cinnamon rolls, brioche, crescent rolls
Add to pudding, like tapioca or chocolate pudding before cooking
pastry cream
Add to yellow cake for richness
souffles
lemon curd or lemon bars

Ways to use egg WHITES:

meringues: mini meringue cookies, meringue topping for pie or baked alaska
coconut macaroons
coating nuts, like coconut roasted almonds
egg wash over rolls and breads or cookies
beaten to peaks and added to waffle batter
beaten to peaks and added to white cakes, angel food, roll cakes, or chiffon cakes. More examples: lavender cake,

Chocolate Cream Pie

2010-06-18T11:10:00.001-07:00

This is a great make-ahead pie, and won't heat up your kitchen, so it is perfect for the summer! The most work is making the filling, which is chocolate pudding in this case, or you could use a flavored pastry cream for the filling instead of the chocolate and make other flavors of cream pie.

Make the cookie crumb crust
Crunch chocolate grahams, wafer cookies or sandwich cookies into crumbs, then pour in melted butter until forms a sort of dough.

If you don't have cookies or grahams for the crust, you can make cookies and then crumble them into the crust.

Press cookie crust into the pie pan and set aside. Or you can put the cookie crust into the bottom of individual glass cups or tumblers.

Chocolate Pudding
Chocolate cream pie filling is really just a rich chocolate pudding (see below), or you can make a "chocolate fool" which would be more of a chocolate sauce folded into whipped cream.

Put 7 oz of bittersweet chocolate and 2 TB butter in a heat proof bowl and microwave gently until mostly melted. Stir until the entire bowl of chocolate is combined and melty. Now add 1 TB vanilla, stir and set aside.

Mix together until combined in a large saucepan on the counter:
4 egg yolks
1/4 C cornstarch
2/3 C sugar
1/2 tea salt

Now add in a stream 3 cups of milk or cream while whisking. I used 1.5 C half and half, 1 C heavy/whipping cream, and 0.5 C rice milk, but the original recipe called for 3 C whole milk.

Put the saucepan with the milk mixture on the stove, over medium heat. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally to scrape the scum off the bottom of the pot.

Once it boils, turn heat down a little to simmering and cook, stirring/whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes, until it thickens up a bit.

Turn off heat, pour chocolate into saucepan and stir to combine.

Pour pudding into another bowl, cover with wrap (plastic wrap or wax paper) and chill until set, 1-2 hrs.

Assembling the Pie
Pour the chilled pudding/filling into the crumb crust, either in individual cups or a pie pan, spooning to level out the pudding. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, start whipping cream in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, adding vanilla and 1 TB sugar once it is half-way whipped.

Top slices of pie with whipped cream, melted chocolate, cream anglaise sauce, or serve as is!

Crescent Rolls over the BBQ

2010-06-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

Crescent rolls do not sound like something I'd like at all. But that's where silly childhood memories come to help round out food likes and dislikes. I remember rolling the canned crescent roll dough around sticks (with aluminum foil of course), then baking over the campfire when I was a kid. It tasted so good, I was almost compelled to buy some of the crappy stuff in the can from the store, until I realized I could try making the dough! I started with this recipe and made the usual modifications for whole wheat flours.

Crescent rolls are really good as is or with butter, jam, guava or apple butter. Serve with hot tea, iced tea or coffee.

Dissolve:
1/2 oz (2 packets) dry yeast
3/4 C warm water

Now add and mix lightly to break up the egg:
2 TB to 1/4 C sugar
1 tea salt
2-3 eggs

Add and mix to combine, using your hands to incorporate the shortening:
1 C whole wheat pastry flour
3 C all purpose flour
1/2 C shortening

Mix and knead until forms a consistent stretchy dough, about 4 minutes. Cover and let rise for 1.5 hrs.

Split dough into two balls. Flatten each ball and roll out until 1/4" thick. Cut into triangles.

BBQ or CAMPFIRE:
Cover flat dough and let rise 20-30 minutes at room temp. Prepare some large sticks with aluminum foil on the end to cover the stick. Roll dough around the aluminum covered stick, and place over hot coals or fire until golden brown and done.

OVEN:
Coat the top of the flattened dough with melted butter. Roll up from the widest side of the triangle to the shortest, forming a crescent or croissant shape. Let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-14 minutes until golden brown.

Variations- fill the crescent dough with the following before cooking:

garlic, oregano, seasoned salt, parmesan cheese and finley chopped nuts (hazelnuts or almonds)
cinnamon and nuts (pecans, walnuts)

Banana Cake (with cream cheese frosting)

2010-06-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is a really delicious way to use up old bananas-- and it is better than banana bread, I promise!
Once bananas start to go bad, I just toss them in the freezer. When you are ready to make banana bread, muffins, or this cake, you can just thaw them for 20-30 seconds in the microwave and then gently peel to remove the banana flesh.

I like this recipe because it uses buttermilk, and has a cream cheese frosting. Editorial note: cream cheese frosting is the only way to go, especially with bananas!
My friend from Lorisan Cooks and I used this recipe, and baked for 35+ minutes in two 8" circular pans.

