Nigella's Low-Effort, Big Flavor Mirin-Glazed Salmon

I freely admit it, I like low-effort. As much as I love to cook, spending hours laboring over a dish with lots of steps bores me rather quickly so when I can find a dish that is almost effortless but tastes great, I am all over it. It's "Potluck" week at I Heart Cooking Clubs and since that means we can pick any Nigella recipe to make, I chose the perfect low-effort, big flavor dish; her Mirin-Glazed Salmon. Bonus--it's a pantry dish for me as I keep a bag of Costco frozen wild salmon fillets in my freezer (need to get those mighty omega-3's in the diet), and I always have all of the other components on hand. Nigella recommends serving the fish with sushi rice but I was really craving Nigella's Soba Noodles with Sesame Seeds that I made last month, so I whipped up a batch. (You can find the recipe for the noodles on that previous post here, they are so simple and tasty it is always worth making a batch).

The Mirin-Glazed Salmon recipe can be found in Nigella Express or on her website here.

Nigella says, "This must be the fastest possible way to create a culinary sensation. You do scarcely a thing--just dip some salmon steaks in a dark glossy potion, most of which you get out of jars--and what you make tastes as if you had been dedicating half your life to achieving the perfect combination of sweet, savory, tender, and crisp.

If there are only two of you eating, I would be inclined to stick to quantities, letting a couple of pieces or whatever you don't eat cool, as it makes a fantastic salad the next day. My favorite accompaniment here is sushi rice, and since I am wedded to my rice cooker, this is no work and needs no skill whatsoever. Just cook rice of your choice – or noodles if you prefer- according to the instructions on the package if you are cruelly rice-cookerless."

Mirin-Glazed Salmon

"Nigella Express" by Nigella Lawson

(Serves 4)

1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low-sodium)
4 (4 oz) pieces of salmon, cut from the thick part of the fillet so that they are narrow but tall rather than wide and flat
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1–2 scallions, halved and shredded into fine strips

Mix the mirin, brown sugar and soy in a shallow dish that will take all 4 pieces of salmon, and marinate the salmon in it for 3 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second. Meanwhile heat a large skillet on the stove.

Cook the salmon in the hot, dry pan for 2 minutes and then turn it over, add the marinade and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the salmon to whatever plate you’re serving it on, and add the rice vinegar to the hot pan.

Pour the dark, sweet, salty glaze over the salmon and top with the scallion strips. Serve with rice or noodles as you wish, and consider putting some sushi ginger on the table, too.


Notes/Results: Excellent--the glaze is sweet, salty, tangy and rich, and works perfectly with the salmon which stays tender and moist. The sauce does evaporate a bit as it cooks, but I just added a bit more rice vinegar and it was fine. Although sushi rice would have been great, the soba noodles were a nice compliment and are quick and easy too. This is a dish that is so simple to make it is almost embarrassing, but it looks and tastes like you got it at your favorite Japanese restaurant. A keeper recipe for sure.

You can check out what the other IHCC participants selected as their Potluck dishes and see what they thought of them by going to the website here and following the links.

The Heart-Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

Instead of the usual Tuesday "Things I Am Loving This Week" post, here's a cookie I am loving instead! ;-)

With February being "American Heart Month" good heart-healthy recipes are all over. One doesn't necessarily think of cookies as being particularly heart-healthy so when I saw this recipe for "The Heart-Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World" in my Vegetarian Times recipes email, I knew I had to try it. I love the fact that the recipe incorporates walnuts, which are made into a nut butter that replaces the normal butter and eggs. Walnuts have the highest amounts of essential omega-3 fats of any nuts, and omega-3's have been shown to help lower triglycerides and reduce plaque formation, among their other benefits. It also incorporates rolled oats and oat flour, a good source of fiber and antioxidants--great for heart health. Good for you sure, but the important test is texture and taste--would these healthier cookies still be soft, chewy, and good?


Vegetarian Times says: "When you replace butter and eggs with ground walnuts, and all-purpose flour with a blend of oat flour and oatmeal, you get a moist, chewy, vegan cookie that’s loaded with good-for-your-heart ingredients."

You can find the recipe from the February 2009 Vegetarian Times online at their website here.


The Heart-Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World
Vegetarian Times, February 2009
(Makes about 30 cookies)

3 Tbs. canola oil
2 cups walnuts
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups oat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups rolled oats
3 (3.5-oz.) bars bittersweet vegan chocolate, chopped, or 1½ cups vegan chocolate chips (12 oz.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

Blend walnuts in food processor 30 seconds, or until ground into a fine meal. Add canola oil, and blend 2 to 3 minutes more, or until mixture has the consistency of natural peanut butter, scraping down sides of food processor occasionally. Transfer to bowl.

