My Lilikoi Kitchen

Appetizers, Dinner, Lactose Free, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian, Veggies

Mustard & Mayonnaise Glazed Asparagus

June 14, 2020

Asparagus is one of the most versatile vegetables around. Endless preparations come to mind: steamed and served with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, stir-fried and seasoned with sesame oil and soy sauce, and crispy panko coated tempura. Now that summer is here, grilling is the obvious choice for many reasons. The weather is gorgeous, your kitchen stays cool without the stove or oven in use, and you can make this for two people, or for a group. The marinade for this recipe is truly delicious, and this has become my favorite way to serve asparagus.

Thick asparagus spears fare better than the pencil thin type when grilling. They hold their shape and texture without becoming droopy and soggy. To peel or not to peel the stems. It’s up to you. With thick asparagus I always peel a thin layer off the lower part of the stems. The spears look beautiful and they are guaranteed to be tender and are never stringy.

This recipe comes from Nate Appelman of San Francisco’s popular A16 and SPQR restaurants. The marinade is a combination of mayonnaise, grainy mustard, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic and salt and pepper. It coats the asparagus beautifully and any extra marinade can be slathered on the grilled asparagus before serving if you wish.

Mustard & Mayonnaise Glazed Asparagus

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Adapted from Nate Appleman's recipe

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1½ tablespoons mayonnaise
1½ tablespoons grainy mustard
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 medium garlic clove, crushed
¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ pound thick asparagus, trimmed

Preparation

Whisk the mayonnaise with the mustard, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest. garlic, salt and pepper. Pour the marinade over the asparagus (use a large plate) and turn to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat your grill to medium-high (we use a gas grill which takes 15 minutes to heat up). Grill the asparagus, turning occasionally, until the spears are tender and lightly blistered in spots, about 6 minutes.Serve the asparagus hot or at room temperature.

Beans, Dinner, Lactose Free, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Falafel

June 7, 2020

I have always loved falafel though it’s not something you find often in Hawaii, and especially where we live, Maui. Cook’s Illustrated developed their recipe a few years back and I finally got around to making it. Maybe it took so long because in my mind I thought it would be a time consuming and fussy recipe. But once I made my own falafel, it was so delicious I was convinced that it was worth the effort and as it turned out, it’s not very fussy at all.

One of the important things to know is that dried chickpeas rule in this recipe. I soak them in the evening before I go to bed, then drain them in the morning.

Good falafel is full of fresh herbs and spices like cumin, coriander and a bit of cayenne pepper. The herbs make for a gorgeous color and terrific flavor in each bite.

Cook’s Illustrated incorporated the Asian bread-baking technique of using tangzhong in their falafel. This helps to make a cohesive mixture that ensures the falafel is moist and tender once cooked. The tangzhong for this recipe, consists of flour, water and baking powder. Try to work quickly once the tangzhong is ready. The baking powder is full of life.

These beautiful falafel patties are crisp on the exterior with tender interiors. They cook quickly and evenly and are easy to stuff into soft, warmed pitas. I pan- fried my falafel in a bit of oil, however, the original recipe instructs you to deep fry the falafel. You may prefer to follow this step if you shape your falafel into balls rather than patties. Serve the falafel with tahini sauce.

Falafel

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Delicious falafel adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 20

Ingredients

8 ounces dried chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
2 ounces fresh herbs: Italian parsley, cilantro and mint
½ cup chopped onion (fine)
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (up to ¼ teaspoon for spicier falafel)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
oil for shallow frying or more for deep frying

Preparation

Place chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Make sure your bowl has plenty of space for the chickpeas to expand. Cover and soak in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
Process Italian parsley, cilantro, mint, onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper in a food processor for 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to process until the mixture resembles pesto, about 5 seconds longer. Add drained chickpeas and pulse 6 times. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to pulse until the chickpeas are coarsely chopped and resemble sesame seeds, about 6-10 more pulses. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
Whisk flour and ⅓ cup water in a bowl until no lumps remain. Microwave, whisking every 10 seconds, until mixture thickens to stiff, smooth pudding-like consistency that forms a mound when dropped from end of whisk into bowl; 20-40 seconds. Stir baking powder into the flour paste.
Add flour paste to chickpea mixture and using a rubber spatula, mix until fully incorporated. Divide mixture into 20 pieces (24 if forming balls) and gently form into a patty shape. If making balls, roll mixture into golf ball-size spheres. Transfer patties to a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. The formed falafel can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours, covered.
Heat enough oil to reach ¼-inch up the sides of a wide high sided skillet (mine has 3" sides) over medium to medium-high heat. (If deep frying, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 325 degrees and fry half at a time for about 5 minutes until deep brown in color). Once the oil is hot, add patties and fry, turning the falafel to ensure all sides have browned nicely. You may need to turn the heat down if it's too hot (medium). Transfer cooked falafel to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Serve with tahini sauce (see link to recipe above).

