Cabbage Salad

In our family, Cabbage Salad is kind of like Chinese Chicken Salad--we usually have one or the other, or sometimes both--at family gatherings, and everyone likes it.

 Ingredients:

8 cups shredded cabbage

1 or 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

3 green onions, thinly julienne sliced

1/2 cup  chopped cilantro

1/4 cup roasted slivered almonds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 package instant ramen noodles, crushed

Dressing:

1/2 cup peanut or canola oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/3 cup vinegar

scant 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

optional: 1/2 teaspoon miso & 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

 Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the cabbage thinly into a large bowl.

I used 3/4 of a medium sized head of cabbage.

 I thought I might be able to use the GreeNoodle because it was healthier than the fried kind of instant ramen noodles--an example is this Sapporo Ichiban--but in this case, it turns out the fried ones are better.

Let's compare them by their nutritional information anyway:

The GreenNoodle is quite a bit healthier, but since they're not fried, they don't work well in this salad--they're not crunchy. We aren't going to use the flavor packet, so the sodium doesn't really count in the red package, but with the GreeNoodle, the sodium is in the noodles since I buy the package of GreeNoodles without the soup packet.

 Slivered almonds add a nice crunch too, so I'm using them in the salad and putting the instant ramen noodles on the side to sprinkle on top if desired. About 1 or 2 teaspoons is enough to give it a good crunch, and you know how much you're getting per serving. It's healthier if you can leave them out all-together, but I'm compromising and putting them on the side.

 

 From top, clockwise: shredded cabbage, shredded chicken breast, toasted slivered almonds, green onions, cilantro and toasted white sesame seeds. I used one side of the breast from a rotisserie chicken, that was enough chicken for my taste, but you can add more if you like.

Mix dressing ingredients: 1/2 cup canola or peanut oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1/3 cup vinegar, scant 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, optional: 1/2 teaspoon miso & 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Add dressing, starting with about a 1/3 cup, toss the salad, and add more dressing as needed.

Garnish with a few sprigs of green onion and cilantro leaves and serve the crushed ramen noodles on the side.

Itadakimasu!

***

If you've been following along here on FOODjimoto.com, you may remember my Auntie Kiku--she's featured on my Sekihan post. I haven't been able to find my favorite picture of her and Uncle Art--on the day of their engagement party at my grandmother's house.

This is the picture! 

My cousin Tim sent it to me. Thanks, Tim, I love this picture!

I love it when Auntie Kiku talks about her engagement party. She remembers how handsome Uncle Art was and how she had such 'spindly arms and legs' and Uncle Art thought she was beautiful just the same.

Uncle Art has since passed on, and is missed.

 

Recently, Auntie Kiku celebrated her 88th Birthday and her son Tim invited the whole family to celebrate.

This is Tim, his wife Teresa, son Bradford and daughter Caitlyn.
After lunch we all had fun playing Bingo, with Bradford & Caitlyn calling the numbers and giving out lots of prizes--everyone got a prize!

This is my cousin Brian's son Korey and wife Tomoko. 

That's Korey of Korey's Chocolate Mochi fame from Fugetsu-Do.

This is Audrey, greeting Auntie.

This is Audrey (and Kevin's) son Brandon giving Auntie Channie a big kiss. What a greeting!

Brandon was busy greeting us all with big hugs and kisses, then ran around and rolled on the floor with the other kids at the party--the next time I saw him, he was sleeping in his stroller, all tired out.

The boys are aging well!

Except for Rick, he's still a kid.

That's my cousin Brian, on the right. When the party was winding down and we were trickling out to go home, I had to "Last Tag" Brian like we used to do when we were kids--only I realized that now we need to be a bit more careful--I Last Tagged him a little exuberantly, wanting to get the last tag in before he left. Now that we're older we need to be a little careful, if one of us falls, we might break a hip or something. 

We're all so much older on the outside, but on the inside, we're all still that group of cousins--chasing each other around the driveway trying to get the last tag in before going home after a fun-filled Sunday at Bachan's house.

 

This is Alison. She helped Auntie blow out the candles on her cake.

Auntie's cake was from Porto's--my favorite cake!

Thank you, Tim, Teri, Bradford and Caitlyn for such a wonderful celebration!

Happy 88th Birthday, Auntie!


***

Cabbage Salad

 Ingredients:

8 cups shredded cabbage

1 or 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

3 green onions, thinly julienne sliced

1/2 cup  chopped cilantro

1/4 cup roasted slivered almonds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 package instant ramen noodles, seasoning package removed & crushed

Dressing:

1/2 cup peanut or canola oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/3 cup vinegar

scant 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

optional: 1/2 teaspoon miso & 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the cabbage thinly into a large bowl. Add shredded chicken, green onions, cilantro, slivered almonds and sesame seeds.

Mix dressing well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Starting with about 1/3 cup of dressing, pour over cabbage salad and toss well. Add more dressing as needed. Garnish with a few green onion sprigs and cilantro leaves. Crunchy instant ramen noodles can be mixed into the salad or served on the side and sprinkled on top.

