Chick pea curry & soba noodle salad with sesame crusted tofu croutons (vegan)

Chick Pea Curry

Ingredients

1 can         chick peas, drained
6                small potatos, cut in to 4 pieces each
1                carrot, diced
1                medium onion, minced
3 tbsp        olive oil
1 can         coconut milk

(#1)
3 clove      garlic, minced
2  tbsp       minced ginger
3                bay leaf
1  tbsp       cumin
2  tbsp       coriander
1 tbsp        cinnamon
1 tbsp        red chili powder (cayenne) -add more if you like spicy curry!
3 tbsp        turmeric ground
2 tbsp        basil

1) heat olive oil in a pot and add all the ingredients from (#1)
2) add onion, carrot, potato, and chick pea.  cook for a while.
3) add coconut cream and cook until potato is nice and soft!

Soba Salad with Sesame Crusted Tofu

Ingredients

1/2 pack      soba noodles
1                  carrot diced
1/2               celery
4                  asparagus, cooked and cut into 1/3
a handful     baby spinach

-dressing- 
3 tbsp          minced ginger
1/2 cup        brown rice vinegar
5 tbsp          brown sugar
4 tbsp          mirin
4 tbsp          soy sauce
1/2              whole leek

-sesame crusted tofu
1/3  block            tofu, diced
1/4   cup              sesame seed
1/4   cup              corn starch

1)  put all the ingredients for the dressing in a pan and bring it to boil, cook till it's thickened.  Put it into the fridge until  it cools down.
2)  cock soba noodles and wash in the water, drain, and chill in the fridge.
3)  in a bowl, put tofu, sesame seed, and corn starch.  Shake until the tofu is covered with sesame seeds.
4)  heat sesame oil in a pan and pan fry the tofu until it's golden brown.
5) put all the ingredients together, and serve! 

Gochisousama! Saeko

Quinoa with Mushroom Sauce and Miso Veggie Stir Fry (vegan)

Easy, quick and vegan!
The shiitake mushroom sauce goes well with ANYTHING.

Yield: 2 servings + some extra quinoa

Ingredients

*quinoa with mushroom sauce
1 cup                       quinoa
1 tbsp                      olive oil
1 clove                     minced garlic
6 large                     shiitake mushrooms, super finely minced
1/4 block                 extra firm tofu, super finely minced
1-1/2 tbsp               pesto
1 tbsp                      soy sauce
1 tsp or more            salt
2                             green onion, sliced
pepper                     to taste

*miso veggie stir fry
any veggie you have in your friedge (This time, I used a crown of broccoli, a handful of sugar snap peas, 1 medium carrot, 5 halved brussels sprouts)
1 tbsp                       sesame oil
1 clove                      minced garlic
1-1/2 tbsp                 minced ginger
1 tbsp                       white miso paste
1/3                          water
braggs liquid aminos     to taste
crushed red pepper     to taste

1) cook quinoa with 1-1/2 of water, just like you do with rice.
2) heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic.  then add minced tofu and mushroom.  then add salt and saute for about 7 minutes... don't let it burn!
3) add soy sauce and pesto and saute for a few minutes more (I put them in it last because these ingredients get stuck to pans easily).
4) when quinoa is done cooking, add the mushroom sauce and green onion in it and mix well together.  put the lid back on, and let it sit till stir fry is done. 

5) heat sesame oil in a pan, add garlic.  start adding veggies that take more time to cook.
6) dissolve miso paste into 1/3 cup of water.  when the veggies are close to be done, add the miso mixture, liquid aminos, crushed red pepper and ginger.  cook till it's done, and serve it with quinoa!

Gochisousama!

