Ahi Tempura Roll Recipe

One of my favorite appetizers to order at restaurants in Hawaii are ahi tempura rolls. What I didn't  realize until now is how easy it is to make at home. Here is a simple recipe that requires just four things - beer, flour, raw ahi, nori, and oil.  

First, the batter. I've been using the tempura batter Gem shared on Hawaii Mom Blog - it's such an easy recipe! I usually make half the recipe (1/2 cup flour, 6 oz beer) since I'm not making a large amount of tempura. 

After you make the tempura batter, it's time to make your ahi rolls.  First, heat cooking oil in a pan  on medium heat.  

While your oil is heating up, slice your ahi into long strips.

Wrap a strip of raw ahi with a full sheet of nori (seaweed) horizontally.   Dab your finger in water to seal the end of the nori so that your ahi roll doesn't unroll.  Then dip the roll into the tempura batter so that the roll is completely covered with batter.  Then deep fry on all sides. Since you want the middle of your ahi to still be raw (like seared ahi), do not fry for a long period - maybe 2 minutes per side or even shorter. 

 Remove from the  pan, slice at an angle, and enjoy! I like to dip these in mentsuyu sauce, but you can use just plain shoyu (with wasabi if you want to take it up a notch!).

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Pepperoni Football Platter

For a recent get-together to watch the Dallas Cowboys play on TV, I made a super easy game-day appetizer.

All you need are crackers, cheese, and pepperoni!

Take a platter and place crackers on the perimeter of the platter, then top with cheese.  Next assemble pepperoni slices into a football shape, then slice white cheese (I used mozzarella) and place on the pepperoni to make the laces of the football.

That's it!

You can use all sorts of varieties of crackers, cheeses (make sure you have white cheese to make the laces), and meats (as long as the meat is red for the football).

The kids loved making their own "sandwiches" with the ingredients!

This platter  is simple, yet fun and yummy!

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Pesto Pull-Apart Bread

For a recent get-together I made Pesto Pull-Apart Bread.

If you love pesto you'll love this appetizer!

Simply take a loaf of French Bread, and cut diagonal slices through the bread to make a criss-cross pattern.  Be sure not to cut all the way through to the bottom of the bread, or else it'll turn into "fall-apart" bread instead of pull-apart (I left about a 1/2 inch margin on the bottom).

Next, I poured 1/4 c melted butter all over and inside the bread.  I then took 1 c of jarred pesto, and spread it throughout the cuts of bread (if you have a second set of hands to help you - it will make things go a lot faster).  Then I took 1 1/2 c of shredded mozzarella cheese and stuffed them into the slices.

Wrap the bread tightly in foil, then bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Open up the top of the foil, and bake for 10 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown.

Yum!!

You can see the original recipe here on ABC's The Chew.

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Recipe: Roasted Kabocha

I love kabocha! It's moist, tender, sweet, and its taste resembles a cross between sweet potato and pumpkin. It is packed with nutrients such as beta carotene, iron, potassium, and vitamin C. 

I recently discovered a new way to enjoy kabocha - ROASTING!  It's easy and HEALTHY!

1.  Cut the kabocha in half and scoop out the seeds. Then cut into slices of desired thickness.  Lay on a baking sheet (I use parchment paper for easier clean-up).

2. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle on sea salt or Himalayan salt, and pepper.  

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. 

And that's it!

Serve it as a healthy snack, appetizer, or side dish to a meal.

Recipe adapted from Jennifer Che's Oven Roasted Kabocha Squash

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Pepperoni Crescent Bites

These Pepperoni Crescent Bites are a cinch to make.

All you do is take an 8oz can of refrigerated crescent rolls, cut each triangle into thirds, place a piece of pepperoni onto the smaller triangle, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and roll!

You can also leave each triangle as is (no cutting), and place three pieces of pepperoni and more cheese (or even a cheese stick).  

Bake for 11-15 minutes at 375 Fahrenheit.

Serve with pizza sauce.

Enjoy!

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Kamaboko & Crab Dip

For a recent get-together I made Kamaboko and Crab Dip based on this recipe from Spork and Pan.

It turned out yummy, but next time I'll add more green onions, and less crab (or maybe eliminate the crab altogether - I just had extra from making these Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons so I wanted to use up the crab).

Kamaboko & Crab Dip (adapted from Spork and Pan)

Ingredients:

• 1 6 oz pkg kamaboko, shredded
• 1 6 oz pkg imitation crab meat, chopped
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 1/2 c mayo
• 1/4 c chopped green onions

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients and chill for at least 30 minutes.  
• Serve with crackers.

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Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons

Back in college I would make Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons almost weekly.

It was an easy dish to make whenever friends would come over to my apartment for some late-night studying (okay, partying).

You'll simply need some wonton wrappers, an 8oz block of cream cheese, and some imitation crab meat (I usually use half a 12oz package).

Combine the cream cheese and crab, place approximately 2 tsps of filling into each wonton wrapper, seal (with water or egg), and deep fry until golden brown (approximately 2-4 minutes).

If I have it on hand, I'll also throw in some chopped yellow, white, or green onions.  Some people throw in water chestnuts (I'm not a fan).  Once in a while I'll add a couple of teaspoons of hot sauce (like Sriracha or Chili Garlic Paste).

And there's really no wrong way of folding them.  Sometimes I'll just fold the wontons into triangles, other times I'll fold up the edges (if I make different kinds - one spicy, one regular, I'll use different types of folds to distinguish between the two).

The wontons are great by themselves, or serve them with shoyu, shoyu and hot mustard, or your favorite dipping sauce.

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Tortellini Skewers

A friend of mine hosted a party at her house recently, and she made a majority of the food. One of the dishes she made was Tortellini Skewers. I thought it was such a great idea, that I decided to try and make some myself.

I made two different kinds - one with Tortellini, Basil, Cherry Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, and a Pesto + Balsamic Vinegar dressing (1/2 c pesto, 2 T balsamic vinegar, 2 T water) - you can find the original recipe for Tortellini "Caprese" Skewers on the Buitoni website here.

And I made another bunch with Tortellini, Olives, Provolone, Salami, and Italian Dressing - I figured it would be more "kid-friendly."

I also put the ingredients onto toothpicks to make for easy nibbling.

For both varieties, simply cook a package of Three Cheese Tortellini according to instructions, toss in dressing when done, then thread onto skewers (or toothpicks), along with the other ingredients.

Just prior to serving, drizzle on more dressing.

They were a lot more time-consuming to make than I anticipated (at one point I thought about just throwing everything into a big bowl to make a Tortellini Pasta Salad), but both kids and adults ended up enjoying the skewers.

It's fun appetizer (the Caprese-style skewer would be great for Christmas with all of the red, green, and white colors!), and tasty too!

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