Breakfast, Dinner, Eggs, Japanese, Korean, Lactose Free, Recipes, Rice Dishes

Instant Ramen Fried Rice

May 31, 2020

I came across this recipe on the always interesting Serious Eats blog. It seems that instant ramen fried rice is the latest food craze in Japan. Everyone there has instant ramen in their cupboards, and so do many of us. This dish is inexpensive, perfect for single servings, and most of all so tasty.

I added some Bacon Spam to my ramen fried rice for an extra umami boost but you may omit it to make things simpler and quicker. For just one serving, use your favorite flavor of Cup Noodles instant ramen. I used Kimchi ramen since it was what I had available and it was perfect for the two of us.

Unlike many other ramen recipes that suggest you throw out the flavor packet and make your own soup, you’ll want to keep it this time. This is suppose to be a no fuss meal after all.

Crush the noodles into small pieces before adding the soup base and boiling water.

Pour just enough boiling water over the noodles and soup base to rehydrate the noodles. You don’t want to use too much water which would lead to soggy fried rice. Give the noodles and soup base a quick stir, cover and let sit for a few minutes.

With Spam (the unofficial state food of Hawaii), there are two options: either you like it (add it) or you loathe it (leave it out).

Almost any type of rice will work in this recipe. I used 2 cups of cooked short grain brown rice.

Since eggs are one of my favorite foods, I couldn’t resist frying up a couple of sunny side up eggs to eat with our ramen fried rice. A good drizzle of sriracha sauce is the ideal accompaniment for this satisfying meal. Oishii!

Ramen Fried Rice

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Adapted from Serious Eats blog

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 package (about 4.25 ounces) kimchi ramen
2 cups cooked short grain brown rice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 pieces Bacon Spam, diced small and fried until crisp (optional)
2 sunny side up eggs (optional)
cilantro for sprinkling over fried rice (optional)
Sriracha (optional)

Preparation

Crush ramen noodles and place in a bowl with soup base. Pour boiling water over noodles (just enough to barely cover the noodles) and give them a quick stir. Cover and rehydrate noodles while you continue with the recipe.
Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large (I use 11") non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add beaten eggs and scramble just until barely set. Add rice to the pan and heat through, breaking up any large lumps, about 1-2 minutes. Add cooked Spam cubes if using.
Add noodles along with any liquid (you shouldn't have too much liquid left after rehydrating the ramen) to the rice and stir constantly until excess moisture has cooked off. Taste and season with salt if needed. Press the rice mixture in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the pan to allow crispy bits to form. Serve ramen fried rice with sunny side up eggs, cilantro, soy sauce and sriracha.

Canning, Dinner, Gardening, Italian, Lactose Free, Pasta, Recipes, Sauces, Vegan, Vegetarian

Water Bath Safe Canned Roasted Tomato Sauce

May 24, 2020

Last summer we had an incredibly large tomato harvest from just two Early Girl plants. The fruit kept coming and soon they were piled high in baskets on our dining table. Having made fresh sauce and freezing it on many occasions, our freezer was already maxed out with other foods with little room for more. I was very happy to come across a water bath safe canned tomato sauce recipe. This recipe is adapted from Jami Boys of An Oregon Cottage. It is a great recipe and we are so happy to have found it.

Roasting the tomatoes gives the sauce a wonderful flavor and gorgeous color. And being able to keep the jars shelf stable for 18 months is absolutely the way to go. We regularly send care packages with homemade jams, peppers and pickles to our children. We have increased our product selection with this terrific sauce.

Early Girls are amazing tomatoes. They are juicy, meaty, and have a particularly deep red color.

This time we also harvested and used these beautiful Katana beefsteak tomatoes.

The halved and seeded tomatoes are placed in a pan with a bit of olive oil, dash of balsamic vinegar, onions, garlic, dried herbs and seasoning (salt & pepper) and roasted for about 40 minutes.

I recommend using meaty tomatoes for a luscious, thick sauce. If the tomatoes are more on the watery side, you may end up with mostly tomato skins once they have roasted.

The onions and herbs smell divine as the tomatoes roast.

The fastest and easiest way to remove the tomato skins is with a food mill. Place a large pot under the food mill and process the tomatoes in batches. If you don’t have a food mill, pinch off the skins then pulse the tomatoes a few times in a food processor. Try to keep the sauce a little on the chunky side. If you process the tomatoes too much, you will end up having to reduce the sauce quite a bit as it will be much thinner.

