Cool and Crisp Gazpacho Soup

Just returned from the wet market (farmer's market) in Aberdeen, Hong Kong and todays choices for fresh vegetables were overwhelming.  Beautiful ripe sweet tomatoes, colorful crisp peppers (capsicum), firm cucumbers, and many fresh green herbs for the summer selection.  Cool and Crisp Gazpacho soup is a great way to cool down on these hot summer days and lovely way to use these fresh and bright ingredients.  


Gazpacho soup is a cold tomato based Spanish soup originally made with raw vegetables, fresh herbs, garlic, day old bread, vinegar and olive olive oil.  It originated in the Spanish region of Andalusia.  In order for my teenage sons to like this dish, I made some alterations to tradition. I removed the bread from the soup and instead put in fresh lemon juice and finely minced red hot peppers to keep the flavors dancing on your tongue. The cool refreshing vegetables of the soup combined with heat of the pepper and tang from the vinegar and lemon is a delightful way to the edge off the heat of the summer. 


Gazpacho Soup

• 4 plum tomatoes or any sweet vine ripe tomatoes
• 3 cups V8 juice or tomato juice
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cucumbers (un-peeled and seeds removed)
• 1/2 chopped yellow pepper
• 1/2 chopped green or red pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion 
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 chopped red hot chili pepper (optional) or dashes of hot sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Juice of one fresh lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp worchester sauce

Step 2: Cut tomatoes in a cross cut on both top and bottom (This will make it easier to peel)

Step 2: Boil water in pan and add tomatoes for about 10-15 seconds to blanch

Step 3: Remove tomatoes and place in a water bath to cool down

Step 4: Remove tomatoes from water bath and peel and seed. 

Step 5: Chop half of the cucumbers and tomatoes finely. Place other have of cucumbers, tomatoes and onion and coarsely chop in food processor.

Step 6: Chop up finely the remaining items (garlic, peppers, hot peppers, other half of cucumbers and other half of tomatoes)

Step 7: In a large bowl combine the chopped items in the food processor, hand chopped vegetables (1/2 cucumbers, garlic, 1/2 tomatoes, peppers, hot peppers) also add in V-8 juice, olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper, sugar, worchester sauce, parsley and stir.

Step 8: Store in a sealed container in fridge for at least 2-4 hours and best overnight for flavors to mingle. 

Step 9: Serve Gazpacho soup cold with parsley garnish and crusty bread on the side.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Tenderloins with Rosemary Potatoes

Crispy Bacon, Melted Creamy Cheese and Roasted Crispy Potatoes! What teenager does not like this? 


This is maybe not the weight watchers item on the menu tonight but I sure do have my teenagers full and complete attention. 
As a tribute to my teenagers and a little bit lower calorie version, I bring to you, Bam's Bacon Wrapped stuffed chicken breasts and rosemary potatoes.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Tenderloins (serves 2 hungry teenagers or 4 adults)

• 8 chicken tenderloins
• 6 oz of crumbled feta, or grated mozzarella or any cheese you like
• 4 slices of bacon cut in half
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 chopped shallot
• 1 clove garlic

Step 1: Pound the chicken flat

Step 2: Place slice of chicken down on plate

Step 3: Place chicken breast on top and add cheese and salt and pepper

Step 4: Roll up chicken breast tightly with the bacon strip securing it together

 Step 5: place oil in pan and bring pan to temperature and add onion, garlic and stuffed chicken breasts.

Step 6: Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown then transfer to 325 degree F oven for about 25 minutes until the internal temperature is 170 degrees F

Step 7: Remove from oven and serve with rosemary potatoes. (Recipe for rosemary Potatoes follows below)

Rosemary Potatoes: 

• 10 medium sized red potatoes
• few sprigs of fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp of dried rosemary)
• 2 tsp of oil olive
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 clove garlic chopped

Step 1: Preheat oven to 190 degree celsius

Step 2: Chop up potatoes into bite size pieces

Step 3: Chop up rosemary and garlic

Step 4: Add potatoes, rosemary, garlic, oil olive and salt and pepper to an oven safe dish and stir

Step 5: Put in oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown.  Stir every 10- 15 minutes so browns evenly.

Step 6: Take out of oven and enjoy with Bacon Stuffed Chicken Tenderloins.

Sushi in Bam's Kitchen

ようこそ (Yōkoso) - Welcome!
The summer is here in full blast and so is the heat and humidity. Today, I cannot even bear the thought of getting near the stove, oven, or anything that produces heat as I may melt.  However, the family is hungry and is wondering what is cooking in Bam's Kitchen tonight- well actually nothing. I am not going to "cook" a thing.  I am going to "prepare and facilitate" some delicious simple sushi dishes without even breaking a sweat. 

Sushi 寿司 is a Japanese dish that uses rice seasoned with sweet-rice vinegar.  Raw fish can be used in sushi but the main element is rice. Japan is an island surrounded by abundant fish in the seas and the most plentiful crop is rice and therefore it is easy to see why these dishes are so popular. The first types of sushi called Nare-zushi (馴れ寿司, 熟寿司), was first developed in Southeast Asia. Fish was salted and wrapped in fermented rice and was stored for  months at a time for preservation. The fermented rice was discarded and fish was the only part consumed. Then during the Edo period, rice was mixed with vinegar, fish, vegetables and dried nori (seaweed). This type of sushi is still very popular today and the type we are going to be making in Bam's Kitchen.  One of my teenagers like spicy tuna rolls and my other teenager likes sushi with vegetables only. Sushi is great way to get the family involved in making the rolls and having fun inventing their own combinations. 


