Teriyaki Beef Roll

My husband has been on call working from home this week.  His co-worker Fernando misses my food every time my husband works from home.  Today Fernando wanted sushi rolls for lunch, homemade and from a nearby restaurant.  My husband's lunch break isn't long enough for a visit to the office for lunch or a restaurant.  Instead of eating out I made some sushi rolls at home.  I had to get creative and create a roll based on food I already had.  The good news was, I had left-over steamed brown rice from last night's Indian dinner and steak in the freezer.  Teriyaki sauce is so yummy, so that was also part of my plan.  This is a throw it together roll, at least it is for me.

The sauce and flavor were out of this world yummy.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Skirt Steak
1 English Cucumber
4 cups Sushi Brown Rice (Recipe Found Here)
Nori Sheets
1/2 cup Brown Rice Wine Vinegar (Rice Wine Vinegar can be substituted)
1/2 cup Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Cane Sugar (white granulated sugar can be substituted)
Vegetable Oil

Mix 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 brown rice wine vinegar, 1/2 cup cane sugar.  Marinate the beef
in the mixture for 20 minutes.

Heat a 12 inch skillet over high heat.  Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.  Quickly brown the
steak on all sides.  

Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Pour marinade into small sauce pan over medium heat and reduce by half.  When it boils,
 lower heat to low.

Slice steak across the grain.

Place a 12 inch non-stick skillet over a medium-high heat.  Add steak and enough of the teriyaki marinade to coat.  Cook steak very quickly, slightly crisping the edges and remove from the heat.

Wash and cut cucumber into 4 equal pieces and julienne the pieces (cut small sticks).

Place nori sheet on prepared sushi mat.  Put a softball size mound of sushi rice on nori sheet.

Flatten rice using your hand wrapped in plastic wrap. (My friend Bridget taught me this trick.)
Leave the far 1/2 inch edge free of rice.  Place 9 cucumber sticks and teriyaki steak in a long
 strip in the middle of the rice.

Carefully roll as tightly as possible.  I'm still working on rolling tightly, so I'll need more practice.
Darn I have to make more of these.

Using a very sharp knife and a sawing motion cut the roll in half.

Place roll halves together and again with a sawing motion carefully cut into your desired
roll thickness.  Spoon on extra teriyaki sauce.

Since these do not contain anything that can go bad, they are great as leftovers, if you don't
eat them all when they are made.

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Beef Roll

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Skirt Steak

1 English Cucumber

4 cups Sushi Brown Rice (Recipe Found Here)

Nori Sheets

1/2 cup Brown Rice Wine Vinegar (Rice Wine Vinegar can be substituted)

1/2 cup Dark Soy Sauce

1/2 cup Cane Sugar (white granulated sugar can be substituted)

Vegetable Oil 

Process:

Mix 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 brown rice wine vinegar, 1/2 cup cane sugar.  Marinate the beef in the mixture for 20 minutes.

Heat a 12 inch skillet over high heat.  Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.  Quickly brown the steak on all sides.  

Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Pour marinade into small sauce pan over medium heat and reduce by half.  When it boils lower heat to low.

Slice steak across the grain.

Place a 12 inch non-stick skillet over a medium-high heat.  Add steak and enough of the teriyaki marinade to coat.  Cook steak very quickly, slightly crisping the edges and remove from the heat.

Wash and cut cucumber into 4 equal pieces and julienne this pieces (cut small sticks).

Place nori sheet on prepared sushi mat.  Put a softball size mound of sushi rice on nori sheet.  

Flatten rice using your hand wrapped in plastic wrap. (My friend Bridget taught me this trick.) Leave the far 1/2 inch edge free of rice.  Place 9 cucumber sticks and teriyaki steak in a long strip in the middle of the rice.

Carefully roll as tightly as possible.

Using a very sharp knife and a sawing motion cut the roll in half.

Place roll halves together and again with a sawing motion carefully cut into your desired roll thickness. Spoon on extra teriyaki sauce.

Since these do not contain anything that can go bad, they are great as leftovers, if you don't eat them all when they are made.

Enjoy!

Yakitory Roll

You know I don't think I posted my news on here, because I didn't think about sharing it with you.  I am pregnant, or as my friend Rebecca pointed out, Queens Foodie Mama has a bun in the oven.  We are having a baby girl, due January 6. My children are super excited. Remember when I made California Rolls?  Well I wanted to make sushi rolls again but not with shrimp and of course not with raw salmon.  I'm sure my OB-GYN would gladly remind me to avoid raw meat/poultry/fish of any kind, so raw salmon was out.  While researching recipes for sushi rolls, I came upon Unagi Rolls. Unagi is grilled/barbequed fresh water eel.  Eel didn't really appeal to me, so I looked up what people said eel tasted like and some people mentioned it tasted like chicken.  My brain immediately decided why not do a sushi roll with chicken instead.  Next I looked up what Japanese barbecued chicken was called and also a recipe for the barbeque sauce and that is when I chose the name, Yakitory, meaning grilled chicken.  I tend to volunteer to take dinner to every woman who has just had a baby and her family in our church so the Yakitory Rolls were going to be for both my family and the Havig's who I was told by my friend Whitney loved sushi.  This recipe is dedicated to Kara and baby Heidi.