Whisk together brown sugar and ½ cup water in small saucepan, and bring mixture to a boil. Pour brown sugar mixture over ground walnut butter, add vanilla extract, and stir until no lumps remain. Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool 10 minutes. Fold in oats, then chocolate chips.

Shape cookie dough into 2-inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten cookies with bottom of drinking glass dipped in water. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown and tops look dry. Cool 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Nutritional Information

Per Cookie: Calories: 173, Protein: 3g, Total fat: 10g, Saturated fat: 3g, Carbs: 21g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 122mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugars: 12g


Notes/Results: Yum! A delicious oatmeal cookie, chewy. moist and full of chocolate. These are good enough that you wouldn't suspect they are a healthier option. The walnut nut butter is a great technique and makes the cookies dairy-free. I'll be experimenting with it in other cookie recipes. These cookies store well and remain soft and good, and are perfect with a cup of vanilla chai (as shown here) or maybe a soy latte. A better cookie choice for an occasional indulgence, I will definitely make these again.


I'll be back with some "Things I Am Loving" next week. ;-)

Aloha!

Coconut Ginger Chicken Soup Says Love for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

Flipping through the Edible Hawaiian Islands Winter 2010 issue, I came across a recipe for Coconut Ginger Chicken Soup that combined a lot of my favorite flavors and ingredients. A cross between a Thai soup and chicken long rice, one of my favorite local dishes, the soup uses saifun noodles, also known as bean threads or cellophane noodles. It's chicken noodle soup with an Asian twist. I did make a few small changes--in red italics below.

The magazine says, "Soup is comfort food. This wonderful recipe is a combination of chicken soup with fresh Hawaiian ingredients. You can easily change out the chicken, adding any of your favorite diced vegetables or shrimp to create a new flavor of your own."

Coconut Ginger Chicken Soup

Dahlia Haas, Edible Hawaiian Islands, Winter 2010

(Makes 6-8 Servings)

Chicken:

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1 cup onion, minced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

6 chicken thighs, cut in 1-inch cubes

Heat oil in a medium stockpot over a medium flame. When hot, add the onion and garlic, saute till softened and lightly browned, stirring well, then add chicken and quickly stir-fry till just done. Don't over-cook. Remove mixture from the pan and set aside in a bowl.

Coconut Lemongrass Broth (Makes 6 cups):

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 cup onion, diced

4 stalks lemongrass, plain parts only, crushed

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 whole Thai or Serrano chilies, stemmed not seeded

1/4 cup ginger, minced

6 cups vegetable stock

10 ounces coconut milk, canned (I used lite coconut milk)

juice of 2 lemons

juice of 1 lime

5-6 kaffir lime leaves

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

4 Tbsp fish sauce

saifun noodles, cooked as directed

1 large carrot, shredded

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

several leaves each of cilantro, mint and Thai basil, chopped to garnish

In the same pan, heat oil over a medium flame, add onion, garlic, chilies ans ginger, saute and stir till mixture is softened and lightly browned (about 5 minutes); add the rest of ingredients, except the saifun noodles; simmer, covered for 30 minutes till broth is well flavored. Remove from heat, strain broth through a strainer, discard the solids and return the broth to the saucepan.

Add the saifun noodles, cooked chicken, and thinly shredded carrot, simmer for 10 minutes on a low flame, season with salt and pepper. Top with chopped cilantro. mint and Thai basil and serve with extra lime slices or wedges.

Notes/Results: Excellent and perfect for the cool, breezy nights we have been having lately. The broth has a lot of flavor and is creamy and good without being heavy. As I am a fan of lots of citrus flavor, I added some kaffir lime limes and the juice of a small lime which gave me the tangy taste I was looking for. I also added some thinly shredded carrots and a topping of cilantro, mint and Thai basil and I would keep these in when I remake it and probably toss in a bunch of other veggies too--just for some variety. This is a very "noodley" soup and the saifun noodles soak up a lot of the flavorful broth--not that there is anything wrong with that! ;-)

Let's see who is in the Souper Sunday kitchen on this Valentine's Day and kick-off to Chinese New Year. Happy Year of the Tiger!

Christine from Kit's Chow is back this week and we were on the same Hawaiian-style chicken soup wavelength! Christine says, "Chicken Long Rice is a classic dish featured in Hawaiian luaus. It is based loosely on a dish of Chinese origin but there are versions of this soup/stew throughout Asia. There is no rice in Chicken Long Rice. Not even rice noodles. The noodles are glass noodles, aka mung bean vermicelli. This dish is comfort food. It is ideal for cold/snowy/rainy days. The glass noodles absorb the rich chicken soup and slither down the throat easily."

