On a hot day, tofu is best

When the temperature outside rises, the temperature inside our apartment becomes almost sauna-like. On such days turning on the stove is the last thing I want to do. Hooray for tofu which can be eaten without any cooking. This is the salad I made for supper yesterday. It consists of mixed seaweed, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, shiso and soft tofu, with vinegar dressing and sesame seeds. Delicious, refreshing and easy!

The dressing is very simple and very all purpose. It consists of 3 parts rice vinegar, 2 parts Splenda or sugar and one part soy sauce and sesame oil. You can increase and decrease the amount as needed. Just keep in mind the 3:2:1:1. Try it on lettuce salad or on sliced cucumbers!

Mentai Pasta!

For supper tonight we had a delicious treat--Mentai Pasta! This is pasta mixed with "Mentaiko" which is Japanese seasoned cod roe. The seasoning in the roe is slightly spicy and a little salty. The roe is mixed with a little mayonnaise and then mixed into hot pasta. It is best garnished with shredded nori (seaweed) and fresh shiso leaves. The shiso is from our balcony garden!

You may be surprised to know that pasta is quite popular in Japan. However, they do change some of the recipes to suit Japanese tastes. Mentai pasta is just one example, but others include recipes such as "Napolitan" and "Ume Shiso." There are tons of recipes on Google so if you are feeling adventurous, give it a try!

Pumpkin Raisin Oatmeal

I adore a hearty bowl of oatmeal in the morning for breakfast. The great thing about oatmeal (besides its fabulous nutritional value) is its flexibility. You can spice it up whatever way you like. Creativity makes a wonderful breakfast!

Now in this photo I have posted, I used steel-cut oats, canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, raisins and Splenda sweetener. It doesn't really look like much, but let me say it tasted more like a guilty pleasure than a super high fiber breakfast! Actually, I made a big pot of this particular flavour and froze it into individual containers. Steel-cut oatmeal freezes very well. You can purchase individual portions of cooked steel-cut oats from the frozen foods aisle of grocery stores, but it is much cheaper to make it yourself. Steel-cut oats do take more time to cook than their instant counterparts, but there are ways around this. Cooking oats does not require a lot of attention, other than making sure it does not boil over. So I cooked this batch while I was already cooking supper. I was in the kitchen and had a free burner, so why not? Three cups of water to one cup of steel-cut oats will make four servings of oatmeal. As this batch was cooking, I added one small can of pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling...just pure pumpkin). A dash of pumpkin pie spice then went in, as well as some Splenda and raisins. When I serve this delight to myself (my husband is not an oatmeal fan), I gently reheat it and add a splash of milk. Simple, healthy and delicious!

Now many may wonder why I keep specifying "steel-cut oats". I never knew the full delight of oatmeal until I had these! I used to make my oatmeal using the quick cooking variety widely available. The quick cooking and instant types are great for baking and for mornings when you need breakfast fast. However, every once in a while, we should indulge in the pleasure of the slow cooking variety. The wheat kernel is sliced thinly for quick oats, but only cut in half for steel-cut. The result is a chewier, nuttier texture. I highly recommend trying it, if all you've ever had is instant or quick cooking. A properly prepared bowl of oatmeal cooked with just the right amount of flavour can really give you a boost on a dark early morning!

Ideas for Oatmeal
Add dried fruit (cherries, blueberries, cranberries etc)
Add slivered nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds etc)
Choose your sweetener (brown sugar, white sugar, honey, splenda, Maple syrup)
Add dairy or other liquid (milk, cream, soymilk, yogurt)
Spice it up! (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, pumpkin pie spice)

Japanese Style Curry

When people mention curry you usually think of India, not Japan. However, curry is huge in Japan and immensely popular with home cooks. To be fair, the curry in Japan has been altered to suit the Japanese palate, just as every country changes international cuisine to suit their tastes. As well in Japan, curry is almost exclusively eaten along side rice. However there are variations which use Indian Naan bread or udon noodles. The most basic and standard of Japanese curry recipes contains potato, carrot, onion and some sort of meat, coated in curry sauce (created using blocks of curry roux, available in varying degrees of 'heat and sweet'). Other additions to the curry are entirely up to the individual. Extra veggies are always nice, as is a chopped up apple for a little more 'sweet'. Basically you just fry the meat and veggies in a little oil, then add enough water to cover them. Near the end of their cooking time, you reduce the heat and add the roux blocks gradually, until you reach your desired level of flavour and thickness (you can follow the measurements on the roux box, but it is easier to customize the curry by estimating). Did you know you can freeze curry in individual portions? It makes wonderful quick suppers or lunches!

