How to Make Sushi at Home

Sushi Rolls are a lot easier to make at home than you'd think. And they're A LOT CHEAPER than going to a restaurant, too.

When my brother James and I were in college we had a ritual every Sunday. It was called Sunday Sushi Sake Cinema night. He had learned how to make his own Sushi after having visited Japan on deployment in the Navy and since he had become vegetarian, we made some really amazing veggie sushi together. Who needs fish when you have ingredients like jalapeno, avocado, red pepper and cream cheese? Though this recipe is easily alterable if you want to add crab or salmon. Best when served with warm Sake, great company and a good movie.

Here are some essential ingredients that you can pick up at your local Asian Market:

1)      Calrose Rice

2)      Nori (get at least ten up to twenty sheets)

3)      Wasabi

4)      Rice Vinegar

5)      Sriracha Sauce if you like it spicy

6)      Soy Sauce

7)      Sushi Mat Roller. I’m sure this has a technical name. I don’t know what it is.

At the grocery store, get lost of yummy veggies. My favorites are:

·        Avocado (this is a must)

·        Jalapeno

·        Cucumber

·        A colorful Bell pepper

·        Sprouts

·        Marinated tofu

·        To make it non vegetarian, you could also get crab or sushi grade salmon or tuna

·        Cream Cheese

 

Directions

1)      Cook at least four cups of Calrose Rice. When fluffy, add a generous drizzle of Rice Vinegar and mix. Let rice cool a bit.

 

2)   While Rice is cooking, slice your ingredients thinly.

3)      Lay a sheet of Nori shiniest side down on the sushi roller. Spread rice evenly on Nori, leaving about an inch uncovered at the base of the roll.

4)      Spread with cream cheese (if you’d like) and top with yummy veggies. Add Sriracha sauce in a line if you want it spicy.

5)      Roll starting at the base of the veggies and tightly push down with your thumbs as you get closer to the end.

6)      Place on a cutting board and slice in one-inch pieces with a serrated knife. If knife gets gunky, dip it in a glass filled with hot water which will help it slice through the sushi better.

7)      Serve with dipping plates filled with Soy Sauce and use wasabi to your liking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garlic Scape Pesto

This isn't a salad, but can be made into an incredible pasta salad. Or spread on some crostini to serve with a salad!

Fresh Garlic Scapes

Our lovely neighbor Taylor made garlic scape pesto for us as a snack to go with our river side happy hour. Anyone who frequents farmer's markets or has CSA boxes delivered is familiar with garlic scapes and if you're not, you should seek them out, they're pretty incredible and make the most delicious pesto!

Please notice Maggie, Murray's girlfriend, in the background

Garlic Scape Pesto

by Taylor Clarke 

Ingredients:

1/4 lb. garlic scapes, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

~1  cup freshly grated parmesan

Salt to taste

Puree the scapes, lemon juice and olive oil in a food processor until almost smooth. There should be some texture left to it. You can make it a smooth paste, but most prefer it to have some texture. Stir in the grated cheese. You can pulse it in, if you prefer, but make sure not to over blend it because it can get kinda gummy.

If you want to make it vegan, you can replace the cheese with a nut (or seed, if you have allergies), like pine nuts or walnuts.

Ta-da!

Barbeque Veggie Shish Kabobs - BBQ Month

It’s a very interesting thing to watch toddlers turn into children. For one, they are ridiculously demanding and stubborn. But in between those terrible times, they are shining lights of individuality and genius. You can literally watch, with your own two eyes, as their personality develops. With my first child, we learned at age three that he was a real, true lover of cars. And sports. You know, typical things. But our second child, Asher, is quite different. From the very time he could stand upright he was drawn to the kitchen. Every house we went to for a play date provided a new Play Kitchen for him to explore and he would spend hours pretending to cook for us. I can easily coax him into getting into the bath if I tell him we’ll pretend we’re making a cake, and he’ll help me get the cake pan, the measuring cups and a rolling pin and we’ll bring them all into the bath.

