CT Side-B – Unexpected greatness on the other side of the culinary world

Rhubarb Brownies
ルバーブブラウニー

There is something special about rhubarb.

It’s one of the first things you see growing after a long winter in Minnesota, so it almost represents the beginning of a beautiful spring/summer.

And it’s so season-specific, and this is the only time you see it fresh, which makes this extra special.

Also, I love that my mother-in-law and I can spend time together in her backyard for havesting.

So when I got my this year’s first rhubarb from my mother-in-law’s backyard, I made it into jam.

It’s been fun to use the jam in different things, but this time I decided to add it to brownies.

It may sound strange, but the tartness from the rhubarb was great in these fudgy brownies.

I used this recipe as the base.

https://thebigmansworld.com/vegan-brownies/

I liked to bake mine for about 35 minutes (I tend to like “chewy” better vs. “fudgy” texture).

I thought it was a bit too sweet, but everyone else loved it.

My other favorite vegan brownies recipe is this one.

https://eatwithclarity.com/homemade-vegan-brownies/

You can see how they turned out in this post.

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2023/03/19/very-good-brownies-vegan

Rhubarb has begun appearing at the local farmers market as well.

Looking for ideas on how to enjoy rhubarb?

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2022/06/06/vegan-grilled-cheese-with-tempeh-and-ginger-rhubarb-jam

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2021/05/16/rhubarb-pickles

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2022/06/12/rhubarb-thyme-scones

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2020/05/30/ginger-rhubarb-banana-cake

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2019/05/30/soy-bbq-rhubarb-coleslaw-sandwich

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May 28, 2023

by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta

Penne Rigate with Creamy Pepper Sauce
ペンネパスタ、パプリカソース和え

It’s been a busy week.

And for some reason I ran out of fresh veggies quickly this week, so I had to rely on frozen vegetables for a few days.

I was able to finally go grocery shopping yesterday, so tonight I enjoyed cooking the veggies I had just bought.

I didn’t have a concrete plan on how to make the sauce, but it turned out great.

My husband said it was the best pasta sauce I’ve ever made.

Creamy pepper sauce: sauteed garlic (4 cloves), half onion, and 2 orange peppers, about 1/4 cup cashew nuts, sundried tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, soy milk, soy sauce Koji

The soy sauce Koji is a Umami powerhouse and did an awesome job in this sauce too.

I’ve recently made soy sauce Koji, and I’m loving it.

I’m hoping to have a whole post to talk about it soon.

The pasta was served with corn and sauteed asparagus.

No meat.

No fish.

But it was so satisfying.

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May 25, 2023

by : Reiko Fruit, Other

Strawberry Rhubarb Amazake Mojito & Grapefruit Amazake Mojito
苺ルバーブ甘酒モヒート風カクテル＆グレープフルーツ版

I don’t drink alcohol much at all.

If you ask me how much I drink, I would say a few times a year, a few sips in one setting.

Zero beer (too bitter!).

Zero zake (too strong!)

A bit of wine.

Cocktail? Yes!

Mojito used to be one of my favorite cocktails.

And I thought it would be fun to make a mojito-like cocktail with my homemade Amazake and fresh mint I got from the farmers market.

This turned out to be absolutely delicious!!

It’s almost dangerous because it’s so good that I drink too much.

You can make this amazing cocktail by combining strawberry puree, rhubarb jam, sugar, Amazake, mint, club soda, and ice cubes.

I also happened to have sweet juicy grapefruits, and I made the grapefruit version too.

Which would you like to try?

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May 23, 2023

by : Reiko Breakfast, Sandwiches

Azuki Cream Cheese Rhubarb Croissant Sandwich – Vegan
あんクリームチーズルバーブクロワッサンサンド（ヴィーガン）

I bake all different types of bread myself, but croissant is one of a few ones I realy on others, vegan or regular.

Thankfully, Whole Foods sell vegan croissants.

I don’t buy them very often, but once in a while I like to get them as a treat.

Remember the second batch of rhubarb I got from my mother-in-law’s backyard?

I made it into jam.

You can’t eat rhubarb as is because it’s too tart, so it’s easier to use when it’s sweetened like this.

To make sweet Azuki bean paste I used this canned cooked Azuki again.

This time I added some more water and cooked the beans first to soften them, and then added sugar and cooked some more.

What you are seeing here are a vegan croissant, sweet Azuki bean paste, homemade vegan cream cheese, and rhubarb jam.

It has all the flavors and textures you need!

Sweet, salty, fatty, creamy, tangy, and fruity…

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

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May 21, 2023

by : Reiko Air Fryer, Japanese Food, Rice/Grains, Tofu

Tofu Karaage Onigiri Lunch
豆腐唐揚げおにぎり定食

It was a busy week, and I was glad that I decided to give myself a day off today.

You need to listen to your mind and body, right?

Instead of working, I decided to make a nice lunch for myself and my hubby.

This salted Kombu seaweed is one of my favorite things to keep in my pantry.

It’s not always easy to find in the U.S., so when I find it, I always buy it.

The salted Kombu and chopped pickled beets were added to freshly cooked Japanese rice.

Taste it first and then add salt if it’s needed.

The salted Kombu is quite salty, so you want to make sure if additional salt is needed first.

These Onigiri turned out so pretty with the pink color from the beets.

But they are also super tasty!

