Czech Christmas sweet bread 2013

I was writing about vánočka in my other post some time ago, and this is the result of my baking this year.

My new oven performs great, and I managed to get the right ingredients as well. It tastes delicious.

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stage 2

stage 3

Mochi

If you have ever seen or had Mochi it probably looked like this.

 

 

Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of michigome - a short grain glutinous rice.

 

I love these cute little cakes, and have tried them in many forms :-), but the other day I found a product with the same name in the dairy isle at Whole Foods by accident. I am not quite sure why it was right there, but it caught my attention, and since I had not seen it before I was wondering what I had discovered.

 

 

 

It is produced by Grainaissance. Apart from Mochi - a rice snack made from whole grain brown rice - which I purchased, they also make a product called Amazake. It is a dairy-free shake made from 100% organic whole grain brown rice. I will see if I can find the shake as well.

 

Their Mochi is  all-natural, made without additives, preservatives, colourings, and is wheat and gluten free.

I was surprised how versatile this product is. There is an endless list of recipes on the company's website that you can try.  I simply just baked it in an oven as suggested and sampled  it with honey and also peanut butter as a dessert. I will try more recipes next time.

 

 

Smoked Salmon Rotolos

 

I like to make this recipe as finger food. It is very easy, doesn't take a long time, you can prepare it in advance and it tastes great!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients (25 servings)

• 300g cream cheese
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chopped dill
• generous pinch of black pepper
• 4 large flour tortillas
• 350g smoked salmon

1. Mix the cream cheese with the lemon juice, chopped dill and black pepper. Spread over 4 large tortillas and cover with the smoked salmon.
2. Roll up like a Swiss roll, trim off the ends and discard. Wrap tightly in cling film, twisting the ends firmly.
3. Place in the fridge until you are ready to use (up to a day). To serve, take a sharp knife and slice on the diagonal (or as you wish).

Curried Butternut Soup

I came across this recipe and because I like Indian flavours I decided to try it yesterday. I have made a butternut soup before, but this one is with curry, also much healthier and low in calories. I was surprised how different and tasty this soup was! It was a big hit and I am definitely making this one again- soon!

1 (2 1/2- pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch cubes

4 tsp canola oil (divided)

3/4 tsp salt, (divided)

1 cup chopped onion

3 cups chicken stock ( I use Costco Kirkland organic chicken stock)

4 tsp red curry paste ( I didn't have the paste and used curry powder which worked just fine)

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 (13.5 ounce -380g) can light coconut milk

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut, toasted ( I didn't have this time - no problem)



1. Preheat oven to 450^o F (230^o C)

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place squash in a bowl, drizzle with 1 tbsp oil. Sprinkle with 1/4 salt, and toss. Bake at 450^oF (230^oC) for 35 minutes or until golden and tender.

3. Heat the remaining 1 tsp oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion, cook 5 minutes. Add squash, stock and curry. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice and coconut milk. Let stand for 15 minutes.

4. Place half of squash mixture in a blender, and blend until smooth. Pour soup into a bowl. Repeat. Divide the soup evenly among 8 bowls, and top with cilantro and coconut.

Servings: 8, Calories: 127, Protein: 4g, Carb: 21g, Fiber 3.7g, Chol: 0

 

CRAB ON MY PLATE

I have just discovered a Dungeness Crab!

I found it at Costco last weekend and had it for dinner on Sunday. It was already cooked, so I just warmed it up and enjoyed its delicious sweet meat!!!
I had other types of crab before, but I really really like this one. My husband was excited about this new addition to our diet too, so I will be looking for it again soon :-)

TOFU "EGG" SALAD

I was having lunch at Whole Foods www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/naperville one day and their cold buffet was offering, apart from other yummy dishes, "egg less" salad with tofu. It looked interesting and as I am always keen to discover new flavours, I decided to give it a try. I loved it and immediately started to think that I wanted to make it at home.
I have found this recipe on the Internet. You can adjust it to your own taste. I personally use a bit less of Dijon mustard and leave out apple cider vinegar altogether as I find it acidic enough just with the mustard. I love to add the nutritional yeast which I also get at Whole Foods, and sometimes I use chives instead of scallions.
As for the directions bellow, I don't bother to toss the tofu first with the dry mix. I combine everything in a bowl and then add tofu which I cut in really small cubes.

I am not a vegan, nor am I a vegetarian, but I like to eat healthy food and this recipe definitely belongs to that category.

It is great on a slice of fresh bread or just as is!

 

 

 

 

Tofu "Egg" Salad

18 ounces (500g) firm or extra firm tofu, squeezed dry with paper towel/diced into cubes

1/2 cup vegan mayo

1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp celery seed

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne powder

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp black pepper - fine

1 tsp maple syrup

1 cup chopped scallions

2-3 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (optional)

Directions:

1. Prep veggies, dry and cube your tofu - toss in large bowl

2. combine/whisk dressing and add to large bowl

3. Toss well

4. Chill until ready to serve!