Japanese: Brown rice sushi

I truly enjoy brown rice sushi. Their white counterparts just don't cut it for me anymore- less flavorful & satisfying. The trick is in the preparation of the rice which must be nice & sticky but not mushy. This is much tougher to accomplish with brown rice. After much trial & error and pouring through various recipes online, I finally found a recipe that works at GlobalGourmet.

Sushi Rice

Vinegar Sauce (for 3-4 cups cooked short grain brown rice)

2 T. rice vinegar

4 teaspoons sugar

1 heaping teaspoons salt

To make the sauce, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a cup, and mix well until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved. The sauce should become clear. You can also warm up the sauce on the stove or in the microwave to more easily dissolve the salt & sugar.

Take the cooked rice and empty into a casserole dish. Avoid digging or scooping the rice out of the cooker, as this will damage some of the grains. It helps, however, to run a rice paddle or spatula around the edges of the cooked rice to loosen it before turning it out of the saucepan. Once it is in the casserole dish, gently break up the mass of rice with a few smooth, straight, slicing motions of your spatula. Pour the Sushi Dressing Sauce slowly over the back of your rice paddle or spatula, moving it to and fro over the rice so that the sauce is evenly sprinkled all over the rice.

Mix the rice to distribute the sauce thoroughly.

To preserve the integrity of the grains and avoid mashing them together, do not use circular stirring motions but instead "slice" the rice at an angle with your paddle or spatula, lifting it and turning it over in sections or chunks.

When the sauce is well distributed, begin to fan the rice while continuing to mix it. (You can do this yourself, but it's much easier to have a helper do the fanning while you do the mixing.) Fanning will cool the rice to a usable temperature and also helps evaporate the excess moisture. The sugar will give the grains an appealing gloss, which is an essential characteristic of good sushi rice.

Moisten and wring out a fine cotton cloth such as a thin dish towel or cloth napkin and place it on top of the rice to keep it from drying out. The cloth should rest lightly on the surface of the rice. Keep it covered until you are ready to make sushi with it. Rice covered in this way should remain good for several hours, or until the cloth dries out. Remoisten the cloth if it dries out.

Once we had the rice prepared, with help from Diego (our resident brown rice expert), Mari cut the veggies: carrot, cucumber, and avocado. I want to experiment with a variety of veggie fillings in the future but for now, the basics worked just fine.

Here is Mari getting ready to roll the sushi:

As luck would have it, Mari previously worked at a local Japanese restaurant and had sushi rolling experience. It's one of the reasons I hired her. She had experience with food that wasn't limited to the local Mexican cuisine. And what a great job she did!

In my opinion, the following high quality condiments have the best flavor:

And I am ready to dig in!

Indian: Aloo Tikkis & Curried Carrot Soup

Dinner tonight was a labor-intensive meal. Gracias Mari :) We spent hours in the kitchen preparing everything from scratch. We made cilantro chutney and even doctored the Whole Foods Organic Ketchup with extra seasoning. I wanted to make sure all the flavors were just right. And I am happy to report, dinner was a flavor explosion!

For the aloo tikkis, I used the recipe from ShowMeTheCurry.com. Mari and I watched the video before getting started:

Aloo Tikkis

Potatoes – 2 large, boiled & peeled
Dried Fenugreek Leaves – 1 Tbsp (aka Kasoori Methi)
Roasted Peanuts – 2 Tbsp, roughly crushed
1/4 c. peas
Salt – to taste
Roasted Cumin Powder – 1/2 tsp
Chaat Masala – 1 tsp
Dried Mango Powder – 1/4 tsp (aka Amchur)
Cilantro – 2 Tbsp, finely chopped
Bread Crumbs – as needed for coating tikkis
Oil – for pan frying

1. Using a grater, grate boiled potatoes (big shred). Potatoes can also be mashed using potato masher.
2. Add Peas, Peanuts, Cilantro, Green Chilies and Dried Fenugreek Leaves. Mix gently.
3. Add Salt, Chaat Masala, Roasted Cumin Powder and Dried Mango Powder. Mix well.
4. Apply a little Oil to your hands and take a portion of the potato mixture into your hands. Roll it into a ball and flatten it out gently. Tikkis can be rolled small for appetizers or larger for veggie burgers.
5. Roll out all of the tikkis.
6. Pour out some bread crumbs on a flat plate and dip and roll the tikkis to coat completely.

