Brined Zucchini Chips

It is Celiac Disease Awareness Day here in the U.S., and even though I've been thinking about posting this for a while, today seemed like a good day to share a recipe with you that I've been playing with lately.

Ever since I got my dehydrator, I have been putting it to use as often as I can. Most of the time it is drying herbs, okara (paid for itself already there), and fruit leather (OK, I really just throw a jar of apple sauce on the fruit leather tray and wa la), but I decided that I needed to try playing around with it more and making veggie chips seemed the next logical step in my dehydration learning process.


We have a neighbor that has had a bumper crop of zucchini and this has allowed me to play with my dehydrator to find my preferred method of seasoning zucchini chips. There are a lot of recipes out there for dehydrator chips (kale, zucchini, potato, etc.) but when I tried it with salt and oil, my chips were just too salty or greasy for my taste. I guess that is what happens when you haven't eaten a bag of Lays in a while.

I like to brine my cucumbers before I make pickles, so I decided to try brining with my dehydrator chips. This method allows the food to take up just the right amount of salt and the flavor is more even than when the salt is sprinkled on top. I also don't have to use any oil, which my dehydrator directions actually strongly suggested NOT using when dehydrating food. I'm planning on trying this with potatoes and kale next to see if this is something that can be used universally, but if you get to it before me, feel free to share your results in the comments. I'll warn you, this is one of those recipes that uses dump and pour versus scientific measurements. This is set to our families level of saltiness. Don't feel bad if you need to add more or less to get what you want. Think of this as a guideline instead of a recipe.

Brined Zucchini Chips

1 medium zucchini
1 palm-full of salt (I use kosher or sea salt)
enough water to cover the veggies (about 1/2 gallon or 2 liters)

Slice the zucchini about 1-2 mm thick. I used a mandolin the first time, but sometimes this makes the slices too thin and the zucchini sticks to the dehydrator trays, so thickness depends on what type of tray you have (no problem with thin slices on silicone).

Place all ingredients in a large bowl, cover, and place this in the refrigerator. I leave it in up to 24 hours or at least overnight.

Remove the zucchini slices from the liquid, rinse, and either spin dry in a salad spinner or let them drain for a few minutes over the sink in a colander.

Spread them out on the dehydrator trays. Try to lay them out in a single layer as that will affect the drying time.

I dry them for 24 hours at a 135 degree setting on my Nesco dehydrator. Our apartment stays humid for some reason, so this can be more or less depending on your local conditions. I wouldn't go any less than 12 hours.

Remove your chips and place them in a air tight storage bag or container. One zucchini can fill my entire dehydrator, but my three boys can easily eat it in one sitting. Enjoy.

Goma Miso Chicken

It seems like it has been a while since I posted my last recipe, so today I'm posting two. Things have been a bit crazy around here the past couple of weeks. It hasn't helped that the computer has been acting up, causing the drive that holds all my recipes to be unavailable. Plus, I've been fighting morning sickness, which doesn't help my blogging about food when food just doesn't sound good at all right now. Let's just say my plans to run the Boulder Bolder are on hold for at least another year. OK, more on that life change later.

Now, back to the Japanese home cooking.



One of my favorite flavors in Japanese cooking is the combination of miso and toasted sesame seeds. You can put it on anything from vegetables to fish to chicken. I've been playing around with this sauce lately since I've had a craving for miso. As I mentioned in my last post, my family loves miso and toasted sesame seed sauce on their green beans and we eat that variation at least once a week. I had not seen anyone in the family use it on chicken yet, possibly because my father-in-law doesn't even like chicken. Anyway, I decided to play around and this is what I came up with.

Goma Miso Chicken

2 chicken thighs, cut up in bite sized pieces

2 tblsp/30ml sesame oil

½ cup/120ml of water

2 tblsp/30ml aka miso (any miso will work, red is preferred in our family)

2 tblsp/30ml toasted white sesame seeds - milled

In a skillet or heavy saute pan, add in the oil and heat it until it is smoking hot. Take the cut up chicken pieces and saute them until cooked through.

Add the water and get all the pan juices up from the bottom of the pan before adding the miso.

Turn down the heat to medium low so as not to overcook the miso. (Miso contains probiotics and cooking it at a high heat will distroy those good bugs.) Stir until the miso is disolved.

Add in the milled sesame seeds and continue to stir until the sauce thickens. It is now ready to serve.

Serve on bed of quinoa (rice or GF pasta would work too). One variation of this dish that can make this a one dish meal is to add some frozen vegetables at the same time you add the water to the chicken. Enjoy.