He is also very creative with his food. At a restaurant he mixed his ranch dressing with apple sauce and dipped his fries in it. The waitress came by and said, “You’re letting him do that?” to me, to which I responded, “Of course!” Jerk. One of his favorite concoctions is a turkey sandwich with pretzels. And he does not mean a side of pretzels. Tonight I asked him if he wanted BBQ Beer Brats (post coming later) and he said, “Can I have chips in it?” And just a couple of days ago he woke up and went straight to the cupboard, pulled out the bread, the craisins, and at the fridge he grabbed the cream cheese. “You want toast with cream cheese and craisins on top?” I asked. “Yep!” He totally made that up!

So when Asher turned three, and his friends’ parents asked what he wanted for his birthday I said, “Fake Food!” and we got it. We got a shopping cart (in girl colors, because there aren’t any other kind. As if fathers and single dudes don’t shop; come on!) and a pile of veggies and fruits that he can use a wooden knife to cut apart, and then there’s his favorite: a wooden BBQ Shish Kabob maker!

“Shish Kabob” is my favorite game because it enables me to sit on the couch. Here’s how it goes: I sit there, with my feet up and Asher comes to take my order. “WHAT YOU WANT!” He shouts at me. “A Shish Kabob, please,” I respond. I have learned only to ask for one, otherwise, as Asher says in exasperation, “You can’t have two or the teacher will tackle you!” Which really doesn’t make much sense but it’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard so sometimes I ask for two even though I know it will make him mad.

After he gives me my Shish Kabob he stands there and watches me pretend to eat it. “Delish!” I say. One time I asked him how he would like me to address him. “Chef Asher, or Chef Asbjornsen?” I say. “Just Chef.” He says. Ok.

So in honor of Chef, I am posting my recipe for BBQ Veggie Shish Kabobs. I couldn’t be more proud of my little future culinary genius. Move over, Beauties, we’ve got a dude preparing to join us.

This is Chef watching me make real Shish Kabobs, while eating cherios and chips he layed out on a sushi mat he found in the drawer. Because that's obviously what you do with chips.

BBQ Shish Kabobs
I grabbed a bunch of different veggies that were already bite sized and ready to stick on a stick. Things like mushrooms, mini-tomatoes, broccoli and pineapple. I also bought a zucchini and sliced that up. I have wooden sticks for shish kabobs so I soak those in water while I do the prep so they don’t burn right up on the grill. And then I coat the veggies in marinade and let them soak it all up for at least a half hour. If you plan ahead, do this overnight!

Stick all the veggies on and grill! Easy peasy. This would also make a really easy and quick weeknight meal.

Asher and Ansen love Shish Kabobs because they pretend to make their own all the time, though I have to admit they didn’t like these ones. Too many veggies. That burger you see in the background wen't pretty fast, though.

Thai Carrot Soup Party

One thing I love about soup month is that you really can’t screw up the ingredient measurements since it all gets blended together. Plus I got a book over the holidays with quick bread recipes that have become super easy, and a perfect addition to our soup nights. More on that later...

We went to a soup party over the holidays which was a brilliant idea! They had four different soups with toppings specific to each soup. (We love taco night for the same reason because you can customize your meal to your taste preference.) The big winner of the soup party was a Thai Carrot Soup, which both adults and children loved.

Inspired by the winner, I picked two recipes on the internet and put together my own version of it. I would love to try it again with coconut milk but I thought I’d go with this one to begin with.

Thai Carrot Soup

3 cloves of garlic
1 small onion
1 inch of ginger
4 cups of vegetable broth (or chicken)
cumin
Lemongrass
7-10 carrots
Fresh Cilantro

(Adult version: red pepper flakes or the Thai garlic red pepper sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, and cilantro blended in)

In a large stir-fry pot add garlic, onion, ginger, and lemon grass. Add the carrots and stir-fry for a couple of minutes then add half of the veggie broth. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the carrots are soft. (Add spices at this point if you don’t have picky children.)

Now transfer everything to the blender or food processor. Add the rest of the veggie broth if you can or stir it in when you transfer it back to the pot.

Easy, right? Then I had some fun purple Thai rice, little pieces of cooked chicken, cilantro, grilled mushrooms, red pepper flakes out on the table so you could customize it to your tastes. Plus I threw some dough into the oven and you have a dinner party even when your husband is out of town on a boys' weekend.

