Progress on my weight loss journey

On January 1st, 2012, I wrote about using my culinary talents and skills to lose weight once and for all and pledged to post healthy recipes in this blog.  My original intent was to post daily but I didn't make that happen.
I posted a lot of recipes in the beginning but then after a long business trip in March living in a hotel room for two weeks I stopped posting for a while.  During that time period I tried eating a plant based, fat free diet and managed to last for about a month.  I struggled to find recipes for beans, vegetables, and tofu that were interesting enough to post, but without any fat and no fish or meat I didn't get inspired.  I'll admit it was pretty depressing to me, so eventually I started eating fish and poultry again. I am following a very low fat, mostly plant based diet now.  I use very little fat in my cooking and keep fat grams down to under 30 a day, but would like that number to be 20.  If you look at the photos starting from the top you will see the difference between weighing what I did when I started and 25 pounds less by May 2012.  I plan to continue to lose a few more pounds, and I continue to work out with Sandra Kidd 3 days a week.  I won't stop until I lose another 10 pounds, then reduce to once or twice a week and work out on my own.  I have a treadmill at home and do cardio the days I don't lift weights.  From a health standpoint my blood pressure is 120/70, cholesterol level is normal, and I can run a mile and a half in a little over 14 minutes.  I hate that I waited so long to get into shape.   But then again, I recently saw photos of a 75 year old woman, Ernestine Shepherd, who is a serious weight lifter/runner and she looks fantastic.
 

On Italy trip March 2011--one of the photos that inspired me to sign up for personal training with Sandra Kidd in April 2011

July 2008

September 2006

May 2012

May 2012

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Private Sushi Classes in Fort Worth









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Sushi Class 2: Chirashi-zushi

Tokyo style with salmon and tuna sashimi, tamago yaki, unagi kabayaki, shiitake mushrooms, avocado, cucumber, salmon roe, shiso leaf on top of sushi rice with wasabi in a cucumber cup

This was the second class in a series of three sushi classes I'm teaching for the Fort Worth Japanese Society.  The first class was on the basics--how to make sushi rice, inside out rolls and nigiri-zushi.

This class highlighted three types of chirashi-zushi, or tossed sushi.  The first was gomoku chirashi zushi, a typical homestyle version using cooked carrots, simmered shiitake mushrooms, lotus root, shredded omelet and kampyo (simmered gourd), along with some pickled ginger and nori.

I made all the ingredients from scratch, a huge undertaking considering all the simmering and chopping, especially simmering the dried shiitake mushrooms and getting the taste and texture just right.  When my mother made this type of chirashi-zushi she would use a can of "chirashi-zushi no moto" and now I see why!  However, my version here was so tasty and fresh.  For those who want a vegetarian sushi you can't beat the gomoki chirashi-zushi.  We also made another type of chirashi-zushi called Bara-zushi, or Kansai style chirashi-zushi.  This one was similar to the first type, however the ingredients are cut into large pieces and can include meat or fish.  My version had pieces of shrimpa and unagi (eel) along with tamgo yaki (egg) and cucumbers and avocados.

Gomuki style with shiitake mushrooms, kanpyo, koyadofu, and omelet

Kansai style (bara-zushi) with cooked shrimp, eel, omelet, cucumbers

I really enjoyed the classic Tokyo style chirashi-zushi the best, though.  Maybe it's because I have fond memories of having that type in Japan or with my mother, but it really is my favorite and the easiest to make.  You can see in the photo below the plates with the components for the chirashi-zushi, and the finished one I made at the very top of the blog. 

The most important ingredient is good sushi rice.  I covered that in my first sushi class blog post on the basics.  Place the rice in a shallow bowl, or as in my photo, a chirashi bowl.  They are even available on Amazon for a reasonable price.

