Before I switched to the plant-based diet, the combination of steak and blue cheese was one of my favorites.
But now I can make vegan steak, and I decided to re-create the flavors again.
Doesn’t this look beautiful?
By the way, the blue cheese is also homemade and plant-based.
This is delicious as well.
Love the look of this salad.
Absolutely delicious!!
Who knew you could still enjoy a salad like this as a plant-eater?!
Do I still eat steak, you ask?
Well, I do.
I eat cauliflower steak!
And it’s so much easier to cook this steak than meat.
It’s so delicious that everyone should try it at least once.
I’m from Japan, so of course I love rice, but I also like other kinds of grains, like this one, farro.
A pretty good dinner plate, if you ask me.
I’m also a big fan of salad toppings, and hemp seed is one of my favorites.
Today we had an official birthday party for my husband.
Celebrated it with the family, and it was great to see everyone.
It was originally my mother-in-law’s idea, and she even offered her place for the party.
Since my husband always tells me not to throw a surprise party, so I didn’t hide the plan from him.
At the same time, I felt a bit bad because my mother-in-law maybe wanted it to be a surprise for him, and I took the fun away.
We decided to keep things simple and decided to make tacos, because we thought it wouldn’t be too complicated to feed vegans (basically the two of us) and non-vegans (everyone else).
I cooked non-vegan “meat” and my mother-in-law made the actual meat version.
(One of the guests thought the tofu was “chicken”!)
I also made black bean corn quinoa salad and baked three different kinds of cookies.
I initially thought about making a cake myself, but since I haven’t perfected the frosting (non-coconut flavored) yet, I decided to order it from Dulceria Bakery.
My husband picked this Mexican Cajeta Cake (caramel cake).
I thought it was a bit too sweet for me, but he liked it, so I was happy.
Who doesn’t like spaghetti dinner?!
I grew up in Japan, but “Spaghetti with Meat Sauce” was definitely on top of my list.
Since we don’t eat meat anymore, the preparation for the “meat sauce” takes a bit longer.
First I make a meatloaf, and then I crumble it into smaller pieces.
So, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce is usually made the day after a meatloaf dinner at our house, but sometimes I make a meatloaf just because I want to have the spaghetti dish.
Well, it’s worth it.
I keep my “meat sauce” simple with only a few ingredients.
My “must” is a can of “whole tomatoes”.
It always makes my sauce taste better than when a can of diced or crashed tomatoes is used.
The spaghetti was served with Carsar salad.
In my world, this is the best thing to go with this spaghetti dish.
Doesn’t it look tasty?
My trusted nutty parm was generously sprinkled.
Voila!
Carpaccio is always a great way to showcase seasonal produce.
It’s such a light dish, so it can be enjoyed as an appetizer or a snack.
This was what I got from the local farmers market.
The colors are just amazing!
You can hand-cut them, but a slicer makes the process so much easier.
You can basically place the slices any way you like.
There are no rules.
This is where you can play with your food without feeling guilty!
Since the veggies are so delicious as they are, I could have just eaten them simply with salt.
But it was also delicious when served with chickpea white miso dressing and fresh mint.
My husband and I enjoyed it as a pre-dinner snack, and we finished it in no time.
Near our house a new boutique opened several weeks ago, and I absolutely love their selection.
If I see something I like, it will be hard for me to not buy it, so I usually try not to look at their window when I walk by them.
But today after having lunch at a local deli, I decided to “just look”, and I fell in love this this cute pants suit.
This was a perfect kind of clothing to wear on a hot summer day like today!
Have a great weekend everyone!
I’m hoping my husband takes me out for a nice dinner tonight, so I can wear this suit.
Our family got together at my brother-in-law’s house for the father’s day celebration today.
Since my brother-in-law was cooking burgers and hot dogs, the rest of the members brought side dishes.
These are the things I brought…
Lemony Garbanzo Farro Salad.
Veggies.
As usual.
I’ve learned that people (well, at least our family) eat more when veggies are served separately like this (vs. mixed together in a big bowl).
When I heard my little nephew, Carter, asking his mother to get him broccoli and cucumber, I couldn’t help smiling.
This is my new thing.
Dressing in a jar.
I learned making dressing in a jar from Ms. Ree by watching her show.
This is absolutely genius.
You can mix all the ingredients by simply shaking it.
Also it’s easy to bring to a potluck because you can close the lid tight.
Grandma Kiel’s molasses cookies.
It was great to see everyone today, especially my father-in-law for a good reason.
I’m so glad that he is healthy, active, and enjoying his retirement so much.
My father-in-law and my father are the two most active men I know, and I think it’s awesome.
