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!

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!