Prepare all the componets in advance and leave the raw fish for last.  For my recipe I used:

sushi grade salmon, sushi grade big eye tuna, sushi shrimp, unagi (broiled and barbequed eel), simmered shiitake mushrooms, avocado, tamago yaki, cucumber fans, salmon roe in a lemon boat, wasabi in a cucumber cup, sushi ginger and shiso leaves from my garden.  The unagi kabayaki is heated right before preparing the chirashi by broiling it briefly in an oven (or toaster oven).

You can use any sushi grade fish you desire and cooked items in place of eel, such as a piece of chicken teriyaki. Slice the sushi grade fish right before you serve the chirashi-zushi.  There is some preparation involved in this dish such as making a recipe of tamago yaki, simmering shiitake mushrooms, and making some pretty cucumber fans, cups, and lemon boats.  I have a great book, The Sushi Experience by Hiroko Shimbo in which she has detailed illustrations on how to make the cucumber fans and lemon boats.  They are very simple, yet look so beautiful.

Arrange the various items on top of the sushi rice and enjoy!  The raw fish can be dabbed with a bit of wasabi and dipped lightly in soy sauce or in the special tsuke joyu sauce we made for the class which contains some dashi and mirin.

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Noodle Salad with Fresh Vegetables and Ginger Peanut Dressing

I don't usually like peanut dressings, bottled or otherwise.  The noodle salads I've had with sesame peanut dressings are often so oily and over seasoned I've never like that type of dressing enough to make my own.  When I started eating more plant based dishes I decided to try my own version of Asian Peanut Dressing and use a really good peanut butter.  I had been Nut ' N Butter Organic Peanut  butter and it is really tasty.  I thought that could make a good base for the dressing.  I was right and the dressing was so good I could put it over anything.   Try it with the noodle salad here or use these ingredients over brown rice drizzled with the peanut dressing.  If you want to have beef, chicken, or tofu with this dish, prepare a simple marinade of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, mirin, jalapeno and a teaspoon of canola oil.
Marinate the protein in a bowl or bag and grill over medium heat until desired doneness.  Cut into small pieces and set aside.  I like the salad with the vegetables alone, however I made grilled sirloin steak for my husband.

Ingredients

Ginger Peanut Dressing

Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup crunch peanut butter
1 T canola oil
3 T low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup agave syrup
1 T grated ginger
2 small garlic cloves, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, chopped

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.

Salad

Noodles
1 pound thin spaghetti noodles, multigrain or any type preferred, cooked according to package instructions, rinse and set aside
1/2 head purple cabbage, cut into thin shreds on a mandoline
1/2 head romaine lettuce, cut into shreds
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin into julienne slices
1 green bell pepper, sliced thin into julienne slices
1 English or Japanese cucumber, slice very thin on a mandoline and cut into julienne slices
5 scallions, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 cups cilantro, soaked, rinsed, and chopped
2-3 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced and chopped
2 cups bean sprouts (optional)

For each serving,  take 1 cup cooked spaghetti and mix 1-2 T ginger peanut dressing into noodles.  Don't mix more than 4 cups of spaghetti with sauce at a time.

On a plate or in a large shallow bowl place a pile of shredded cabbage and lettuce.  Place the noodles on top.  Add slices of pepper, carrots, bean sprouts, scallions, cilantro and jalapeno peppers.  Drizzle a little more dressing on top.  Very filling and satisfying.

