Inarizushi (Seasoned Sushi Pockets)

Inarizushi are at the tip of the boat

We like to include these in our sushi parties - a nice variation that's sweet and usually a good way to get your kids to decide they like sushi, since it doesn't include anything fishy.  You can also just stuff the pockets with sushi rice or add some other toppings, but I like it this way.

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rice prepared for sushi*
1-2 Tbs. minced pickled ginger
2 Tbs. chopped peanuts
1 Tbs. sesame seeds
2 dates, chopped
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
tofu pockets

Mix flavorings into rice. Squeeze most of the liquid out of the pockets.  Press into egg shape, then stuff into pocket.  Fold top over and press the whole thing together.

*For sushi rice instructions, see Sushi Bowls Recipe

Cranberry Tuna Salad

A good friend shared some Whole Foods Cranberry Tuna Salad with me.  It was delicious, but I was shocked at the price.  Here is my version:

Cranberry Tuna Salad

2 cans chunk light tuna
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or more as desired)
zest from 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2-3  Tbs. dried cranberries, chopped smaller
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 Tbs. chopped red onion
1/4 tsp. celery seed
salt and lemon pepper to taste

Mix all together, chill.

Pumpernickel with Olive and Walnut Spread Tea Sandwiches

I think it was a need to do something other than sit at the computer working on taxes and financial aid applications and look out at the grey skies and snowy landscape that led me to issue an open invitation to my bookgroup buddies and their daughters to come have a girly tea party. We ended up with 22 of us, and with everyone's contributions, we had a pretty impressive spread of assorted tea sandwiches, scones, mini muffins, cupcakes, fresh fruit and other goodies. We had a decent showing of tiaras and fancy dresses, too. And, really, I had a lot more fun than it looks like from this photo. It was a good party, and the sun even came out briefly! Thanks, everyone, for coming and cheering me up!

I made my favorite celebratory sandwiches from the original Moosewood Cookbook.

Here's my easy version:

3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup black olives
8 oz. cream cheese
1 scallion stem, chopped
1 red bell pepper
mesclun greens or spinach leaves, washed
cucumber (optional)
1 loaf pumpernickel bread

Toast the walnuts in the microwave for 3 minutes. Pulse to chop in the food processor. Remove to bowl. Pulse black olives to lightly chop. Add the cream cheese and chopped scallion and walnuts and pulse until blended but not too pureed. Spread on pumpernickel, top with red bell pepper (I diced it first, but slices work fine), greens and optional cucumber. Cut as desired. (I cut off the crusts and cut them in triangles).

Edamame Hummus

I've been trying to keep myself moving lately - I feel kind of like I'm in a dream where you can't get your legs and arms to move - kind of sluggish and lazy. It's hard to be motivated to do anything sometimes, but right now I don't know why I'm feeling that way. I'm not depressed, the sun is shining, and I've got lots of interesting things to do. Maybe it's just that the mountain of interesting things to do is a little intimidating. At the top of my list is making pottery; I'm going to be selling work at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts this holiday season. I just dropped off a bunch of work there this morning. Their Holiday Shop opens on Nov. 19th, so if any of you want to come to the opening, please do. I'm very excited to be transitioning into a professional potter and not just a hobbyist, but at the same time I'm a little nervous. Why should I be afraid to go work in the studio? It often takes me until mid afternoon before I can drag myself up there, and then it's hard to leave.

Perhaps as an avoidance technique, I checked out a bunch of books by Ellie Krieger. This delicious recipe comes from her book, The Food You Crave. This one is destined to become a new lunchtime staple in our home! I made it as the recipe instructed (I usually try to do that when I'm first trying a new recipe), but I found the amount of lemon a little too harsh, so I added more of the tofu and edamame to tone it down a bit. So I'd recommend starting with 1/2 the lemon juice and adding more to taste. It packs well in a lunch; we all liked it with baby carrots and rye crispbread crackers. I packed it in individual serving sized containers and popped a couple in the freezer. I think it ought to freeze well, but I'll let you know if it doesn't!

Edamame Hummus

2 cups frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions
1 cup silken tofu, drained
1/2 tsp salt, to taste
pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, to taste

Set 1 tablespoon of the edamame aside for garnish. Place the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and process until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice, if desired. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

School lunches

Fortunately, I have a daughter who likes to try new foods and enjoys a wide variety of things. Unfortunately, she also demands more than the usual PB&J in her lunch box. She gave me the thumbs up for her first week of school lunches. She has tended to prefer the ones she had more of a hand in. Mostly I've been figuring out ways to send dinner leftovers (sometimes difficult, since she has no way to heat them up), so don't think that I cook like this for lunch everyday!

