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

Pot Sticker Combo Meal
食堂餃子ランチセット

Combo meals are nothing new in the U.S.

But typical combo meals you get in Japan look a bit different.

Instead of fries and soda, you typically get rice and soup (and maybe some kind of small veggie dish) that accompany the main dish.

And this is the kind of lunch option I often wish we had here.

My pot stickers were cooked beautifully.

Love the nonstick griddle.

It’s big and cooks a lot of pot stickers at once.

Garlic black pepper scallion soup.

Pea and corn fried rice.

Having a lot of plates on the table always makes me happy.

But it also usually means that you get a balanced meal.

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by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Soup/Stew

T’s White Bean Soup
お気に入り白豆スープ

I like bean soup, but this white bean soup is my husband’s absolute favorite.

We haven’t had it for a while, so when I received a formal request, I was happy to make it.

I usually don’t add too much to my white bean soup, but this time I had this idea of putting a few things.

And one of them was my V-sausage.

Other than sausage, in this soup are potatoes, corn, and kale.

Oh, and a little crushed red pepper on top.

I made a big batch, and I can take a little break from cooking for a few days (or not).

Usually the problem is the opposite, because I come up with too many ideas and make too many things for just the two of us!

This soup was delicious!!

I absolutely loved it.

I’m so glad that my husband suggested bean soup, because I really liked using beans to thicken the soup instead of using flour-fat based roux.

By the way, the lovely soup bowl you see in this post is one of my recent purchases.

This is Ms. Ree’s brand, and I fell in love with their colorful and rustic look.

Her TV cooking show, The Pioneer Woman, has been one of my favorite cooking shows for a few years.

Although I no longer eat meat, I still enjoy the show; well, she is married to a cattle rancher, so her food is definitely NOT vegan (lol).

I watch her show because I like her food “ideas” for sure, but mostly I’m really interested in the country life she lives.

I’m definitely a city girl, and I will probably never live in country, but I always like “imagining” a country life.

I guess I enjoy vicariously experiencing a country life through her show.

Happy Saturday everyone!

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by : Reiko Main Dish, Rice/Grains, Soup/Stew

Ratatouille K-Style
ラタトゥイユ・Kスタイル

Ratatouille is one of my favorite go-to dishes to make at the end of the weekend.

I usually make a big batch so that I can enjoy it all through the following week.

You can basically use any vegetables, but my must-have ingredient is eggplant.

I also do not like my eggplant to become too soft, so I cook it in a separate pan and add it at the last minute.

It’s an Italian dish, but that does not stop me from adding some ethnic flair to it.

THis time I added gochujang, Korean red chili paste.

This sweet and spicy fermented paste gives a depth in the flavors.

It was perfect when served over rice.

You know me, I have to have something green on my plate, and I added chopped spinach to my rice.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Eat your veggies.

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by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Potatoes/Squash, Soup/Stew

Comin’ Home Baby Cottage Pie
カミン・ホーム・ベイビー・コテージパイ

Cottage pie has the word, “homey”, all over the dish.

I’m not English, but I love cottage pie because of it’s the kind of dish I would love to come home for after a long day.

The stew inside has lots of things I love, like lentils, cauliflower, and carrots.

They were all cooked together to create a wonderful flavor depth with a little (or probably not so little!) help from red wine.

I also spiced it up a little.

Can you see the cinnamon stick?

And never forget the wonder these fresh herbs can do.

The garlicky mashed potato on the top was made with regular potatoes and sweet potatoes, which is why it ended up with this beautiful orange color.

The stew is pretty chunky, just the way I like it.

This makes an awesome dinner when served with simple green salad and a glass of wine.

And how about playing that jazz song for the background music…

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