Japanese Salad Dressings

My original Bible Study cum Discipleship group decided to have a Japanese theme for our Christmas party this year. For potluck, somebody already volunteered Chicken Teriyaki. Another volunteered the ever-popular Tempura. Another is bringing California Maki. Still another volunteered the Cold Soba noodles. I was already running out of "popular" dishes to bring, so I did my search of Japanese recipes on the internet.

I decided to bring a vegetable dish to complement the carbohydrate and meat dishes. Hubby, by the way, also requested for a light salad dish. And when I searched the internet for a salad recipe, I was pleasantly surprised to find a variety of salad dressings available.

I just bought and washed and dried romaine lettuce, cleaned and sliced some cucumbers, salad tomatoes, white onions. Added some sliced crabsticks and grapes. Then made three dressings which I got from the about.com website. And everybody enjoyed these "home-made" dressings. Here are the recipes girls!

Creamy Sesame Salad Dressing

2 T ground white sesame seeds
1 t rice vinegar
1 t sesame oil
1 t sugar
1 t soy sauce
1 t grated onion
2 t mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add mayonnaise as you like. This recipes makes 2 servings.


Wasabi Salad Dressing

1 T soy sauce
1 t wasabi paste
1/2 t sesame oil
3 T rice wine vinegar
1 T sugar

Whisk everything together. Cool dressing in the refrigerator until ready to serve. adjust amount of wasabi and sugar depending on your preference.



Sesame Salad Dressing

3 T rice wine vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1 T soy sauce
1 t sugar
1 t ground sesame seeds

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Makes 2 servings.



Note: The above recipes were the exact instructions from the About.com website. For the potluck, I made a big batch of each dressing and just adjusted the taste accordingly.

Next year, we agreed on Italian theme, so I better do my search ahead of time...

Coffee Jelly

Since I am the only coffee addict in our family, it is quite inconvenient, not to mention impractical to make this dessert just for my own consumption. So, I tried to serve this at our church's Couples@Work Fellowship. It was a big hit with the members! Some asked for second servings, some asked for the left-overs to take home, some asked for the recipe.

The version I served them was a bit strong. I think it was because I added coffee liquour. (Somebody gave us a bottle of Kahlua and well, since I do not drink, I add a tablespoon or two of liquour to some of my baked goodies, when appropriate.) If you prefer desserts without the spike, simply omit the liquour. But I assure you, the liquour really adds flavor. If you do not have coffee liquour, you can use brandy.

1 box unflavored gelatin
1/4 c lukewarm water
1/2 c white sugar
1 drop vanilla
2 c coffee (2c lukewarm water + 1 T instant coffee)
1 T coffee liquour (I use Kahlua)

1. Mix the gelatin and water. Set aside for a while to allow the gelatin to bloom.

2. Combine sugar and coffee and bring to a boil. Add the gelatin and heat just until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat.

3. Stir in liquour and vanilla. Pour into an 8 inch pan or any gelatin moulder and allow gelatin to set. Chill in the refregerator. Meanwhile, make the topping.

1 pack (250ml) all-pupose cream, well chilled
4 T white sugar
cornflakes

1. Whip chilled cream, using an electric mixer, gradually adding sugar. Continue whipping until cream is slightly stiff. Chill until ready to serve.

2. To serve, Cut gelatin into cubes. Spoon into wine glasses. Top with whipped cream. Sprinkle corn flakes on top.

Note: Instead of whipped cream, we can use vanilla or even mocha ice cream. Another variation would be to use chocolate shavings instead of cornflakes.

Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Of course, mothers always believe that oatmeal is good for everybody's health. So, I bought a bag of quick-cooking oats, even if I know that my kids and hubby do not really like to eat them. I figured I will be able to force them to eat since that is the only thing available in the pantry. No such luck with my picky-eaters. So I had to figure out a way to 'disguise' the oatmeals.

At first, I tried baking peanut butter oatmeal cookies. They did not pass the taste-test. Probably because my picky eaters can still detect the presence of the 'healthy white stuff' inside the cookies. I searched the internet and found this interesting recipe. Everybody in my family loves chocolate. The reviews said these cookies are soft and chewy. And best of all, I would be able to hide the 'healthy white stuff' inside the dark brown chocolate color of the cookies!

What a success! The kids love the cookies and kept asking for more. Although they suspect it contains the 'healthy white stuff' they are not complaining because they taste really great! They turned out to be soft and chewy and very tasty. Even my sisters, who are dessert fanatics, gave good reviews.

3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghirardeli - given by my 3rd sis from u.s.a)
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 c sugar (you can increase up to 1/2 c if you want sweeter cookies)
1/2 t vanilla extract
2 T oats ( I added up to 4 T)
1/4 c chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter large rimmed baking sheet.

2. Sift first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, beat until well blended. Add flour mixture and beat until moist clumps form. Dough will be very firm. Add chocolate chips. Knead gently to blend.

3. Using moistened palm, shape 1 generous tablespoon into ball. Place on prepared sheet; flatten to 2 inch round. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing rounds 2 inches apart.

4. Bake cookies until center is slightly firm and top is cracked, about 14 min. Cool on sheet.


Note: I followed the recipe above faithfully until after adding the flour, I felt that the mixture was too firm and hard to handle. I added 1 egg to the mixture at this point. The cookies turned out soft and chewy and moist, though a bit crumbly. They tasted great nevertheless! One of these days, I might try the original recipe to see what it will turn out.