Sometimes I think I got a good idea, but I’m nervous until I have the first bite.
I was feeling pretty good about this.
Well, cheeseburger tastes good, and sushi is always good.
So why not, right?
Well, it turned out that this was a good idea!
I did eat burgers before I started the plant-based diet, but it was never my favorite.
Actually when I really think about it, most of the time I did eat a burger was at some kind of gathering with family or friends, which means it was usually not my choice.
Even now I typically prefer patties that are made of vegetables, but once in a while I do have craving for a meaty burger (and my husband does enjoy it very much).
So we buy pre-made plant-based burgers once in a while.
A good thing is that more and more companies are making them.
Currently we are trying out different ones and see which we like the best.
We have tried Aldi’s Soy Protein Burger, Beyond Burger, and Gardein’s “Ultimade Plant-Based Burger”.
I did not care for the Aldi’s at all.
Its texture seemed weird to me (I do like their veggie and lentil burgers, but they don’t do much if you have craving for a meaty burger).
I do like Beyond Burger, and I feel comfortable ordering a burger from a vendor/restaurant if they tell me that’s what they use.
I have cooked the Gardein’s for my husband, and I do not like its smell while it’s being cooked.
I never tasted it myself, but my husband says it’s good.
Today we tried Dr. Prager’s Perfect Burger for the first time.
It cooked beautifully, and we both liked it very much.
The taste, texture, and smell were great, and it definitely satisfied our craving for a burger.
My husband made a burger with a bun and everything, but I was in the mood for rice, so I made a cheeseburger rice bowl.
This time the burger was pre-made, but the ketchup and the cheese were homamde.
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.
Why not paying extra attention to lunch when you have extra time.
I could have just make a rice bowl, but at the last minute I decided to make sushi.
Pretty ones.
Pickled beet slice with homemade vegan cream cheese and parsley.
Teriyaki tempeh.
Vegan egg with a seaweed belt.
Kiwi.
(Surprisingly makes a delicious Sushi.)
Strawberry.
Lightly picked radish and black sesame seeds.
Sauteed Enoki mushrooms with a seaweed belt.
Homemade vegan bacon.
In addition, there are tomato x Shiso basil and Edamame.
I wish I could have lunch like this everyday, or rather someone could prepare it for me!
But I had fun making this.
If you can make a wrap with a tortilla, why not make a wrap with roasted seaweed sheet?
I used the same idea.
Vegan “egg”, tempeh steak, homemade vegan cream cheese, pickled beets, avocado slices, sushi rice, and Aojiso Japanese basil leaves.
To tell the truth, this is my second attempt on this sushi wrap.
The first time I placed sushi rice to cover the whole sheet.
As a result, it got too “fat” and I was not able to fold it nicely to make a wrap.
Learning from this mistake, this time I placed rice only on the left side that becomes the top and the bottom layer when folded.
Ta-da!
This time it’s folded beautifully.
This was a fun project, and it was delicious!
I like to keep Koya Dofu, freeze-dried tofu, in my pantry because it doesn’t go bad for a long time, and it can be used to make many “meat” dishes as it has the right texture.
Katsu, or dee-fried meat, is a popular dish in Japan, and my husband and I both like it too.
Doesn’t this look great?
I use Panko for the crunch.
You can use any type of sauce, but this time I decided to go with sweet dark miso glaze.
This is popular in the Nagoya region, where I grew up.
This sauce goes so well not only with the Katsu but also with the shredded cabbage (and rice).
I’m so glad that now a few local Asian grocery stores carry the type of dark miso from the Nagoya Region, “Haccho”.
I made extra, because I knew we would enjoy this on other things as well.
Making Sushi rolls is a good idea when there are several leftover dishes, each a small amount.
That was exactly the reason why I made these rolls.
I had a little bit of vegan “omelet,” a little bit of cooked tempeh, and some “Kanpyo” that needed to be used in the freezer, and a few spinach leaves.
Doesn’t it look perfect though when rolled together like this?
This one got the Mexican theme, with vegan chorizo, avocado, tomato, and cilantro.
Lunch is ready!
This is another dish where I used left-over braised Hijiki and beans.
This creamy curry-flavored stew turned out delicious!
The sweetness from the chestnuts was also perfect to balance the spiciness.
There are so many Japanese food products you can buy in the U.S. toady.
I typically lie to make my Inari pouches myself, but I have to confess, store-bought ones are convenient.
I bought a package a few weeks ago, put it in the fridge, thinking I would thank myself when I want a tasty meal but I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
The day came yesterday.
If you are not familiar with “Inari Sushi,” it is sweet soy sauce braised soy curd pouch stuffed with sushi rice.
This time I decided to dress them up a little on the top.
You can’t see it, but there is rice at the bottom.
This one is Hijiki seaweed and beans.
Scrambled turmeric tofu.
Sesame carrot.
The Inari sushi was served with miso soup, kimchi, and Rakkyo pickles.
Have a great weekend everyone.
I was in a mood for Chinese food.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a go-to Chinese restaurant to get takeout from.
(I really need to get serious about finding one soon!)
So I decided to make Chinese “takeout” myself.
It took me 10 minutes, but I found these takeout boxes I had bought a long time ago and almost forgotten about.
So I was all set.
Lucky me. I happened to have homemade vegan chicken in the freezer.
So I made General Tso’s Chicken as a main dish.
Steamed and sautéed baby bok choy.
Salt and Pepper Crispy Tofu.
And fried rice.
Super happy with my plate!
No you don’t need to put the food in the container, but eating out of the container is a big fun part of eating Chinese takeout.
Who is with me?!
