Another Way to Eat Broccoli

I often blanch broccoli with salt and olive oil until al dente and keep in the fridge for later use. Sometimes I just munch on it as a snack. My dog also loves it as a treat: as soon as I start blanching the broccoli, he comes running to the kitchen!

Broccoli with Seasoned Seaweed and Masago

1/2 cup blanched broccoli florets
1 tsp seasoned seaweed, Gohandesuyo, see below for the picture
1 Tbsp masago fish roe. Can you tell I'm trying to use it up?


That's it for the ingredients. How easy is that? Just combine all in a small bowl to coat the florets and voila! It satisfies my craving for Japanese food without going over my daily intake of rice and noodles. Just love the crunch from the masago fish roe!

Blanched earlier and chilled in the fridge.

When I blanch broccoli, I use lots of salt and good olive oil in the water. After draining, a trace of olive oil coats the florets just slightly. The smell of the olive oil is appetizing.

Seasoned with soy sauce: sweet and savory.

This black paste is what Gohandesuyo looks like out of the jar.

Masago fish roe

Just mix them up and serve!
No cooking needed other than blanching the broccoli.

Click if you like this post

Avocado Masago Salad

I went to the grocery store to stock up avocados for the week, and my hubby did the same thing on the way home from work. We have too many to consume by the end of the week!

Avocado Masago Salad

1 avocado, diced in bite sized
1 Tbsp masago fish roe
1 sprig cilantro, chopped
2 tsp sushi vinegar
2 tsp mayo
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Sprinkles Japanese chili pepper

Cut up avocado and set aside. In a small bowl, combine vinegar, mayo, soy sauce and sesame oil and mix well. Pour the dressing on avocado and coat. Top it with masago. I like lots of it. Garnish with cilantro and chili pepper. 

One down, six more avocados to go...

Masago. I love the crunch.

Ingredients for the dressing

Japanese chili pepper

Mix them up before eating.

Think of it as an avocado sushi roll, only without rice and seaweed. Fresh lemon juice can be substituted for sushi vinegar, and you can also add some cucumber for a little crunch! 

Little Twin Stars was my Sanrio fave as a kid.
What is your Sanrio fave?

Click if you like this post

Thai Cole Slaw

Another salad for summer. If you have scrap vegetables in the fridge, just julienne them like there's no tomorrow, and voila, your cole slaw is ready. Except this time, you have the tangy spicy Thai dressing to go with it.

Thai Cole Slaw

1 cucumber
1 stalk, celery
4 radishes
1/4 apple
1 lime, juiced
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 sprig, Thai basil
A few leaves, mint
1 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp Thai chili paste

Just julienne everything and put them all in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine fish sauce, lime juice, honey and Thai chili paste. Pour it on the vegetables and toss. 

Fish sauce

Sriracha sauce would work, too.

Thai basil from our garden 

Mint from our garden

Any vegetables would make a great cole slaw.

Easy breezy!

Click if you like this post

Dangling Ice Ball Earrings

It's been a long time since I made my last pair of earrings. Sometimes I get bogged down by something, other times, I'm just not inspired enough. But I've been wanting to make these for a week or so now. And I'm happy with how they came out.

3/8 inch glass balls

Rather long dangle earrings. They come down to just above your chin.

A nice addition to summer jewelry collection

They are simple but the length makes them anything but boring. 

Click if you like this post

Yakitori with Szechuan Pepper

I like anything on a stick. It's fun to eat, and simple ingredient gets an extra oomph. Thighs are great for yakitori because they stay moist after grilling and are a lot more flavorful. Make sure to remove all the fat off the thighs: that's where the gamey flavor is.

Yakitori with Szechuan Pepper

4-5 small chicken thighs, fat removed and cut in small bite sized
4-5 green onions, cut in 2 inches long
Good salt and pepper, you can use rock salt or specially flavored salt for fun.
1 tsp canola oil to grease the skillet
Lemon to splash on top

Cut off the fat and skin off the chicken. I find it easier to use kitchen scissors than a knife for this task. Skewer chicken and onions. Sprinkle liberal amount of salt and pepper. 

Line them up on a cutting board to evenly sprinkle salt and pepper.

I happened to have a mix of smoked salt and Szechuan pepper on hand. Szechan pepper has that unique aroma with an almost numbing sensation. I used that in addition to black pepper and some rock salt.

Smoked salt and Szechuan pepper mix. Delicious.

It's better to have more salt than less when it comes to yakitori, I think. I always get put off by restaurant's yakitori that's skimped out on salt. Brown the chicken skewers on a greased skillet. Transfer the skewers to a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so to be sure the meat is cooked through. Splash lemon before serving.

Just brown the surface. Oven will take care of the rest.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
(Sometimes meat is undercooked around the skewers.)

MMM!

Always ready to help.

Click if you like this post

Vegetable Garden: Eggplant

Eggplants are getting bigger! Better come up with recipes for them! There's a lot of tomatoes but not ready for picking yet. 

Japanese eggplant, Ichiban.

Several eggplants on the vines.

Yellow snack peppers. Waiting to turn yellow.

Mommy's helpers

Heatmasters are doing really well. So many tomatoes on the vines.

Mr. Stripey. Can't wait to see them in stripes!

Tiger Lilies still going strong...

"Uncle Mommy, I'm ready to get back inside. It's too hot outside!"

Click if you like this post