Cooking Baking Everyday Meals Recipes Entertaining

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Here are the recipes from Naomi's August 27, 2008 interview on KUOW


Summer Asian Slaw With Shiso Cilantro Dressing
Makes 4-6 servings

1 small head Napa cabbage (1½ pounds), cored and cut crosswise into thin slices
½ teaspoon salt for cabbage

1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use Enova oil)
1 teaspoon grated peeled ginger
2-3 fresh Thai or 1 medium serrano chile, deseeded and finely chopped
1 bunch green onion, sliced in thin diagonals
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
¼ cup shiso leaves, cut in ribbons

Cut cabbage finely by hand or on a madoline. Sprinkle with salt and mix in with your hand.

Whisk together oil, vinegar, ginger, chile. Toss into cabbage, add green onion and herbs and toss well. Let stand, tossing occasionally, 10 minutes and serve.

 

Grilled Chicken Satay With Peaches And Bok Choy<
Makes 4-6 servings

Outside grilling allows the kitchen to stay cool but your family’s enthusiasm to heat-up with this complete trio of fruit, veggie and protein reflecting the bounty of the farm.

1 ½ pounds chicken breast, cut into 1 x 4 inch strips
1 to 2 teaspoons red curry paste or 3-4 teaspoons hot chili paste
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
¼ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2/3 cup peach nectar, divided
3 peaches or nectarines, cut in half and pitted
6 heads of baby bok choy, halved lengthwise

Place wood skewers into water to soak for 30 minutes while you make this recipe.

Combine curry paste, peanut butter, sugar, rice vinegar and soy sauce and 1/3 cup of nectar until smooth; season sauce with pepper. Split sauce into two dishes (one for grilling, one for drizzling)

Cut chicken into strips, salt and pepper to season and thread onto skewers.

Preheat your barbecue grill (medium-high heat). Brush your peaches, boy choy and then your chicken with 1/3 cup nectar and then with half your sauce (always brush your chicken last to prevent cross contamination). Place on the grill. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired.

Grill until peaches are slightly charred, chicken is cooked through, and bok choy halves are just tender, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Mound bok choy, and peaches on platter and lay chicken skewers next to them. Drizzle with remaining sauce.

 

Miso-Marinated Salmon Skewers
Makes 4-6 servings

You can make this for a large fillet or for party skewers we have below. Easy to do ahead and a real crowd pleaser.

1/3 cup sake
1/3 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)*
1/3 cup light yellow miso (fermented soybean paste)*
3 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 ½  pounds salmon fillets (each about 3/4 inch thick)

2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or shiso

Mix first 5 ingredients in shallow glass baking dish. Add fish and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours. Soak wood skewers in cool water for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat broiler or grill. Remove fish from marinade. Place fish on skewers.  Cover ends with foil to avoid burning.  Broil or grill fish 6 inches from heat source until just opaque in center, about 4-6 minutes.

Transfer to plates. Sprinkle with green onions and basil and serve.
Recipe adapted from Aqua, Las Vegas, NV

 

Cranberry-Ginger Vinegar

This beautiful red vinegar blends well in salad dressings and is a flavorful marinade for chicken, pork, and white fish. Makes five cups

1 pound fresh cranberries
4 slices pealed fresh ginger root
4 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
¼ cup honey

Combine all of the ingredients in a non-aluminum pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered with a piece of cheesecloth, overnight. Use a fine-meshed sieve to strain the mixture, pressing solids to extract all juices. Pour into sterilized jars or decorative bottles. Refrigerate for up to three months.

 

Cranberry-Ginger Vinaigrette

Wake up your salads with this light and tangy vinaigrette. Makes 1 cup.

¼ cup Cranberry-Ginger Vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
Dash of liquid red–pepper seasoning

Whisk ingredients together and refrigerate.

 

Betty’s Best Mushrooms

These easy and savory stuffed mushrooms are a crowd pleaser. Just stuff ahead, refrigerate, and slide them into the oven as your guests arrive.