Kombu Onigiri is one of my favorites.

I also made Karaage with the extra firm tofu from Costco.

The Costco tofu is so firm, firmer than the regular extra firm one I buy from other stores, and it works great for this dish.

Karaage is a Japanese fried chicken.

You marinade the chicken first, and I do the same with my tofu.

I used my air fryer to fry the marinated and floured Tofu.

It works every time.

Also found the lunch tray are miso soup, kimchi, and curried chickpea salad.

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May 19, 2023

by : Reiko Breakfast, Sweets

Rhubarb Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls
ルバーブ苺シナモンロール

The rhubarb season is here!

I’m so lucky because my mother-in-law grows the most beautiful rhubarb in her backyard.

If you’ve never seen the rhubarb plant, this is how it grows.

The freshest rhubarb!

I thought about adding rhubarb or/and strawberries to the cinnamon sugar, but I decided to add them later on the top.

So what you see here (↑) are plain cinnamon rolls (vegan).

I used the recipe. ↓ Highly recommended!

This recipe makes 14 rolls.

https://tasty.co/recipe/the-best-ever-vegan-cinnamon-rolls

Rhubarb jam goes first.

Then, strawberry glaze.

Yum!!

Recommended beverage: Black coffee. Hot.

I brought some to my mother-in-law.

She called me later and told me she liked them very much! 🙂

And she gave me more!

What should I make next?

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May 16, 2023

by : Reiko Japanese Food

Homemade Takuan (Japanese Pickled Daikon)
自家製たくあん

Growing up I ate a lot of pickled vegetables.

We call Japanese pickles, “Tsukemono”, and since I loved it so much that my mom would call me “Ms. Tsukemono”.

Takuan is one of the tsukemono I loved.

It was always yellow, but I never gave a lot of thought to that.

For some reason as a kid I vaguely believed some Daikon was naturally yellow, although I never saw yellow Daikon sold at stores.

When I found out later that the yellow color was usually artificially added, I was shocked.

So I decided to make Takuan myself.

First, I got a Daikon from the largest Asian grocery store in this area, United Noodles.

Just pickled.

Day 1.

Day 5.

You may ask if I used artificial yellow dye.

Well, the answer is NO.

I still wanted my Takuan yellow, so I used Turmeric.

So it’s a “natural” yellow color.

My first homemade Takuan turned out great!

I don’t know why I didn’t make it sooner.

I used this recipe (Japanese) ↓　

https://cookpad.com/recipe/2570586

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May 15, 2023

by : Reiko Uncategorized

Panini Sandwiches and Mother’s Day Potluck
母の日ポットラック、パニーニサンドイッチ

To celebrate Mother’s Day we made a plan to have lunch at my mother-in-law’s house.

The five of us, me, my husband, my mother-in-law, my brother-in-law, and his wife, were going to be there.

To make things easy, we decided to bring food to share so that we would have something to eat (vegan) and my mother-in-law did not have to cook.

I brought panini sandwiches, salad, and soup for lunch.

The panini was made with homemade vegan “cheese” spread, onion jam (or fig jam), two kinds of vegan meat, and arugula/spinach.

My brother-in-law and his wife brought burgers, corn, and potato salad.

It turned out to be a beautiful day, and we had lunch outside.

I also brought a cake for desert.

I wanted it to taste fresh, so I decided to serve it in the “build-your-own” style.

So an almond cake, cream, and berries were served separately, and everyone made their own cake plate.

I made the cream by combining Cocojune vanilla yogurt, coconut cream, and sugar, and it turned out delicious!

I loved it because it was light and so refreshing.

If you want something different from traditional frosting, try this.

My mother-in-law liked it too.

By the way, the Cocojune yogurt is so good, and I think it is probably the best plant-based yogurt I’ve ever tried.

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May 14, 2023

by : Reiko Japanese Food, Soup/Stew

Kasu-Jiru (Japanese Sakekasu Soup) Lunch
アジア食料品店で仕入れた色々で、粕汁”地味”ごはん

I had a lunch date with a friend in Minneapolis last weekend.

So, I decided to stop at the largest Asian grocery store, United Noodles, which is located about 10 minutes from the restaurant where I met my friend.

I used to go there all the time, but since they opened a smaller store close to our home, I haven’t been there much.

I was excited to find out how they have changed.

I heard a lot of nice things about this rice, so I decided to try it for the first time.

I was glad that they carried this rice.

The rice (shape and size) looked very similar to the kind of rice I grew up with in Japan, and when cooked it was very tasty!

It’s a bit pricey, but it definitely tastes different and much better than the other cheaper ones I’ve had.

I don’t know why I didn’t try this sooner.

I told you about this Sake Lees in my previous posts.

Another thing I wanted to make with this was soup.

Since I was out of miso, I bought this one at the store too.

This was a new brand for me to try.

These are Daikon leaves.

If you ever see a Daikon with leaves attached, buy them and do not discard the leaves.

I always loved them in my miso soup, so I was so excited to find these at the store.

The soup turned out so good!

The sakekasu (Sake Lees) gives a nice flavor and depth to the soup.

I also made this gochujang braised potato, with tomatoes and Hijiki seaweed.

The idea came from a traditional Japanese dish called “niku-jaga” which literally means meat-potatoes, but this gochujang-tomato version seemed to appeal better to my husband because it has a stronger flavor.