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Dinner, Fruit, Gardening, Lactose Free, Recipes, Salad, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Avocado Salad with Herbs & Capers

March 26, 2021

Now that it’s avocado season, we have been enjoying avocado sandwiches with cheddar, chunky guacamole, avocado toast, and avocado eggs Benedict. The Green Gold tree in our back yard is a heavy bearer and the avocados are incredibly tasty. So here we have a new addition to our ever expanding recipe file. The tart dressing and herby flavors compliment the rich, velvety avocado slices. This salad is a keeper.

The Green Gold avocado has to be one of the best varieties to grow in Hawaii (a cultivar developed by the University of Hawaii). The trees are heavy bearers and produce beautiful fruit that are rich and creamy and known for their high oil content. If you are thinking of planting an avocado tree I highly recommend seeking out the Green Gold.

The dressing is reminiscent of a chimichurri sauce. A good splash of red wine vinegar gives the right acidic touch to the herbs, jalapeño and garlic.

The addition of a jalapeño makes for a nice pop of heat. Since jalapeños vary in their level of spiciness, test the one you use and add more or less according to your taste. If you don’t have one, sprinkle in some red chili flakes. You could even use pickled jalapeños if you have those in your refrigerator.

My favorite way to serve this salad is with good, crusty grilled sourdough bread. Drizzle some of the dressing onto the grilled bread, or scoop some of the avocado salad onto the bread. Delicious.

Avocado Salad with Herbs & Capers

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Adapted from NYT Cooking

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 medium bunch cilantro
1 medium bunch Italian parsley
2 scallions, very finely chopped
1 medium garlic clove, finely grated or minced
1 small or ½ medium jalapeño, seeded and very finely chopped
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
2 teaspoons capers, drained
Maldon sea salt or other flaky salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Reserve ½ cup of both whole cilantro leaves and parsley leaves. Finely chop the rest of the leaves and transfer to a medium bowl. Add scallions, garlic, jalapeños, salt and vinegar. Stir in oil. Taste and add more salt, vinegar or both if needed.
Scatter the reserved whole cilantro and parsley leaves over two serving plates. Fan the avocado slices over the top, and sprinkle lightly with salt to taste. Spoon herb dressing over the avocado slices, making sure to include the oil in the bowl (you may not use all of the dressing), and top with the capers. Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt and pepper. Serve with crusty grilled sourdough bread brushed with olive oil.

Dinner, Lactose Free, Recipes, Sauces, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Crispy Tofu with Homemade Barbecue Sauce

March 19, 2021

This is a very tasty tofu dish that can be made in an hour. The delicious sauce is quite versatile and can be used in multiple ways. It’s excellent with the crispy tofu but I’m sure it would be just as good with grilled chicken or pork chops if tofu is not your thing. However, it’s a must with this tofu. You will be pleasantly surprised at how yummy it is.

Serve the tofu over white or brown rice along with your favorite greens, and extra sauce on the side.

Use extra firm tofu so it holds its shape once the water is pressed out. Wildwood is my favorite brand. You can find it at Down to Earth here on Maui.

If you are looking for the very best way to press out the water from a tofu block, consider buying the TofuXpress. You will never regret it, especially if you bake tofu often. Pressing tofu with paper towels or a kitchen towel doesn’t hold a candle to this little gadget. I’ve had mine for over 10 years.

The tofu block is cut into 1/2-inch slices, then cut into short sticks.

A little bit of panko added to the cornstarch makes all the difference in giving the tofu a crispy exterior.

The barbecue sauce uses ingredients that are not difficult to find. Better yet, the sauce does not require any cooking.

Glorious homemade barbecue sauce with a twist. The sauce has Asian ingredients such as soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil, but it also has the more typical maple syrup, chili powder and tomato paste that you might find in an American style barbecue sauce. The combination turns out a sauce that’s seriously addicting.

Crispy Tofu with Homemade Barbecue Sauce

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Sauce adapted from MOB Kitchen recipe

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

14 ounce extra firm tofu, water pressed out
½ cup corn starch
¼ cup fine panko
1½ teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 small garlic clove, grated or finely minced (about ¼ teaspoon or up to ½ teaspoon for garlic lovers)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon mild chili powder
2 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman recommended)
2 tablespoons lite soy sauce (Kikkoman recommended)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
roasted sesame seeds for serving