Water Bath Safe Canned Roasted Tomato Sauce

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Adapted from Jami Boys recipe

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: About 10 cups

Ingredients

10 pounds meaty tomatoes (I used what we had growing in our garden; Early Girl and Katana)
1½ cups diced onions
2 - 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 - 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (optional)
3 teaspoons canning salt (or fine sea salt)
2½ teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
citric acid (essential for canning safety): ¼ teaspoon per 16 ounce (pint) jar, ⅛ teaspoon per 8 ounce (1/2 pint) jar

Preparation

Special equipment: Water bath canner, pint and/or half pint jars, lids and rings, 2 large roasting pans 14x10-inches, food mill for removing tomato skins, food processor or immersion blender.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Have 2 large 14x10-inch baking pans ready.
Halving all ingredients to work in two batches, divide olive oil, balsamic vinegar, onions, garlic, dry herbs, salt and pepper between the two pans.
Wash tomatoes and remove the cores. Cut each tomato in half, or if very large, cut into fourths. Gently squeeze the tomatoes to remove as many of the seeds as possible. Place seeded tomatoes cut side down on top of the ingredients in the prepared pans.
Roast for 35-40 minutes, until most of the skins are a bit puffed and browned. Remove pans from the oven and let cool a bit. Transfer the tomatoes in batches to your food mill with a large pot underneath collecting the tomatoes and their juices. Using the large hole disk, process the tomatoes so the skins are left behind. Continue with all of the roasted tomatoes. Be sure to add all of the remaining pan juices and solids as well.
You may keep the sauce chunky or pulse a few times with a food processor or an immersion blender to get to your desired consistency. If you do not have a food mill, pinch off the skins once the tomatoes are cool enough and pulse tomatoes in a food processor (just a few times for a nice thick sauce). Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more dried herbs or salt if needed. If the sauce is very thick, you may not need to reduce it. If you prefer a thicker sauce, bring sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and simmer until sauce thickens. This could take anywhere from 20 - 45 minutes depending upon the type of tomatoes used. The tomato sauce must be hot before ladling into the jars.
Prepare a water bath canner, wash jars and lids. Place clean jars into canner and bring to a simmer. Important safety step: Once jars are hot, remove all jars from the canner and add citric acid to each jar before continuing. Ladle hot tomato sauce into the hot jars one at a time, leaving ½-inch headspace.
Wipe rims, attach lids and secure rings just finger tight. Place all jars back into the canner. Cover and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling process for 35 minutes. At the end of 35 minutes, turn off heat and let jars sit for 5 more minutes. Then remove jars to a cooling rack or towel-lined surface and let cool for 24 hours. Remove rings, check seals, label and store for 18 months. (The newer version of lids are good for 18 months). ***Do not replace dried herbs with fresh herbs. Using fresh herbs will change the pH (acidity)

Cookies, Dessert, Lactose Free, Recipes

Rugelach

May 17, 2020

One morning just before the holidays, we were shopping at Whole Foods to pick up a few items. I was not paying attention to anything but what was on my list, however, John (always on the lookout for samples) noticed some cookies. It turns out the cookies were actually a type of rugelach which is a small Jewish rolled cookie that can be eaten in one or two bites. Once I returned home, I quickly looked up rugelach recipes and found many variations. Some have chocolate or nuts and raisins while others are savory. The one thing they had in common was a cream cheese and butter dough. The version at Whole Foods was oddly dairy free (pareve). How do you pronounce rugelach? Some say “roo-ga-la” and others like Ina Garten and Dorie Greenspan say “rug-ah-la” which means it’s still a mystery to me.

I choose to skip the chocolate and stick with walnuts, jam and currants. Because these cookies are very small and are rolled, currants work very well since they are much daintier than raisins. I used our homemade mango-lilikoi jam which turned out to be a winner with its sweet and tart flavor.

The dough is rolled out into circles then brushed with jam and sprinkled with the currant and sugar mixture before being cut and rolled into crescents.

I am so happy that there are more lactose free dairy products available these days. Green Valley sells lactose free cream cheese in tubs and we always have one on hand. Because their cream cheese is in tubs which makes it more spreadable, it is a bit softer than normal cream cheese bricks. So I worked around this and found that using a bit less than the normal equal parts of butter and cream cheese was the perfect amount. And the cream cheese is always cold, right out of the refrigerator as is the lactose free Earth Balance Buttery Sticks I used.

The dough is satiny and soft so freezing it for 15 minutes or so is essential in order to roll crescents that hold their shape. The rolled cookies are once again placed in the freezer before going into the oven.

The cookies are done when they puff up and are slightly golden in color.

Once I made my own rugelach, I was hooked. These humble looking cookies are so delicious. We love to eat them straight out of the freezer. And though they seem particularly popular during the holiday season, they are welcome anytime of the year.

