Black beans, avocado, corn, and bell pepper salsa

Black beans, corn, and avocado salsa (Photo by bodhilens)

This is a nutritious, easy-to-make, super-tasty salsa for main dish. 

Ingredients (for 4 servings as main dish):

3 cups of cooked black beans (about 2 cans)

1 cup of cooked corn kernels (about 1/2 can)

1 ripe avocado

1 red bell pepper and/or green bell pepper

1 can of diced tomato (with Mexican seasonings or add a pinch of cayenne pepper) 

Juice of 1 lime or lemon

A handful of cilantro (or 1 TBSP of cilantro paste*)

1-2 stems of green onion

1/4 cup of olive oil

1-2 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp of natural salt

For garnishing:

Whole milk yogurt (or sour cream)

Shredded cheese

BBQ sauce

Directions:

1. Chop avocado, bell pepper, cilantro, and green onion into small pieces. 

2. Cut lime into half and squeeze juice. Grate garlic. Mix them with the rest of seasonings. 

3. Mix 1 and 2 with black beans and corn kernels, and let the mixture rest in fridge for a while.

4. Garnish salsa with yogurt, shredded cheese, and/or BBQ sauce. Serve with tortilla or rice. 

*To make cilantro paste, get a bunch of cilantro, wash and dry it, put it in blender along with 1 clove of garlic, 1 TBSP of olive oil, and a pinch of natural salt, and run the blender until the mixture becomes paste. Spread cilantro paste thin in a ziploc. Store it in freezer. Break it into pieces and use a piece or two as you need. 

"Ganmodoki" (Japanese tofu fritter) and steamed broccoli and scrambled egg with oyster-mayonnaise sauce

Photo by bodhilens

"Ganmodoki" means pseudo-goose in Japanese. I've heard that Japanese Buddhist monks invented it for poultry substitute. Traditionally it's deep-fried, but this oven-baked version turned out to be yummy and easier to make. Also, whoever first thought of mixing oyster sauce and Japanese mayonnaise is genius, I think. The sauce amazingly goes well with steamed broccoli and scrambled egg. 

Ingredients for ganmodoki (for about 16 pieces):

1 large or 2 small packs of firm tofu (14 oz)

1/3 pack of dry "hijiki" seaweed

2 carrots

5 "shiitake" mushroom (or any other mushrooms)

5 "ao-jiso" leaves (green perilla) (or green onion)

1 egg

3 TBSP of "katakuriko" (potato starch)

1 TBSP of cooking rice wine (or any white cooking wine)

2 tsp of soy sauce

1/2 tsp of sea salt

Sesame oil (for brushing)

"Ponzu" (citrus soy sauce, for dipping)

Directions:

1. Strain water from tofu by wrapping it with a cotton cloth or paper towel and heating it in microwave for a few minutes.

2. Wash and soak hijiki in water, while grating carrots, chopping mushrooms and ao-jiso. 

3. Squeeze water out of hijiki, and crush tofu.

4. Mix all and add seasonings (except for sesame oil). If the mixture is too loose, add more katakuriko until it clumps. 

5. Preheat oven at 400F. 

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take 2 TBSP of the mixture, make a small patty, and put in on the paper. Brush all patties with sesame oil.

7. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the patties turn golden blown. 

8. Serve ganmodoki with ponzu. 

Ingredients for steamed broccoli and scrambled egg with oyster-mayonnaise sauce (for 2 people):

1/2 bunch of broccoli floret

1 egg

2 TBSP of oyster sauce

2 TBSP of Japanese mayonnaise

1-2 smidgens of stevia

Directions:

1. Cut broccoli floret into a bite size and steam them. 

2. Make scrambled egg

3. Mix #1 and #2 with the seasonings.