7. Heat a little oil in a non-stick skillet on medium heat and shallow fry the tikkis until they are crispy and brown. Both sides should be browned.
8. Serve hot with cilantro chutney and ketchup.

Cilantro Chutney

2 bunches of cilantro, washed & dried

2" piece of ginger, peeled & grated

1 small green bell pepper, deseeded & roughly chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded

1/2 t. sugar (or sweetener of your choice)

juice of 1 small lime

1 T. sesame seeds

1/2 t. sea salt

Blend all of the ingredients into a smooth consistency. May be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to a week.

Curried Carrot Soup

1 T. olive oil

1 medium onion , chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 pounds carrots, scrubbed but unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds

1 T. Madras-style curry powder

1 t. ground ginger

5 c. veggie broth

1 c. coconut milk

1 t. Spike seasoning

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the onion, celery, & garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes.
• Add the carrots and stir well. Stir in the curry powder and ginger and cook, stirring almost constantly, for 30 seconds.
• Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and partially cover the pot. Simmer until the carrots are very tender, about 30 minutes.
• In batches, transfer the soup to a blender, process until smooth and pour the puréed soup into a large bowl. (If you have an immersible hand blender, you can purée the soup right in the pot.) Return the puréed soup to the pot.
• Stir in the coconut milk and stir over low heat just until the soup is very hot; do not simmer. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Dinner is served :D

Butter lettuce salad topped w/cucumbers, grape tomatoes, & yellow bell pepper

Aloo tikkis w/spicy ketchup & cilantro chutney and Curried Carrot Soup

Asian Fusion: Korma udon noodles

Tonight's dinner is a veggie stir-fry with udon noodles topped with an Indian Korma sauce.This is a fusion of Japanese and Indian food.

Veggie Stir-fry

1 T. coconut oil

1 carrot cut into thin matchsticks

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

1/2 cup snow peas, ends trimmed & cut in half

1 yellow bell pepper julienned

1 zucchini sliced and quartered

1 c. bean sprouts

Heat the oil in a wok. Stir-fry each veggie, one at a time, in the order listed for about 2 min.

Add the bean sprouts and turn off the stove.

Total stir-fry time is about 12-15 min.

Korma Noodle Sauce

1 T. ghee

1 t. mustard seeds

1 big onion finely chopped

1" piece ginger finely chopped

1 t. ginger-garlic paste

1 bay leaf

1 chopped green chili - to your preferred spiciness

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 1/2 t. coriander powder

1 t. garam masala

1/2 t. turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 T. cashew butter

1 jar Patak's Korma sauce

In a saucepan, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds.

Add bay leaf, onions, ginger, and g&g paste one by one and fry for 3-4 min. Onion should not turn a brown color.

Add the spices, salt, diced tomatoes, and fry for few more mins.

Add the coconut milk, cashew butter, & Patak's Korma sauce. Mix well and cook on low for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

For the udon noodles, I use Eden Foods Brown Rice Udon. It has a nice, light texture which absorbs the flavor of the sauce really well. I love the Eden Foods Soba noodles too, that's for another dinner ;)

Sprinkle the plate with chopped cilantro leaves, cashews, & scallions upon serving.

Mexican: Veggie Tostadas

A fun, tasty, and easy Mexican dinner tonight.

Refried Black Beans

2 cans of black beans 15 oz.

1/4 t. cumin

1/2 t. chili powder

1 t. Spike seasoning (or salt to taste)

1/4 c. orange juice

1/2 T. olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 red bell pepper finely chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded & finely chopped

• Rinse & drain the black beans.
• Add the beans & spices into a food processor.
• Begin processing and drizzle o.j. through the chute. Use as much as needed to blend the beans evenly.
• Heat the oil in a skillet on high. Sauté the onion for 2 min.
• Add the bell pepper & jalapeño and sauté for another 2 min.
• Lower the heat and add the pureed beans. Mix all ingredients well as the beans warm up.
• Drizzle in o.j. as needed to keep the beans from sticking and cook for about 5 min more.

