Teriyaki Sauce

Aloha. This is my teriyaki, it might not be the most traditional sauce, but it is Brok' Da Mout (tastes delicious - yummy grinds)! It's also gluten free, for those that are into that.



3/4 cup Light Soy Sauce (gluten free)
1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
3/4 cup Pineapple Juice - with or without crushed pineapple chunks
1/4 cup water
1 tsp Ginger Root - freshly grated
2-4 garlic cloves - crushed or minced
pinch of CRP
4 Tbls Brown Sugar - firmly packed
1 Tbls locally produced Honey
1/4 cup Cold Water
2 Tbls Corn Starch
1 Tbls Green Onion or Chives - thinly sliced on a bias

Mix all but the last three ingredients together in a medium sized saucepan.




Bring mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally.



When the sauce begins to boil, mix your cornstarch into the ice water until it's completely dissolved.

Whisk the slurry (ice cold liquid and a thickener) into your saucepan and immediately turn the heat down to medium low - low.



Let the sauce lightly simmer until it's at your desired thickness. The longer it cooks the thicker it will get. If it gets too thick, stir in a little more pineapple juice or water to thin it out.



I cook the sauce until it sticks to my spoon and leaves a line when I slide my finger down the spoon.





Either stir the scallions/chives into your sauce or sprinkle them over it after plating your dish.



This sauce has so many great uses: over chicken and rice with a side of macaroni salad (memories of my Hawaiian days), on a chicken sandwich or a hamburger, on pineapple skewers, as a marinade, in pasta salad, over grilled oysters, in a stir fry, over fish or tossed with noodles. I prefer ramen noodles with teriyaki, they hold up to the flavorful sauce.

Teriyaki makes a wonderful dip for stuff like spring rolls and dumplings.


Chicken Potstickers Recipe


Ramen Noodles topped with Teriyaki and Scallions


Tossed Noodles with Vegetables




Salmon Hot Pot Soup



Teriyaki over Poached Fish

Mahalo!

Tip - Roux

A roux is flour and fat cooked together, usually equal parts. This is done to thicken and flavor sauces, gravies and stews.

Lemon - Soy Marinated Grilled Halibut

Halibut is a firm white fleshed fish. It's texture makes it great for the grill. The flavor of this large fish is pretty mild and clean. It's great simply prepared and served with a light sauce.



You could substitute any other firm fish for the halibut in this recipe and it would still be tasty stuffs.

1 T Ginger - minced
2 T Lemon Juice
1 t Lemon Zest
1 T Light Soy Sauce (substitute gluten free soy for a GF dish)
1/2 T Dark Soy Sauce (I used a mushroom flavored dark soy)
1 T Dried or a hand full of fresh Parsley
1 T Green Onion - chopped
Garlic Chili Sauce (or other hot sauce)
Splash of Water
Halibut*



*If you buy a large piece of fish, it's best to cut it into manageable pieces. The smaller size is easier to flip and to remove from the grill. I like to keep the pieces about the size of my spatula.

Mix all of the ingredients, except the fish, together in a flat bottomed dish.

Remove about a 1/4 of the mixture and set it aside.

Place your halibut in the dish, move it around, flip it over, spoon some marinade on top of the fish, and cover it.



Let this marinate for ten minutes.


Flip the fish and spoon more marinate on top of it.

Radiatori with Squash and Tomatoes

This is a quick and nutritious vegetarian entrée or side dish. Here are some tips to make it your own:

- Substitute whole wheat pasta for a gluten free meal.
- You can add grilled meat, beans, artichokes, broccoli, and/or spinach which are all high in protein and other vitamins.
- A couple spoonfuls of cream at the end will add more fat, but it will also give you a richer, thicker sauce.
- A tablespoon of cold butter added to the tomato sauce before the pasta is tossed in will also help to emulsify it.



