TBP Stir-Fry

Here's another lovely large batch meal that you can make and serve yourself from for a few days. Tofu for protein. Portobello mushrooms for texture, protein, selenium, copper, potassium, and phosphorus. Broccoli for vitamin C, A, folic acid, calcium, and fiber. Broccoli and portobello mushrooms are also both  carriers of super-useful phytochemicals that serve to help fight cancer and provide helpful antioxidants. Yum, yum, yum. I like it by itself, but you could serve it with rice if you're looking for something more filling than it already is. And if you're looking for extra protein and fiber, serve this with quinoa.

TBP (Tofu-Broccoli-Portobello) Stir-Fry

1 tbsp sunflower oil
8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 inches fresh ginger, minced
4 portobello mushroom caps, chopped
1.25 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 14-oz package extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 cups broccoli, steamed and chopped
sliced almonds, for garnish
3 tbsp Gokutan Shiro Dashi (This is a Japanese seasoning sauce I use that is excellent. It is a combination of soy sauce, bonito extract, mushroom extract, seaweed extract, sugar, salt, and sweet sake. You can find it at a Japanese grocer pretty easily. If you choose not to go with this, I recommend the following: in a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp agave nectar, 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well and allow to sit for a couple minutes.)

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring them, until they are fragrant. Add the vinegar, stir, then add the chopped mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms have withered and the liquid has evaporated (takes about 5 minutes). Add the broth, shiro dashi, brown sugar, tofu, and broccoli, bring contents of the sauce pan to a simmer and lower the heat to about medium low. Continue to simmer contents, stirring occasionally until the liquid has evaporated (this takes about 15 minutes).

Serve warm. Enjoy!

Back to Bento Basics

Now that I'm in regular 6 hour rehearsals again, I've gotten back into making easy-pack bento meals to cut down on 'dining out' spending. Plus, it's just fun to get back in the swing of packing lunches/dinners.

I started easy, with old favorites. This week's bento: baked tilapia with balsamic/honey glaze, broccoli and raisin salad, egg white tamagoyaki, and fresh blueberries. Here's how!

Baked Tilapia with Balsamic-Honey Glaze

(makes 1 serving - I do this one fresh each night before packing it)

1 filet tilapia

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tbsp honey

Preheat your oven to 400 F. 

Place a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet. 

Place a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the cooling rack. 

Place the filet on the aluminum foil.  Drizzle honey and balsamic vinegar over top. 

Fold the aluminum foil up, so that there is no room for dripping out the sides, but there is still space for air to escape out the top - think 'loose burrito'.

Bake for ~20 minutes. When you start smelling wonderful things, test the fish with a fork. If the meat flakes, you're good to go. 

Didn't I tell you it was easy?

Broccoli and Raisin Salad

(makes 6 servings)

2 small heads broccoli

1/4 white onion, diced

1/4 raisins (more to taste)

3 tbsp sunflower seeds, raw and unsalted

1/4 cup Vegannaise

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp agave nectar

1 tsp honey dijon mustard

Wash and chop your broccoli into thumb-sized florets and steam them until tender. When they're done, pour them into a colander and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Mix vegannaise, vinegar, mustard, and agave in the bottom of a medium sized bowl. Add the steamed broccoli, raisins, and sunflower seeds. Toss to coat. 

Still super simple, isn't it?

Egg White Tamagoyaki

(makes 2 servings)

3/4 cup egg whites

1 tsp agave nectar

1 tsp mirin

1/2 tsp soy sauce

olive oil

Preheat a small, oiled skillet over medium low heat. 

Prepare a small bowl with some olive oil (~1 tbsp) and a heat-safe brush.

Mix your ingredients in another bowl. 

When the skillet is warm, pour three tbsp of the egg mix into the skillet. Let it cook most of the way. Then, using a fork (or two, depending on your dexterity), roll the egg on itself until it's like a scroll on one side of the pan. Re-oil the remaining part of the skillet and pour in another 3 tbsp of the egg mixture. Make sure that some of the newly added egg seeps under your egg scroll. When this new egg sheet is mostly cooked, roll the egg scroll back across, incorporating the new sheet. Continue this process, back and forth across the pan, until all the egg mixture is gone. 

