A Lot About Nothing

I had a great BBQ last weekend. Here is a recipe for one of the tasty items I cooked on the grill.

Prep Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour of refrigeration
Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds (2 frozen, 450g packages) of large, raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup of fresh, chopped basil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 small can of pineapple tidbits (drained)

wooden skewers

Directions:

1. If you’re using frozen shrimp, place them in a colander and run cold water over them for about 5 minutes, until defrosted. Peel and discard the shells.
2. With a spoon, mix the melted butter, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in a large bowl. Gradually stir in the basil.
3. Add the shrimp to the marinade, coating well. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
4. Preheat your greased grill or barbecue to medium heat.
5. Thread about 3-5 shrimp on each skewer, alternating with pineapple tidbits.
6. Grill for approximately 5 minutes, turning once, until the shrimp turn pink.
7. Remove shrimp from the grill and place on a platter. You can garnish with lemon slices to squirt on the shrimp. Enjoy!

One of my good friends gave me this recipe for guacamole and I altered it a bit. Now I think I’m going to be making it a lot more often because it ended up tasting so delicious!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

3 ripe avocados (peeled, pitted and diced)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 small roma tomato OR 1/2 regular tomato (chopped)
1/4 (about 3 tablespoons) of a sweet onion (finely chopped)
salt and pepper to taste
a few drops hot sauce (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place the diced avocados into a medium mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and garlic and mash the mixture with a fork or potato masher.
2. Add the chopped onion and tomato. If you want a smoother guacamole, you can choose to blend the tomato before adding it to the avocado mixture.
3. Continue mashing the mixture, adding some salt, pepper and hot sauce until the desired taste and consistency is reached.
4. If desired, cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 45 minutes before eating.

Serve with tortilla chips or toasted pita bread.

Ever since I got my Magic Bullet, I’ve been using it to make delicious, fruit-filled smoothies. Since this is one of the few weekdays I have off from work (and I’m up before 9am), I decided to try a healthy breakfast smoothie to start off my day.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt (vanilla or plain)
1/2 large banana
5-8 frozen strawberries
1 scoop of whey protein powder
1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth.
2. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!

It’s so important that you don’t skip breakfast in the AM, especially if you want to keep fit and healthy. I’ve been guilty of rushing off to work sans breakfast, but now that I’ve started a routine, I’m being careful to make sure that I get some energy in the morning by either making a quick smoothie or having a couple slices of peanut-buttered toast.

One of my favourite breakfast foods to make is French Toast. This is the way I always used to make it: with sugar in the egg mixture so I don’t have to worry about pouring syrup over the toast after it’s none (after all, if I wanted to do that, I’d just make pancakes!). I like to use Villaggio Italian Style White Bread or Dempster’s Thick Slice White Bread. Taste great served with a side of beans (fiber!) and bacon.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 slices

Ingredients:

6 slices of bread
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and gradually add the sugar until blended.
2. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine in a frying pan.
3. Soak the sliced bread in the egg mixture until both sides are coated.
4. Place the saturated slices of bread onto the frying pan, cooking for 4-5 minutes on each side, until golden-brown.
5. Serve immediately and enjoy!

I love East Asian food. I love it so much that it’s possible that was probably Asian in a past life. I made some sushi the other night, and let me tell you that for a Black girl I make it pretty damn well. A hit at all my dinner parties that I throw at home, it’s a shame that it took me so long to realize that sushi (at least the basic type) can be super-easy to make myself. If you’re craving some Japanese cuisine, there’s no reason to go out to the semi-expensive sushi bar, because you can create your own filling rolls right in the comfort of your own home–for a fraction of the price. Sure it may be a bit tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be tempted to start your own all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant (okay, perhaps that’s a little far fetched, but you get the point).

Now there’s a myriad of types of sushi, but this is a recipe for basic, cheap & simple Monique-Rolls aka California rolls and Tuna rolls. For a short course on some of the terms and a background on Japanese sushi visit the Wikipedia article on sushi.

Here’s a list of things that you’ll need before you begin:

• A Bamboo Rolling Mat
  Also known as a makisu. Can be found at virtually all Asian grocery stores and at some regular grocery chains
• A Rice Paddle
  Also known as a shamoji. I purchased a bamboo one at an Asian grocery store for about $1.30… you can try your local dollar store
• A Large Bowl
  Preferably glass or heavy plastic… stay away from metal
• A Cutting Board

Ingredients:
(all the prices posted are based on my purchases from the local Asian grocery supermarket)

• Nori
  This is the seaweed wrappers used in maki. I usually use Marufuji Yaki-Sushi Nori because of it’s high quality. Just make sure the nori sheets you buy is thick, smooth, and doesn’t have any holes. (approx $2.50 for a pack of 10 sheets)
• Sushi Rice or Calrose Rice
  The key part of any sushi meal. To make 4 sushi rolls (which could then be cut into about 30 individual pieces), I use 2 cups of rice. When cooking, a 1:1 ratio should be used in order for your medium-grain rice to come out well.
  (about $3 for a 2kg package)
• Imitation Crab or Canned Tuna
• Fresh Vegetables (cucumber, carrots, avacado)
• Fish Roe
  There are several types of fish roe you can use for maki filling/coating, such as masago, ikura, kazunoko and tobiko. I use masago. ($3 for a small container)
• Rice Vinegar
  Very important when making sushi. I always purchase Marukan’s Seasoned Rice Vinegar. They also sell the unseasoned kind (which you’d have to add a bit of salt and sugar to for sushi). Seasoned rice vinegar can also be used as a marinade for meat, fish and veggies. I use about a couple tablespoons for each cup of rice. ($3)
• Soy Sauce
  There are several types available. I’m quite fond of Kikkoman’s Sushi & Shashimi Soy Sauce because it’s a bit sweeter and milder than the original. ($2-3)
• Wasabi (optional)
  A piquant paste made from the grated root of the wasabi plant. According to Wikipedia, it has anti-microbial properties and may reduce the risk of food poisoning. I mix a bit of S&B’s brand of wasabi in with my soy sauce for dipping. ($2.50/tube)
• Gari (optional)
  Sweet, picked ginger eaten to cleanse the palate and help with digestion. (I never purchased this before, but the bottle is about $4-5)

