Touch Down Trail Mix

The Super Bowl is this Sunday!  Here’s a great snack that’s sure to please all during the exciting game.  Better yet, it’s so easy to make!  Have some chicken wings, cut vegetables, onigiri (rice balls) and bowls filled with this Asian inspired Touch Down Trail Mix.

Touch Down Trail Mix

1 12 oz. box of Crispix cereal

¼ C unsalted butter

¼ C light corn syrup

1 Tbsp. light soy sauce

½ cup sugar

¾ bottle of furikake (norikomi furukake)

1 C cashews

1 C Peanut M & Ms

     1.  Preheat oven to 250

     2.  Place Cripix Cereal, cashews and furukake into a bowl
     3.  Heat butter, light corn syrup, sugar and soy sauce, until it just starts to boil.  
     4.  Pour heated mixture over cereal and cashews.

     5.  Place on baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes tossing every 10 minutes

     6.  Cool

     7.  Add M & Ms and serve in a large bowl

Whichever team you root for, you’re sure to enjoy the game with this winning combination.  Let’s hear it for Touch Down Trail Mix!  Go, Go Team!

BeaNspriation:  Always ROOT for those you LOVE!

Magic Pantry Chowder

We’re trying to get organized this January.  Cleaning out the old and excited about what this New Year will bring.  One thing we did was clean out the kitchen pantry and with the treasures that we uncovered; we created a wonderful new recipe.  Everything was right there and when Chef Azuki mixed them all together it was magical!

Magic Pantry Chowder

Ingredients

1 28 oz. can tomatoes

3 C water

2- 14.5 oz. can reduced sodium chicken broth

½ white onion chopped

5 stalks of celery thinly sliced in diagonals

5 medium potatoes cubed

12 baby carrots

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. oregano

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. crushed red peppers

1 – 6.5 oz. can of clams

1 small can of crabmeat

1 small can of salmon

Directions

1.     Chop onions, slice celery, and cube the potatoes

2.      Put tomatoes, water, chicken broth, celery, carrots, and potatoes in large pot

3.     Set stove to medium heat

4.     Add garlic, salt, basil, oregano and pepper and crushed red pepper

5.     Boil until vegetables are tender about 30 minutes

6.     Add all the canned seafood

7.     Boil 10-20 minutes longer

I was amazed at how easy this was.  I always thought there was some difficult secret to soup making.  I’m more confident now to blend together different things from my pantry and refrigerator to create soups, chowders and more.  Thank you Chef Azuki!

Now I need to go get a bowl and scoop out some delicious Magic Pantry Chowder!  Itadakimasu.

BeaNspiration:  Create magic everyday!

Protein Packed Rice

Chef Azuki and I ( Blogger BeaN) are filled with the New Year feeling.  For today’s dish, the Japanese celebration rice known as Sekihan inspired us.  It’s made with white rice and azuki beans. However, since our New Year’s Resolutions are to get back to the gym and eat more whole grains and vegetables, we thought we’d make our rice dish with brown rice, peas, carrots, mushrooms, tofu and cilantro.

Protein Packed Rice

Ingredients

¼ C Azuki Beans

2 Cups Brown Rice

3 C water

¼ tsp salt

1 C peas

4 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 carrot thinly sliced

2 Tbsps. soy sauce

1 bunch chopped cilantro

½ block of medium firm tofu

1/8 tsp. salt

Red pickled ginger for garnish

Directions

1.     Wash and rinse the rice, then set aside

2.     Boil the Azuki Beans in water for 30 minutes or until slightly soft 

(Don’t over boil)

3.     Thinly slice the mushrooms and carrots

4.     When the beans are soft, drain and reserve the water

5.     In a rice cooker, add rice, peas, mushrooms, carrots and ¼ tsp salt and

2 T soy sauce with 2 ½ cups of the reserved bean water.

6.     Sprinkle azuki beans on top

7.     Cover automatic rice cooker and press start

8.     Fold in the beans when it’s done

9.     Let it cool to room temperature

10. Add tofu and cilantro

11. Add additional salt if needed

12. Serve with red pickled ginger on top as a garnish

The mixing of the flavors as well as the different textures is delicious.  The cilantro and ginger really energizes the dish and adds freshness to it.  I didn’t quite make it to the gym today but felt powerful running around the grocery store after having a nice breakfast of Protein Packed Rice with Chef Azuki.

BeaNspiration:  Be powered up to keep that magical feeling of newness going all year long!

Oyako Donburi

Happy New Year!!!  Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!!! 

2013 Here we come!!!!!!!

The Azuki BeaN Mamas are back to bring you more seasonal cooking ideas with a Japanese American twist.  Here’s a great recipe for cooking with your children.  We were lucky to have Chef Azuki’s mother here today, helping us make Oyako Donburi.  “Oya” means parent in Japanese and “Ko” means child.  So this is the Parent Child dish made with Chicken (Parent) and Egg (Child).  So cook up some magic with your child tonight.

 Oyako Donburi

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. oil

5 tsp. Mirin

5 tsp. Soy Sauce

½ med yellow onion

1 carrot thinly cut or julienned can make a few decorative flowers for garnish

1 Cup Spinach

5 Leaves of Napa cabbage

2/3 cup of water

3 eggs

Directions:
1.  Heat oil
2.  Saute chicken in a pan for 3 minutes
3.  Chop the onion, julienne the carrots, make a few decorative carrots
4.  Add these to your cooking chicken with mirin and soy sauce
5.  Chop spinach and napa cabbage about 1 1/2 inches pieces
6.  Add this to the pan with 2/3 cups water
7.  Saute until all the veggies start getting tender
8.  Scramble the eggs
9.  Pour the egg on top, cover and simmer
10.  After 2 minutes it should be done
11.  Put your Oyako Donburi over hot rice and ENJOY!!!!!

Wow it's done already!  It's fun cooking up some multigenerational magic in the kitchen.

Question for the day:  What came first, the chicken or the egg?