Chef Michi

Crunchy ‘Ahi Toast

This is a great appetizer because of its big, two-level crunch — first, the happy pop of the tobikko and then the satisfying crunch of the crostini. It’s perfect for afternoon gatherings with a favorite white wine or beer.

INGREDIENTS

‘Ahi spread
2 lbs. ‘ahi, ¼-inch or less, diced
1/2 cup tobikko fish eggs
1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1/4 tsp. wasabi paste or wasabi oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, fresh ground Black pepper, to taste

Crostini
1 baguette, sliced into rounds 1/4” thick Extra-virgin olive oil Garlic salt

DIRECTIONS (Serves 10):
In a bowl, combine all of the ‘ahi spread ingredients and keep well chilled until ready to serve. To make the crostini (you can also purchase prepared crostini), brush each slice of bread with a little olive oil and bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with garlic salt or an herbed salt blend. Top each crostini with a rounded teaspoon of the ‘ahi spread and serve. Total time: 30 minutes

CHEF MICHI’S COOKING FRESH | cookingfreshforyou@gmail.com
Queens POB III – 550 S. Beretania St. | Honolulu Community College – 874 Dillingham Blvd.
Cooking FRESH Food Truck: Corner of Pahoakalani & Cartwright

This is a great appetizer because of its big, two-level crunch — first, the happy pop of the tobikko and then the satisfying crunch of the crostini. It’s perfect for afternoon gatherings with a favorite white wine or beer.
Mediterranean Roasted Veggie & Garbanzo Salad

Ingredients

2 large carrots, sliced on the diagonal
2 red bell peppers, halved, sliced
4 small eggplants, sliced thin on the diagonal
2 red onions, sliced thin
2 tomatoes, diced
2 cans low-sodium garbanzos, drained, rinsed
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 bunch fresh sweet basil
2 Tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese
extra virgin olive oil
cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, toss cut veggies with a drizzle of olive oil. Lay the veggies on two baking sheets prepared with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes until veggies are cooked but still crunchy. Put back into the large bowl and toss gently with the garbanzos and dressing, then place onto a large platter. Stack basil leaves. Roll them and slice them into thin strips with a sharp knife. Sprinkle basil and parsley over the veggies and top with feta cheese.

Serves: 6 | Time: 1 hour to prep

CHEF MICHI’S COOKING FRESH
cookingfreshforyou@gmail.com
Queens POB III – 550 S. Beretania St. Honolulu Community College – 874 Dillingham Blvd.
Cooking FRESH Food Truck: Corner of Pahoakalani & Cartwright

Mediterranean Roasted Veggie and Garbanzo Salad by Chef Michi from the August-September 2016 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life
Creamy, Lemony Pasta with Jumbo Shrimp

A golden rule: no cheese with seafood in Italian cooking. But a little cheese does so well with this lemony cream sauce!

Ingredients:

1 lb rigatoni or spaghetti, cooked

1 lb jumbo shrimp, deveined, shelled and baked

Garlic salt to taste

Juice and zest of two lemons

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup white wine (or low sodium chicken broth)

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Try baking shrimp! Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and pour in 1/2 cup water onto the pan — creating a shallow bath. Place the shrimp onto the pan, season with garlic salt and bake for about 8 –10 minutes (while pasta cooks). When done, set aside shrimp and cooked pasta while you prepare lemony, fresh-tasting sauce.

Zest both lemons. Squeeze juice and pulp into a cup. Set aside. In a 12” skillet or sauté pan, combine cream, white wine and butter,.a bring to a boil. Turn down heat and gently stir until the sauce starts to thicken (about 8 minutes). Stir in lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add shrimp to sauce and heat through; then toss with pasta. Sprinkle with parsley, lemon zest, Parmesan and red pepper flakes (optional). Serve.

