fu - biscuit

My good friend - who loves NYC very much but now (forced to or may not.. ) live in Tokyo - sent me a package of fu and a recipe for fu along with other nice healthy japanese food.







This is wheat gluten called fu in Japan.

You need :

40grams fu

4table spoons Earth Balance (melted)

4table spoons sugar + 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder

and you do:

Combine fu with melted Earth Balance and then sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over fu and gently mixing until all surface of fu are coated with cinnamon-sugar.

transfer fu to a tray and bake 320F for eight to ten minutes, or until fu become golden.

It turned into.....

very crunchy, very tasty biscuit ! I love it. Thank you!

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.

baked apples with crunch and cashew cream

Today we had the first season of snow! It just covered the ground,very light and fluffy like a powder. Snow was not so bad but it was very cloudy and cold day. On the day like this, I would like to stay home and cook something yummy. I had 4 apples and wanted to use the oven - apple pie,apple muffin. . or. . My choice was, the easiest one "Baked Apple!" and I loved it.



preheat oven to 350F.

1 Core apples , using an apple corer or a sharp paring knife. Place apples in a
baking pan.

2 Fill holes with Earth Balance, sugar+cinnamon+nutmeg mixture.

3 Bake until apples are soft, collapsed.


Meanwhile make crunch and cashew cream.

crunch
1cup rolled oats
2/3cup whole wheat flour
1/4cup sunflower seeds or chopped any nuts
1tablespoon canola oil
1tablespoon maple syrup or Agave nectar
1tablespoon water
pinch sea salt
1/2teaspoon cinnamon
1/2teaspoon nutmeg

1 Combine the dry ingredients and mix in the oil then add water and sweetener.

2 Spread on a cookie sheet and bake until evenly light browned, turn the mixture twice with a wooden spoon.


cashew cream

1/2cup cashew nuts, lightly roasted
1-2tablespoons Agave nectar
1/2cup-1cup water
1/2teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Put cashews in a blender to make a fine meal.

2 Add 1/2 cup water and Agave nectar and vanilla, blend until smooth,add more water to make a desire consistency.