Green Beans in a Tofu and Miso Sauce

This dish is based on a recipe for shiraae sauce. Our family loves to have green beans with goma miso sauce (pictured below) which is just miso and toasted and milled sesame seeds, so I thought I'd mix in tofu with the miso and sesame seeds as they do for shiraae sauce. Shiraae is typacally sweeter and is often flavored with umeboshi (salted plums) but this version is a quick and easy version using ingredients that can be found at your local grocery story or health food store.

Shiraae - Vegetables in tofu flavored with miso

1 block firm or extra firm tofu

3 tablespoons/45ml toasted white sesame seeds, milled in a coffee grinder

1 tablespoon/15ml aka or shiro miso (any miso will do)

1 tsp/5ml mirin

1 tsp/5ml wheat free tamari

3 cups frozen single or mixed vegetable (green beans are pictured above)

If you are unable to find toasted sesame seeds (usually in the Asian isle) place sesame seeds in a dry saute pan and toast over very low heat until toasted. Be careful, they will jump out of the pan if it is too hot.

Boil the vegetables in salted water according to package directions (ex. 5-7 minutes for beans). When the vegetables are tender, drain and rinse in cold water or place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Set aside.

Blend together the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add water if it is too thick and adjust miso amount if needed, but it will be a little on the salty side at this point.

Mix in vegetables, refrigerating any leftover tofu mixture. Makes 4 side dish servings.

Putting the Dehydrator to Use

My new toy

If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I got my first dehydrator the other day. It was an exciting event around here and my husband and I started rattling off recipes that we wanted to try in our new machine. My husband loves beef jerky (but what meat eating male doesn't?), so that was an obvious item on the list of things to try. I wanted to try out just some of the basic fruits and veggies so that I could send them off with the kids for school. I would love to send healthy snacks that are light weight and not as messy as say...applesauce. There are also all the goodies I've seen lately with the April in the Raw event hosted by Real Sustenance that require an hour or four in a dehydrator.

So my first day of playing with my new machine started out with a pint of strawberries that my husband 'just happened' to pick up on the way home. (I can't tell who is more excited, him or me.) Fruit is easy, just wash and cut up into desired size. I love that I have several different tray options in my machine, so I used the flexible trey for the strawberries. This was a bit of luck on my part. I don't know if I could have removed them otherwise as the flex trey made it easy to peal the berries off. These turned out really well, except for my poor planning that ended up with me having to get up at 5am to check on them.



I had also saved a sweet potato last week in hopes of turning it into sweet potato chips when the dehydrator arrived. I peeled, sliced, and blanched the slices for three minutes in my steamer before setting these on the treys. I don't know if blanching is allowed in the raw diet, but since I'm just playing with the option of raw food, I figured I'd follow directions first before attempting completely raw chips. These also turned out well, but next time I need to cut them thinner on the mandolin for a crunchier chip, as these were slightly chewy. Live and learn.



I also had to make tofu today, as Tuesday has ended up being the best day in my schedule to make it. This meant that I had okara (soybean mash) that I had to do something with. I usually toast it in the oven, but figured that since my other two experiments were done, I'd try okara in the dehydrator too. That turned out beautifully and it was much dryer than I get it in the oven and took about the same period of time. I also saved some soybeans from my tofu to make soy nuts. I cooked these all the way through before salting them and drying them for about 6 hours. They are still a little chewy, but the boys like them so it's all good.


I did throw a little applesauce on the fruit leather trey somewhere in between all the other trey fulls of foods. I don't know how long it took, but being a commercially made applesauce it was on the watery side and took longer than homemade applesauce would. It made perfect fruit leather and if I don't try anything else in the dehydrator, that alone makes this machine money well spent.

I like the fact that even with the machine running almost a full 24 hours, the house wasn't uncomfortably hot like it gets when I'm baking granola or okara all day. I was a little worried about a machine that was just a stack of treys and not a solid unit (much like the ones that look like miniature ovens with multiple treys), but this feature actually came in handy when the strawberries and fruit leather were finished quicker than their companion foods. I still have plenty of ideas to try, but as of right now I'm just experimenting with the recipes of others or playing with whole foods. I have at least one recipe in mind for beef jerky, but I'm sure my husband will have the final say on if it works or not before I post it to share. Until then, I plan on filling up my freezer with all sorts of dehydrated treats.