The rice was really sticky, that is why the rolls look a little sad.  Of course I'm not a
Japanese chef either.  These are still really tasty.

Ingredients for Yakitory (Grilled Chicken):

4 Chicken Thighs (with skin and bone)
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Brown Rice Vinegar
3 tablespoons Cane Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger

Pour soy sauce, and brown rice vinegar into a small sauce pan.  Add sugar, garlic, and ginger
to sauce.  Cook over medium heat until it boils and reduce heat to low.  Cook on
low for 5 minutes.

Brush sauce onto thighs, on the skin and under the skin.  Brush all over.  Allow to marinate
for 20 minutes on the counter.

I cooked the chicken in my rotisserie for 20 minutes, you could also grill the chicken.

Ingredients for Brown Sushi Rice:

4 cup uncooked Medium Grain Brown rice
Water (add as much as the directions on the bag of rice recommends)
1/2 cup Brown Rice Vinegar
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
3 tablespoons Cane Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)

Cook the rice on the stove according to directions on bag or do what I do and use a rice
cooker which is so much easier to use.

Mix vinegar, sugar, and salt together.

 Add vinegar mixture to still warm rice, stir until combined.

Ingredients for Yakitory Roll:

4 barbecue/grilled Chicken Thighs
1 English Cucumber
1 ripe Avocado
Nori Paper
Brown Sushi Rice

Remove bones from chicken thighs, trying to keep the thigh intact.  Thinly slice chicken with
skin on across the grain.

 Sauté sliced chicken over medium heat until slightly crispy on edges.

Julienne cucumber into small matchsticks.  Slice half the avocado lengthwise in skin and
scoop out with a large spoon.

Cover bamboo sushi mat in plastic wrap.

Place nori sheet in the middle of the mat.

Scoop out a baseball size mound of brown sushi rice onto the nori sheet.

 With wet fingers spread out the rice, cover all but the top small edge of the sheet. 

Flip nori sheet so rice is on the backside.

Place nine cucumber sticks, three in a row and three deep on the middle of the sheet.  Add 3
slices of avocado to the cucumber.  Finally add strips of chicken.

 Using the mat roll the rice covered nori sheet, carefully keep the other ingredients inside the nori sheet.

Repeat with all the rice and other ingredients.  Cut the rolls using a serrated knife in the
slow sawing motion.  Dip the knife in water between each cut to prevent sticking.  Slice rolls
into 1 1/2 inch thick slices.   

Enjoy!

Yakitory Rolls

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients for Yakitory (Grilled Chicken):

4 Chicken Thighs (with skin and bone)
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Brown Rice Vinegar
3 tablespoons Cane Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger

Process:

Pour soy sauce, and brown rice vinegar into a small sauce pan.  Add sugar, garlic, and ginger to sauce. Cook over medium heat until it boils and reduce heat to low.  Cook on low for 5 minutes.

Brush sauce onto thighs, on the skin and under the skin.  Brush all over.  Allow to marinate for 20 minutes on the counter.

Cook the chicken in a rotisserie for 20 minutes, or you could also grill the chicken.

Ingredients for Brown Sushi Rice:

4 cup uncooked Medium Grain Brown rice
Water (add as much as the directions on the bag of rice recommends)
1/2 cup Brown Rice Vinegar
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
3 tablespoons Cane Sugar (white sugar can be substituted)

Cook the rice on the stove according to directions on bag or do what I do and use a rice cooker which is so much easier to use.

Mix vinegar, sugar, and salt together.

Add vinegar mixture to still warm rice, stir until combined.

Ingredients for Yakitory Roll:

4 barbecue/grilled Chicken Thighs
1 English Cucumber
1 ripe Avocado
Nori Paper
Brown Sushi Rice

Remove bones from chicken thighs, trying to keep the thigh intact.  Thinly slice chicken with skin on across the grain.

Sauté sliced chicken over medium heat until slightly crispy on edges.

Julienne cucumber into small matchsticks.  Slice half the avocado lengthwise in skin and scoop out with a large spoon.

Cover bamboo sushi mat in plastic wrap.

Place nori sheet in the middle of the mat.

Scoop out a baseball size mound of brown sushi rice onto the nori sheet.

With wet fingers spread out the rice, cover all but the top small edge of the sheet. 

Flip nori sheet so rice is on the backside.

