Veggie Sushi

I think in an earlier recipe I mentioned that when we came back to Boston from Kodiak it was really really hot. We had to find some good cooler recipes to make for dinner that were yummy, filling and didn't require cooking. I came across a recipe for veggie sushi and  Tim and I went to work. It was a fun project to work on together and tasted delicious. We felt super fancy because we used chop sticks like we were at a real sushi restaurant. We used carrots and cucumbers for our filling. Julienned diakon raddish, summer squash, beets, parsnip, jiccima or kohlrabi would also work great. Use this recipe as a springboard and use what you have, then have fun!

Veggie Sushi

2-3 medium zucchini

2 carrots

1 cucumber

1 Red bell pepper

1/2 cup celantro chopped

Guacamole

Peanut Sauce: See my recipe below:

1. Prep your sushi: Peel the zucchini into strips with a veggie peeler. With either a julienne peeler or a good knife cut the carrot and cucumber into thin strips. Cut the red bell pepper into thin stripps.

2. Assemble your sushi: Lay six strips of zucchini vertically on a clean cutting board, make sure you overlap each strip just a bit to keep your roll together. (think nori) Next sprad a thin layer of guacamole over the two inches closes to you. Then add a mixture of your julienned veggies on top of th guacamole near the edge closest to you.

3. Roll your sushi: starting with the zucchini closest to you roll the strips away from you around the veggies. Keep it tight enough to stay together but not so tight it explodes through the seams.

4. Serve your sushi: Move your sushi rolls to a plate or serving platter and carefully cut into slices with a serrated knife. Serve with peanut dipping sauce or soy sauce.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup warm water
juice of one lime
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar

1. In a medium bowl whisk together the peanut butter and warm water.
2. When they are completely incorporated and smooth add the other ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Best Gazpacho

When I first got back from Kodiak it was SUPER HOT here in Boston. Our friend Grace has been amazing and let s live with her for a while before we find a place. One day, when we were melting into the furniture and everyone was opposed to turning on the oven, stove or even the microwave to cook food, Grace made this gazpacho. It was perfect! It is a beautiful balance of spice and cool, it fills your belly and cools you down. The recipe is versitile, you can spice it up with hotter peppers or add some fresh herbs you like. Try it on your next warm day.

Best Gazpacho

about 2 pounds of ripe red tomatoes cut into cubes

1 cubanelle pepper, cored and chopped

1 anaheim chili, cored and chopped

1 cucumber peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic

2 tsp sherry vinegar

salt

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender. Blend on high until smooth, at least 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides to avoid chunks. If your blender is small you may need to do this in batches.

2. With the blender on, add the vinegar and 2 tsp salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture will turn bright orange or dark pink and become smooth like a salad dressing. If it is still watery, drizzle in more olive oil until the texture is creamy.

3. If you want to be traditional you can strain the pulp out of the soup, but I really like the texture and fiber without straining. Pour into a pitcher and chill for about 6 hours. Adjust the seasoning before serving with salt and vinegar if you like.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I was delivered a case of zucchini this week. We had a wedding shower on the mission so I dressed up the zucchini for the occasion. This cake is amazing! Moist, chocolaty and delicious. In Joseph's own words, "This is the best way to eat Zucchini."

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ingredients

• INGREDIENTS:
• 2 medium zucchinis
• 7 Tbls dark cocoa powder
• 2 Tbls coconut oil, softened
• 3 eggs
• 2 c sugar
• 1½ c applesauce
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• ½ c wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 c semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grate the zucchinis and set on paper towels to absorb excess moisture. You should have between 2-3 cups.
3. Combine sugar, eggs, applesauce, zucchini, coconut oil and vanilla in a large bowl.
4. Combine the chocolate chips with a couple tablespoons of the flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom while the cake is baking.
5. Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.
6. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
7. Pour the batter into a well-greased bundt pan. Bake the cake for 60-70 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for ten minutes before inverting onto a plate.

Kodiak Wild Blueberry Jam

It is blueberry season on Kodiak! We have some laiden bushes on the mission and Emily and I made it a point to go and collect a bunch. We learned something valuable. Blueberries take FOR-EVA to pick!!

We got a bunch and decided to make jam. It turned out great. It is a basic recipe with no pectin but it cooks up thick and fruity and delicious.