Gluten Free Pan-fried Chicken

If you have been gluten free for any length of time, you know that finding the perfect breading to use for fried chicken, chicken nuggets, fish, or anything that has dredging as part of the cooking process isn't easy to come by. I'm sure many of you, as I did in the beginning, struggled with finding that perfect combination of gluten free flours that worked as a replacement for wheat flour and breadcrumbs. Most commercial companies use corn meal and it is a great substitution, if you're not allergic to corn. Since my oldest has a hard time with corn, that meant that I had to be creative and come up with my own solution.

Potato starch is something that the Japanese use in deep frying their tofu, so I decided to start with that. I played around with just taking chicken and using potato starch for dusting, much like flour is used for chicken picatta in Italy. It was OK, but something was missing. As I mentioned in the My Pantry article, I settled on ground toasted white sesame seeds to add to the potato starch. The toasted seeds give the coating a nutty flavor and sesame seeds are high in iron (which I needed a couple of years ago when I battled anemia). I also use this mix for breaded fish, chicken nuggets, and just about anything that calls for bread crumbs. This is also a good way to go if you can't use egg in your cooking, as the potato starch does a good job of sticking to pretty much everything and doesn't need the help of an egg. This is an easy recipe to alter if you need just a little or a lot.

Enjoy.

Pictured above are two adult servings and several nuggets for the kids.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, butterflied (can be cut up into bite sized pieces for nuggets)

1 tsp/5 ml salt

¼ cup/60ml potato starch (by volume)

¼ cup/60ml toasted white sesame seeds (goma), milled in a coffee grinder

oil for frying, at least 1” deep in a heavy pan

Rinse the chicken breast and pat dry before butterflying it. Cutting it in half helps it to cook faster and more evenly. Salt all sides.

In a separate dish, such as a pie plate or low bowl, mix together the potato starch and sesame seeds with a fork or whisk. Coat all sides of the chicken with the potato starch/sesame seed mixture.

Make sure the oil is smoking hot, about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chicken gently in the oil, be careful as it is very hot and can splatter easily.

Cook the chicken for about 3-5 minutes until the breading is golden brown. Turn and repeat on the other side for about 3-5 more minutes. Remove from oil and drain. Serve warm.

Makes 4 main course servings.

Adzuki Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers

Served bunless (not a GF thing, just me) with sauteed snow peas and onions and homemade potato fries.

To start off with, there are two spellings for this lovely little red bean that is common in Japanese cuisine, Adzuki and Azuki. I don't know why, but I'm guessing that it has something to do with dialect differences that have showed up in the Romanized version of the word when people immigrated to this country. Adzuki is what is written on my bag of beans and that is the spelling I tend to stick with.

Adzuki is traditionally used in sweet dishes from oshiruko, a sweet bean soup that is eaten over mochi as a snack, or made into tsubu-an, which is a sweetened paste that is used in various ways, but mostly in some kind of dessert or sweet treat. It is also common in the form of red beans and rice, known as sekihan, during the New Year celebration as red is a symbol of happiness. My search for uses for this little bean started when I became pregnant with our first child and my mother-in-law handed me a bag of beans and said they were good for the baby. Looking back, I think of how ironic is is that it took me a year to get through that first 1/4 pound bag of beans. They don't last quite so long around here now-a-days.

At least once a week I like to fix a meal that is meatless so that I can add a little variety to my families diet. As I mentioned in my Picky Eating post, my oldest son doesn't really like the texture of meat anyway, so getting him to eat a traditional hamburger is a struggle. I had tried to make veggie burgers from adzuki beans before with mixed results. My old recipe would just end up too heavy and they were OK when made fresh, but any leftovers ended up not being eaten. I got this idea from a fish patty recipe and went from there. My picky eater loved it and even asked for seconds. I think this may be our new favorite burger.

Adzuki beans actually don't need to be soaked overnight, but I like to anyway as I think it just brings out the flavor of the bean better, but it is up to you if you do a quick soak or a long one. I usually make 1 cup of dried beans in 4 cups of water and that cooks for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on the bean and if more water is added to the pot half way through the cooking process. I then portion out one cup of cooked beans for this recipe and save the rest to make oshiruko later. (Oshiruko is one of those recipes that you just toss in sugar and salt until you reach the flavor you desire, so I still need to measure it first before I can post a recipe.)

As far as flavor goes, they have a richer flavor than most veggie burgers and having the quinoa is an added bonus in both texture and protein content. The texture can be very crispy on the outside layer, but the inside stays soft and tender. Try them out on your next burger night and see what the family thinks and I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does.