Place nine cucumber sticks, three in a row and three deep on the middle of the sheet.  Add 3 slices of avocado to cucumber.  Finally add strips of chicken.

Using the mat roll the rice covered nori sheet, carefully keep the other ingredients inside the nori sheet.

Repeat with all the rice and other ingredients.  Cut the rolls using a serrated knife in the slow sawing motion.  Dip the knife in water between each cut to prevent sticking.  Slice rolls into 1 1/2 inch thick slices.   

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Salad

When I was a young mother with one child, and managing our first house in California, I loved trying to find new recipes for Summer potlucks we were invited to attend.  This recipe was one of those recipes.  I don't have the recipe anymore, so today I made one up based on my memories.  We had the best Summer's in California with friends and family spending time together and playing in parks, at the beach, or in different backyards.  My memories are what I cherish now being so far away from family and friends we left behind in California.  Cooking brings me joy, and cooking and preparing food that reminds me of my California home really lets me feel better about my future.  Today I wanted food to lift my mood, and nothing like a nostalgic meal to help that along.  This is a very simple chicken salad, and it doesn't have mayonnaise.  My husband doesn't like the white stuff, so this was just for him.  

 Chicken Salad Torta, this was so yummy, you have to try this easy recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (leftover rotisserie chicken works well for this)

1/2 English Cucumber

1 Orange Bell Pepper

4 Campari Tomatoes (or 1 large tomato)

2 Green Onions

1/2 Seeded Jalapeño

1 Avocado

1 Lemon

1/2 cup Avocado Oil (or Olive Oil)

1 clove Garlic

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

 Clean cucumber, bell pepper, and tomatoes.  Dice into 1/2-1/4 inch pieces.

Shred the chicken breasts.  I had to go shopping at Costco, so I picked up a rotisserie chicken
from the deli section to use for this.  I removed the two breasts and the skin.  Using
my fingers, I shredded the chicken into a small metal bowl.

You don't have to do this part the way I did, but it does do wonders for the salad, and if you like to crush stuff.  

Cut greens onions, jalapeño, and garlic into small pieces and with the salt add them to a molcajete.

Otherwise you can add the ingredients already cut up to a small bowl.

 Grind into a paste.

 Cut lemon and squeeze lemon juice and pour avocado oil into molcajete or small bowl with
the paste and mix.  

Cut avocado in half.  Remove pit, and cut the avocado down and across inside the skin and 

remove from the peel.  

 Add cut up vegetables and fruits to the chicken, pour in the sauce and stir.  

This salad gets better if you refrigerate it for at least an hour.

Spoon some of your salad on a Torta roll, which I also purchased from Costco.

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Salad

Printable recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

2 Cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (leftover rotisserie chicken works well for this)

1/2 English Cucumber

1 Orange Bell Pepper

4 Campari Tomatoes (or 1 large tomato)

2 Green Onions

1/2 Seeded Jalapeño

1 Avocado

1 Lemon

1/2 cup Avocado Oil (or Olive Oil)

1 clove Garlic

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Process:

Clean cucumber, bell pepper, and tomatoes.  Dice into 1/2-1/4 inch pieces.

Shred chicken breast. (Rotisserie chicken from any grocery store deli works well for this recipe)

Cut greens onions, jalapeño, and garlic into small pieces and with the salt add them to a molcajete.

Otherwise you can add the ingredients already cut up to a small bowl or food processor.

Grind into a paste, or process in a food processor.

Cut lemon and squeeze lemon juice and pour avocado oil into molcajete or small bowl or food processor with the paste and mix.

Cut avocado in half.  Remove pit, and cut the avocado down and across inside the skin and remove from the peel.  

Add cut up vegetables and fruits to the chicken, pour in the sauce and stir.  

This salad gets better if you refrigerate it for at least an hour.  

Enjoy!

Tzaziki Sauce

I wanted Tzaziki sauce, isn't that a fun word Tzaziki?  Do you know what Tzaziki sauce is?  I have homemade Greek yogurt that is destined to be this most yummy sauce.

Where's a pita chip when you need it, want some?

 Ingredients for this recipe are: 1/2 English cucumber, small bunch of dill, 1 lemon,
4 cloves of garlic, Kosher Salt, 2 cups Greek Yogurt (I used homemade).

 I drained the yogurt for a few minutes in a coffee filter lined mesh sieve over a bowl.
I wanted to have a thick sauce.

 Cut the cucumber into small bits, cut the dill off the stalks and cut some more (not to much
or you'll have pulp).  Press the garlic, and slice the lemon in half.

 I put the cucumber in between several layers of paper towels and pressed it with a large can
in a bowl.  I flipped the cucumber and paper towels over after a couple of minutes.
This step removes extra liquid which could make your sauce thin.

My dry cucumber is ready.

 Dump everything in the bowl.

Stir.

Enjoy!