Ogo Seaweed Salad

Now, a note about the key ingredient: red ogo seaweed. Red ogo is a type of Limu (LEE-moo), which is the Hawaiian word for seaweed. Unfortunately, outside of Hawaii, red ogo may be extremely difficult to find (I purchased mine fresh at a local market in Maui, froze it and hand carried it on a plane with some dry ice back to San Francisco for those moments when you just want that taste of the islands and nothing else will do....). But there are actually many kinds of edible limu and they are all great additions to salads, sandwiches, poke......I have even occasionally seen it in dried form! So, if you can find this gem, use it! And if you can't, the salad will still be yummy without it but you may want to add a little salt to taste (since the seaweed is what adds a naturally salty flavor to the salad).

You can make variations on this salad if you wish--I made the regular recipe with the tomatoes and then a version without tomatoes and I just added in more carrot shreds.

INGREDIENTS FOR DRESSING:

* 1/2 cup white vinegar
* 3 T. soy sauce
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 tsp. sesame oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted

INGREDIENTS FOR SALAD:

* 1/4 cup red ogo seaweed
* 2 vine-ripened tomatoes (or 5 or 6 smaller campari tomatoes), chopped
* 1/2 cucumber, halved and deseeded (or one thin japanese cucumber)
* 1/2 carrot, shredded or julienne
* 1/4 red onion, minced finely

DIRECTIONS:

* Mix all dressing ingredients together.
* In a separate bowl, mix all salad ingredients together.
* Pour dressing over salad mixture, cover and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes to let the veggies soak up the marinade!

Serve chilled.

Enjoy!

Channa Saag "Paneer"

Channa Saag "Paneer" = Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), Spinach and Tofu. Paneer is a type of cheese, but in the interest of being healthy, tofu is a perfect substitute...And this dish is delicious!

Every time I go to a new Indian restaurant (which isn't that often because I am *hooked* on Indian Oven and always go there and always order the same thing), I am always intrigued by the Saag...It's not the prettiest dish, but any variation of spinach is alright by me...

I also don't frequently venture into the realm of making Indian food, because it is so much easier to get it at a restaurant and my spice cabinet would need some serious additions before I could even attempt to make most Indian dishes. Still, I thought I would give it a try...

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 package of firm tofu (cut into large cubes)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 package frozen spinach (16 oz), defrosted
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin
3 cardamom pods
1 tsp. garam masala
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
1 tsp. sea salt (optional)
1 can garbanzo beans

DIRECTIONS:

* Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in pan and sautee tofu over medium high heat.
* When lightly browned, remove from heat and set aside.
* Add garlic and onion to pan and cook until onion is transluscent.
* Squeeze all excess moisture out of spinach and add to pan.
* Cook the spinach, onion and garlic for about 3-4 minutes until thoroughly mixed.
* Add spinach mixture, turmeric, cumin, cardamom pods, garam masala and garbanzo beans to a crockpot.
* Cook in crockpot on high for up to 1 hour.
* Add nonfat yogurt and sea salt and continue to cook for another 30-40 minutes.
* Stir through cooked tofu.

Note: This dish does not have to be cooked for so long in a crock pot and you could make it in a pot over the stove, but if you have the time (and the crockpot), I think the ingredients come together nicely when given adequate time to "stew"...

Serve with some basmati rice and/or naan!

The Most Impressive Tiramisu

The theme for this vegetarian Supper Club was Italian food. *YUM* Dinner was exceptional--oh, I wish you could have been there...

THE MENU:
* Caprese salad with imported mozzarella di buffala
* Antipasto salad
* Bruschetta on Crostini
* and.......a gorgeous plate of ravioli hand-stuffed and pressed with butternut squash and topped with shaved truffle cheese, toasted and crushed hazelnuts, parsley and a fried sage leaf:

The ravioli was so delicious, but what really made me swoon was the salty fried sage leaves which brought the flavor of the dish to new heights....My friend, Lindsay, doesn't know it yet, but I plan on shamelessly begging her for the recipe for a Guest Spotlight. You want the recipe, don't you?!

And since I can always count on my supper club friends to go the extra mile when its their time to cook for supper club, I wanted to make something really special for dessert. In addition to bringing a 2003 Chianti Reserva and a white wine called Venetian Moon, I made tiramisu (from scratch) for the first time. It really is an easy dessert to make despite a prevalent misconception that it is a complicated dessert.
THE MOST IMPRESSIVE TIRAMISU:
Adapted from Food Network's Barefoot Contessa

INGREDIENTS:

* 6 egg yolks (room temperature; save the egg whites to make yourself a yummy protein-filled omelette)
* 1/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
* 1/2 cup dark rum (I used Myers)
* 1.5 cups cups brewed espresso (if you use a drip coffee pot, use enough water for 4 cups of coffee and 1/2 cup espresso)
* 16 ounces mascarpone cheese
* your favorite dark chocolate bar (to make shavings for garnish)
* 4 Tbsp. powdered sugar (half for whipped cream and half for garnish)
* 1 cup heavy whipping cream
* 2 tsp. vanilla extract (imitation will never live up to the real thing)
* 1 package of 24 Italian Ladyfingers (Savoiardi)

DIRECTIONS FOR ESPRESSO CREAM:

* Whisk egg yolks and sugar for a few minutes until thick and creamy.
* Add 1/4 cup of the rum, 1/4 cup of the espresso and all of the mascarpone.
* Whisk until smooth and put espresso cream in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.