Serves: 4 | Time: 30 minutes

Chef Michi’s Cooking FRESH

www.cookingfreshforyou.com | 808-286-6484 |cookingfreshforyou@gmail.com

Kona Bean Café at Hilo Hattie – 700 Nimitz Hwy. | Queens POB I – 1380 Lusitana St. & POB III – 550 S. Beretania St.

Cooking FRESH Food Truck: Follow us on Twitter: michi@cookingfresh4U

A golden rule: no cheese with seafood in Italian cooking. But a little cheese does so well with this lemony cream sauce! Ingredients: 1 lb rigatoni or spaghetti, cooked 1 lb jumbo shrimp, deveined, shelled and baked Garlic salt to taste Juice and zest of two lemons 3/4 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup white wine…
Southeast Asian Chicken & Corn Soup
Even in the Islands it can get chilly during the winter months and on those days there’s nothing more satisfying or easy to prepare as a home-made soup. This soup provides a good dose of protein from the chicken breast, lots of fresh ingredients that pack on the flavor and a creamy broth of limey coconut.

Ingredients:

1 15-oz. can of unsweetened coconut milk

2 15-oz. cans of low-sodium chicken broth

1 can of sweet corn, reserve liquid
1 cup water

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced thinly into strips

4 scallions, sliced thin

1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion

1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger root

2 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
(eg. Mae Ploy spring roll dipping sauce)

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

4 kafir lime leaves, sliced thing
(substitute the zest from the lime)

1 handful rice noodles
(find these in your Asian section)

1 cup rough chopped cilantro
(stems and leaves)

Directions:

Soak your rice noodles in a bowl of water as you prep the soup base. In a medium saucepan, combine the first four ingredients and bring to a gentle boil. Add the scallion, onion, ginger and chicken and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through. Add the noodles, sweet chili sauce, fish sauce, sliced kafir and lime juice. Ladle soup into bowls and top with fresh cilantro.

Serves: 4 | Time: 20 minutes

Wine pairing: Sauvignon blanc

Chef Michi’s Cooking FRESH
www.cookingfreshforyou.com
808-286-6484 | cookingfreshforyou@gmail.com
Kona Bean Cafe’ at Hilo Hattie – 700 Nimitz Hwy.
Queens POB I – 1380 Lusitana St.
Queens POB II – 550 S. Beretania St.
Cooking FRESH Food Truck:
Follow us on Twitter, michi@cookingfresh4U
Even in the Islands it can get chilly during the winter months and on those days there’s nothing more satisfying or easy to prepare as a home-made soup. This soup provides a good dose of protein from the chicken breast, lots of fresh ingredients that pack on the flavor and a creamy broth of limey…
Chef Michi: Hawai’i-Infused Buttermilk Buckwheat Pancakes
There’s nothing like a lazy weekend morning to enjoy a family breakfast together. This take on pancakes is healthier in many aspects, but the flavors will overcome any fear of “healthy” eating.

Ingredients:

2 cups of lowfat buttermilk, divided

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp. canola oil

2 bananas, thinly sliced

Cooking spray for pan or griddle

Sweetened, shredded coconut

1/2 cup macadamia nut, chopped

Syrup (maple or coconut)

Directions:

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, canola oil and 1 Tbsp. of syrup. Stir the dry ingredients into the buttermilk mixture and add half of the sliced banana. Heat pan or griddle on medium heat, prepare with cooking spray and pour 2 – 3 tablespoons of batter per pancake onto the heated surface. Cook for 2 minutes or until batter starts to bubble, then flip and cook another two minutes.

To serve, top each stack of pancakes with sliced banana, coconut and chopped macadamia nut. Then let everyone drizzle on their own syrup and enjoy!

