Sesame Chicken with Mustard Greens and Shiitake Mushrooms

Mushrooms continue to be one of my favorite vegetables; both their firm yet tender texture and earthy flavor are appealing to me. Shiitake mushrooms are no exception, and might even be one the best varieties due to lovely appearance and smoky taste. Native to south Asia, shiitake mushrooms have been used in both medicine and cuisine for thousands of years. Though known by different names depending upon the country, the term shiitake, as we use in the States, is Japanese and refers to the type of evergreen tree on which shiitake mushrooms, among others, grow. Shiitake mushrooms have only been permitted for cultivation in the States since the early 1970s due to confusion with another variety of mushroom, Lentinus lepideus, which is an invasive species and prohibited by the USDA. Like other mushrooms, shiitakes are an excellent source of various vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein. Sesame chicken is especially good with rice and vegetables.

1 lbs chicken thighs, skin and bones removed

1 bunch mustard greens, roughly chopped

2 c shiitakes, stems removed

1 bunch scallions, cut into 2" segments

2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped

¼ c sesame seeds, toasted

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp mirin

salt and pepper

1. Place toasted sesame seeds in a bowl, add chicken thighs and toss until well coated. Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy bottom pan over medium heat, add chicken and brown each side, about 5 minutes per side.

2. Once chicken thighs have browned, add mirin, garlic mustard greens and shitakes, reduce heat to low, cover and braise until mushrooms are tender, 5-10 minutes. Add scallions, gently stir to combine and remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve chicken warm or room temperature.

Serves 3-4

Orange Sesame Carrots

Carrots are native to Southwestern Asia, where the greatest diversity of wild carrots are still found, and have been cultivated for thousands of years to increase sweetness and reduce woody bitterness common to wild carrots. Carrots were originally grown for their leaves and seeds, similar to their relatives such as fennel, cumin, dill and parsley. Carotene, metabolized by humans into vitamin A, is responsible for the brilliant orange color of most carrots and can turn skin orange if eaten in massive quantities. Carrots are a great addition to any number of different dishes, but are also delicious as the main ingredient. Orange sesame carrots go well with blue potatoes and stuffed vegetables.

6 medium carrots, trimmed and thinly sliced into rounds

¼ red bell pepper, finely diced

6 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

1 orange, juiced

1 clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped

½ tsp ginger, freshly grated

½ tsp toasted sesame oil

salt and pepper

1. Combine carrots, scallions and red bell pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix toasted sesame seeds, orange juice, garlic, ginger, and toasted sesame seed oil. Pour dressing over the carrot mixture and stir to combine.

3. Place salad in the fridge and marinate for at least one hour before serving.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Serves 3-4

Vegetarian Sushi Rolls

With summer just around the corner, all I can seem to think about is food fit for warm weather, eaten at room temperature or chilled. Sushi is just one of those items. Sushi was first developed in Southeast Asia as a means of preserving fish by storing salted fish in a package of fermented rice, which was then thrown away. The Japanese began to eat the rice with the fish and finally contemporary sushi, using vinegar rice instead of fermented rice, was developed as a fast food during the 19th century in Tokyo. Though sushi does take some practice to make well at home, it is well worth the time and effort because it is a beautiful and delicious dish. I find the most difficult step to be the rice, because it requires the most attention and patience, yet becomes easier in time. Burdock and carrot kinpira or mustard green soup taste especially good when served with fresh sushi rolls.

Sushi can be made with any number of fillings including various vegetables and fish, raw or cooked, depending upon preference and availability.

1 c sushi rice

1 c water

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

½ tbsp salt

4 sheets of nori

4 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned into long strips

1 medium bell pepper, trimmed and julienned into long strips

1 avocado, halved and cut lengthwise into ¼" segments

bamboo sushi rolling mat

1. Place rice into a fine strainer and rinse with cold water until water runs clear. Place rice and 1 c water in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook rice until al dente, about 15 minutes. Once al dente, remove rice from heat and set aside, covered, for 10 minutes. Do not stir rice during cooking process.

2. Combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Once ingredients are simmering, remove from heat.

3. Place rice in a large bowl, add vinegar mixture and combine thoroughly by folding rice. Allow rice mixture to cool to room temperature before using rice for rolling sushi.

4. Lay a sheet of nori on the rolling mat with the shiny side down. Place ½ c rice on nori. Wet hands and spread rice evenly on mat leaving about a 1 ½" strip of nori uncovered at the top. Sprinkle 1 tsp of sesame seeds evenly over rice.

5. Place desired amount of filling along rice, about 1" from the bottom. Starting from the bottom, use the rolling mat to evening roll the sushi fairly tightly, being careful the filling is rolled into the sushi and the mat is not. Once you have rolled to the edge of the remaining strip of nori, wet the edge and finish rolling the sushi. When the sushi is completely rolled, gently squeeze the sushi so it does not fall apart during cutting. Repeat process with remaining nori.

6. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the sushi rolls into 6-8 pieces each, cleaning knife often to prevent sticking. Serve sushi immediately with soy sauce, wasabi or pickled ginger.

Makes 4 sushi rolls

Baba Ghanoush

Though a nightshade and closely related to tomatoes and potatoes, eggplants originated in the Old World instead of the New and were likely first cultivated in southern and eastern Asia. Eggplants are the main ingredient in baba ghanoush, one of many different names for an eggplant salad or spread popular in the Middle East and Mediterranean and similar to hummus. Generally the eggplant used in baba ghanoush is roasted or broiled, giving the soft flesh a rich smoky flavor that combines well when further mixed with lemon, tahini and garlic. Although most commonly served with pita bread, I like to baba ghanoush with tortillas and socca too.

