Sushi Success and Edamame Mustaches

My oldest daughter really loves Japanese food. Last year for her 11th birthday we took her and her friends to a hibachi style Japanese restaurant. This year she wanted sushi, so we decided to have a party at home. This gorgeous sushi platter was made for us by a local Japanese restaurant. It was so delicious and fresh. I had never been to this restaurant before, but I picked it because it had so many vegan rolls on the menu. Great choice!

I made the rest of the meal myself. Edamame, salad with "Japanese restaurant" dressing, and garlic noodles! This summer on our annual Lake George trip, we ate at our favorite Japanese restaurant (and the only good restaurant in Lake George). It is actually a Chinese and Japanese restaurant, and I usually order Szechuan tofu there. This year we went with friends, and they wanted to sit on the hibachi grill side. They made these garlic noodles on the grill that my daughter could not get enough of. They are made of spaghetti, tons of garlic, butter (Earth Balance), soy sauce, and brown sugar. So simple and so delicious! It cracks me up to see the big gobs of butter they put on everything at hibachi restaurants. Do the real Japanese even use butter at all?

Here is the salad dressing made from this recipe. I substituted carrot for the celery. I think it really tasted like the dressing at the Japanese restaurants! I have tried many times to duplicate it and this is the closest I have come.

That is the birthday girl with the edamame mustache.

Of course the little girls only ate the noodles.

Except for this one....she eats everything I give her. It is a pleasure to have her over for dinner!

Because we are an omnivorous household, my husband grilled some chicken, thinking most of the girls would not eat sushi. I was so pleased that the chicken went almost untouched - only one girl had any! And yet the vegan seaweedy sushi was devoured. A great party all around!