Remove the rolled omelet to a paper towel and lightly pat off excess moisture. If you have a bamboo sushi mat, you can use this opportunity to square your tamagoyaki into having more defined edges. Otherwise, simply place the omelet log on a small cooling rack and let it rest in your fridge for ~ 20 minutes. Remove from the fridge, cut into finger width 'slices', and enjoy. 

The whole process takes about 15 minutes and is actually pretty fun. 

Go on! Have a peace!

Portobello Wraps

In honor of the Halloween holiday season, I've begun combining my three favorite things: horror movies, good food, and friends in something I like to call "Home-cooked Horror Nights". This past Sunday, a few friends descended on my home to enjoy some blood-thirsty films and vegetarian fare. Now, you'd usually think that veggies wouldn't really lend themselves to that level of virtual violence, which is why I leaned a towards a more "meaty" taste. Portobello mushrooms have a rich, earthy flavor and a nice, thick texture.

Portobello Wraps
(makes 5 servings)

3 portobello mushrooms, chopped in half, then sliced
1 bag baby spinach, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 tsp mirin, soy sauce, olive oil
crumbled goat cheese
whole wheat tortilla wraps

marinade:
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce

Marinate your mushrooms in a large bowl, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.
Chop spinach.
Chop tomato into little pieces.
Season a large pan with olive oil and heat over medium heat until warm. Transfer to the heated pan.
Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms have shrunk and softened (about 10 minutes). Transfer cooked mushrooms to a colander, drain, then pour into a serving bowl. Add 1 bag's worth chopped baby spinach to the pan and add 2 tsp mirin, soy, and olive oil. Heat until the spinach has cooked to a shrivel. Deposit in colander, drain, and deposit in a serving bowl.

Season a dry pan with olive oil and add a tortilla, warming on both sides.

Take the warm tortilla, add a little spinach, chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, and goat cheese. Wrap and enjoy. :)

Go on! Have a peace!

Easy Steak Dinner

I am not eating beef any more. I haven't for a while. I'm actually completely off red meat. My best buddy in the whole world, however, came to visit last week and he likes it. So I threw a quick dinner together for him and he very much enjoyed it. Therefore, I thought I would share it here for your enjoyment. :)

Easy Steak Dinner

top sirloin steak, cut into 1" strips and then cut down into halves or thirds (bite size)
mirin and soy sauce for marinade (1 part mirin to 3 parts soy)
two cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dark sesame oil

Place the steak strips in a tupperware container and fill according to the above ratio with mirin and soy sauce. Close the lid of the tupperware and turn to make sure the steak is thoroughly coated. Allow to marinate for 10-20 minutes.

Saute some garlic in a skillet with dark sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce.

Add the meat and cook until all sides are browned and have stopped bleeding. Pour off the excess juices and serve with something green. Spinach? Broccoli? You could stir-fry some kale with some garlic and lemon juice, that might be a nice side.

Go on. Have a peace!

Bento 6: Tri-Color Bento

Today's bento was a tasty treat. Eat each part separate or mix them all together. It tastes great either way. Good hot or cold. Which is good, because you'll end up with leftover soboro for days (I am already eagerly anticipating this...).

Turkey and Beef Soboro
(makes too many servings to count)

1 lb ground lean turkey meat
1 lb ground lean beef
1-2 tbsp sesame oil, divided
1/2 cup green onions, chopped, green and white (~2 stalks)
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp thai fish sauce

Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in pan and stir fry green onions. Add meat; brown. Add sugar; caramelize. Add mirin; evaporate. Add soy and fish sauce; simmer. Taste for seasoning.

Now you can end there, and just enjoy it. It's very tasty at this stage. Or you can go a step further if you have a meat grinder (I used my attachment to my mixer):

Pour contents through a strainer, saving the juices in a large bowl. Then put all the meat/garlic/green onions through the meat grinder until it comes out in teeny tiny mushed up bits. Collect these bits in the bowl with the juice, stir well to coat, and refrigerate.


