Stackable food - Oshi Sushi

I always fancy how the professional chef can arrange a dish beautifully that is nearly too good to eat.  I am pretty happy with the look of this Oshi Sushi (boxed sushi) as it is my first trial.  The first thing my husband asks me is how to eat it.  Unlike the rolled sushi, this sushi is liked a piece of cake.  I try to eat it like a sandwich but it is too big to fit into the mouth, my daughter mush it all up and eat it with chopsticks, then I find the easiest and most respectable way to eat is using knife and fork.  This sushi is suitable for sushi hunger as it has two favours instead of one.  If you can't roll sushi, you should try this method and you would be surprised how easy it is to make and your guest would give you a WOW!

Oshi Sushi  
(make 16)

Ingredients:
rice:
8-9 cups cooked sushi rice
3 teaspoons of salt
4 tablespoons vinegar

fillings:
3 nori sheets

1st layer:
2-3 avocados, cut into stripes
1 1/2 cups of marinated teriyaki chicken pieces
(refer to the recipe of teriyaki chicken ciabatta)

2nd layer:
6 crabmeat sticks
egg, lighten beaten
breadcrumb
1/2 continental cucumber, remove the centre and cut into thin stripes
mixed salad leaves
Japanese mayonnaise

Topping:
egg, lightly beaten
Japanese rice seasoning
(it has shaved bonito, sesame seeds and seaweed)

Method:

1. Season the cooked rice with salt and vinegar, mix well and set aside.
2. Cook the chicken until it is done and set aside.
3. Cut the crab stick sideway into two long strips.  Repeat the process for the rest of the crab sticks.  Dip them into the egg, and cover with bread crumb.  Cook it into a pan heated with 1/2 cup oil until it is golden brown.  Absorb excess oil with kitchen paper and set aside.
4. Cook the egg for the topping and cut it into stripes and set aside.
5. Divide the rice into 3 equal portions.  Wet your hands with water and press a portion of the rice into a square box that fit the size of the nori sheet.  (I only use a cake box)
6. Lay the first nori sheet onto the rice, arrange the cucumber evenly along the nori, then add the salad leaves and mayonnaise.  Finally add the crab sticks.
7. Cover the first layer with another nori sheet.  Then cover it with the second portions of rice and press evenly.  You may need to wet your hands again to prevent sticking.
8. Arrange avocado, then chicken evenly along the rice and cover it with the last nori sheet.
9. Lay the last portion of rice over the second layer and press evenly.  Spread the egg strips onto the top and sprinkle with the rice seasoning.  
10. Cut the sushi with a sharp knife into 4x4 to get 16 pieces.     

What can you do with $1?

When the economy is down, people become more price conscious.  Advertisers often use price to attract sales.  There are ads showing you how to prepare family meal for less then $10, you can collect sales coupon to buy a second cup of coffee for $1.... etc.  Businesses are trying to capture as much sales as possible during the tough time as consumers spending power drops.  When everything seems  becoming more expensive, what can you do with $1?  I bought 4 large apples the other days and it cost over $1 each and $1 couldn't even pay for a packet of crackers.  Then I saw this baked-at-home Vienna loaf for only $1, I grabbed it, baked it and tried to make this $1 product as delicious as it could be.

Garlic and Cheese Baked Vienna Loaf              

Thaw the bread and bake it at a 180c oven for about 7 minutes, then score a few lines onto the bread, stuff in butter and garlic mince between each gap, sprinkle some dried basil, mozzarella cheese over the top and return the bread into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until the bread turns brown.  Tear the bread into big pieces and sprinkle some feta cheese crumb and sweet chilli sauce.

Spaghetti Meatballs

We are a bit tired of spaghetti bolognese, and the kids keep asking to have meatballs for dinner.  I don't have much success in making meatballs as it always turn out very hard and it is quite time consuming to pan fried the balls.  Then I use the method in making Chinese steamed patty for the meatballs.  It is a much easier way to cook and the meatballs is tender and soft.  To increase the fibre intake, I choose to use wholemeal pasta in this recipe although the plain one tastes smoother.  Making this dish reminds me of the nursery song, "On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese, I lose my poor meatballs when somebody sneezed.......so if you eat spaghetti all covered with cheese, hold on to your meatballs and don't ever sneeze."  Ah-chee!