"Comfort. Simple, tasty, and full of memories" is how Danielle from Cooking For My Peace of Mind describes her Potato Soup. She says, "This is one of those recipes I've had since I moved out....long long ago. A recipe I called my Nana to get. Now, I have to admit, this isn't her exact recipe. Not that there is anything wrong with Nana's recipe...but you know how it is. We just can't leave well enough along. We have to play with it and tweak it and make it our own."

It's so nice to have Tara, The Diva on a Diet from Beach Eats back here at Souper Sunday and with this delicious Spicy Asian Beef Noodle Bowl. Tara says, "I have no idea how authentic this dish is, or even from what country it might hail. I didn't ask for its passport - hell, I didn't even have a recipe. I simply assembled a bunch of stuff I like and started cooking. The result? A big, BOLD, beautiful soup/noodle bowl that is sure to warm up even the chilliest of days." Come back again soon Tara! ;-)

"Flowers are fleeting, cast iron is forever." Celebrating Valentine's Day with the gorgeous red pot her husband bought her, Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies made this Kinoko Nabe (Mushroom Hot Pot). She says, "The pot was perfect for making a Japanese Hot Pot, wherein the ingredients are artfully arranged in a delicious broth. This being my first hot pot, I went for a mixed mushroom style. It is served at the table, often with noodles on the side that can be put into the remaining broth to sop up its goodness. For condiment I served it with sriracha. Yum!"

Debby from A Feast for the Eyes made a gorgeous Thai Mushroom Soup that started as a recipe from The Pioneer Woman. Debby says, "I ended up adapting the recipe to satisfy my sudden craving for Thai flavors. I'm very much in the beginner stages of learning how to cook Thai food, and I have learned to love it a lot. My favorite flavors of Thai food includes lemongrass (which I didn't use in this soup), red curry, lime juice, coconut and cilantro." The result? "Stuffy-nosed me took a first taste. Whoa! I could taste it! The red curry paste gives this soup a real kick! I liked it a lot."

The always creative Graziana from Erbe in Cucina came up with this Coriander Sauce Sandwich with Parma Ham in an unexpected way. She says, "I didn't know if I should tell you the true story about this sandwich that-believe me-was a tasty snack.I could tell you that the idea of a peas sauce had some mysterious origin... but the truth is that I made a peas and egg puree for my 13-month-old baby's pasta. It was a new recipe for him... but he didn't appreciate it and I throw it away. I had some puree leftovers... and it tasted good to me. So I added some fresh coriander, Parma ham, and the snack was born."

Lea Ann from Mangos, Chili and Z put a creative twist on a classic for her Superbowl party with these little Muffaletta Sliders. She says, "First of all, I was so proud of this idea. And I must admit they turned out pretty good.I really like Sara Lee Classic Dinner rolls for any slider recipe that I make. My Muffaletta sliders were built with alternating two layers each: Mortadella, Smoked Ham, Cotto Salami, Provolone Cheese, Swiss Cheese. I topped the each sandwich with 1/2 Pepperoncini pepper, veins and seeds removed, and a slather of the olive tapenade."

Some great soups and sandwiches this week! Mahalo to everyone who joined in. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich to share, click on the Souper Sundays logo on the sidebar for all of the details.

Have a great week!

Vanilla Chai--A Comforting Cup and "Simple Saturday Sipper"

When the weather is cool, the wind blows and the rain comes down I crave chai tea. (Actually I crave chai tea pretty much all year round but that's when I crave it hot). The last couple of days have been my favorite kind of winter light-blanket weather (this is still Hawaii you know!) and perfect for a cup of chai. There is something about the blend of exotic spices that is warm, comforting and incredibly good.

I decided to alter my normal chai tea base recipe a bit and add one of the gorgeous vanilla beans I received to sample from Marx Foods. (I used a Madagascar bean this time). To make it dairy-free and give it an extra punch of vanilla, I mixed the chai base with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and added a bit of vanilla extract. The result--a warming and delicious cup of Vanilla Chai and a comforting "Simple Saturday Sipper."