Preparation

Press water from tofu, preferably with tofu press if available.
Cut tofu into ½ -inch slices. Cut each slice crosswise to make two pieces, then lengthwise to make 4 pieces (about 28 pieces). Combine corn starch with panko in a pie plate or wide bowl and set aside.
For the sauce, in a medium bowl, combine ginger, garlic, tomato paste, maple syrup, chili powder, soy sauces and sesame oil. Whisk to combine, set aside.
Toss tofu pieces in cornstarch panko mixture pressing gently so the coating adheres to the tofu
Heat canola oil (enough to go up the sides of a pan about ¼-inch) in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Fry tofu until crispy, turning now and then, about 4 minutes or so. Adjust heat as needed so the tofu doesn't burn and is just golden brown. Remove tofu to a paper towel-lined plate.
To serve, place tofu over rice and spoon barbecue sauce over tofu. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top. Serve with your favorite greens (broccoli, bok choy, green beans) and extra barbecue sauce on the side.

Dinner, Korean, Lactose Free, Recipes, Tofu, Vegetarian, Veggies

Green Tea Noodle Salad

March 2, 2021

On my recent trip to Oahu I visited H Mart, a terrific Korean market in Kakaako. I had so much fun checking out all of the items on the shelves, slowly making my way down each aisle being careful not to miss anything. There are dozens of types of nori, instant noodle bowls, rice, snacks and more. They also have a nice selection of meat and produce. I always bring back some Chinese broccoli if they have it. This time I was able to squeeze a large package of fresh green tea noodles in my small cooler bag. When I returned to Maui I decided that I should create a dish that would feature these noodles in a refreshing salad.

These noodles are similar in shape to the fresh Sun Noodle udon I buy at Island Grocery (a good substitute for this dish).

I love the bright green colors in this salad which consists of cucumbers, edamame and lots of fresh cilantro. For a pop of color and crunch, I included sliced radishes that I cut as thin as possible and placed in an ice bath for 5 minutes to get them super crispy. Use whatever you have on hand, such as julienned carrots, lettuce, watercress and avocado.

Sriracha is a key ingredient in the dressing. We use our homemade sriracha but the “Rooster Sauce” works very well.

The dressing can be used on any cold noodle salad, drizzled over tofu, or as a dressing for a crispy iceberg salad.

Korean Green Tea Noodle Salad

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Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 2

Ingredients

8 ounces fresh green tea noodles (substitute fresh udon or your favorite noodles)
½ cup cooked edamame
½ Japanese cucumber, julienned
1 small radish, sliced thin and chilled in ice bath for 5 minutes
chopped cilantro
chopped green onions
sliced Fresno pepper (optional)
Dressing:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1½ tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons light miso
1 teaspoon gochugaru
3 teaspoons sriracha (less or more depending on your preference)
2 teaspoons finely ground roasted sesame seeds

Preparation

Boil the noodles according to the package directions. Immediately transfer to a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside to drain.
Whisk all of the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined.
Divide noodles between two bowls. Drizzle some of the dressing over the noodles. Top noodles with vegetables, cilantro, green onions and Fresno pepper if using. Serve extra sauce on the side to drizzle over the vegetables.

Appetizers, Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Spinach Ohitashi

February 22, 2021

This is one of my favorite Japanese side dishes served with rice and cold tofu. It makes for a very quick and delicious lunch. It can be prepared well in advance and doesn’t need any attention until you drizzle the sauce over it. It is so refreshing and healthy.

Spinach shrinks drastically when blanched so you’ll need a pound of fresh spinach for two servings. Once blanched, the spinach goes into an ice bath to stop the cooking quickly.

Blanched spinach has a gorgeous bright green color to it. And with the sauce drizzled over and around the spinach it makes for a beautiful presentation.

I divided the spinach (squeezed dry) into four equal pieces and shaped them into short rolls, then sliced them into rounds before adding the sauce.

Ground roasted sesame seeds are one of my favorite additions to this dish. Not only does it give the spinach a delicious nutty flavor, it also adds contrast to the bright green rounds and golden sauce.

I opted to use instant dashi because of the small amount needed for the recipe. It is convenient and tastes great in this sauce.

A side of tofu with green onions, ginger and soy sauce (and rice) complete a healthy meal for any day of the year.