Cutting each layer into two thinner slices yielded a 4 layer cake. Like my mother, I use the "wax paper method" for keeping a clean cake pan- see this photo for details:
The frosting in the recipe made quite enough to frost all 3 layers and the top and sides. We added vanilla beans to the frosting, which was nice but not necessary.

Carrot Juice!

2010-06-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

Just because it is fun-- carrot juice is delicious! This particular batch was several carrots, an apple, and some ginger. Yum!

(Rotisserie) Chicken Enchiladas

2010-05-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

The basic idea is to mix tomatoes, chilis, onion and garlic and add shredded cooked chicken. Then you layer this with tortillas, enchilada sauce and cheddar cheese and bake.

Make enchilada sauce, reserve.

Tear apart __ C cooked chicken (we buy rotisserie chickens), and sprinkle the following over the chicken shreds:

2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend

Saute 1 red onion (sliced) and 2 minced cloves of garlic in oil or meat fat until tender.

Add and stir:
1 C frozen corn
4 canned chipotle chilies (you can remove the seeds to lower the heat)
1-5 serrano chiles (you can remove the seeds to lower the heat)

Add 28 oz of canned stewed tomatoes, saute 1 minute

Add shredded chicken and other veggies into pan and stir to combine and heat.

Soften tortillas in the microwave. Coat the bottom of a pyrex pan with one scoop of enchilada sauce. Dip tortillas into enchilada sauce, then fill with 1/4 C of the chicken/veggie mixture. Fold the tortilla around the mixture, seam side down in the pan. Pour over remaining enchilada sauce, top with grated cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans

Pasta Salad

2010-05-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

Start medium sized pot of water boiling with a 1/2 tea salt.

Chop asparagus into 1" pieces, slice tomatoes into chunks, slice scallion or green garlic into thin rounds and chop any other veggies you want to add to the pasta salad. Also chop herbs, like parsley, basil, or mint.

Once the water is boiling, blanch the asparagus pieces in boiling water for 3 minutes, then pull them out using a slotted spoon or tongs, reserve.

Get water back up to boiling and add pasta and boil until al dente. Drain and reserve.

Gently heat 3 -4 TB olive oil with 1 clove garlic (minced) until starts to bubble and you can smell the garlic aroma. Pour into small jar and add 1-2 TB rice vinegar, shake or stir to emulsify. Add 1 tea chopped parsley.

Toss cooked drained pasta with blanched asparagus, veggies, dressing, parsley or other herbs, and 1/4 C grated cheese (feta, myzythera etc). Sprinkle with black pepper and serve lukewarm or chilled.

Satsumaimo Cake (w/ sweetened condensed milk)

2010-05-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Basically anything ending in "imo" in Japanese means potato, and satsuma-imo are sweet potatoes. You will find roasted sweet potato carts all over Tokyo during certain times of the year or at festivals (Spring and probably Fall particularly). The cart-mongers have a clay oven in the back on wheels and roll around town with the smell of sweet potatoes baking wafting from their cart (this is much more effective than the ice cream man's tune).

Back state-side, you can approximate this by roasting sweet potatoes in the oven under the broiler. I figured I'd give it a try and put the roasted potato into a sort of cake, and was inspired by this recipe. I'm still working out the specifics... so no promises!

Roast 1 sweet potato in the oven either at 400 F for 40minutes to 1 hour, or under the broiler until the top gets browned and a fork moves easily into the flesh of the sweet potato.

Combine in a bowl and mash with a fork:
200 g mashed, roasted sweet potato (this is about one small sweet potato)
50 g (or about 1/4 C) mochi flour 2.5 TB softened butter

Now mix in:
2 eggs (beaten)
3/4 C sweetened condensed milk 1/3 C rice milk (could sub in coconut milk, cream or buttermilk)
1 tea vanilla

Pour into a small cake/tart pan (about 5" x 18" x 1" deep).

Bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes or until cake is set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Couple ideas I might try next time:

reduce the amount of sweetened condensed milk, and sub in more rice milk and some molasses
add nutmeg, cinnamon or cloves
add turmeric for color

Buttermilk

2010-05-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

So I almost never buy dairy products like milk. We use rice milk on cereal and in coffee/tea and I seem to get by just fine. Sometimes I will buy cream or half and half for some Indian recipes or for desserts, but thtat's pretty much it. This week I bought a carton of buttermilk just for the fun of it, and now I'm trying to use it up!

I made whole wheat buttermilk shortcakes/biscuits and served them with strawberries and rhubarb compote yesterday.

On my next try list for buttermilk recipes:

Red Velvet cake (for some reason I am obsessed with Whole Foods' version... and now I think that my favorite type of cake is either Red Velvet, or Lemon Poppyseed) here's an alternate recipe I might try

Browned Butter Pumpkin bundt cake (if only I had a bundt pan!)
101 Cookbook's Lucia muffins (Swedish muffins with raisins, almonds & saffron)
Frozen yogurt

Whoopie Pies -- maybe I'll even try these!

