Still on my yogurt high from the last go around, I decided to try another yogurt dressing/dip with these beautiful tiger shrimps I got from the Chinese market.

They are very quickly sauteed with some tom yum paste, and then thrown in freshly squeezed lemon juice to be cooked the rest of the way.  Upon serving, I will finish them off with a creme brulee torch :)

The shrimps:

• tiger shrimp
• tom yum paste
• lemon juice
• olive oil
• black pepper

The yogurt:

• Greek yogurt
• cucumbers
• mint
• honey

Ingredients:

• Red cabbage (very quickly shocked in boiling water
• Beets
• Watermelon radish

Tossed in:

• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Thai tom yum paste

Yogurt dip:

• Greek yogurt
• Ginger
• Tumeric root

Ingredients:

• Shiitake mushrooms
• Fine tofu
• Bean sprouts
• Onions
• Sesame oil
• Chinese black vinegar
• Fresh dill

These peppers are baked, and no oil was used at all in the process.  To get the brighter coloration, I rolled the pepper slices inside-out.  One could sprinkle some olive oil and vinaigrette on top before eating, but these have quite enough flavor by themselves for me. The actual “rolling” of the pepper and its ingredients into roses is tricky and may take a few tries.

Ingredients:

• Red and or yellow peppers
• Anchovies
• Mozzarella slices
• Basil

Optional:

• Lemon Juice
• Olive Oil
• Vinaigrette

To give credit where credit is due, the original inspiration (and much of the recipe) comes from this blog:
http://menuturistico.blogspot.com/2010/05/roselline-di-peperone-giallo-acciughe-e.html

This guest recipe comes from ingenious Natalie Nipper who turned holiday leftovers into this awesome looking plate.  The smell lights up the office when she tosses it in lemon juice:

The greens:

• English peas
• Radishes
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Butter lettuce
• Kale
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil

The Quiche

• Eggs
• Garlic
• Asparagus
• Sharp cheddar
• Ham
• Pie crust

I am taking a chance with this one, and not everyone may like this one.

Growing up in Taiwan, we have always had the practice of dipping fresh fruits in a soy sauce and garlic mix and the results were always… surprisingly good!  I am making a dish out of it with some hardy slices of grapefruit and my amateur attempt at presentation.

Goal: to make a refreshing appetizer-esque dish that is NOT a salad (I’ve only had 3 or 4 of those in a row).  The sour-bitterness of the grapefruit needs to be complemented but not lost.

My bed of sauce is a mix of soy sauce, finely chopped garlic, sesame oil, Chinese black vinegar, and some optional sriracha sauce on the side (upper right hand corner of the plate in picture above) for some kick.  I then top it off with some lemon juice and roughly chopped mint leaves to give a fresh aroma and taste.

Finally before serving, I lightly coat the top of the grapefruit slices with sugar powder and melt it with a creme brulee torch; also slightly caramelizing the grapefruit at the same time.

Ingredients:
grapefruit
soy sauce
finely chopped garlic
Chinese black vinegar
sesame oil
sriracha sauce
lemon juice
roughly chopped mint
sugar powder

She advertised it as a very very green salad, which just reminds me of this Japanese band… hence the name.

Ingredients coming soon!

What an idea – fresh sashimi and raw vegetables for a healthy and delicious dish!

Nozomi of San Diego is a Korean owned Japanese restaurant that I’ve visited since college.  In addition to producing fresh and delicious Korean-Japanese fusion dishes, Nozomi always goes out of its way to make its dishes look beautiful.  Featured here is its very popular “Chirashi Salad” – sashimi grade ingredients sitting on a bed of mixed greens sitting on a bed of rice.

Below is my attempt at its ingredients and the adventurous can try making this themselves, but this dish is best experienced live at Nozomi.

• Sashimi
• raw salmon
• raw tuna
• raw shrimp
• raw yellowtail
• raw whitefish
• cooked octopus
• topped with tobiko – fish roe
• Greens
• green lettuce
• sprouts
• cucumbers
• fresh mint
• green onions
• Finishing it up
• rice
• sesame oil
• gochujang sauce

Whew!  Nozomi has more than one location in San Diego, and here is its home page.  It is surprisingly modest and plain for such a beautifully decorated restaurant with such beautiful food.

http://www.gonozomi.com/

Korean BBQ + anything = win!  Think of this as a bibimbap without the rice.

Ingredients:
beef bulgogi
green lettuce
green onions
onions
garlic
sprouts
cucumbers
sesame oil
gochujang sauce

I grilled the beef bulgogi first (though in hind sight the red spicy pork or chicken bulgogi would have stood out much more in contrast to the greens) then tossed it in green lettuce and some common Korean side dishes such as soy bean sprouts and cooked spinach.

The dressing I used was a mix of sesame oil and gochujang sauce.  A trip to the nearby Korean supermarket gave me a chance to land all of the ingredients I needed.