Large button mushrooms, stems removed
Olive oil
Brie cheese
Basil pesto
Grated Parmesano Reggiano cheese
Toasted pine nuts

Wash mushrooms and remove stems. Brush outside lightly with olive oil. Fill mushroom cavity with a dab of brie and cover with a dollop of pesto. Sprinkle with parmesan and pine nuts. Bake in 350ºF. oven for 10-12 minutes or until mushrooms are hot and cheese is melted.

 

Find more great regional recipes by naomi Kakiuchi, RD, CD, CCP in the newly published cookbook entitiled "The American Dietetic Association Cooking Healthy Across America".

This cookbook is filled with 350 good-for-you, mouthwatering, gourmet delicious recipes from registered dietitians in every region of the United States. In addition to abundant cooking tips and nutrition facts, the cookbook leads readers on a culinary tour across the nation.

A great gift for novice and expert cooks alike, "American Dietetic Association, Cooking Heatlhy Across America" is available in paperback from NuCulinary. To order call 206.932-3855 to order your copy today. $27.15 includes tax and add $5 for your first book and $3 for each additional book for shipping and handling. View Cover

 

Cooking Ideas



Baking Ideas

Toast nuts before using them in recipes. Toasting makes them more flavorful and complex. It is worth the trouble and time!

To toast:
1. Place in baking sheet and into 350ºF oven for 5-10 minutes or until the nuts become fragrant. You do not need to have them turn brown. Be careful not to over cook, nuts burn easily.
2. Place in a dry skillet on top of your stove over medium heat. Toss and heat until nuts are fragrant.

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Ideas for Everyday Meals



Entertaining

Party Planning

  • Wondering how many will come? If your RSVP’s seem a bit spotty, just plan that about 2/3 of your invitees will attend.
  • For your cocktail party--plan on 8-12 hors d’oeuvres per person if replacing a meal.
  • Balance your menu. Offer hot kebabs alongside room-temperature dips, rich cheese straws next to low-fat poached shrimp. Spicy quesadillias beside delicate crab salad.
  • Provide at least one vegetarian offering.
  • Don’ t overload your kitchen equipment. Serve a combination of stovetop, baked, raw, room-temperature and cold foods.
  • Choose a few make-ahead dishes to keep your sanity.
  • Decorate platters with whole spices or colorful dried bean compositions. Think about peppercorns, salt crystals for underlays.

Cheese Board Tips:

  • Plan ¼ pound per person for appetizer if only having a cheese board and bread; plan 1/8 pound per person if you are having 2 other appetizers with the cheeses.
  • Because most cheeses are white or light yellow, use a plate or tray with a dark background to create contrast.
  • Make room for space between cheeses.
  • Use any type of wooden cutting board, a slab of granite or marble, ceramic tiles, plates or trays made of wicker, straw or reeds. Also a cake pedestal can work well and give some height to your arrangement.
  • Choose 3-4 different types of cheeses for your display.
    Select diversity in appearance, texture, milk source and flavor
  • Have round, wedge, pyramid, log shapes; contrasting colors; those coated with herbs; or covered with ash.
  • Have cheese which are moist and creamy with cheeses that are firm and dry
  • Vary from cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or sheep’s milk
    Provide mild to pungent flavors
  • Large herb leaves, fruit or edible flowers make great garnishes.
  • A variety of sizes and shapes of cheeses make for the best presentation.
  • Try slicing and fanning one kind of cheese for aesthetics.
  • Don’t place a strong cheese next to a mild one as the flavors can mix.
  • Use a tray or plate large enough to keep cheeses from touching each other.
  • Each cheese should have its own knife. Be sure to provide enough space between cheeses for easy cutting.
  • Cheese should always be served at room temperature (70º F).
  • If you have a large piece of cheese and you don’t plan to serve it all, it’s best to cut off only what you plan to serve. Moving a cheese back and forth from the refrigerator causes it to spoil more quickly; the longer a cheese stays at room temperature the more moisture it looses.
  • After arranging the cheeses on a tray, it is a good idea to loosely cover them with plastic wrap or a barely damp clean dish towel until serving time to keep them from drying out.

Books to check out:
“The Cheese Course” by Janet Fletcher, Chronicle Books, 2000
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