Let's make some curry! First, gather together your ingredients. I am using pork, potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, garlic and ginger.

Prepare your vegetables by peeling and chopping them. Defrost the meat if necessary and chop it into bite sized pieces. Soak the peeled potatoes in cold water for 10 minutes to reduce the starch.

Add meat to a preheated pot or pan. When it has fried a little, add the veggies and cook until they absorb the oil. Then add water to cover them and let it boil for awhile.

When the ingredients are cooked, cut a few blocks of curry roux and add gradually to the water. You need to stir carefully to prevent burning. Burnt curry is not savable! You may need to add more water or more roux, depending on your thickness and taste preference.

Serve the curry in a single bowl along side steamed rice. Delicious! Don't forget to freeze the leftovers or refrigerate them if you are going to eat it for lunch the next day. In Japan they say that the flavour of curry improves if it can sit in the refrigerator overnight. Try it for yourself! Curry roux blocks can be purchased from most mainstream grocery stores in the asian section. The most popular brand is called Glico or House. Try it for yourself!

"Aburi shime saba"

Now for a little hardcore Japanese cuisine! "Aburi" roughly translated means "seared with a flame"--in this case a butane cooking torch, my husband's pride and joy. Shime saba is mackerel fish that has been soaked in vinegar. You can eat it directly (yes, it is raw), but it is much better just lightly seared with a torch. In Japan they make fabulous aburi sushi (anything really can be aburi and in fact, I think most sushi SHOULD be, it is just so darn good!). The light searing brings out the flavour in such a unique and intense way, there is really nothing quite like it. Even if you are not a sushi or fish lover, you really should try something prepared in the aburi style--it might just change your mind. If you are ever in the Vancouver area, a restaurant called Miku in West Hastings makes fabulous aburi sushi. Just be sure to dress nice as it is a fairly fancy place (as I soon found out in my flip flops!).

If you can find shime saba in the frozen section of your asian grocery store, I highly recommend it. The vinegar flavour is very refreshing, especially on hot days. Because mackerel goes bad quickly, the Japanese developed this method of preparation to prevent food poisoning. It just so happens to be delicious too!

My Favourite Salad

My husband and I are major salad lovers. We always have a small bowl with lunch and supper as a standard side dish. On most days it is pretty basic--lettuce, shredded cabbage, carrots, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. Occasionally we will add a spoonful of canned sweet corn--something I came to love when I was in Japan. A spoonful of canned sweet corn is a standard component of a Japanese salad, as is a hard boiled egg.

Though we usually opt for a basic salad which you can dress as you please, my favourite salad is unfortunately one my husband dislikes (because it includes his nemesis: Celery). For me though, broccoli salad is something I could eat on a daily basis--it is really that delicious. The deli in our local grocery store sells it, but it is ridiculously easy to make. The vegetables are simple and few: broccoli, celery and red onion. The special touches are raisins, sunflower seeds and bacon bits. The dressing goes great on all sorts of vegetables as it is merely mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar and vinegar. I make a lighter version using Splenda, vinegar, light mayonnaise and light sour cream. The recipe is from a delightful book called "Sensational Splenda Recipes" by Marlene Koch. I use this book a lot to cut down on the sugar in my favourite sweets.

Prepare this salad in the morning before work so you can enjoy the benefits of it marinating throughout the day! It takes only 15 minutes at the most!

Deli Broccoli Salad

4 cups fresh broccoli cut into florets

1/2 cup chopped celery (about 3 sticks)

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion (about half medium)

1/3 cup packed raisins

3 tbsp vinegar (white, rice or cider)

2 tbsp Splenda Granular or sugar

1/3 cup light mayonnaise (I used Hellman's half the fat)

3 tbsp light or fat free sour cream

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

2 tbsp real bacon bits

Chop all your veggies and at them to a bowl along with the raisins and sunflower seeds. Mix vinegar, Splenda, mayonnaise, sour cream and bacon bits in a small bowl. Add the dressing and mix well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Done! Gets better everyday!