Saeko

Scallops with Sweet Ginger Soy Sauce with Soba Noodles on the Side

inspired by David's restaurant

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients

-scallops with sweet ginger soy sauce

15                  scallops
1/2                sliced avocado
2 tbsp            sesame oil
1                   leeks (white part), cut into lengthwise strips

*for the sauce
1 tbsp             pureed ginger
1/4 cup           soy sauce
1 tbsp             ponzu
1 tbsp             brown sugar
1 tbsp             wasabi powder


-soba noodles

1/2 package     soba noodles

*for the sauce
2-1/2 tbsp       japanese wheat free hoisin sauce
1 tbsp             soy sauce
1/2 tbsp          brown sugar
2 tbsp             pureed ginger
1 tbsp             sesame oil

1) mix all the ingredients for the sweet ginger sauce and add scallops in it and marinade.
2) heat sesame oil in a pan and fry leeks until golden colored then set aside.  save the sesame oil in the pan for scallops.
3) start cooking the noodles.  when the noodles are done drain and rinse with cold water.
4) add the noodles in the soba noodles sauce, and mix together.  chill in the fridge.
5) reheat the sesame oil in a pan, and saute the scallops.  when the scallops are almost done, add rest of the sauce into the pan.
6) serve the scallops with fried leeks on the top and avocado and soba noodles on the side!

Gochisousama!

Saeko

Grilled Salmon With Wasabi Aioli And Seaweed Rice

This recipe is inspired by Cockeyed Gull, a restaurant on Peaks Island.

Ingredients
Yield: 2 servings

-Wasabi Aioli

3 clove         garlic
1                 egg york
1/2              lemon, juiced
1 cup           olive oil
3 tbsp          wasabi paste
salt and pepper to taste

-Grilled Salmon

2 fillet          salmon
1 tbsp          soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

-Seaweed rice

1 tbsp          dried seaweed, minced
salt to taste
1-1/2 cups   cooked Japanese short grain rice
1/2 cup        steamed spinach

1)  salt and pepper salmon fillet and start broiling in the oven.
2) make wasabi aioli.  Add garlic in a blender and pulse for 2 seconds.  Add egg york and lemon juice and pulse on and off until blended.  Turn on and begin adding olive oil in a thin stream.  add salt and pepper to taste.  Add wasabi paste into aioli and mix well together.
3)  when the cooked rice is still hot, add seaweed and salt and mix together.  put it on a plate and top it with steamed spinach.
4)  when the salmon is almost done add soy sauce, broil for 5 more minutes.  Put the salmon on top on the spinach (I also pour the drippings onto the salmon) and finish with wasabi aioli on the top.

Gochisousama!

Saeko

Paella

Paella for lunch!

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
1/2            minced medium onion
2 cloves      minced garlic
1               sliced red pepper
1               boneless skinless chicken breast
8               shrimp
2 tbsp        olive oil
a pinch       saffron
1-1/2         hot water
1-1/2cup    long grain rice
1/2 cup      white wine
1/2 cup      calamari
1 tbsp        chicken bouillon
1 tsp          crushed chili pepper
1/2 cup      tomato sauce (see broiled haddock with tomato sauce recipe)
2 tbsp        minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1) heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic, onion, chili pepper, saffron.  cut up chicken into small pieces and add into the pan.
2) add rice into the pan and saute until the rice is clear colored.  add bouillon into hot water and mix well.  add the water, white wine, salt and pepper into the pan.
3) add shrimp and calamari on the top and decorate.
4) cook for 5 minutes over high heat.  and then cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes over medium low heat.
5) turn off the heat, and steam for about 20 minutes.
6) put parsley on the top the top and serve hot.

Gochisousama!

Saeko

Spicy Kimchi Salad (vegan)

I made this asian salad for side dish yesterday!  1 serving is about 150 calories.  You can use any kind of kimchi but Dave thinks Sunja's medium spicy kimchi is the best.  I like putting some shrimp when I saute kimchi but I just made it as a vegan dish this time.

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients
1 tbsp               sesame oil
1/2 tbsp            soy sauce
1/2 tbsp            liquid aminos
1 clove              minced garlic
1/2 to 1 tbsp     minced ginger
1/2 cup             kimchi
8                      shrimp (optional)
1/2                   medium avocado
a handful            arugula
a handful            baby spinach
a few dashes       rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1)  heat up sesami oil in a pan.  add garlic, ginger, kimchi in it.  saute for a while then add shrimp if you choose to use them.  add soy sauce and liquid aminos and saute for a few minutes.
2)  cut up avocado into a small pieces and mix up with arugula and baby spinach in a bowl.
3)  add sauteed kimchi into the bowl and then add a few dashes of rice vinegar as you like.
4)  mix very very well.  (it takes a few minutes)

Gochisousama!

Saeko