by : Reiko Main Dish, Rice/Grains, Vegan Meat

Vegan Roast Beef Dinner
ヴィーガンローストビーフの夕食

My husband and I focus mostly on the whole food type of plant-based diet.

So we eat a lot of non-processed food, like vegetables, beans, seeds, and nuts.

But we also enjoy seitan meat once in a while.

Like I said before I tend to prepare a bit richer/heavier meal on weekends.

When I saw https://carlocao.com/ultimate-vegan-extra-tender-seitan-roast-beef/ on Instagram, I knew I wanted to try it.

I followed the recipe pretty well.

The only thins I had to change was not using vegetable broth (simply because I didn’t have it. I used a mixture of water, soy sauce, and sugar instead).

This turned out amazing!

Super happy with how it looked, smelled, and tasted.

The roast beef was served with gorgonzola risotto and sauteed asparagus.

The “meat” definitely makes the meal look fancy!

Tomorrow I’m making a sandwich with this roast beef.

So come back to check it out.

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by : Reiko Breakfast

Chocolate Pudding Breakfast Pie
チョコレートプリン朝ごはんパイ

I was so impressed with the chocolate pudding (a few posts before) that I wanted to make something different using this idea.

Since the pudding ingredients are so healthy, I thought this could be eaten as a meal.

In order to keep the rest of the ingredients healthy and simple, the pie crust was made with only a few items that I feel good about eating in the morning.

Well, the filling is made with bananas, cocoa powder, soy milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, and the pie crust is made with oats, apple sauce, cashew nut butter, and salt.

You can certainly make a bowl filled with these exact items, but it’s more fun to have a “pie”, isn’t it?

Oh, the white creamy-looking thing on top is plant-based yogurt.

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by : Reiko Sweets

Pear Upside-Down Cardamom Chocolate Cake
洋梨アップサイドダウン・カルダモンチョコレートケーキ

I had a few more pears left I got from my mother-in-law.

And I decided to make one more thing with them before I let them go past the peak of ripeness.

This cake turned out absolutely scrumptious!

Packed with my favorite flavors.

You can definitely taste cardamom (LOVE this spice!).

I didn’t have a lot of pears, so I used a smaller pan to make this cake.

Now it’s done, and I have mixed feelings about this.

I’m happy because I won’t (can’t) overeat, but at the same time I’m sad because I can’t have more!

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by : Reiko Sweets, Vegan Cheese

Pear Gorgonzola Galette
洋梨とゴルゴンゾーラチーズのタルト

Yesterday my husband and I went to visit his mother to celebrate the Mother’s Day.

We’ve been seeing her very often lately (after not seeing her for a long time) because her birthday was only a few weeks ago and we had a few occasions to see her for that.

But it was still nice to see her, and I’m glad we got to spend some time together again.

We brought lunch (it’s easier because we are on the plant-based diet), and she is always so appreciative of that.

When we were about to leave, she asked if we like pears.

Her neighbor gave her a box of pears.

But they are already ripe, and she said she didn’t want to let them go bad before she has time to eat them all.

So we came home with four perfectly ripe pears along with other goodies (she always has something for us to take home. :))

As soon as we were home, I got busy in the kitchen.

First, I made vegan Gorgonzola, and then galette dough.

It turned out beautiful!

It was scrumptious as it was.

But it was also good when a little maple syrup was drizzled.

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by : Reiko Breakfast, Sandwiches, Vegan Cheese, Vegan Egg, Vegan Meat

Vegan Egg Bacon Cheese Croissant Sandwich
V卵ベーコンチーズクロワッサンサンドイッチ

I met with a friend yesterday for the first time since this COVID19 started.

She brought beautiful croissants from her husband’s vegan bakery for me, and I was ecstatic!

So this morning I knew I wanted to make a sandwich with one.

I wanted to keep it simple.

Egg, bacon, and cheese.

Vegan and homemade, of course.

