Asian Slaw Salad w/ Pomegranate Dressing

I never know what to sign up for during potlucks.  Will I have enough time to cook a main dish?  Will the dessert last if I buy it or make it the night before?  Do I have to toss the salad there?  Here's a a sure way to make your potluck dilemma disappear. A lovely Asian-inspired slaw salad with pomegranate dressing that you can make the day before.  Any salad that I can make ahead of time and it doesn’t wilt to pieces is Lucky in my book.  I can sign up for that salad for the potluck!  I think I found my pot of GREENS! 

Asian Slaw Salad w/ Pomegranate Dressing

12oz bag of broccoli slaw

3 C kale cut into small pieces (remove hard center part of leaf)

½ C Cashews chopped

½ C dried cranberries

1 C spicy sprouts

Dressing:

¼ C Pomegranate juice

2 Tbsp. Seasoned Rice Vinegar

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  In a large bowl put in broccoli slaw, chopped kale, cashews and cranberries
2.  Prepare dressing by whisking together all the ingredients
3.  Pour dressing on the salad and toss
4.  Set for at least 1/2 hour in the refrigerator
5.  If you're making the salad the night before, leave out cashews until the next day

BeaNspiration:  The world is my inspiration!

Brown Rice California Cake

Otanjyobi Omedetou means "Happy Birthday" in Japanese.  Chef Azuki remembers her father's birthday today and also how he loved sushi.  In his honor, we are introducing Brown Rice California Cake in our blog.  It's a spin off from the famous California Roll and the Roll Your Own Sushi Recipes.  We used brown rice and light mayonnaise in an attempt to make it healthier.  Let us know what you think.

Brown Rice California Cake

3 Cups brown rice (short grain)

1 Cup chopped imitation crab

1 cucumber seeded and diced

2 stalks green onion chopped

1/3 Cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar

1/4 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. light mayonnaise

1 avocado sliced

1-2 tsp. ginger for garnish

1 Tbsp. furukake (nori komi)

1 Package Sushi Seaweed Sheets

Low Sodium Soy Sauce 

Wasabi to taste (be careful, it's hot)

Directions:

1.  Cook 3 cups of rice according to directions

2.  Chop the crab and green onions

3.  Dice the cucumbers

4.  When the rice is cool, add sugar and salt to seasoned rice vinegar, stir and pour over the rice

5.  Add light mayo to the imitation crab

6.  Use an 8 or 9" round cake pan or any round casserole dish you may have

7.  Line casserole dish with saran wrap

8.  Layer the cake.  Start with 1/2 the rice (Push it down with fingertips to have an even layer)

9.  Fill with crab mixture, then cucumbers and top with another layer of rice.  (Push it down)

10.  Carefully (you may need the help of a friend or little BeaN) take out the cake by
       flipping it over a plate and pulling on the saran wrap.

11.  Sprinkle furukake all over the top

11.  When it comes out you can garnish with avocado slices making a pretty flower

12.  Mound up a pile of ginger in the center of the flower

13.  Cut nori(seaweed) sheets in half horizontally

14.  Everyone can now make their own sushi rolls by cutting the cake and
       putting the rice mixture into the nori and rolling it up.
15.  Chef Azuki's special instructions:  make the point of the nori paper point to you,
       put a scoop of rice mixture on at an angle and roll from that point.

16.  Let everyone make their own dipping sauce (soy sauce and wasabi) in individual small bowls
       and enjoy your roll!

Maybe you know a sushi-lover whose birthday is coming up.  This will surely be a hit!
Otanjyobi Omedetou to all our Pisces readers!  

BeaNspiration:  Adding a new twist on something tried and true can make it new again!

Wasabi Hummus

The Azuki BeaN Mamas made a special dip for Girl’s Day.  Hinamatsuri, also known as Girl’s Day or Japanese Doll Festival, is celebrated on March 3.  It's a day for the Japanese dolls to be brought out.  Didn't set any up this year, but enjoyed a yummy lunch of ginger chicken and other finger foods.  This dip jazzed up our lunch and was a fun snack.   It’s delicious with veges or try it with your favorite crispy crackers.  It has a little kick to it for the wild child in all of us.  Enjoy!

Wasabi Hummus

1 can of Garbanzo Beans

1 clove Garlic

½ Cup liquid from the garbanzo beans

½ tsp. salt

¼ Cup lemon juice

½ tsp. sesame oil

¼- ½ tsp. wasabi paste

Directions:

1.  Place Garbanzo beans, garlic, liquid from beans, salt, lemon juice, sesame oil and   

      wasabi paste in a food processor or blender

2.  Process on high until creamy

3.  Scoop out into a bowl and serve with vegetables and/or crackers

Try this quick ‘n easy recipe for parties, picnics or anytime you need a quick snack.   Feel free to double the recipe and tweak it to your own preference.  Part of the fun of cooking is learning what flavors excite you!

BeaNspirations:  Make up your own recipe for life!  

Turkey Salad Sandwich

Do you need a quick meal to uplift you on a busy day?  This sandwich can fit the bill.  We made it with the roasted turkey breasts they sell at the market.  Make the turkey salad the  night before and you can put it on a roll whenever you’re ready to eat.  Just leave out the cashews until the end so they don't get soggy.  It is like chicken salad with a slight Asian flair due to the napa cabbage, daikon sprouts and cashews.  We love it!