Kodiak Wild Blueberry Jam

10 cups of fresh blueberries

6 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

1. Combine the berries, sugar and lemon juice in a heavy bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Keep jam at a steady low boil until the berries burst and the jam is thick and reduced by half.

2. Ladel into sterilized and prepared jars. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes and enjoy.

Peach Jam

I seem to attract large amounts of quickly spoiling produce. The guys at the food bank found out that I am good at saving and using things that might be thrown away, so on Saturday a few peaches turned up in our artic entry.

I spent a good part of my day sorting, peeling and cutting up peaches today, but I also managed to make some jam.

This jam is pretty close to preserves. There is no pectin just a lot of fruit with some sugar and lemon juice. It takes a little while to cook down, but it is totally worth the wait and tastes like South Carolina summer in a jar.

Peach Jam

7 cups of chopped and peeled peaches
2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

1. Combine peaches, sugar and juice in a large heavy bottomed stock pot. Bring the fruit to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and keep at a heavy simmer, stirring regularly until the jam is reduced by half.

2. When the mixture is thick and the fruit is cooked through and soft ladel the jam into serilized and prepared jars. Process in a hot water bath for 10 min.

The Best Coffee Cake Eva

Our family has a thing for coffee cake on days off. It kind of helps the morning go slow. Keith's great grandmother has the best recipe. It works out perfectly every time. We have added all kinds of fruit to it; apples, blueberries, and bananas. Chocolate chips work great. You can drizzle icing or keep it natural. We bake ours in a stoneware pie pan. You can use a 9x9 or it coubles easily to make enough for a crowd in a 9x13.

The Best Coffee Cake Eva

Cake:
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
3 tbsp butter (melted)

1. Combine all ingredients well and pour into a greased 9x9 baking pan.

Topping:
5 tablespoons butter (melted)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour

2. Combine the topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over the cake batter. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Kodiak Wild Sitka Rose Petal Jelly

Start them young ;)

I was introduced to this jelly at the beginning of the summer when we arrived on Kodiak Island. The best way to describe it is that it tastes the same way roses smell, and it is straight up delicious! A great way to preserve a Kodiak summer.

Kodiak Wild Sitka Rose Petal Jelly

2 cups wild Sitka rose petals
2 1/2 cups water
2 tsp lemon juice
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 tbsp powdered pectin

1. Mix the rose petals with one cup of sugar, cover and place in the fridge for 24 hours.

2. Combine the petal/sugar mixture with the rest of the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a large heavy bottomed stock pot and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce the heat and keep the petal mix at a low rolling boil until the petals are translucent.

4. Whisk in the pectin and return to a hard boil that can not be stirred down for one minute.

5. Remove the jelly from heat and ladel into prepared sterilized jars. Process in a hot water bath for 10 min. Enjoy!

Salmonberry Jam

July is Salmonberry season on the Island of Kodiak. Salmonberries are completely new to me, but I had to investigate since my summer residence is surrounded with them. They are bush berries that look like pretty large raspberries but have a milder/strawberry-esque taste. They range in hue from pink to dark purple.

I discovered that the name Salmonberry comes from Alaskan Native culture. Natives traditionally eat the berries with Salmon roe. The salmon begin their run around the same time as the berries ripen so they are seasonally pared well. I have not tried the berries and roe yet.

We picked lots and lots of berries for jam. I froze two gallons for later, and there are still some beautiful berries on the bush calling my name.

This jam is fantastic, but it took two times for me to get it right. Salmonberries have a lot more water than other berries and the jam takes more time to reduce, so if you are aquainted with other berry jam recipes just give yourself more time for the boil down phase.

Salmonberry Jam

The ratio of this recipe is:

1 cup Salmonberries
2/3 cup Sugar

Adjust for the amount of berries you pick. The larger your amount of berries the longer it is going to take for your jam to reduce.

1. In a heavy bottomed stockpot or dutch oven combine your berries and sugar.

2. Over medium-high heat bring your berry mixture to a boil. Stir pretty regularly while the mixture is heating up. This is also a great time to prep your jars and lids.

3. When the jam reaches a full boil reduce heat to medium/low, or a low rolling boil. Continue to boil until the jam is thick to your liking. A good test is to place a spoon in the freezer, scoop out a little of your jam and if it gells well your jam is done.

