Homemade Sushi Rolls

I have always enjoyed sushi.  Ever since my first trip to a sushi bar, I have wanted to make my own at home... now that I am older and have more confidence in the kitchen, I make sushi regularly!  It is a very light but filling meal and so easy when you get the hang of it.

Most people are squeamish because they think all sushi is raw, but it's not!  In the following recipe I use smoked salmon, but you could very easily substitute crab meat or make an all-veggie roll- the choice is yours.

Here are the filling ingredients for my sushi roll!  I am using:

3 oz cream cheese

1/4 Japanese cucumber, peeled and sliced thin (you could also use a regular-variety, but be sure to remove seeds- you could also use avocado instead.)

3 oz smoked salmon (you could substitute smoked tuna, crab or leave it out altogether!)

about 1/2 c cashews, crushed

One of the staple ingredients for sushi is nori, or seaweed wrap.  I got a package of 6 from my local grocery store.  For this recipe, you will need two sheets of nori.

The bamboo mat is a special tool for making sushi rolls.  It is not necessary, but it makes things a lot neater!  When making sushi, I cover the bamboo mat with wax paper to prevent any spillage on the bamboo, which can be hard to clean.  Other people may use plastic wrap, but I find that wax paper is easier to work with.

Sushi also calls for rice, but not any rice!  My local grocery sells Sushi Rice, as well as the seasoning for it.  You will need 1 c rice for this recipe (rinsed until water is almost clear, then cooked in 1 1/4 c water.)  When the rice starts to boil, simply turn off the burner and let it sit, covered, on the warm burner for 20 minutes! To your cooked rice, you will need to add 1 1/2 T rice vinegar (non-flavored),  1 T sugar and a pinch of salt.  Stir until mixed.

I spread the rice on a cookie sheet to let it cool while I am heating the seaweed sheets in a warm oven (to make them more pliable).  Leave the sheets in a warm oven for about 4-5 minutes.

With wet hands, spread the cooled, seasoned rice onto nori.  If you do not keep your hands wet, more rice will stick to you than the seaweed!

When the rice is spread evenly, place 1/2 the filling off-center on top.  Then, very carefully, start to roll your sushi away from you on the bamboo mat. 

Make sure you do not roll the wax paper into the sushi roll.  :)

At the end of the roll, give the sushi a firm squeeze.  This is just to ensure that the roll will not unwrap.

Here is sushi roll #1!  I had a little spillage on each side... if you are a neat freak, you are welcome to trim this off to make it look more professional.  Then, with a wet knife, cut your roll into 9 pieces and arrange on a plate!

Even though this sushi looks good enough to eat right away, you need to make the second roll while the nori is still warm! :)  Be sure to serve your sushi rolls with naturally fermented soy sauce and wasabi paste- everyone will be amazed that you made these yourself! Enjoy!

 I wanted to show you my 7-year-old's chopsticks!  We found this neat little gadget made especially for kids, and I had to get one.  We call them his "clothes-pin chopsticks" because they have the same spring mechanism of a clothes pin... and they are great for little hands.

Homemade Kefir D'Uva Champagne

I came upon a really neat website about kefir-making a while back, and I had to share this wonderful recipe for making a home-brewed "champagne" that is suitable to drink with any gourmet dinner!  As stated in the original website, this is an alcoholic beverage and should never be served to children... but, if you and your husband are having a romantic dinner or hosting a dinner party, this drink is sure to please you and your adult guests :)

You will need either spare milk or water kefir grains.  Since my water kefir seems to double after every batch, that's what I have been using!  Neither kind of kefir grain will multiply in a fruit juice kefir, but they will retain the ability to ferment.  The grains will also take on the color of the grape juice and become a lovely shade of purple!  If you only have access to quality white grape juice, this can be substituted successfully.

In addition to the kefir grains, you will need:

a glass mason jar- any size

quality grape juice (preferably fresh-squeezed or organic)

water

Fill your mason jar about 1/2 way with grape juice, then top it off with water.  Add kefir grains (about 1/4 cup per pint of liquid).  You can see how dark the mixture is in the picture above... and how much it has lightened up after 48 hours in the picture below.

When your "champagne" has finished brewing, strain out the kefir grains and bottle the remaining drink in air-tight glass bottles.  You can stick this directly in the fridge, as it will be plenty bubbly right out of the jar!  As soon as it's chilled, take a sip- delicious!- and I recommend sips, not gulps. :)
Enjoy this probiotic-rich adult beverage with your sweetie and know that you are doing your tummy good!

You can continue using your lovely purple kefir grains for subsequent batches of home-brewed champagne.