DIRECTIONS FOR WHIPPED CREAM:

* Put the heavy cream, 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar and 1 tsp. of vanilla in a bowl.
* Use an electric mixer (or a whisk and some serious elbow grease!) to whip until the cream is stiff enough to form stiff peaks. refrigerate until needed for the top layer.

DIRECTIONS FOR LADYFINGERS:

* Put the remaining 1/4 cup of rum, 1.25 cups of espresso and 1 tsp. of vanilla in a shallow bowl.
* Break ladyfingers in half.
* Dip one side of each ladyfinger in the rum/espresso/vanilla mixture (you do not want to oversoak them!)

Note: If you don't want to discard the remaining liquid (i.e. throwing away perfectly good rum makes you frown), freeze it in ice cube trays and then put them in a glass with some Coke for a roasty, yummy twist on a Rum and Coke!

DIRECTIONS FOR ASSEMBLY:

* If you are using a glass or wine goblet, you will want to put a layer of lady fingers on the bottom and then cover it with espresso cream and then use lady fingers to go around the inside of the glass--gently press it up against the glass so it sticks.
* Repeat layers until you reach about 2 or 3 inches from the mouth of the glass.
* Fill in the rest of the space with whipped cream until it is almost overflowing.
* Use the straight edge of a butter knife to scrape across the top of the glass to make a very flat surface.
* Place glass on a flat surface and use a sifter to cover the top with a fine layer of cocoa powder.
* Use the powdered sugar to make another optional design and/or add chocolate shavings.
* Freeze for 15-20 minutes to let it set together.
* Refrigerate for up to 4 hours before serving.
* If you want to use a small glass pan, start with the dipped ladyfingers on the bottom and layer in the same order as above.

Note: Tiramisu will also freeze well if you want to make little individual servings and freeze them for up to 4 or 5 days.

Buon Appetito!

Nota Bene: Whole Foods has an excellent recipe for Vegan Tiramisu.

From one tea freak to another: LUPICIA

47. Forty-seven. That's how many different flavors of tea I have--in an ever growing, ever evolving beloved collection. teas for different moods. teas for different ailments. teas for different times of the day...

My latest tea obssession is a company called Lupicia...and they make this Muscat black tea is by far one of the best teas I have EVER had...most. perfect. flavor. now that is my cup of tea. ha!

Another favorite (and less expensive) tea company is Adagio. In the first few weeks of meeting my significant other, I had been pretty stressed out with law school finals around the corner...One day I opened my mail to find this pretty green box with an Adagio tea sampler pack of 4 different kinds of teas with a note that said "Here is some tea for relaxation--good luck with finals!" Um, *Swoon!* I have been pretty hooked on their Decaf Blueberry tea...But my favorite thing from Adagio is the sheer genius that is the ingenuiTEA steep pot, which, incidentally I call the tea pee-er, if you will because you steep your loose leaf tea and then place it right ontop of your mug and...well you get the picture... The secret is to buy the sampler pack which comes with a cute little tea pee-er (endless entertainment) and 4 teas for only $19.

What is your favorite tea company and/or flavor?

Sundried Blueberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookie

No argument has ever continued once the debaters are given a good dose of cookies and milk. My motto: "Let's have some cookies and milk (soymilk now...) and then let's talk". Next time you find yourself arguing over who was supposed to do the laundry or why he or she was an hour late, give it a try and I am sure you will find yourself giggling with milk mustaches. And no one can be mad at a cute face with a milk mustache. Nope.

I have a weakness for cookies. Don't we all??? Behold: The best commercial/retail cookie out on the market: Sun-dried blueberry and white chocolate chip!
Tom, how do you do it? It is sheer perfection...per-FECTION. No trans fat. No hydrogenated oils. Pure and simple magic. And equally important--I am so glad that you take the initiative and time to tell the world right on the face of your product:

"Be Kind to Animals...Be Kind to Your Community...and Be Kind to Women--Never, ever underestimate the power of a woman. I learned to bake from my mom and grandma, and the women I work with are invaluable. Give all women the respect they deserve and have so rightfully earned...and Be Kind to Yourself..."

Um, Tom, thank you. Let's be friends. I will eat your cookies and let's be friends.

I am also quite enamored with Espresso Chip and the White Chocolate Pistachio one...oh, and the peanut butter cookie in which an entire Reese's peanut butter cup is pressed into the cookie...There are really only a handful of places to get these orgasms fresh (chew on that) aside from ordering them online...and, if you are lucky enough to live in San Francisco, I will tell you a little unpublished, unknown secret....Come a little closer (we cannot tell the whole world or I fear Tom will run out of cookie dough and I won't have any on those tired days when I realllllllly need it...): If you go to the little shop set up in the Food Emporium in the Westfield Center on Market Street, you can buy a dozen lumps of the cookie dough of your choice for only $7.00 (which is much cheaper than the usual $1.75 per cookie price) and you can just as easily bake them yourself at home and--somehow (I don't know how) but somehow they come out perfect every time...and you can never underestimate the power of warm cookies.

