Tomato & Corn Soup

Ingredients:
4 medium tomatoes cut in fourths
2 sweet corn broken in half or fourths
1/2 cup chopped tofu
1 package of enoki mushroom
2 medium carrots peeled and chopped
5 cups of water
1 tsp salt

Procedure:
1. Pour 5 cups of water in a soup bowl and bring to bowl
2. Mix in the salt, carrots and tomatoes and bring heat to medium for about and hour
3. Once the tomatoes are tender remove the skin (should be easy as it will float up), mix in the mushroom, corn and tofu, occasionally stirring for another 30 - 45 min
4. Once the broth is sweet and the ingredients are tender you may serve it (adjust flavoring as you wish)

Sweet Potato and Spinach Soup

Sweet Potato and Spinach Soup

Ingredients:

2 tbs olive oil

1 large chopped onion

5 garlic cloves sliced

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 small white potato, peeled and diced

1 bunch of spinach, rinsed and stemmed

1/4 tsp sea salt

Procedure:

1. Saute oil, onion and garlic over medium heat until golden brown for about 10min

2. Pour 6 cups of water into a soup pot and stir in the potatoes and sauteed onions and garlic, bring to boil and simmer uncovered for 40min, until potatoes are tender

3. Place the mixture (separate it in two rounds or more if needed) in a blender and mix until it turns to puree, add sea salt. After it has been mixed pour it back into the soup pot and gently heat it. Adjust and serve

oishii oishii ...

We made sushi at home the other night and had lots of fun trying to make sure we didn't make ugly formed sushi. I think the pictures speak for themselves and we did a pretty good job. Making sushi at home is a great way to get everyone together at the table (chat and have a good time). Below are some of the dishes we made for our Japanese dinner night at home...

Magical Miso Soup

(from The Candle Cafe Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced

3 carrots, peeled and julienned

1/8 sheet of wakame, soaked and chopped

1 cup sweet white miso

1 pound tofu, cubed

Procedure:

1. In a large soup pot, combine 6 cups of water, the onion, carrots, and wakame. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30minutes

2. Mix together the miso and 1 cup of water. Add the miso mixture to the soup and heat through, being careful not to bring to a boil. Stir the tofu cubes, if desired, into the soup and serve at once

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Sushi Rice

(A very helpful video from "Howcast" that teaches you how to make sushi rice)

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Inari Sushi

Ingredients:

1 package premade inari (bean curd) skin (this can be found in Asian supermarkets)

Sushi Rice

Procedure:
1. Stuff the inari skin with sushi rice and serve!

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Various Nigiri

For the nigiri we made several different kinds. Tamago (egg), abalone, tuna salad, egg salad, scallops, lobster salad, uni (sea urchin), seared beef with asparagus, and salmon roe. Most of these ingredients were bought premade and just topped onto the sushi rice after wrapping the rice with seaweed.

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Uni (Sea Urchin) Noodles

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh sea urchin

1 package of soba noodles

1/2 cup seaweed pieces

1 tbs soy sauce

Procedure:

1. Boil a pot of water and cook the noodles

2. Once the noodles are well done rinse it under cold water and drain

3. Place about a hand full of noodles on 4-6 plates

4. Place 2 tbs of sea urchin ontop of the noodles, drizzle the some soy sauce and top it off with a dash of seaweed

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We had some leftover ingredients and no sushi rice left so we wrapped the ingredients in lettuce! Great way to clean up any leftovers....

Cabbage Delight

A light and healthy soup to compliment your meal. Mom wanted me to use up the cabbage in the fridge so I came up with an idea to make soup with it!

Serves: 6-10

Ingredients:

1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium sized onion sliced
5 cups water
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 medium sized Chinese cabbage finely chopped
1/2 medium sized red cabbage finely chopped
1/2 chopped "san yao" (white sticky yam)

6 chopped mushrooms of your liking
1/2 cup wakamame
Pinch of dried seaweed

Procedure:

1. Heat the oil in a medium sized pot then add the sliced onion until golden brown
2. Add the water and salt and let it sit for 10 minutes
3. Place the Chinese cabbage, red cabbage, san yao, and mushrooms in the pot and let it sit under low heat for 30 minutes
4. Add the wakamame into the mixture and let it sit for another 5 minutes
5. Turn the heat off and let the pot cool
   
6. Pour the mixture into a blender (or use a puree mixture) and mix until the texture has turned into puree
7. Sprinkle the top with a pinch of dried seaweed and serve

** I tend to make everything impromptu style so feel free to add more salt or more water etc to your liking **