I'm Back!

Aloha all,

I finally got a new computer! I am so happy, its great to have access to technology again. Anyway, the new year has been great! I have found some really nice places to eat, have been cooking alot and eating just as much. My son has started eating solid food, which is really fun. It's just amazing to see what foods he likes and dislikes. Right now he is really enjoying green peas and brown rice. Anyway, I want to keep my first post back brief. But don't worry, I will be back with fabulous pics and delicious posts!

Cheers!

Down Time

Aloha All!


Sorry about not posting. Recently I have been having technical difficulties and have not been able to keep up with my blog. My computer with many of my delicious photos is down right now and I am waiting to get it fixed. I hope to have it fixed by the New Year. Anyway, please be patient with me. Until next time,

Cheers!

Jahkotta

Just some suggestions...

Here are a few tested yummy ways to liven up some classic favorites:

1). Add some diced fresh green bell pepper to your tuna salad, it adds a nice sweet crunch.
2). Steam some vegetables and dip them in warm peanut sauce for an easy, healthy delicious dinner.
3). Spirulina is good sprinkled over soup.
4). If you add a bit of nutritional yeast to scrambled eggs it makes them taste buttery without adding butter.
5). Use a green papaya instead of a squash to change it up a bit.
6). Olive oil on your baked potato is just as tasty as butter.
7). An apple on a green salad is a nice way to change it up.
8). Add a wee bit of wasabi into you next batch of mashed potatoes. It gives them a real kick!

Hope these ideas were interesting. Until next time, cheers!

Happy Holidays!

Aloha all, just wanted to say Happy Holidays! Hope you all are eating well. I think I will enjoy these battered golden delicious shrimp with a light, crisp beer. Until next time, bon appetit!

Sookju Namul!

Aloha all! Sorry about not posting for a while, but I was visiting family and friends in Hawaii. I had a lovely time and took pictures of all the delicious food I ate. My visit to Hawaii has inspired me to dedicate my next few blogs to local food. Today I want to talk about mung bean salads. Mung beans are slender and white in appearance with a yellowish dense leaflets on one of their ends. They are used in Korean, Chinese, African, Indian and various other cultural dishes. They work well as a garnish in Thai food and taste yummy in crispy golden spring rolls. I really enjoy Korean Mung Bean salad or Sookju Namul.

My visit to the Hawaiian Islands a week ago had me munching Sookju Namul throughout the day. This mung bean salad is a perfect snack because it's light yet flavorful. The crunch of the sprouts coupled with its earthy sweet flavor contrasts nicely with the savory flavor of sesame oil and sweetness of cane sugar. Try a Korean mung bean salad instead of a traditional green salad next time you make dinner. For a recipe, check out this site: http://www.whats4eats.com/salads/sookju-namul-recipe

Until next time, eat a mung bean!

Korean mung bean salad. So ono!

Banana Apple Bread

Recently I have been on a baking stint. Perhaps it's the cooler weather we have been experiencing in California, but baked treats have been appealing to me as of late. The other day I had a hankering for banana bread and so I feverishly searched the web for a good recipe. I found what I was looking for at this link: http://awhiskandaspoon.com/2008/04/20/moms-banana-apple-bread/ .This recipe for banana bread utilizes apples instead of nuts and is extremely moist and decadent.  Here are some photos of my banana apple bread loaf. Enjoy!

Banana bread with chunks of camalized apples!

Golden brown, moist slices of heaven!

The Mighty Kabocha!

Fall in California brings an abundance of squash and pumpkins. Orange orbs dot agricultural fields and await their part in the upcoming holiday seasons. I really enjoy dishes that showcase pumpkin as their main ingredient, but I have to admit that I am quite partial to squash. My favorite squash is the Kabocha squash. Kabocha squash resembles a pumpkin except that it has a green exterior when its ripe. The interior of the Kabocha is bright orange and its seeds look like pumpkin seeds. Its heartier than your typical squash, yet smoother, richer and more flavorful than your typical pumpkin. I would even venture to say that if a pumpkin and butternut squash had a baby, they would produce a Kabocha!



A kabocha squash

 Kabocha squash are very versatile. You can make curries with them, pies, cookies, stews, chips, and soups. They are great roasted in the oven with a wee bit of olive oil, salt and pepper or boiled and mashed to replace mashed potatoes. I personally love to make a beautiful bisque with this lovely squash. It's perfect comfort food and it's fun to eat creamy, orange deliciousness! Here is a recipe for my Kabocha Bisque:

1). Peel and cube one large Kabocha squash
2). Peel two cloves garlic
3). Cube one tablespoon fresh ginger
4). Cube half of a Maui sweet onion or a regular
sweet onion.
5). One can coconut milk.
6). One quarter cup nutritional yeast
7). One table spoon hot chili oil
8). Salt
9). One teaspoon honey.

Boil the Kabocha and ginger together until the Kabocha is soft. While the Kabocha is boiling, use a frying pan to cook the garlic, onion, and honey together. Once the kabocha is soft, remove it from the flame and add the cooked onion, coconut milk and the rest of the ingredients. Stir and let sit for a few minutes. After it sits, blend the chunky broth in a blender. Add a bit of cilantro if you like. Put the blended soup back onto the stove and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste and enjoy your bisque.

Kabocha Bisque!