Guacamole

1 large avocado

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

1 small roma tomato, deseed & finely chopped

juice of a small lime

1/4 t. chili powder

1/4 t. Spike seasoning

Add avocado (pit removed), lime juice, & seasonings to a bowl.
Using a potato masher, mash avos to a desired consistency.
Stir in the cilantro & tomato.

We use the baked tostada shells. Heat them in a 350° preheated oven for 5-7 min for extra crispiness.

The table was set for making tostadas.

Here's a yummy tostada ready to eat.

Indian: Balti sabzi

I had oj throughout the day today as I didn't have much of an appetite and had low energy. For dinner, I threw together a balti sabzi.

Balti Sabzi

1 T. ghee or vegetable oil

1 onion chopped

1 inch ginger root finely chopped

1 large garlic clove crushed

1 large tomato chopped

1 T. paprika

1/2 t. turmeric

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. coriander powder

1 t. chili powder

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

1/2 t. sea salt

1 jar of Patak's Balti Sauce

4 c. of chopped veggies of your choice (I used potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini, and yellow bell pepper)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat.

Fry the onions, ginger and garlic until the onions are translucent.

Add the tomato and stir-fry for 2 min.

Add the Patak's Balti sauce, reduce the heat, and cook covered for 15 min.

Add the veggies (I pre-steamed the potato & cauliflower) to the sauce and simmer uncovered for about 15 min.

Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice.

Balti sabzi & brown rice

Raw Choco-Coco Lucuma Truffles

16 oz. Spirit Bliss Chocolate

1 c. agave nectar or raw honey

2 c. pitted honey dates

3 vanilla beans

1/2 c. lucuma powder

1/3 c. coconut oil

1/4 c. Artisana Coconut Butter

Dried shredded coconut for coating

1. Remove the seeds from the vanilla beans. Here's a great video tutorial on how to do so:

2. Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler.

3. Stir in the agave nectar or honey, vanilla seeds, and the lucuma powder until well blended.

4. Add the dates and Artisana coconut butter to a food processor. Then add the melted chocolate.

5. Puree until a smooth dough forms. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to blend in separate batches. I did 2 batches.

6. Refrigerate dough for 15-30 min. to firm up for rolling into balls.

7. Take about 1 tbsp. of dough and form a ball. Roll in a small plate filled with the shredded coconut and place on a separate larger plate covered with wax paper.

8. Place the plates of truffles in the fridge for about 30-40 min. to firm up. Then store in an air-tight container.

I have made many batches of truffles, using both raw chocolate & roasted chocolate. Each time I make a batch, I learn something new which helps improve them. The last batch of raw truffles I made were kinda bland, had the chocolate flavor but not much else. This time I added extra vanilla, coconut oil, and lucuma- wow, what a flavor boost! I am super pleased with this batch. The raw truffles have a deeper, more sublime chocolate flavor than their cooked counterparts.

Raw Choco-Coco Lucuma Truffles

Mexican: Pinto beans & rice

Breakfast: smoothie w/fresh oj, pineapple, & frozen strawberries- Simply delightful :)

Lunch: Chocolate chai smoothie-YUM! naners (fresh & frozen)+honey dates+raw cacao powder+vanilla+hemp seed+chai spices (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, & clove pwdrs)

Dinner: Usual big salad and...

Pinto beans, brown rice, & guacamole salad

I also had some corn tortillas & red salsa with my plate. It was a Mexican meal with our personal touches. Diego - my partner in crime ;) - made the beans in a crock pot overnight. We have a Japanese rice cooker that makes the perfect brown rice. He added a little chili powder, cumin, and Spike to the water with the uncooked rice.

Crock Pot Pinto Beans

2 cups of dried Pinto beans (rinsed & sorted removing any debris)

6 cups water

1 onion chopped

2 t. chili powder

2 t. cumin

1/4 t. black pepper

3 t. Spike seasoning

a pinch of salt to taste (or more if not using Spike)

Add all the ingredients to the crock pot. Set to low and cook for 12-14 hours until beans are fully cooked. Add more spices if needed.