When we lived in Japan, my favorite sushi restaurants were Kaiten-zushi. Kaiten-zushi is a sushi restaurant where the plates with the sushi are placed on a rotating conveyor belt that winds through the restaurant and moves past every table and counter seat. Customers may place special orders, but most simply pick their selections from a steady stream of fresh sushi moving along the conveyor belt. The final bill is based on the number and type of plates of the consumed sushi. This is a fun and inexpensive way to enjoy sushi. 
This is a special tribute to all the dear Japanese people who were affected by the Tsunami and the devastation. May you keep your strength to rebuild and renew. 

Sushi Recipe

• 2 1/4 cups short grain sushi rice
• 3 cups water 
• 1 package of dried nori leaves for sushi 
• 1 package of dry powdered sushi seasoning or (1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 1/4 tsp salt) 
• thinly sliced assorted vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, daikon, advocado 
• thinly sliced sushi grade fish such as maguro (tuna), salmon, ebi (shrimp), imitation crab, or whatever you like. 
• rice vinegar (little bowl for dipping your hands and knife to keep it clean) 
• sushi bamboo mat
• pickled ginger (optional) 
• wasabi (optional 
• soy sauce for dipping (optional) 
• japanese pickles 

Step 1: Wash the rice until water runs clear

Step 2: cook rice in steamer or rice cooker per protocol (if you do not have these items, you can add the 2 1/4 rice and 3 cups water to medium size pot and cook on high heat until boiling then reduce heat and simmer for  about 12 minutes with lid on or until water is absorbed)

Step 3: Scrape rice into a bowl and one sushi dry packet seaoning mix and mix well or the (1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 1/4 tsp salt) - the mixture should start to look shiny

Step 4: Allow the rice mixture to cool

Step 5: Slice to vegetables into thin long slices about 2 inches long or use a mandolin to make long thin uniform slices

Step 6: Prepare sushi grade fish in thin long slices

Step 7: If you like spicy tuna rolls then chop up tuna (meguro finely and add wasabi sauce to taste)

Step 8: Place the sushi bamboo mat on the counter and place one dried nori leaf on mat

Step 9: Dip your fingers/hands into the rice vinegar to prevent the rice from sticking to your hands

Step 10: Place a thin layer of rice on the nori leaf

Step 11: Place thinly sliced vegetables and or raw fish or whatever your little heart desires on 1st portion of rice covered nori leaf. 

Step 12: Use the bamboo mat to tightly hold the sushi and roll up

Step 13: Cut sushi roll in half

Step 14: Cut each half into 3 pieces for a total of 6 pieces for each roll for skinny rolls and for larger rolls cut into 8 pieces. (make sure to rinse knife in rice vinegar to prevent sticking and use a very sharp knife)

Step 15: Serve up sushi rolls with soy sauce, wasabi, and Japanese pickles- 

Itadakimasu!

Feta Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Looking for a quick vegetarian dish or tasty side dish?  Look no further, as these Feta Stuffed Mushrooms are so delicious and so easy to make. 

I have one teenager that absolutely loves mushrooms and one son that is not particularly fond of mushrooms. However, if I put cheese on or anything, my teenagers seem to forget all about their preferences.  To my dear niece this recipe is a tribute to you.


Many of my recipes can be changed or altered to adjust to a vegetarian diet. I am the queen of substitution as I never seem to have all the ingredients required to make a dish, I just adjust.  I have invented some really amazing dishes this way. Don't be afraid to swap ingredients or change ingredients to your liking. This is how happy accidents are formed. Living abroad can add extra challenges to finding food ingredients as they are difficult to find or they are non-existent. For example, if you can't find feta cheese, then swap out for mozzarella, swiss, or any other cheeses you can get your hands on.  Please feel free to make changes to dishes and please share your comments and let us all know how it turned out.


A lovely place in Hong Kong to enjoy some yummy vegetarian dishes is at the Chi Lin Nunnery. Long Man Lou - Chi Lin Vegetarian restaurant is situated in a traditional Chinese Buddhist garden to the Chi Lin Nunnery where a walk calms the mind. The dishes are thoughtfully prepared in a Chinese vegetarian style. Nan Lian Garden, 60 Fung Tak Road (at MTR: Diamond Hill Station Exit C2, follow signs to Chi Lin Nunnery) Kowloon, Hong Kong China.

Chi Lin Nunnery

Long Man Lo - Vegetarian restaurant located under the waterfall

Feta Stuffed Mushrooms: 

• 4 - 6 baby portabella mushrooms
•  3/4 cup - 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (or enough to fill the mushroom caps)
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• cracked pepper to taste

Step 1: Remove stems from Mushrooms

Step 2: Wash mushrooms with damp paper towel. (Do not soak mushroom in water to clean as they will be soggy)

Step 3: In a small bowl add feta cheese, parley, pepper and mix

Step 4: Rub the bottom of mushrooms with a little olive oil

Step 5: Stuff the mushrooms with the feta mixture (or other cheeses as you wish)

Step 6: Drizzle mushrooms with a little of olive oil

Step 7: Place mushrooms on grill and cook for about 10 minutes until tender. (If you do not have a grill, then you can bake for about 20 minutes at a temperature of 176 degrees C (350 degrees F)

Step 8: Enjoy and serve with a salad of rocket and vinaigrette for a lovely "light meal". For teenage boys this is a lovely "Light snack".