rice paper rolls

Let's enjoy wrapping, rolling and chewing a lot of pure, fresh vegetables with rice papers. Among today's ingredients, mint, cilantro, mesculin, sprout are grown at my small back yard. I wish I would have more space to grow "serious" vegetables.



rice papers/spring roll wrappers
(from top to clockwise)
arame (seaweed)
mescurin
mint leaves
soft tofu, drained
carrot
sprout
abura age(flied bean curd),blanched and drained
cucumber
cilantro

spicy shouyu sauce
4tablespoons shouyu
2tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1teaspoon hot sesame oil
1teaspoon agave nectar
1-2tablespoons water
1/4cup unsalted peanut, finely chopped



tahini sauce
4tablespoons tahini
2tablespoons cider vinegar
1.5tablespoons shouyu
1tablespoon maple syrup
6tablespoons or more water
1 scallion, finely minced
1clove garlic, finely minced
1teaspoon grated ginger



Put warm water in a shallow bowl. Submerge 1 wrapper until softened. Transfer a wrapper on to the kitchen cloth to remove the water.
Place any ingredients you like on the wrapper and drizzle either tahini or spicy shouyu sauce on it,wrap, and bite.

ten beans salad

Ten different kinds of beans.




Soaked over night.





Cooked, drained, rinsed in cold water, and mix with vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, sliced onion, chiffonade mint leaves, chopped flat leaf parsley,and lightly toasted fennel seeds.

choco chip cookies

Health supportive, light and crunchy!



2/3 cup Earth Balance, margarine
1/2 sugar, Florida Cristals
2 tablespoon Agave Nectar
4 ounce soft/silken tofu
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cups soy milk

1 1/4 cups white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder(aluminum-free)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 package 10 ounce Sunspire dark chocolate chips


preheat oven to 350F
In a mixing bowl, cream margarine, sugar with stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add tofu, soy milk and vanilla, beat for 1minute.
Shift flour, baking powder and soda in to a small bawl. Add to creamed margarine mixture and mix with a spatula until flour and margarine blending. Fold in chocolate ships. Drop by an ice cream scoop onto cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until firm.

rhubarb more. . .

After I posted rhubarb tart, I wanted to make more rhubarb dessert. I rushed to the store to get this season's rhubarb. There were just a few left (sigh).

rhubarb mousse



serves 4

8 ounces rhubarb, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons sugar, Florida Crystals
1 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons kuzu
1 teaspoon agar powder or 1 tablespoon agar flake
2 tablespoons agave nectar

In a pot, combine chopped rhubarb and sugar, set aside for over night or until sugar melt and rhubarb release some liquid.

cook over low heat until rhubarb getting out of shape. it will be 1 cup of cooked rhubarb.
In a small pot mix kanten and kuzu. Add 1/4 cup soy milk, stir until dissolved.
Add remaining 3/4 cup soy milk, keep stirring, cook over low heat until it has become thick and a little bit bubbling.

Put the rhubarb and soy milk into a blender and blend well.
Rinse a mold or bowl with cold water and pour in the rhubarb mixture. Set aside and chilled until firm.

Serve garnish with chopped pistachio nuts.




rhubarb kanten

serves 4

8 ounces rhubarb, chopped 1/4 inch cube
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon agar powder sprinkle in 1 tablespoon water or 1/2tablespoon agar flakes,sprinkle in 1 tablespoon water, set aside.

In a pot combine rhubarb cubes and sugar set aside over night or until sugar melt and rhubarb released some liquid. Cook over low medium heat, just 3 to 5 minutes or until rhubarb soft it will be 1/2 cup or less/more. In a small pot combine 1/2 cup water( make 1cup of water and cooked rhubarb) and agar, simmer over medium low heat, stirring, occasionally until kanten is dissolved. Pour rhubarb into kanten and simmer just 1-2 minutes, stir.

rinse a mold or small bowl with cold water and pour in the hot rhubarb kanten mixture. Set aside, and chill until firm.

from apple to rhubarb to ......