Instructions:

1. Wash The Rice
   This is very important. Make sure you wash it several times until the water runs fairly clear after while you drain it.
2. Cook The Rice
   I use a rice cooker, because it does the job so well. But if you don’t have one, a decent pot with a lid will do. Cook the rice for about 15-20 minutes on low heat with the lid covered.
3. Prepare Your Fillings
   Now that you have some free time, you can prepare your fillings for your maki rolls. Cut an English cucumber in half lengthwise, then down the middle again so that you get the strips small enough to fit within the maki rolls. Sometimes it can be chopped finer. If you want to add some carrots to your California Rolls, go right ahead. In the past I’ve used baby carrots because they’re easier to slice finely. To prevent your avocado from turning brown (due to oxidation), after peeling and slicing wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. You can also spritz some lemon juice on them to keep them fresh. Peeling and cutting an avacado can be tricky… the avocado peeler is your friend. Masago freezes well, so I usually buy a bulk pack for about $5 and then defrost some in the fridge when I need to make sushi rolls.I use imitation crab for my sushi rolls, specifically crab-flavoured Alaskan Pollock. I cut my crab-sticks in 1/2 so that there’s more room for other filling within the roll. For my tuna rolls, I use Clover Leaf’s Spicy Thai Chili Tuna, but you can just use plain, flaked tuna and mix it with a bit of mayo and hot sauce.
4. Prepare Your Rice
   After the rice has finished cooking, pour it into a mixing bowl and add some rice vinegar (for each cup of rice, I use about 2 tablespoons of vinegar). Mix the rice vinegar with the rice using the rice paddle in careful, chopping motions… being careful not to ’smoosh’ the rice. Let your rice cool to room temperature (fanning it will help speed up time).

5. Layout Your “Rolling” Area

   I place a large cutting board on my counter top, place my fillings around it for easy access, then put my rolling mat in the centre. Sometimes people cover their rolling mat with plastic wrap or a large Ziplock bag for easy clean up, especially when making uramaki (inside-out rolls).

6. Fill That Nori
   Place a sheet of nori (rough side up) on the bamboo mat. Depending on weather you like your rolls thick or thin, you can cut the sheet of nori in half lengthwise. I like ‘em thick, so I use the whole sheet. Using your paddle, spoon some rice onto the sheet of nori, coating it to the ends. This is where your bowl of water comes in handy. I dip my wooden paddle in the water to moisten it a bit, so that the rice doesn’t stick to it as much and easily comes off onto the nori.Note that if you’re making regular makizushi (nori on the outside), leave about a 1/2 inch of the nori on top uncovered, so that it’s easier to seal. For uramaki (rice on the outside), spread the rice to the ends, putting a thicker layer of rice near the top to make sure none of the nori pokes out after you roll. Place your ingredients about 3/4 of the way down from the end of the nori sheet. If you put it right at the end it will be difficult to roll it up. I usually stack my cucumbers and crab first, then layer the avacado and masago on top. For Uramaki, you’ll have to flip the rice-covered nori over THEN place your ingredients on the nori side of the sheet before you roll (you can sprinkle toasted seseme seeds on the rice before you flip, or wait until after you roll it up).

   

7. Roll ‘Em, Baby
   Very carefully, begin rolling your roll (lol, that sounds funny) from the side closest to your body. Make sure you don’t roll up the plastic wrap or bamboo sheet into the roll you’re making. Basically, you’re going to roll a bit (picking up the bottom of the nori and covering the part of the roll with the filling), and apply some pressure with the bamboo mat to keep things tightly intact. After you roll uramaki, you can roll it on some masago or toasted seseme seeds (so it sticks to the rice) for some extra flavour and presentation. For regular maki, make sure you wet the top edge of the exposed nori a bit, to seal in the edge of the roll.
8. Cut It
   Using a sharp, wet knife, slice your sushi roll into about 6-8 pieces. I find that using a serrated knife helps with the cutting process (especially the nori), but as long as it’s a good, sharp knife it should cut the maki roll nicely.
9. Present It

   Sushi’s really all about presentation. I purchased some really nice sushi plates and condiment bowls from Winners (at a good price). I’m pretty sure you can find them at your local department store or Asian supermarket. Pour some soy sauce into a small bowl and add a bit of wasabi and gari if you like. Don’t forget the chopsticks.

10. Eat It
    No explanation necessary. Enjoy!

Don’t worry if your sushi comes doesn’t come out right after the first few tries. It may take some practice to get it right. Try some different variations where fillings are concerned. If you’d like more info on how to make your own sushi, along with some advanced instructions, check out these helpful links:

makemysushi.com
imakesushi.com
sushifaq.com