Vanilla Chai

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Makes 4 Cups of Chai Tea Base)

Chai Tea Base:

4 cups water

1-2 star anise

1 tsp fennel seed
6 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed
12 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks

12 peppercorns (I used white)
(1/4-inch) piece ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
black peppercorns

1 vanilla bean, split

2 heaping Tbsp black tea (I used an English Breakfast)

To Serve:

2 tsp vanilla extract

sweetener of choice to taste (I used about 2 tsp agave nectar)

"milk" of choice (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

Bring water and spices to a boil in a medium saucepan, boil for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pot and steep spices for 10 minutes. Bring spice water back to just at a boil, add tea and simmer about 4 minutes. Strain and reserve chai tea base. (Store in fridge up to two weeks).

To serve add the chai tea base to your favorite cup or glass, (reheat if not using right away). Heat your milk or milk substitute of choice and add to cup, proportioning to taste (I use about 2/3 chai mix to 1/3 milk). Sweeten to taste with your natural sweetener of choice. (I usually use agave or honey). Enjoy!


Notes/Results: Lovely, vanilla goodness! Sweet, spicy and perfect for a cool afternoon or evening. The almond milk works well for chai as it makes it creamy and keeps it dairy-free. It is great as a dessert on its own but chai is perfect with a cookie or two--in this case Vegetarian Times vegan "The Heart-Healthiest Chocolate-Chip Cookies in the World." (Since they are delicious enough to deserve their own post, I'll be posting the cookies early next week). It takes your basic milk and cookies to a whole new (and pretty healthy!) level. I will be making this tea again.

Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow from Max and me! ;-)

(Yes, I was having a little too much fun with my photo-editing program!)

Quivering With Passion Jellies: A Little Romance From Nigella

With Valentine's Day looming on the horizon this week, our theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs is appropriately A Little Romance. To be honest I am not a huge fan of the holiday, maybe due to my inability to sustain long-term romantic relationships, but that's a story for my therapist not for my blog! ;-) My best Valentine's Day ever? It was back when I was working in the International department of a the giant coffee empire. When we traveled internationally we were booked in coach with "possible" upgrades "when available" with an airline that carried said coffee brand. Well available upgrades were pretty rare so we usually ended up stuck in coach--not fun when you travel often and long distances for business. So it was Valentines Day and I was scheduled to fly to Tokyo and (surprise!) no upgrades came through so I had a stop in San Francisco, a center seat in coach, and a very grumpy attitude. That morning San Fran was fogged in and the flight there delayed for several hours, and since I was in danger of missing my connection, the airline sent me, voucher in hand over to Continental who had a direct flight about to take off. When I walked up to the desk at the gate and handed my voucher in, the attendant looked at it and said "Well today is your lucky day! We are out of Coach seats and you are now in First Class." (Not Coach, not Business Class mind you, but First Class). "You are in First Class"--are there any five more beautiful words in the English language? I think not. So there I am, seated in my comfy, large, plenty of leg room, fully-reclining seat, sipping a glass of champagne and perusing the lunch menu, and the flight attendant brought out a little cart of movies for my in-seat player and had me pick a couple. Later on after being well fed, well beveraged, and even plied with an ice cream sundae for dessert, they brought wrapped boxes of chocolate out for us, since we had to fly on Valentine's Day. Alternating between naps fully reclined, movies and multiple feedings, I had a restful flight, and as we were getting ready to land the flight attendants brought out roses for everyone and one even gave me an unopened bottle of champagne "for my hotel room." Yep, the day didn't involve any romance, but it had many of the important elements; flowers, chocolate and champagne so I was happy.


I think Valentine's Day calls for a little indulgence--for me that is usually chocolate, but the title of Nigella's Quivering With Passion Jellies, was so fun, I had to make it. The fact that I am a fan of passionfruit and cloud-like whipped cream just sealed the deal. I have made two of Nigella's other syllabub recipes in the past (Turkish Delight and Calvados) and love the frothy, creamy treat, so having a layer of it on top of a gelatin made with passionfruit and white wine sounded perfect to me. (And the fact that it serves 2, makes for good portion control and good for my willpower, which can disappear when sweets are involved). The recipe can be found in Nigella's "Feast" on pages 148 & 149.

Nigella says, "You can make this the day before, or at least the jellied part, which should make life easier. The only thing to remember is that they must come out of the fridge in good time to come to room temperature otherwise that voluptuous, inner-thigh wobble will be lost."

Quivering With Passion Jellies

"Feast" by Nigella Lawson

(Serves 2)

For the Jellies:

3/4 cup white wine

1 cup passionfruit pulp and seeds (about 5 fruits)

1/4 cup superfine sugar

1 gelatin sheet

For the Syllabub Topping:

2 passionfruit

2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

1 Tbsp white wine

1/3 cup heavy cream

Bring the wine and seeds and pulp of the passion fruit to a boil in a saucepan, then take off the heat and stir in the sugar. Pour through a sieve into a glass measuring cup to strain, discarding the seeds and pulp.

