Agedashi-Tofu (Fried Tofu with Grated Daikon and Ginger)

It looks like I am in a Japanese cooking mode, I think that’s because Japanese cooking uses a lot of root vegetables, so abundant during fall.

This version is a light one as I stir fry the tofu instead of deep frying it. I am also using soy sauce instead of dashi. This dish is simple but elegant. You can serve with multiple little side dishes, like I am serving today: hakusai tsukemono (Napa cabbage pickles), kinpira (burdock root teriyaki), steamed shiitake mushrooms and steamed short grain rice.

Agedashi-Tofu
(Fried Tofu with Grated Daikon and Ginger)

4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 block tofu

corn-starch

½ grated daikon radish

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon vegetable oil for stir frying

2 tablespoons light soy sauce or tamari

Directions:

Remove excess water off tofu by wrapping it in paper towels. Cut tofu into 4 blocks and cut each block in ½ making 2 triangles. Coat with corn-starch, and stir fry with the vegetable oil in a skillet until it turns golden brown. Place 2 tofu triangles on each serving dish and top with daikon and ginger. Drizzle ½ tablespoon of soy sauce on each dish. 

Napa Cabbage Pickles (Hakusai Tsukemono)

Napa Cabbage Pickles - Hakusai Asazuke or Tsukemono

Ingredients:

1/4 head hakusai (Napa cabbage), washed and cut in 4 to 8 pieces, lengthwise

2 - 3 tsp salt, depending on the size of the cabbage

Directions:

Put hakusai in a large bowl. Rub it with salt. Top with a plate/dish that covers all the vegetables and put a big weight on top of it, such as a pan filled with water. Let it rest overnight or 5 to 6 hours in the refrigerator. Squeeze cabbage and cut to serve.

Tonjiru (Pork and Vegetables Miso Soup)

Tonjiru or butajiru is a soup made with pork and miso, but its taste is very different from the traditional miso soup. This is the only dish I remember I liked when I was a baby. I mean it, I was a baby. My mom would serve it in a shallow plastic dish with some short grain rice, and I was delighted.

My version has some variations from the original dish. I added ginger and sesame oil instead of vegetable oil. I do not use konnyaku just because it’s a little hard to find and not everyone likes it. I am using potato instead of baby yam because of the same reason. However, I love baby yam! For Brazilians that are interested, the baby yam is called “inhame” in Brazil. Today I also added some left over tofu.

Mi’s Tonjiru (Pork, Vegetables and Miso Soup)

4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 tsp sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1/4 lb lean pork, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 gobo (burdock root), peeled and shaved into very thin slices

(I use the vegetable peeler to shave them)

1 medium potato (or 5 baby yams), peeled and cut into bite size pieces

1/2 carrot, peeled and cut into thin quarter-rounds

1/4 daikon radish, peeled and cut into thin and small rectangles

4 cup dashi soup stock (see miso soup recipe)

2 - 3 tbsp white miso

2 green onion springs, thinly sliced

Seven-spice chili mix (optional)

 Directions:

Soak gobo strips in water for 5 minutes in plenty of water and drain.

Heat sesame oil in a stock pot and quickly saute pork and ginger over high heat. Add potato, carrot, gobo, daikon radish to the pot and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add the dashi soup stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low, skim off any foam that rise to the surface, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Dissolve miso in the soup and add chopped green onions. Remove from heat just before it starts boiling. Serve immediately.

Mi's Winter Squash and Wild Rice Soup

This is another favorite of mine. I always remember to make it when the weather starts getting cold and I see pumpkins all over the place. You have to be responsible and use the best them!  :) Today I used kabocha pumpkin.

Mi's Winter Squash and Wild Rice Soup

6 Servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil 


1 medium onion, very finely chopped

1 large carrot, very finely chopped or shredded 


1 large celery stalk, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1 lb chicken breast

1 cup wild rice

3 cups butternut squash (about 1 small squash)

6 to 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

½ cup half and half

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons brandy

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 F. Cut the squash in half, remove seeds and bake, cut side up for 40 to 50 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot in medium heat. Add carrot, celery and onion. Cook until vegetables have begun to soften and onion turns translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary, cook for another minute, until fragrant. Add chicken breast, wild rice, salt and pepper and stir to combine and heat up, for about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and check salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked, about 60 minutes (or pressure cook for 30 minutes). Add butternut squash puree and shred the chicken and return to the soup. Cook until heated through. Remove from heat and add half & half, parsley and brandy. Serve immediately.