Ingredients:

1 cup precooked adzuki beans prepared using directions on the bag

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 tbsp/15ml dried parsley flakes

1 sheet of toasted sushi nori-broken up into smaller pieces

1 tbsp/15ml wheat free tamari

2 tbsps/30ml flax seed-milled

2 green onions-chopped or ½ small yellow onion

2-4 tbsp of adzuki cooking liquid

Directions:

Cook the adzuki beans and quinoa according to the directions on their respective packages. They do not need to be cooled before working with them. Using a slotted spoon, measure out a cup of beans and reserve the cooking liquid for later.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until it reaches a thick and sticky consistency. This may take several minutes depending on your variety of food processor. Add more cooking liquid if the mixture is too dry. This will make the food processor work easier, but don’t overdo it as too much will cause the patties to fall apart.

Spoon hamburger sized portions into your hand and form into patties much like you would with hamburger. Place them in a smoking hot and oiled pan (just enough oil to cover the bottom) Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they are easy to pick up and brown and crispy. Cook on the other side for 5 minutes. Serve hot with the regular burger fixings. Makes 5 large burgers.

Onigiri aka The Rice Ball

Makiko Itoh wrote an article for The Japan Times (link is in English) about this humble rice ball’s importance to the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami. As she does a wonderful job in telling the tale of onigiri, I will not go into it here. Suffice it to say that these are easy to make, once you get the hang of pressing the rice into shape.

Read Makiko's entire article as she also give you a detailed how-to on making umeboshi onigiri. The pictures below are of our family favorite, bonito filled onigiri, but you can fill these with just about anything from last nights leftover fish, marinated mushrooms, or pickles. As long as the filling is on the salty side, most anything can be used. These are not dipped in soy sauce, so the only salt is in the center or on the outside of the rice. Have fun experimenting until you find the filling that you like.


When we went to Japan last April, I had the opportunity to hone my technique with my mother-in-law when we made onigiri for our day trip to Kamakura (pictured above) as well as to and from the airport. She is an expert at it and had three made by the time I had finished one. I think my youngest has been missing her onigiri, as he has been asking for it a lot lately. Either that or he has been seeing them on the news footage lately which has sparked his craving.

Bonito Filling for Onigiri:

1 cup (large handful) of bonito shavings
1/2 tsp/5ml wheat free tamari
1/2 tsp/5ml mirin

Mix ingredients in a bowl, using half for each rice ball.

Bonito after tamari and mirin were added. It really shrinks down.

I got this tip from Makiko too: place plastick wrap in the bowl first. You can use it to help shape the ball in a later step.

Cover the filling with more rice.The finished product. Sprinkle with a little sea salt before placing them in a lunch box or before eating. Enjoy.

Miso Mashed Potatoes

Miso Mashed Potatoes along with Ginger and Tamari Whitefish, Cremini Mushrooms in Dengaku Style Marinade, and edamame with a splash of GF Tamari.

Mashed potatoes are naturally gluten free, but when you are also dairy free it makes for an interesting challenge. Miso soup and potatoes go hand in hand in many traditional Japanese recipes so it wasn't that much of a leap to put a little miso in my mashed potatoes in place of butter and milk. This is a super simple side dish. It is also my oldest son's favorite way to eat potatoes (other than homemade fries). Enjoy.

Miso Mashed Potatoes

4 medium potatoes

2 tsp/10ml Japanese aka style miso (I use Cold Mountain Miso)

½ to 1 cup/100-200ml reserved cooking water

Boil the potatoes in enough water to cover until they are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the potatoes, reserving the liquid, and place them in a serving dish. Mash them by hand with a potato masher or with a electric beater. Add in the reserved cooking water and the miso. Blend well, add more water if the potatoes are too dry. Serve warm.

Deep Fried Tofu in GF Tamari Soup

So as I sit here reflecting on the night's meal, I am thankful for kid friendly tofu recipes. I've mentioned before that I have a picky eater due to texture issues, but kids are still kids and if you deep fry it, "they will come".

One of the biggest challenges when being both gluten and corn intolerant is finding a decent breading. Thankfully the Japanese are one step ahead of me on this and what isn't dusted with panko, is dusted with potato starch. I will elaborate more on this when I post my chicken fingers recipe, but for now let me say that potato starch becomes light and crispy when fried. It also sticks to most everything, as all starches tend to do, making it a snap when dusting freshly made tofu.

Now the soup is not much different than soy based ramen soup. I wouldn't suggest drinking it as it has a high sodium content, but the tofu and potato starch combo take in just enough that this is one dish that will be hard for you to watch your portion control. Due to the nature of the dish, I try not to make it more than once a month as deep frying is not the best thing for one's health. But, if you let the tofu drain properly after frying, it will not be greasy and any excess grease is left floating in the soup stock after the meal. However, when looking for an easy, kid friendly dish, I suggest giving this one a try. Not to mention, this is one way to get your kids to eat tofu and not wrinkle their noses at it. Enjoy.