Soak the gelatin in cold water until soft--I just use a small oblong dish filled with about 1 1/2 inches cold water from the tap--then wring it out and whisk into the strained liquid. Pour the mixture into two glasses and put in the fridge to set. I don't bother with wine glasses or anything fancy-looking; in fact I rather prefer the jellies in the very plain glasses you see, and which are cleaned, empty jars minus their lids.

When the jellies have set, remove them from the fridge and start on the topping. You can either top them before dinner and let them get to room temperature in their entirety, or let them sit and have the chill taken off before you spoon over the syllabub-like mixture. Either way, scoop out the seeds and pulp of the 2 remaining passionfruit into a bowl with the confectioner's sugar and wine and stir to mix. Add the cream and gently whip until you have a soft and floaty aerated mass to dollop on top of each of the fragrant jellies.

Nigella's Note: "If you want to pair down all activities, you can make a passionfruit fool or syllabub--truly, it's somewhere in the middle--by dispensing with the jelly bit and augmenting the quantities of cream to 1 cup, passionfruit to 6, confectioner's sugar to 1/3 cup and wine to 3 tablespoons, or better still, replace with Southern Comfort. The method is much the same; mix passionfruit, sugar and liqueur in a bowl and then pour in cream and whisk until you have requisite floaty mass and divide between two glasses."

Notes/Results: Delicious--a combination of creamy-sweet and slightly tart. I used the passionfruit we have in Hawaii (called lilikoi here), they are similar to the purple passion fruit you may be more familiar with, except usually a bit larger and a bit more tart. We do see purple ones here too, but I mostly find the yellow ones. (Here's a picture from a Lilikoi Curd post if you want to see them). Since they are in season here, I got my seven needed for the recipe for $3.00--not too bad--could have made this one for last week's Budgets & Bargains theme! I used a package of gelatin granules instead of the gelatin sheet Nigella called for which worked fine and the jellies went together well. I did have a bit of a challenge with my syllabub, it was just not setting up at all when I whipped it and although it is not supposed to be firm, Nigella says it should be a "soft, floaty aerated mass" and this was more like a slightly thick creamy liquid goo. After a lot of mixing and finally determining it just wasn't going to set up, (I am thinking maybe I had more passionfruit pulp than Nigella intended since the lilikoi are slightly larger), I made a quick decision to whip up another 1/3 cup of cream with a bit of powdered sugar and get it a bit firmer than normal for syllabub. Then I folded the firmer whipped cream into my liquidy passionfruit mixture, and together they made just the right texture--floaty and aerated! ;-) The flavor was still delicious--I think with the strong flavor of the jellies, having less passionfruit flavor in the syllabub was a positive thing. Other than that brief detour it was a simple, straight forward recipe and I would make it again. I thought about putting them into a fancier glass but since Nigella uses a simple jar, I used some juice glasses with a similar look. If you can't find lilikoi where you live, a similar layered concoction with berries instead would be easy and fun to make in summer too.

You can see how the other IHCC participants found A Little Romance in their Nigella recipes by going to the IHCC site here and following the links to their posts.

How will you be celebrating Valentine's Day this year?

Things The Thing I Am Loving This Week

Tuesdays here at Kahakai Kitchen are usually reserved for the "Things I Am Loving This Week"--those (mostly) food related things I am enjoying and want to share. This week I am focusing on just one thing I love--but it's a biggie! There are so many reasons I am "lucky to live Hawaii" as we say here. One that I really enjoy is the offering of superb cooking classes at Kapiolani Community College that I take full advantage of, signing up for 5 or 6 each semester. The schedule and classes are thoughtfully and creatively planned out by Frank Gonzales, Continuing Education Coordinator for the Culinary Arts Department. There are times I am convinced Frank has my dream job, until I am reminded of how hard he works, juggling the schedule, chasing down ingredients and supporting the evening classes and often back to back classes on Saturdays too. The KCC culinary classes have a little something for everyone; knife skills, baking, Japanese, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Mexican, wine and tea to name just some of the options available. The students come from a variety of backgrounds and skill levels, from new cook to those who are more experienced and looking for new recipes and ideas.

Some of my favorites have been the healthy, vegetarian classes taught by personal chef, Alyssa Moreau. I always end up learning new things from Alyssa--whether using cashew milk in curries for a tasty non-dairy option, to the best tofu and other products to buy, and of course I always end up loving her healthy, full of flavor vegetarian and vegan dishes. I have to list this past Saturday's class "Low Fat Chinese New Year" as one of my all time favorites; with some unfamiliar (to me anyway!) ingredients to work with, lots of fun and absolutely delicious food that I enjoyed all weekend.