Serves: 6 | Time: 30 minutes

Chef Michi
808-286-6484 | cookingfreshforyou@gmail.com
www.cookingfreshforyou.com
There’s nothing like a lazy weekend morning to enjoy a family breakfast together. This take on pancakes is healthier in many aspects, but the flavors will overcome any fear of “healthy” eating. Ingredients: 2 cups of lowfat buttermilk, divided 1 cup buckwheat flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4…
“Lite” and Creamy Pasta with Asparagus and Shrimp

A colorful summer delight. You’ll want to use a nice rigatoni (tube) or farfalle (bowtie) pasta for this recipe. The shape of the pasta is perfect with the creamy sauce and serves as the perfect backdrop for the beautiful greens and pinks of the asparagus and shrimp.

1 lb uncooked pasta
4 oz lite or fat free cream cheese
1 cup chicken stock
Juice of 3 lemons (reserve lemon zest)
1 lb U16-20 shrimp (shelled and deveined)
1 bunch asparagus (woody part discarded)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

Put a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add peeled/cleaned shrimp and asparagus and poach for 2-3 minutes or less, until shrimp has just turned pink. Remove from heat and set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain, reserving 2/3 cup of the cooking liquid. Heat a small sauce pan over medium heat and slowly add the cream cheese to the stock, using a whisk to break up and blend the two ingredients. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the cooking liquid. Once the cream cheese has been incorporated, whisk in the lemon juice.

Slice the asparagus on the diagonal and add to the cream sauce, along with the shrimp. Toss the sauce with the pasta, top with Parmesan and the lemon zest and serve.

Time: 40 minutes | Serves: 4–6

Chef Michi founded ‘Cooking Fresh For You’. Her recipes center on healthy and flavor-packed dishes. Visit www.cookingfreshforyou.com or contact via cookingfreshforyou@gmail.com, 808-286-6484. Also, visit her Cooking FRESH locations: 909 Kapahulu Ave. | Queens POB I – 1329 Lusitana St. |
Queens POB II – 550 S. Beretania St. | Lunch Truck – UH Manoa on East West Rd. by Kennedy Theatre.

A colorful summer delight. You’ll want to use a nice rigatoni (tube) or farfalle (bowtie) pasta for this recipe. The shape of the pasta is perfect with the creamy sauce and serves as the perfect backdrop for the beautiful greens and pinks of the asparagus and shrimp. 1 lb uncooked pasta 4 oz lite or…
Shrimp Coleslaw with Southeast Asian Twist

Ingredients

1 head cabbage, shredded
1 head Chinese/Napa cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, peeled, halved and sliced thin
1 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
1 lb. salad shrimp

Dressing

1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lime, or 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 cup green onion, sliced thin
salt and fresh ground black pepper

Prepare dressing by combining all dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisking. Refrigerate for about an hour to thicken and let the flavors develop.

In a large bowl, toss all of the ingredients, except shrimp and nuts. Top the salad with shrimp. Add dressing, but a little at a time in order to not saturate your salad greens (depending on the size of your cabbages, the size of the salad will vary). Season with salt and fresh ground pepper then sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top.

Serves: 10-12

Time: 35 minutes active, about 1 hour total to allow for preparation of dressing.

Chef Michi founded ‘Cooking Fresh For You’. Her recipes center on healthy and flavor-packed dishes. Visit www.cookingfreshforyou.com or contact via cookingfreshforyou@gmail.com, 808-286-6484. Also, visit her Cooking FRESH locations: 909 Kapahulu Ave. | Queens POB I – 1329 Lusitana St. |
Queens POB II – 550 S. Beretania St. | Lunch Truck – UH Manoa on East West Rd. by Kennedy Theatre.

