When it comes to sushi, strawberry has never come to my mind. Marisa as always, exercise her creativity.
Following article is republished with a permission from Marisa Baggett.

Balsamic Strawberry Tuna Maki

Balsamic vinegar is a multi-purpose culinary marvel. While often associated with tangy balsamic vinaigrette, it can also be reduced to a thick syrup in which the flavor becomes quite sweet. The syrup can then be used in savory dishes or even in sweet ones such as a topping for ice cream.

The inspiration for this sushi roll comes from a classic combination of tuna and ripe strawberries drenched in balsamic vinegar. A touch of soy sauce added to balsamic syrup gives just the right amount of salty sweet goodness. 

Balsamic Strawberry Tuna Maki

Makes 2 Maki (12-16 pieces)

2 4in x 7in pieces of nori

about 2 cups prepared sushi rice

about 10 ripe strawberries, hulled

3 ounces sushi grade tuna, cut into 1/4 in strips

2 tsp finely chopped scallions

1/4 cup mizuna

1/4 cup daikon, shredded

2 TBSP balsamic syrup, or more to taste

1 tsp soy sauce

Cut strawberries into paper thin slices crosswise using a sharp knife or mandolin. Place pieces in between layers of paper towels to remove moisture. Place one sheet of nori horizontally on work surface and cover with plastic wrap. Using the nori as a guide, place a row of strawberries across the center of plastic wrap. Prepare another and set both aside.

To assemble the sushi rolls, place a sheet of nori rough side up horizontally on a cutting board. Cove the entire surface with a thin, even layer of sushi rice, about 1 cup. Flip nori over. Place about 1 1/2 ounces of the tuna strips horizontally in the center of the nori being sure to extend tuna the entire length of the nori. Top with 1 tsp scallions, half of the mizuna and half of the daikon, being sure to extend ingredients the entire length of the nori.

Roll sushi roll according to the method for rolling inside out rolls, stopping just before the cutting stage. Carefully place one of the prepared strawberry sheets on top of the uncut sushi roll, leaving plastic wrap intact. Secure strawberries to roll by laying a bamboo rolling mat on top and pressing gently. With plastic wrap still intact, cut roll into 6 or 8 pieces. With plastic wrap still intact, once again secure strawberries to the top of the cut sushi roll. Remove plastic wrap slowly.

Repeat steps to make a second sushi roll.

For the sauce, mix balsamic syrup and soy sauce. Drizzle to taste on top of sushi pieces.

Serve, if desired, with additional soy sauce for dipping, pickled ginger and wasabi.

* I do not have a set recipe for balsamic syrup. I recommend starting off with 1-2 cups of balsamic vinegar. Try using the leftovers on salads, fruit, and as a sauce for sautéed fish. To make balsamic syrup, place balsamic vinegar in a heavy bottomed saucepan over very low heat. Let vinegar reduce, stirring periodically and watching carefully so that it does not boil, until desired thickness has almost been achieved. As the syrup cools, it will thicken.

Author: art morse

As even a casual observer will tell you, there is a great deal of variety when you consider the art that comes out of Asia. The history of countries like Japan and China go back literally thousands of years, and by taking a look at what these lands have to offer in the way of gorgeous antiques is just one more way to appreciate true artistic ability, craftsmanship and history.

Chinese art, for example, is divided into periods relating to the dynasty that ruled the country. Chinese art can range from simple yet exquisitely glazed ceramic bowls to the popular and incredibly beautiful jade figurines. The Shang dynasty, for intance, was known for its blue casting, while China as a whole maintained a long tradition of beautiful porcelain. The arrival of Buddhism to China around 100 AD led to a great deal of religiously themed art as well.

Japanese art, on the other hand, has a reputation for being simpler than Chinese art, although this has not always been the case. The Japanese aesthetic is one that has changed over the years and today, many people associate it with grace, elegance, and a very spare, spartan beauty. One of the areas that Japanese art is best known for, though, is in textiles, particularly with regards to their kimonos. These robes are often one of a kind and when made by a real master, often have their own names and infrequently worn and more often displayed.