Rhubarb

2010-05-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

I never knew I liked rhubarb, but after a first try of simmered sweetened rhubarb last year with Lori, I was hooked!

The basic way to prepare rhubarb is to wash it, and remove any leaf parts. Then cut it down the center, and slice into small pieces. Simmer with about 1 TB water for each stalk, and then add something sweet (1 TB sugar, honey, or agave for each stalk). The simmering part should be over low heat, and will take probably 10-15 minutes (I have a gas stove, electric may be slower).

This creates a sort of compote that you can refrigerate and spread on toast or shortcakes, or incorporate into other desserts. At this point you could add vanilla extract, liquers or whatever else meets your fancy.

There are tons of ways to use rhubarb-- I've even seen rhubarb beverage recipes! Rhubarb Recipes on my "to-try" list:

Lori's Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe
Stewed Strawberries & Rhubarb over arborio/coconut pudding

Strawberry Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Shortcakes

2010-05-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

Yay for strawberry season! Although the Hood strawberries here in Oregon aren't quite ready yet, there are other varieties at the farmer's markets that are almost as delicious, and perfect for strawberry short cake. My recipe below is really just a whole grain version of this recipe, with stuff on top! I think you could really sub in any kind of neutral whole grain flour here, just keep the total volume at 2 C of flour, and leave 1 C of regular all purpose flour to keep the gluten content right.

Stir or sift together:
1/4 C oat bran or wheat bran
1/4 C almond flour
1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
1 C all purpose flour
3 tea sugar
2 tea baking powder
1/2 tea salt

Now cut 10 TB cold butter (1 stick + 2 TB) into small pieces, then work into the dough with your hands until it is consistently crumbly throughout.

Pour in 2/3 C + 1 TB cold buttermilk, stir to combine.

Bake for 20 minutes in a 375 F oven

Slice biscuits/shortcakes in half like a hamburger bun, then spread jam (strawberry balsamic or rhubarb compote). Put biscuit back together and top with halved/quartered strawberries and whipped cream.

Salmon Saute with Mushrooms & Cream Sauce

2010-05-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

I had a similar dish at Jake's restaurant, and thought it was so good I wanted to recreate it at home. Their version had raspberries though.

Cut 2 small fillets of salmon (total about 1 lb) into large bite size chunks (about 1" x 2" x 2") and toss with 1 TB soy sauce & 1 TB mirin. Let sit with the marinade for 5 minutes as you prepare the rest of the meal.

Toast 1/2 C hazelnuts in a dry pan. Turn nuts out and clean pan. Chop hazelnuts roughly.

Add oil to hot pan, swirl. Add 1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped and stir. When browning, then add 2-3 cloves garlic (minced). Add 1-2 C sliced mushrooms. Let brown in pan (5 minutes).

Push veggies to one side of the pan. Add 1 TB oil and 1 TB all purpose flour and stir for 1-2 minutes over medium high, until well mixed and browned a little.

Deglaze pan by pouring in 1/4- 1/3 C white wine (I buy a $3 bottle of Sauvingon Blanc). Let simmer until most of the wine evaporates.

Pour in 2/3 C whipping cream and stir. Add salmon chunks and liquid into pan, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Let cook 3 minutes, then turn salmon chunks over to other side, mounding mushroom mixture over the salmon. Re-cover pan and swap utensils (or clean your utensil since it touched raw salmon). Let cook another 2-3 minutes, be careful not to overcook! You will know it is done when the middle of the thickest chunk of salmon is slightly clear-red in the middle (it will continue cooking even off heat). immediately remove from heat.

Stir in seasonings:
black pepper
1/2 tea salt or to taste
1/2 tea brown sugar to taste

Serve sprinkled with chopped toasted hazelnuts, with sides of rice and salad.

Double Chocolate Cookies

2010-05-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

This is taken off a previous recipe, but without the coffee and a couple other tweaks. The chocolate flavor comes from cocoa powder, instead of melted chocolate like this Ghirardelli recipe that I want to try someday.

Sift together:
1 C all purpose flour
1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 C (or 2.25 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tea baking soda
1/2 tea baking powder

Separately, cream:
1 C softened butter
3/4 C plus 2 TB brown sugar (7.25 oz)
1/2 C plus 1 TB white sugar (4 oz)

Add & stir to combine:
1 egg
1 tea vanilla
1/2 tea salt

Add sifted flour/cocoa to the creamed butter/sugar in two additions and stir until combined.

Add 1 C mini chocolate chips and mix into dough.

Cover and freeze for 30 minutes. If you skip this step, the cookies spread out too much on the pan and get very thin (which is still tasty, just not as pretty).

Bake small sized cookies in 350 F oven for 5-8 minutes. Don't overbake!

Cold Brewed Coffee Concentrate

2010-05-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have been craving good coffee for a while now, and since I don't work close to any coffee shops I end up going without. A friend mentioned this recipe for cold-brewing a coffee concentrate, so I thought I'd give it a try! The corresponding article on cold brewing coffee for iced drinks is also interesting. This way I won't need to mess with anything in the morning, just pour some concentrate out of the fridge and mix it with milk or rice milk.

