by : Reiko Sandwiches, Uncategorized

Gorgonzola Apple Open Sandwich
ブルーチーズとりんごのオープンサンド

Since I’m not a big fan of mass-produced vegan cheese, I made plant-based cheese myself.

Homemade vegan cheese is not hard to make, and if you find a good recipe, it’s so delicious and satisfying.

 

This gorgonzola is one of my favorite cheeses to make.

The recipe is from this book.

I love its taste, texture, look, well, everything!

Gorgonzola is the main ingredient of this sandwich.

So, I spread it thick.

Then apple slices and Dijon mustard lingonberry jam mixture.

And then top it off with fresh arugula and chopped walnuts.

A delicious, beautiful, sophisticated lunch sandwich.

Anyone?

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by : Reiko Breakfast

Bourbon Pumpkin Pancakes
バーボンパンプキン・パンケーキ

 

I try not to eat sweets for a meal.

But weekend breakfast IS made for it.

It’s not that I have craving for sweets (well sometimes I do, but I typically like my meal to be savory), but it’s the idea that pops into my head.

Once I get this really cool food idea, I have a hard time with not making it right away.

Last night I was at a liquor store because my husband wanted to pick up something there.

I wasn’t looking for anything particular, but when I saw the bourbon section, this idea of bourbon pumpkin pancakes hit me.

So, here they are.

Bourbon pumpkin pancakes.

Aren’t these beautiful?

Well, you could just eat them simply with butter and maple syrup.

But I had another idea.

I made and drizzled bourbon caramel sauce and coconut cream all over the pancakes and sprinkled walnuts.

I made sure I had my coffee ready.

These pancakes were absolutely sinfully DELICIOUS!!

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by : Reiko Bread

Raspberry Lemon Twist Rolls
ラズベリーレモンねじりパン

No one can argue that presentation is important.

When it comes to food, the same dish can taste better when presented in a beautiful way.

And the first impression.

Food that looks beautiful or unique gives me such excitement.

I wanted to try making this twist roll for a while, and I finally decided to give it a try.

These rolls have raspberry lemon filling, and turned out to be pretty and tasty!

Definitely loved the look.

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by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta

Mac and Cheese with V-Beef and Broccoli
マカロニ＆チーズ甘辛Vビーフブロッコリーのせ

Believe it or not, mac and cheese was never a popular dish at our house when we were still eating cheese.

Why did I make it then?

Well, when you luckily end up with the most delicious vegan cheddar cheese, you want to make something to showcase the cheese.

So here it is!

Creamy cheesy (seriously!) plant-based mac and cheese.

Served with spicy-sweet beef and broccoli.

This turned out to be so good, and we both loved it very much.

This west-meet-east type of dish is typically a good hit at our house for some reason (lol).

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by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Rice/Grains, Tofu

Edamame Tofu Rice Bowl
枝豆豆腐どんぶり

I’ve been having fun making different types of tofu lately.

I have made this and this  in the past.

This time I decided to make Edamame version.

This delicate tofu turned out to be absolutely delicious!!

It’s almost like mousse.

I enjoyed my first Edamame tofu on rice.

Isn’t this beautiful?

Well, it was beautiful and delicious at the same time.

To complete my meal I made ginger miso soup.

Adding grated ginger to miso soup is my favorite in autumn and winter.

Ginger warms up my body.

This was smashed cucumber.

You smash a cucumber with something heavy and hard (I used a rolling pin) and marinate in slightly sweet sesame flavored marinade.

Have a great week everyone!

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by : Reiko Bread

German Pretzels
ドイツプレッツエル

Seasons and seasonal events are always a good inspiration.

Well, it’s October…

October Fest…

Germany…

German Pretzels…

Forming the dough into these shapes was so much fun!

These turned out beautiful!!

They were delicious as they were, but my husband loved dipping them into the vegan cheese sauce I made.

They were so good!

My husband and I have never been a big pretzel fans, and we hardly ever buy/order them.

But I may have to make these again soon, because we enjoyed them so much.

I hate to say “love” because it sounds a bit cheesy, but there IS something special about homemade food.

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by : Reiko Asian Food, Soup/Stew

Green Coconut Curry with V-Balls, Tofu, and Veggies
具沢山グリーンココナッツカレー

When you go to a restaurant and order a curry dish, you usually have to pick what you want in your curry.

It usually takes me a long time to decide on one thing because I often want “everything”!

A good thing about homemade curry is that you can add whatever you want, and the options are endless!

This time I added homemade vegan meatballs, tofu, and various veggies.

This is definitely my kind of curry.

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by : Reiko Sweets

Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Rum Icing
スパイスラムアイシングがけパンプキンクッキー

I made pumpkin cookies, per my hubby’s request.

He is usually pretty laid-back when he asks me to make something, but this time he was quite specific about his preferred texture.

He made it very clear that he wanted “chewy” not “cakey” cookies.

It was funny he said that because when I really thought about it I realized that many pumpkin cookies are the cakey type, not chewy.

I did a little thinking, and I decided to do something different.

I used pumpkin “powder” instead of puree, hoping this would result in the texture I wanted.

And it worked!

These cookies are definitely chewy and not cakey, AND they taste plenty pumpkin for sure.

My husband likes his any cookies with icing, so I dressed them with spiced rum icing.

He was happy with the cookies, and I was happy seeing him happy with them.

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