Shake Ochazuke (Salmon with Rice and Green Tea)

Ochazuke is one of my favorite Japanese dishes. It can be as simple as rice, nori, tea and some savory protein or vegetable. Since my mom is here and can direct my cooking, today I am making a more sophisticated one, with sushi grade salmon, yummmm!!!!! I am serving it with kinpira (cooked burdock root) on the side.

Shake Ochazuke (Salmon with Rice and Green Tea)

Servings 4

Ingredients

4C white or brown short grain rice, cooked

1 lb sushi grade salmon

2 tablespoons wasabi

¼ cup light soy sauce

¼ cup green onion springs, very thinly sliced

1 sheet nori cut into thin ribbons

2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds, slightly crushed

(In Japanese cuisine we use a sesame grinder)

Very hot, high quality green tea, prepared in a teapot

Directions

Prepare rice in a rice-cooker or boil as instructed on package.

Cut salmon sashimi style. In a medium bowl, mix soy sauce, wasabi, sesame and green onions. Pour on the fish and toss. Marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Serve 1 cup of rice in a medium bowl, top with the seasoned salmon and pour green tea to cover the salmon.

Cover and wait a couple of minutes so that the fish gets slightly cooked with the tea heat. Top with nori right before serving.

Kinpira (Burdock Root Japanese Style)

Kinpira (Burdock Root Japanese Style)

Ingredients:

½ lb gobo (burdock root)

¼ lb carrot (optional)

1 tbsp light soysauce

1 tsp sugar

1 ½ tbsp mirin

½ tbsp sake

1 tbsp white sesame seeds

½ tbsp sesame oil

½ tbsp vegetable oil
A pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:

Lightly shave the gobo skin and shred gobo into very thin strips. Soak the gobo strips in water for a while and drain well. Peel the carrot if using and cut it into short and thin strips. Heat sesame and vegetable oils in a frying pan, and stir fry gobo strips and carrots for a couple minutes. Add all seasonings to the vegetables and stir-fry, stirring frequently, until gobo is caramelized. Sprinkle sesame seeds and cayenne.


You can find burdock root at your local Asian store.

Kale and Garbanzo Soup

This soup is a variation of a popular soup in Brazil, the Portuguese “Caldo Verde” (green broth), made with collard greens, potatoes and Portuguese linguica. This recipe calls for garbanzos but you can also use white beans. Sausages are optional and can be left out for a vegetarian version.

Kale and Garbanzo Soup

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic minced

½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped

½ teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped (optional)

2 bison sausages thinly chopped (optional)

One 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained

4 cups chicken broth

1 small bunch kale stems removed and cut in thin strips

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons Parmesan

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a stockpot over a medium heat and saute the onion about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, oregano and sausage (if using) and cook another minute. Add the garbanzos, broth and bring to a simmer.

Add the kale and simmer, uncovered, until it is tender, about 10 - 15 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan if not using sausage.

Mi's Herb Roasted Cornish Hens

Hi everybody, sorry for the lack of posts lately. My parents are visiting from Brazil and we are eating out a lot. But yesterday we ate at home and made cornish hens with polenta, shiitake and Swiss chard. I love cornish hens!

Mi’s Herb Roasted Cornish Hens

Ingredients:

4 cornish hens, 2 ½ pounds each

Kosher salt and pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 tablespoon each of:

lime juice

olive oil

fresh thyme, chopped

fresh rosemany, chopped

whole grain mustard, slightly crushed

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

4 rosemary springs

1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Wash birds and pat dry. Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, lime juice, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, mustard and balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Season inside and out of cornish hens with rub. Stuff the cavity of each hen with one rosemary spring. Roast 30 minutes in middle rack, breast-side up.

Add broth to pan and lower temperature to 350°F. Roast until the thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 175° degrees F, about 40 minutes.

Transfer hens to warm serving plates and loosely cover with foil for 10 minutes before serving.

Brazilian Eggplant Cuscus

Cuscus (or cuscuz) is a typical Brazilian dish made with corn flour. It is different from the African/Moroccan couscous. The typical cuscus is from Sao Paulo, my state, and it’s called cuscus paulista (cuscus from Sao Paulo), made with shrimp and/or sardines. My mom makes the best shrimp cuscus ever. I always ask her to make it when she comes to visit.The eggplant version is original even in Brazil.

