By MAGGIE ISHINO
SLICED PINEAPPLE RECIPES
Buy a large can of Dole/Del Monte Sliced Pineapple.
No. 1
• Place a leaf of lettuce on the bottom of a salad plate.
• Place a sliced pineapple on top of the lettuce.
• Fill the “hole” of the pineapple with mayonnaise.
• Lastly, put a maraschino cherry on top of the mayonnaise.
No. 2
• Thoroughly mix a cup of hot water with a SMALL package of lime Jello.
• Open a sliced pineapple can; normally a can has six slices.
NOTE: Do NOT discard the pineapple juice in can. Save it for breakfast or drink it.
• Pour the lime Jello into the “hole” of the pineapple to the top of the can.
• Put can in refrigerator, upright, until Jello is set.
• After Jello has set, lay can on a large plate and push the unopened end toward the open end. (It should slide out without any problem).
• Gently slice the Jello part. If done correctly, you should have six pineapple slices surrounded by the lime Jello.
• Place a dab of mayonnaise on top of Jello.
No. 3
• Fry a hamburger patty on one side.
• Turn patty over and place a sliced pineapple on top of it.
• Cover with lid until hamburger patty is cooked.
• Put in a hamburger bun and enjoy.
SALADS
Tofu Salad
• Mix a small can of tuna with a sprig of parsley and a few bits of green onion in a bowl.
• Place mixed ingredients on top of tofu.
• Add a few drops of lemon juice and a touch of mayonnaise. And there you have a refreshing summer salad.
Chinese Chicken Salad
• Cut lettuce in half and then slice halves in strips. (Use the whole lettuce.)
• Slice the breast part of a roast chicken in thin slices.
• Slice parsley in bits.
• Parboil a half-pound of bean sprouts or half a package of bean sprouts.
• Put all the above ingredients and bean sprouts in a bowl.
• Open a bottle of small rakkyo (pickled onions), pour a SMALL amount of curry powder into the bottle and shake well.
• Just before serving, pour half of the bottle over the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Be careful not to pour all the liquid from the bottle because your salad will become soggy if you do.
The remaining rakkyo dressing can be used for a tossed salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, celery, etc.
Three-Bean Salad
• Mix one can of green beans, one can of kidney beans and one can of garbanzo beans in a small pan and parboil until water in pan begins to boil. (Any variety of beans will do.)
• Put beans in a salad bowl.
• Mix one-fourth cup vinegar and one tablespoon of brown sugar in a cup, mix well and pour over beans. (You can change amount of vinegar and brown sugar to suit your own taste. More vinegar will make dressing spicier and more brown sugar will make it sweeter.)
ENTREES
For a quick meal.
No. 1
• Put a small amount of oil into a frying pan or pot.
• Add cooked rice/pasta.
• Pour a can of beef vegetable soup over rice/pasta and simmer.
Serve with a salad and there you have lunch and/or dinner.
No. 2
Try cooking salmon this way:
• Tear a large sheet of foil.
• Place salmon in the center of the sheet.
• Spread aka (red) miso over salmon. (Shiro or white miso is okay but not as tasty.)
• Add 1/2 green onion and parsley bits over miso.
• Sprinkle a dash of lemon juice over mixture.
• Completely wrap/cover salmon with foil sheet.
• Place salmon in a shallow pan and put in oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until salmon is done
OR this way:
• Place a piece of lettuce in a frying pan.
• Cover the lettuce with water and place foil-wrapped salmon on top of lettuce.
• Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or less until the salmon is cooked. (Important: Check to be sure the lettuce is covered with water while wrapped salmon is simmering.)
I guarantee you, there will be NO fish odor, which usually comes with cooking fish.
SANDWICHES
No. 1: Tempura Sandwich
• Spread mayonnaise on one slice of bread.
• Put an oblong tempura (comes in variety of choices such as ebi, vegetable, etc. and usually one tempura in a package) on top of the mayonnaise.
• Place a leaf of lettuce on the other slice of the bread.
• Put slices of bread together and there you have a sandwich. (Don’t say UGH until you try it.)
No. 2: Spaghetti Sandwich
You say, what? Well, you eat garlic bread with your spaghetti, don’t you? In other words, you can make a sandwich out of anything as long as you have two slices of bread.
No. 3
I now discovered I can make a delicious sandwich using a hot dog bun. There was a sale on hot dog buns, so I bought a package. I was low on bread; therefore, I opened the hot dog bun and spread mustard on one side. I placed a few slices of honey ham and a leaf of lettuce on top of the mustard, and there I had a hot dog bun sandwich.
BREAKFAST
If you find that your bread has become somewhat hard, try making French toast.
• Put oil in frying pan.
• For four slices of bread, beat two eggs thoroughly in a bowl. (The number of eggs you need will depend upon how many slices of bread you have.)
• Add some cinnamon and/or nutmeg to eggs.
• Cut bread slices in half, making eight halves.
• Dip bread in eggs.
• Put bread in frying pan. (You can put at least four halves in frying pan.)
• Brown one side and then the other side.
Bacon and/or sausage is always good with French toast.
A new twist on pancakes:
• Mix pancake batter as usual.
• Put batter in frying pan.
• Add slices of bananas or blueberries on top of batter.
• Turn over and there you have the bananas and/or blueberries right in the pancake.
A very easy and inexpensive way to make syrup is:
• Set stove at low temperature.
• Put some brown sugar, amount depending on how many pancakes you have in a sauce pan.
• Add enough water to completely cover the brown sugar.
• Stir quickly until it becomes thick like syrup.
• Pour over pancakes.
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NOTE: Rest assured, I have enjoyed every recipe I have shared or will share with you. Remember, following the directions is important when trying a new recipe.
Maggie Ishino is a Rafu typist. She can be reached at online@rafu.com. Opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Rafu Shimpo.