summer truffle rice with rainbow radishes & mushrooms

got truffle for free, so decided make something nice ;)  bought truffle oil, and the next day shopped at the greenmarket...
rainbow radishes, mushrooms, and chives! the chives were not flowering yet, so i put them in water.

dry roasting brown rice and wild rice. i didn't have enough time to soak grains over night, so just soaked them for 30 minutes and roasted in a frying pan. this makes rice fluffy, light, and soft after cooked.

making broth. water, kombu, soy sauce, mirin, sea salt.

rice, broth, truffle oil, sea salt.

while the rice is cooking, making truffle chive butter using little pieces of truffle from slicing, chopped chives, vegan butter, etc.

and prepping radishes, radish tops and mushrooms...

cooked rice for 45 minutes, turned off heat and added more truffle and truffle chive butter. let sit for 10 minutes.
meanwhile, quickly sauteed the radishes, mushrooms and radish tops and seasoned with balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, etc.

 now the butter has melted and green chives are there...



it was perfectly cooked and smelled truffle all over. the wild rice is nutty and good combo with truffle :)

now on the plate.
bon appetit :D

 

flowering tuscan kale

Hello again spring!
Lots of flowers and herbs are back here in Union Square Greenmarket :D
Something caught my attention was...

Tuscan Kale.
Although this is one of my favorite in Kale family,  I had never seen one flowering, so asked the farmer,
"Is is like broccoli rabe?"
He said, Noooo. It's different. More bitter and very good in sauteing."
My mind was set. It must be good with something salty, sour and garlicky ;)

Went to another farmer. They had beautiful Tatsoi flowers! Wow, taste good. They can be garnish for my dish.

Back home... time to make the paste;
Umeboshi plums♥

Roasted sesame seeds and shiso leaves...
This shiso is also from the Greenmarket.  I got a bunch and they came with roots, so put them in my planter. They keep fresh and growing ;)

They made beautiful and super yummy paste.
Here is how to make...


Flowering Tuscan Kale with Ume Shiso Sesame Paste

:: MAKES 4 servings ::

1 large bunch flowering Tuscan Kale (If not available, broccolini or 1 small bunch broccoli rabe can be used), hard stems trimmed

the paste:

1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
2 large umeboshi plums, pitted and chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
3 large shiso leaves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1/2 to 1 clove of fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon ume vinegar

roasted sesame seeds for garnish

1. In a suribachi, grind the sesame seeds using a surikogi until they are ground half way.

2. Add the umeboshi plums,  shiso leaves and garlic and grind until the shiso leaves become small pieces.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and grind until well combined. Set aside.

4. In a large pot or wok, bring water to a boil. (A drop of oil can be added to the water so that the green color of the kale stays vibrant after cooked. ) Add the kale and cook for 10-15 seconds or until the kale turns shiny and beautiful green color. Drain.

5. Cover the kale with a cloth or paper towel and pad dry. Using hands, gently spread the paste evenly on the kale. Cut the kale in 1 1/2 to 2 inch size.

6. Arrange it on your plates, sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds and serve.

魔法をかけたらこうなりました。。。

Totally taste of spring♥

Basic Seitan Steak

Dear friends;

Thank you all for supporting me and my cookbook page!
I decided to share this with you for this coming holiday season.
Never seen people making seitan this way.
It's going to be a little sensational, I suppose ;)

Hope you will have a nice and warm Thanksgiving!!

love,
kimiko

Basic Seitan Steak

:: MAKES 10 steak ::

1 1/2 cups water
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown rice syrup
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium potato, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1 cube vegetable bouillon (no salt added)
1 teaspoon sea salt
a dash of freshly ground black pepper
4 cups gluten flour
1 cup garbanzo bean flour



1. In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients except for the gluten and garbanzo bean flour and mix well with a hand mixer.

2. In a large bowl, combine the gluten and garbanzo bean flour.

3. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and knead until well combined. Divide the dough into 10 pieces.

4. Set a steamer. Add water and bring to a boil. Place a sheet of parchment paper in the steamer and add the seitan on top of the sheet. Cover and steam for about 15 minutes; take the seitan out with the parchment paper and set aside. Repeat the process until the rest of the seitan is done. The seitan can be removed from the parchment paper after steamed and the sheet can be reused for the next batch.

 5. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a new sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place the seitan on top of the sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the surface is dry and the bottom of the seitan is slightly brown. Take out the baking sheet and flip the seitan over. Bake for 5 more minutes, Take the seitan out with the baking sheet and allow to cool.

From now on you can slice, cook and enjoy it with your favorite sauces or seasonings. Enjoy!

☯ Seitan can be refrigerated up to 1 week or frozen up to 1 month.

©2012 greenmarket seasons
https://www.facebook.com/GreenmarketSeasonsCookbook

grilled veggie sandwich w cilantro pesto

woke up a little early yesterday and went to union square greenmarket.
I picked rainbow carrots, fairy tale eggplant, candy onions, cilantro w roots, purple basil, yellow and green zucchini.

this morning, made sandwiches for brunch using some of them.
first, made my cilantro pesto:

 grilled my veggies:

grilled some mushrooms and the onions, too.
spread vegan mayo and put vegan cheese on halved country rolls, warmed them up in the oven, spread the pesto, loaded my veggies...

homemade is the best! ;p

pizzeria kitty

Pizza tastes better if we share it with friends and loved ones :)
It's perfect when feeling like staying home and relax on Sunday afternoon.
Especially tomatoes are so beautiful now...

Last Sunday I shopped at local organic stores and got a can of tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, rapini (broccoli rabe), mushrooms, etc.
Back home and started with my tomato sauce...

Made my dough, rolled it out while heating the oven. Prepped the toppings and arranged them on the dough. Baked for 10 minutes... and garnished with the shiso leaves!

Pizza can be enjoyed without tomato sauce.

This one is topped with young garlic, shiitake and eryngii mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and vegan mozzarella. Yum!

test test

It's been 4 months since I moved to this lovely sunny apartment and 3 months since I started working at a busy west village restaurant...
Thank god I got used to this new life finally.
Lately my creative side began to say, "Hey, isn't it time to start writing your cookbook again? I'm bored!"
Yes! Now I'm ready :)
Luckily, there are two natural food stores within a few blocks from my place and one is open 24 hours.
I have a room with big windows facing in the east. The morning light is perfect for photo shooting.

Even my kitchen has a window. It's so sunny and bright and at night, I can see the moon.

Seems like everything comes together for a reason. Don't need more than that.

Winter cooking starts today ;)
Before I go to the greenmarket, took some photos to see how the sunlight is in my room...

Like it!
Let's see how it goes.

TO BE CONTINUED...!

love hearty soups ♥

It's been chilly these days.

Warm soups really ease our bodies & souls.

Here is one of my favorite soups of all time :)

Hope you'll like it!

Potato Leek Soup in Bread Cup

To Make 10 cups

3 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 leek, sliced

1” X 3” kombu

water

2 cups soy milk

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 tablespoons brown rice syrup

safflower oil for sautéing

soy margarine for sautéing

French bread

1.  In a pan, heat the safflower oil and soy margarine. Sauté the leek until tender.

2.  In a pot, put the kombu, leek, potatoes and water to cover. Bring to boil and cover. Lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked. Add the soymilk, sea salt, brown rice syrup and thyme. Bring to simmer and turn off the heat. Purée with a hand mixer until smooth.

3.  Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut off the tops of the rolls. Using fingers, make holes to make bread cups. Pour the soup into the bread cups and bake them in the oven for 10 minutes or until the rolls become warm and crispy.

4.  Place them on plates or bowls and serve. Enjoy!