I got This fabulous dessert recipe from my friend and my friend got this recipe from her friend. Now I would tell you. My friend said that this recipe was German and she said the name "りんごのグース”but I can not spell it in English so just say "tart".
original recipe use apple, but I think it is great to use seasonal fruits. Of cause now is Rhubarb! and will be strawberry, blue berry, apricot, plum, peach,and pear .....I am looking forward to trying to use all seasonal fruits to make a "seasonal fruits tart" with this recipe. Thanks to my friend for this recipe.

Apple tart



















for the crust
1 and 1/4 cups flour
6 tablespoons Earth Balance, Margarine
4 tablespoons sugar, Florida Crystals
2 tablespoons soy milk

Whisk margarine and sugar until creamy with a stand mixer, add soy milk, mix until light and fluffy. Add flour to creamed mixture, to form a dough that gathers into a disk. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F

Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and place on the pie/tart pan. Prebake 20 minutes or until dough become dry ( not need fully baked ). take out from the oven and set aside.


for the filling

2 apples
2 tablespoons sugar,Florida Crystals
100 cc soy heavy cream*
120 cc soy milk
2 tablespoon flour
2tablespoon sugar, Florida Crystals

Core apples and cut into ～16 slices or coarsely chopped. Cook with 2tablespoons sugar with medium heat, until apple become slightly soft and moist ( not need to cook completely). Place the apple slices in the prebaked pie shell.

In a bowl, whisk together soy heavy cream, soy milk, sugar and flour. Strain through mesh strainer, and pour the mixture over the apples.
Bake 350F oven for 40 minutes or milk mixture become firm.

* I could not find Soy heavy cream in my neighbourhood stores(no US company make soy heavy cream, I think). What I used here was soy heavy cream from japan. I did not try though, soy sour cream could be a substitution.
Rhubarb tart















for the crust ( I used Spelt Fillo Dough,from the Fillo Factory )

8 sheets fillo
1/4 cup canola oil

Layer 8 fillo sheets, brushing each with canola oil. Cut circle from fillo using cutters slightly larger than tart pan diameter, in order to fillo circle is large enough to go completely up the sides. Pre bake 350f for 8-10 minutes.

for the filling

8 ounce, 2-3 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/4inch slices
2-3 tablespoons sugar

Combine the rhubarb and sugar in a medium sauce pan, cook until the rhubarb is soft.
Do not over cook. Place the rhubarb in the prebaked fillo crust and pour the milk mixture over the rhubarb.
Bake 350 F for 40minutes or milk mixture become firm.








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polenta & beans

I cooked a black bean chili today. But recently I have been little bit tired of "brown rice", so I picked broiled polenta instead of brown rice...... very good!





serves 2 - 3

chili
3 cups cooked black turtle beans
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup canned whole tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced
salt to taste
2 tablespoons or more, fresh coriander, chopped

In a large pot, heat the oil, saute garlic and onion over medium heat, until onion become translucent. Add cumin, paprika, and pepper, and saute until fragrant.Add tomatoes and beans ( some bean-liquid ), stirring to blend. Add the salt and simmer, stirring, until mixture is thickened and beans are tender, about an hour. Serve, garnished with chopped coriander.


polenta/broiled (from the natural gourmet institute for food and health)

2 cups cornmeal
5-6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Toast cornmeal in a skillet over medium high heat, stirring constantly until it has a nut like fragrance. Remove cornmeal from pan and let cool to room temperature. In a 3quart sauce pan mix cornmeal, salt and 4cups water, whisking until smooth. Over high flame, bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thick.Add the remaining water, alittle at a time, stirring well to mix thoroughly. cover pot and simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat and let stand 15minutes with lid. Poor cooked polenta into a wet cooking sheet. let cool to room temperature , or until polenta is firm( it is better put polenta in the refrigerator, over night )Cut polenta in 3 inches square ( or desire shape and size) place on baking sheet and brush top side with olive oil. Broil until golden and crisp. Flip over, brush olive oil and broil until golden and crisp.

