Sam Demands the "Sooshy"

Years ago in State College, I made a set of the little sauce cups shown above.
One of the few things I kept for myself.

Time to make the maki! My kids really love sushi rolls, especially California Rolls. In beginning of first grade, the kids in Sam's class were asked about their favorite foods. Much to the delight of his teacher, Sam wrote, "I love sooshy." His and Ethan's idea of a good date with mom is miso soup and sushi followed by a trip to the candy store for a small bit of mix-your-own sweets. Sushi is just so healthy, I somehow can justify the candy that follows.

My friend Michele turned me on to sushi years ago when we worked together in Harrisburg and also taught me to make maki (sushi rolls). Occasionally, I still make sushi rolls at home, but not so often anymore since you can buy it everywhere now...even in Vermont! Last week, Sam specifically asked if we could make some together. Honestly, who is going to refuse a kids who wants to cook with you? So, I picked up some smoked roasted salmon and some lump crabmeat from Costco and we made some yummy rolls together.

We made two combos: crab and avocado, and smoked salmon and cucumber. We also added some veggie cream cheese to some of the salmon rolls—which I must say, was my favorite despite that my purist tendencies lead me to distrust it as an acceptable combination. But then again, I love spicy tuna rolls, which I believe have some kind of spicy mayonnaise atop them. So much for being a purist.

If fish isn't your thing, try filling your maki with veggies like cucumber, shredded carrots, daikon radish, wilted spinach, or scallions. Tofu marinated in teriyaki sauce also makes a tasty flesh-free roll.

If you have never made sushi rolls at home you should buy a sushi mat. These, along with the  specialty ingredients like wasabi and sushi rice, are available at most supermarkets. I wrap my mat in cellophane to keep the rice from sticking to it. You could use a piece of waxed paper in place of the mat.

Sushi Rolls (Maki)

Makes 8 rolls (1-2 rolls per person)

3 cups sushi, or other short-grained rice

3 Tbs. rice vinegar

1 1/2 Tbs. sugar

8 sheets of sushi nori

Toasted sesame seeds

Filling ingredients

Smoked Salmon (about 8-10 oz. for 8 rolls)

Cucumber, deseeded, cut into long 1/2" thick strips (1 cucumber is enough for 8 rolls)

Creamed cheese (about 4 oz. for 8 rolls), optional

OR

Crab meat, picked over (about 10-12 oz. for 8 rolls)

Avocado, peeled and cut into strips (8 rolls will take about 1 1/2 avocados)

Cook the rice. Combine the rice vinegar and sugar in a large bowl. Add the hot rice, stirring well.

To make a reverse roll (i.e., the rice on the outside): Place a sheet of nori on your mat. Place about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of warm rice on the nori and spread it evenly over the whole sheet using your hands (I wear a plastic bag over my hands to keep the rice from sticking. 

Sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds. Turn the nori over so the rice side is facing down. 

Place fillings in a strip across the nori about 1" from the bottom. You can include a little rice to help "glue" your fillings in place if needed.

Roll the nori from the bottom, using the mat to help you make a tight roll. Repeat these steps until you have the desired number of sushi rolls. 

Slice each roll into 6-8 pieces, using a serrated knife with a wetted blade. Serve rolls at room temperature with wasabi paste, soy sauce, and pickled ginger.

Need to see what I am describing above? Check out SushiNow.

Fat Free Baking: A Few Good Recipes

Fat-Free Pumpkin Muffins just out of my oven

While I enjoy cooking authentic foods and embrace Julia Child's no holds barred approach to butter usage, you just can't eat like that every day. In general, I try to cook sensibly--reducing fat and using monounsaturates, sneaking in fruits and veggies in unlikely places, and upping the fiber with whole grain flours and flax meal.


Lately, I have been trying to be more mindful of the the kinds and portions of foods I eat. I am totally a carb addict so I can not go without an occasional treat. Plus, I live with two boys and Jim who appreciate those little homemade goodies. Over the past couple weeks I have been testing out and revisiting various fat free baked good recipes.


First, I made Chewy Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies (originally from the Dr. Cookie Cookbook). They were a lot more cakey than my usual oatmeal cookies, but still enjoyable. They were filled with chewy fruit, nuts, and oatmeal. Very nutritious. The boys enjoyed them and I felt pretty good about letting them eat 'em up. 
MY CHANGES, I subbed prune puree for half of the applesauce and used my trusty combination of oat and whole wheat flours in place of the all-purpose flour. Instead of wasting a bunch of egg yolks, I used 1/2 cup of EggBeaters instead of egg whites. In place of the recommended nuts and fruit, I used dates and pecans. I also upped the amount of oats by nearly a cup. These make a nice breakfast cookie with a cup of Earl Grey tea.

Moist and spicy with bits of chocolate chips. Mmmm.

Next, I made Fat Free Pumpkin Muffins. I found this recipe a while back when Jim's mom was on a fat-free diet. Most of the muffins I make are pretty healthy, but these definitely took it up a notch. Pumpkin puree is a great way to reduce or remove fat from baked goods. These are moist and springy. 
MY CHANGES: I added cinnamon and other pumpkin pie spices, chopped dried cherries, and a handful of bittersweet chocolate chips. Also used EggBeaters and my whole grain flour mix. I used pumpkin that Jim had roasted and frozen in the fall. I used honey in place of the corn syrup and reduced the granulated sugar by half. Also, tried it with butternut squash with excellent results. These were such a hit with Sam, Ethan, and I that I made them 3 weekends in a row!  Nice with Chai.

