Ozoni soup for New Year's Day

On New Year's Day, it is a Japanese tradition to eat Ozoni soup, which is essentially a soup made with clear dashi broth with mochi (pounded glutinous rice) and an assortment of various vegetables (spinach, watercress, mushrooms, daikon, carrots, etc). The mochi can be cooked by boiling it or roasting it in a toaster or oven. When I am using a mochi for soup (instead of a sweet dessert), I look for mochi that has ZERO fat, sodium and sugar (I use Shirakiku brand if you can find it but there are countless brands and types of mochi).

This traditional soup is a symbol of beginning the new year with harmony and balance. Recipes for this New Year's day soup will vary greatly depending on the region of Japan and family traditions, but I highly recommend that you either look for a recipe and try it at home or order it at a Japanese restaurant...

My aunt used to serve Ozoni soup with a side of Abekawa mochi, which is mochi that has been rolled in a Kinako (soybean flour) and sugar mixture (and sometimes a pinch of salt). It's warm and gooey and sweet....mmmmmmm. This year, although I wish I could eat these amazing treats at my sister-in-law's house (she's from Japan), I am going to attempt to try to make some on New Year's Day. (Note: I made my Ozoni soup with spinach, carrots, daikon, and mochi)


Happy New Year!

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

I wish I could have one of every item in Whole Foods--the ultimate foodie's haven...

If you arent able to cook up a meal yourself, Whole Foods has a delicious food bar (and lots of pre-made meals too!). Sometimes I browse the food bar just to get ideas for things I can make for myself at home (and avoid paying $6.99/lb!). Call it "shopping for a free idea". This warm salad sounded so delicious...

The food bar presents my typical dilemma that I usually face when dealing with food buffets--I shove a whole bunch of things that I dont think "go together" because I cant make up my mind or I get greedy and want to eat more than I should. Always ends in a tummy ache. Always. So I usually try to avoid buffets and, instead, take the ideas back to my kitchen and prepare a more balanced meal that wont give me a stomach ache...

Thank you, Whole Foods...

INGREDIENTS:

* butternut squash
* red onion (diced)
* dried cranberries
* maple syrup
* olive oil
* sherry
* wine vinegar
* thyme
* salt & pepper

This recipe can also be easily adapted to include any of your favorite root vegetables (parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc). You could also add fresh rosemary sprigs or sage leaves.

Activia Yogurt by Dannon

I have always known that yogurt has "bacteria" in it, but I never understood what that really meant until a year ago when I got really sick from a really evil bacteria, which landed me in the hospital for a week. I will spare you the hospital details and just say that a large part of my post-hospital treatment was reintroducing "good bacteria" into my digestive system and colon by taking probiotics.

In addition to probiotics, I also found Activia yogurt, which contains a probiotic culture called Bifidus Regularis to help regulate the digestive system (its really a "live" culture" that makes its way to the colon and helps with intestinal transit). Supposedly, eating one serving a day for two weeks will introduce enough of the good bacteria into your digestive system to maintain a healthy digestive tract.

If you have IBS, a sensitive stomach or other digestive problems, then it is crucial to learn more and pick foods that are easy on the digestive tract and especially foods that have soluble fiber. I use this helpful Fiber Blog and this amazing Food Chart.

I have found Activia in most grocery stores. It comes in a variety of flavors, but I particularly love the BLUEBERRY flavor. It is one of the best berry yogurts I have ever tasted...

*YUM*

Spices!

When readingrecipes from around the world, I am sometimes unfamiliar with certain spices and their uses and flavors. Fortunately, I found a good Spice Index, which explains what the spices are, what they look like, where they come from, what they are commonly used in and common substitutes!

I also recommend Urban Spices.

Eating on a Budget!

After more than 7 years of living on a student budget (read: living off of loans), I have learned some tricks on how to eat cheaply--and continue to eat well. I compiled a list of some things that have worked for me, but note that they may not work for everyone because it is based on my food preferences and available stores and markets...

1. A quick note on where I shop:
COSTCO: there are some *goooood* deals at Costco if you can avoid all the impulse purchases.
WHOLE FOODS: some items are surprisingly cheap. and some are worth the expense. best selection. best quality.
TRADER JOE'S: words cannot adequately express my love for Trader Joe's and their creative and inexpensive products.
FARMERS MARKETS: I buy all produce fresh and local. its inexpensive and what I buy mirrors what is in season.
SPECIALTY STORES: there are many ethic grocers out there who carry amazing authentic items (often imported).

2. One "food adventure" of mine is that I regularly purchase one unfamiliar ingredient or item that I have no clue what to do with and then I go find out how to use it and what I can make with it by looking online, asking friends, reading books, or even asking someone who works at the grocer where I bought the strange item. try it! (my last purchase was pomegrante molasses, which is common in middle eastern food...more to come on what I did with it later...)

3. Bread goes stale quickly. I freeze sections of bread for when I am unable to get fresh bread.

4. I eat about 90% vegetarian so i dont spend money on meat. you'd be shocked at how much $$$ you save. vegetables are cheap. and delicious.

5. I avoid buying produce in commercial supermarkets because it is usually more expensive with lesser quality. find your local farmers market!!

6. Rice. Especially if you can buy it in bulk at an asian grocery. Everyone in Hawaii uses Calrose rice so the supermarkets carry 20-pound bags that often sell for less than $5.00.

7. Try making your own stock and then freezing it rather than buying canned stock (dont forget to label how many cups you made and leave room in air-tight container for liquid to expand!). Boullion cubes are okay too (but many fancy restaurant chefs would cringe at the thought of that...and if you dont think you can tell the difference, try making risotto...).

8. I do not drink soda. Instead I drink 100% juice or I make iced tea. Tea is ridiculously inexpensive and, because I am a tea fanatic, I usually have about 40 different flavors on hand...

9. I purchase non-refrigerated Organic soymilk from Costco--12 cartons last a long time and it works out to be around 80 cents each box.

10. Lentils and split peas. it is easy to see how many cultures consider lentil a staple food. It is cheap, has a very long shelf life and you can make lots of things with them (even if all you have around is an onion and spices).

11. Oatmeal is the cheapest food I can think of (and healthy)--a big container lasts months...i eat oatmeal with flax, wheat germ, walnuts and a spoonful of 100% raw, organic almond butter.

12. Make sure you have good tupperware to save leftovers...Leftovers are good for lunch, snacks, or another meal!

I hope you find some of these tips helpful...A big part of eating cheaply is being creative--I often have small amounts of little leftovers in my fridge and I think of ways to put things together (example: see recipe for Edamame and Warm Tofu Salad). I constantly take note of what is in my fridge and what will spoil first and go from there!

Food Blogs From Around The World

I am new to this food blog stuff...Until recently, i had no idea about the existing world of food blogs--that there are hundreds and hundreds of them out there--that there are Food Blog Awards!! It's daunting....but when I start to feel like its all been done before, i just remember that this blog is about what happens in my kitchen and the best chefs are ones who learn from others and then add their own personality and twist...and hopefully, that mindset will encourage to cook more too!

...Simply Recipes (see Foodie Website list) is one such award-winning food blog that has a very good link list of Food Blogs Around The World.

my two favorite things: food and travel! yessssssss!