marmalade cake

The end of this March my friend of highschool classmate sent me her marmalade in the Ziploc bag by EMS( Express Mail service). This was made from natsu orange(extremely sour!!) in her garden. It was excellent marmalade, such a full of fresh orange taste and nice bitterness, and clear orange color .... I am looking forward to having her marmalade next year again, please send me.
I love marmalade. I reminded the marmalade cake my mother made,when I was young. I wanted to have one so I baked it.




for 6inches x 10inches baking pan

3 cups flour (1 1/2 cup white and 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour )
1 tablespoon baking powder(aluminum-free)
1 1/2 teaspoon egg replacer
1/2 cup Earth Balance, margarine
1 cup sugar,Florida Crysatals, or less ( I used 2/3 cup)
7 tablespoons soy milk,or more or less, depends on your flour combination ratio
1 cup home made marmalade, if you use commercial one reduce the amount.


Combine the flour, baking powder, and egg replacer, and shift.
In a bowl, put the margarine and sugar, use stand mixer to mix until creamy, add 4 table spoons of soy milk, continue to whisk until airely.
Add flour mixture to the creamy mixture, mix until wet sand like texture. Add remaining soy milk 1table spoon at a time to form a dough that gathers into a ball.
Put dough in the plastic bag and chill for 1hour.

preheat oven 350F

Divide the dough in half. Take one of them, roll out on the lightly floured surface to fit your baking pan, and replace on the bottom of the pan. Take another dough and roll out, 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 1/2 wide to make long strips. Pour the marmalade over the first dough in the pan and spread evenly. Over the marmalade, use long strips to weave a basket pattern. Bake 30 minutes or cake cake tester come out clear.

for marmalade
This is the simplest way, because use whole orange.
I used 2 minneola orange, cut quarter lengthwise, and cut into thin slices. Soak in the water (double amount of sliced orange ) and let stand 3 hours, put on the heat and simmer 30 minutes, add sugar ( 50% of orange weight) and keep simmering until liquid reduced and become nice consistency.

tempeh, cashew, celery, & green pepper

serves 1-2

Heat the sesame oil in a wok/skillet over high heat and simply stir-fly tempeh and vegetables. Make sure put minced ginger first into a wok.

1/2 package of tempeh, sit in salt water (1/2teaspoon salt+1cup water) for 1hour,cut into 1/2inch square
2 celery, cut into 1/2inch square
1 green pepper, cut into 1/2inch square
1/3 cup cashew nuts, roasted
1/2inch peace of ginger, minced
salt, pepper to taste

pasta salad

Spring is around the corner though ... wind is still cold. We can't say "good bye..." to our winter clothes: glove, hat and scarf. Today was cold but nice sunny day. For my lunch I felt like having a festive pasta salad.




what did I put in this salad?
broccoli, red onion, caper, black olive, roasted red pepper, sun dried tomato flake, mint leave. For dressing I mixed, vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mastered, salt, and black pepper.

potato au gratine

I got this potato gratine recipe from my friend, in my 20's. This is my favorite potato dish and I have cooked often ever since. Now one of the essential ingredients - gruyere cheese - was removed from the original recipe, it does not matter, still it is delicious! I love this very much.

serves 1-2,

bechamel sauce

I table spoon Earth Balance (margarine)
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup soy milk
1 clove garlic,finely minced
1/8 teaspoon or more to taste salt
black pepper to taste

1 large, ~12ounces, potato

first prepare the bechamel sauce. Heat the margarine in a heavy saucepan over low heat and add flour, stirring thoroughly until flour is cooked,but not burned.
Remove from heat, and add soy milk, inced garlic. Put sauce pan back to the low heat, stirring quickly and continuously, until the sauce thickens and bubbles.Add the salt and black pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 400F

Wash and peal the potato and slice into thin slices, no thicker than 1/8 inch.
Add potato slices into the sauce, and mix well the potato and the sauce.
Transfer the potato into a baking dish (8 inches diameter). The potato layer should no thicker than 1/2 inch. So if you want to double this recipe, you should use larger baking dish. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until potato is cooked.

chinese cabbage salad

Chinese cabbage(hakusai)is a queen of the winter vegetable in Japan. Surprisingly I have never eaten raw chinese cabbage until this winter. I have never tried or never thought about hakusai salad. So this winter I ate a lot of raw chinese cabbage with variety of dressing and enjoyed it's crunchiness and sweetness.