Combine in a pitcher and stir:
1/2 lb coarse ground coffee (I like Stumptown's "Hair Bender" blend)
4.5 C filtered water

Cover with lid or plastic wrap and let it sit at room temp for 12 hours. Then filter the coffee and keep in the fridge. I found it tasted best when I filtered with a mesh strainer-- using a paper filter seems to get rid of too much and make the coffee taste like drip coffee (eww).

To use:
Mix the coffee concentrate 1 part coffee to 2 parts water/milk and 1 part ice; or 1 part cofee and 3 parts hot water/milk.

Update 5/7/2010: this stuff is really delicious. I can scoop out 1 TB of coffee concentrate and add 3 TB of rice milk and I'm all set. I also tried it with hot water and some cream and it was really good that way too. You'd better measure this stuff though since it is VERY strong and I was using way too much coffee just pouring by eye.

I really like this recipe/method because:

it didn't take any special equipment (I don't have a cofffee maker or espresso maker or any of that)
do-ahead and freezes well- next time I would freeze into individual portions using an ice tray. This will be great to have on hand when coffee-loving relatives or guests come over
tastes as good as the real thing from the coffee shop- just make sure to use distilled water and good/fresh beans- but way cheaper

Green Sauce (Greek-ish Spinach & Yogurt Sauce)

2010-04-14T20:51:00.001-07:00

This was better than tzatziki sauce on falafel sandwiches!

Wilt 3/4 C washed spinach (either a quick dip in boiling water, or 30 seconds in the microwave). Squeeze out excess moisture (but don't burn yourself!).

Combine in food processor until uniform sauce:
wilted spinach
2 cloves garlic
handful parsley
1/4 tea salt
sprinkle of turmeric
1/8 tea pepper
2 tea lemon juice
2/3 C plain yogurt (like Nancy's honey yogurt)

Serve with veggies, falafel, pita or drizzle over steamed or raw veggies as a salad dressing.

Flourless Nut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-04-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

I've been baking my super fast 4 ingredient peanut butter chocolate chip cookies quite a bit now, and starting to experiment. Some day I want to try a half batch with tahini and see how they turn out. These would be a good recipe for gluten free folks as the main ingredients are nuts, eggs and sugar.

Mix together:
1 egg
1 C brown sugar
1 C nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter etc.)
2 TB sesame seeds, or sunflower seeds
1/2 C chocolate chips
1 tea vanilla extract

Bake in small cookie shapes in 350 F oven for 8-12 minutes. They will look undone when you take them out of the oven, but leave them on the cookie sheet to finish cooking outside the oven.

Aileen's Tuscany Biscotti

2010-04-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

These are delicious anise seed biscotti my mom's coworker makes. She says it takes 2.5 - 3 hours, but it is totally worth it!

Biscotti are great to dunk in coffee or tea, and are also great for parties or potlucks since you can make them ahead of time and they are super easy to serve.

Mix in bowl of standing mixer:
1 C butter, melted and cooled
1/4 C Franjelico (hazelnut liquer), or use 1 TB almond extract
3 tea vanilla extract
6 eggs
2 C sugar
3 C whole wheat pastry flour
2.5 C all purpose flour
3 tea baking powder

This will look pretty strange if you try to cream the butter and sugar, and then eggs first (a lot of liquids), so just dump it all in and mix.

Now add and mix by hand:
1/4 C anise seeds (or use 3/4 C chocolate chips instead)
2 C coarsely chopped toasted almonds

Divide dough into two parts. Spoon batter on two lightly greased baking sheets, forming logs about 3" by 15" by 1.25" high.

Bake one sheet at a time (refrigerate the other sheet) at 350 F for 35-40 minutes or until lightly brown and totally cooked.

After baking, lift off tray carefully (you can cut in half first to facilitate getting it off the pan).

Slice cookie bars with serrated knife into 1/2" slices on a cutting board. Return slices to tray and toast at 375 F for 10 minutes on EACH side.

Cool and store in airtight container. You can also dip in chocolate and crushed almonds for a fancy effect, but these are quite good all by themselves! You can also make a chocolate hazelnut biscotti and serve the two flavors together.

Tammy's Berry Pie

2010-04-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

When I was 9 or 10, I made $18 in a day selling home made pie (of course that was big money to a kid back then). I set signs on the sidewalk, cantilevered up on a ladder, and sat out with a phone and a card table. People really do like pie!

Pie Crust
This recipe makes 2 pie bottoms. I use a crumb crust (see below) for the top. You could use this crust for savory pies like quiche as well.

Mix with a fork:
2.5 C all purpose flour
1 C shortening
1/2 tea salt
1 tea baking powder

Now add 1 egg yolk, 2 TB white vinegar, and 1/2 C ice water (it is important that the water is cold).

Mix well and chill. Roll out pie crust with flour and shape in pie pan. Set aside.

Pie Filling
There are all sorts of pie fillings out there, here's one version for berries. Use either flour or tapioca flour, or even tapioca pearls to thicken the filling. Nobody can tell there is tapioca in the pie once it is cooked.

