Soup's on!

My Little BeaN is feeling a little under the weather so I'm getting out all of Chef Azuki's Soup Recipes and making something warm on these cooler nights.  Let's gather with some comfort food and sit by the fire.  It's time to enjoy the season and keep up our resistance to those cold bugs trying to get in.  

Roasted Chicken Soup

Leftover chicken from the supermarket

8 Cups water

2  zucchini chopped

2  carrots chopped

2 potatoes chopped

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1.  Put chicken carcass and shredded chicken meat into a pot of water

2.  Boil it for about 20-30 minutes

3.  Remove carcass and remove any meat left on carcass and add this meat to the pot

4.  Add vegetables and bring to a boil again

5.  Reduce heat, add salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender

Pumkin Miso Soup

14.5 oz. can of Chicken Broth

15 oz. can of pumpkin

1 C water

2 Tbsp White Miso

1/8-1/4  tsp pepper

2 potatoes diced

8 peeled baby carrots or 1 large carrot diced

1 medium zucchini diced

Directions:

Get out your soup pot and mix Chicken Broth, pumpkin, water, and pepper together.  When the soup begins to boil, add the white miso paste.  Stir it in until it melts completely.  Add the diced vegetables and return to boiling.  Cover and lower heat to a simmer until the vegetable are tender. 

Stay warm and dry friends!  Eat some Satsuma tangerines and have some hearty soups.
You need to stay healthy for the holidays!  Christmas is only ten days away!  Enjoy!!!!!!

BeaNspiration:  Don't forget to comfort yourself on these chilly winter nights!

Now for Thanksgiving Desserts

Persimmon Tea Cakes

 Ingredients: 

2 eggs 

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups mashed hachiya persimmons

4 tbsp canola oil

2 cup Bisquick mix

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg 

1/4 tsp powdered ginger 

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Whisk eggs with fork

3.  Mix together eggs, sugar, persimmons, canola oil and mix quickly for 30 seconds

4.  Slowly mix in Bisquick incorporating it into the egg mixture

5.  Mix for an additional minute 

5.  Pour into tea cake or cup cake pan lined with paper baking cups

6.  Bake for 1 hour or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean

7.  Let cool

Kabocha Pie

 Ingredients:

1 kabocha
3/4 C sugar
2 eggs
3/4 C vanilla almond milk
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 pkg. (8 oz ) cream cheese softened


Directions:

1.  Make slits in the kabocha and microwave it for 5-8 minutes or until kapocha is tender
2.  Scoop out the seeds
3.  Add kabocha meat, sugar, eggs, almond milk, pumpkin pie spice and cream cheese
     in a blender
4.  Blend until smooth
5.  Use already prepared pie crusts
6.  Bake pie crust at 350 degrees for 5 minutes and then add filling
5.  Bake for 50 more minutes or until center is set
     (be sure to cover edges so it doesn't burn)
6.  Take it out of the oven and let it cool

Crispy Pumpkin Delight

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb. 13 oz.) can pumpkin

1 (12 oz. can) evaporated milk

1-cup sugar

3 eggs

1-teaspoon cinnamon

1-cup moist yellow cake mix

1½ cups of Rice Krispies cereal

1½ sticks of butter melted

Directions

1.     Mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs and cinnamon

2.     Pour the mixture into 9” by 13” pan lined with wax paper

3.     Sprinkle with dry cake mix on top of the mixture

4.     Sprinkle Rice Krispies on top of cake mix

5.     Pour melted butter evenly on top

6.     Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

7.     Completely cool

8.     Invert pie onto cookie sheet

9.     Remove wax paper

10. Cut into 1” squares

11. Put each square into a paper cupcake cup

Frosting:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

¾ cup Cool Whip

1 cup powdered sugar

Candy Corn

1.     Mix cream cheese, Cool Whip and powdered sugar together

2.     Put the frosting in a cookie press and squirt out a flower on each square

3.     Top with a candy corn or candy pumpkin.

BeaNspiration:  So grateful for love and friendship!!!!!!!!

Cranberry 'n Persimmon Sauce

We're continuing with our Thanksgiving Theme recipes.  I'm so grateful for all the ideas I'm getting from Chef Azuki for my Thanksgiving feast!  My family had a preview meal of the famous crock-pot stuffing along with this delicious cranberry sauce.  I loved the persimmon in the sauce which tempers the tartness of the cranberries.  Sweet Fuyu Persimmons are in season so get some at your local farmer's market or grocery store.  If you're growing some in your yard, you're even luckier!

Cranberry 'n Persimmon Sauce

Ingredients:
1 bag (12 oz) cranberries
1 C sugar
1 C water
2 fuyu persimmons finely chopped
1/2 tsp of cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Boil the cranberries with sugar and water
2.  When cranberries just start to pop, mix in persimmons and cinnamon
3.  Simmer until desired consistency and cranberries are soft

Fuyu means winter and there's something so wonderful about enjoying seasonal fruits.  The addition of the fuyu persimmon into this cranberry sauce is simply genius.  It brings back memories of friends or relatives bringing a big bag of persimmons during this time of year.  I'm also stocking up on Satsuma tangerines, another winter growing fruit.

BeaNspiration:  Don't miss out on the treasures of the season!!!!!!!

Crock-pot Stuffing

Here's a tasty stuffing recipe that uses a hint of soy sauce to create a winning combination with either rice or mashed potatoes.  I know my grandmother always made her Thanksgiving meal with a pot of rice, and there was something about her stuffing that made it seem perfectly normal. I'm not sure if she put soy sauce in her stuffing too; but I wouldn't be surprised if she did.  Chef Azuki's stuffing was a hit with my family as we enjoyed roasted chicken, stuffing and rice!  A perfect autumn night's feast!

Crock-pot Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 lb sage sausage

1 box Stuffing mix

1 onion finely chopped

2 stalks of celery chopped

1 can low sodium chicken broth

1/4 C unsalted butter

1/2 C chopped pecans

1 Tbsp soy sauce (shoyu)

Directions:

1.  Brown the sausage in a frying pan

2.  Add Chicken broth, pecans, onion, celery, pecans and browned sausage to a crock-pot

3.  Add melted butter and soy sauce and stir

4.  Slowly stir in stuffing mix until broth is absorbed and other ingredients are dispersed evenly

5.  Heat on high for 1 1/2 hours

Turn setting to warm and serve.  It was so delicious the pecans and celery created the perfect
texture.  Using the crock-pot will make serving warm stuffing a breeze.  I'm making this stuffing for Thanksgiving!

BeaNspiration:  Magical holiday fun starts with simple ideas!

Coconut Curry Chicken

Chef Azuki has been wanting to make curry.  She bought some coconut milk and decided to try Coconut Curry.  Chop, chop, chopping the veggies and chicken is all it takes to make another delicious meal.

Coconut Curry Chicken

Ingredients:
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can ( 13.5 oz) coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tsp. curry powder
1 large potato chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
4-6 baby carrots chopped
1 cup cooked chicken chopped

Directions:
Put all the ingredients in a pot
Stir the ingredients togethers as it cooks
Once it boils simmer for 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender

Serve with rice and garnish with pickled ginger.

BeaNspiration:  Stir the cauldron and meld together delicious flavors!!!!!!

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!