I would like to post chinese cabbage salad with two different type of dressing.







salad 1

chinese cabbage, cut into 1/4 inch wide
carrot, julienned
Bryanna's tofu "feta",crumbled(Vegan Feast Kitchen: Bryanna Clark)
toasted sesame seeds
hot sesame oil


dressing
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon agave nectar
combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

Place chinese cabbage, carrot, tofu "feta", in a bowl. Add 1-2 teaspoons or more to taste, dressing over the salad, sprinkle hot sesame oil and sesame seeds, and toss gently.






salad 2
chinese cabbage,cut into 1/4inch wide
carrot, julienned
scallion, finely chopped

sesame sauce
5 table spoons toasted sesame seeds
1 table spoon miso
3 table spoons brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon agave nectar

Place sesame seeds into suribach (earthenwear mortar) and grind with surikogi(wooden pestle)very well until sesame seeds release the oil. Add miso, vinegar, and agave nectar mix well to make a creamy sauce.

Place chinese cabbage and carrot in a bowl. Add 1-2 table spoons, or more to taste, sesame sauce and toss gently, sprinkle chopped scallion.

gyoza - dumplings

When I make dumplings sometime filling is not enough, so skins are left, or vice versa. But this time I did perfectly made 54 gyoza and nothing left. Wow Iam feeling good.

 

make 54 gyoza

1package (54sheets) gyoza skins
4-5 cabbage leaves
1bunch Japanese chives(nira)
1ounce (10pieces) dried shiitake, soaked in water
1/2 pack soft tofu, drained
2teaspoons sesame oil
1teaspoon ginger juice

dipping sauce:
shoyu
rice vinegar
hot sesame oil


Very coarsely chopped cabbage and place them in a bowl sprinkle salt and set aside 5- 8minutes or until cabbage start releasing the liquid. This method I learned from my friend, and it make gyoza's filling very tasty.

Put tofu in the food processor and make a puree,transfer to a large bowl.
Squeeze cabbage with hands to take out the liquid, and finely minced in the food processor, add to tofu. Drained shiitake put in the food processor to process until finely minced. add to tofu cabbage. Cut Japanese chives finely by a knife.( I think food processor does not good for this vegetable, I prefer using a knife.) combine tofu, cabbage, dried shiitake, japanese chives (nira), sesame oil, and ginger juice. Mix well with a wood spoon or hands.

Place a large spoonful of mixture on top of a skin.( You may need to adjust the amount of filling to make 54 gyoza) Wet edge of wrapper with fingertips, make pleats on one side, fold over and seal closed. Continue with remaining mixture.

In a well seasoned skillet heat oil. Place five gyoza in one row and five more in another row ( there are two rows gyoza (five gyoza ) in the skillet) Cook gyoza over high heat 4-5minutes or until bottoms are brown and crispy. Add water 1/4 cup immediately cover skillet and steam over medium heat for 3 - 4 minutes, until gyoza are cooked through. Serve with dipping sauce.

 

tart tatin

For your dessert,if you want to eat tons of really tasty apples, it would be a tart tatin.














10 inches diameter + 2 inches depth cast iron skillet or tart tatin pan
pre heat oven at 450F

3-4 pounds apples,peeled, cored and quartered
1/4 cup Earth Balance, margarine
6 tablespoons sugar, Florida Crystals or more to taste

crust
3/4cup whole wheat flour
3/4cup white flour
1/2cup Earth bBlance, margarine
6 table spoons(more or less)ice-cold water

Making the crust, put flour and margarine in the food processor and combine them until crumbly. Add water little at a time, pulse,until mixture become a cluster.Do not over mix or add too much water, less water is better. Take out the dough and wrap, rest in the refrigerator.

