by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta, Soup/Stew

Kitsune (Fried Bean Curd) Wakame Soba
きつねわかめ蕎麦

This fried soybean curd is called “abura-age” in Japanese.

It’s something I enjoy cooking and eating when I get tired of eating tofu.

It’s plant-based.

Yes, it’s processed, but only minimally.

It’s pre-fried, so the fat that comes with it gives a great flavor.

It was braised in slightly sweetened soy-sauce based broth before added to the soup.

It’s plump and juicy with delicious broth absorbed inside.

The other toppings are Wakame seaweed, fried onion, and green onion.

They are some of my favorite toppings!

I love soba.

I like noodles in general, but soba is definitely one of my favorites.

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by : Reiko Potatoes/Squash, Soup/Stew

Curried Kabocha Potage
カレー風味かぼちゃポタージュ

I’ve tried different types of squash, but Kabocha continues to be one of my favorites!

I usually leave the skin when I cook Kabocha, but this time I peeled it off only because I wanted my soup to have a bright orange color.

The orange color from the soup and the red from the pot look so good together.

Creamy, slightly sweet, and spiced.

And the color!

Perfect for this time of the year.

We don’t have any Halloween-specific plan today, but we are going to have dinner and watch the Vikings game with our neighbor friend tonight.

So that was the reason I made this soup.

I am bringing it over to her place tonight.

I also got this flower pot for her because she always lends me her books, and this is a little way to say thank you.

(She has a great selection of books, and I haven’t had any of her books I didn’t like!)

Hope she likes the flower pot.

I personally really like the colors.

Very autumn-like.

Apparently this is NOT the book I borrowed from my friend.

Her book I just finished reading is called “The Invention of Wings” by Sue Monk Kidd, and it was excellent.

(Oh, and I do not recommend reading a book when your soup is ready. You don’t want to let it cold!)

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Soup/Stew, Vegan Egg

Chickpea Curry with V-Egg
目玉焼きのせひよこ豆カレー

I get craving for the Japanese style curry like this.

My mother, like everybody else, always used the same things to the curry, onions, carrots, potatoes, and some type of meat.

So for the longest time I had a hard time imagining curry without those.

But then switching to the plant-based diet changed everything!

You just have to think out of the box almost all the time.

So in this curry you’ll see onions, carrots, and chickpeas!

The curry was great!

But the star of this meal was this vegan egg.

It just gives the whole dish a complete look that I love.

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by : Reiko Bread, Nuts/Seeds, Soup/Stew

Cheesy Chili
とろーりチーズチリ

This is the chili I made the other day.

At the last minute we decided to visit my mother-in-law, and we offered to bring lunch.

(that makes things easier because she doesn’t have to think about what the heck she can make for us to eat(lol).)

We brought this chili, homemade sourdough bread, and a bag of Asian salad (that she likes, from a grocery store close to her house).

For the “meat” I used seitan meat and walnuts.

I’m so grateful that my mother-in-law is always so open to new food.

She finished her chili saying it was very good.

Later we accidentally found out that she had been at my brother-in-law’s place the night before and chili was served for dinner…

I usually go for cornbread when I have chili, but I found sourdough as a good option too.

We like our chili with homemade vegan cheddar.

It definitely adds extra depth and richness in flavor.

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by : Reiko Asian Food, Rice/Grains, Soup/Stew

Cheese Soy Tteokbokki
チーズ揚げトッポギ

Several weeks ago I started this little project, visiting ethnic grocery stores in the Twin Cities area, one a weekend.

I’ve been rather busy the past few weeks, and I’m taking a little break from it.

But the last store I explored was a Korean store, and some of the things I bought included this Korean rice cake.

This was my first time to cook it, and I decided to serve it in a traditional way.

I didn’t buy these from the particular store, but I’ve already had them in my pantry/fridge.

I don’t know much about Korean cuisine, but I believe these are some of the things they use a lot, and I was glad I got to use them for this dish.

My first impression after my first bite was “HOT!!”

But after the first bite, I really enjoyed this dish.

Yes, it is spicy, but it’s also very flavorful.

My husband and I don’t do well with spicy food (we always ask for “mild” whenever restaurants offer that option!), but we both agreed that this was a good spicy dish.

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