Fresh from Farmer's Market - Spring Salad :)

Recipe:

Chop or slice - tomato, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, bell peppers (green, yellow, red)

Squeeze 2 Lemons, add sea salt, and mix.

Recipe: Baked Salmon

Make sauce - melt butter, add miso & mayonnaise, mix.

Place salmon in a tin foil. Top with various kinoko  (shiitake, shimeji, enoki mushrooms), green onions, and kaiware sprouts. Pour miso sauce over it.

Close the foil. Bake in the oven until salmon is done.

Miso Salmon with Kinoko, Koya Tofu, Roasted Seaweed, Brown & Seeds Rice :)

(Photo: http://www.boncherry.com/blog/2011/03/14/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-updates-2000-bodies-found-in-miyagi-prefecture/)

(Photo: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/13/2723617/earthquake-tsunami-aftermath-in.html)

(Photo: AolNews)

JAPAN is mourning... 3/11/2011 one of the largest earthquake hit the north coast causing the powerful tsunami to wipe out lives in seconds... I lost words; I couldn't keep watching the images of my country being destroyed... My prayers are with them. My heart goes especially to the children who lost their Mommies & Daddies... What can I do? I want to hold them in my arms and shed tears with them. I'd bring orphans home with me if i could. What can I do? I feel hopeless and small. But I must not forget, in the darkness of crisis, I see love. People from all over the world are reaching out to help. One Love; One Nation; One Hope. With that oneness, we'll smile again.

UNICEF raising money to provide emergency relief for children affected by disasters in Japan:
http://www.unicefusa.org/news/releases/unicef-humanitarian-aid-japan-earthquake-tsunami.html?gclid=CI--tfLOz6cCFRx3gwoddV3BEg

Lady Gaga Japan Earthquake Relief Wristband - http://ladygaga.shop.bravadousa.com/Product.aspx?cp=14781_42444&pc=BGAMLG88

Show Your Heart (in Japanese)- http://static.hangame.co.jp/hangame/extra/showyourheart/index.html

And if you live in the Southern California, please come out to JAPAN Earthquake Relief Charity Event @ Orange Island Culture Salon 17811 Sky Park Cir. # J Irvine CA 92614 Sat 3/19 10:00AM~

THANK YOU ♥

Tonkatsu chicken, Kabocha Pumpkin Salad, Cranberry mango salsa, Natto beans with shiso basil, Multi-grain rice Onigiri, Seaweed & sesame seeds miso soup :)

Recipe: Kabocha Salad

Boil water in a large pot. Add pinch of sea salt. Put chopped Kabocha pumpkin. Cook until lightly tender, then drain.

Mash the kabocha. Add sliced boiled eggs, finely chopped cucumber, onion, ham, mayonnaise, salt & black pepper. (You can soak the onion in cold water for few minutes before to take the edge off the taste of raw onion.)

Hashed beef & baby zucchini stew with rice and Chocolate layer cake :)

Recipe: Hashed Beef Stew (Hayashi)

In a stew pot, heat olive oil & butter. Sauté thinly sliced beef (cut into bite size), onion, garlic & mushrooms. Add red wine, beef stock, demi-glace, tomato paste and if you like, bay leaves. Simmer.

In a frying pan, melt butter and add flour, stir until lightly browned. Pour it into the stew. Add worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt & white pepper. Also put baby zucchini in and simmer.

Take out the bay leaves. Add finely chopped parsley.

Serve over garlic rice.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup whole-wheat flour
¼ cup oat bran
Pinch of sea salt
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chip
½ cup white chocolate chip
2 brown eggs
4 tablespoons milk (or soy milk or apple sauce)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 mashed very ripe (blacken) bananas
1 stick melted sweet butter

Preheat the oven 375F

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add mashed bananas and melted butter. Whisk.

Add flour and all the rest. Mix just lightly until all the ingredients are wet and combined.

Spoon the mixture into muffin cups. Bake for about 20 minutes. You can check by inserting toothpick. If it comes out dry, the muffins are done.

Eat them while hot!
(But you can freeze them and microwave when you want them too :)

Wash your hands! It's Te-Maki-Sushi nite ;) Te = Hand Maki = Roll

Prepare sushi rice:
Cook rice. Add sushi vinegar and mix. Cool.
I also add sesame and radish seeds to rice.

Spread rice on a sheet of Nori (seaweed).

Put your favorites - cucumber, avocado, crab, kaiware sprouts, shiso red basil, tuna, BBQ beef, etc.

Fold up left bottom corner of seaweed to the center of seaweed and roll diagonally.

Cut abura-age (deep fried tofu) in half. Heat dashi soup stock, sugar, mirin, and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Add aburaage and simmer until the liquid is alomost gone. Cool.

Put rice into the pocket of seasoned fried tofu.

Inari Sushi - some call them "Football" !

One of my favorites - Natto Maki, Japanese super food :)

Today is HINAMATSURI, the day to celebrate Girls!
Also it's TAIAN, the finest day of great peace according to Japanese 2011 calendar!
Cheers to All the Girls, Big & Little ♥

SalmonShrimp Cake with Dill, Sweet Onion Risotto, Baby Zucchini & Shiitake Mushroom :)

Recipe: Seafood Cake
Blend salmon, shrimp, scallop, breadcrumbs, egg, heavy cream, garlic, sea salt and black pepper in the food processor until smooth. Add crab and dill (and/or other herbs). Make cakes. Coat lightly with flour. Cook with olive oil. Can be frozen. Serve with various sauces - sour cream sauce, demi glace sauce, hollandaise sauce, etc.