Heat the skillet over high heat, melt the margarine. Add 2/3 of quartered apples to the skillet and mix well to coat the oil. Sprinkle the sugar over apples. Now you arrange apples in concentric circles. You have to use as many apples(use lest of 1/3 apples ), and pack them tightly. Its ok, apple will stuck up! Keep cooking in high heat, undisturbed, until juice from apples are deep golden and bubbling. 15-18 minutes.Take skillet off from the heat.

Roll out the dough,larger than the skillet,and lay crust round over apples, tuck in edges( it is very important).

Bake 20 minutes to 30 minutes until crust is light brown.
Invert tart tatin onto plate.

tempeh korokke (croquettes)

Tempeh plays an essential role in our vegan diet. Not only is it a staple source of protein, but it is also very tasty when cooked in a wide variety of receipes, such as sweet and sour tempeh,tempeh sausage, tempeh mock tuna salad, tempeh strogonoff, , tempeh scallopine, and more. . .

Today I am posting tempeh korokke. Korokke is one of a very favorite meal in Japan, basic ingredients is potato. We usualy mix in: onion , carrot , corn , tuna , salmon ,ground meat , etc.



make 10 -12 korokke


3 large (2pounds) potato

8 ounces tempeh

(seasoning for tempeh)

2cloves garlic, minced

2teaspoons chili powder

1teaspoon cumin powder

1teaspoon salt

2teaspoon rice vinegar



(for korokke )

2/1 - 1cup whole wheat flour

2/1 cup soymilk

2 cups fresh whole wheat bread crumbs (you can make , great by hand/ put the slices of bread into a food processor or blender)
safflower oil for deep frying



In a mixing bowl ,great the tempeh and add all ingriedients of seasonig, mix well , cover and let stand several hours or overnight in refrigerator.

Wash and peel potatoes and cut into quarters, put in a pot , add water and bring water to boil and reduce heat and cook until potatoes become soft. When potatoes are done, drain and mush.

In a large mixing bowl combine mushed potato and seasoned tempeh, mix well and make 10 -12patties.

Place the flour, soymilk, and bread crumbs individually in three plates /bowls.

Put the patties one at a time in to the bowl with flour, and roll patty until it is covered with flour. All patties will covered with flour.

Then place each one in the soymilk, then place in the bread crumbs and roll to cover thoroughly.

Heat the oil in a wok to 350 F. Try a piece of bread dropped in and immediately it rise to the surface, it's ready to fly patties.

Put the patties into the hot oil and fry both side, turning often, until light brown and crusty.Drain on a paper towels or wire rack.

Korokke must served with a large amount of shredded cabbage and tonkatsu sauce or worcestershire sauce

mochi and veggetable casserole

When outside temperature is single-digit like today,I recommend this hearty mochi casserole ( no oven using ) to warm you up. This is a great winter meal I like to make often at home.




serves 1-2

1/3 package/4ounce mochi, Grainaissance whole-grain original mochi, cut into 1inch square
2 large collard green leaves, coarsely chopped
4 scallions, cut into 2 inch long
several thin slices of winter squash
1-2 table spoons sesame oil

tahini mixture
2 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons shouyu
1/4 teaspoon chili paste
1 teaspoon mirin or 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
1/3 cup water

To make a tahini mixture, in a small bowl put all ingredients except water and stir well. Add water little at a time, stir, to make thin sauce. Set a side.


Heat sesame oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat, place winter squash slices in a single layer and cook until lightly brown. Add collard green and scallion, keep stirring up side down to coat the oil to vegetables. When vegetables become softer and reduce its volume, place mochi squares on top of vegetables, reduce heat and pour tahini mixture over vegetables and mochi.

Cover and simmer 7-10 minutes or until mochi melts and becomes soft.