Japanese Style Miso Soup

Miso (soy bean paste) soup is the most popular soup in Japan. As miso varies in saltiness, adjust the amount of miso to your preference. Make sure you are using "Made in Japan" soy products since most (if not all) soy products made in the US are unfermented and GM (genetically modified). Many of the soy products (tofu, miso, etc.) in Japanese grocery store here in Columbus are actually imported from Japan, and are non-GM & fermented soy. The store is located on Kenny Rd & Old Henderson Rd in Upper Arlington. Check out their website: http://tensukemarket.com/


Japanese Miso Soup:

• 2 teaspoons dashi granules (fish stock granules)
• 4 cups water
• 3 tablespoons miso paste
• 1 (8oz) package tofu, diced 
• 2 green or yellow onions, sliced
• optional: wakame (seaweed) 

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine dashi granules and water. Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in tofu, onions and seaweed. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.

3. Turn the heat to low. Whisk in the miso paste slowly. 

4. Serve warm.

Pat Thai - naturally gluten free!

This recipe is the "easy" version of Pat Thai. It turned out wonderful, and it was very easy to make. We liked this home made version better than the ones we've had at the restaurants... you can make it a lot less greasy. You can get some of the following ingredients (Thai rice noodles, bean sprouts, tamarind paste & fish sauce) at the local Asian store. If you live in Columbus area, I recommend CAM (Columbus Asian Market) on Bethel Road (Microcenter Plaza). They remodeled/moved the store recently, and it is one of the largest Asian stores I've ever seen! They have many varieties and selections of all types of Asian food and it's fun even just for browsing : ) If you've never been there, it's worth checking out!

• 8 oz Thai rice noodles
• 1 lb ground pork or beef
• Marinade for pork/beef: 1tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp gluten free soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Optional: 1-2 fresh red chilies, minced
• 3 cups fresh bean sprouts
• 5 Shiitake mushrooms (optional)
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• Olive oil for stir-frying, and wedges of lime

Pat Thai Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp tamarind paste dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce + more to tatste
• 1 to 3 tsp chili sauce or 1/2 tsp dried crushed chili or cayenne pepper
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar

1. Cook rice noodles according to the package directions (Boil for about 5 minutes). Drain and set aside.

2. Make the Pat Thai Sauce by combining the sauce ingredients together in a cup. Set aside.

3. Pour the marinade over pork/beef.

4. Warm up a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, garlic and minced chili (optional). Stir-fry until fragrant (30 seconds).

5. Add pork with the marinade. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until meat is brown. Add bean sprouts & shiitake mushrooms and stir fry for another minute. (If it is too dry, you can add some chicken stock).

6. Add the noodles, and pour the Pat Thai sauce over. Using two wooden spoons, immediately stir-fry the noodles. Stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes. 

7. Add the green onions.

8. Taste test for seasoning, adding more fish sauce until desired flavor is reached. Toss well to incorporate. 

9. Lift noodles onto a serving plate. Top with fresh cilantro and add fresh lime wedges on the side. 

Perfect Pork Chop

We have been eating a lot of pork dishes lately, and I decided to experiment with different kind of pork chop recipes. I mixed 1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning into 2 tablespoons of gluten free flour. Sprinkle salf & pepper on the pork chops and rub the flour mixture. Pan fry the pork chops until done... about 12 minutes. Make sure using low to medium heat so that you don't burn the pork chop. This goes really well with the rosemary oven roasted potatoes. Just add 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary into 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss large diced potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until done. We had this dish with some green beans and it was a winner... old bay seasoning add an interesting taste to the pork.

Indian tonight... Curried Vegetables with Tomatoes

This Indian dish is very easy and yummy! You can get most of these spices at a regular grocery store, except for garam masala. You can get garam masala at a local Indian grocery store. I bought my spices at Patel Brothers on Sawmill Road. It's a fairly large Indian grocery store and they seem to have everything. 

• 1 can(14oz) diced tomatoes 
• 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 1 bunch cauliflower, chopped
• 1/2 can(14oz) sweet peas
• 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

1. In a large skillet, sautee the onions and potatoes in olive oil (or butter) for about 3 minutes. Add the tomato and all the spices. Cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes. 

2. Add cauliflower and reduce the heat to medium. (Add more oil or a little bit of water if needed.) Stirring frequently for another 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the lemon juice and fresh chopped cilantro for garnish. Serve over steamed basmati rice.

