Noodle Tutorial and New Japanese Favorites

It's time for a noodle tutorial. Salads, soups, and stir fry's...

Available at your local Whole Foods! 0 calories, shelf stable until opened, clear, noodl-y, a bit crunchy raw, soft when heated. Nutrients and fiber... (Ingredients=Kelp)

Rinse before use

Shirataki Noodles! Also mostly fiber, made of Mountain Yams (turned into a flour first). Not the sweet kind, more like a daikon or turnip and turned into noodles! More likely only at your Asian grocer, possibly just labeled yam noodles.

I like buying them in these little packages, and then untying the little bundles after rinsing... Soft and noodly from the start! (Ingredients=Yam Flour)

First in a salad, both kinds mixed with some fresh veggies

Tossed with delicious Ginger-Yuzu (Citron juice)-Garlic Dressing

And some Steamed Sesame Squash and Raw Sushi Salmon (Wild BC amazingness of course, couldn't not take a bite before the photo...)

Finally all tossed together with all my other favorite ingredients! They really make me feel like i'm eating wheat noodles/pasta. Quite amazing for the nutrition.

A little break from 'noodles', this is a Gluten Free Seasonal Fruit Bar from the Farmer's Market! Blueberries and Nectarines this time, with crunchy Quinoa Flakes and Apple Juice/Honey Sweetened.

Onto soup!

This 'Miso' was so much more.

It rivaled my favorite Ramen from Izakaya. That's a feat.

Topped with my favorite Kimchee available everywhere in Whistler!

Kale 'Ramen' Miso Soup

This is when they seriously start to act like noodles. Extra tender and full of the broth's flavor. This soup combo is now my go to version for miso!  I consider Enoki mushrooms in here just as good substitutes for noodles as well. 

• 2 Cups Water to 2T White Miso, 1T Ginger, 1T Garlic
• 1/2 Bunch Kale
• 1 Sheet Nori Sushi Seaweed
• Shirataki and Kelp Noodles
• Soft Boiled Egg+2 More Boiled Egg Whites
• Enoki Mushrooms
• 1 Package Plain Natto and 1 Block Tempeh (tempeh toasted first)
• Sushi Ginger, Kimchee to top

The flavors in this soup concoction are so good, and the contents bring them even higher. I am especially pleased with using Natto for the first time, it's almost like having slightly bitter not strong chewy miniature coffee beans in your soup! Soft Boiled Eggs and Nori Seaweed for the win of course...

My other new Japanese FAVORITE: Kabocha Squash. Yeah you guys eat your NORMAL fall pumpkins... I'll stick with Japanese. (and wait for Persimmons!)

 (Japanese Pumpkin)! Just slice to desired size, scoop the seeds, pop it in the oven w/ some cinnamon/cayenne/coconut oil if desired (at least do the coconut oil!), and enjoy, skin and all! Slightly less caloric then a sweet potato and more so than butternut squash.  40 min. to an hour at 400º. Dialed.

Remember when I said I was going to enjoy some Wild BC Salmon Burgers with a legit creamy dill dressing? Well I did it!

 Not fully accomplished yet, but the added dill dressing matched the taste of the salmon and the fresh dill in the herb salad mix! All mixed up, can't wait to use some tahini to make a more mixed up (Coconut Milk doesn't mix with oil so well) Creamy Dill Dressing (like Annie's Goddess gone dill...mmmm).

Ginger Blueberry Granola Parfait, Genki Ramen, Sol Food

Sol Food!

I felt the need to cook lots of vegetables for dinner, but got coaxed in to having Sol Food Delivery! You can't go wrong with a nice Ensalada Con Pollo and Agua de Coco. So much garlic, perfect high quality ingredients and prepared to perfection. #1 I can't have it without some delicious slightly sweet and super hydrating coconut water. The pickled pink onion is definitely an unusual but tasty addition. There was so much food for everyone I definitely got to indulge in various plantains and beans as well! The benefits of eating with large groups.

-Ensalada Con Pollo (Baked chicken thighs, tomato, avocado and pickled pink onion served on organic greens with our lemon-garlic dressing)

-Coconut Water

Yasai Ramen

mmmmm...a belly full of ramen on a cold rainy day... After my icy wet road ride I wanted nothing else! My third SF spot to try out, Genki Ramen left me fully satisfied. They have a million options including tons of non-ramen things, at very fair prices and with a great atmosphere. Kind of modern/posh but not over the top. The Tonkatsu broth was great, not as rich or eggy as Izakaya Sozai but nearly as good (as good depending on what your in the mood for). The noodles were cooked to perfection.  And you can't go wrong on what's included because you can get or add anything! I chose Yasai, giving me delicious stir fried vegetables, definitely with a hint of yummy sesame, and added Wakame Seaweed and 1/2 Hard Boiled Egg (ditched the yolk). A little bit of Togarashi was used for some spicyness towards the end! I am interested in trying some of the curry varieties, but had to test a basic bowl of ramen first. My mom had the Shichimi Chicken Salad which had wonderful almost crispy grilled chicken and a tasty ginger dressing (and edamame) and the Nasu Gomaae we got was sweet and tender as well. Not as good as Dengaku, and Goma Ae is a little better with Spinach, but definitely still worth ordering. I will be returning for sure! Especially because they are the only ramen place open for lunch.
-Shichimi Chicken Salad (Ginger dressing, Togarashi, Grilled Chicken, Cucumber, Carrot, Edamame)
-Nasu Gomaae (Eggplant w/ Sesame Sauce)
-Yasai Ramen add Wakame Seaweed and Egg (stir fried mushrooms, asparagus, tomato, carrot, onion, shredded cabbage, green onion and shelled edamame in tonkatsu base)

Shichimi Chicken Salad

Nasu Gomaae

HI CHEW

 Yes I slurped my bowl clean! Everyone knows the best dessert after Japanese food is Hi Chew, but you have to be in the right place or go out of your way to get it. And you really don't need more than one. No lame hard candy or mints at Genki Ramen, you get the real deal. Mango Hi Chew!