Homemade Pumpkin Bread

Earlier this spring (around here, spring comes early), my kids discovered a volunteer pumpkin plant that was sprouting in the back field.  I decided that since it sprouted on its own, we would let it be... I tend to have a black thumb when it comes to gardening, so that was a wise decision on my part!  Lo and behold, last week we picked a very nice-sized pie pumpkin. :)

I have made pumpkin pie from scratch before, and it was delicious, but this time I opted for something a bit different:  pumpkin bread!  The recipe I adapted is from an old cookbook, written by the Junior League of Lafayette, Louisiana.  

 

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c sifted flour
3/4 t salt
1/2 c coconut oil
2 eggs
1/3 c water
1 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 c cooked, mashed pumpkin *
1 c organic sugar
1/4 c honey
1 c chopped pecans (optional)

Mix everything until smooth.  Bake in large buttered bread pan (I used a Pampered Chef stoneware bread pan, and it was perfect.) 1 hour at 350 degrees F. 

This bread also freezes well!

The flavor and texture reminded me of my mothers zucchini bread.  Since the pumpkin is so mild in flavor, the spices really come through, and it was so very moist!  As you can see in the picture, the pumpkin made the bread a lovely shade of yellow. :)  Enjoy!

* To cook a pumpkin, just cut it in half and remove the seeds. Place the sides skin-side-up on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for about 1 hour on 325 degrees F.  Scoop out the meat and discard the skin.

Homemade, Naturally Fermented Soda

I have had a lot of small projects going on lately.  I think it's because both our cars are out of commission and I have a lot of spare time on my hands... and because making things is just so darn fun! :) 

The soda recipe that I recently made is from a blog called Learning Herbs.  If you want to view the original post, click here.

The kids and I picked some wonderful Florida blueberries a few weeks ago, and this was a perfect project to use up 6 cups of them.  I assume you can use any kind of berry/fruit with this recipe, or just make ginger soda with your "bug" (which I have done before).

To make the "bug", or soda culture, needed to naturally ferment your homemade soda, fill a quart mason jar 1/2 to 3/4 full of filtered water (non-chlorinated).  Add 1 T freshly-chopped ginger root and 2 t unprocessed sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Let it sit 24 hours, then add 2t ginger and 2t sugar.  Repeat this process until your mixture is good and bubbly.  My "bug" took only 4 days to reach maximum bubbliness!  

While you are building your "bug", make sure to cover it with a secured cloth to prevent any contaminants from finding their way in.

Here's my "bug" after only 4 days.  The natural yeasts on the ginger root are very active and ready to culture some soda!

 

For the next part of the soda-making process, you will need:

6 cups berries/fruit

1 1/2 c unprocessed sugar

1 gallon filtered water

1 cup soda "bug"

glass gallon-sized jar

Pour your berries into a large cooking pot and add 1/2 gallon filtered water and sugar.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. 

Pour into your gallon jar, then top off with more filtered water.  Be sure to leave room in the jar for your "bug" and for a little expansion from the fermentation!  When the mixture has cooled, add the "bug" and stir.  Be sure to stir the mixture a couple of times every day thereafter.

Here's the fermenting vessel I used for the soda.  And, after about 3 days, my vessel looked like this:

When your  soda looks this bubbly, you may choose to go ahead and bottle it!  If you prefer a less- sweet soda, you can let the fermentation continue for another few days- up to a week.

I chose to bottle mine on day 3.  (Before bottling, make sure you filter your soda with a large strainer or colander.)  Since I have had homemade soda bottles explode on me before, I am putting mine in the fridge right away.  The original recipe called for a second fermentation in the bottles, but I'm a little paranoid about exploding glass.  So, I will keep mine in the fridge for another week or so, then I will test the carbonation and go from there!  If you choose to leave your bottles on the counter for another 2-3 days, please check the carbonation every 12 to 24 hours so that an accidental explosion is less likely!  I would rather be cautious than sorry. :) 

Enjoy your homemade, probiotic-rich sodas with family and friends.  Feel good about serving a healthy soda to the people you love!

Homemade Sour Cream

Have you ever read the label of a store-brought sour cream?  It's not just cultured cream, is it?  Well, it should be.  I'm sick of commercial food products being loaded with unnatural preservatives, thickeners and "flavor enhancers"!  Sheesh.  What do I do about it, you may ask... I make my own :)

Above is the label from a sour cream container we go a while back... I now use this container to hold dry snacks for my children.  As you can see, there is (probably GMO) cornstarch, guar gum and carageenan, among other things.  Why, oh why do they need to ruin this usually yummy condiment?

For my homemade version, you will need about a quart organic cream (preferably raw) and 1/4 cup buttermilk.  I bought the least gummed-up buttermilk I could get from the store, although it still had "annatto coloring" as the last ingredient.  I do not own buttermilk culture, so this had to do.

Pour the cream into a glass storage container (a mason jar would work, also) and stir in the buttermilk.  No heating required- just mix it together cold!  Then, let the mixture sit on your kitchen counter for a full 24 hours, covered with a rubber band-secured cloth.