Roasted garlic adds rich depth to the baba ghanoush; raw garlic may be used instead for a fresher flavor.

1 medium eggplant, halved

½ lemon, juiced

1 clove garlic, roasted

¼ c tahini

¼ c parsley

1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling eggplant.

water

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place eggplant halves on a baking sheet, skin side down, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast eggplant until soft and golden brown, 30-45 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Once eggplant has cooled, scoop seeds and pulp from skin and place in a food processor.

2. Add garlic, parsley, tahini, lemon and olive oil to food processor. Thoroughly combine ingredients into a thick paste. Slowly add water while continuing to process ingredients until desired consistency has been reached.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

Makes about 2 cups

Burdock and Carrot Kinpira

Kinpira refers to the sauté and simmer cooking method commonly utilized to cook root vegetables in Japanese cuisine. Generally soy sauce and mirin, rice wine similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content, are used to simmer the vegetables when making kinpira. Burdock, the taproot of young thistles, is very delicious and when cooked tastes similar to artichoke, another commonly eaten thistle. Burdock lends itself well to kinpira as the sauté and simmering reduced any bitterness in the burdock, making it sweet and tender. Burdock can frequently be found in Asian markets, natural food stores or even larger grocery stores.

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2" matchsticks

1 12" piece of burdock, peeled and cut into 2" matchsticks

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

¼ c frozen shelled soy beans, defrosted

2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp vegetable oil

black pepper

1. Heat vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add burdock and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and mirin, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and braise until carrots are tender, about 3 minutes.

2. Next, add sugar, sesame seeds and soy sauce, stir to combine, cover and braise until liquid has been reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and toss with edamame. Season to taste with ground black pepper.

3. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Serves 3-4

Hummus

Hummus is one of my favorite ways to prepare and eat garbanzo beans because it is versatile, simple and delicious. Hummus likely originated in the Middle East as sesame, garbanzo beans, olive oil, garlic and lemon were ingredients commonly eaten in the region. I prefer to make my own hummus, as it is very easy and tastes especially good when fresh. Hummus can be paired with any number of items including meats, vegetables, cheeses and breads.

Though time consuming, I prefer to cook my own garbanzo beans canned garbanzo beans always taste canned to me; however, either will work well for hummus.

2 c cooked garbanzo beans

¼ c tahini

1 clove garlic, peeled

½ lemon, juiced

¼ c parsley, stemmed

¼ c olive oil

water

salt and pepper

1. Place garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, parsley and olive oil in a food processor. Thoroughly combine, adding water as necessary to bring hummus to desired consistency.

2. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Makes about 2 cups

Sage and Sesame Fried Sweet Potatoes

I have participated in numerous sweet potato versus yam discussions with my friends and family recently, as sweet potatoes are both a common Thanksgiving side dish and often mislabeled as yams. The two plants are botanically distinct from each other; yams are starchy tubers from Africa and Asia, whereas sweet potatoes are distant relatives of potatoes from the Americas. African slaves referred to soft sweet potatoes, particularly orange fleshed, as yams to distinguish them from firm sweet potatoes with lighter flesh and because they slightly resemble true yams. Although yams can be found in specialties markets, in the States we tend to eat many different varieties of sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes and leafy greens, such as orange pecan kale and walnut lemon chard, compliment each other in rich and hearty ways.

Any variety of sweet potato may be used. Other herbs will work well including rosemary, thyme or lavender.

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ cubes

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

1 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

salt and pepper

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cubed sweet potatoes and fry until golden brown, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

2. Once sweet potatoes have browned, add sesame seeds and sage. Continue frying until sage is fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. May be served warm or room temperature.

Serves 3-4

Sesame Rice with Tofu and Vegetables

Stir-fried vegetables and tofu over rice has been a standby meal for most of my life, both as a child and as an adult. It is quick, easy, fresh and delicious. Over the years, I have tried many different versions with roughly the same ingredients. I have come to discover the flavors meld and balance better when the rice is combined into the stir-fry, and I now prefer this method of preparation. Soups, such as mustard green or butternut squash, and salads, like green beans amandine and arugula with orange, make perfect additions to sesame rice.

I find fresh firm tofu packed in water to be the best option for frying. Soy sauce may be used instead of tamari.

2 c cooked sushi rice

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

5-6 small bok choy, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

1 red pepper, trimmed and diced

1 medium carrot, trimmed and diced

1 medium red potato, cut into ¼ inch cubes

1 c extra firm tofu, cut into ¼ inch cubes

1 stick burdock, peeled and thinly sliced

5-7 shitake mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated

¼ c mirin

¼ c tamari

3 tbsp vegetable oil

pepper

1. Place cooked rice in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

2. Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add tofu, fry until golden brown, turning occasionally to prevent sticking. Once browned, add tofu to rice and set aside.

3. Clean skillet and heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add potatoes, fry until golden brown and tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Once browned, add potatoes to rice and set aside.

4. Clean skillet and heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add burdock and fry until slightly browned. Add carrots and mushrooms, continue to fry until both the carrots and burdock are tender. Finally, add red pepper, bok choy, garlic, ginger, mirin and tamari. Stir, cover and simmer for 1-2 minutes, until bok choy is brilliant green. Remove from heat and add to rice in mixing bowl.

5. Gently combine all the ingredients in the mixing bowl, add sesame seeds and pepper to taste. Serve warm or room temperature.

Serves 3-4