You need to use the Brazilian corn flour which come in form of flakes. Once we tried to make this dish with cornmeal and it was a disaster.

Brazilian Eggplant Cuscus

Ingredients:


3 cups of corn flour (farinha de milho)


3 tbsp yucca flour (farinha de mandioca)

1/2 cup water with 1 tbsp salt


1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

kosher salt

3 large eggplants, peeled, cut into ½” cubes



4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped (save 3 nice slices for decorating)


1/2 cup pitted green olives

4 eggs, hard-boiled, 3 chopped (save 3 nice slices for decorating)


1/2 cup hearts of palm, chopped (optional, save a couple of slices for decorating)

1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup scallions, chopped

Directions:

Mix the corn and yucca flour in a large bowl, add salted water and combine well. Reserve. Grease a bunt cake pan. Cover bottom and sides of pan with tomato, egg, heart of palm slices and olives.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes, add garlic and eggplant. Cook until eggplant starts to wilt. Add tomatoes and olives and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Remove from heat and add the Parmesan, parsley, scallions, eggs and heart of palm, if using. Add the corn flour mix to the tomato/eggplant sauce. Mix well until all the flour is moist. Add a little water if needed. Pour mix into the cake pan and press firmly. Invert the pan into a large serving dish.

Rosemary and Garlic Roast Leg of Lamb

This lamb was the best I’ve ever tried, thanks Emeril!

I didn’t make any changes, everything turned out perfect.

Rosemary and Garlic Roast Leg of Lamb

(Emeril Lagasse)

Ingredients

1 leg of lamb, bone in (about 6 to 7 1/2 pounds)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

8 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

Sauce:

1 cup chopped fresh herbs (combination of rosemary, chives, and parsley)

2 cups diced onions

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup red wine

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Using your hands, rub the lamb all over with the lemon juice. Pat the garlic and rosemary evenly all over the surface of the meat. Season the meat with the salt and pepper and place the lamb in a roasting pan. Place the lamb in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to cook for about 1 hour longer for medium-rare, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers about 145 degrees F to 150 degrees F (be careful that the thermometer does not touch the bone.) Remove lamb from pan and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Position the roasting pan over your stove burners. Add mixed herbs and onions to pan, and stir to combine with pan drippings. Add chicken stock and wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to release any fond. Reduce over high heat until sauce consistency. Strain before serving, if desired. Slice lamb and serve with sauce drizzled over the top.

Mi's Harira Soup

This is one of my favorite soups. Yuuuuuummmmm...!!!! This recipe is an adaptation of the original Harira soup which is made with lamb and some very thin noodles. But today I am using chicken and more grains instead: lentils, garbanzos and brown rice. The spice combination is fragrant and delicious. The saffron tops it with the ultimate richness of flavor. I buy saffron at the Indian store, where the prices are more affordable than the regular grocery stores.

  

Mi’s Harira Soup

(8 servings)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 ¼ pounds meat (boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes or chicken breast)

½ teaspoon salt

½ tablespoon grated fresh ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ cup dried small red or brown lentils

2 cups chopped tomato (or 1 can unsalted diced tomatoes)

6-8 cups water or broth

1 teaspoon saffron soaked in warm water

1 can drained canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 cup cooked brown rice

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

Juice of 1/2 fresh lime or ¼ cup

Directions

Heat oil in a large stock pot oven over high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes. Move onion and garlic mix to one side of the pan and add meat; cook 5 minutes or until slightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add ginger; cinnamon, cayenne and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in tomato paste, lentils, chopped tomato; cook 1 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in water or broth, saffron, bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Stir in chickpeas and brown rice, bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in cilantro, parsley and lime juice; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

Mi's Granola

I volunteer at Operation Frontline Colorado (Share our Strength) as a class assistant. In one of the classes they made granola bars and I was amazed on how easy that was. So I started making them at home, changing the recipe a little here and there, now I have my own. The experiences making granola bars worked for granola as well.

Mi’s Granola

(12 Servings, 1 serv = 1/2 cup)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey or maple syrup or a mix of both

1/2  teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup chopped nuts (sunflower seeds, cashew nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds)

3/4 cup chopped dried fruit

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine honey, peanut butter, salt and cinnamon. Stir to mix well.

Add oats, almonds, nuts and seeds. Spread mix on a greased sheet pan and bake for 30 to 40 min, stirring every 10 minutes. The mixture should brown evenly.