Rugelach

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Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 24

Ingredients

Dough:
5 ounces all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
4 ounces cold Buttery Sticks cut into large cubes
3.5 ounces cold Green Valley lactose free cream cheese (drained if needed) spooned into large pieces
Filling:
¼ c + 2 tablespoons (1.8 ounces) currants
½ cup (1.8 ounces) finely chopped walnuts
⅛ cup (1 ounce) packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon mango jam, pureed if chunky (or apricot jam)
To Finish:
Egg wash - I use powdered egg white mixed with water, however you may use 1 whole egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
1½ tablespoons granulated sugar mixed with ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

Dough: Combine flour, sugar, Buttery Sticks, Green Valley lactose free cream cheese in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse 4-5 times, then turn the processor on and process until the dough forms a shaggy ball, about 40 seconds or so.
Divide the dough in half. Working quickly as the dough is very soft, shape each piece into a disk and wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until it registers 40 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, at least 2 hours.
Filling: Combine currants, walnuts, brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack set in the middle.
Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. Roll out dough into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Spread half of the jam on the dough leaving a half-inch border. Sprinkle half of the filling over the jam. With a piece of waxed paper, gently press the filling into the dough. Place dough round in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up before rolling up cookies. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 wedges. The simplest way to do this is to cut the dough in quarters, then cut each quarter into 3 pieces for a total of 12.
Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent. Arrange the roll-ups on a parchment lined baking sheet making sure the points are tucked under the cookies. Freeze while you prepare the second batch, or refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Just before baking, brush egg wash over each cookie and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake the cookies for 23-25 minutes. The cookies will be puffed and golden. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool (cookies will be too soft to remove right away). Rugelach should be thoroughly cooled before serving. We love eating these right out of the freezer. Store cookies in the refrigerator or freezer.

Bread, Breakfast, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Spinach Cheddar & Sun-Dried Tomato Scones

May 7, 2020

I’ve made a variety of different scones, but I’m always up for another one and this time it’s a savory version. Using fresh spinach is ideal. It doesn’t get soggy and the deep green color makes these scones pop. I love the complex, bold flavor that sharp cheddar adds to each bite. Scones can be made on the fly which is a very good thing. From the time you gather your ingredients, make the dough and bake the scones, you will have spent less than 1 hour of your time. And, you will be rewarded with 8 large yummy scones.

I had a large jar of sun-dried tomatoes in the refrigerator so I added a few to the dough along with the spinach, cheddar and a few chopped chives. I also baked some scones without the sun-dried tomatoes and chives and both versions are delicious.

For uniformity you can pat the dough into an 8-inch cake pan then invert it onto a parchment-lined cutting board before slicing it into wedges. You can skip this step and form your own rustic round then slice the dough into wedges.

I love how the cheddar melts and makes lacy, crispy edges around the scones. These are best served warm when the cheese is still soft. I regularly freeze mine and warm them up in the microwave for a snack.

This recipe is quite flexible. You don’t necessarily need sun-dried tomatoes or chives. The scones will still be so flavorful. Just be sure to use a good sharp cheddar.

Spinach Cheddar & Sun-Dried Tomato Scones

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Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 8

Ingredients

2½ cups all-purpose flour
3½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt (1¼ teaspoons if using unsalted butter)
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup cold Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (or regular unsalted butter) cut into small pieces
2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach (not packed)
1 heaping cup sharp cheddar, diced small
⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped chives (optional)
1¼ cups Organic Valley lactose free half and half (or regular half and half) + more for brushing the tops of scones

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Line the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper, lightly butter or oil pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the Buttery Sticks into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers, until the chunks of butter are the size of small peas. Place the bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes. This helps to firm up the Buttery Sticks which helps to create tender scones.
Remove the bowl from the freezer and stir in the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and chives. Add the half and half and stir until the dough is moistened. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently form into a disk. Transfer the dough to an 8-inch cake pan (bottom lined with parchment paper and pan lightly oiled). Pat the dough gently to fit the pan. Invert the dough onto a lightly floured parchment lined cutting board, remove parchment round. Slice the dough into 8 wedges. Transfer the wedges to your half sheet pan. Brush the tops of the wedges with a bit of half and half. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until the scones are golden brown. Let scones cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool. Scones can be frozen.

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Chili Crisp Fried Eggs

Saffron Rice

Chopped Salad with Chickpeas, Feta and Avocado

Mochi Cakes

Cucumber Salad with Peanuts & Chili Sauce

Artichoke Bruschetta with Capers & Tomatoes

Spaghetti with Sun-Dried Tomato Almond Pesto

Sushi Salad

Mustard & Mayonnaise Glazed Asparagus

Falafel

Instant Ramen Fried Rice

Water Bath Safe Canned Roasted Tomato Sauce

Rugelach

Spinach Cheddar & Sun-Dried Tomato Scones

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