Ginger Blueberry Crunch Parfait

Normally granola parfaits are desserts for me, because they are too good! I could eat delicious galaxy granola, yogurt, and blueberries for days, so they are quite dangerous together. This morning was different though! A recreation of ginger berry crunch oatmeal in granola parfait form. Perfect.  Sweet but not too sugary, gingery but not spicy, and plenty of Blueberry and Almond notes as well. A must try combo.
-4oz Homemade Blueberry Yogurt, 65g Vanilla Almond Galaxy Granola
-Crystalized Ginger (#3 only the best best ever from Good Earth, seriously above all other gingers)
-Blueberries
-Ginger Juice

California-Thai Fusion, Ramen in SF II, Other Usual Goods

Halu Ramen

   Tried out another Japanese place in SF called Halu. I got my usual Grilled Eggplant and Seaweed Salad, which were average but satisfying of course, but the highlight was this massive bowl of Vegeterian Shoyu Ramen. Tons of delicious vegetables of all kinds mixed a mass of delicious noodles.  I got a nice hint of ginger every now and then which was delightful. The broth and noodles had an eggy taste which I like for ramen, and all the different kinds of mushrooms were the best texture, making up for not having meat. I slurped it all up! No doubt a worthy bowl of ramen. I did miss not having any nori though.

First Time Tuna Salad/Sandwich

I never liked fish growing up, but have been coming around to it way more in the past year.  Tuna Salad has been gross to me since day one, and still usually is due to heavy use of Mayo. When I discovered and fell in love with the White Bean Tuna Salad from Fish, I was stoked to find a new window of cooking. Canned tuna is super convenient and another great protein source to have on hand.  #1 Not only do "White Bean" Tuna Salads taste delicious and nutritious (mine was mostly beanless because I already figured there was enough fiber for my system to deal with in this mix), but you can pretty much mix in whatever you have on hand and it will be good! Just get some vegetables, herbs and spices, cut finely and mix! I went with plenty of Garlic, Apple Cider Vinaigratte, Parsley and Olives. Enjoyed partially on crispy wheat loaf toast with olive oil and roasted garlic hummus, which brings back the creaminess factor that mayo adds. Going to try a Soy Sauce and Nori themed mix in the future. Just like at Fish, Olives were my highlight ingredient.

-1 can Tuna, some leftover Garbanzo Beans

-Purple Cabbage, Tomato, Cucumber, Shredded Carrot, Black Olives

-2 Cloves Garlic pressed, Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil, Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

-Roasted Garlic Hummus, Wheat Toast, Olive Oil

Vanilla Strawberry Oatmeal

Actual time to make breakfast = Egg whites as a protein source for my oatmeal! Complimented well by a whole bunch of Vanilla Ingredients, Strawberry, Nuts, and Crisped Rice. Sweet Vanilla Bean and strawberry all around!

-1/2c thick oats, 1c water, 2" fresh ground vanilla bean, several drops vanilla extract, Strawberries

 -More Fresh Strawberries, pecans, almonds, brown rice crisps,
-Agave Nectar
-1 egg white

My Plate

Separate Thai Deliciousness

Went to Citrus and Spice for dinner, pretty much decided to just go with the tried and true favorites. Sweet Potato Yellow Curry and Basil Eggplant Saute.  With some Long Grain Nutty Brown Rice that's really good.  I love the onions, sweet potato, and carrots in the curry, and basil, fried shitakes, and flavorful eggplant in the saute. We got tofu with the Eggplant and Chicken for the curry. More from my review last time here. I still can't get over the flavor in the sauce from the Eggplant dish. It's amazing and I need to find out how!

Dinner Leftovers with Quinoa

The amazing Garlic Lemon Chicken and Steamed Vegetables from last night with some Hummus and Quinoa. It may seem like I cook a lot but really it's just throwing together some things from the fridge usually! The quinoa I threw in the rice maker served double making it into my breakfast and lunch.  Crunchy Cabbage and Soft Carrots for days! #2 Eating via planned leftovers is the way to go.

-Almond Garlic Lemon Chicken

-Steamed Mustard and Carraway Seed Cabbage, Rosemary Thyme Carrots

-Quinoa

-Hummus

Quinoa Cereal 

Similar to the quinoa parfaits I've done in the past, but with my brown rice crisps i've been putting on everything recently.  Maybe it's my yearning for eating boxed cereal like back in the day? Whatever it is, it's crackily crunchy and tasty.  #3 A quality Vanilla-Almond-Honey theme goes so well together.

-1/4c Quinoa (dry), Almond Milk, Almond Butter, Honey

-Blueberries, Pecans, Almonds

-Rice Crisps, Dried Cranberries, Cinnamon