Beans/Lentils

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Soup/Stew

T’s White Bean Soup
お気に入り白豆スープ

I like bean soup, but this white bean soup is my husband’s absolute favorite.

We haven’t had it for a while, so when I received a formal request, I was happy to make it.

I usually don’t add too much to my white bean soup, but this time I had this idea of putting a few things.

And one of them was my V-sausage.

Other than sausage, in this soup are potatoes, corn, and kale.

Oh, and a little crushed red pepper on top.

I made a big batch, and I can take a little break from cooking for a few days (or not).

Usually the problem is the opposite, because I come up with too many ideas and make too many things for just the two of us!

This soup was delicious!!

I absolutely loved it.

I’m so glad that my husband suggested bean soup, because I really liked using beans to thicken the soup instead of using flour-fat based roux.

By the way, the lovely soup bowl you see in this post is one of my recent purchases.

This is Ms. Ree’s brand, and I fell in love with their colorful and rustic look.

Her TV cooking show, The Pioneer Woman, has been one of my favorite cooking shows for a few years.

Although I no longer eat meat, I still enjoy the show; well, she is married to a cattle rancher, so her food is definitely NOT vegan (lol).

I watch her show because I like her food “ideas” for sure, but mostly I’m really interested in the country life she lives.

I’m definitely a city girl, and I will probably never live in country, but I always like “imagining” a country life.

I guess I enjoy vicariously experiencing a country life through her show.

Happy Saturday everyone!

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May 26, 2018

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Breakfast, Japanese Food

Ogura Toast Flight
小倉トーストよろずプレート

Ogura toast is a popular breakfast dish particularly in the area where I grew up.

Many cafes called “kissa-ten” which is an old-styled coffee shop serve breakfast (for free!) if you order a cup of coffee during the “morning” hour, and if you’re lucky, you may get ogura toast.

This time I decided to use French baguette to make mini ogura toasts.

The major ingredients are some type of bread (toasted), butter, and sweet red beans (adzuki).

I used to use store-bought sweet red beans, but now I cook my own, because homemade one tastes so much better (and cheaper).

Other than that, you can add anything you like.

This time, my selections were…

– Kinako (roasted soy bean powder)
– Matcha
– Cinnamon
– Black Sesame
– Cayenne

Surprisingly, the wild card (cayenne) was a winner!

Kinako was also my favorite.

Well, let’s just say they were all very good!

I intentionally made each small, so that I can enjoy all of them.

I would say, they were two-bite size.

Which one would you like to try?

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April 27, 2018

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Bread, Breakfast, Sweets

KYOTO Cinnamon Rolls
KYOTOシナモンロール

Any type of homemade rolls make an awesome weekend breakfast in my opinion.

Cinnamon is always a good idea.

This time I added homemade sweet red beans.

My roll does not form perfectly, but that’s okay.

A little imperfection is a charm in any homemade baked goods, right?

When they were out of the oven, I drizzled Matcha green glaze.

Or should I say I smothered the rolls.

Then sprinkle chopped walnuts.

If you ask me, this combination of cinnamon, sweet adzuki (red beans), Matcha, and walnuts is absolutely amazing!

A cup of hot coffee is definitely recommended to accompany these rolls.

Black, of course.

I am using a fork in this picture, but in reality, I used my hands.

It gets messy, but licking the mixture of sweet red beans and Matcha glaze is a fun part of this breakfast.

Have a great weekend!

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April 21, 2018

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Breakfast, Sweets

Miyabi Scones
雅スコーン

Scone is usually not my favorite baked goods to pick up from bakeries.

They look and sound cool, but often times I get disappointed by its dryness.

So I got very excited, because these scones turned out to be not only tasty but also nicely moist inside.

This is something I’ve been somewhat obsessed about lately.

It’s roasted soy bean powder, called “kinako”.

Kinako has been used for many many years as part of the traditional Japanese sweets.

It was never my favorite, when I lived in Japan, but now I really appreciate its unique sophisticated flavor.

Trader Joe’s really does a good job with packaging designs.

They make me want to buy their product because they look good in my kitchen.

These beautiful Japanese black beans were a gift from my friend, and I thought these would be perfect to be added to these scones.

I wonder if using beans for sweets is only found in Asia, and if so, why that is…?

Just out of the oven!

These scones were so good, and I really enjoyed them with my homemade v-butter.

Perfect for breakfast and snack.

I still have some “kinako” left, so I guarantee you’ll see other things made with it soon here.

Miyabi Scones – makes about 8

175g all purpose flour
50g “kinako” Japanese roasted soy bean powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
a pinch salt
25g sugar
55g refined coconut oil, in solid condition
150ml soy milk
1/2 cup cooked Japanese black beans “kuromame”
soy milk to brush on before baking

1. Preheat the oven to 410F.
2. Combine flour, kinako, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Mix well.
3. Add coconut oil. Mix using hands.
4. Add milk and black beans. Do not knead.
5. Flat the dough, about 1-inch thick.
6. Cut out; I used a 7cm round cutter. Place on a pan lined with parchment paper.
7. Brush soy milk on top.
8. Bake for about 15 minutes.

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April 13, 2018

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Main Dish, Mushrooms, Rice/Grains

Awesome V Meatloaf
Vミートローフ

Meatloaf was one of my husband’s favorite dishes when we were still eating meat.

