My bread-baking adventure continues.
This was my first time making focaccia, and I’m super happy with the result!
I used this recipe as a base.
You can eat it as a snack.
It also makes fabulous sandwiches.
My husband and I went to check out an outdoor festival yesterday, and we brought these sandwiches with us.
I always check vendors, and I’ve learned to bring food if there aren’t any good plant-based food options.
The first egg bake I ever had was the one that my mother-in-law made.
First I couldn’t know what to think.
It wasn’t omelet, and it wasn’t quiche.
But when I saw her make it, I thought it was brilliant.
You basically put whatever meat or veggies together with eggs and throw it into an oven.
Easy.
And tasty!!
For this “egg” bake, I put together all the green veggies I could find in my fridge.
Veggie “egg” bake, kale salad, and toast.
Good balanced breakfast, right?
Well, weekend is here!
And that means I got to bake bread.
I was in the mood for Matcha bread.
But I also wanted to add something to it.
So this time I rolled in a mixture of maple sugar (made by my husband’s cousin) and cinnamon.
The cinnamon sugar came up to the top, and that’s why the top part got the dark color from the caramelized sugar.
The kitchen smelled so good when it was being baked.
Delicious just with homemade vegan butter.
Come back to see my other version of Matcha bread.
When I thought I had made every kind of sushi roll, there was something new!
I LOVED the watermelon pickles I made so much, and I thought this would be great in sushi.
In this roll you’ll find avocado, Japanese Shiso basil leaves, and watermelon pickles.
I love how it looks.
So pretty, like a jewelry box!
Yes you could have just eaten it without all the toppings, but toppings are good, right?
Teriyaki glaze, homemade vegan mayo, and fried onion.
Tasty!!
Who doesn’t like the white chocolate and strawberry combination?!
It’s a match made in heaven.
I was afraid that the chocolate chips might melt while baking, so I decided to put them right out of the oven, when the cookies were still hot.
Soft.
Chewy.
So good!!
Once in a while I crave for Japanese curry and I make it.
It tastes good particularly in summer.
I sautéed zucchini and asparagus in a pan, and roasted Kabocha squash in the oven.
Homemade pickled ginger.
My mother used to make watermelon pickles when I was a child.
I thought it was kind of silly to rescue what seemed to be garbage to me at that time (although I did like to eat the pickles!).
I forgot about it for a long time.
But last weekend I had a chance to buy a watermelon because I was supposed to bring it to our family picnic to celebrate father’s day.
After cutting it into cubes, while looking at the pile of rind, I remembered the pickles and decided to make some myself.
I like to keep a little red flesh, which gives nice sweetness as well as the beautiful pink color.
I made three different versions.
This one is the basic one: watermelon rind and salt.
This is how my mother used to make.
This one is a bit sweeter version: watermelon rind, salt, sugar, white vinegar, black peppercorns, fresh dill, bay leaves.
This one is soy-sauce based and a bit spicy: watermelon rind, salt, sugar, soy sauce, white vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, crushed red pepper. Served with sesame seeds.
They all turned out great, but my husband and I agreed that we loved the second and the third ones.
Our neighbor, Mr. K picked the third one as his favorite.
Rice flour steamed bun is one of my favorite snacks.
They are light yet satisfying at the same time.
I had a beautiful mango, and I used both pureed and diced for the batter.
Coconuts were also added to the batter, and then more coconuts were toasted and sprinkled on top.
So good!
Various Japanese food items have become popular in the U.S. and the rest of the western world over the years.
But Natto is something you don’t see much (or at all!), and probably there is a good reason.
Natto is sticky (as you can see in the pictures above) and has a distinctive smell.
My husband and I have been married for about 15 years, and he eats almost everything I eat except for a few things.
Natto is one of them.
It’s amazing how quickly he can detect that I’m eating Natto just with the smell.
On the other hand, I am a huge Natto fan, and I make sure I always have several packages in the freezer.
Natto was served over soba noodles along with tomato, Shiso basil, fried onion, and sweet miso dressing.
This salad may not for everybody, but it is definitely for me!
I like rules, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I am a rule-follower in general.
I read furniture assembly instructions.
The best part of learning a new language for me is learning the grammar.
However, when it comes to cooking and baking, I am everything but a rule-follower!
I hate following recipes, and I’m always looking for food ideas that are unconventional.
So when this savory cookie idea came to me, I got excited.
I used one of my favorite cookie recipes as a base, and I added things that I like (olives, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian inspired dried herbs, fresh dill, black pepper).
So I was pretty confident that these would turn out good.
Well, these turned out not just good, but great!
These are salty and slightly sweet, the dangerous flavor combination that makes you want to keep eating!
Do not serve with milk. (lol)
Recommended beverage: chilled white wine.
Olive Sun-Dried Tomato Herbed Cookies– makes 24 cookies; adapted from this recipe
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup almond butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
1.5 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
sundried tomato, chopped
black olives, chopped
dried Italian herbs
fresh dill, chopped
black pepper
1. Mix all the ingredients.
2. Roll into small balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten a little.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
