Okra!

Season for okra!
cut and steamed, then grated daikon with soy sauce on top.
cold or room temperature. Yum : )

Zucchini! 2

another good way,(and this is more fun!), to consume zucchini is savory zucchini pancake.
grate zucchini, andhole add 1 tsp of sesame oil,1 tsp of soy sauce, pinch of sea salt.
then add wwheat flour and panko(bread crumble)to hold the dough.(should be moist, but not too much)
i also add hijiki seaweed for minerals(calcium) whenever i make savory pancake, but it's an option.
let it cool in the fridge for about 1 hour (this helps when you cook)

heat up a pan, spread thin some good quality oil.
* i normally do not use non stick, but for pancakes only, i do.
and sear fry both sides until golden.

for dipping sauce, 1 tbs of soy sauce, 1 tbs of brown rice vinegar, 1 tbs of lemon juice.
it's gonna be a great party food!

Zucchini!

This is the season for zucchini!
i got a huge one from a friend who recently signed up for CPA, after i just got some from union square market.
so now i had to come up with some ideas to use up this delicious summer squash : )

the most simple one is just steam.
cut into cubes and steam a few minutes, slightly crunchy, with a pinch of sea salt.
this alone is just delicious, especially if it's organic, fresh and local.
also i made some dressing for this called "ama-miso" or sweet miso dressing.
mix about 1 tbs of miso and 1/3 cup of amasake (fermented rice milk), and heat up until dissolve well, then let it cool.
if the taste is overwhelming, adjust by adding some water.
this dressing can be stored in the fridge for a few days, so use it for other steamed veggies!

just a typical dinner

Marinated tofu steak

I'm not a big tofu person.
especially in winter, it's a bit too "cooling", or "yin".
but in summer, it's just easy to cook and this yin energy balances out the weather.

marinated in the mixture of orange juice, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger.
up to 24hrs.
then bake or fry.
great summer dish : )

Sake and quick pressed salad

by mixing with sea salt, cucumber, radish, celery become more crispy, fresh, and bright!
add some cut wakame seaweed, and season with ume vinegar and brown rice vinegar.
chill in the fridge a bit if you like, on a hot summer day.
great with junmai sake!

Summer tempeh and veggie saute

fry tempeh--not much oil, in my case--, and marinate in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, ginger, garlic.
then quick saute with whatever summer veggies.
season with soy sauce or simply sea salt.
yum!