06 July 2007

mochi for breakfast

today i tried mochi for the first time. it's a japanese food made from sweet brown rice that is cooked and pounded into a paste/cake of sorts that puffs up when heated. you can buy it plain or flavored, then cut it up into 1-2" squares and bake it (sweet-like) or steam it (in savory dishes). this is a picorial of how i made it:

mochi package
mochi cut
mochi baked
here, with earth balance, cinnamon, and agave nectar. it smelled delicious when i was baking it, like a sweet bread. i may have not spaced the pieces out enough on the baking sheet because they kind of puffed into each other. but it reminded me of funnel-cake that way. it was sweet like rice but the agave really helped it feel like more of a breakfast-y sweet. next time i might try maple syrup!

breakfast mochi (serves 1):

10 pieces mochi (cut in 1" squares)
earth balance spread or other vegan margarine, to taste
a couple sprinkles of cinnamon
agave nectar (or other syrup), to taste

preheat oven to 450-degrees.
place mochi squares at least 1" apart on baking sheet and put in preheated oven.
bake 8-10 minutes, or until mochi has puffed up and browned.
top with earth balance, cinnamon, and agave nectar.


also, last night i made a midnight snack... i found a recipe for braised collards on vegweb, and though i'd adjust the amount of water suggested in the original recipe for the future, it was a tasty way to use up some of my MASSIVE garden bounty. i might make it again tonight for dinner with some southern-style tofu or beans.

collards

braised collards (serves 2-3):

1 lb. collard greens, washed, torn, and w/ stems removed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
water
balsamic vinegar
pepper
salt

saute onion and garlic in oil over med-hi heat. when tender, add greens. stir for 2-3 minutes, then add enough water to almost cover the greens (or just the bottom of the pan if you want less water in the final product). stir occasionally. when greens are tender and bright green, and some of the water has boiled off, add a spash of balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

***i added salt to the original recipe. the recipe makes more of a stew/soup, so next time i will reduce the water because i like more of a saute. it would also do well with a little spice (cayenne perhaps?); i'm thinking i would take care of that by serving it with a spicy dish, like cajun tofu or spicy red beans. collards are cheap and good for you, and they taste delicious! go get some.

2 comments:

lxforever said...

Wow, that sounds amazing (the mochi). I'm down with that girl! You really should consider opening a vegan cafe at some point in your career. It would go over so nicely here!

Thanks for starting up a sweet blog!

said...

oh, you've inspired me to show some affection and shower some attention on the collards in my kitchen that have been losing nutrients while waiting patiently for me to turn them into something delicious.
thanks!