by : Reiko Other

Shiso Broccoli Omelette Fritters
紫蘇ブロッコリーフリッター

I had a lot of cooked broccoli and wanted to use it for my breakfast.

What I ended up with were these omelette fritters.

Love that there are a lot of chunks of broccoli and it’s flavored with Japanese Shiso basil.

I used chickpea flour instead of regular flour, so, the final result was more like “omelette” than typical fritters that tend to be a bit more dense.

My husband and I absolutely loved it.

Next time I will definitely make extra so that I can have them in the freezer.

Broccoli Shiso Omelette Fritters: cooked broccoli, chopped Shiso leaves, chickpea flour, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, water

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by : Reiko Bread, Sandwiches

Tropical Smashed Meatball Sandwich
トロピカル崩し肉団子サンド

Even in Minnesota it is getting warm, and now I think it is okay to enjoy food that brings a tropical mood.

Last weekend my husband and I were planning to have a dinner outside on the patio with our neighbor friend, and I thought it would be fun to have a casual sandwich dinner.

First, I made buns.

I used this recipe as a base, and modified it.

These turned out great!

They are soft (but not too soft) and sweet (but not too sweet).

These buns were delicious as they were with my homemade vegan butter.

I had a hard time keeping myself from eating too much and getting full before dinner!

Homemade vegan meatballs were smashed and then covered with sweet spicy sauce, made with ketchup, Walkerswood Jerk paste, and Island Soyaki (Trader Joe’s).

A great combination of sweet, spicy, and tropical!

They were placed over Japanese Shiso basil leaves.

The coleslaw was made with Brussels sprouts, pineapple, toasted coconut flakes, and homemade vegan mayo.

This was a big hit.

A perfect meal for an outdoor casual dinner.

Our friend is not vegan, but she liked it too, and she ate two of them.

Love having a dinner guest who brings big appetite. 🙂

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by : Reiko Sweets

Vanilla Cardamom Mini Bundt Cake
バニラカルダモンミニケーキ

I’ve been wanting to make mini bundt cake for a while.

But I couldn’t decide which pans to get.

A few weeks ago I finally found something I liked.

This is from Pampered Chef.

The back has the beautiful teal color.

The cake was flavored with vanilla and cardamom.

Lemon glaze.

Freeze-dried raspberries.

Thyme.

I struggled a little to get my batter right, and the resulting texture is a bit different from what I initially anticipated.

But the cake was delicious!

I was going to have a few bites to taste-test, and then I couldn’t stop eating until the whole cake was gone!

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by : Reiko Breakfast, Sandwiches

Beet and Cucumber Bagel Sandwich
ビーツときゅうり、ベーグルサンド

I remembered that I still had a few bagels in the freezer, and I decided to make a bagel sandwich for breakfast.

I had the plan last night, and for the sandwich I wanted some kind of chees to go with it.

So I decided to make herbed feta “cheese” with the recipe in the the “Vegan Cheese” book.

This is my second time to make this.

The first time it turned out great except that it was too salty.

The recipe calls for one tablespoon of salt, but I believe it is an error, and it’s probably meant to be one “teaspoon” of salt.

This time I went with a little less than one teaspoon of salt, and it was perfect.

I also used cheesecloth to remove excess water, and it turned out fabulous!

This is really delicious cheese.

The texture is exactly what you want, and is very crumbly.

The cheese spreads well too.

Spread of homemade vegan butter; pickled beet slices; feta crumbles; chervil.

Spread of feta; cucumber slices; lightly pickled sweet red onion; capers.

I forgot to make pickled red onion in advance, so they are “pickled” only for a few minutes, but I actually really liked this version, too because of its still-crisp texture, lighter pickle flavor, and beautiful pink color.

You can eat them separately, or you can put them together and enjoy it this way, too!

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Rice/Grains

Weekend Sushi Rolls
週末寿司ロール

Last weekend we took a trip to New York City.

We got to try great vegan food there, and one of the memorable meals was the one at Beyond Sushi.

Their sushi was so creative and unique, and that really inspired me to be a bit more bold in my sushi-making.

I also found this vegan “caviar” at a vegan shop in the city, and I was excited to try with my sushi.

The “caviar” is made with seaweed, and it definitely satisfies my craving for the “ocean” flavor.

The texture is also spot-on!

Inside: avocado; sweet-spicy tempeh, Japanese Shiso basil leaves
Outside: cucumber; homemade vegan turmeric mayo; black “caviar”

Inside: pickled beets; avocado
Outside: radish; homemade vegan mayo, orange “caviar”; chervil

Inside: Tofu with sweet teriyaki sauce; black sesame seeds
Outside: Kanpyo

All were super yummy!

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by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Sandwiches

Chickpea Salad Open Sandwich
ひよこ豆サラダオープンサンド

Chickpeas are so versatile, and they can be used for so many different things.

Especially since we started the plant-based diet, they are one of the most go-to items in my kitchen.

I always keep several cans in my pantry, and I go through them quickly.

The salad was made with chickpeas, olive salad, celery, and homemade vegan mayo.

My homemade vegan Swiss cheese was perfect to accompany the salad.

Homemade crusty bread, lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese, and chickpea salad.

This is the “melt” version.

You can probably tell which one I liked better.

I think it’s a personal preference, but the fresh version gets my vote.

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by : Reiko Bread, Leaf Vegetables, Sandwiches

Pear Arugula Sandwich
洋ナシとルッコラのサンドイッチ

American sandwiches tend to be “saucy” (or/and “cheesy”), and don’t get me wrong, I like those.

But once in a while I get craving for more “dry” type of sandwich, which I grew up with in Japan.

They also remind me of some sandwiches my friends from France used to often make.

I don’t buy a lot of bread because I enjoy baking my own bread at home.

But there is one company’s bread that I absolutely LOVE.

It’s Baker’s Field, a local company that specializes in flour and bread.

Their Table Bread is to die for.

We had a friend over for dinner the other night.

Everyone was trying to stay low on carbs, but we all failed.

We just couldn’t stop eating the Table Bread.

It’s just that good.

Last time we bought Table Bread we also came home with the same brand’s baguette.

It is also delicious, and this is what I used for this sandwich.

Homemade vegan butter, fresh arugula, pear slices, dry cranberries, and homemade Gorgonzola cheese.

So so good!

You can really appreciate the flavor from each ingredient.

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