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Sushi Basics class

Sushi made by one of the students, Harvey Yamagata

My first sushi class for the Fort Worth Japanese Society was on Saturday, April 14.  I am teaching a series of three "hands-on" classes.  I am a board member of the society and my desire is to share my love of Japanese cooking with the community.  I do the Japanese Society classes on a voluntary basis and the profits go to the Japanese Society.
Enrollment was higher than I expected, 22 but then 3 cancelled so there were 19 people. I had never prepared for such a large group before so it was a lot more work than I anticipated.  The list of dishes we were making included: 
Cucumber Roll (Kappamaki)
California Roll (Uramaki or inside out)
Nigirizushi (Rice balls with raw and cooked neta (fish or other ingredients)
Salmon Teriyaki Hand rolls (Temaki)
I also did a demonstration on how to make perfect sushi rice, the most important ingredient!
Students were also given green tea and miso soup with tofu and wakame that I made.
The preparation was crazy!  I realized that to make enough rice for 20 people to prepare the different dishes, each person would have to have 3 cups of sushi rice.  Multiplied by 20, that made over 60 cups of rice, all cooked, seasoned and cooled right before the class.  You cannot make it ahead of time or it gets hard and just isn't ideal.  I wanted the class members to have the best possible sushi experience.  I got up before 5 AM to cook the rice, then packaged it in plastic to go box containers with a very moist paper towel on top of the rice.  This turned out to be a great way to transport it and keep it from drying out.  I also cut several cucumbers, carrots, made sauces, wasabi, the dashi (stock) for the soup, portioned out miso, cut tofu, and prepared little containers of mayonnaise and wasabi for each student.  I'll bet I spent over 6 hours getting things ready, not to mention writing up detailed instructions/recipes for each student and shopping for the ingredients.  Then the 5 members of our events committee helped set up the class which took another hour.
I believe the students got a big bargain at $30.00 for non-members, $20.00 for members to take my class!  I took a sushi class at Central Market a couple years ago just to see how they conduct it and it cost $60.00.  Maybe we should raise the price next year....
But, it turned out great and the students were very serious about their sushi making endeavor.  They worked very hard to create their rolls and nigiri zushi, learned about the history, perfect sushi rice, and best of all, got to sample their finished creations with a hot bowl of traditional miso soup. I really enjoyed teaching the class, especially sharing my mother's version of California roll and knowing how good it tasted, then sitting down with the events committee afterwards to enjoy the sushi I made for us.
The next class will be on May 12, 2012 from 10:00 AM-12:00 Noon.  We will learn how to make 3 types of Chirashi zushi, a preparation of placing ingredients on sushi rice or tossing them with sushi rice.  Chirashi zushi is not well known yet, but it is a real treat and allows you to enjoy sushi without as much rice and it is delicious!  If you are interested in attending, please contact Harvey Yamagata at 817-737-9166.  Class 3 is the advanced sushi class on June 9, 2012.  We will be making a caterpillar roll (avocado and eel), pressed sushi, spicy tuna nachos, battleship sushi, and I will share my miso soup recipe.
I can also conduct any of the sushi classes for your private event, however the cost will be higher per person.
Contact me at 817-919-7761 for more information.

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Slowly getting there

Japanese Power Breakfast,
Miso and vegetable soup with tofu and brown rice

It's been a while since my last post.  I spent a couple weeks away from home, then came back to a very busy work schedule.  In the meantime, while I was gone I attempted to stay on a very restrictive fat free plant based diet after watching a video entitled, "Make Yourself Heart Attack Proof" by Dr.
Esselstyn from the Cleveland Clinic.  I believe almost everything he says but I cannot stand that diet!!!!  I lasted for two weeks and lost a couple pounds but it seemed like I thought about food way too much.  I felt like the critics who say, "If all I can eat is beans, go ahead and kill me now!" It ws so depressing thinking about never eating sushi with fish again.
I will be getting lab tests in a couple days, routine for my annual physical, and I am hoping my cholesterol is a little lower, but I don't know that I will achieve the 150 total cholesteral and 80 LDL recommended by Dr. Esselstyn.  In the meantime I read all my books on populations who enjoy long and healthy lives such as The Okinawa Diet, Healthy at 100, Blue Zone, Food Rules, and The Spectrum by Dr. Dean Ornish.  I think Michael Pollan sums it up the best:  "Eat food, mostly plants, not too much."  The Okinawans, one of the healthiest populations studied, ate an 85% plant based diet with small servings of fish, occasional eggs and meat.  I believe my Japanese ancestors ate a very healthy diet before our western tastes invaded their country. 
I have determined that I can exist on a mostly plant based diet with 10-15 % of my calories coming from fat (which is only 18-26 grams of fat per day in my 1600 calories per day diet).  I eat the lowest fat protein sources such as beans, tofu, and grains along with egg whites, fish, and chicken breast.
I may have red meat on occasion but not more than once or twice a month.  I have either almond, soy, or non fat milk and all non fat diary products.  I have learned to use a special very light salad dressing I make fresh every day and less of it and I have been using canola oil, which has less saturated fat than olive oil.  Even non-stick "0" calorie spray has fat if you spray it more than 1/3 of a second, so when I use it I spray the pan very lightly.  My taste buds have adjusted quite well now and I continue to lose weight.  I am still about 15 pounds from my goal and have until the end of April to reach it. 
I will be posting recipes again soon!

