Onigiri, or Japanese rice ball, is so versatile
You can stuff it with filling.
You can wrap it with seaweed.
Or you can decorate it to make it look like you!
I just used whatever I happened to have in the fridge.
It was a lot of fun creating these.
Miso soup with lots of veggies and seaweed.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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).
I’ve been having fun making different types of tofu lately.
I have made this and this in the past.
This time I decided to make Edamame version.
This delicate tofu turned out to be absolutely delicious!!
It’s almost like mousse.
I enjoyed my first Edamame tofu on rice.
Isn’t this beautiful?
Well, it was beautiful and delicious at the same time.
To complete my meal I made ginger miso soup.
Adding grated ginger to miso soup is my favorite in autumn and winter.
Ginger warms up my body.
This was smashed cucumber.
You smash a cucumber with something heavy and hard (I used a rolling pin) and marinate in slightly sweet sesame flavored marinade.
Have a great week everyone!
Remember I made Onigirazu rice sandwich the other day?
It was such a big hit at our house, I decided to make another one.
I thought the vegan fried “fish” would perfect to put in this rice sandwich.
This time I put too much inside the Nori seaweed sheet, and I was afraid that it wouldn’t close.
I had to add an additional small piece of Nori sheet, but I was relieved when it finally closed (well barely!).
In this Onigirazu rice sandwich, you will find the vegan fried “fish” arugula-spinach mix, tomato slices, and Yuzu coleslaw.
This was absolutely delicious!
You can see how substantial the vegan “fish” is.
Extremely happy with the result!
Fried rice with homemade watermelon pickles.
Well, technically rice was fried with watermelon pickles, scrambled tofu, and Japanese Shiso basil.
I really enjoyed the crunchy texture of the pickles.
You don’t have to do this, but I like to serve my fried rice shaped like this.
This is how I remember a lot of Chinese restaurants serving fried rice in Japan.
The fried rice was served with nectarine arugula salad, miso soup, and iced coffee.
A well-balanced nutritious lunch plate!
This style of rice sandwich became extremely popular in Japan about five years ago.
It’s called “Onigirazu.”
At that time it seemed that everyone in Japan was making this.
I’m always a bit behind of trends, and now five years later I made my first Onigirazu.
You can basically use anything you like once you have roasted seaweed sheets and slightly salted rice, but for this one you’ll find tempeh, turmeric tofu, and Shiso (Japanese basil) coleslaw.
They were a bit loose but held the shape just fine.
I think this was a success!
I will definitely make Onigirazu again.
One of the reasons I like bibimbap is that you can eat a lot of veggies.
Typically the veggies are prepared simply so that you can really enjoy the actual taste of the veggies
Sesame carrot.
Enoki mushroom.
Spicy cucumber.
Sprouts.
A must for bibimbap if you ask me.
Homemade seitan steak.
So good!
When I thought I had made every kind of sushi roll, there was something new!
I LOVED the watermelon pickles I made so much, and I thought this would be great in sushi.
In this roll you’ll find avocado, Japanese Shiso basil leaves, and watermelon pickles.
I love how it looks.
So pretty, like a jewelry box!
Yes you could have just eaten it without all the toppings, but toppings are good, right?
Teriyaki glaze, homemade vegan mayo, and fried onion.
Tasty!!
Once in a while I crave for Japanese curry and I make it.
It tastes good particularly in summer.
I sautéed zucchini and asparagus in a pan, and roasted Kabocha squash in the oven.
Homemade pickled ginger.
Chirashi has always been one of my favorite sushi dishes.
In regular Chirashi bowl you will find various types of fish placed over sushi rice.
Since I switched to the plant-based diet, I have wanted to make a plant-based version.
When I succeeded in making this delicious vegan “salmon” I knew I was finally ready.
This turned out delicious and pretty, and completely satisfied my craving!