   

Spaghetti Meatballs

(serve 4)

Ingredients:

280g lean pork mince or veal mince

2-3 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons cornflour

5 tablespoons water

For the sauce: 

1 medium onion, cut into small pieces

1 small carrot, cut into small cube 

1 small zucchini, cut into small cube

3-4 button mushroom, cut into small pieces

1/2 medium red capsicum, cut into small pieces

500g bottle pasta sauce

3/4 packet of 500g wholemeal spaghetti

1 tablespoon garlic

fresh basil and oregano leaves, chopped

250g water (1/2 of the pasta sauce bottle)

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese

Methods:

1. Marinate the pork mince with the herb, salt and pepper.  Add the corn flour and water and mix until it is all combined and feels light.  Let it stand for 30 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in the saucepan, add the onion and garlic, stir for a minute.  Then add the rest of the vegetables and cook till it is becoming soft.  Pour the pasta sauce into the pan and add the water, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Roll the mince into meatballs about the size of a ping pong ball, drop it into the cooking sauce.  Make 16 balls.  Let it cook for another 20 minutes.  Do not stir as it will break the meatballs.  Add the chopped basil and oregano leaves over the sauce. 
4. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti following the packet direction, drain and arrange the cooked pasta on to 4 serving plates, leave a well in the middle.
5. Pour 4 meatballs with sauce onto the pasta and sprinkle some parmesan cheese over. 

Banana, Walnuts and Maple Syrup Cupcake (Eggless)

Banana is an easy food to pack for kids lunch as it does not need any wrapping and can be stored at room temperature.  After the crisis of flood and cyclone, the price of banana has gone nearly double in price.  It would be a waste to throw away the over ripped banana.  You can freeze them and use it for baking or making smoothies.  I used to freeze them for my kids as a snack when they were toddlers.  I have got two ripped bananas so I turned them into cupcakes for a yummy afternoon tea. This is a low fat recipe and you can substitute maple syrup for honey or golden syrup.

Banana, Walnuts and Maple Syrup Cupcake
make 12

Ingredients:
370g mashed bananas
140g brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
4 tablespoon margarine, melted
2 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180c.
2. Combine the bananas, sugar, maple syrup and margarine in the mixing bowl.  Beat with an electric whisk until well combined.  Then add in the sifted flour, baking powder and salt and mix well.  Fold in the chopped walnuts.
3. Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cake springs back when pressed.  Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.  Enjoy them while still warm.

This recipe is adopted and modified from the cookbook "500 cupcakes" by Fergal Connolly

香蕉合桃楓樹糖漿杯仔蛋糕
(12 個份量)

材料：
壓難香蕉蓉 370g
黃糖 140g
楓樹糖漿 1/3 杯
植物牛油 4 湯匙, 溶化
自發粉 2 杯
泡打發粉 1 荼匙
半杯合桃粒
鹽 少許

做法：

1. 預先備熱焗爐 180c.
2. 大盆中加入香蕉、糖、糖漿和牛油，用電攪拌机攪至混和，然後加入自發粉，泡打發粉和鹽，攪好後加合桃粒。
3. 把蛋糊倒入鋪好蛋糕紙模的鬆餅盤，放入焗爐烘 20 分鐘便成。

備註：可以蜜糖代替楓樹糖漿

Lavash Bread Crisps with Dips

Kids school has a new tuckshop.  It emphasis on healthy and nutritious food that nearly everything is made at the premies.  It has weekly special introducing international food such as sushi, noodles, burritos and pasta to the kids.  They have a taste testing session before it is officially opened and my kids love nearly everything it demonstrates.  Lavash bread crisps with dips is one of the meal I'm interested in as it is a great alternative to potato or corn chips.  This healthy snack is so easy to prepare for the growing kids.  You can spray the bread with oil, add some herbs, spice and cheese before baking to enhance the flavour.

Lavash Bread Crisps with Dips

2 sheets of Lavash Bread Wraps

Avocado Dips and Salsa:
1/2 avocado
1 tablespoon sour cream
lemon juice
pepper
tomato salsa (store bought)
cheese

 Methods:

1. Cut the lavash bread into triangular shapes and place them onto a paper-lined baking tray.  Bake at the 180c pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the crisps are crunchy and lightly brown.  Let cool.
2. Mesh the avocado till fine then add the sour cream, pepper and lemon juice until it is well mixed.  Add some cheese over the salsa just before serving.
3. Arrange the plate with the crisps and dips and enjoy the healthy snack!

