The Clan is Coming

My husbands parents, an aunt and family friends are coming over tonight and we are preparing dinner for them. The menu: grilled sausages, Masa salad, green pea soup, tofu quiche, veggies and dip and kimchie tofu.

Masa Salad

This is a salad that we had at a restaurant and my husband figured how to make.

1 bunch mizuna (potherb mustard) - cut into 1.5" pieces
1/4 yellow bell pepper - chopped into small pieces
1/4 red bell pepper - chopped into small pieces
1/2 small carrot - grated (optional)
50g cheese (your choice - I like goda)- grated
1-2tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2c Japanese caesar dressing (it tastes nothing like real caesar dressing - it's closer to a ranch/blue cheese mix)

Mix all the cut veggies together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine dressing and balsamic vinegar. Pour dressing mix over veggies, add cheese and toss. Serve.

Tofu Quiche (crustless)

1 pack of tofu
1 small onion - diced
1 clove garlic - minced
3 slices bacon
1/2 bunch spinach - chopped finely
2tbsp soy sauce
1tsp basil
1tsp oregano
1tbsp flour

Preaheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Cook the bacon, onion and garlic together in a frying pan until onions are translucent. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat. In a bowl whisk the tofu with a bit of water until it looks like a pudding (it doesn't need to be really smooth). Add soy sauce, basil, oregano and flour and whisk together. Add cheese, mix and stir in veggies. Pour into a lightly oiled glass pie pan and smooth out the top. Bake for about thirty minutes.

Dip tip - you can use tofu instead of sour cream in dips to make them fairly healthy. Just blend it in a blender for a nice smooth texture. I usually make ranch dip or french onion dip (using オニオンコンソメ).

Kimchie Tofu

We had this at a yakitori place once and it was great so we decided to copy it.

1 pack tofu (firm is best)
1/2c kimchie
2-3tbsp yakiniku sauce (Japanese style Korean BBQ sauce)

Rince off the tofu. If using individual bowls, cut the tofu to size and place in bowls. If you use a large serving bowl, put the whole piece in as is. Top with kimchie and yakiniku sauce. Serve.