Tuesday: Cold burrito (filled with spice-rubbed grilled chicken, black beans, cheese, cilantro, canned green chiles, and a dash of lime-cilantro vinagrette), fresh pea shoots (from TJ's, yum), mini bell peppers, and a quarter of an avocado. A kiwi, cut in half, with a spoon. Some iced mint herbal tea. I can't remember what I sent for snack. I think a granola bar. Madeleine cookies (Costco). She left a couple bites of avocado and supplemented her lunch with some mashed potatoes from the cafeteria.

Wednesday: I thought she had chosen to have the school lunch, but I knew she was staying for cross country and wanted her to have a snack after school as well as during snack time, so I sent a lot. Too much, apparently, since she thought I was sending a full lunch and only supplemented it with some sweet potato wedges from the cafeteria. She was ravenous at dinner that night. Mixed fresh veggies (baby carrots, mini bell-peppers, and sugar snap peas) with peanut dipping sauce (I usually put it on pasta) and fresh cantaloupe. Also a little bit of trail mix: almonds, dried cranberries, M&Ms, walnuts, sunflower seeds. She didn't eat the walnuts and sunflower seeds.

Thursday: Leftover grilled chicken and black bean salsa salad: This one had the spice-rubbed chicken, lettuce, black beans, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, avocados, lime-cilantro dressing. Tortilla chips. Cut up fruit: papaya, cantaloupe, and kiwi. Grapes, dill havarti, and multigrain crackers for snack. Madeleine cookies.

Friday: I mixed up the rest of the asian peanut sauce with some plain pasta I set aside from dinner last night. Added some chopped snap peas, mini bell peppers and carrots. Cantaloupe and grapes. A croissant with nutella for snack, and a banana for after school cross country snack.

Ok, so I'm realizing two things as I write this: I already know I think about food way too much, but especially so when I'm watching my calorie intake. I'm thinking this week I've been feeding her extra because I'm eating less. It probably has something to do with wanting her to get off to a good start, too. And second, there's no way I'm going to keep this up for a whole year. It's back to bagels and sandwiches pretty soon.

Thai-inspired Peanut Sauce

March is finally here, but somehow it looks just as snowy as it did yesterday. I take hope in a few difficult things coming to a successful conclusion: Zoe got an A on her last English essay (the first from a very demanding teacher) and Clay finished reviewing the portfolios of hundreds of student applicants. He's almost done with his latest commission, a dramatic, large painting for the remodeled Renaissance Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.

I'm trying to pull myself together and get things done in spite of the mood all these gray skies and white landscapes have gotten me into. Last night I actually planned today's lunches in advance and made some yummy peanut noodles with vegetables. It helped this morning go more smoothly. Ok, I have to admit it's almost 11 and I'm still not fully dressed, but at least they both got off on time with a good lunch. I got this recipe years ago from Vegetarian Times. It's very easy to make, it makes a good school lunch, and we all love it.

Thai-inspired Peanut Sauce

1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. tahini
1/4 c. rice or cider vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. orange juice (or lemon or lime)
a dash of hot pepper sauce, to taste
2 Tbs. apple juice to thin as needed
1 Tbs. fresh minced ginger (optional, but I always add it if I have it on hand)
1/2 Tbs. fresh minced garlic (optional)

Combine all but apple juice in blender. Puree on high until creamy and smooth, at least 1 min. Add apple juice as desired to thin the consistency.

Serve over: 1 lb. cooked pasta and your choice of vegetables (thinly sliced carrots, green onions, fresh sweet peas, lightly steamed green beans and broccoli, cooked yams, edamame, etc.). Sometimes I add some broiled tofu as well. This is a good recipe for using a whole wheat pasta, because the flavors go well together.

I've never tried freezing it, but I think it would probably work well to freeze any of it but raw veggies. If any of you try that, let me know how it goes.

Curried Chicken Salad

This recipe I made up myself, based on a dish I had at a cafe once. I don't actually ever measure the ingredients, but just judge by look and taste, so feel free to adjust the amounts based on your personal preference. This is my best guess as to the proportions I use. This is one of our favorite ways to eat leftover roast chicken and it works with turkey breast as well. I like to have this with some spring greens and a piece of toast, and Zoe loves it in her school lunch with a croissant.

Curried Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked and coarsely chopped and/or shredded chicken
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbs. light sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. yellow curry powder
1 1/2 cups red grapes (cut in half if you have the time)
1/3 cup toasted pecans (to top when you serve it)

Mix it all together, adding the pecans when you serve so they don't get soggy. The rest keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.