Very chocolatey! Don't they look good?

Then, I was just having one of those I-could-eat-a-bucket-of-chocolate days. I needed brownies! Once again I decided to try a fat free version. I have had good luck in the past with reduced fat versions, but the only time I tried a fat free version, it was too spongey. This healthy brownie recipe from Spork or Foon is not quite as dense and fudgy and chewy as full fat brownies, but it did satisfy my chocolate craving. They have a strong bittersweet taste and are somewhere between fudgey and cakey. I will likely make them again. 
MY CHANGES: I used egg beaters instead of egg whites, part oat flour, reduced sugar to 3/4 cup, added 1-2 extra Tbs. cocoa and omitted coffee granules. I also added a 1/2 tsp. baking powder.  No tea with these; maybe a small cup of milk.


Here are my observations in general. First, while the recipes I started with had no fat, they were still lllllloaded with sugar. I reduced it somewhat, but truth be told it could easily be reduced much more. What can I say? I like sugar! But I do plan to use less refined sugar and more natural products like honey, brown rice syrup, and agave. Second, there is definitely something lost in the texture when you take out all the fat. No crispiness, and the outside becomes sticky after being stored overnight. But they are satisfying still and much more guilt free. 


Good as an everyday kind of treat, but I'll be keeping the full fat recipes for those occasions when you just need the taste and crispness only butter can produce.

Gluten-Free Baking: Orange Chiffon Cake from Cybele Pascal's Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook

Orange Chiffon Cake with Orange Rum Sauce
as pictured in The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook

In our family, we are fortunate not to have any food allergies. But I have an increasing number of friends and family with various food allergies, as well as many who have restricted diets for other reasons. I strive to get a delicious meal on the table for whoever is my guest.  I also just like trying out new ingredients and cooking techniques, regardless of whether they are related to ethnicity, health, or lifestyle.  I have amassed recipes that are delicious and can accommodate most any diet. 


A few months ago, I spent some time trying my hand at gluten-free baking. I have found that, by far, it is the most difficult dietary restriction to accommodate. Not long ago, those with gluten intolerances simply removed breads and baked goods from their diets completely, but now there are so many varieties of gluten-free flour readily available, there is no reason to.


My first encounter with gluten intolerance was in MD, where members of a family in our babysitting co-op were celiacs. Now, I have a sister and a sister-in-law who are eating gluten free diets. And, my good friend's Curtis and Michelle manage to get their kids fed with tasty and nutritious food daily, despite that combined they can not eat eggs, dairy, soy, nuts, gluten, and some miscellaneous fruits and veggies. With limitations like these, you certainly have to think outside the box and that can lead to exciting new discoveries. I enjoy cooking for their family because it is a bit of a challenge, but mostly because I like creating something we all can share. Families with food allergies are accustomed to carting food with them everywhere. A meal where they do not have to worry about that is a welcomed and deserved treat.


Sharing a meal is a collective experience, which can't work if someone is excluded. There are a plethora of recipes to accomodate just about any diet on the internet. So, I encourage all of you to be the one who brings something to the next potluck that can be eaten by an attendee you know is on a restricted diet. Bake the nut free, egg free cupcakes for your kids' bake sale (be sure to label the ingredients and wrap them up nicely so they do not mingle with the allergen-filled items). You will be making someone's day, I guarentee. Many recipes are so good that folks with no allergies will gladly wolf them down totally unknowingly.


Cybele Pascal's cookbook, The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook, has a host of great recipes (FYI, you can also find much of it on Google Books). I purchased the book last summer and liked it so much I got one for my sister and friend. Between the three of us, we have tried many of her recipes with pretty consistently good results. Her secret ingredient is finely ground brown rice flour (she recommends Authentic Foods superfine brown rice flour, which I ordered online). It is healthy and does not produce the gritty texture you find with many gluten-free baked goods. 


This orange chiffon cake, with or without the glaze, is delicious.  By the way, it is cholesterol free and very low in fat. The sugar can also be reduced if you like. And you can easily sub in more traditional ingredients if you do not have allergies.

ORANGE CHIFFON CAKE WITH ORANGE RUM SAUCE
from Allergy-Free Baker by Cybele Pascal

2 cups plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup rice milk (=2 eggs)
1 cup orange juice
2 Tbs. orange zest
3 Tbs. canola oil
3 cups gluten free flour mix (=2 cups fine brown rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour)
3/4 tsp. xantham gum
4 tsp. double acting baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 recipe Orange Rum Sauce (below)

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 10" tube pan or Bundt pan, and dust with a little flour mix, tapping out any extra.

In a mixer bowl, combine 2 cups sugar and the egg replacer. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute.

Add the orange juice, zest,  and oil. Mix for about 1 minute more.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour mix, xantham gum, baking powder, and salt.

Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing after each addition. Mix until smooth, about 1 minute.

Pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the remaining sugar evenly over the top.

Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes, or until lovely golden brown on top, rotating the pan halfway through. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Let cool at rom temperature.

Place the cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Poke about 24 holes into the cake, and spoon abut half of the sauce over the top and sides, being sure to drizzle it into the holes. Reserve the remaining sauce to serve along with sliced of cake.

This cake is best the day it is made. Store covered in the fridge.


ORANGE RUM SAUCE

1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs. cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup amber rum
1 Tbs. dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
1 tsp. vanilla

Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan. Whisk in the orange juice and rum, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring continuously, until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shortening and vanilla.