Ika-iri unohana / saute-simmered soybean pulp with calamari

A gentle and comforting okara dish with the added touch of calamari.

1/4 of recipe:
57 calories; 3.9 g protein; 1.6 g fat; 5.7 g carbohydrate; 2.4 g net carbs; 97 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 152 mg with regular soy sauce); 32 mg cholesterol; 3.3 g fiber

Warabi to ebi no kakiage / mixed tempura with bracken and shrimp

As with any ingredient in season, bracken makes great tempura. Here is a wonderful combination with shrimp.

2 kakiage + tentsuyu*: 
218 calories; 4.8 g protein; 17.4 g fat; 9.2 g carbohydrate; 8.2 g net carbs; 108 mg sodium (tentsuyu made with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 184mg with regular soy sauce); 341 mg cholesterol; 1.0 g fiber
*When 1 tbsp is consumed.

Bibinba no tare, koebi-iri / bibimbap sauce with bay shrimp

Very tasty. Sauteed onion and bay shrimp add a nice sweet note and depth to a simple gochujang and miso mixture. My current favorite to combine with steamed rice and simple, almost plain namul.

1/2 of recipe:
62 calories; 6.3 g protein; 1.4 g fat; 6.4 g carbohydrate; 5.7 g net carbs; 239 mg sodium (with reduced-sodium miso; 274 mg with regular miso); 45 mg cholesterol; 0.7 g fiber

Asari no sakamushi / steamed clams with sake

A very simple, very flavorful and absolute knockout clam dish.
This is one of the simplest versions of steamed clams in Japanese cooking. See Notes below for variations.

1/2 of recipe:
66 calories; 8.7 g protein; 0.6 g fat; 2.7 g carbohydrate; 2.6 g net carbs; 351 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 0.1 g fiber

Asupara no penne, gorugonzoora soosu / penne pasta with asparagus, gorgonzola sauce

A great pasta dish to finish up the tough lower part of asparagus spears. Have a nice crusty bread ready to finish up the sauce! Adapted from Pasta Vegetale by Hiroyuki Isaki.

With 80 g penne per serving:
569 calories (1/2 of recipe); 17.0 g protein; 25.2 g fat; 62.2 g carbohydrate; 58.5 g net carbs; 353 mg sodium; 77 mg cholesterol; 3.7 g fiber

Ninjin to okura, satsumaage no itameni / saute-simmered carrot, okra and deep-fried fishcake

Yummy! This gently sweet, salty and spicy dish goes perfectly with plain rice and drinks. Also makes a great bento item.

1/2 of recipe:
93 calories; 5.0 g protein; 1.6 g fat; 13.9 g carbohydrate; 17.6 g net carbs;  151 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 227 mg with regular soy sauce); 4 mg cholesterol; 2.3 g fiber

Satsumaimo to shungiku no gomaae / Japanese sweet potato and garland chrysanthemum in sesame dressing

Starchy sweet satsumaimo is paired with tangy shungiku. To create a light salad-type dish, shungiku leaves are left uncooked, while stems are cooked and mixed with gomaae dressing.

1/2 of recipe:
137 calories; 2.0 g protein; 5.0 g fat; 21.0 g carbohydrate; 18.9 g net carbs; 75 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 126 mg with regular soy sauce); 0 mg cholesterol; 2.1 g fiber