Ingredients 1 head cabbage, shredded 1 head Chinese/Napa cabbage, shredded 2 carrots, grated 1 red onion, peeled, halved and sliced thin 1 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped 1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped 1 cup roasted peanuts, chopped 1 lb. salad shrimp Dressing 1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk 1/2 cup mayonnaise Juice of 1 lime,…
Michi’s Waldorf Salad
Salad:

1 head romaine lettuce

1 bunch local watercress (3c chopped)

2 fuji apples/ripe pears

3/4c walnuts

4oz. crumbled feta or gorgonzola cheese

1/2c dried cranberries

Parmesan cheese (preferably block, not the prepared kind)

2T maple syrup (any pancake syrup works fine)

1T brown sugar

Pepper to taste

Pam/non-stick spray

Dressing:

1/4c balsamic vinegar

1/2c prepared Ranch dressing

To prepare “candied” walnuts, in a small bowl combine walnuts and maple syrup, toss in brown sugar to coat. Using a non-stick pan, spray with Pam and lightly toast walnuts over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool on a sheet
of waxed paper.

Combine two dressings and mix well, set aside. Hint: It’s important to toss your salad dressing into the salad just prior to serving to avoid soggy greens! Go light on the dressing, you can always add more.

Cut romaine into bite size pieces, chop watercress into 1” pieces and toss together in a large salad bowl. Slice apple/pear into bite size pieces (1/8” thick). Add feta/gorgonzola, candied walnuts and cranberries, then gently toss dressing into the salad. Season with fresh ground pepper and sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese (for an attractive presentation, use a vegetable peeler to scrape wide curls of parmesan and place on top of tossed salad).

Chef Michi founded ‘Cooking Fresh For You’. Her recipes center on healthy and flavor-packed dishes. Visit www.cookingfreshforyou.com or contact Michi at cookingfreshforyou@gmail.com or 808-286-6484. See her NEW concession take-out at Queen’s Physician’s Office Bldg.
Salad: 1 head romaine lettuce 1 bunch local watercress (3c chopped) 2 fuji apples/ripe pears 3/4c walnuts 4oz. crumbled feta or gorgonzola cheese 1/2c dried cranberries Parmesan cheese (preferably block, not the prepared kind) 2T maple syrup (any pancake syrup works fine) 1T brown sugar Pepper to taste Pam/non-stick spray Dressing: 1/4c balsamic vinegar 1/2c prepared Ranch…
Baked Furikake “Fried” Chicken
Perfect holiday party dish

Ingredients:

4 lbs. assorted chicken pieces with bone & skin

1-1/2 cups low fat buttermilk

1 tsp. paprika, plus one more teaspoon

2 tsp. seasoning salt (Lawry’s, if possible)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3 cups panko crumbs

1/4 cup furikake

Cooking spray

Directions:

In a wide shallow bowl or square baking dish, combine the buttermilk, paprika, seasoning salt and pepper. Trim off any extra fat from the chicken, then put into the dish with the buttermilk mixture, gently tossing to coat all sides of the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for about 1/2 hour, longer if you have time.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the panko, furikake and a teaspoon of paprika in a bowl and toss to combine. One by one, shake excess liquid from the chicken and immediately dredge in the panko. Place onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and repeat until all chicken is breaded. Spray all exposed sides of the chicken with cooking spray, then bake in the oven for
30-40 minutes. Serves: 4-6. Time: 60 minutes

Chef Michi founded ‘Cooking Fresh For You’. Her recipes center on healthy and flavor-packed dishes. Visit www.cookingfreshforyou.com or contact Michi at cookingfreshforyou@gmail.com or 808-286-6484. See her NEW concession take-out at Queen’s Physician’s Office Bldg.
Perfect holiday party dish Ingredients: 4 lbs. assorted chicken pieces with bone & skin 1-1/2 cups low fat buttermilk 1 tsp. paprika, plus one more teaspoon 2 tsp. seasoning salt (Lawry’s, if possible) 1/2 tsp. black pepper 3 cups panko crumbs 1/4 cup furikake Cooking spray Directions: In a wide shallow bowl or square baking…
Crunchi ‘Ahi Toast
This is a great appetizer because of its big, two-level crunch. First, the happy pop of the tobikko, and then the satisfying crunch of the crostini.

