by : Reiko Bread, Soup/Stew

Broccoli Cheddar K-Soup
ブロッコリーチェダーKスープ

I love soup.

I though I tried almost every kind of popular soup.

But then I realized that I had never had broccoli cheddar soup.

At a restaurant or at home.

Never!

Since I had this awesome homemade vegan cheddar cheese in the fridge, I decided to go for it.

I did a little research on how to make it, and then I realized that ingredients are so simple.

I wanted my version a bit more whole-food friendly, so I decided to add a secret ingredient: Kabocha.

Creamy, cheesy, rich, flavorful, yet, not heavy.

The cheddar melted beautifully, and I was just amazed by how well delicious this soup turned out!

And lucky me.

Earlier I went to my favorite vegan bakery and got these beautiful croissants.

Loved every single bite!

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

Potato Chickpea Curry with Roti
じゃがひよこ豆カレーとロティ

I like Indian food, especially curry.

If I had to choose one country’s food to eat for the rest of my life (besides Japan’s), it may have to be Indian food.

This smells so good.

So does the whole kitchen!

Actually, the main reason I made curry was I needed something that would go well with my homemade roti.

I tried this recipe, and I really enjoyed the whole process, including forming the dough into these cute little guys before flattening them.

The roti turned out great!

Warm, soft, and flaky.

Perfect!

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by : Reiko Potatoes/Squash, Soup/Stew

Chili and Chips
チリ・アンド・チップス

Chili and Chips!

First, chili.

I used my homemade vegan meatballs.

They were roughly crumbled and they kept their texture in chili really well.

Potatoes are not probably the typical thing that accompanies chili, but why not?!

I oven-baked them, and they turned out delicious!!

I probably like these more than fried ones.

I like my chili with something sour, cheesy, and creamy, so that’s what I made.

This is cashew-based, and you can do so much with the nuts.

More fixings.

This was my first time to have potatoes with chili, but I really liked it!

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by : Reiko Soup/Stew

BB (Basic and Best) Roasted Veggie Soup
BB（ベーシック・ベスト）ローストベジスープ

It feels like winter just hijacked our state.

Fall came and went too quickly this year.

One of my favorite things to make this time of the year is soup.

Roasted veggie soup is so simple yet so delicious.

This mug is the perfect size for soup.

The handle is big and easy to hold.

I also love the organic texture.

This is rather the type of soup that you “eat” instead of “drink”.

And I’m perfectly okay with it.

If you add lentils like I did this time, it can be a meal itself.

This soup was simply finished with salt, pepper, and some herbs.

This way you can really appreciate the flavors from the beautifully roasted vegetables.

I sometimes make a big batch, and then add things the next few days so that we won’t get tired of eating the same thing, although we usually finish it without having a chance to do so!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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by : Reiko Rice/Grains, Soup/Stew

“Z” Keema Curry
Z キーマカレー

Keema Curry is typically made with ground meat.

I happened to have homemade plant-based “ground meat”, and I decided go for it.

My other co-star in this curry is zucchini.

I always try to find a way to sneak in some seasonal vegetables in my dishes.

Served with brown rice.

Delicious!

We’ve been having unexpectedly hot weather in Minnesota the past few days, and this curry was perfect.

It’s funny that we tend to enjoy eating spicy food on a hot day, but it’s always true.

And like any other curry, it tastes better the next day.

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Noodles/Pasta, Soup/Stew

Showa Curry Ramen
昭和カレーラーメン

Curry is not the most popular soup flavor for ramen, but it does exist and it is tasty.

This is my second ramen bowl.

I found it at the local Asian grocery store, and I liked the colors and the design.

I didn’t notice it when I saw it at the store, but when it was compared to my other bowl, it’s significantly larger.

I wonder if it’s made in US, reflecting the general portion size difference?

Noodles go in.

It doesn’t look much in this bowl, but I actually placed more than I typically use for one person.

Since I don’t make curry ramen often, I was a little uncertain about what to use for garnish.

I simply topped it off with corn, scallion, and tomatoes.

Loved the combination of the sweet corn and curry.

 

If you like ramen and if you like Japanese curry, this is a must!

I made my curry soup from scratch without using the store-bought roux, and it turned out delicious!

Recommended beverage: Cold Brew Sencha Green Tea.

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by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta, Soup/Stew

Lasagna Soup with V-Sausage and Nutty Parm
ラザニアスープ

When I discovered something called “Lasagna Soup” exists, I had to try it.

Freshly cooked lasagna sheets were cut into smaller pieces.

My homemade V-sausage was perfect to accompany the lasagna pasta.

Does it look tasty or what?

My nutty parm was made with the recipe from this book (slightly modified).

This soup was absolutely delicious, and I loved it.

Whoever came up with the idea is genius!

By the way, this is one of my recent favorite shirts to wear.

I bought it at Target, but I only recently learned that it is one of their new clothing brands, called “Who What Wear”.

I did notice that Target’s clothing section has gotten a face-lift lately, and I find myself looking at clothes at Target definitely more often than before.

I wore this gingham blouse with puffy sleeves in this post as well.

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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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