Strawberry Parfait

I think that Japanese style desserts are known for their visual appeal. Parfaits in particular are always very cute, and look delicious. This was one of my most eagerly anticipated recipe adventures, and I look forward to sharing the recipe with you! My version is actually pretty healthy, all things considered, so this could be a dessert you could have more than just once in a while.

Gintama is one of my favorite anime. It is adapted from a manga created by Hideaki Sorachi. It is a comedy set in an alternate universe version of Edo-era Japan. The series centers around a man named Sakata Gin, who is a former samurai who is taking on odd jobs to make ends meet. He's not very motivated, and often fails to pay his bills on time. The other two main characters are Shinpachi Shimura and an alien race girl named Kagura. Together they work to solve the problems of the locals. 

The thing I love about this series is that it perfectly blends comedy and drama. Most of the show is comedy. There is a lot of farce and silly humor, but then after a purely silly arc you will get an arc that really brings out the characters and leaves you on the edge of your seat, wondering what is going to happen next. You get really invested in the characters and care about what is going to happen to them. I look forward to seeing where this series goes in the future. You can watch it on Crunchyroll if you are interested in checking it out yourself.

One of Gin's quirks is that he is addicted to sweets. He is often eating parfaits, strawberry milk, and desserts. I thought that creating a dessert in homage to Gin was a no-brainer for this blog series. 

Strawberry Parfait

2 Servings

Ingredients

3 Bananas, cut into chunks and frozen in the freezer

1/2 C. frozen strawberries

2 T. cocoa powder

1 T. Maple Syrup

Wafer Cookies (I veganized this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite vanilla cookies from the store)

Waffle Cookies (I veganized this recipe, but feel free to use any decorative cookie you like best)

Strawberry Preserves

Vegan Whipped Cream

Chocolate Chips, melted

Maraschino Cherries

Directions

1. Take the bananas out of the freezer. You are going to make three flavors of banana ice cream, so make sure that each batch has roughly the same amount of frozen banana. 

2. Start with the plain flavor. Pour one banana into the bowl of a food processor (it should be one that can handle chopping frozen bananas. Lightweight ones may literally jump around on the counter because the bananas can get very hard, and the blades don't like chopping through foods that frozen). Put the lid on and blend until the banana becomes smooth like the photo below. You may have to stop frequently, and using a spatula scrape the sides of the bowl so that everything is blended. If you need to you can add a tablespoon or more of non-dairy milk to smooth out the mixture, but you likely will not have to if your processor is powerful enough.

3. Place the plain banana mix in a bowl and put it in the freezer until the end, so that it does not melt.

4. Next we will do the berry flavor. Place another banana in the bowl of the food processor as well as the frozen berries. Put the lid on and process until smooth. Once smooth, put the mixture into another bowl in the freezer.

5. Last is the chocolate layer. Put your last banana in the food processor as well as 1-2 T. of cocoa powder. Blend until smooth. At this point taste the mix, and if it is too bitter add the tablespoon of maple syrup and blend to combine. Place in the freezer and move on to the cookie layer. 

6. Take your wafer cookies out of the package. You will need approximately three. Place them in a ziploc bag and using a rolling pin or something strong, smash them into bits {this is where you can get out any frustrations you may have ;)}.

7. Take the jar of preserves and spoon out approximately 2-3 Tablespoons worth. I added a little bit of water and stirred it up to make it thinner and more spreadable.

Time to assemble the parfaits!

8. Take two parfait glasses or wide cups that can hold approximately 2 C. of filling.

9. Divide the chocolate layer between the two cups. 

10. Divide the crushed cookies between both cups and place on top of the chocolate ice cream.

11. Divide the berry ice cream between both cups and place on top of the cookie crumbs.

12. Divide the Strawberry preserves amongst both cups and place on top of the berry ice cream.

13. Put the plain banana ice cream on top last.

14. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, and to either side put one of the waffle cookies and a wafer cookie. Then drizzle on some more thinned preserves. Top that with the melted chocolate and a cherry on top. 

Voila! You have a delicious and relatively healthy dessert. I think that Gin would appreciate, and I hope you try it out and enjoy it yourself!

Fried Rice

One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda, is an adventure series focusing on a group of pirates, headed by a young man named Luffy. Over the course of the series he meets and recruits a crew of interesting and captivating characters to join him on his quest to being the Pirate King. The series is full of laughs, action, and drama. The combination of light-heartedness and intense drama and feelings really helps draw you in as a reader. I started by watching the anime roughly six years ago, and after catching up to the anime in the simulcast within 6 months, I decided to start reading the manga because I didn't want to wait to find out what happened next. Since then I have been a devoted fan and love reading the manga every week to find out what happens next on Luffy and his friends' journey. 