And, voila!  after the culture sours your cream, you are left with a very large batch of goodness!  Although mine was very creamy when the 24 hours was up, it continued to firm up after I put it in the fridge.  It has the same consistency as that cornstarch-ridden store-bought sour cream, and I didn't have to thicken it at all!

Enjoy your sour cream in soups, sauces and as a Tex-Mex condiment.  So glad I don't have to yell at the ingredient labels in the store any more! :)

This post shared on Monday Mania.

Homemade Yogurt Cheese and Whey

Yogurt Cheese is probably one of my all-time favorite snacks.  It is fresh-tasting, very filling, and perfect for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.  Whole milk yogurt cheese is packed with probiotics, healthy fats and energy, and it tastes like heaven!

Since I didn't have any homemade yogurt on hand, this batch is made with an organic, whole milk, store-bought yogurt.  Greek yogurt will have substantially less whey, but I used American yogurt because I have other plans for that whey!

The first step in making yogurt cheese is finding a filter suitable for separating the cheese and whey.  I used a coffee filter because it fit very well into the jar that will catch the whey.  You could also use a spare cloth, such as layered cheesecloth.

I fit the coffee filter into the opening of my jar and scooped in a fair amount of yogurt.  You can use whatever sized jar you have on hand!  If the opening is large, you might want to secure the filter/cloth with a rubber band around the lip of the jar.  Since my jar was small, I just folded the filter over, as you can see in the above picture...

Let the whey drain out of your yogurt for at least 4 hours.  The longer you let it sit, the thicker the cheese will get.  This last batch I made was on my counter all night, and it turned out to be thick like cream cheese!  (I let mine separate on my kitchen counter, but you could move your jar to the fridge during this process.)

This is how I eat my yogurt cheese! :)  The small amount that I made (around 1/4 cup) was more than enough to satisfy, and by adding fresh Florida blueberries and a drizzle of honey, it was a sweet treat!  Peaches, strawberries or mangoes would also be delicious in yogurt cheese.

The whey that I collected can be kept in cold storage for up to 6 months.  I use whey for fermented veggies and beverages!  For more information fermented beverages, click here.  For a great recipe for fermented green beans, click here.

Homemade Sourdough Starter

Sourdough is a treat- one of my family's favorites.  I have kept starter in my refrigerator since I made it over two years ago.  So, it was a sad day in our house when I accidentally killed my culture.  Yes, I killed it.  Let's just say that it was death by bacon grease...

Thankfully, sourdough starter is not hard to make!  I have a new batch in my fridge as I write this, and I just started it a week and a half ago.

Here's what you need to make your own sourdough starter:

1/4c  flour ( I used unbleached, then added whole wheat- use whatever you have on hand.)

1/4 c water

That's it!  Mix the two ingredients in a canning jar and cover it with a clean piece of cloth, secured with a rubber band- I used a piece of an old tee shirt.

Next comes the waiting... and waiting...you get the idea!  Every 12 to 24 hours, you need to "feed" your starter with equal amounts flour and water (about 1/4 cup each time).  If your starter begins to reach near the top of your jar, just pour off up to half of it before a feeding.  The sour flavor that gives sourdough its name develops better in small batches anyway :)

This is my starter on day 4.  Finally, some signs of life!  My patience has paid off, and there are tell-tale bubbles in my starter- this means I have captured the wild yeasts in my kitchen.  They are happily feeding on all the gluten in my flour mixture.  But, it's not done yet!  Even though the yeast is there, my starter hasn't yet developed the yummy sour smell that a ripe starter should have.  Time to wait again... and wait... and wait.  Go ahead and keep feeding the starter until a nice, yeasty, sour smell develops.  You decide when it's done- mine took an extra four days for it to become this:

Here's my finished starter!  It is soured and ready to use in breads, pancakes and bagels!!  There are so many wonderful things you can make with sourdough, and if you're nice to your starter, it can live in your refrigerator for years and years.  My deceased starter has many children in the fridges of my friends, and I intend to spread the love with this new starter as well! 

When your starter reaches this stage, you can cap it with a tight-fitting lid and pop it in the fridge.  When you want to use some, just get it out several hours in advance and let it warm up on the counter (covered with a cloth).  Before you cover it back up and store it, be sure to feed it equal amounts flour and water to keep it happy :).  If you do not use your starter for a week-ish, just feed it and store it again.

If your starter gets a funky smell (like acetone), sometimes you can bring it back by adding a T plain yogurt! 

Enjoy making treats for your family and friends with sourdough starter! 

For recipes, click on the type:

basic artisan bread

advanced artisan breads

rye/pumpernickel bread

pancakes

bagels

pizza crust

easy sandwich bread

This post was shared on Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.