by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta, Salad

Mamma Mia Spaghetti Dinner
マンマ・ミーア・スパゲッティプレート

Who doesn’t like spaghetti dinner?!

I grew up in Japan, but “Spaghetti with Meat Sauce” was definitely on top of my list.

Since we don’t eat meat anymore, the preparation for the “meat sauce” takes a bit longer.

First I make a meatloaf, and then I crumble it into smaller pieces.

So, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce is usually made the day after a meatloaf dinner at our house, but sometimes I make a meatloaf just because I want to have the spaghetti dish.

Well, it’s worth it.

I keep my “meat sauce” simple with only a few ingredients.

My “must” is a can of “whole tomatoes”.

It always makes my sauce taste better than when a can of diced or crashed tomatoes is used.

The spaghetti was served with Carsar salad.

In my world, this is the best thing to go with this spaghetti dish.

Doesn’t it look tasty?

My trusted nutty parm was generously sprinkled.

Voila!

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by : Reiko Sweets

Strawberry Fields Forever Cake
ストロベリーフィールズフォーエバー・ケーキ

Making non-chocolate vegan cake has been a struggle for me.

I did find a trusted vegan cake recipe here, but finding a good vegan frosting recipe has been challenging.

I’ve tried a few recipes, and I also tried to come up with my own recipe, without success.

Then I found this recipe, for “cream cheese” frosting, and decided to give it a try.

I did need to go shopping first, but I didn’t mind because I always have fun trying new products.

I didn’t even know that such things like coconut butter or cacao butter existed (I didn’t need cacao butter, but at that time I was thinking about making her other recipe that does list cacao butter as one of the ingredients).

I used coconut cream instead of coconut milk, but that was the only change I made to the recipe.

The frosting was amazing!

This was not only delicious but also that the consistency was just perfect!

I went to the local farmer’s market looking for the best fruits I could use to decorate this cake.

Lucky me!

These strawberries were so adorable and super sweet.

These locally grown strawberries are so different from those you find at grocery stores, in so many positive ways.

I love this simple and rustic, yet elegant look.

It really showcases the beautiful strawberries.

Who wouldn’t want to try it?!

You can see how beautiful and perfect the cake sponge and the frosting look.

This cake will be a perfect dessert to enjoy with your family and friends for the Fourth of July celebration.

I actually made this cake thinking that this could be the cake I could prepare for my husband’s birthday which is coming up in a few weeks.

My husband is not a big coconut fan, and I personally did not think the coconut taste was that strong in the frosting, but unfortunately it was for him.

So, this is not going to be his birthday cake, but this will definitely go on MY list.

Have a wonderful 4th of July everyone!

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by : Reiko Asian Food, Fruit, Jackfruit

Bulgogi JF Tacos
プルコギ風タコス

Happy Taco Tuesday!

These tacos were famous Korean meat dish, Bulgogi, inspired ones.

Bulgogi means “fire meat” according to Wikipedia, and my beautiful jackfruit from Trader Joe’s was cooked over high heat after marinated overnight.

The trick is that you really want to get the charred look and flavor to the “meat” at this point.

If you ask me, the fixing is as important a part of any tacos.

This time I prepared napa cabbage slaw and home-pickled Shiso (Japanese basil) cucumber.

Also mashed avocado.

Don’t they look fabulous?

This was a bit messy to eat, but I never mind getting messy when I’m eating something delicious.

By the way, I finally had a chance to eat ripe fresh jackfruit at a party thrown by a friend who is from Cambodia.

She said her dad did all the work, and pulled apart the fruit, which I hear is a lot of work.

It was so delicious that a few days later I went to a local Asian grocery store and bought some.

Thankfully, they had a package of fruit that has been already taken out of the whole thing.

It’s a bit expensive, but I LOVE this fruit.

Very tropical, and a mere bite instantly takes me to the imaginative tropical island!

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by : Reiko Leaf Vegetables, Noodles/Pasta

Green Goodness Spinach Pesto Pasta
グリーンなほうれん草ジェノベーゼパスタ

One of the great things that came with my experience of switching to the 100% plant based diet is that it forces me to think out of the box.

Well, after realizing that so many foods that I believed were NECESSARY for many years are not only unnecessary but also easily replaceable.

So when I think of “pesto”, in my mind it can be made with anything, well, anything green.

So when I got this giant bag of spinach from Costco, pesto seemed like an awesome idea.

There is no meat on this plate.