Carefully combine:
4 C fresh berries (blackberries, raspberries are my favorites)
2/3 to 1 C sugar (depends on how sour the berries are, and your taste)
1/4 C all purpose flour or tapioca flour or tapioca pearls
1 TB lemon juice (optional)
1- 2 tea vanilla extract (optional)

Crumb Crust
This is even good as is, but then again I seemed to have a childhood affinity for straight up flour and sugar mixed together. I use this on top of pie, but you can use it as a cobbler topping. You could even try it over a cooked pudding like creme brulee.

Combine in a small bowl, using your hands to mix the crumbs together.
1/2 C sugar
3/4 C all purpose flour
1/3 C butter

Once crumbly and combined, sprinkle half over each pie.

Combine and Bake the Pie
Pour filling into pie crust. Top with crumb crust topping. Bake for 10 minutes at 450F, then lower temp to 350 F and bake additional 30-40 minutes or until brown. Careful not to burn the crust-- you may need to put a little foil over the edges to prevent burning.

Alternative Fillings
For apple pie, peel and slice apples and place them in the pie crust. Sprinkle cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and 1/4 C sugar over apples. You could also make a caramel sauce to pour over the apples.

Gramma's Spice Cookies

2010-04-11T19:32:00.001-07:00

These are kind of like molasses cookies or gingerbread, but better. Gramma makes these each Christmas in cute little star shapes, with a delicate icing on top.

Cream 1/2 C shortening in standing mixer. Add 1 C sugar gradually and mix.

Add 1 egg and 1/4 C molasses and beat until smooth.

In separate bowl, sift together:
2 C flour
2 tea baking powder
3/4 tea salt
1 tea cinnamon
1/2 tea cloves
1/2 tea nutmeg

Stir dry ingredients into wet mixture. Chill dough in refrigerator.

Roll out cookie dough and cut with cookie cuters.

Bake at 375 F for about 10 minutes.

While cookies are baking, make an icing of powdered sugar, water, and food coloring. Ice cooled cookies.

Almond Bar Cookies

2010-04-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

My mom made these cookies for Christmas many years, and they remind me of Scandinavian festivals from school.

Stir together in mixing bowl:
1.75 C all purpose flour
2 tea baking powder
1/4 tea salt

In standing mixing bowl, beat 1/2 C butter until soft. Add 1 C sugar and beat sugar and butter together until fluffy.

Add 1 egg and 1/2 tea almond extract and stir.

Add flour mixture from above, stir.

Divide dough into 4 rolls on 2 cookie sheets, flatten each to 3-4" wide.

Press sliced almonds into top of bar cookies. Bake for 12-14 minutes at 325F.

Cut on the diagonal into 1.5-2" slices.

Vickie's Caramel Corn

2010-04-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Pop 8 C popcorn (preferably in old-school oil popper). Put popcorn in large grocery size brown paper bag.

Heat in a medium saucepan, mix, and boil for 2 minutes:
1/2 C butter or margarine
1 C brown sugar
1/4 C corn syrup (Karo Syrup)

Then add 1/4 tea baking soda and stir. Take pan off heat.

Pour caramel sauce over popcorn in brown bag, fold down bag and shake until popcorn is coated.

Put bag in microwave for 1 minute. Now shake.

Microwave for 45 seconds, then shake. Microwave another 45 seconds and shake.

Spread caramel corn on a baking sheet and let cool.

Chex Mix

2010-04-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

Melt 1 stick butter (1/2 C) in large roasting pan in a preheating 250F oven.

Pull pan out of oven and stir in:
4.5 tea worcestershire sauce
1.25 tea seasoning salt
3/4 tea garlic powder
1/2 tea onion powder

Gradually add and stir:
6 Cups Chex cereal
1 C pretzyl sticks
1 C cheerios

Bake for 1 hr in 250 oven, stirring every 15 minutes.

Vegetable, Barley and Chickpea soup

2010-04-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Prepare veggie stock and cooked barley ahead of time.

Combine in pressure cooker or regular pot with lid:
2 carrots, sliced on diagonal into 1/4 inch slices 3 stalks celery, sliced on diagonal into 1/2 inch slices 1 potato, cut into cubes/dice about 1/2 inch 1 can chickpeas/garbanzos, drained and rinsed 1/4 C onion, sliced
Optional: add other vegetables like mushrooms, garlic

Bring up to pressure and cook for 5 minutes under pressure. If not using a pressure, cook until carrots and celery are soft.

Add to soup and stir to heat through:
1/2 - 1 C cooked barley 1/2 tea salt, or to taste
cracked black pepper

Serve with slices of cheddar cheese, and garnish with parlsey.

Portland Restaurants on my must-try list

2010-04-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Le Pigeon
Gruner
Kenny's Noodle House
Pok Pok
Paley's place
Bravo Toro
The Farm
Rocket
Pho Van
Mingo West
Hiroshi
Tom's 1st Ave Bento
Biwa
Fats
Yakuza Lounge

BBQ Steak Marinade

2010-03-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

This is a quick marinade using Asian ingredients for beef steaks (like tri tip cut).