We made three dishes: Stuffed Lotus Leaves, Taro Dumplings and Stuffed Tofu as well as had two demo/tastings, one for Chow Fun Stir-Fry and the other for Almond Cookies. It was a fabulous morning, spent with my cooking partner and new friend Julie. Julie, a new cook (and a blogger too: Advice2Love and Lux Travel & Everyday Discovery), was enthusiastic and there to learn and we had a great time cooking, talking and laughing together. These are not my best pictures ever--I get too caught up in the cooking, and my camera ended up with bits of mochi rice stuck to it--but it was all good fun.

OK, how cool are these giant lotus leaves?! For our Stuffed Lotus Leaves, they were soaked over night to make them pliable, cut into fourths and then filled with a mixture of mochi rice (sweet, short-grain sticky rice), carrots, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and diced soy chicken cutlet, and seasoned with ginger, shoyu and sesame oil. Then they are folded into little packets, tied with string and steamed in a bamboo basket. (Guess what is going to replace my metal steaming basket very soon?). When the packets are opened to enjoy, the rice mixture is tender, sticky and infused with delicious flavor. So good and so easy, I will seek out the leaves in Chinatown to make more. The rice-veggie mixture can also be changed up with different ingredients--maybe some brown rice for me next time.

If I had to pick a favorite dish, it would be these little steamed Taro Dumplings. I have always avoided taro--usually because it seems to end up as sticky, bland poi here and I am not a fan. Too bad because Taro is packed with good for you nutrients including vitamins E and B6, potassium and manganese and it is high in fiber and low in saturated fat, and cholesterol. For these dumplings the cooked taro is combined with diced water chestnuts, rehydrated fungus, ginger, green onion and cilantro, and seasoned with shoyu, a little sugar and some sesame oil. Spoonfuls are placed in round won ton wrappers and formed into little flower like dumplings which are steamed on cabbage leaves so they don't stick to the steamer basket. Finally they are served with a shoyu-rice vinegar dipping sauce spiked with ginger, chili paste and sesame oil. Being a somewhat lazy cook, I have stayed away from making dim sum or steamed dumplings but these were very easy to make. I am envisioning experimenting with all kinds of different fillings.

For some reason I didn't end up with any prep pictures of our Stuffed Tofu (just one in the pan at the end of the collage below and a couple on the plate at home), but it was another delicious dish. Super-firm tofu is cut into squares, one corner of each square is slit and then the filling is stuffed into it. The filling is a combination of tempeh and seitan (pressed, fermented soy beans and wheat gluten respectively, and if you aren't familiar, they both taste better than they sound!), along with water chestnuts, green onions, ginger, arrowroot or cornstarch and shoyu. The tofu is then pan-fried until lightly browned on both sides and then simmered in a sauce of fermented black bean, water, cornstarch, shoyu and a little sugar. Towards the end of cooking, green beans are added to the sauce and the finished dish is garnished with cilantro.

Also in the photo collage above is the wonderful Alyssa in the flowered apron, the almond cookies she demonstrated, and one of me and cooking partner Julie that Alyssa took. (BTW: Not sure what is up with my eye and the hairstyle is called "Deb got up extra early to be parked and at the Farmer's Market before class and didn't bother to wash and style her hair" ;-) Also why I kept the picture size small!)

The Almond Cookies were delicious and much better than the sometimes too hard and oddly yellowish almond cookies you can buy in Chinatown or get at Chinese restaurants. The ground almonds and whole wheat pastry flour give them a nice texture. I will leave you with that recipe as I think it is most accessible if you don't have access to some of the different ingredients in the dishes above. If you want to attempt any of the other recipes, give me a shout out.

Almond Cookies

By Alyssa Moreau

(Makes 20-24 Cookies)

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (1/2 cup can be rice flour)

1 cup almonds (ground to 1 1/2 cups almond meal)

1/2 cup cane sugar (could also use maple or date sugar)

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3-1/2 cup light oil (start with 1/3 cup and add more if dough feels too dry)

1/2 cup apple juice or water

2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup almonds for blanching*

*To blanch almonds, place in boiling water for about 5 minutes, then drain. Slip off skins and cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour(s), almond meal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine oil, juice and extracts. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well until it forms a cohesive ball.

Form dough into balls and flatten slightly. Place a blanched almond in the center of each cookie and push it into place. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on rack.

