Fruit

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 Fruit, Other

Green Tea Yuzu-Ade
緑茶柚子エード＆のんびり一週間

This one week between Christmas and New Year always feels so different.

It makes me want to be laid back and really relax in a good way.

And this drink definitely helped me do just that.

The refreshing flavor of Yuzu goes so well with green tea.

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December 26, 2022

by : Reiko Fruit, Pizza/Flatbread, Potatoes/Squash

Apple Kabocha Pizza with Cashew Yogurt and Pecan Nuts
林檎かぼちゃピザ、カシューヨーグルトとピーカンナッツのせ

Walking to the local farmers market is something we do in the morning on most Saturdays.

I love this little routine we have.

But you can tell things are quickly changing, with less leafy vegetables and more root vegetables…

This means we only have a few weeks left before they close until next spring.

One of the things we got from the market was these Regent apples.

This particular vendor was so knowledgeable and friendly, and she helped us pick which to cheese.

We loved these apples.

They are crisp, sweet, juicy, and just super tasty!

The Kabocha is from Trader Joe’s.

I have bought Kabocha from the farmers market in the past, but some of them that they were labeled as “Kabocha” did not taste like actual Kabocha.

So unfortunately, now I only buy Kabocha from stores.

I cooked the pizza with Kabocha slices (quickly pre-cooked in the microwave) and apple slices first, and then, it was served with cashew yogurt, pecan nuts, maple syrup, and cinnamon.

This was delicious!!

There is something so special about fall foods.

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October 16, 2022

by : Reiko Fruit, Japanese Food, Rice/Grains

Plant-Based Chirashi-Sushi
菜鮮ちらし寿司

Chirashi literally means “scattered”.

Chirashi-sushi is a bed of sushi rice with various things (usually fresh fish) scattered over rice.

As I said above, it’s usually fish (especially those found at Japanese restaurants in the U.S.), but in Japan a lot of people use other things, including a lot of vegetables.

The one you find here is still a bit unusual even for Japanese people, mainly because it contains fruit.

I actually really enjoy fruit with sushi rice.

It’s delicious, especially when they are also with wasabi soy sauce!

Yum!!

I always like to have a bowl of miso soup with my sushi.

This one has a lot of vegetables and Wakame seaweed.

And more seaweed!

This one is called “Hijiki”, braised.

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January 23, 2021

by : Reiko Asian Food, Fruit, Rice/Grains

Apple Fried Rice
りんご炒飯

Yes, I’m still enjoying creating dishes featuring apples.

This time fried rice!

You know, many Thai restaurants serve pineapple fried rice, and the idea came from it.

Apples get caramelized and create wonderful flavors.

Apples and tempeh were cooked first, rice and green onion were added and then they were fried together.

Looks good, doesn’t it?

It was so tasty!

If you like pineapple rice, you will love this one.

The apple fried rice was served with a little bit of this and that.

I love having small dishes like this for my meal.

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November 4, 2019

by : Reiko Fruit, Noodles/Pasta

Nectarine Bow Tie Pasta
ネクタリン蝶ネクタイパスタ

It was one of those “lucky” dishes that I didn’t plan to make but ended up super tasty.

I had leftover homemade pasta.

I had these beautiful vined tomatoes and nectarines (not in the pic).

(This time of the year I almost always have nectarines in the house.)

Homemade bow tie pasta, mini tomatoes, nectarine, herbs (Shiso basil, mint, parsley), lemon zest, apricot white balsamic vinaigrette.

It was super refreshing and such a great way to enjoy the seasonal produce.

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September 3, 2019

by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast, Fruit

Earl Grey Cardamom Nectarine Toast
アールグレイ・カルダモン・ネクタリントースト

This is a great time of the year for someone like me who loves stone fruit.

I like them all, but my favorite is probably nectarine.

When I look at the shelf where peaches, nectarines, and plums are displayed next to one another, I typically go for the nectarine, mostly because when it comes to texture and taste it seems the most consistent.

My prune walnut earl grey crusty bread came handy.

It was lightly toasted, a thick layer of cardamom cashew cream cheese was spread, and then served with slices of fresh nectarine.

Simply scrumptious.

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August 18, 2019

by : Reiko Asian Food, Fruit, Jackfruit

Bulgogi JF Tacos
プルコギ風タコス

Happy Taco Tuesday!

These tacos were famous Korean meat dish, Bulgogi, inspired ones.

Bulgogi means “fire meat” according to Wikipedia, and my beautiful jackfruit from Trader Joe’s was cooked over high heat after marinated overnight.

The trick is that you really want to get the charred look and flavor to the “meat” at this point.

If you ask me, the fixing is as important a part of any tacos.

This time I prepared napa cabbage slaw and home-pickled Shiso (Japanese basil) cucumber.

Also mashed avocado.

Don’t they look fabulous?

This was a bit messy to eat, but I never mind getting messy when I’m eating something delicious.

By the way, I finally had a chance to eat ripe fresh jackfruit at a party thrown by a friend who is from Cambodia.

She said her dad did all the work, and pulled apart the fruit, which I hear is a lot of work.

It was so delicious that a few days later I went to a local Asian grocery store and bought some.

Thankfully, they had a package of fruit that has been already taken out of the whole thing.

It’s a bit expensive, but I LOVE this fruit.

Very tropical, and a mere bite instantly takes me to the imaginative tropical island!

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July 3, 2018

by : Reiko Fruit, Pizza/Flatbread

Uchi Pizza with Pistachio Avocado Cream
うちピザ、ピスタチオアボカドクリームのせ

My husband and I had Uchi Pizza for lunch today, because we were both working from home.

What’s Uchi Pizza?

Well, “Uchi” means “home” (in Japanese), and as you can guess, this was made and eaten at home.

This pizza was not only homemade, but also a result of good teamwork.

My husband made the crust (the night before), and it made our kitchen smell like heaven.

The crust turned out just the way we like it.

Thin, crispy, and light, yet, still having some nice chewiness.

I used to think every meal has to contain some sort of meat or seafood.

I was so wrong!

This pizza was loaded with seasonal veggies (this time we used yellow squash, red onion, green peppers, tomato, and purple cabbage); The cabbage was sprinkled after the pizza was cooked.

And it was absolutely perfect and satisfying.