I totally forgot about even the existence of this dish, but a few weeks ago he talked about it, and I kind of took it as a challenge.

I have actually made vegan meatloaf in the past, but it was not my favorite.

Although it tasted pretty good, but the texture was off.

It was a little too soft, and “beany”.

So this time I took some time really thinking about the best ingredients and the process to achieve the taste AND the texture that would satisfy me.

And I think I succeeded!

It’s got a nice crusty crust outside, the inside is moist and juicy, but got the right texture, definitely not soft or “beany” at all.

It’s almost crazy that it looks like the real “meat” meatloaf!

With a strong request from my husband, this meatloaf was served with gravy, instead of ketchup-based sauce.

My V-gravy recipe is found here.

The more gravy, the better anything tastes!

Okay, one more picture.

I hope you can really get an idea of how wonderful its texture is.

Leftover meatloaf was crumbled into small pieces and cooked with additional herbs and spice to make Italian sausage and then added to my tomato sauce.

I served it over spinach bowtie pasta, and it was a big hit at our house.

Here is the recipe for the V-Meatloaf.

Next time I will probably double the recipe so that I will have extra for making sausage, burger, or meatballs.

That’s how much we liked it!

Awesome V Meatloaf

1 cup walnuts
1 cup cooked lentils (do not cook too soft)
1 cup cooked wheat berries
1 cup quick oats
0.5 cup baguette slices soaked in soy milk (and then squeeze the milk out)
mixture of 3 tablespoons of flaxseed meal and 5 tablespoons of vegetable broth
1.5~2 cups mixture of chopped and sauteed garlic (3~4 cloves), 1 onion, 2 stalks celery, 1 package crimini mushrooms
1 tablespoon soy sauce
a pinch of sugar
salt and pepper
dried thyme
canola oil for brushing

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Process walnuts in a food processor until chopped into small pieces (do not make it into paste).
3. Add lentils, wheat berries, quick oats, and baguette to the walnuts. Process (pulse) until the mixture looks half paste and half coarse.
4. Take the mixture out of the food processor into a large bowl.
5. Add the flaxseed-broth mixture, vegetable mixture, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and thyme. Mix well.
6. Place in a parchment paper lined pan; I sed 9.5 x 5.5 x 2.5 pan, but only filled about a little over a 2/3 length.
7. Cook in the oven for 50 minutes. Brush the top with oil. Cook for another 10 minutes. I broiled the top for a few minutes to give the extra crustiness.

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April 9, 2018

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Rice/Grains

Secret Garden Sushi Cake
秘密の花園寿司ケーキ

Happy Easter!

My husband got me these beautiful tulips.

Tulip is one of my favorite flowers.

It looks so good in my white kitchen.

So for Easter, when it comes to food, it’s all about the pretty pastel colors, in my opinion.

Ham is out.

So, in that case, really anything goes, right?

So what did I make?

A sushi cake!

This was such a fun project, and I really enjoyed putting this together.

We are big green tea drinkers.

We usually stick to real Japanese tea grown in Japan, but this Harney and Sons’ Matcha Iri Genmaicha is my recent favorite.

Love the color and the design of the container, too.

It comes in individual bags.

I was happy to see the individually cut pieces looked still pretty.

Yep, I got my Easter blouse out.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

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April 1, 2018

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Sweets

Adzuki Brownies
小倉ブラウニー

We hear that our country has been becoming diverse.

But when I saw “Adzuki” beans being sold at a regular (not an Asian store) grocery store, the word “diversity” really hit me.

I almost couldn’t believe it!

Adzuki beans are typically cooked to make sweet bean paste that has been a major part of traditional Japanese sweets for many many years.

Although some Japanese dishes (e.g., sushi, ramen) have become pretty well-known, adzuki has not really caught any attention.

So I was extremely surprised that they were this easy to come by.

The price is not bad either.

I bought 300g (0.66 lbs) and it was less than $3.

My mom cooks adzuki beans herself and makes sweet paste.

But this was my first time cooking adzuki, and I quickly found out that cooking beans can take time.

It took me a little over 2 hours from start to finish, but it was so worth it, because it tastes so much better than the store-bought one that I usually get from an Asian store.

There are so many things you can make with this, but there was a recipe I wanted to try.

Brownies!

Adzuki beans and chocolate?

Well, it’s actually not a bad combination.

These brownies are tasty yet light, and before you know it, your hand is reaching for one after another.

The recipe called for rice flour.

I don’t have a lot of experience baking with rice flour, so I didn’t know what to expect.

But I really liked the final result.

Texture-wise, it’s closer to cake than brownies.

These can be a nice little gift when wrapped individually.

By the way, I started pottery again.

I’m still the super beginner, and there are a lot to learn.

But I really enjoy serving food on my own plate.

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March 31, 2018

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Breakfast, Tofu

Anything Goes Shakshuka
こんなのもいいシャクシュカ

Shakshuka was one of my favorite weekend breakfast dishes.

So when I switched to the 100% plant-based diet, I thought I would have to say good-bye to it forever.

But once I became more confident in plant-cooking, I thought maybe I could still enjoy the dish with a little twist.

So this shakshuka was made with soft scrambled tofu instead of poached eggs.

Well, anything goes, after all, when it comes to home-cooking right? (lol)

This shakshuka not only has a totally different look outside, but also contains a lot of yumminess inside, like lentils and eggplant,which makes the dish a little more substantial.