by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Pizza/Flatbread

Fiesta Layered Torte
メキシカーンなミルフィーユ惣菜ケーキ

I don’t make a lot of Mexican food at home , but I do like to eat tacos once in a while.

I try to find the smallest bag of tortillas, but it’s hard.

The smallest bag still comes with way too many tortillas for the household of two.

Although they are typically pretty reasonable, I still don’t want to waste any.

So looking at the bag full of tortillas and feeing a bit pressured, this is what I came up with.

Slightly blistered corn tortilla layers, black beans, Mexican-spiced “meat” sauce, grilled veggies, garlic-cilantro cream cheese, and home-made vegan cheese.

This turned out great!

It looks so festive, and the flavor match the look.

My husband and I both devoured our first piece and then went for another without hesitation!

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by : Reiko Sandwiches, Tofu

Croissant Banh Mi
クロワッサンバインミー

Why making banh mi with croissant?

Well, why not?!

Vegan croissant from Eureka Compass Vegan Food, homemade vegan butter, Thai sweet basil, zucchini slices, tofu steak, seitan steak, Daikon-carrot Asian slaw, and mint.

My husband had a chance to share this sandwich with one of his friends, who is definitely NOT a vegan, reportedly enjoyed this sandwich, tofu, seitan, and everything!

Woo-hoo!

Happy Sunday, everyone!

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by : Reiko Breakfast

Chai Oatmeal with Slow-Dried Fruit
チャイオートミール

I had a big dinner last night at a Vietnamese restaurant.

Although my husband and I split papaya salad (my recent favorite!) and red curry, it was still a lot of food.

And I definitely had a hard time stopping myself because the food was so good!

So this morning I was definitely in the mood for a “reset” breakfast.

On a morning like this oatmeal is a good choice.

Today I could definitely use some extra comfort and decided to go with the Chai flavor.

I made chai tea with Earl Grey tea, soy milk, and Chai-inspired spices, and cooked oatmeal in it.

I just made these slow-dried fruits yesterday, and I thought these would be a perfect topping for my chai oatmeal.

Delicious!!

Love all the spices and fruits together.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I am planning to cook a few dishes for the next few days, but then I may go shoe-shopping for a new pair of sneakers.

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by : Reiko Leaf Vegetables, Salad

Kale Blueberry Caesar Salad
ケールブルーベリー・シーザーサラダ

I had beautiful fresh kale leaves, and I wanted to enjoy it for lunch.

The best way to do so?

Salad!

I also happened to have a lot of super sweet fresh blueberries, and I decided to combine them both and make Caesar salad.

Kale, blueberries, and cucumber slices, all combined well with garlicky, cheesy, creamy homemade vegan dressing, and then homemade crunchy croutons were sprinkled on top.

The salad was served with paprika cauliflower steak.

A perfect lunch!

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by : Reiko Breakfast, Vegan Egg

Steak and Egg Breakfast Sandwich
ステーキ＆エッグ朝食サンド

I have always been a fan of big breakfast.

I wake up with a big appetite, and I get excited about my first meal.

I would have no problem eating a big plate of steak and eggs at 7:00 a.m.

My morning big appetite hasn’t changed, but the food has changed.

Croissants are always a good choice for a breakfast sandwich (or any sandwich if you aske me).

Warm vegan croissant, homemade seitan steak, tofu scramble, fresh spinach, and homemade cashew herb cream cheese.

 

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by : Reiko Sandwiches

V-Meatball Sandwich
Vミートボールサンド

We finished our last batch of vegan meatballs, and it was time to make more.

I make a big batch, because it takes the same amount of time and effort either you make 35 or 70, and they freeze beautifully.

My husband likes these V-meatballs on the crunchy side, and I have to agree that the texture is better this way.

Extremely light baguette from a Vietnamese bakery, V-meatballs with red sauce, sautéed onion and green peppers, and cashew cream.

Super tasty!

These V-meatballs are just so good.

I’ve been using this recipe a number of times now, and I absolutely love it.

I use whatever nuts I have, and this time I used Brazil nuts mostly and some walnuts, and they turned out fantastic!

I bake them for about 30 minutes each side to get the crunchiness.

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by : Reiko Breakfast

Spring Bagel Breakfast Plate
春のベーグル朝食プレート

What is more spring-like than the color pink?!

I always liked spring, but my admiration for this season has become so much more since I started living in the region where winter is long and severe.

On this plate you will find bagel from Eureka Compass Vegan Food with homemade almond-flavored strawberry cream cheese, scrambled tofu, kale, and radish.

And yes, the kale is not just for garnish.

I eat it. 🙂

Happy Sunday, everyone!

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by : Reiko Breakfast

Orange Coconut Carrot Waffle
オレンジココナッツキャロットワッフル

I usually sleep in on Saturdays, but for some reason I woke up early this morning, before 6:00 a.m.

The great thing about this was that I was able to see the sun coming out, and I almost (!) thought it will be worth getting up early just to see this everyday.

It was so beautiful, and it gave me this energy that made me grateful that I am alive and well to be able to enjoy another day.

After taking advantage of this early morning and getting a cup of coffee from my favorite coffee shop (which is so popular and gets crowded quickly), I was ready to make something really good for breakfast.

This orange coconut carrot waffle was so delicious!

I put a generous amount of orange zest, coconut flakes, and shredded carrots, and they all worked together so well.

It was served with homemade vegan butter and toasted coconut flakes on top.

And a little drizzle of ginger maple syrup.

Absolutely delicious and perfect for a weekend breakfast.

Anytime I have some kind of veggies in my breakfast, I feel so much better, physically and mentally.

It’s going to be the first warm day today this year, and we are planning to get out of the house, visit a museum, have lunch at a restaurant, and go for a long walk.

It’s going to be a fabulous day!

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by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta

Vegan Carbonara with Saucy Ratatouille
Vカルボナーラ、ラタトゥイユソース添え

Carbonara was not particularly a favorite pasta dish of mine prior to my switch to the plant-based diet.

But it was one of those foods that I would have craving for once in a while.

That craving still sometimes comes.

So I decided to make Vegan version of carbonara.

The trick is really to get the creamy rich flavor.

It was a challenge, but I was happy with the result.

I always like to eat my carbonara with tomato-based sauce.

Carbonara itself gets a little too heavy after a few bites.

This time I enjoyed my carbonara with saucy ratatouille, and it was perfect.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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by : Reiko Potatoes/Squash, Sandwiches, Uncategorized

Taro Croquette Sandwich
里芋コロッケバーガー

I’ve been going to the local Asian grocery store, Ha Tien Supermarket, almost weekly since they opened.

I don’t do all my grocery shopping there, but I go there rather for certain specific things.

One of the things I like to look at in the store is their potato/squash section.

They have a wide variety of potatoes/squashes, and the prices are always very good.

When I saw this beautiful taro root, I had to buy them.

This was how they looked after cooked and peeled.

I made it into cheesy croquette.

The taro root is extremely smooth when mashed, and I loved the contrast of the crispy outside and the creamy inside.

Bagel from one and only Eureka Compass , taro croquette, ketchup-Worcestershire sauce, shredded Asian cabbage, tomato slices, and homemade vegan mayo.

Super yum!

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