As you can see, I ate very well the rest of the weekend--in fact only half of my demo cookie made it home and on a plate--the other half was consumed in the car on the way. Wonderful class, wonderful culinary program! I am looking forward to the Saturday after next since I was crazy enough to sign up for back to back classes and will be cooking Middle Eastern delicacies and then Japanese "Okazuya" (which means side dish or little comfort food dishes). Fun!

So what are you loving this week?

Dreamy, Creamy Mushroom Soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I loves me some mushrooms! It's something about the earthy, savory flavor and meaty texture they have, and it doesn't hurt that they are good for you too. Mushrooms are one of the few plant sources of vitamin D and are a good source of potassium, selenium, B vitamins and antioxidants. The February 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times has a whole feature on mushrooms and this recipe for a Creamy Mushroom Soup stood out. I love the fact that it is creamy but vegan / non-dairy, using soy creamer instead. It also is a great way to use up some of the huge container of dried mushrooms I have in my pantry.

The magazine says, "This recipe employs an old restaurant trick of using affordable fresh mushrooms such as crimini, for the soup base, then stirring in premium mushrooms at the end."

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Vegetarian Times, February 2010

(Serves 6)

1 oz. mixed dried mushrooms, such as oysters, porcini, and chanterelles, plus more for garnish, optional

1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp salt, divided

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, such as cremini and white button, chopped (2 cups)

1/2 cup finely chopped shallot

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp)

1/2 cup sherry

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 cup soy creamer

Place dried mushrooms in a medium bowl. Cover with 2 cups hot water, and let stand 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid. Bring soaking liquid and broth to a simmer in saucepan over medium heat. Cover, and keep warm.

Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add rehydrated mushrooms and 1/4 tsp salt; saute 2 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. Transfer mushrooms to plate; set aside.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil in same saucepan over medium heat. Add fresh mushrooms, shallot, pepper, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, and cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Increase heat to medium-high, and stir in sherry. Simmer 3 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half. Whisk flour into broth mixture. Stir broth mixture into mushroom mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes

Transfer soup to blender or food processor, and puree until smooth. Return soup to pot; stir in creamer and reserved rehydrated mushrooms, reserving a few for garnish, if using.

Per 2/3 cup serving: 88 calories; 3g protein; 4g total fat; (less than 1g sat fat); 10g carb; 0mg chol; 248mg sodium; 2g fiber; 2g sugars

Mushroom Notes: Brown Bag It: Transfer just bought fresh mushrooms from plastic bags or containers to brown paper bags to keep them fresh in the fridge for up to two weeks. The paper keeps light out but lets air in, so mushrooms stay firm and dry.

Notes/Results: OK, Yum! This is a rich and very delicious soup that is full of flavor and creamy texture too. I made the soup, took a few pictures, inhaled it, then went back for another helping. It actually was pretty thick and rich even without the soy creamer but that took it too the next level. I have tendency to always add more garlic and black pepper and I doubled the amount here. A great soup that tastes really indulgent for not a lot of fat and calories. I would make this one again.

While some people are watching the Super Bowl this Sunday, many others are enjoying a "souper bowl" of delicious soup, a plate of salad and some sandwiches too. Looks like quite a crowd in the Souper Sunday kitchen this week!

Graziana from Erbe in Cucina experimented in the kitchen this week and came up with this Sprouted Fenugreek Soup made creamy with coconut cream and kicked up with chili powder and spices. Graziana says, "A few days ago, I sowed fenugreek after testing the seeds. They were vital, so I also create some fenugreek sprouts. Put the seeds in a covered bowl with some water, in a warm place. Change water every morning for 4-5 days, until sprouts are ready. Easy, isn't it? Next experiment: mungo beans!"

It's so nice to see Wizzy from Breakfast Lunch Dinner Punch here this week and just as nice to see the lovely Trinidad Corn Soup she brought with her. Wizzy says, "We are in full swing for the annual Carnival celebration which culminates in a two day explosion of colour and music as masqueraders take to the streets in sequins, feathers and glittered splendor. It is indeed something to be experienced. Even if you can't be here, you can still have a taste of Carnival if you make this soup which is sold by street vendors at most carnival fêtes. Until now I hadn't given much thought to the fact that this is actually a healthy, high fiber, vegetarian meal. But who really has time to contemplate nutritional value when you are in a pan yard listening to the sweetest rhythm of steel drums and craving a cup of corn soup?"