Combine following for marinade (will coat around 1 LB of meat):
1 TB Sake
1/4 C Soy Sauce
1 TB brown sugar
1 tea sesame oil
1 tea white miso
1 tea dark "hatcho" miso
1 TB white vinegar or Japanese komezu (rice wine vinegar)
optional: grated ginger

Toss with meat, tenderize with a fork, and let sit in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Grill on hot BBQ and serve with 15 minute rustic mashed potatoes.

Rustic Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2010-03-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

Rustic mashed potatoes for 2 people, in about 15 minutes (using the pressure cooker).

Wash and cut 2 large yellow potatoes into chunks (1-2").

In pressure cooker, toss:
potato chunks (see above)
2 sprigs rosemary
1/4 C water
1 TB olive oil

Cover and bring up to pressure, and cook for 7 minutes under pressure. Release pressure. Remove rosemary twigs.

Mash up potatoes, skin and all, with forks. Now add:
1 garlic clove, finely crushed, or grated on a microplane
1/3- 1/2 C chicken or veggie stock
1 TB butter
2 TB half and half
1/4 tea salt

Mix and serve.

Fruited Tea

2010-03-16T19:51:00.000-07:00

This is a lovely way to serve and enjoy an afternoon tea. I had never seen this stateside, but instead was introduced in Japan in a cozy little Russian-inspired cafe somewhere in Yokohama.

Prepare a teapot by adding items to the pot while dry:
frozen or fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)
your choice of tea (preferably in a bag, or in a filter), best choices are plain black tea, or red teas
Optional: bourbon or rum soaked grapes, pear slices, or other fruits.

Pour boiling water into your teapot over the tea and berries and let steep for 5 minutes. Serve.

Maple Glazed Salmon (stove top style)

2010-03-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

I am a total fan of Japanese cooking methods. I grew up cooking salmon (and most other fish for that matter) in the oven, whole fillets with something drizzled over the top. While this can be tasty, it takes forever (20-30 min) and usually overcooks since you don't want to keep opening the oven door.

My Japanese host family (like most Japanese) didn't own an oven, and cooked everything with a broiler, stovetop or microwave. Also, the Japanese cooking style keeps meat in small pieces, so you can eat it with chopsticks. Combine these two influences, and you get small slices of marinated salmon, cooked quickly in a hot skillet.

Cut 10-14 oz salmon fillets (at refrigerator temperature) into long strips, about 3/4 inch thick. Marinate for at least 10 minutes (or up to 30 minutes) in a dish or bowl with:

1.5 tea soy sauce
1 - 2 tea maple syrup
2-3 sprigs rosemary
2 cloves garlic, crushed and slightly chopped
2-3 TB olive oil
1/8 - 1/4 tea black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tea salt

Preheat a large skillet pan over high heat. Cook all salmon slices in one layer in the dry hot pan (no oil) for 2-3 minutes, until first side is pink. Rotate to skinny sides and let cook another minute. Now flip back onto the other flat side and let cook for 1 minute.

Add the remaining marinade liquid (minus the rosemary sticks) to the hot pan and cover. Let cook, covered, for a few more minutes until just barely red/pink in the middle. The salmon will continue to cook after you take it off the heat so you don't need to cook it all the way before you take it out of the pan.
Dish out and serve with hot rice (or pilaf or risotto), or baked potatoes, along with a salad.

Kale & Shitake saute

2010-03-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

In hot skillet, melt:
1 TB bacon fat (or use a vegetarian oil like olive oil)
1 TB chopped garlic
1/4 - 1/2 tea salt

Add 4 C chopped, cleaned lacinato kale ("dinosaur kale"). You may want to remove the woody stems of the kale. Stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add 1/4 C water, 1 TB lemon juice, lemon zest and stir. Steam kale for 10 minutes.

Add 2-4 thinly sliced shitake mushrooms, 1 tea soy sauce, 1 tea sesame oil. Cook covered for 7-10 minutes until kale is tender. Serve with soft polenta.

Soft Polenta

2010-03-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Saute onion and garlic in oil (or bacon fat) until onion is translucent and releasing its smell.

Add and bring to a boil:
1/2 C white wine
1.5 C water
1/2 - 3/4 C cream
1 tea salt

Add 1 C polenta and stir to break up clumps.

Cook 2-5 minutes while stirring until polenta firms up.

Add butter, and parmesan and stir until melted and combined.

Serve as a side dish, or cover with marinara and cheese as a main dish.

Gramma Pat's Cheese Rolls

2010-03-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

These are my favorite dinner rolls. I fell in love with them as a child when my gramma brought them for family holidays and dinners. Hidden inside a normal looking dinner roll are caverns of cheese; as a kid I liked to chew little openings to the caves and follow them with my finger through the roll. They are amazing as is, or warmed in the oven. I also like them split open and toasted with butter, or as a mini sandwich bun.

Combine and dissolve:
2 C lukewarm water
1/2 C sugar
1 tea salt

Then add 2 packages yeast (2.25 tea), stir to dissolve. Or alternatively, proof yeast in a small amount of warm water, then add to the rest of the water, sugar and salt.

