more sushi please!

I have been making sushi like crazy lately. I love it! I also get a little thing of saki to have with my sushi and it just sets the mood. Sippin' on a little saki while I try to create beautiful little rolls to share and enjoy surely makes them taste better. I make mine vegetarian, but the possibilities are endless. These have carrots, cabbage, cream cheese, and avocado.

Here are a few tips that I've learned through all of my sushi practice as of late...

1. Use wasabi sauce (sauce, not paste) as the sealer for your roll. Brush the dry part with the sauce before rolling.

2. Use a very sharp knife for cutting and be slow and steady about it.

3. Variety. There's something so exciting about lots of little multi-colored rolls! 

wonderful wonton wrappers

Wonton wrappers are incredibly versatile little sheets of loveliness. They are great for potstickers of course, but also homemade raviolis that you can stuff with just about anything you like. In this recipe I've created fun little shells stuffed with poached chicken in wine sauce. You could also use them as chicken salad cups or even dessert cups for pudding with a dallop of whip cream. You can find wonton wrappers in the organic vegetable section of the grocery store, near the tofu and mushrooms.

Wonton Shells:

Preheat your oven to 375º. Coat a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray. Place one wrapper in each little tin, pressing around the inside edges and allowing the points to flow out around. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes watching carefully until they are golden brown. Pull them out and place them on a platter ready to fill with yummy goodness.

Poached Chicken with Wine:

In a large black skillet, sauteé diced onions in a little olive oil over medium high heat. {TIP: I use a heat safe brush to evenly coat my pan with the oil. This also helps to prevent me from using too much oil.} Next, add your smashed, diced garlic to the mix and lower the heat to medium. Then add one package of ground chicken or turkey and combine. Pour in about 1/4 cup of dry white wine and stir until the meat is all cooked through and the liquid has evaporated. Turn off the heat and stir in 2 tbsp. of cream cheese. Place a spoonful of the mixture into each little cup. Top with sliced tomato pieces or chopped scallions. I served this with easy & crunchy green bean fries.

Green Bean Fries:

Clean and trim beans, but leave them whole. Preheat oven to 400º. Place the beans on a sheet pan and salt and pepper them liberally. Coat with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and toss with your hands. Spread them out as thinly as you can on the sheet pan. Cook for about 20 minutes or until they start to brown. Enjoy!

veg-e-table su-ahhh-she

My mother and I made homemade sushi last night. This has been something that I have always wanted to do, but never been able to do successfully because of the rice issue. It is so darn hard to create perfect sticky rice. Well, now that issue has been solved. Perfect sticky rice is right at our fingertips in a minute and thirty seconds. And it's brown rice to boot. I found this product in the grocery store recently right over near all of the other instant rice products. It has two ingredients: brown rice and water. No preservatives and other junk. And it works perfectly for homemade sushi.

You will need Nishiki instant brown rice, seaweed wrappers, cucumber slices, avocado slices, grated wasabi, mayo, and soy sauce.

 

Cook the rice according to the directions. Spread a thin layer of the rice along one half of the seaweed sheet. Top with thinly sliced cucumber and avocado in long strips. Top with a mixture of mayo and wasabi. Brush a little extra of this mixture on the top of the sheet to seal the roll. Then roll it up!

I know this is not the best photo, but here you have it. Really delicious sushi right at home!

Easter and such

I spent my Easter Sunday at one of the most beautiful places on earth, on the cliffs over looking the Cumberland River in Ashland City, Tennessee. My Aunt Liz and Uncle Nip live there in this wonderfully peaceful place. I went up Saturday to help get ready for the Easter festivities the following day. We had a great time. 

This little bugger tried to eat me on my way up the drive, but I didn't let him stop me! No sir!

I gathered river rocks to add to my collection. I've been painting them lately because of this chick.

My friend Grace asked if she could have a slumber party with me and I said sure! She's a great snuggle buddy.

I went to the creek and gathered wild flowers to decorate our table. I was so proud of my arrangements. I think they are my best yet. I'm not that great at it. My sister & Aunt Dancey have the green thumbs in our family.

And this is what I contributed to the Easter meal. Smashed new potatoes. I got this idea from my favorite food blogger. I boiled them until tender, then tossed them in olive oil and smashed them onto a baking sheet. Sprinkled them liberally with salt and pepper, and baked them at 400º until the edges got brown and toasty. They were so yummy! I served them with sour cream that I mixed with finely chopped herbs.