4. Ladel into prepared, sterilized jars and process for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

How to cook salmon like an Alaskan

Salmon is a big deal here in Kodiak. The Salmon run sustains the community's economy and fills the freezers of the residents for the year. Everyone eats salmon....EVERYONE.

The salmon have just begun running here in July. When the ocean tide starts coming in the salmon start making their way up stream to spawn and die.  We had all the grandparents visiting and decided to try our luck. Three days in the rivers of Kodiak, hours spent casting and reeling. There were rumors of Red Salmon and King Salmon being caught, but no one we ever met had caught one. We had come away with a few Arctic Char, but none of the illusive Salmon.

On the last day that all four grandparents were going to be here on the island we broke down and bought some Salmon. We went to Pickled Willies down in town and bought some Sockeye Salmon. (I bet you did not know there were so many kinds of Salmon. I sure didn't until I lived here) The lady in the fish store told me how to cook the salmon, "Perfectly every time." We went home and tried it...PERFECT! It was great!

Guess what happened the next day?

Papa caught a King Salmon!

Just in case you don't know how cool this is...let me tell you. There are lots of kinds of salmon. Reds and Silvers are good, Sockeyes are yummy, no one in Kodiak will stomach a Pink, that gets sent to the lower 48. A King Salmon though is A-MAZ-ING. They are the most tasty fish ever. They have a very high Omega-3 content so they do not freeze well, and can not be shipped well. King Salmon are also less common than the other kinds. But they were running, and Papa got one.

And guess what we did with it?

We ate it! It was delicious!

Another note: This experience was confusing for my brain. I ate a bite of the King Salmon and my first thought was, "This is incredibly delicious!" My second thought was, "But wait, this does not taste like salmon!" Then third, "Wait! I think I have just been eating crappy farmed salmon my entire life."

Even if you can't get fresh caught salmon and eat it the same day, this recipe will help you cook it to perfection; pink on the inside, not dried out, just right.

So far we have used this recipe three times and it has worked expertly. Respect your fish, cook it well and eat like an Alaskan.

HOW TO COOK SALMON LIKE AN ALASKAN

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees

Prepare your Salmon fillet:
   -wash the fillet
   -pat it dry with paper towels
   -place it skin side down on a baking sheet
   -rub with olive oil &sprinkle with salt and pepper

Cook your salmon:
   -When the oven is heated put your fish in and immediately turn the oven down to 175 degrees.
   -Leave the salmon in the oven for 20 minutes for every inch (thick) of fish,
    example: the thickest part of the fillet is one inch = 20 minutes, one and a half inch = 30 min
    (DON'T OPEN THE DOOR AT ALL)
 
Eat your salmon:
   -After the prescribed time take your salmon out. It will be perfect. Enjoy!

General Tso's Chickpeas and Broccoli

Sometimes I really miss take out Chinese food. I have always loved General Tso's Chicken, so I was super excited to find a General Tso's Chickpeas recipe. I adapted it to make me happy and put a bunch more veggies in it. If you want yours to be simpler just do chickpeas and add one or two of your favorite veggies. My favorite part of this recipe is that it is fantastically fast, almost instant gratification.  LOVE IT!

General Tso's Chickpeas and Broccoli

Marinade:
1 tbsp Braggs liquid aminos
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice

2- 14 oz cans of chick peas drained
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 onion sliced thin
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp ginger minced
1 chili pepper minced
3 scallions cut into 1-inch sections (whites and greens separated)
1- 16 oz bag of frozen broccoli
2 carrots sliced
2 stalks of celery sliced
1 tbsp of sesame seeds

Sauce:
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp braggs liquid aminos
1 tbsp sesame oil

1. In a medium size bowl mix together the Marinade and add the chickpeas. Let them sit for at least 10 minutes.

2. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt the coconut oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, scallion whites and chili. Saute for 3 minutes, then add the broccoli carrots and celery, then continue to cook for about 3 more minutes. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Add the chickpeas and stir well. Continue to stir until all the vegetables are coated in the marinade. Add the sauce to the pot and continue to stir until the sauce bubbles. Continue to toss the veggies in the sauce until they are well coated and the sauce is thick. Toss in the scallion greens and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

4. Serve with rice.

Tofu and Cauliflower Korma

Our family LOVES Indian food. Our local favorite is Shanti Taste of India. One of the consistent faithful choices is Chicken Korma. I found a Korma recipe and adapted it to be vegan and gluten free. It is delicious. It takes a little bit of time but it is totally worth it!

