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.

dal

Dal is the thick spicy stew..... nothing like today's my photo. I would like to have dal and also I would like a soup today. So without focus on what I am cooking, I added too much water to make soupy-dal. This dal recipe is very simple and tasty. I learned this recipe from my friend's(Indian)aunt.

serves 2-3

1 cup orange lentil(dal)
2 cups water, or more
1 small onion, very thin sliced
1 small piece ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
salt to taste
fresh coriander, chopped



1 In a medium sauce pan combine the lentils, turmeric, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, whisking several time to puree dal, adjust the amount of water to make desire consistency.

2 While the lentils are cooking, heat oil in a skillet, over medium heat and saute onion, until onion becomes light brown.

3 When the lentils are done, mix in ginger, cumin, and sauteed onion, salt to taste, and before serving, add fresh coriander.

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.

falafel platter

I purchase, brown rice, oat, berry, bean( black turtle, chick-pea, soy) and condiment(shouyu, brown rice vinegar, mirin..)through a wholesale store. I have had a large bag (25pounds)of black turtle beans, chick-peas, and soybeans.Today I took inventory in my food storage, I found I need to use chick-peas more often. So, I decided to cook falafel(quite a long I had not cooked falafel) today. Using uncooked chick-peas make a light and soft falafel, I think.

ingredients:
yield 16 falafel balls

1cup dry chick-peas, soak over night
8ounces onion,coarsely chopped
2cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4tablespoons chick-pea flour
1tablespoon fine bulgur
2cups italian parsley leaves
1/2teaspoon salt
1teaspoon cumin
1teaspoon coriander
1/4teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/4teaspoon black pepper

procedure:

1 In a large mixing bowl, combine drain chick-peas, onion, garlic and parsley, and mix well.

2 Transfer to the food processor, add all seasoning and spices. process until smooth, need to stop processing and scrape unprocessed chick-peas mixture off several times.

3 Transfer to the bowl and add chick-peas flour, and fine bulgur, mix well. If too wet, add more flour. Let mixture stand for 1hour in refrigerator.

4 Roll the chick-pea mixture into balls 2inches in diameter /3tablespoons of mixture.

5 Heat the oil in a wok, and when oil is hot enough ( a piece of bread drooped in should come to the surface immediately)gently lower the balls. 3-4 minutes do not disturb until they set. Fly for 6-8 minutes or until browned.

Serve with Tahini sauce (tahini + water ( add 1 tablespoon at a time to your desire consistency) + lemon juice + salt to taste)


falafel platter: falafel with tahini sauce, carrot with french vinaigrette,and sauteed kale mix with brown rice

winter squash soup with pomegranate

Coming Tuesday will be the last day of 2007 green market in my neighborhood...it kind of sad...
because I have no choice eating "conventional organic vegetables" for next 6 months. less excited, isn't it?
Today's soup made from a huge winter squash(at the green market it was divided to several mass for sale)has very bright orange inside. I asked what kind of squash..? and the farmer yelled " Fairy tale, Cinderella ride." ! ?




1 pound fairytale squash pealed, discarded seeds, cut into large chunks, and put them in a large pot. Add 1cup dasi* and 2 cups water. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger. Bring to a boil,reduce heat, cover, simmer for 10-15 minutes or become squash become tender. Mix soup with wooden spoon to break up squash (it's easy to break up). Season: 1/2 to 1teaspoon shouyu, 1 to 2teaspoons sea salt, 1 to 2 teaspoons mirin, to adjust the taste. Serve hot with garnish with pomegranate seeds.


















* dasi
Dasi means soup stock made from kombu and bonito flakes, and essential ingredients for our Japanese cooking e.g. miso soup, sobanoodle soup cooking vegetables, etc.
I make vegan dasi using kombu and dried shiitake. Just cover with water for minimums 5hours to overnight ( longer soaking time make stronger dasi).


500 milliliters water
5 inches kombu
2-4 dried shiitake ( depend on the size of shiitake or your preference. shiitake releases a strong flavor when it soaked in the water)

Put them in the glass jar with lid and put in the refrigerator when soak overnight.
can keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Dasi could be diluted or using straight depends on your recipe. Save soaked shiitake and kombu for another dishes.

five ingredients rice

I am looking for this time of the seasons every year, and I feel very happy living in NYC. Why? It is gingko - seeds harvest time! Gingko seeds, we call ginnan, is very good for every method of cooking: dry roast, deep fly, boil, saute... We really appreciate it's flavor and texture in Japan. Today's receipe, rice cooking with gingko - seeds, is one of my favorite gingko-seeds dish.




ingredients:
serves 4-6

2 coups white rice, wash and soak in the water for 30minutes
1 cup gingko seeds, take off outer shells
2 ounce or 1/2 coup burdock, sasagaki*
2 ounce or 1/2 coup carrot, sasagaki*
4 dried shiitake, julienned
1 abura age( fried bean curd),julienned
2 coups water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 table spoon shouyu
2 table spoons sake

* sasagakiis the way of cutting burdock,it's like sharpening a pencil with a knife.

procedure:

1 Combine five ingredients:gingko-seeds, burdock, carrot, shiitake, abura age in a bowl.

2 Combine water, sea salt, shouyu and sake in another bowl.

3 In a 3-4 quarts pot ( or you can use a rice cooker) combine the rice and water- seasoning mixture.

3 Add 5 ingredients mixture on the rice. Covers, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 - 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

4 Allow the cooked rice to rest 5 minutes, covers, off the heat.

5 Before serving, mix rice and 5 ingredients, from top to bottom, with a wooden spoon.



Serves with miso soup with daikon and white yam.

pumpkin boo soup

Ghost and Boo shapes are made from shiratama-ko (sweet rice flour) with nori (seaweed).

procedure:

1 In a small mixing ball put the shiratama-ko. Add water little at a time and mix with your fingers(I used 1/4 cup shiratama-ko and 3 tablespoons water). When mixture become no longer sticky and softness like an earlobe, divide mixture in to 4-5 balls. Shape each ball in to e.g ghost etc.

2 Boil the water in a medium pot.

3 Put these shapes in to the boiling water and cook until it rise to the surface. Keep boiling another 1 minute and scoop them up and to put in the cold water. Soak 1 minutes and drain.

4 Cutting out nori sheet to make eyes or words, and place them on the shape.

5 place these shapes on the pumpkin soup and serve.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.