Chicken Nimono

Chef Azuki never ceases to amaze me. I love how she just tosses ingredients in a pan or pot and ends up with a delicious melding of tantalizing tastes. Today she was inspired by her mother's, simmering dish called Nimono. Any kind of meat can be added but Chef Azuki had some chicken breasts today, so she chopped them up and made this fantastic warm soup/stew-like dish. The evenings are starting to get a little chilly so this one pot wonder will warm your soul with satisfying comfort.  It's a good time to eat your root vegetables, grounding you before the cold winter comes.  I love cooked daikon, it mellows out when cooked and absorbs the delicious flavors of the sauce.

Chicken Nimono

Ingredients:

5 C water
1/8 C shoyu (low sodium soy sauce)
4 tsp hondashi
2 T sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 C chopped chicken
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 C daikon cut into short sticks, like french fries
1/2 C of carrots large chunks or use baby carrots
1 bunch of green onions chopped into 1 inch sticks
2/3 C edamame

Directions:

1.  Put in water and chicken in a pot or large pan
2.  Cook over medium heat until boiling and foam forms on top of the water
3.  Ladle off the foam and add all the rest of the ingredients to the pot
4.  Heat on medium for 30-40 minutes
5.  Check to make sure the vegetables are tender

It's ready to eat with a bowl of rice.  Nimono is a sure-fire hit for fall!

BeaNspiration:  Look around and be inspired by the season!

Pork Gyoza

Baby BeaN is so sad that his favorite fast food Asian eatery doesn't have gyoza anymore.  Luckily for us Chef Azuki has a recipe to remedy that dilemma.  Yes, let's try to make some gyoza!

Pork Gyoza

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground pork
1 T sesame oil
1 clove garlic crushed or chopped
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp salt
3 bunches of green onion
608 napa (japanese cabbage) leaves, finely chopped
1 12 oz package round wraps wonton skin
1-2 T of canola or vegetable oil for frying


Directions:
1.  Saute pork, sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, salt, napa, and green onions for 7-10 minutes
     (Make sure the pork is thoroughly cooked)
2.  Remove filling from heat and cool
3.  In each round wrap add filling
4.  Wet the edges with water and fold the wrap in half
5.  Pinch the edges together creating a beautiful rippled look at the top
6.  Put the folded edges down into a heated pan with oil
7.  Pan fry in a little oil until lightly browned
8.  Add a small amount of water and cover for 5 minutes
9.  Carefully turn over and cook the other side
10.  Take out and serve with you favorite dipping sauce

Baby BeaN doesn't need any sauce.  He just gobbles it down.  I like it with ponzu and others like a variety of sauces available at the market.  Have it anyway you like it and enjoy!!!!!!

BeaNspiration:  Be inspired to make it yourself!

Spicy Garlic Edamame

I love eating edamame (boiled soybeans) as a mid day snack.  It's delicious plain or with a little salt. But sometimes you're in the mood for something a little more fancy, maybe a party or a special magical night of family fun.  Chef Azuki makes every day and night magnificent with
easy delicious recipes.  Try this one tonight!

Spicy Garlic Edamame

Ingredients:
1 lb frozen edamame
3 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
1 T sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper


Directions
1.  Place edamame and 1/4 C water in  microwave safe bowl
2.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes or cook according to directions
3.  In a separate pan, saute garlic with sesame oil, soy sauce, salt and red pepper
4.  Add the edamame to pan and toss together
5.  Plate the edamame and serve

Everyone will love this!  Have it as a snack or serve as a side dish to your meal.
It'll disappear magically!

BeaNspiration:  Delicious snacks can be easy to make!

Terrific Teriyaki Turkey Meatloaf

This delicious recipe was made by Chef Azuki with ingredients she had at her house.  There's a funny story about getting older and needing reading glasses that goes along with the unusual dimensions of our ingredient list.  Chef Azuki has these cute measuring cups in a variety of colors and each one holds a certain amount.  We both thought we were using the 1/4 Cup, but to our more critical eye, we found that it was indeed the 1/3 Cup we were using.  So if you're wondering how we came up with 1/6 of cup of soy sauce, that's 1/2 of a 1/3 cup.  Got that?  Does it sound like a common core math problem?  Well, we won't ask you to explain it back to us.  At least we're still laughing and enjoying our cooking adventures, even if we're going to have to break down and get reading glasses.

Terrific Teriyaki Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:
2.5 lbs of ground turkey
1/6 C shoyu (low sodium soy sauce)
1/3 C ketchup
4 Tbsp Brown sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 C of panko
1 egg

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees
1.  Mix together shoyu, ketchup, brown sugar and garlic powder
2.  Put the ground turkey in a large bowl and add the shoyu mixture and combine the ingredients
3.  Add panko (Japanese style bread crumbs) and egg, then incorporate this in well
4.  Put it in a pyrex loaf pan
5.  If you like the top of your meatloaf to look caramelized save a little sauce to pour on top
     (you'll have to watch it and tent it with foil if it starts to burn)
5.  Cook for 1 - 1 1/2  hours depending on your oven  (internal temperature of 160-170 degrees)


Yummy!  This is one terrific meatloaf!  I loved the hint of Asian flavor and the panko really kept this meatloaf moist.  You can find panko in the Asian section of your grocery store.  Try it, it's Great!

BeaNspiration:  Laughing through your culinary adventures is magical!