Add 2-3 eggs and 1/4 C canola oil and mix.

Add 1 C of flour and 2 TB cornstarch and mix. Now add 4-5 more cups of flour one at a time until you reach the right consistency (it will depend on the moisture content of the flour and the humidity level).

Knead dough until it is no longer glossy.

Let rise 12 hours or overnight in the fridge.

Cut off small chunks (golf ball size) and stretch flat. Push several chunks or crumbles of sharp cheddar cheese into the dough. Wrap up dough around cheese, and shape into dinner roll ball shape.

Let rise 15-20 minutes-- they will poof up slightly.

Bake at 350 F for about 17 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Sparkling Rhubarb Spritzer

2010-03-09T12:54:00.001-08:00

Found this in a cookbook- what a great way to enjoy rhubarb!

Combine in a pot and cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer 3-4 minutes:
10 stalks rhubarb, sliced into chunks
2 cinnamon sticks

Take off heat, strain.

Whisk in honey or agave syrup to desired sweetness.

Pour into glasses with ice and sparkling water. Garnish with mint leaves or sliced strawberries.

Tomato Salad with Baby Mozzerella

2010-03-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

This is a great way to eat up all those home grown tomatoes. Some people make this with crutons or bread crumbs, but I like it simple.

Toss chunks or quarters of ripe tomatoes with fresh baby mozzerella balls and some seasonings:
olive oil
salt
pepper
rosemary or sliced basil

Serve at room temperature.

Picnic Food

2010-03-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

With some spring-y weather just around the corner, I've begun swooning over picnic foods!

Cold Salads:
potato salad
tomato, baby mozerella salad with salt, pepper, rosemary/basil and olive oil
baby spinach salad with bacon, almonds, soy/sesame dressing

Finger Foods:
deviled eggs
cheese & crackers, or goat cheese spread with crackers
salami (Whole Foods and New Seasons sell good quality nitrate free salami)
Chips with salsa & guacamole

Sandwiches & Rolls:
deli meat on rolls with lettuce, tomatoes, avocadoes
eggplant spread with tomato jam & mozerella on multigrain (inspired by Lovejoy Bakery)
asian salad rolls (on rice paper) with herbs, lettuce, tofu, sprouts, carrot shreds

Beverages:
Jasmine tea with lemon and agave syrup
Tazo Passion hibiscus tea with agave
Fruited tea (black tea heated slightly with strawberries, brandy soaked grapes, other fruits)
sparkling rhubarb spritzer
natural cream soda or root beer (Virgil's brand makes good stuff!)
sangria
Honeywood Oregon berry wine

No-Cuke Raita

2010-03-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

Running out of cucumbers shouldn't stop you from making raita!

Combine and serve chilled:
1 C yogurt
1/8 tea salt
1/4 tea cumin seeds
1/8 tea garam masala
1/4 tea paprika
3 TB chopped red onion
1 tea lemon juice
2 TB chopped cilantro

I love Nancy's Yogurt!

2010-03-09T12:25:00.000-08:00

Nancy's is a company that makes delicious yogurt, and they're located in Oregon! I keep a large container of this stuff on hand at all times. Here are a couple ways I sub out not-always-in-the-fridge items or make something healthier:

use yogurt instead of sour cream, buttermilk or other milk products in cakes and muffins
use yogurt instead of mayo or sour cream in your favorite spreads

Here's a sampling of things I've made with Nancy's plain yogurt:

Raita (Indian dipping sauce) or my No-Cuke Raita version
Tatziki sauce
Quinoa Pumpkin Muffins (use yogurt instead of buttermilk)
Amazing chocolate cupcakes (using yogurt like some recipes use sour cream)
Ambrosia salad

Potato Salad

2010-03-09T12:16:00.001-08:00

This is an old-school potato salad: creamy with mayo. I am also dying to try the "french" type version that uses an oil based vinaigrette instead, like this recipe from La Tartine Gourmand, which features radishes, cucumbers, and watercress in a lemon/dijon/tahini dressing.

Cook potatoes (any variety seems to work), either by boiling or my favorite, pressure cooking. This website has a list of pressure cooker times (depends on what kind of potato and how big). I'm using baby red potatoes, so I'll go for 8 minutes with 1/2 C water in the cooker. You can cut the potatoes into mouth sized chunks-- just pressure cook for only 4-5 minutes.

Then combine and let sit for a while (and hour or so is good enough):
2 C cooked potatoes, in chunks
1 tea apple cider vinegar

Later add and mix:
1/2-2/3 C mayo (or substitute plain yogurt or sour cream)
1/4-1/2 tea mustard powder
pinch of salt, to taste
black pepper
2 tea shallot, chopped (or substitute red onion)
2 tea parsley, chopped
1/4-1/2 tea garlic, minced
optional: long green onion, sliced

Serve chilled. Great as a picnic or brown bag lunch (if you have a cooler).