Shortcut Cabbage Rolls

My husband loves the taste of Japanese cabbage rolls, which are similar to the ground meat filled rolls we have in Canada. Personally I grew up on Ukrainian cabbage rolls which feature soured cabbage leaves filled with rice, bacon and onions. Though my husband doesn't mind these, he prefers the meat filled version his mom made in his childhood. The Japanese cabbage roll is filled with a mixture of ground pork, ground beef and shiitake mushrooms, flavoured with soy sauce, salt and pepper. The real "Japanese" part of the recipe is the simmering sauce which is a combination of consomme (or chicken stock), soy sauce, sake, sugar, miso (fermented soy bean paste) and an ample amount of ketchup. Carrots cut into matchsticks may be added to the broth, along with more thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms. The cabbage leaves are not soured, but merely blanched until soft and pliable. Regular cabbage can be used, but Napa cabbage works nicely as well. There is no baking with these rolls--simmering only. Now I enjoy the cabbage rolls as much as my husband, but they can be a bit finicky to make, especially after a long day of work. Thus, I developed a cheat method: cabbage roll soup/stew. It's all the goodness of cabbage rolls, without the rolling! It also freezes very well, so you can enjoy it at any time without the labour! I don't really measure the ingredients, except for the liquid. The amount of ground meat and vegetables are entirely up to you. It is a VERY flexible recipe. Here is a general guideline for you:

Cabbage Roll Soup/Stew

Some ground pork and/or ground beef

Chopped cabbage

Chopped onion

Chopped shiitake mushroom (fresh or dry)

Chopped carrot

Liquid:

2 cups chicken stock or consomme

3 tbsp sake

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp miso

pepper to taste

ketchup to taste

In the photo I have included, I threw in some frozen vegetable mix and some leftover bell pepper. I also added some harusame (rice stick) noodles to absorb some of the liquid, as I was aiming for a more stew-like texture this time. It is really up to you! Enjoy and experiment! Make it a different soup every time, but keep the flavouring cabbage-roll-ish or you will miss the point.

Fresh From the "Garden"

We're coming up on that time of year when the harvests begin. Even though it is only August, the days are growing shorter and there is an ominous chill in the night air. Farmers and gardeners alike are starting to at least think about bringing in their bounty (for the gardeners this means whatever they haven't already enjoyed on their table!).

Living in an apartment does not mean you cannot enjoy the benefits of a garden. Certainly you cannot replace everything that the produce section of the grocery store supplies, but at the very least you can enjoy a couple meals with the freshest of fresh ingredients. Herbs are traditionally excellent for balcony gardens and we grew a few this year. I have Rosemary and Lavender sharing a container with some Petunias and Pansies. They are actually thriving rather well and there is a bud on the Rosemary plant that will bloom soon. We are also growing a couple of important Japanese herbs. One is called Shiso or the Beefsteak plant. It is a relative of Peppermint, though it tastes nothing like it. The flavour is light and refreshing--perhaps you have encountered it on a sushi plate at a Japanese restaurant. It is very slow growing and we are still waiting to harvest that one. The other herb is Mitsuba, which is sort of like a Japanese parsley, but should not be confused with Cilantro which is very different. Mitsuba has a bold, somewhat spicy taste which goes well with egg dishes and soups as an edible garnish. My husband is also growing Daikon Radish Sprouts which we use as a garnish on cold tofu with citrus soy sauce and Bonito fish flakes. They also compliment a salad well and taste similar to the small red radishes commonly grown here. As for vegetables, we have successfully grown Japanese turnips which are smaller, whiter and sweeter than the turnips grown in Canada. We grew this in a long rectangular container on our balcony. I must say that they turned out well and are delicious raw, pickled or added to soups. The greens are fabulous additions to soup as well and are full of nutrients. We did not grow a lot, but it is enough for a taste and the process is very rewarding. Caring for the little sprouts and helping them grow is a great lesson in life cycles--perfect project for small children! Radish sprouts in particular are great for kids, because they are nearly foolproof! Super easy!

So whether you have a farm, house or apartment, all it takes is some soil, a decent container and a little patience to enjoy a rewarding taste of nature.

The comfort of home cooking

What is home cooking, exactly? It seems fairly self-explanatory: cooking done at home. However upon closer analysis, all sorts of other connotations arise. When someone thinks of home cooking, they might think of their mom and grandma, or these days, their dad! Home cooking brings up fond memories of holidays, birthdays, summer barbeques and blustery November evenings. It means so many things, because the term itself is loaded with emotion. Likely this is because of its connection to the home and subsequently our childhood (hopefully simpler times). Memories of the way grandma's house always smelled of baking (or sauerkraut!) and of gathering for Christmas dinner are all inextricably connected to the term home cooking. Home cooking is comfort, security and simpler times. Home cooking heals us when we are sick, comforts us in times of sorrow and brings us together in times of celebration. The great chefs of the world have their place to be sure, but even they began in their mom's kitchen, in simpler times, with the comfort and joy of home cooking.