Turkey Salad Sandwich

2 C Turkey Breast cubed

6 leaves Napa Cabbage shredded

1/4 C of cashews

2 Tbsp Low fat Mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper to taste

Whole Wheat Rolls

1 box of daikon sprouts

Directions

1.     Put Turkey Breast, Napa cabbage and cashews in a bowl

2.     Add Low Fat Mayo and mix together
3.  Add salt and pepper to taste

4.     Cut Whole Wheat rolls open

5.     Add Turkey Mixture

6.     Top with Daikon Sprouts

If you can’t find Daikon sprouts you can add any kind of sprouts or micro greens.  We like the zing you get from the daikon sprouts.  Feel free to use rotisserie chicken or any left over turkey or chicken you may have.  Delicious and it uses up leftovers…that’s magical!  

BeaNspirations:  Let's find fun ways to make life beautiful!

Berry Cafe Tiramisu

Here’s a delicious dessert that the Azuki BeaN Mamas made for Valentine’s Day.  It’s from a basic tiramisu recipe but we made it non-alcoholic and used light cool whip and light cream cheese, attempting to make it a little healthier.  It didn’t lose any flavor with the low fat alternatives and we actually enjoyed this version better.  What could be better than chocolate, berries, coffee and cream?

Berry Café Tiramisu

½ C ground coffee beans

1 ½ cups of water

½ - 8 oz. container of 1/3 less fat cream cheese tub

1 C of light cool whip

3 tsp. of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ carton of raspberries

1/2 carton of blackberries

Directions

1.  Make 1 ½ cups of strong coffee in coffee maker with the ground coffee beans and

     water

2.  Beat light cream cheese and cool whip together on high for two minutes

3.  Put thin layer of coffee in flat pan and dip flat side of ladyfingers in for a brief

     moment to soak in cookie halfway

4.  Line the bottom of a 8 by 8 baking pan with soaked lady fingers

5.  Add  ½ cream mixture on top

7.   Dust 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder through a sifter

6.  Add berries scattered 

7.  Then another layer of coffee soaked lady fingers.

8.  The rest of the cream mixure

9.  Another dusting of cocoa powder

10. Cover the top with raspberries
11. Set overnight or at least 3 hours

Grab a big spoon and dig in.  A delicious dessert to share with your sweetie!

BeaNspirations:  Love everyday!

Shabu that Udon!

Happy Chinese New Year!  Yesterday was the start of the Year of the Snake.  We’re ready for change and growth this year as we shed our old skin like the molting snake.  Chef Azuki started the New Year creating a new dish.  Shabu-Shabu is a dish that uses thinly sliced Shabu-shabu meat and various vegetables that are picked out of boiling water and soaked in individual bowls of dipping sauce.  Shabu-shabu refers to the noise the vegetables and meat make sloshing around in the water.   Chef Azuki  used kamaboko and tofu instead of the usual thinly sliced meat and added some udon noodles.  The dish is light and fresh, yet still a hearty meal.  Her family had a cooking adventure as everyone participated in preparing his or her own food.  Set up the electric skillet in the center of the table and everyone can make their own shabu udon, the way they like it.  So get on it and “Shabu that Udon”!

Shabu that Udon

1 block of Kamaboko sliced thinly

1 Onion thinly sliced into rings

1 zucchini sliced into thick sticks

½ of a head of nappa cabbage chopped

2 green onions thinly chopped

1 block of medium firm tofu cut into cubes

2 pkges of udon noodles

Dipping Sauce

4 Tbsp. Memmi (Japanese Soup Base in a bottle that looks like shoyu bottle)

1 Cup of  hot water

¼ tsp. of Sesame oil

Directions:

1.     Slice and chop vegetables, kamaboko and  tofu

2.     Set up ellectric skillet in the center of the table and turn on

3.     Fill the electric skillet half way up with water

4.     Once the water is boiling, add all ingredients except those for dipping sauce

5.     Prepare the dipping sauce by adding all ingredients into large glass measuring cup

6.     Fill each individual bowl with some dipping sauce

7.     When they vegetables are tender and kamaboko and tofu heated through, each person can pick up what they like and put it in their bowl with dipping sauce

8.     Eat and enjoy

BeaNspirations:  Find ways to make mealtime fun and easy for the cook!

Simply Inspiration

Today Chef Azuki and I went with her mother to a senior citizen cooking class.   We went in search of learning the art of making tiramisu.  Our quest is not yet complete, but we did learn some valuable lessons and would like to share our inspiration with you.  Our tiramisu from class was pretty but a little heavy for us with a pound of cream cheese and heavy whipped cream.  We liked the flavors but our ultimate goal is to love our creations.  So as we continue experimenting with tiramisu we will one day divulge the recipe to our new signature dessert.  Chef Azuki is concentrating on the flavors and texture and I'm looking into lightening the dessert up with healthy choices.  Our imaginations flutter with electricity, inspired by an enthusiastic teacher and her wise pupils, all life long learners!

Raspberry Tiramisu 

Doesn't it look delicious!  We're going to keep the fruit and  maybe add some new flavors to it, as well as a lighter base.   Chocolate and maybe angel food cake may play a role.  Whatever combination Chef Azuki comes up with, I will wait with my spoon ready.  You can make your own creations also.  Love the flavors of life and be inspired!

BeaNspiration:  Learning new things each day keeps your imagination soaring and motivates you toward new goals!  You're never too old to learn new tricks!