TOFU Recipe 2 - Tofu & Chicken Nugget

Hello,

Here, I made TOFU and Chicken nuggets the other day. This is a dish that I often make, because it's so easy. I just put all ingredients in the food processor and mix about less than a minute, and then pan fry. I like this lean taste, but for my husband, it tastes little blunt and boring, so I add some B.B.Q. sauce for him and make a sandwich with lunch meat sometimes :)

For this one above, I made smaller size like chicken nugget. I usually make this one with very little salt and use some sauce (B.B.Q., mustard, etc...)

This is good for snack and my lunch for work too.

For this one above, I added some parsley and Mrs.Dash, and less salt ( 0.5% amount of the tofu and chicken's weight ) for taste. Thanks for all the herb's great effects, you don't need any sauce. It's a little technique for less salt in your dish. Here's some tricks I usually use for dish like this:

1) Using some herbs ( dry, or fresh)

2) Using soy sauce for 1/3 or 1/4 of salt usage

3) Adding chopped roasted bell pepper (this is GOOOOOD!)

If you like to serve with something on the side, fresh crisp salad goes well, like spinich, arugula, watercress, carrots mix, with roasted sunflower seed sprincled. That's my favorite combination :)

OK, that's it for today,

See Ya!

TOFU Recipe - "SHIRA-AE"

Hello,


It's been a while I posted the last one, and it's already February!
Unfortunately, I still haven't had much time to try some new recipes as much as I would like too. :(

I just got my favorite magazine ( Clean Eating Magazine ), so I want to try some recipe from that.



Well, this morning, I made a SHIRA-AE, meaning "tossed in white ( TOFU ) sauce" in Japanese. This is a pretty popular dish in Japan, compared to here in the U.S. where a "Sesame Sauce" ( GOMA-AE ) is a more common flavor.
I would like to develop this recipe for cooking class.




For a more rich flavor and creaminess, I add a white sesame paste ( Tahini ) to mashed tofu, and mixed it together so it would blend nicely with a savory sesame flavor. For the vegetables to mix with, I used sliced carrots, shiitake-mushroom, daikon leaf, and I added some walnuts for accent.

Traditionally, the tofu sauce is made in a Japanese Mortar ( SURIBACHI ) to achieve a creamier sauce, but, I don't have a Mortar, I really want to get one though. So, I improvised and made a similar version using the utensils that I have in my kitchen. It turned out, OK, and I was pleased with it and it's flavor. :)

This is a very healthy side dish you can try.

Buckwheat - it's all good

Hello,

I have been using buckwheat groats a lot lately.

For me, I am making a soup, and for my husband, it's oatmeal.

These are the photos for the soup I made the other day, first one is curry flavored vegetable ( onion, cabbage, carrots ) soup with buckwheat groats.

Secand one is chichen, lentils, buckwheat groats and vegetable ( napa cabbage, carrots, pumpkin, potatos ) soup.

This is my husband's favorite oatmeal bowl lately. Cook buckwheat and rolled oats in the water first, and then add some milk, fruits, and brown suger. This is great easy breakfast.

But! I love to eat oatmeal little Japanese style :) I cooked rolled oats and buckwheat in Japanese "DASHI" broth, and add cooked salmon, little salt, bonito flakes, and sesame seeds. Here you go! "Japanese style oatmeal"

Scalloped Potato Gratin

Hello,

When I was talking with my husband about my cooking and various recipes and so on..., he said, "Why don't you try to make other people's recipe and add a little twist and write about it in your blog?"

"Hum... That's interesting, sounds like the movie "Julie & Julia" huh?"

So, I decided to take my husband's idea, by making some dishes using any recipe from whatever magazine, TV, supermarket recipe card, or book. Then add my little healthy twist to it and make it healthy, so my husband will eat it and like it.

Then, I cooked this scalloped potato from Food Network's chef Mr. Tylor Florence's "Scalloped Potato Gratin".

I changed two things from the original recipe, the amount of heavy cream, and cheese. The amount of heavy cream was too much for both of us, so I substituted a less fat milk and half the amount of the heavy cream for a lighter dish. Also, I used 1/2 Gruyere cheese and 1/2 Parmesan cheese. 　

Still, it finished very creamy, and rich in taste. And we both loved it! I especially liked the fresh thyme flavor, it was great with the cheese and gave it a nice accent.

It was so easy, and a great side dish. You should try it, too :)

Brown Rice with Buckwheat

Hello,

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope that I can come up with a few great recipes and cook some delicious and healthy food this year. Oh, I also would love to try a lot of new recipes.

When I cooked brown rice the other day, I remembered that I had some buckwheat and added it to the brown rice. Cooking brown rice needs more soaking time than white rice does, so I usually soak in over night, or soak in warm to hot water before I cook it.

This time I soaked the buckwheat in hot water about one hour and added two(2) table spoons of buckwheat per 1 GO ( Japanese measurement unit = about 180cc = 6 ounces) and started cooking.

It comes out really nice, I even thought that I can add more Buckwheat. Both, the brown rice and Buckwheat texture mixed very good and the colors blended nicely together. When I cooked white rice with Buckwheat Tea (SOBA-CHA) before, there was that typical SOBA-CYA flavor I could smell, but this time the aroma was very subtle and mild. I believe that it is because SOBA-CHA was roasted and that made the rice have a more strong flavor.

This rice would be perfect for OCHA-ZUKE Rice!

Buckwheat Here I Go Again...

Hello,

How are you doing?
Did you finish your Christmas shopping?


I found some Buckwheat Groats ( Whole Buckwheat Grain ) the other day at the store where I usually go. I was so happy and grabed right away :)

I still have Buckwheat Tea ( SOBA-CHA ), and using it to mix with some rice. Now I can use this whole one in some soup, salads, hot cereal, etc... for a more grain intake in our diet.

This is Eden Food brand. ( By the way, they have a lot of various type of seaweed products, plum paste, dried daikon, ponzu...etc.)

---

And I boiled some of the Buckwheat Groat and mixed with tomato sauce which I made the other day.

The grain got tender and absorbed the flavor of the tomato sauce, and the good thing is that the grain doesn't have a strong Buckwheat taste that I thought.
So, I can use with various types of dishes, replacing pasta or rice.

My husband wants to try mixing it with oatmeal, so let's see how it comes out.

It is getting chilly here in California, but a lot of places are in heavy snow I guess. Please keep warm, and I hope you have a Happy Holiday!

Home Made Pizza

Hello,

I am taking a little break from MISO project now :)

Still, I'm making miso soup often though.

Well, I make a pizza at home often. The reasons I like to make at home are...

1) I can use any ingredients I want. My husband and I sometimes can't agree about what we put on our pizza, so I can make 2 small different ones :)

2) I can adjust the amount of cheese and sauce, so I can make much lower calorie and sodium pizza than delivery or store bought ones.

3) I can try and make different types of dough each time, like; Thin crust dough, Dough with yeast or baking powder, Dough made with wheat flour, Dough with flaxseed or corn meal...

I sometimes use a ready to bake dough too, my husband's and my favorite is BOBOLI's, that is crispy, good size for two, and affordable.

Here's few pics of pizza I lately made...