Loving the comfort of a warm bowl of soup is Chaya from Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog who made this Creamy Potato Broccoli Soup. She says, "I made the recipe up as I went along and there are definite changes, I would make, if I had a few more minutes. Hubby had been out of town for more than a week and he was arriving in five minutes. There, I stood with a half made soup. It was waiting for an immersion blender attack and some sour cream to make it even creamier. This cold man warmed up quickly with his “souper” soup, if I may steal Deb’s word."

Welcome to Martha from Menagerie, hailing from Florida, who found her way to Souper Sundays from Chaya's blog. Martha says, "All last week I was craving a nice bowl of Matzoball Soup. Since I wasn't planning to drive to Ft. Lauderdale or to New York City any time soon - and since I always make homemade soup of some kind on the weekend in the winter, I decided on a nice big batch of Matzoball soup. Hot, light, fluffy, flavorful, delicious comfort food - just like someone's "Bubbe" would make!"


My friend Lori from Fake Food Free took advantage of a sale on potatoes and used some of her 10 lb. bag to make this Quick Broccoli Potato Soup for Two. Lori says, "I pulled out a Weight Watchers cookbook my mother-in-law got for me several years ago, called Dining for Two. I used it a lot before I boxed it up during our move abroad. Now, although the pages are bit bent from storage the recipes remain so I decided to modify a potato soup I used to make a lot. The soup has a delicious flavor and even with the changes I made it still remains a favorite. The best part about this soup is that if you have your broccoli and potatoes previously cooked in the form of leftovers, it is so quick to make."

Foodycat is here with some hearty Spit Pea and Ham Soup inspired by George at A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse. Foodycat says, "It's not exactly fast food, because it takes about 4 hours to cook, but those are 4 very low-effort hours! And the rich, comforting flavour makes the time spent well worth it. As an added bonus, it gets really thick when it cools, so it is fabulous to take to work because it doesn't leak all over your lunch bag."

Here with a hearty stew with a sexy name is Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies and this gorgeous Italian Spezzatino di Manzo (Classic Beef Stew) She says, "See, what did I tell you about food sounding even sexier in Italian? This is similar to French Boeuf Bourguignon, you do have to love red wine to love this stew. As it happens... I do! The slow simmer gives the stew a rich flavour. I subbed in almost half of the beef for mushrooms, as that was what I had on hand, and it turned out lovely. Rich, dark, deep and delicious. Man food, to be sure, and very sexy indeed. It uses a good part of a bottle of wine, the last cup is for the chef. Make sure to have another bottle on hand!"

Busy Donna from My Tasty Treasures popped in from a blogging break to bring by some of Rachel Ray's Tomato Bean 15 Minute Stoup and also a salad we will talk about below. Donna says, "First off it does not take 15 minutes Rachael, sorry, you are wrong.. I'd hazard a guess of more like 40 minutes.. Anyhow, a healthy, quick, tasty soup that will again be repeated in my home. Wonderful as a lunch, loaded with veggies, a bowl full of goodness for sure."

This Cafe Green Salad by Melissa d'Arabian was also on the menu in Donna's kitchen. She says, "I found this saladto be quite tasty. The dressing is just delicious, something different, and so simple to make.My FFH devoured it, and I will make it again, a great flavor!! Pretty, too!!"

Here with one of my favorite sammies is Christime from Kit's Chow who has been missed here at Souper Sundays! Happy to see her back and with this delectable Vietnamese Bánh Mì. Christine says, "In my opinion, the Vietnamese baguette sandwich, Bánh Mì, is the best sandwich. And the best Bánh Mì in Vancouver comes from the Tung Hing Bakery on Kingsway. The sandwiches are so popular that there is always a lineup for themI've been making my version of Bánh Mì at home with a baguette from our local supermarket. I've spent enough time standing in front of their sandwich-making counter that I figured it out. Here is my chicken and prosciutto Bánh Mì."

Speaking of favorite sandwiches this Grilled Turkey, Bacon, Arugula, and Blue Cheese Sandwich on Red Beet Buns could become a new one. Created by Joanne at Eats Well With Others who baked the red beet buns herself. Joanne has gone from beat hater to beet lover recently, and says that you'll like these even if you haven't converted yet. "These beet buns from HBinFive. Taste very little like beets. And very much like onion (since they also have onion in them). More important than that. They are moist and delicious. But in case you weren't convinced. (I can't believe you don't trust me. I'm hurt. I really am.) I made a sandwich with them. With bacon. Because I know that even if you don't like beets. You love bacon."

What a fantastic bunch of recipes this week--thanks to those friends, old and new who participated! If you have a soup, salad or sandwich you would like to share, click on the Souper Sunday logo on the side bar for all the details.

Have a great week!