Never, people, never.

Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette

Moving into a new apartment inevitably means getting rid of lots and lots of stuff that you have accumulated--from gorgeous shoes that you never wear because they give you painful blisters--but that you keep around because they are, well, gorgeous...to mismatched coffee mugs (does anybody really have a full matching set?!) to half empty jars of salad dressing...

So, now that I am delightfully snuggled into my new home, and I wanted to make a salad, of course I don't have any ready-made dressings on hand...So I whizzed this up with things I did have the smarts to keep...and I think you are going to love it--especially because its approaching summer and it is the perfect dressing for a sassy little salad.

I might be the biggest fan of chopped salads that ever lived. And I highly recommend using this vinaigrette with a big, chunky mix of whatever you have on hand: corn, cucumber, tomato, avocado, mango, arugula, watercress, asparagus, etc...

LEMON-SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE

INGREDIENTS:

* 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
* 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
* 3 Tbsp. shallots, grated fine (like juicy pulp)
* 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
* 1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
* 1/4 tsp. rice wine vinegar
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 Tbsp. honey
* 1/4 cup walnut oil
* 2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil
* sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

* Put all ingredients except for the walnut and grapeseed oils in a blender (or food processor) and puree. (If you don't have a food processor or blender, a whisk will work just fine!)
* Slowly pour in the oil until mixture begins to emulsify.
* Add salt and pepper to taste and mix again.

Voila!

NOBU, Waikiki

My brother and his wife have a special restaurant that they love to go to for birthday or anniversary celebrations: NOBU. They first went to the one in Malibu, and my brother has since been to the New York, Chicago, Malibu, Las Vegas, London, and Bahamas location...It really is their favorite place to celebrate! This year, our family reunion coincided with his birthday and he had gone on a walk around Waikiki and stumbled upon the newly opened NOBU Waikiki. It was meant to be.

There were so many items on the menu that were totally unfamiliar to me (i wanted to order "Shiromi Usuzukuri" and "Oshitashi" just to say the name outloud...Since it was my first time at NOBU, I went with the familiar and beloved and saved the adventurous items for another time...

We ordered:

Seared Ahi Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing:
This salad was amaaaaaazing (and I can't get enough of good quality sashimi), mostly because everything was accented by the most gorgeous dressing that had hints of onion, japanese mustard and mirin...I wish I had the recipe, but it is the masterpiece creation of Executive Chef and Owner, Nobu Matsuhisa and something tells me (as he rolls in the success of his 16 or so restaurants) that he isn't going to give up the recipe anytime soon....Note: the photo is actually 2 orders that the kitchen went ahead and decided to serve together (don't you find that a bit odd?? What if I didn't know my dinner company that well...oh boy, that could get awkward getting into a chopstick battle over a piece of lettuce, or imagine your boss or business partner catching you in an attempt to covertly hide the coveted pieces of sashimi in a pile of lettuce...errrr...).

Rock Shrimp Tempura with a Creamy Spicy Sauce:
I adored this dish (and it isn't a stretch to say I almost always order shrimp tempura when I can because it's generally a good bet for something delicious, and a great chef has the opportunity to get really creative with the tempura batter, shrimp quality, sauce and presentation). The shrimp were large and tender and perfectly matched with a light, crisp batter and then covered in a thick creamy sauce that had a bit of a kick towards the end...Normally, I do not like spicy food, but the flavor of this sauce was just perfect. I also liked that it was a served over a bed of mixed greens to add a little bit of leafy goodness.

Black Cod Saikyo Miso (Nobu's version of the classic miso butterfish):
I usually like my miso butterfish drenched in that distinctive sweet miso sauce, but Nobu's preparation was a delightful change...Here, the fish is pan-fried to absolute perfection (crisp layer on the outside but soft, moist and tender inside) and then served with little dots of concentrated miso. It was absolutely delicious and I wanted about 3 more orders.

Dessert: Thai Coffee
Espresso "snow", sweetened condensed milk and milk ice cream:
Let's not kid ourselves, anything with sweetened condensed milk is going to be mind blowing. I never realized how under utilized sweetened condensed milk is until I went to Thailand...This dessert was a perfect way to end our delicious meal--cold, clean, sweet and smooth. It was like espresso flavored shaved ice drizzled with the condensed milk and served with a really creamy sweet milk ice cream...

It was the kind of meal where you carefully savored every bite, but didn't feel overwhelmingly stuffed at the end--just magically satisfied and happy...Now, I'm not going to tell you that this restaurant was cheap--because it absolutely wasn't. But it was worth every penny, nickel, dime, quarter and dollar. And I hope Nobu opens up a location in San Francisco...

Happy Birthday, Mark! :)