When you are looking for Chinese or Japanese statues to grace your home, you’ll find that there are many choose from, and that you’ll have a choice of many different materials. Both countries have elevated ceramic and porcelain into a fine art form, and you can still find carved figurine statues of jade, wood and stone. You can find plenty of statues of the Buddha, of the Eight Immortals, and of the Japanese folk hero Momotaro, or you can find statues of more homely things, like cats, dogs or children.

Upon examination, Chinese art and Japanese art both abounds with dragons. In Asia, these powerful, serpentine beasts were more associated with good than they are with evil, and more connected with water than with fire. Large bodies of water were thought to have dragons slumbering under them, and buildings are often not built more than a certain height to make sure that dragons that live in the mountains can see the ocean. You’ll find both Chinese and Japanese art loves to depict these creatures, who were often symbols of imperial rule.

Take some time to take a look at the elegance and beauty that can grace your home through the display of Asian antiques, and you’ll find that you have excellent reasons to make sure that you see what these pieces of art can bring to your environment!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/antiques-articles/the-beauty-of-asian-antiques-423252.html

About the Author:

Art Morse

Fantasy asian Antiques | chinese | japanese
http://www.fantasygem.jewelsbyart.com/Store/Kwan-yin” />
Kwan-yin statues

Author: Simmy Redalph

How about as many bananas as you want every morning and down it with warm water? Well this is the foundation of the Japanese banana diet; the diet that started to make some noises last year. So how does this Japanese banana diet works? Well here is short description and a plan for the Japanese banana diet that made noises and continues to make noise of the right kind this year.

Planning is a key in the Japanese banana diet

Here we list the five major key points that should be remembered by the interested person if he or she wants to take the Japanese banana diet seriously:
• For breakfast. You need to eat one or a few pieces of banana and you need to wash it down with warm water. This is the important requirement for the Japanese banana diet.
• Lunch. Sensible lunch choices and the good thing here is that there will be no restrictions on what you will eat for lunch.
• Snack. Is it nice to see a diet that allows room for snacks? Other dieting plans will scrap the need to have a snack hour since this will only contribute to the growing amount of calories in the body. But not with the Japanese banana diet. With the Japanese banana diet, you get to have your snack time and according to the Japanese banana diet you can get your snack at around 3pm.

Feel free to choose dinner for Japanese banana diet but dessert is out of the question
• Dinner to be set before 8pm. There will be no restrictions for your dinner too, but of course it pays to make sensible choices in your Japanese banana diet. If you make sensible choices under the Japanese banana diet, then you improve your chance of slimming faster and healthier. One key point for this time of the day is for you to avoid desserts. This is quite logical enough; you will pile on added calories since desserts are often packed with calories. And finally, the Japanese banana diet calls for you to;
• Sleep before midnight. It’s nice to give the body a rest. This is the perfect end for the Japanese banana diet plan.

Stick with the 5 key points of Japanese banana diet to get results

And when you stick with these five key points on the Japanese banana diet, then you ensure that you will slim down in a short period of time. But why does these five-step Japanese banana diet works? And what’s with this Japanese banana diet that makes it one of the best known diets to have come out of the country? There are a number of reasons why this kind of diet works. First of all, you can really lose weight when you eat any kind of breakfast- whether those are bananas or pancakes. Eating your breakfast will offer that metabolism boost that can help your body burn as much as 300 calories per day. And when you eat a banana every morning under the Japanese banana diet, then you will only get 100 or around 200 calories which is really small compared with the other breakfast food items. This alone makes this five-step suggestion of the Japanese banana diet works.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/5-key-points-in-your-japanese-banana-diet-804606.html

About the Author:

The Japanese Banana Diet is all the craze right now. With just one small change to your breakfast you can start losing weight right NOW! Find out how Breakfast Banana Diet can be helpful at japanesebananadiet.com