Carrot Brown Rice
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup carrot juice
water

Using a rice cooker, put 1 cup brown rice in with 1/2 cup carrot juice and then fill to the 1 cup line inside the bowl. Cook like normal brown rice. It will come out orange and mildly flavored. So good!


Asian Pickles
(This recipe was donated by Abby Palanker, who made these delicious pickles and kindly agreed to give me the recipe when I begged.)

2 boxes persian cucumbers (TJ's)
1 tbsp salt
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar

[Note: I made a half of this recipe and it's still a lot. I replace the sugar with brown sugar, halved the salt, and left out the crushed red pepper. Very tasty both ways.]

Slice cucumber 1/4 inch thick. Mix with rest of the ingredients.
Leave on counter for several hours, stirring now and then. Refrigerate.


And that is it. All together, it was so good! Yum yum yum. Nom nom nom.
Go on! Have a peace!

Bento Box 5: 'What's in my fridge?' Bento

I had planned on making beef soboro and sweet potatoes, but got too bogged down with research for my new acting project to make it out of the house (I'll make this on Friday). The result?

'What do I have in my refrigerator?' Bento: Tamagoyaki, brown rice, miso soup, and a dessert of a small no-pudge brownie slice and 2 strawberries. Aww. My lucky roommate.

What is tamagoyaki, you ask? Have you ever been to a sushi restaurant and gotten that delicious sweet egg omelet along with your fish sushi? That egg is tamagoyaki. I followed the recipe on Just Hungry, cutting down the sugar they used and replacing what remained with date sugar. They have an excellent, step-by-step pictorial guide through this if you need it.

Tamagoyaki
(makes 2 servings)

4 large eggs
1 tsp date sugar
1 tsp mirin
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soy sauce
oil for cooking (I used olive oil)

Prepare a small bowl of oil and a heat-resistant brush.

Heat a small, pre-oiled pan on medium-low heat.

Beat together the ingredients with a fork and then run it through a mesh strainer.

Brush the heated pan with a little oil. Put in about 3 tbsp of the egg mixture. Cook until the egg has not quite set. Roll up with a fork to one side of the pan.

Brush the expose part of the pan with a little oil.

Put another 3 tbsp of egg mixture into the pan. Spread it evenly and make sure some of it gets under the cooked, rolled egg. Cook until this layer is almost set, then roll the whole egg to the opposite side of the pan.

Repeat until you've used up all the egg mixture.

Moisten a sushi rolling mat and roll the cooked egg (it looks kind of like a burrito) in the mat. I thwak'd it a couple times with my rice mallet to really squeeze it together.

Then leave the roll in the mat over a raised rim plate. Allow to cool, then slice and enjoy. :) I served these over some brown rice in the bento.

As for the rest of the bento box, I'm just not going to tell you. :) The miso soup recipe is available here. And the no-pudge brownie recipe is available on the back of TJ's No Pudge Brownie Mix. Yeah, I cheated. *hangs head impishly* Forgive me?

Bento Box 4: Sweet Sesame Bento

Another Monday, another bento!


When I was growing up, the only thing I would eat at chinese restaurants was sesame chicken. I loved it! To be honest, I still do, but most of the time when you get it, it's covered in breading and thick syrupy sauce. That's just no good.


Here's an alternative, along with some delectable spinach. Enjoy!

Sesame Chicken

(makes 2 servings)

meat of 4 chicken thighs, skin and fat removed, cut into bit size pieces

1 tbsp soy sauce (+ more to your discretion)

1 tsp mirin

2 tsp sesame oil, divided

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (use a nice thick one for this)

1 tsp honey

toasted sesame seeds

Mix the seasonings together in a bowl and marinate the raw chicken in it for 10-20 minutes, making sure the chicken is well-coated. Spray oil on a non-stick pan and pour 1 tsp sesame oil into the pan. Heat to medium heat. 

Lay out the marinated chicken on a piece of wax paper and shake sesame seeds out over the chicken and press them into the meat with a fork. Turn them over and sprinkle sesame seeds over the other side. Press them into the chicken again. Then transfer the chicken to the pan and cook until both sides get a nice, delicious seared brown color (took me about 4 minutes a side). As always, make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through!!