Tammy's Ambrosia Salad

2010-03-07T20:29:00.001-08:00

Combine:

1 C Nancy's plain yogurt
1 banana, cubed
1/2 C coconut (Whole foods sells nice shaved coconut)
3 rings of pineapple, diced
2-3 TB pineapple juice
1/4 tea vanilla extract
1 tea agave syrup

Serve!

Hello Dollies (coconut bar cookies)

2010-01-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

These are an old childhood Christmas favorite, originally from one of my mom's relatives. They are ooey-gooey and delicious, especially if you like coconut! Essentially this is a bar cookie, which seems more like a midwest or southern kind of thing. Here in the northwest, you don't see bar cookies very much, unless you count brownies as "bar cookie" (which I don't).

These are great on a holiday plate for parties or giving as gifts.

Preheat oven to 325 F with 9x 13 " pyrex (oven safe) pan and 1/2 C butter. Once melted, pull out pans and add in layers in this order:

1 C graham cracker crumbs (easiest way to crumble is to use rolling pin while crackers are in a ziplock bag)
1 C coconut
1 C + chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
optional- 1 C ground nuts

Now bake this in the 325 F oven for 25 minutes. When cooled, cut into squares and serve.

You can freeze the bars in a container between sheets of waxed paper.

Pastry Cream

2009-12-22T20:25:00.000-08:00

I have recently become intrigued with different flavors of pastry cream. It is a very useful canvass for desserts. Once you make the base pastry cream, you can really add all sorts of things.

Possible desserts using pastry cream:

pipe into dessert cups or wine glasses with whipped cream, or between layers of flavored gelatin
pipe into choux pastry (like eclairs, cream puffs etc.)
use as filling for cake or cupcakes, or between layers of petit fours
as filling for roll cake
as dollops on top of other desserts, like pie

Possible add-ins to pastry cream (whisk into finished pastry cream):

crushed berries
pumpkin or sweet squash puree (like kabocha or butternut squash), with ground spices (cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg)
maple syrup
peanut butter, almond butter (?) probably use in small quantities. You could try tahini, but I'm not sure how that would taste.
cocoa powder
extracts (coconut, vanilla etc.)
grated coconut, coconut milk and coconut extract- grated coconut will affect the texture of the pastry cream, but in the right setting this would be good
matcha powder (high quality Japanese green tea powder- bright green)
citrus (lemon, orange or lime) zest with honey
ginger- either ground ginger, or finely grated fresh ginger (I like the microplane graters for this kind of work)

Experimental add-ins:

liquers like baileys irish cream, kahlua, grand marnier, brandy etc. (?) Not sure if this will work yet, sometimes alcohol will curdle milk products, so this is an experimental idea
juice concentrate (cranberry, pomegranite etc.) (?) also an experimental idea, need to check the acidity of the juice with milk products to avoid curdling the cream.
sweetened condensed milk- another experimental idea, perhaps reduce the amount of cream in the original recipe and replace with sweetened condensed milk (?)

Possible flavorings to infuse the cream (simmer half and half with these items, then strain and use for the recipe below):

chai tea spices (see chai tea recipe)
any sort of tea leaf- earl grey, sencha/green tea, black tea, or Japanese specialty teas like Houjicha, Genmaicha etc. This makes a "milk tea" kind of concept like my milk tea cupcakes, or earl grey puddings.
melted bittersweet chocolate

Pastry Cream
This goes fast, so be prepared to watch and stir this from start to end, no checking email while this is on the stove!

Warm over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally:
2 C half & half
6 TB sugar
pinch of salt

While that is warming, whisk 5 egg yolks in medium bowl until combined. Add 2TB sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolving, mixture will be creamy. Now whisk in 3 TB cornstarch, whisk until combined and thick.

When half and half is simmering, gradually whisk some half and half into the egg bowl and stir to temper the eggs (brings the temp of eggs up slowly, instead of cooking the eggs). Then pour from the egg bowl back into the cream pan on the stove. Return to a simmer over medium heat, whisk constantly for about 30 seconds. When the cream is glossy and thickened, remove from heat.

Whisk in:
4 TB cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1.5 tea vanilla

Strain the pastry cream. Cover with plastic wrap and either refrigerate until cold or stick in the freezer to speed up the process- just don't let it freeze.

What you can do with left over cooked potato

2009-12-13T11:50:00.001-08:00

Had some ideas for what to do with leftover cooked potatoes:

Aloo Parathas: potato and spice stuffed paratha
potato popovers
Potato bread
Potato salad
Fry up with spices in a skillet

Popover

2009-12-13T11:36:00.001-08:00

From the directions that came with my popover pan (or follow recipe on pg 631-632 in Joy Of Cooking 1975 edition).

Preheat over to 400 F.

Blend popover batter:
1.25 C flour (I use a blend of all purpose and whole wheat pastry flours, roughly half and half)
1/4 tea salt
3 eggs
1.25 C milk
1 TB butter, melted

Preheat popover pan in over for 2 minutes.

Use 2TB of butter pats to put in hot popover pan, then add popover batter. You could alternatively grease the pan .

Fill popover cups half-full with batter, bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. Then reduce oven temp to 300 F and bake another 20 minutes.