Mike's Arare (Japanese Rice Cracker Snack)

This is a Japanese-American rendition of arare - a rice-cracker snack seasoned with soy sauce. Mike’s recipe has been in our family for a while and it’s by far our fave of all the recipes out there. It’s everything you want in a snack: salty, sweet, and crispy. One handful and you’re hooked.

Ingredients:

1 cup or 2 sticks (225g) butter

1/4 cup (175 ml) corn syrup

2 tsp shoyu (soy sauce)

3/4 cup (175 ml) vegetable oil

1 cup (200 g) baking sugar

2 boxes of Rice Chex cereal

2 bottles (3.4 oz/100g) furikake (available at most Asian markets or online) or try delicious home-made furikake from the Raw Spice Bar which you can get here. (Note: If you use the Raw Spice bar version this snack comes out more on the spicy side so kids might like the regular version)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 Degrees F (120 C) or 300 Degrees F if you are planning to use a larger roasting pan vs two sheet pans.

2. In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, combine the butter, corn syrup, shoyu, and oil until the butter is melted.

3. Lower the heat and whisk in the sugar until dissolved. It should be hte color of butterscotch and have a creamy texture. You should have a total of 3 cups (700 ml).

4. Pour one box of cereal each into two large tin-foil pans or both boxes into one large roasting pan.

5. Add 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) or half of the mixture over each pan of cereal, mixing well until the cereal is lightly coated. If using one large roasting pan, you can pour the entire mixture over.

6. Pour 1 bottle of furikake over each pan or both bottles over the larger roasting pan. Mix well.

7. Bake for 1 hour, mixing and turning over cereal mixture every 15 minutes.

8. Let cool before serving so that the cereal can get crispy and doesn’t stick together.

Edamole Hummus, Yum!

Have you ever tried the Edamame Hummus at Trader Joe's?  I'm kind of addicted to the stuff and since I tend to inhale it all in one sitting with some toasted Naan bread (also from Trader Joe's), I decided I'd try to make it myself.  My first variation came out exactly like theirs so I thought I'd change it up a bit. I used a specific brand of sesame tahini made by Joyva that I like and added an avocado to make it a bit creamier.  The result, Edamole Hummus, my new creation.  Here's the recipe, it's super duper easy and I found the sesame tahini at Whole Foods.

Edamole Hummus

Ingredients:

12 ounces of shelled edamame (they come frozen at Trader Joe's, you just have to boil them until tender)

3 Tbsp of sesame tahini

1/3 cup of lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)

2 cloves of garlic whole

1-2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 ripe avocado - peeled and seeded

Boil and drain the edamame and put it right into a food processor or blender - a food processor works better.  If there is some water left in the edamame, no worries, the liquid will help it combine better.  Add the tahini, lemon juice, and garlic.  Pulse until smooth.  Add the olive oil mixed with sesame oil in a steady stream until the mixture is nice and creamy.  Remove and put in a bowl.  Mash one avocado into the mixture and blend well.  Depending on how chunky you like it, you can either leave big chunks of avocado or blend in until very smooth.  Surprisingly, I kept the left overs in the refrigerator and the next day, it didn't brown or anything, even though there were avocados in it.  I've also spread it onto bread in a sandwich and it was deelish.  This would be great for a party because you don't have to worry about it discoloring like guacamole.  It's good with chips too.  Enjoy!