Spinach Ohitashi

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Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 pound fresh baby spinach leaves
½ cup dashi (I used instant dashi picture above. ½ cup warm water mixed with 1½ teaspoons dashi powder)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
roasted ground sesame seeds

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the spinach just until wilted, about 30-40 seconds. Immediately drain and transfer spinach to an ice bath. Once thoroughly chilled, remove spinach to a colander to drain.
Meanwhile, combine dashi with soy sauce and mirin in a glass measuring cup (can be made in advance and kept refrigerated until ready to use). Set aside.
Divide spinach into four equal portions. Squeeze out as much water as possible from each portion and form into short rolls. Slice each roll into equal sized rounds (serrated knife works best). Place rounds of spinach on serving plate. Drizzle sauce over and around the spinach. Sprinkle tops with ground sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, Lactose Free, Recipes, Vegetarian, Veggies

Mango Galette

February 14, 2021

I had every intention of posting this in August when mangos were abundant, yet here it is, February…. It looks as though it will be a good mango season this year. All the trees in the neighborhood are full of flowers and keiki fruits right now. So when the time comes and you have a few pounds of mangos and want an easy to assemble dessert, this mango galette is the perfect choice. It is a beautiful dessert to bring to the table after dinner or to serve with your morning coffee.

Between the two types of mango trees we have, the White Pirie is the one I use most often for making jams and preserves as well as for baking. With its sweet, intense, mango flavor and relatively firm texture, it holds up well when chopped or sliced for recipes such as mango bread, cake, streusel muffins, and this galette.

The wonderful thing about a galette is its free-form shape. Roll it out, add your ingredients then tuck up the sides. You will use the entire piece of pie dough since there’s no need to trim the edges of the crust.

Serve a slice all by itself, or top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Mango Galette

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Pastry adapted from Dorie Greenspan

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 8

Ingredients

Crust:
1½ cups (204g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons, 4 ounces, 113g) frozen Earth Balance Buttery Sticks cut into about 16 pieces (if using regular unsalted butter increase salt to ½ teaspoon)
¼ cup ice water
Filling:
⅓ cup (heaping) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups (about 2½ pounds) mangos, peeled, seeded, and cut into ⅓-1/2-inch-thick slices
mango jam for glaze (can substitute with apricot jam)

Preparation

Dough: Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is cut into the flour. The mixture will look like coarse meal. Continue to pulse until you get small flake-size pieces and some larger pea-size pieces. Add a little of the ice water and pulse, add some more, pulse and continue until all of the water is in. Now work in longer pulses, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl if needed, until you have a dough that forms nice bumpy curds that hold together when you pinch them. Heads up. Just before you reach this clumpy stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change.
Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk and put it between two large pieces of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Don’t worry about getting the exact size or about having the edges be perfect.
Slide the rolled-out dough, still between the parchment papers onto a baking sheet and freeze for about 15 minutes or refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove chilled dough from freezer or refrigerator while you prepare the fruit. The dough should still be cold but pliable and not prone to cracking.
Filling: Place sliced mangos in a large, wide bowl. Combine sugar, corn starch, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle sugar mixture over mangos and toss gently with a wide spatula.
Remove top layer of parchment paper from dough round. Starting 1½ to 2-inches from the edge of the round, arrange the mangoes in a single layer in concentric circles, creating overlapping folds as you work around the perimeter. If your mangos are extra juicy, leave the extra juice in the bowl so the filling does note overflow in the oven. Gently lift the border of the dough up and around the filling, making pleats as you go. Brush the border with half & half or milk. Sprinkle with turbinado or coarse sparkling sugar. This is optional but makes for an attractive and crispy crust.
Bake on the parchment lined baking sheet for 45 - 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. Remove the galette from the oven and brush the fruit with warmed mango jam. Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Dinner, Korean, Lactose Free, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Asian Cucumber Salad

January 24, 2021

This is a quick (10 minutes max) cucumber dish that is perfect to serve alongside teriyaki meat sticks, lemon grass tofu, and Korean hamburger patties. It’s a very refreshing salad that everyone will enjoy.

Japanese cucumbers are the best choice for this salad. They are super crispy with tender skins and have very few seeds. I always have a big jar of gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) on hand. The chili flakes add a subtle heat and beautiful pop of color to salads like this one.

We have some beautiful cilantro growing in the garden so I added a few tender leaves to the salad. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, use thinly sliced green onions or chives. If you are not planning to eat the salad right away, store cucumbers and dressing separately until ready to serve.

Asian Cucumber Salad

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Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 Japanese cucumber (about 5 ounces)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (Kikkoman recommended)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (unseasoned)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
¼ - ½ teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
few sprigs of fresh cilantro torn into pieces (may substitute thinly sliced green onions or chives)

Preparation

Slice the cucumbers into thin rounds, about ⅛th-inch thick.
Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Mix well until sugar has dissolved. Mix in gochugaru and and most of the sesame seeds.
Place cucumbers in a low sided bowl. Spoon sauce over the cucumbers. Sprinkle remaining sesame seeds over the top followed by the cilantro.

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Mango Galette

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Asian Cucumber Salad

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