Dynomite daikon rolls

Makes 4 rolls
Time: 1 hour

What's not to love about daikon? It's a great natural diuretic and decongestant and even helps clear up acne-prone skin. I decided to kick up my veggie sushi rolls this weekend with a little bit of daikon. They were delicious!

Recipe note: Dip your knife in warm water when cutting the sushi. It will make slicing easier.

Ingredients
1/2 daikon, peeled and sliced thin
1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced thin
1 cup brown rice or sushi rice
2 tablespoons Mirin
Nori sheets (I use Eden Foods brand)
Soy sauce for dipping
Wasbi (optional)
Pickled ginger (optional)

Directions
Cook rice according to directions. Once cooked, put the rice in a bowl and sprinkle with Mirin. Stir to mix in the Mirin. Let rice cool to just above room temperature.

Use a pair of tongs to toast nori sheets over an open flame for about 30 seconds per side. The nori  should turn from black to deep green.

Place a nori sheet on a cutting board. Layer the sheet with rice and then vegetables. Roll up like a burrito and slice into pieces. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

Vegetable Tempura with Soy Wasabi Dipping Sauce

Serves 4 to 6
Time: About one hour

I had a random craving for tempura this week, so I made an Asian inspired dinner of vegetable tempura and vegetable fried rice. This tempura recipe is perfect for when you need a little salty fix!

Ingredients

Vegetable tempura:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Smokin' Texas Gourmet Garlic Salt and Pepper
1 1/2 pounds assorted vegetables such as zucchini, squash, sweet potato, onions
Oil for frying (vegetable or canola)

Soy wasabi dipping sauce:
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon wasabi paste (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce (optional)

Directions

Trim and slice the vegetables.

Spread 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour onto a plate or cookie sheet. Spread the panko bread crumbs onto a separate plate or cookie sheet.

Whisk together 1 cup of all purpose flour and water in a bowl to create a tempura batter.

Put two inches of oil into a large frying pan and heat the oil over medium heat.

Dredge the vegetables first in the plain flour, then the tempura batter. Roll the vegetables in the panko bread crumbs.

Fry the vegetables until crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Make the soy wasabi dipping sauce by whisking together the soy sauce and wasabi. Add the teriyaki sauce, if using.

Allow the vegetables to cool for a few minutes before serving.