{Guest Post} Moroccan Lentil Soup

The other day Murray and I joined our favorite neighbors Joan, her daughter Jenn and Murray's bff, Maggie the yellow lab, for a walk and as usual we talked food while we walked. The girls called me out for my lack of posts on Taco Tuesday (right, I've been meaning to get back on top of that) and then told me about their recent cooking adventures and plans. Naturally I asked for their recipe and convinced them a guest post for soup and stew month would make our fan club (it's out there, right?) really happy! They came through!

From Joan Clarke: 

I’m what you might call “accidentally vegan,” since my daughters turned pescatarian and vegetarian on me over the last year, and they have befriended vegans and people with allergies to dairy products and eggs.  I’m a huge fan of slow cooking, because everyone can eat when they want, and leftovers abound to take to work or school.  I briefly considered writing a book called “365 Days of Vegan Slow Cooking,” but I ran out of steam on day four.  This recipe, for Moroccan Lentil Soup, is from day two.

I don’t like vegan recipes that say they “taste like” chicken, beef, etc. – it’s vegan, for crying out loud, taste like the ingredients!  This is a tasty meal and it makes a lot.  The leftovers are great and can be frozen, or you can just cut the ingredients in half if you aren’t feeding a crowd.

I’m a neighbor of Emily’s and honored to be a guest poster on this auspicious blog!

Moroccan Lentil Soup
Recipe by Joan Clarke

Makes 12 servings

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped carrots
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground pepper
6 cups vegetable broth or low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
3 cups chopped cauliflower
1-3/4 cups lentils
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups fresh spinach
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Heat all in a soup pot over medium heat, add onions and carrots and cook until somewhat softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic, add cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper and stir until fragrant.  Add broth, cauliflower, lentils tomatoes and tomato paste.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered , stirring from time to time until the lentils are tender but not mushy.  Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, 5 minutes.  Just before serving stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

Slow Cooker:  Place all the ingredients except spinach, cilantro and lemon juice in a 5 quart or larger slow cooker, stir.  (I put in enough vegetable broth and water to cover everything but not a lot more.)  Cook until lentils are tender (4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low).  During the last 30 minutes stir in the spinach.  Just before serving, stir in the cilantro and lemon juice.

Adding spinach 30 min before go time

The best way to cook an artichoke

I’m an artichoke purist.  What I mean by this is that there’s almost nothing I love better than a steamed artichoke with the leaves dipped in salted butter.  There are a few problems with eating an artichoke this way, though (Insert cheesy info-mercial where you see a clumsy person trying to eat a leaf dipped in butter but getting greasy chin and dropping butter all over his clothes—“This just won’t do!”)

So since this month is artichoke month I started researching other ways to cook an artichoke, while still keeping it in its truest form.  I knew I couldn’t steam it for a blog post because that’s a little boring, but what I did find was an EXCITING way to cook an artichoke while still keeping it plain and simple. 

You bake it.  Yep.  Get ready to get your mind blown.  I’ll never steam an artichoke again. it's a little more prep on the front end but way easier to eat after it's cooked.  Now if only I could invent a kitchen contraption that would do it all for me--I could be rich!

Ingredients
2 Artichokes, prepped (see directions below)
1 cup veggie or chicken broth

For Rub:

2 tbsps. olive oil
1 lemon, squeezed
1 tsp. sea salt
3-4 cloves garlic, diced

How to Prep your artichokes

Cut off about an inch at the top, trim the leaves, and cut in half.  Use a spoon to hollow out the fuzzy hairs. 

For some reason this is the only picture I got of prepping the artichoke.  I clearly need practice in being a food blogger.  Now picture this artichoke cut in half, and the fuzzy hairs scooped out.  Ok?  Good, let's move on.

Directions

Combine Artichoke Rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix together.  Prep your artichokes.  Smother your prepped artichokes in artichoke rub (get all up in that artichoke) and place them face down in a casserole dish.  It is important that you make the rub prior to prepping your 'chokes so that you can rub them immediately after you've cut them.  The lemon in the rub will keep them from browning.  After placing your artichokes face down in the casserole dish, pour in the chicken or veggie broth and cover with a lid (tin foil will do).  Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half (may be less, just check them after an hour.  You’ll know they are done when the outer leaves are soft and edible).