                                          This one is baked with cheese

Baked Vegetable Macaroni in Three Cheeses

Besides pizza, pasta is my ABC kids (Australian Born Chinese) number one dish.  They are delighted when pasta is served for dinner and always ask for second helping.  I usually make chicken macaroni with cheese but this time I am trying a vegetarian version by adding in more greens and colours.  There is no complain of too much vegetable and there is no left-over.  Nice!
    
Baked Vegetable Macaroni in Three Cheeses


Ingredients:
1 cup macaroni
1 cup brocoli florets
1/2 of a medium capsicum, cut into chucks
1 small carrot, cut into dice
1 small onion, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup baby peas
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup thickened cream
2 1/2 cups of water
2 teaspoons of corn flour mixed with 1tablespoon of water
salt and pepper
cheddar cheese
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of bread crumb
olive oil

Method:

1. Pour water in a pot, salt and oil lightly, and cover to boil.  Add the macaroni into the boiling water and stir to separate, turn off the heat and cover for 10-15 minutes or until al dente.  Drain in a colander.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan, add in garlic and onion, stir for a minute until the onion is starting to soften.  Then add in the rest of the vegetable except peas, stir for a minutes and then add the water.  Let it simmers until the vegetable is half cooked, add the peas and pour in the evaporated milk and cream.  Thicken the sauce with the cornflour mixture and season it with salt and pepper.
3. Lay the macaroni into a baking pan, pour the sauce over.  Then sprinkle a handful each of the three kinds of cheese and bread crumb.  Drizzle the top with 1 tablespoon of extra olive oil.  
4. Bake the macaroni in a preheat 180c oven for 20 minutes then cover the pan with the lid or foil, bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the cheese melted and the top is browned.  

Green Tea Muffins (綠茶豆蓉鬆餅)

Green tea and red bean are the perfect match.  The combination creates a subtle flavour when the sweetness of the bean paste blend in with the plain tea flavour making it so special, so Japanese.  If you like green tea, you would like this muffins.  Thinking of green tea, make me think of the Japanese people suffering from the earthquake and tsunami.  Let's hope the country recover very soon, people get back to their life and safe for us to visit again.

Green Tea Muffins
(makes 12)

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon of green tea powder (Maccha)
1 tablespoon warm milk
2 eggs
2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup  caster sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
red bean paste (store bought)
1/4 cup mix of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds

Methods:

1. Melt butter and milk in a saucepan.  Leave it cool for a few minutes then beat in eggs.  Add in flour, sugar and salt and mix well.
2. Dissolve green tea powder with the warm milk.  Add to the cake mix and stir evenly.
3. Roll the red bean paste into 2cm round balls.  Set aside. 
4. Fill the muffin case 1/3 with cake mix, put a red bean paste ball into the middle then fill up the case about 3/4 full.  Sprinkle some sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds over the top.  Bake the muffins in a pre-heated 200c oven for 15-20 minutes or until cooked.

綠茶豆蓉鬆餅
(12 個份量)

材料：
牛奶 1 杯
牛油 1/2 杯
綠茶粉 1 茶匙
溫奶 1 湯匙
雞蛋 2 隻
自發粉 2 杯
幼砂糖 1/2 杯
鹽 1/3 茶匙
現成紅豆蓉
南瓜子和太陽花子 1/4 杯

做法：

1. 把牛油和牛奶放入煲中直至溶化，離火待涼。然後加入雞蛋混和，再加篩過的麵粉，糖和鹽攪拌至剛剛混和為止。
2. 用溫奶混和綠茶粉成糊，倒入蛋糕糊混好。
3. 把現成的紅豆蓉揉成 2cm 小圓球, 備用。
4. 把蛋糊倒入鬆餅紙模直至 1/3 杯滿，放一粒紅豆球到每一個模，然後再加些少蛋糊直至每個模都 3/4 杯滿。最後面上灑上南瓜子和太陽花子，放進預熱 200c 的焗爐烘 15-20 分鐘。