Remote Team Building: Quarantine Chopped Challenge

INGREDIENTS:
Main
• 1 cup Jasmine Rice
• 1 1/2 cups coconut water
• 1/8 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 oz fresh ginger, cut into chunks
• 1 package extra firm tofu
• 1/2 cup wasabi peas
• mix of flour, water, salt & pepper to create a batter
• Dash of Aleppo pepper

Side
• Brussels Sprouts
• Butternut Squash
• Pearl Onions
• 2 cloves garlic

Balsamic Glaze
• 3 tbs Maple Syrup
• 4 tbs Balsamic Vinegar
• dash of salt

RECIPE:
Prep
• Press tofu. Slice into 3 equal sized portions. Season with salt.
• Pulse coconut in a blender/food processor a few times and set aside.
• Pulse wasabi peas in a blender/food processor quite a few times and place in a bowl or small pan
• Preheat oven to 425

Rice
• Add rice, coconut water and ginger to a pot and bring to a low boil and turn down to simmer according to directions.
• With about 5 minutes left stir in coconut. Finish cooking and set aside.

Vegetables/Glaze
• Slice Brussels Sprouts in halves.
• Peel and dice Butternut Squash
• Peel and halve pearl onions
• Peel and mince garlic
• Toss all ingredients in a bowl with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper
• Transfer to baking sheet and roast until cooked through and browned in places, stirring occasionally, maybe 25 minutes.
• While vegetables are roasting prepare the glaze: mix Maple Syrup & Balsamic Vinegar and salt in a small sauce pan.
• When vegetables are nearly done heat on medium heat until boiling, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 4-5 minutes.

Tofu
• Heat 2 tbs coconut oil in a skillet or pan on medium-high heat
• Mix flour and water until a fairly think batter. Season with a bit of salt & pepper
• Dredge tofu in batter and shake off excess. Roll in wasabi peas
• Cook tofu in oil for about 30-45 seconds per side including the “ends”
• Place cooked tofu on paper towel lined plate

Plating
• Put rice on plate
• Slice tofu into 1/2″ slices
• Place tofu on top of rice
• Sprinkle Aleppo Peper on tofu
• Place vegetables on plate and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
• Fin!

The roasted veggies with the vinaigrette were delicious. The brussel sprouts are kind of a strong almost tart taste usually but it was paired really well with the sweet and rich vinaigrette. That was my favorite part.
The rice was good, fluffy and coconut was definitely evident.
The tofu was pretty and I liked the wasabi pea crust but overall it was the weakest part of the dish. The tofu was pretty bland overall.

Toasted Coconut Pancakes
• Toast shredded coconut in even layer in oven until browned
• Add half into a traditional pancake batter (which is light on sugar)
• Add quarter cup at a time of batter onto hot pan, sprinkle additional coconut on batter as it is cooking and flip
• Serve with maple syrup

Wasausbi Poppers
• Cut sausage (field roast apple sage) into bit sized chunks.
• Dip into whisked egg
• Dip into 75% flour 25% panko mix
• Finally roll in crushed wasabi peas and finely chopped pearl onion mixture
• Fry in oil for 1-2 mins.
• Served with spicy mayo & soy sauce

Toasted pancakes thoughts: Would have been better a little bit more crispy, add more coconut, or sprinkle coconut in sugar perhaps before baking to bring out its flavor. Overall very tasty

Wasausbi poppers: Not enough wasabi flavor, first batch was lightly rolled in wasabi peas and second batch a heavier coat was applied but both times the flavor was minimal. Still, tasty and snackable but too much work for the end product.

Coconut & Wasabi Pea Battered Tilapia

• Coconut Flakes
• Wasabi Peas
• Flour
• Salt + Pepper
• Smoked Paprika
• Dipped in Egg with a little coconut milk

Aioli

• Eggs Yolks
• Olive Oil
• Roasted Garlic
• Salt + Pepper
• Wasabi Peas
• Wasabi Mustard
• Lemon Juice
• Dried Mustard

Pickled Cucumber & Pearled Onion

• Cucumber
• Onions
• White Wine Vinegar
• Salt + Pepper
• Dash of White Vinegar
• Dash of Olive Oil

Maple Syrup Candied Bacon Swiss chard

• Maple Syrup
• Dried Mustard
• Thick-cut Hickory Smoked Bacon
• Salt + Pepper
• Dash of Balsamic Vinegar
• Swiss chard

The fish was well seasoned, considering the wasabi peas and coconut crust, I was expecting more “sweet and heat,” but it was still quite tasty.

Pickled onions and cucumber. Delicious, the savory snap of the onions with the cooling soothe of the fresh cucumber delivers every time.

Now the real star of the dish, the maple bacon Swiss chard. Perfect trio of flavor, Smokey, sweet, with a soft earthy crunch at the end. They quickly will be made standard fare from now on

Maple Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
• ½ cup heavy cream, cold
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Dash salt
Instructions:
1. Put everything in a bowl
2. Whisk until soft peaks
3. Cover and refrigerate, until needed

Horseradish Cheddar Shrimp ’n Grits
Ingredients:
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup instant grits
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 pearl onions, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3-4 oz shredded horseradish cheddar cheese
• Wasabi snack peas
• Salt
Instructions:
1. In a large saucepan on stovetop, bring water to a boil and stir in grits. Cook grits for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in cream. Fold cheese into grits, until melted. Salt to taste.
2. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until they begin to brown, then add shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are pink. Pour chicken stock into mixture. Stir and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes. Mixture should still have plenty of liquid.
3. Pour grits onto a serving dish and top with shrimp mixture. The mixture should rehydrate the grits.
4. Garnish with wasabi peas

Handsome Coconut Cakes
Ingredients:
• 1 cup AP flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ tablespoons melted butter
• Powdered sugar
Instructions:
1. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, shredded coconut, sugar, baking powder and salt).
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients (coconut milk, egg and butter).
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined (a few lumps are ok).
4. Cook pancakes like normal pancakes, but don’t go too thick.
5. Serve pancake, dust with powdered sugar, and dollop a healthy dose of maple whipped cream on top.

Thoughts on the pancake: Mmmmmm! (double thumbs up). Tastes coconutty and mapley. 5/5 stars (maybe 6/5 stars)

Thoughts on the Grits: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer Refuses to try Shrimp or Wasabi Peas. She doesn’t get paid enough.

• Make pickling liquid with maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, water and crushed coriander seed. Heat then add thinly sliced shallots and let it sit
• Pre-heat the air fryer to 375
• Blend coconut flakes to make coconut flour.
• Set up breading station with coconut flour, egg and coconut flakes
• Season shrimp and bread. Bake in the air fryer at 375 for 6 minutes, turning at half point mark
• While shrimp is baking, blend wasabi peas to make wasabi pea powder.
• Make avocado wasabi pea smash with avocado, salt and pepper, wasabi pea powder, and soy sauce.
• Plate!

Shrimp are perfectly cooked and can’t go wrong with coconut coating. The sweet and sour quick-pickle onions balance well with the sweet coconut shrimp and the mild heat from the wasabi pea, avocado smash. A complex bite that goes together very well and pairs with margarita. I found myself adding additional pickled onions. My one critique is that it could use some acid, but that may be the critic’s fault as I have been informed that I used the last lime for aforementioned margarita. I have not made this statement under duress.