Before going into the oven

After baking. Yum!

Oh yeah.

Another angle.  Work it, girl!

This picture makes me want to bite my screen.

Review
This was the best artichoke I have ever had in my life.  My husband was able to eat his so fast (no dipping!) I swear he could have won an artichoke eating contest.  We each had an entire artichoke to ourselves, no problem.  Kids didn’t want to try them but that was fine by me; I didn’t push it.

And in the spirit of Artichoke month at BATF, here are a few other inspiring things you can do with this crazy perennial thistle:

Artichoke as a fashion statement

What Kevin Spacey was really dreaming about

Come here, little baby artichoke and let me pose with you as if you were a precious egg on my wedding day.

I don't know, guys.  Just because it's on pinterest doesn't mean it's a good idea.  Just sayin'.

Um... ya.

Healthy and Quick (but Tasty) Vegan Kale Dish with Fantasy Dessert

How do you do a whole post on a basic idea I got on my original Kale post that Allison Bay (a great family friend who is awesome in the kitchen despite having 3 boys of her own) gave me? The answer lies in a review of Seattle’s Best Dessert I had the opportunity to try recently.

But first the healthy Kale recipe.



Ingredients:
Garlic
Mushrooms (or any other favorite veggie you like)
Kale
Can of Tomatoes
Salt/Pepper (Bragg’s Liquid Amino’s)
Optional Veggie Sausages or meat substitute
Cooked Brown Rice

Sauté up the garlic with the mushrooms. If you are on a diet don’t use oil, the mushrooms create enough liquid or add some water. Add the chopped up Kale and a can of tomatoes. Sauté until the Kale is tender. Throw in the cooked rice, cooked meat, and you have a healthy but quick dinner!

We have been cooking the brown rice on a Sunday and then putting in the fridge for the week. Andre and I were both shocked at how great this recipe turned out. It also had such bright colors. (Which was also consumed on Super Bowl Sunday to continue with the theme!)


Once you feel great about having a healthy dinner you can afford, in calories and money, it’s time for a special treat! Recently, my Dad retired after 29 years with the same partners from his law firm--Peizer, Richards, and Ziontz. I am proud of my dad’s work as a lawyer and being able to hear all the amazing stories his partners shared at our special dinner only made me glow more with pride.

We had a perfect private room at Tango Restaurant and Lounge in Seattle. There were many fabulous dishes but when I heard we were going to try the “Best Dessert in Seattle” I perked up. The “El Diablo” is the famous dessert, I learned, that has been featured on the Food Network and voted Best Dessert from City Search. It’s described in the menu as: Bittersweet cube of sinfully rich dark chocolate graced with cayenne, spicy almonds, cocoa nibs and burnt meringue finished with a tequila caramel sauce.



Here is a picture of my eaten El Diablo. It was so light and fluffy! The taste changes during the whole bite. I am not a huge spicy fan in my regular dishes but the spice in this dessert was perfect. I’ll give it best dessert in Seattle too, even if you aren’t a big dessert fan you would like this!

Isn’t Emily always saying how great healthy Dark Chocolate is?? If anyone can try and recreate this dish, it would be Emily. I can be your taste tester!

February's Ingredient: Kale

If you can identify this picture, you are already one step ahead of me! All I wanted to do for February was desserts or Risotto's but with this new diet I went with a fan suggestion: KALE.

Throughout time, I have always heard, “eat your greens!” And I don’t think they meant the romaine lettuce smothered in cheese, Caesar dressing, and topped with crusty white bread. But how do you incorporate more greens into your everyday meals that are edible for myself and my children?!

Well I don’t have a magic answer. I still don’t know the difference between most leafy greens but I am hoping to learn something about them this month. For instance here is a type of Kale called, “Lacinato”. It’s leaves are flat.




Missy found a great article titled, “7 Reasons Kale is the New Beef!”. Check it out to learn more facts about kale: click on kale or go to http://www.organicauthority.com/health/reasons-kale-is-the-new-beef-nutritious-sustainable.html
Seems like you can’t go wrong with all that calcium, iron, fiber, Omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and it even acts as an anti-inflammatory-all in one food!

I hope my beauties will help me in answering how to get more of this super food into my diet. I’ll kick us off with a funky recipe and then hope to do one more in a main dish later in the month.