1 T EVOO
4 Green onions - sliced (reserve 1/2 of the green parts)
1/2 Bell Pepper - finely diced
4 cloves Garlic - finely diced or pressed
1/2 - 1 T Tomato Paste
1 Yellow Squash - diced
1 Zucchini - diced
s/p
CRP
Trader Joe's 21 Season
Dill
Parsley
3 Fresh Tomatoes
Vegetable Stock
Large Pot of Water
Salt
Radiatori (or another type of pasta)



Heat oil in a sauce pan and add the onion and pepper. Cook for two minutes.

Stir in the garlic and paste. Cook for another two minutes.



Add the next seven ingredients to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally till the squash is tender crisp.

Potato Spinach Enchiladas

I made these enchiladas after it snowed. We didn't want to leave the house, so I used what was on hand. I like to keep a can or two of enchilada sauce in my pantry. It's great for all kinds of quick meals.



This recipe makes 6-8 enchiladas, depending on how full you stuff them.

1 Potato
1 T EVOO
1/4 Yellow Bell Pepper - diced
1/4 large Yellow Onion - diced
1-3 cloves Garlic - diced
1 Tomato - diced (peeled and seeded, optional)
s/p
Dried Oregano
CRP
Chili Powder
Fajita Seasoning
Vegetable Stock, Chicken Stock or Water
2 handfuls Spinach
Oil for frying*
Corn Tortillas
1 can Enchilada Sauce
Cheese - shredded or crumbled (I used Feta, Chipotle Gouda, and Parmesan)

Preheat oven to 375°

Clean the potato. Place it in a pot and cover it with cold water. Place a lid on the pot and bring the water up to a boil. Once the water is boiling, remove the lid. Cook the potato till it's fork tender (the fork should easily slide in and out of it).



As the potato boils, heat the EVOO in a small pan. Add the onion and pepper. Cook for two minutes. Stir garlic into the pan and cook for another 2 minutes.



Add the diced tomatoes to your pan. Stir.



Season the vegetables to taste.



Add a couple splashes of stock or water to the pan, carefully so that you don't splash yourself. Cover the sauce and cook it over med-low heat while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Orzo and Beans in Chunky Veg Sauce with Chipotle Gouda

I used left over veg sauce that I made a day or two earlier to make this quick lunch.



1 can Red Beans - drained (use any bean you want)
3 palm fulls of Orzo (I have small hands)
1 T butter or EVOO (optional)
Chunky Vegetable Sauce (or any sauce you have on hand)
s/p
Chipotle Gouda - shredded (or any cheese that melts well)

Cook pasta in a large pot of heavily salted water till it's almost cooked.
Drain pasta.
Return it to the pot.
Add butter/oil if using.
Stir in beans.
Add sauce to taste - I don't like it too runny, so I add a little at a time just till all of the pasta and beans are nice and wet.
Heat through.
Taste (don't burn your tongue).
Season with s/p if needed.
Stir in a hand full cheese.
Spoon onto dishes and sprinkle with more cheese.



Serve with a salad or slaw and bread.

If you don't want a vegetarian meal, top the orzo with grilled steak, chicken, or shrimp. I don't think it's needed because the beans add enough protein for one meal. But, you should do what ever makes you happy.

You can also substitute cooked rice, polenta or another grain for a gluten free dish.

Bon appetit!

Chunky Vegetable Sauce

The uses of this sauce are as versatile as the veggies that can be put in it. Use whatever you have on hand, or use what you like best.



Celery Heart
3 Carrots
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Leek - white part only - sliced and cleaned
4-5 garlic cloves
1 Yellow Squash
1 Zucchini
7 small Tomatoes
Vegetable Stock
1 T Tomato Paste
1 T Red Wine Vinegar
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
Fresh Basil - or any fresh herbs

Dice all of the vegetables except the sliced leeks and the tomatoes.



Peel the tomatoes.



Separate the tomatoes into two parts, blend one of them with a little veg stock and cut the other into large pieces. Set aside.



Heat oil and butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.



Test the oil by throwing one small piece of onion in it. If it sizzles, the oil is hot.

Add the celery, carrot, and pepper. Cook for a minute or two.



Stir in the leeks and garlic, season with salt.



Cook for another two minutes or till the veggies are soft and sweating.