Pan Pacific Rice

• 3 cups cooked rice
• 1 cup sliced green onions
• 3/4 cup salted cashews
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Combine rice, onions, cashews, vinegar and sesame seeds in medium bowl.
Serve warm or cold.

Makes 6 servings.

Exotic Mushrooms with Shaved Truffles Pasta
From our friends at Earthy Delights, online purveyors of specialty foods – mushrooms, truffles, spelt products and more. Look for their Valentine's Day specials!

Dress this dish up with slivers of sun-dried tomatoes.

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 cups thinly sliced exotic mushrooms (Shiitake, Portobello, Wood Ear, Crimini, Oyster or a combination)
1 pound angel hair pasta (white spelt pasta makes a nice change)
Truffle oil to drizzle
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 fresh black truffles
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Salt and pepper

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil. When the pan is hot, sauté the shallots and garlic for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta for 2 minutes or until al dente. Remove from the water and drain. Drizzle with truffle oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble, place a nest of the pasta in the center of the plate. Spoon the mushrooms over the pasta. Drizzle the truffle oil over the mushrooms. Sprinkle the cheese over the mushrooms and shave the truffles over the top. The truffles should be very finely shaved with a knife or truffle shaver. Garnish with chives.

Yield: 4 servings