Remove from oven and add dried fruit. Cool on a rack, stirring occasionally, until it cools down. Transfer to a sealed container and store in refrigerator.

Garam Masala Yellow Split Pea Soup with Coconut Milk

I guess it's fall and it's time for soup! 

Don't get discouraged by the long list of ingredients for this recipe. Indian recipes are always long but most of the ingredients are spices, which I believe, one should always have handy.

Garam Masala Yellow Split Pea Soup with Coconut Milk

(Adapted from James Peterson’s, Splendid Soups)

8 Servings

Ingredients:

1 medium to large size onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon coconut oil, ghee

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 cup of yellow split peas soaked overnight

1 cup of brown rice

8 cups of water

1 14 ounce can of coconut milk

2 cups baby spinach

Sea Salt

Tadka

1 tablespoon coconut oil, ghee or butter

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

In a large pot over medium heat cook the onions and turmeric for about 5 minutes in the coconut oil, and then add the garlic. Cook for a total of about ten minutes, or until the onions are soft and turn translucent.

Add the water, peas and rice to the pot and bring to a simmer. Turn down low, and cook until the peas and rice are cooked and very soft (about 45 minutes).

Using your handy immersion blender, blend to desired consistency (we like it mostly pureed, but with some texture left). Or use your regular blender or food mill.

Make the tadka by melting the coconut oil in a small saucepan. Add the spices and stir until you can smell the spices drifting upwards to you. Don’t burn! Whisk into the soup.

Add the coconut milk and spinach, and bring back to a simmer, adding salt to taste, and serve.

Notes:

-       You can use chicken or vegetable broth instead of water

-       You can use butter instead of the coconut oil or ghee

-       Instead of the spice mix in the tadka, you can use 1.5 teaspoon of garam masala

-       You can use lentils instead of yellow split peas

-       You can use asparagus, broccoli, or any other green vegetable instead of spinach

-       You can use a pressure cooker, 25-30 minutes cooking time

Rosemary Shiitake Egg Scramble on Rice Tortilla

This is what I had for breakfast today... The school (Nutrition Therapy Institute) retreat inspired me to make delicious, healthy foods.

Rosemary Shiitake Egg Scramble on Rice Tortilla

(1 Serving)

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon unsalted butter


1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

4 large shiitake, thinly sliced


1 cup packed fresh Japanese herbs (mitsuba and chrysanthemum) or baby spinach


1/8 cup chopped walnuts

1 egg

1 brown rice tortilla

Directions:

Heat butter in a small nonstick saute/omelet pan. Add the rosemary and shiitake and cook until they are tender and starting to brown, approximately 5-10 minutes. Add the Japanese herbs (or spinach) and cook until it is wilted. Mix all of the ingredients until well combined. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and a pinch of Kosher salt. Pour the egg into the pan, and mix until the egg is set. Toast the brown rice tortilla until it’s crispy. Serve it in a heated plate topped with the egg mixture and the walnuts. 

Note: the brown rice tortilla toasts really fast. If you’d like to make a burrito, just warm it up briefly.

Retreat

I have a school retreat in the next 3 days so I'll be back next week! Have a great weekend everyone!

Spinach Pasta with Gorgonzola and Chard with Walnuts

This pasta dish used to be a tradition at my parent’s house. It’s super easy, fast, comforting and scrumptious! I am making it with regular spinach linguine but if available, the green fresh fettuccine makes this dish look/taste really great. I am using blue cheese instead of Gorgonzola, as we already have in the fridge, but of course Gorgonzola or Roquefort are yummier. Today I am serving it with a side dish of Swiss chard cooked in garlic and sprinkled with chopped walnuts.

Gluten-free version: when cooking gluten-free, I use the “Tinkyada” brown rice pasta, it’s really taste, just don’t freeze it. And they have a version with spinach, but it’s spaghetti, not fettuccine…

Spinach Pasta with Gorgonzola

4 Servings

Instructions:

8 oz dry spinach fettuccine, cooked

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1/4 cup half and half

1 tablespoon corn starch

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Heat white wine and Gorgonzola in a skillet over high heat. Cook until it starts to boil, reduce heat to medium low. Add the Gorgonzola and stir until melted. Mix corn starch to half and half, dissolve well, and add to the wine and cheese mix. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Add parmesan. Add pasta and toss until well mixed. Sauce should be sort of runny, not too thick. Taste for salt: it depends a lot on the type of cheese you use.