The last few days have been quite warm, but I know, you know, and at this point, everybody knows, that fall is here.
It’s the pumpkin/squash season.
Kabocha is one of my favorite types of squash.
Freshly cooked pasta.
Creamy and cheesy Kabocha sauce with a hint of Kimchi.
Orange lentils.
A generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.
Hearty and Delicious!
This plate turned out to be so colorful, and I loved it.
My homemade vegan bratwurst was pan-sautéed, along with potatoes.
In case you were wondering, those adorable-looking potatoes were from a can.
I was first introduced to canned potatoes when a fabulous dinner with these potatoes was presented by friends who were professional cooks visiting from France.
They look good, don’t they?
The key is to brown them well to create crust on the surface.
Purple cabbage sauerkraut was cooked with apples and flavored with a little sugar and vinegar.
The color is amazing!
I love pickles.
When I thought I had tried every kind of pickles, I found something new!
Well, it was technically called “tsuke-mono,” Japanese style pickles.
When I saw Kabocha Tsukemono in Kyoto, Japan, I had to try it.
It was pleasantly crunchy, and the combination of sweetness, saltiness, and tartness was perfect.
My pickled Kabocha turned out great!
Love the bright orange color as well.
Another leftover makeover.
Yes, these were made with leftover mashed potatoes.
I’m surprised by how many dishes you can make out of mashed potatoes!
If you make croquettes from scratch, it does take some time, but when you already have mashed potatoes, the process is so quick and easy.
The Panko bread crumbs make them perfectly crispy!
Inside you will find homemade vegan cheddar and chopped vegan roast meat.
I loved the potato Mochi cakes that I made a few days ago so much that I made them again.
This time I made them smaller.
Beautiful color!
I hope you can tell how crispy they are outside.
They were skewered like the snack called “Mitarashi” mochi balls which are a popular Japanese snack.
They were covered with thick shiny glaze just like “Mitarashi.”
So good!!
I tried not to make too much food for Thanksgiving dinner.
But I did end up with a lot of mashed potatoes (and a few other things).
Here is my leftover makeover project 1.
It’s called potato mochi cakes.
A Japanese snack.
These are super easy to make and so tasty!
The Teriyaki glazed cakes are so addictive!
I couldn’t stop eating!!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Here is the main dish of this year.
Mushroom stuffed vegan roast.
Isn’t it beautiful?
This homemade roast was so good!! (so much better than store-bought ones.)
Glazed Satsuma sweet potatoes with black sesames.
Sauteed broccolini with crushed red pepper.
Corn bread.
Kale persimmon salad.
Salad is traditionally a part of Thanksgiving dinner, but I still like to have fresh vegetables.
Also on the table were garlic mashed potatoes, mushroom walnut gravy, and mandarin cranberries.
My husband and I are spending the day with the family at his mother’s house.
Looking forward to seeing everyone and hanging out.
We are planning to bring some of these dishes so that we will have something to eat, but I heard my mother-in-law is also modifying some of her recipes to make a few dishes vegan for us, which I very much appreciate.
I’ve never paid much attention to Kabocha.
But since I started the plant-based diet, it quickly became one of my favorite things, especially this time of the year!
Luckily, it has become much easier to find Kabocha in the U.S. the past few years.
Love it’s taste, texture, color, well, everything!
I scraped the “meat” off the skin for this risotto, only because I wanted to keep the color bright orange.
But I usually eat the skin (I actually ate these skin pieces too. Why not? They are too good not to be enjoyed).
Mont Blanc is a mountain to most people.
But in Japan when people hear “Mont Blanc,” it could also mean a cake!
Mont Blanc cake is traditionally made with chestnut cream.
This time I decided to use sweet potatoes because I happened to have some and the color was beautiful.
I did decorate the came in the traditional way.
I didn’t have the specific decorating tip for it, but I did my best.
I’m very happy with the result, both the look and the taste!
Rum syrup soaked cake at the bottom.
Homemade cashew cream cheese inside.
Sweet potato butter cream.
Topped off with sweet red beans.
I don’t know why I don’t make wraps more often.
They are easy to make and easy to eat!
Probably one of the best hand-held food you can have while driving.
Well, I didn’t need to go anywhere, but these were still so good.
I wrapped all my breakfast favorites, like scrambled tofu, roasted potatoes, sautéed veggies, marinated tempeh, and spinach leaves, plus sundried mayo.
This was so tasty, and all the awesome nutrition was packed as well.