Taco Salad

Ever wonder what to serve when your guests have a lot of different dietary requirements? 

No meat. No carbs. High carbs. High raw. Hearty and high calorie.

Taco Salad is a good thing to have when you're feeding a variety of eaters, everyone can build their own salad or tacos with whatever their food requirements are. You can make it fancy or simple with whatever you like.

Ingredients:

romaine and red leaf lettuce, chopped
pico de gallo--sweet & green onions, cilantro, tomatoes, jalapeno pepper & lemon--chop & mix
red and green cabbage, thinly sliced
avocado, sliced
spanish rice
ground turkey--seasoned with cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt & pepper
pinto or black beans

optional: olives, sour cream cheese, slivered almonds, corn, chile verde, grilled salmon, tortillas

 The avocados on our trees are just beginning to mature--this is the first one of the year--not much mature flavor yet, but after several months without them, they're so good!

 

Soon, there will be enough avocados to make guacamole!

 

 Canned olives and pinto beans--black beans are good in Taco Salad too--you can make your own beans to control the salt.

If I'm having a lot of people over, I might make Chile Verde too.

 

Or maybe some carne asada.

 

 Or grill some salmon--did you see the Fish Tacos post?

Taco Salad is a favorite at our house--letting everyone build their own salad allows for a diverse range of eaters satisfying their needs. On the top of my salad, I sprinkled a little bit of arugula I've got growing in-between the flowers in my front yard.

Itadakimasu!


***


Baseball season has begun!

 My nephew Colin is playing for Loyola Marymount University.
You might remember Colin made Meatball Sandwiches here on FOODjimoto.com.

 I like watching baseball when I know someone playing--and especially when it's Colin.

 Rick's a baseball fan. BIG baseball fan.

 

Proud Mom, Nancy.

 

Proud Pop, Bill.

 

Bachan came to the game, too.

O-Baachan and O-Jiichan both came to the game as well as Mr. & Mrs. Iriyama, their close friends. It's quite an outing to have the whole gang come out to support Colin.
Thanks, Nancy & Bill for lunch and taking care of us at the game--we had fun!


***

Taco Salad

Ingredients:

romaine and red leaf lettuce, chopped
pico de gallo--sweet & green onions, cilantro, tomatoes, jalapeno pepper & lemon--chop & mix
red and green cabbage, thinly sliced
avocado, sliced, diced or made into guacamole
spanish rice
ground turkey--seasoned with cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt & pepper
pinto or black beans

optional: olives, sour cream cheese, slivered almonds, corn, chile verde, grilled salmon, tortillas

Prepare each ingredient and place into separate bowls so everyone can build their own salad according to their own dietary requirements.

Easy Oven Baked Chipotle Wings

I made these oven baked chicken wings to take to a party last weekend--they were so easy--I combined ingredients I had in my spice cupboard to make a rub, liberally sprinkled it onto a pan of chicken wings and baked them--that's it!

 They came out nice and tender, a little spicy, and just about gone at halftime.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar

4 cubes chipotle seasoning, crushed

1 tablespoon each--black pepper, salt, onion powder, chili powder, paprika

1 teaspoon each--cumin,  garlic powder and cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon and cloves

 This is the chipotle seasoning I used--the mini cubes are easy to crush.

 Cut the chicken wings into three pieces. Use the tips for stock so they're not wasted.

 Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray, lay the wings out, then liberally sprinkle the rub over the wings.

 

Turn them over and sprinkle the rub on the other side.

 

Cover lightly with foil and bake at 325ºF for 1 hour, uncover, then bake for 15 more minutes.

 

If you want the wings to get crispy, move the oven rack up and broil until the wings are browned.

 When one side is browned, turn them over and brown the other side. When they're under the broiler, watch them carefully so they don't get too brown--which could happen if you're talking on the phone with your son and not paying close attention to the wings.

 

The second side came out nicer than the first.

I was watching them closely.

 

The brown sugar gives them a nice glaze. Be sure to make the spice rub how you like it--mine is a little on the spicy side--but not too spicy that the people that aren't crazy about heat couldn't eat them.

What will make them really good is to make the rub according to your taste--maybe add some rosemary and thyme or sprinkle them with a little Tapatio or Tabasco sauce--whatever strikes your fancy.

Itadakimasu!

***

 These are our hosts, Mark and Pam. 

They are generous with their home and hospitality--always inviting us all over.

 

Here are some of the party goers--that's Brock, upper left, with his girlfriend. Brock made his Grandma's Best Old Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls here on FOODjimoto.com. To the right of Brock, there's Rick, Jessica and her friend Kelsey. Remember Jessica's Thai Chicken Salad? Bottom left is Coco--who makes a killer salsa--and Erika next to her. Bottom right are Natalie and Erika working hard toasting all the tortillas.

Upper left, clockwise, is Rick and Rick, Meghan and Natalie,  Hondo and Crystal, and Sue (have you tried her German Chocolate Cake?), Gail (Gail's Stew is her recipe) Bryan and Ramiro.

I wish I would have gotten a photo of everyone and all the food, but here are some highlights:

Pam made oven roasted chicken and shrimp fajitas.