Oh, I smothered the cut side of the croissant pieces with maple syrup and vegan butter first.

Love the sweet and salty flavor combination.

I’m proud (?) of myself because I stopped myself from adding anything green, which I always want to do.

Isn’t it beautiful?

Okay, I didn’t put anything green in the sandwich, but I did put spinach salad on the plate.

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by : Reiko Sweets

Spiced Chocolate Pudding
シナモンチョコレートプリン

This recipe is amazing!

I was skeptical first because of the super simple ingredients and super simple process.

No eggs, no corn starch, no gelatin, and no ager.

AND, no added sugar or any type of sweetner.

You basically need three ingredients:

Bananas.

Soy milk.

Cocoa powder.

That’s it!

I added vanilla extract and cinnamon this time, but they are certainly optional.

The recipe is in Japanese.

https://ameblo.jp/makahou8/entry-12361177460.html?frm=theme

I used her recipe posted on her Instagram account, which is slightly different from the one on her blog.

I don’t know how those three simple ingredients can create this perfect texture, but they magically do.

This was so good!

My husband, who does not eat bananas, did eat this and liked it!!

Definitely a guilt-free snack I can enjoy in the afternoon.

Or you can drizzle maple syrup sweetened vegan yogurt.

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by : Reiko Breakfast, Rice/Grains

Oatmeal Onigiri
オートミールおにぎり

Based on my observation of Japanese people’s Instagram posts, oatmeal has become increasingly popular in Japan.

It’s not for everyone, but it seems well liked especially those who are health-conscious.

It’s interesting to see how they use oatmeal, and some of their oatmeal dishes are very creative.

When I saw “oatmeal onigiri” I was intrigued.

Onigiri (rice ball) is usually made with rice (you probably guessed! :)), so I wanted to see how oatmeal would work by making it myself.

Well, it worked!

Did I like it?

YES!!

Well, the texture is unique, but I like oatmeal, so I will definitely make it again.

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by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta, Vegan Meat

V-Beef and Crimini Stroganoff
Vビーフきのこストロガノフ

During the week I usually stick with light meals, but on weekends I like to change things a bit and go for a richer dish.

I used my homemade vegan “beef” and crimini mushrooms for this dish, and I was happy with the result.

I would have liked homemade pasta, but I just simply didn’t have enough time.

So the second best thing.

Lasagna pasta.

I cook store-bought lasagna sheets and then cut them into wide strips.

I like to use them when I don’t have time because they have the chewy texture which is similar to the texture of homemade pasta.

I also like the wavy design on the edges too.

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by : Reiko Sweets

Spiced Baked Chocolate and Chocolate Chip Cookies
スパイス焼きチョコとチョコレートチップクッキー

We had a fun family event outside.

The host cooked burgers for everyone, and everyone was asked to bring a dish to share.

I was going to bring a big salad with spiced and roasted chickpeas and skip sweets.

I’ve been trying really hard not to eat sweets, and the best way for me to avoid extra sugar is not having them around.

But I did initially say I would make chocolate chip cookies, vegan, mostly for my husband to eat at the event, and he looked so disappointed when I told him I changed my mind.

I felt so bad that I got up at 5:45 a.m. the morning of the event to go to the grocery store that opens at 6:00 a.m. to buy chocolate chips.

The cookies turned out great.

Crispy outside and chewy inside.

I had to admit I was glad that I had missed them.

But the best thing was that my husband really enjoyed them.

I always feel bad a little when we go to family gatherings and he cannot eat any sweets when others munch on sugary options after a meal.

I took advantage of this opportunity to try the recipe I had been interested in for a while.

This is a Japanese recipe and they call it “Yaki-Choco” literally means baked chocolate.

Super simple ingredients, chocolate, flour, and corn starch.

I added cinnamon to mine.

The batter was harder than expected, which made it impossible for piping, but they still turned out great.

The texture is delicate, and I really liked it.

They were good when frozen and crunchy too.

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