by : Reiko Breakfast, Pizza/Flatbread, Uncategorized, Vegan Egg

Breakfast Pizza Picnic
朝食ピザでピクニック

Since we enjoyed our last picnic so much that we decided to do it again.

I was initially thinking of making rice balls, but I didn’t prepare enough for that, so instead I went with pizza.

I still needed to make crust, but it takes much less time than cooking rice.

I usually make my egg with tofu or a mixture of tofu and chickpea flour, but today I just used chickpea flour (because the cheese I was going to use is made of tofu), and I really liked it.

Hash browns.

I found these on sale ($2.99 instead of $6.99).

Of course, I grabbed some.

I cooked the sausage as another topping.

I used my favorite tofu crust and make the sheetpan pizza.

This turned out great!

I packed up a few more things.

I also got my hot green tea packed just like the last time.

We decided to go to the same spot as the last time.

It was another cloudy day.

Today I didn’t even bother to bring a hat or sunglasses.

The pizza was so good!

We got some veggies and dip.

Green tea for me.

My husband brought coffee.

Unsweetened vegan yogurt with blueberries and currants.

It was another successful picnic breakfast.

But toward the end it started sprinkling, so we packed everything up quick once we finished eating.

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by : Reiko Asian Food, Main Dish, Uncategorized

Vegan Beef & Broccoli (and Mushrooms)
ヴィーガン・ビーフ＆ブロッコリ（アンド・きのこ）

Chinese food is something I crave for regularly.

When we lived in the suburbs there was a Chinese restaurant five minutes from our house from where we would get a takeout probably every other week.

Unfortunately, since we moved to the city (and we started the plant-based diet), we have not been able to find “our” Chinese restaurant.

That means I have to make it whenever I want to eat Chinese food.

Since we still have Next Meats vegan meat, I decided to make Beef and Broccoli.

But then I also added mushrooms (who else feels beef and broccoli needs more veggies?).

Wait!

I had a few take-out boxes I had bought a while ago.

For some reason Chinese food tastes better when it comes from the container (lol).

I quickly cooked the store-bought (frozen) egg rolls in the toaster and also sauteed some peppers.

This was super tasty!!

Next Meats’ meat is already sliced, so it’s super convenient and works particularly well for Asian dishes.

For this I used their short ribs.

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by : Reiko Bread, Uncategorized

Two-Toned Okara Bread Rings
ココア南瓜おからポンデリング

Yesterday I talked about how fun to try new food items.

Well, this post also features something new (to me).

Okara Powder!

Okara is soy pulp, usually the stuff left after you squeeze soy milk out.

So okara powder is dried soy pulp and made into powder.

Baking with okara powder is quite popular particularly among dieters.

Apparently, it contains a lot of fiber and it reportedly make you full quickly with a small amount.

I’m all for shedding a few pounds, but more than anything I wanted to try mainly because I was curious how it would turn out.

I should also mention this ingredient too.

Psyllium husk powder.

This is a new item for me to use as well.

This was one of the ingredients for this bread, and the amount that goes in is quite small, but apparently it’s an important ingredient to create the right texture.

It turned out great!

This recipe was fun because you shape the bread in a ring.

The original recipe was all for cocoa version, but I decided to divide the dough into two, one with cocoa and one with Kabocha powder.

And get this.

You “bake” it in a microwave oven!

Okay, it took me a bit longer to shape them in a ring than I expected, but other than that the process is super easy and fast.

You mix everything together, shape it, and cook in a microwave oven for two to two and half minutes.

I won’t lie.

I was quite skeptical because of the unusual ingredients.

But it’s amazing how well it turned out.

No wheat in the dough.

But it’s definitely bread, and a good one.

It has a great texture and is super tasty.

I enjoyed it for breakfast this morning with a cup of black coffee.

I’m sure they are great with butter, but I ate it without.

Frankly I didn’t feel I needed extra fat (and I’m usually a butter person).

The recipe is here -> https://www.orihano.com/okara-mochiponde (Japanese).

I’m planning to make another version of Okara bread this afternoon.

Super excited.

I wish Okara powder was a bit cheaper though.

I think the price here in the U.S. is more than triple compared to it is in Japan (sigh).

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by : Reiko Uncategorized

Vegan Bacon
ヴィーガンベーコン

I was at W-F Market the other day, standing in front of the vegan meat section.

Since we don’t go out to eat anymore, we’ve started trying new store-bought vegan products for fun lately.

I saw a package of vegan bacon, and I thought it would be fun to try something new.

But then my husband said I could make better one at home.

I looked at the ingredients on the package and looked at the bacon again, and I put it back.

I add a little extra oil when I cook my vegan meat to make “bacon.”

It’s not the healthiest thing in the world, but what do you expect?

It’s bacon!

And it sure is TASTY!

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by : Reiko Uncategorized

Mushroom Feta Papperdelle
きのこチーズパッパルデッレ

I have always liked pasta, but I’ve been really loving homemade pasta.

Both making and eating.

Whenever I go to Target, I have to check out Bullesye’s Playground which is the first thing you see when you enter the store.

They sell seasonal (and not so seasonal) fun stuff.

Look at what I found the other day.

I liked the design and the price (three dollars!).

Now I can make fancy strips.

I don’t know if you knew, but I love mushrooms.

I could just eat a whole bowl of sauteed mushrooms.

Fresh pasta, sauteed garlic and mushrooms, vegan feta cheese, tomatoes, and Shiso leaves.

Delicious!!

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by : Reiko Uncategorized

Sauerkraut Natto Breakfast
ザワークラウト納豆ごはん

I’ve been having western style breakfast for a while, and this morning I had craving for natto and soy sauce.

So that’s what I had.


A bowl of rice and natto is a good nutritious food, but I still wanted to add some vegetables.

Guess what I found in my fridge?

Homemade sauerkraut!

This breakfast instantly turned into super breakfast with double fermented items.

I also made a bowl of miso soup using frozen pre-(home)made miso balls.

You just place a ball in a bowl and pour hot water over it.

(I microwaved it after I stirred well until miso dissolved because the frozen ball lowered the soup temperature.)

This is so easy, and I’m glad I made these.

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