Deep Fried Tofu:

1 block of Homemade Tofu (I recommend Denver Tofu if you don't make your own)
1/4 cup potato starch

Take the tofu out of the water (or drain it off if using commercial tofu) and wrap it in either 2-3 paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Place a weight on top, such as a plate, and leave it to release any excess liquid for at least 30 minutes. You want almost dry tofu for this as any liquid in the tofu will cause the grease to splatter and spit.

Heat a large skillet or dutch oven up with enough oil for frying and place it on medium to medium high heat (about 375 degrees or hot enough that the tofu floats easily to the top while frying).

Cut the tofu into bite sized pieces. Place the potato starch into a small bowl and dredge the tofu through the potato starch, making sure to cover all surfaces. Deep fry until lightly golden brown, but not too dark as it will continue frying once it is removed from the oil. Drain on a paper towel or rack.

GF Tamari Soup:

2 cups of hot dashi stock or hot water
2 tablespoons/30ml wheat free tamari
2 tablespoons/30ml mirin*

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into serving bowls. This makes two adult servings. You can also use it as a dipping sauce if you prefer.

Add the tofu and serve hot.

*This is one recipe where mirin is a must, as the alcohol of sake (if used as a substitution along with sugar) would remain.

Cremini Mushrooms in a Dengaku Style Marinade

Tofu no dengaku is a common dish in Japan where tofu is grilled on skewers and topped with various miso based sauces. While I was playing with some homemade tofu and the various miso sauce versions one night, I was thinking that grilled Portobello mushrooms would go really well with this sauce. At that point, I had yet to try grilling my own Portobello mushrooms and it had been a few years since I’ve had a grilled Portobello. I usually add mushrooms to my stir-fry or nabemono dishes or sautéed mushroom to use in a pasta dish, but I had yet to get the kids to try the larger mushrooms as the ‘meat’ of the meal.

My first attempt went well, however I didn’t get the marinade quite right and ended up burning the mushroom caps a little because of the higher sugar content of the sauce. For my second attempt, I used cremini mushrooms, which are just small Portobello mushrooms. It turned out much better and I got rave reviews from my husband who is the true test of a good Japanese meal (for which my mother-in-law’s wonderful cooking is to blame). He’s biased, but he also knows that if I ask, “how was it,” that I’m fishing for the truth as to whether I need to adjust the recipe a certain way or not.

One of the things about this recipe is it calls for umeboshi. Umeboshi is made from nanko plums and they are salt cured with shiso leaves, which gives them their unusual color. I can find umeboshi at the local health food store (a little pricy, but a little goes a long way), but we are also spoiled that my mother-in-law sends homemade umeboshi every year so that my husband can have a little taste of home in his lunches. I guess it is one of the perks of being married to an only child, but it also means that I need to use these salty plums whenever I have a chance because I know she’ll be sending more next year.

So, here is the perfected version based on the plum neri miso found in Gaku Homma’s ‘Japanese Country Cooking’. This marinade can be used on either Portobello, cremini, or even the ordinary white button mushroom. Enjoy.

Cremini Mushrooms in a Dengaku Style Marinade

2 tablespoons/30 ml Cold Mountain Red Miso-Japanese Style Aka Miso or comparable red miso

1 tablespoons/15 ml golden brown sugar

1 umeboshi plum, pit removed or 1 tsp/5 ml Eden Foods Umeboshi Paste

1 tablespoon/15 ml sake

2 tablespoons/30 ml kombudashi* or water

5-6 medium to large cremini mushrooms or 3 Portobello mushroom caps with stems removed

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Cut the mushrooms in half, unless using Portobello, and place in a plastic freezer bag.

Blend the marinade ingredients in a food processor until well blended. Transfer the sauce to the plastic bag. Close and mix well, making sure that all surfaces are coated. Marinade at room temperature for 2-4 hours.

Once marinated, wipe the surface of the mushrooms clean and place in a preheated and oiled sauté pan. Add mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes before adding 1/2 cup of water then sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Turn and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the marinade to the pan and cook down ‘til thick and bubbly. Pour over the mushrooms and serve.

*Hint: I freeze my dashi in ice cube trays. Each ice cube is about 1 tablespoon in volume and this is a great way to be able to grab just the right amount of dashi when the recipe only calls for a small amount.

Portobello mushrooms in the first version of the marinade.