Tofu and Cauliflower Korma

Spice mix:
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp coconut oil
2 lg tomatoes, chopped
1 large onion,chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1/3 cup coconut flakes
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup water
1 package of firm tofu cubed
1/2 head of cauliflower cut into flourettes
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed into large chunks
1 tbsp lemon juice

1. combine all the spice mix into a small bowl.

2. In a large stock pot over medium heat, combine coconut oil, tomatoes, onion, garlic, coconut and carrots. Add the spices and cook 10 minutes.

3. Add the water, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Using either an immersion blender or stand blender in batches, puree the veggie and spice mix into a thick sauce.

4. Return the sauce to the stockpot (if you took it out). Add the tofu, cauliflower, and potato, then return to a simmer. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Before serving stir in the lemon juice.

Brussel Sprout Slaw

I inherited two bushels of Brussel Sprouts this weekend.

Let that sink in...two bushels is a LOT of sprouts.

My boys actually like brussel sprouts. I usually roast them in the oven and everyone is happy, but when you have two bushels to work with  roasting gets old fast. I cleaned and froze a bunch and gave a lot away to lucky people who happen to know me and like veggies. But I also tried making slaw with brussel sprouts for the first time. It worked out really well. The boys all liked it and it was a fun way to use a bunch of the sprouts. I have seen recipes that use nuts and dried fruit. You can try that and add it if you like. I was looking for something purely savory and had no nuts so this is what we ended up with. The only thing that took a while was shredding all the sprouts! I used a knife and it seemed like forever. Next time I would use a food processor with a slicing blade or try a mandolin.

Brussel Sprout Slaw

4 cups shredded brussel sprouts
2 carrots shredded
3 green onions chopped

Dressing:

1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp sesame seed
2 tbsp sugar


1. Prepare the veggies and toss gently in a medium bowl.

2. Combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk until well incorporated.

3. Pour dressing over veggies. Toss again gently and serve.

Vegan Mini Quiche

For our Boston Project Christmas celebration we gathered for a hearty brunch. I made some crust-less quiches; bacon & Gouda, spinach & feta, and a vegan veggie mini quiches. The vegan ones turned out really great (at least I thought so. pretty sure I was the only one eating them) I used broccoli in mine but you can substitute any veggies you like. They lasted for a good while in the fridge and reheated well, so you could make a batch and have breakfast for a few days.

Vegan Mini Quiches

2 Cloves Garlic minced
1/2 medium onion diced
1 cup veggies (spinach, peppers, zucchini, broccoli etc...)
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
12 oz firm tofu
1/4 cup unflavored almond milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp turmeric
pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Cook your onion, garlic and veggies by steaming or sauteing in a pan.

3. Combine the tofu almond milk, and tahini in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Combine the tofu mixture, rosemary, nutritional yeast, cayenne, salt and pepper and veggies and stir to combine.

4. Divide mixture evenly into 12 muffin cups. Place in the oven, reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Beer Bread: because not everyone in my family is gluten free

This bread recipe is super easy and convenient especially if you have some beer hanging around your house. "What?" you say. "Beer hangs around?" Sometimes it does. Keith purchases some of those seasonal multi-packs which most of the time he is pleased with but sometimes there are a few in the pack he does not like and they "hang around" and need a use other than drinking, so here is a great way to use "those beers." If you don't have beer hanging around go buy yourself a cheap PBR and call it a day.

The recipe also requires minimal ingredients and preparation so it is quick in a pinch. For a quick bread it is also really tasty and is more like a yeast bread than a biscuit. You can totally tweek this recipe to make it more savory or sweet. Throw some fresh herbs and garlic in before you stir in the beer, or stir in  a swirl of cinnamon and sugar after dough is combined.


Beer Bread

3 cups Flour
4 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp salt
12 oz Beer

Preeheat your oven to 375 degrees

Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan

Combine flour, baking powder, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add the beer and stir quickly with a fork until combined. Pour into the prepared bread pan. Bake 45-55 min or until a skewer or knife can be inserted in the middle and come out clean.