One Piece is not a series about food, but it does have its place in the story, especially once Sanji (the eventual cook of the crew) arrives on the crew. "Food should not be wasted" is Sanji's mantra. Due to a past tragedy where he and his mentor, Chef Zeff, almost starved to death after being shipwrecked, Sanji takes the preparation of food very seriously, and along with his dream of seeing the All-Blue (a place he heard of as a child where you can supposedly get fish and foods from all over the world in that one place naturally), he also makes it a point to use every part of the food he has at hand, and to not waste anything. This is because he understands from experience that food can help you survive, and not just that, should be delicious and nutritious. 

When we first meet Sanji he is a sou chef on a restaurant at sea called the Baratie. His mentor, Zeff, is the head chef and former pirate. He has taught him all of his skills, and besides being his mentor Sanji sees him as a father figure. The first conflict in this story arc comes when a pirate named Gin shows up in the restaurant. He comes through the door with blood in his face, clearly looking beat-up, and has a bad attitude as well. His one request is for food.

The other chefs on board refuse him the food, claiming that if you can't pay you aren't a customer, and they kick him out. Sanji takes it upon himself to create a stir-fry for Gin, and brings it to him himself, much to the consternation of the rest of his coworkers (minus Zeff). Sanji's feeding of Gin kick starts the rest of the plot, and we learn more about his ideals, and Luffy eventually manages to inspire him to join the crew and pursue his dreams.

It only seemed natural that when I created a dish inspired by one of Sanji's that I would create something healthy using many of the ingredients I had on hand already. A simple fried rice satisfied that thought, and with that in mind, I set out to create a dish like what Sanji would serve to Gin (minus the fish) or to anybody on his crew. 

Tofu Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 1 T. Coconut Oil
• 1 Medium Onion
• 1 L. Clove Garlic
• 1 Celery Stalk (the leaves as well), chopped
• 1 L. Carrot, chopped
• 4 Baby Bella or Button Mushrooms, sliced
• 1 C. Edamame, shelled
• 1 Pkg. Lemon Pepper Baked Tofu (or seasoned tofu/vegan protein of your choice), chopped
• 1 C. Corn
• 1 C. Green Peas
• 1 T. Chili Paste
• 1 T. Mirin
• 1 tsp. Coriander
• 1 tsp. Ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 2 tsp. Parsley
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. Salt (or to taste)
• 1-2 T. Soy Sauce (to taste)
• 3 C. Cooked Rice (chilled or room temperature)

Directions

1.  Dice the onion and garlic

2. Put the Coconut Oil in a large skillet and heat on medium-high heat.

When the oil has melted and the pan is hot add the garlic and onion and cook until the onion is translucent. Make sure to stir, so that the garlic does not burn.

3. Dice the carrot and celery while the onion is cooking. 

4. Add them to the skillet and stir to combine.

5. While they are cooking slice the mushrooms. Add to the carrot and celery.

6. Cook, stirring often to evenly cook the vegetables. While they cook, defrost the edamame and shell the beans. 

7. I do not compost because I don't have the room in my apartment, but if you have a garden the shells can be used for compost if you prefer not to throw them away. Discard them as you wish and add the beans to the pan.

8. Take the tofu out of its package and cut up into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the skillet and stir to combine. 

9. Add the corn and peas to the skillet and stir to combine. If you are using frozen vegetables you don't need to defrost them first. They will defrost as they cook with the rest of the vegetables.

10. Now you will add the seasonings. Using the measurements in the ingredients list above, add each seasoning. Stir to combine and cook until the vegetables are cooked. You want the carrots to be soft enough that they are not crunchy, but are not mushy.

11. Add the rice to the skillet and stir to combine. 

12. After the rice is stirred in taste it and adjust the seasoning as you like. You may need to add more soy sauce. Cook until the flavors have combined, stirring often, for approximately 5 minutes. 

This was a hearty main dish that served 4. Feel free to adjust the seasonings and/or add some if you like the taste of a particular spice, or if you have certain vegetables on hand at that time. This is a really easy dish to make your own, and in the spirit of Sanji, it is great to be able to use what you have on hand to make a hearty and satisfying dinner!

If you want to check out One Piece you can watch it online at Crunchyroll, and you can find the manga at most large bookstores with a comics and manga section, as well as online. The anime can be found on DVD online on Amazon, Rightstuf, and more.