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Sushi Classes

I'm looking forward to teaching a series on sushi making for the Fort Worth Japanese Society.  If you are interested or know someone who is please follow the instructions below.  Thanks!

For more information, contact Harvey Yamagata at (work) 817-332-3681 or (home) 817-737-9166 or email hyamagata@buxtonco.com

Hands-On Sushi Classes presented by the Fort Worth Japanese Society.  Chef Julia Dunaway, will be sharing her love of sushi making learned over many years, including from her Japanese mother.  There will be three classes: Sat. April 14 on Sushi Basics including the all important sushi rice, nigiri-zushi, temaki and norimaki.  Sat. May 12 covers chirashi-zushi including regional variations.  Sat. Jun 9 advanced sushi preparation including caterpillar rolls and oshi-zushi.   All classes start at 10:00am and end at noon with the sushi you’ve made.  Classes will be held at the Fort Worth Japanese Society, 3608 Park Lake Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76137.  Society members $20 per class, non-members $30 per class.  To reserve your place email to: inquiries@fwjs.org.  Classes sizes limited to make your reservation now.

Japanese Cooking Series

Presented by the Fort Worth Japanese Society

Hands-on Sushi Classes

Classes are taught by Chef Julia Dunaway

Julia has been interested in sushi all her life.  She watched her Japanese mother make it, enjoyed eating it in Japanese restaurants in California years before most people were familiar with it and lived in Japan for four years where she experienced the freshest sushi in the world. She has made sushi for her family and friends for the past 25 years, taught sushi making classes, and read and studied extensively on the subject.  She wants to share her love of sushi making with others.  Classes will be held at the Fort Worth Japanese Society, 3608 Park Lake Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76137.  Society members $20 per class, non-members $30 per class.  To reserve your place email to: inquiries@fwjs.org.

Class 1:  Saturday, April 14, 2012, 10am -12 noon

Sushi Basics:

Students will learn the history of sushi, about equipment and supplies, etiquette and how to make perfect sushi rice.  They will have the opportunity to prepare their own norimaki (rolled sushi), uramaki (inside-out rolls), nigiri-zushi (rice balls topped with seafood), and temaki (hand rolls).  Students will enjoy their cucumber roll, California roll, nigiri-zushi with maguro (tuna), and salmon hand rolls for lunch.  Miso soup and green tea will be served.

Class 2:  Saturday, May 12, 2012, 10am -12 noon

Chirashi-zushi (sushi rice tossed or topped with seafood or other ingredients):

Regional styles of chirashi-zushi will be taught.  Students will make Tokyo-style chirashi-zushi (raw and cooked fish and other ingredients on top of rice, Kansai-style (cooked meat and vegetables mixed with rice) and Gomoku (rice tossed with simmered vegetables and other ingredients).  Students will enjoy their unique creations for lunch with miso soup and green tea.

Class 3, Saturday, June 9, 2012, 10am -12 noon

Advanced Sushi Preparations:

Students will prepare a caterpillar roll with unagi no kabayaki (barbequed eel and avocado), oshi-zushi (pressed sushi in a square box, with salmon), spicy tuna nachos, tuna sashimi with daikon and ginger, and battleship sushi with salmon roe.  Students will enjoy their b

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