And you're done in no time. So good!

Marinated Spinach

(makes 2 servings)

~4 generous handfuls of baby spinach, roughly chopped

1 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp soy sauce

toasted sesame seeds

Blanch the spinach. [Boil it for 3-4 minutes, then take out, drain, and douse in cold water.] Mix the seasonings in a small tupperware container. Add spinach in, mix. Sprinkle in a generous portion of sesame seeds. Cover. Shake to really soak the spinach. Set in your fridge and chill for 15 minutes to overnight. 

Go on! Have a peace!

Q&A: What is Mirin?

Mirin is a Japanese cooking wine, or 'seasoning wine', made from glutinous rice. It has a low alcohol content and a very sweet taste. You should be able to find it in the liquor department at your local supermarket, or at a wine and spirit shop, even though it's extraordinarily low on the tipsy scale. (Manufacturers of Mirin only ferment it long enough to achieve the proper sweetness, without an eye for alcohol content.)

Mirin has a golden hue, sort of like the color you find in Tej or mead - very pretty. It is generally used as an additive in sauces and can even tone down the tastes and odors of a variety of meats (like fish). Apparently it is sometimes brushed onto fish and roasts to give these dishes a "sheen". In Japan, pleasantness of presentation is half the battle.

So that's my little expose on Mirin. Use it in very small amounts - a little goes a long way. :)

Bento Box Day 1: Shrimp and Salad Bento

So, Day 1 of my bento box experiment went fairly well. As I mentioned previously, I have begun making bento box lunches for my lovely roommate as a culinary experiment.

Monday's box was homemade miso soup with shrimp and tofu shuumai and a carrot sesame salad. [No picture of the soup.] I'll preface this by saying two things. 1) No. I did not make these up (although I did make a few alterations; I couldn't stop myself). The intuitive knowledge of how to make shuumai was not previously in my brain. The recipes for today originated on Just Bento, which is a seriously awesome bento guidance site. 2) Some of these ingredients may look strange, but you'd be surprised where you can find them. I bought mine in Little Tokyo. But after I made my first batch of miso from scratch (and realized it was going to become a staple in my diet because it's ridiculously tasty), I started looking for nearby asian groceries and they're *all over*. And if, by some chance, there isn't one in your area, you can also order most of these directly from Asian Food Grocer.

Shrimp and Tofu Shuumai
(makes 28)

1/2 lb uncooked shrimp, chopped
1 block extra-firm tofu, chopped
1 package shumai skins (You can use wonton skins, too, but the shuumai skins are smaller and thinner)
4 green onions, diced
1 tsp miso paste
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp mirin
pinch of salt
1 tbsp cornstarch

Note: This is one of those food processor recipes.

Okay. Now that all that's done.

Place tofu, miso paste, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil and cornstarch in the food processor and blend until it's a nice paste. Then add the green onions and shrimp and grind them up.

Now take the package of shuumai. When you open this pack, put it under a bowl to help seal in the moisture. These skins dry out pretty quick.

Place a skin on the palm of your hand. Scoop a spoonful of the blended (and tasty smelling) mix into the center of the skin. Make a circle with your fingers, placing your thumb and forefinger together, and squeeze the filled skin down through the circle. Tap on the bottom to flatten and squeeze gently with your fingers to tighten the dumpling. [If you want a visual for this, go visit Just Bento.] Repeat with all the skins in the pack.

Now take a large, non-stick frying pan. Spray a little oil on and smooth it around. Place the shuumai in the pan and carefully pour in water to half-height of the dumplings. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. DO NOT DO what I did. While my dumplings came out delicious and infinitely edible, they were not as pretty as they could have been because I walked away for a minute and the water boiled over the dumplings.

I placed an edamame on top of each of my shuumai, for kicks.

And ta da! All done! Next. The vegetable side!


Carrot Sesame Salad
(2 servings)

2 medium carrots
handful snow peas
juice of 1 small lemon
1 generous spoonful soy sauce
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 generous spoonful furikake  (I used the bonito flake and egg mix, but there's many varieties)

Grate carrots. Mix in seasonings. Stir. Serve.