Kale Butter(taken from “The Engine 2 Diet” by Rip Esselstyn)
1 bunch of kale, rinsed and chopped
½ cup walnuts
½ cup water
Salt to taste

Steam the kale for 5 minutes, until tender. Blend the cooked kale with the walknuts and ½ cup of the green water from steaming. Add salt to taste if desired. Process in a blender until smooth.

It reminded me of pesto. You could use it as a spread on a cracker, but that didn’t fly with the kids. But I did manage to get rave reviews putting it on their “meat” sandwich with some mayo & mustard! I bet you could even do a kb&j (kale butter & jelly). I am hoping to sneak it into a wrap for myself. Any other ideas?

An Unexpected Outcome - Missy's Review

I was hesitant to make June's recipe yet strangely enough I had ALL of the ingredients for the cookies, minus the flour, already in my cupboard.

First off, I have to give a shout out to Jolie for picking a recipe with applesauce in it because it's a staple in our home these days. My son thinks it's like the nectar of the gods or something; he loves it that much. So we always have applesauce. The other ingredients...don't really know how long they've been in my cupboard but I found them and used them. Oh well.

So I made the cookies and switched up a few ingredients along the way: Instead of veg oil, I used extra virgin coconut oil (almost the full amount) and left a little space to add some flaxseed oil too (about 1/4 c). I used oat flakes instead of bran since that's what I had in my cupboard. I used finely chopped walnuts. And I used Amaranth flour which is gluten free. I also decided these cookies needed some spice. How about some cinammon with that applesauce? I added a couple heaping dashes of pumpkin pie spice and a couple dashes of cinammon too. I don't bake; why not?

Well, then I realized the requirement to get my husband to try these would be something much sweeter added in the mix, so I found butterscotch chips and chocolate chips in the cupboard (don't ask how old) that went in half the batch.

I was nervous. You know how you taste the batter and just know it's going to be amazing? Not so much my reaction this time. It was okay but not great. I wanted Betty Crocker and I was getting more hippy, Mother-Earthy.

The end result: Yummier-than-expected hippy Mother-Earthy! Something happened in the baking process and these little cookies turned out pretty good. I could really taste the spices, which I think were an important add. And for my husband's version, the spice with the butterscotch was awesome. I can't believe I'm going to type this; I would leave out the chocolate next time.

I'm happy with the outcome. And I'm happy to know I have a crap load of stuff for baking in my cupboards after all this time. Go figure...

June Recipe: Applesauce Cookies and Banana Bread

Even for a non-skilled cook like me, it’s hard to pick just one recipe to post. I have been dying to do a risotto because it is one of my favorite things to eat. But it’s summer (well in some parts of the country) and I know people don’t want to be slaving over a hot stove. So my second passion is baking! I do like to bake, although I don’t get to do it enough. I know when you are in summer mode baking isn’t the top of the list but how about all those weekend getaways?! You need to bring something to snack on all weekend and these recipes will get you through.

Again I am going to have to post two recipes because you can’t change up baking too much or it won’t work. Plus one is super healthy and they other is super…well it came from Emily so you know it is all about taste.

Renee’s Applesauce Cookies (from “Mommy Made and Daddy too!”)

¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 cup Applesauce
½ cup finely chopped nuts
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup oat bran (I do half oat bran, half ground flax seed)
2 cups flour (use soy flour if you want to go wheat free)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine brown sugar and oil, stir until lumps are dissolved. Add remaining ingredients one at a time, mixing well.

Place level tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly with a fork. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Cool before wrapping or storing in an airtight container; the cookies will keep for about a month.

Now don’t be shy, my husband ends up eating more than the children so this isn’t just healthy. I usually double the recipe because if you are going to take the time you might as well stock up.

Kona Inn Banana Bread

2 cups sugar
1 cup soften butter
6 ripe bananas, mashed
4 eggs well beaten
2 ½ cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. With the electric beater, cream the sugar and butter. Add the bananas and eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and then blend into the banana mix. Pour into two greased bread pans. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Cool for 10 minutes.

Emily and Megan know that the crowd pleaser is to throw in a cup of chocolate chips. This is a staple item at our girls getaways and freezes well.