Ingredients:

‘Ahi spread

2 lbs. ‘ahi, ¼-inch or less, diced

1/2 cup tobikko fish eggs

1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp. light soy sauce

1/4 tsp. wasabi paste or wasabi oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt, fresh ground

Black pepper, to taste

Crostini

1 baguette, sliced into rounds 1/4” thick

Extra-virgin olive oil

Garlic salt

Directions (Serves 10):

In a bowl, combine all of the ‘ahi spread ingredients and keep well chilled until ready to serve.

To make the crostini (you can also purchase prepared crostini), brush each slice of bread with a little olive oil, and bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with garlic salt or an herbed salt blend. Top each crostini with a rounded teaspoon of the ‘ahi spread and serve.

Total time: 30 minutes

For a copy of this recipe and more information, please visit www.cookingfreshforyou.com.

As a “casual gourmet” cook for more than 12, years, Chef Michi founded ‘Cooking Fresh For You’ in 2007. Her recipes center on healthy yet easy to prepare flavor-packed dishes. Visit www.cookingfreshforyou.com or contact Michi at cookingfreshforyou@gmail.com or (808) 286-6484.
This is a great appetizer because of its big, two-level crunch. First, the happy pop of the tobikko, and then the satisfying crunch of the crostini. Ingredients: ‘Ahi spread 2 lbs. ‘ahi, ¼-inch or less, diced 1/2 cup tobikko fish eggs 1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp. sesame oil 1 Tbsp. light soy…
Got Game? Show it with this Recipe: Mini BBQ Chicken & Carmelized Onion Sandwiches
Perfect for game time. Set it up in your crock pot and you won’t even miss a pitch.

Ingredients

Pre-roasted chicken is best for this recipe — you can’t beat it for the convenience and flavor. This is an easy recipe to make using your crock pot, or you can slowly cook it on your stovetop. All it requires is gentle simmering. If you have some coleslaw handy, it goes great in the sandwiches!

2 large onions, sliced thick

1 Tbs. olive oil

4-5 cups roasted chicken, shredded

1 cup prepared BBQ sauce

Salt & ground black pepper, to taste

Dinner rolls

Directions (Serves 6 to 8)

In a large saucepan with the olive oil, cook the onions until they are fully browned and caramelized – they will have lost most of their moisture and turned a beautiful golden-brown color. Mix in the chicken, BBQ sauce and season. Then cover and cook on low heat for 40 minutes (or put into a crock pot on high and walk away!). Check back to stir occasionally, if the liquid seems to be evaporating too quickly, add a little water. When ready to serve, cut each dinner roll and scoop about a 1/4 cup of the mixture on each roll.

Chef Michi’s recipes center on healthy yet easy to prepare flavor-packed dishes. Visit www.cookingfreshforyou.com or contact Michi at cookingfreshforyou@gmail.com or (808) 286-6484.
Perfect for game time. Set it up in your crock pot and you won’t even miss a pitch. Ingredients Pre-roasted chicken is best for this recipe — you can’t beat it for the convenience and flavor. This is an easy recipe to make using your crock pot, or you can slowly cook it on your stovetop. All…
Tofu Poke’
I love my vegetarian friends and family (my daughter eats NO meat). This can get challenging at times, but there are some vegetarian dishes that are so good even the carnivorous type will take a bite or two. On friends and family gatherings, try serving poke’ that everyone can cheer about!

Ingredients

1 lb extra firm tofu, cut into ½” cubes

1 cup fresh ogo seaweed, rough chopped

¼ cup sweet white onion, diced

1” piece of fresh ginger, finely minced or grated

1 Hawaiian chili pepper, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon shoyu

½ teaspoon salt (Kosher salt works best)

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Either serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serves: 4 – 6 as an appetizer

Time: 15 minutes
I love my vegetarian friends and family (my daughter eats NO meat). This can get challenging at times, but there are some vegetarian dishes that are so good even the carnivorous type will take a bite or two. On friends and family gatherings, try serving poke’ that everyone can cheer about! Ingredients 1 lb extra…