 Top left, clockwise: oven roasted chicken & shrimp fajitas, Asian cabbage salad, corn pudding, pasta salad.

Left: Pam also made 'Cowboy Caviar' a corn salsa-type dip with black beans, to the right are chicken wings.

BIG THANKS to Mark and Pam for having all of us over, again!


***

 

 Easy Oven Baked Chipotle Wings

Ingredients for rub:

1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar

4 cubes chipotle seasoning, crushed

1 tablespoon each--black pepper, salt, onion powder, chili powder, paprika

1 teaspoon each--cumin,  garlic powder and cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon and cloves

Mix all ingredients for spice rub in a bowl.

Cut apart chicken wings and place onto rimmed baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle spices over both sides of wings. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 325ºF for 1 hour, uncover and bake 30 minutes more. If desired, broil during the last few minutes--a couple of minutes on each side--to brown and crisp the wings.

Potato Leek Clam Chowder

I've been craving clam chowder and bought a can of clams and some clam juice, but it's been sitting in my pantry--waiting--until now. I made Spaghetti with Clams, Leeks and Garlic Chives for a birthday party the other day, so with a bundle of clams leftover from the party and the canned ones in the pantry comes a perfect time to make some clam chowder!

You don't have to use fresh clams, in fact, I kind of prefer the canned ones--not the baby clams, but the chopped ocean clams. I bought the canned clams at Smart & Final.

I made the chowder with the canned clams, cooked the fresh steamers separately and added them to the top of each bowl.

I bought the fresh clams at Costco. It was the first time the clams I got there were a little gritty--up until this time they were cleaned and didn't have sand in them. To clean the clams so they don't have sand inside them, put them in a bowl of 4 cups water with 2 tablespoons sea salt dissolved in it (the water line should be so the clams are covered with water halfway up their shell), in the refrigerator for several hours. The clams will siphon the water in but then spit it out along with the sand in their stomachs. Soak them in freshwater for about an hour before serving so they're not too salty.

 I didn't take photos of the ingredients this time, but these are from the Spaghetti with Clams, Leeks and Garlic Chives recipe.

 Wash the leeks and chives well and slice thinly. The rest of the cooking instructions are in the recipe below.

Looking at the photos I took the last time I bought clams from Costco,  the clams in the picture above are farmed Manila clams. The ones I used this time are not the same variety, they're white shelled, where the Manila clams are brown. I didn't notice what variety the ones I bought this time were (reinforces the fact that I should have taken photos!) or if they were wild (which would explain the sand).

Potato Leek Clam Chowder

This recipe makes a 7 quart pot of soup, which will serve about 10-12, so you may want to cut down the quantities.

Ingredients:

1-51 oz. can Chopped Ocean Clams

1-51 oz. can Clam Juice

2 leeks, cleaned thoroughly and sliced thinly

1/2 cup garlic chives, sliced thinly

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 cups celery (be sure to include the leaves) chopped

1 medium sized sweet onion, chopped

4-6 medium sized potatoes, diced 

2 cup chopped carrots

about 4 cups half-and-half or milk

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup flour

thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

generous pinch chili flakes

salt and pepper to taste

optional: 4 - 5 pounds of fresh clams

If using fresh clams, clean by soaking them in salty water for several hours so the clams spit out sand, then soak for an hour in fresh water. Drain and set aside.

In a large 7 quart pot, saute chopped leeks, garlic chives, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat until soft and wilted, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour on vegetables and mix well, with the flour absorbing any fats and liquid in the pot. Add the can of clam juice and juice from the canned clams, mixing well until evenly incorporated. Add water if necessary to make the vegetables/broth ratio how you like it--I added about 5-6 cups water and spices.

Simmer about 30 minutes on medium/low heat until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add the canned clam pieces and the half-and-half or milk. Taste and adjust seasonings. To make the soup thicker,  mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Stirring constantly, add, a the cornstarch, a little at a time, to hot soup (just under boiling) until desired thickness. Reduce heat and hold until ready to serve.

To steam fresh clams, boil about a 1/2 inch of water in a large frying pan, place clams in the pan, put the lid on and steam for about 5 minutes or until clams are open. 

Ladle hot soup into bowl and place steamed clams on top.

Itadakimasu!

***

I've been doing some knitting.

This little afghan is so simple to make, it only uses one stitch, garter stitch. You can use your leftover yarn or any collection of colors you like. I collected these colors for a little girl I have in mind and I wanted the blanket to look like a spring garden.

I'm using a 10.5 US gauge knitting needle, but I think it could stand to be a bit bigger since the afghan is a little on the thicker/heavy side, so a 13 or 15 might be better and make the blanket more airy. 

I cast on 100 stitches in the green, knit 6 rows to make an end border, change to a different yarn and knit 2 rows, change back to green and knit 3 rows. I'm using an odd number of rows between yarn changes so either side can be the right side. Repeat until you've reached desired length and knit 6 rows of green for an ending border. To finish, I'm going to make a fringe on the ends with matching yarns.