 

GF Vegetarian Enchilada and Baked Corn Chips

If you like chicken enchilada, you can easily substitute the chicken to tofu. This enchilada came out very tasty and very light... much lighter than the meat enchilada recipes. More talk on the chicken later, but unless you can buy all-grass-fed chicken (I'm not even sure if there are such things in Ohio), chickens are VERY high in Omega-6, unfortunately.  When buying tofu, make sure you are buying made-in-Japan tofu or it says, "Magnesium Chloride" on the label.
Since I bought way too many corn tortillas, (they come in large quantities) I decided to just bake the rest of tortillas and sprinkle salt... home made chips & salsa!


Gluten Free Vegetarian Enchilada

• • 15 1/4 oz Whole Kernel Corn
• • 1 tbsp Butter

• • 1/2 large Green Bell Pepper
• • 1 medium Red Bell Pepper
• • 1/3 medium White Onion
• • 1 1/2 cups Tofu (Made in Japan or Magnesium Chloride on label)
• • 4 to 6 White Corn Tortillas
• • 1/2 cup Finely Shredded Colby Cheese
• • 1 cup Black Beans
• • 1 cup Enchilada Sauce
• • 3 Black Pearl Medium Pitted Ripe Olives
• • 2 tsp Taco Seasoning
• • 1 tbsp Pure Olive Oil
• • 1 cup Canned Diced Tomatoes, not drained

1. Saute sliced onions & bell peppers in large skillet in olive oil and taco seasoning. When the veggies are almost soft add tofu, and canned tomatoes (include juice). Cook until tofu has absorbed remaining liquid (make sure and scrape bottom of pan for the yummy bits). 2. In loaf pan layer two corn torillas, half of black beans, half of corn, half of tofu/veggie mixture, and top with half of almost half of enchilada suace. Repeat those layers. Add cheese and sliced black olives. You have about 2-3 tbsp of enchilada sauce left, pour over top.
3. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, covered, or until contents are bubbly are bubbly around the melted cheese. Then remove the lid, turn heat up to 450 and bake for additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is as brown as you would like it.
Remove and let sit for 10 minutes.

Japanese Style Swordfish Dinner & Cheese Cake

Happy belated Valentine's Day! 
I had never been so excited about dining "in" for the Valentine's Dinner. Because we were living with someone last year, we were always looking for excuses to go out of the house. So this is really a treat for us to be able to stay home and celebrate it together... on our own!
Since swordfish is Jeff's absolute favorite fish, I decided to make some Japanese style swordfish dinner. For the dessert, I made a very light flavored, gluten free (of course) cheese cake. This cake is something my mom used to make when I was little. It's very easy and light, low sugar dessert option.


Japanese Style Swordfish with Dikon Radish

• 2 swordfish stakes
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Mirin
• 2 tablespoons rice wine
• 3 tablespoons potato starch (Katakuriko)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 green onions, chopped
• grated daikon radish for garnish

1. In a glass dish, combine the garlic, GF soy sauce, mirin, and rice wine. Mix just to blend. Place swordfish steaks into the marinade, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

2. Pat dry the sword fish, and do not throw away the marinade. Sprinkle potato starch on both side of the fish. 

3. In a pan, heat the olive oil with medium high heat. Place the sword fish and cook for about 10 minutes, turning once. Be careful not to burn the fish.

4. Place the swordfish on the plate and cover... keep warm. Using the same pan, stir green onions for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the marinade sauce and cook for another minute.

5. Garnish the swordfish steaks with daikon radish and pour the marinade/green onion sauce on top. Serve warm.

Japanese Style Gluten Free Cheese Cake

• 1 package  (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 egg whites
• 3 egg yokes
• 3 tablespoons Gluten Free baking flour (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place egg whites in a large mixing bowl and using electric mixer, beat egg whites until still. Put it aside.
2. In separate bowl, mix softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add egg yolks, one by one.  Add optional flour into the egg yolk mixture.
3. Fold in egg yolk mixture into stiff egg whites gently. Make sure well blended, but do not over mix. 
4. Pour the batter into 8 or 9 inch greased pan. Bake at 325 for 35 minutes or until done. Let it cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi with Sautéed Spinach

When making any seafood dish, make sure you are using "wild caught" fish. Because most of the farm raised fish are corn fed these days, that means they are filled with omega-6... which we need to avoid. On the other hand, wild caught fish are very high in omega-3, and are very good for us.
Wild caught Mahi Mahi was on sale at Meijer a couple weeks ago, so we bought a lot and froze them. This recipe is good for any white fish or salmon, so try this with other fish if you like!


Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi
Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
• salt & pepper to taste

1. In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
3. Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.

Sautéed Spinach with Shiitake Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 lb. fresh spinach leaves
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce

1. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. 

2. Add spinach & shiitake mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with soy sauce and serve warm.