Everything you see are plant-based, and this makes me smile.

So next time you are in a situation where you have so much spinach you don’t know what to do with, think of “pesto”.

A few evenings ago my husband and I were having dinner at fig + farro, a vegetarian/vegan restaurant, and we met a lovely young couple.

They were eating at the table next to us, and we noticed that they were ordering almost exactly the same dishes we did.

So that’s probably how we started a conversation, and we learned that the young lady is a college student and has been on a plant-based diet for a couple of years.

She said she was looking for nutritional yeast while she was in town, and I couldn’t help but recommend Trader Joe’s.

I’ve tried another brand, thinking it would taste the same, and I quickly realized that I was wrong.

So now I stick with Trader Joe’s.

I used to be a bit skeptical about nutritional yeast, but after I learned that it’s “not bad for you”, I now use it quite often.

(This is an interesting read about nutritional yeast.)

Red is supposed to enhance your appetite, but green does pretty much the same to me!

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Potatoes/Squash

Mmmmm… Roasted Satsuma-Imo
うまっ！焼き芋

Although Japanese cuisine has become pretty popular around the world, there are still so many amazing Japanese foods people are missing out on.

One of them is Satsuma-Imo, or Japanese sweet potato.

Yes, it’s a personal opinion, but a lot of people who did try it, including my husband, as well as many Japanese people who live abroad would agree with me.

In the U.S., they may be sold as “Oriental Sweet Potato”, “Asian Sweet Potato”, “Japanese Sweet Potato”, or “Satsuma Potato”.

They have unmistakably dark maroon colored skin (inside is white).

The ones (above) I picked up are a bit chubby, but usually the shape is just like regular sweet potatoes.

How do you cook it?

Well, the best way is roasting it.

When roasted, it brings intense sweetness.

During the roasting process, I noticed that syrup-like liquid was woozing out of the potatoes, which really shows how sweet these potatoes can be.

I love the taste, but the texture is also wonderful.

It’s soft and moist, but not too moist and it keeps the texture satisfying and pleasant.

You can add it to your dinner plate, but it also makes a great snack as it is.

The potato is just so delicious as it is that I typically do not add anything.

No salt, not syrup (please DON’T), no sauce, but the only thing I may do is putting a little piece of butter, which is a whole another story and will probably deserve its own post about it (lol)!

Other ways I enjoy Satsuma Potatoes include tempura and miso soup.

So yesterday we checked out a cactus shop that recently opened in Minneapolis.

This (above) was one of the cacti I really liked, but I came home with…

This one!

It was love at first sight for me.

Isn’t she just lovely?

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by : Reiko Drinks

Pretty in Pink Strawberry Milk Sake
プリティ・イン・ピンク苺ミルク酒

This may look too pretty to drink, but I guarantee you will finish it in no time!

This pretty pink sake drink is sweet, refreshing, and as well as pretty…

Just a perfect little drink for a little get together with your girlfriends.

What are in this delightful drink?

Strawberries syrup (strawberries, sugar), almond milk, and “Sayuri” nigori sake.

This sake is my favorite, and I keep a bottle for a little after-dinner drink or even for cooking.

I’m not a big fan of regular sake, but I love the mildness and the depth created from this “nigori” type of sake.

I always get a bottle from Costco.

This is how it looks when you pour the mixture to glasses.

But it’s even prettier when you add a few drops of extra strawberry syrup right before serving.

I’m glad that I had perfect outfit for the drink.

Looks lovely, doesn’t it?

Target has been one of my recent favorite places to shop for clothes.

They now have several different clothing lines, and it’s fun to check them out.

I go there all the time anyway, so it’s convenient, too.

The destination of my today’s outing was a bit unusual.

I recently found that a new cacti shop opened in Minneapolis, and I decided to check it out.

The shop is called Madre Cacti, and the place is amazing!

Filled with cacti with various kinds and sizes.

Really a cool place, especially found in the Midwest!

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by : Reiko Salad

Veggie Carpaccio
べジなカルパッチョ

Carpaccio is always a great way to showcase seasonal produce.

It’s such a light dish, so it can be enjoyed as an appetizer or a snack.

This was what I got from the local farmers market.

The colors are just amazing!

You can hand-cut them, but a slicer makes the process so much easier.

You can basically place the slices any way you like.

There are no rules.

This is where you can play with your food without feeling guilty!

Since the veggies are so delicious as they are, I could have just eaten them simply with salt.

But it was also delicious when served with chickpea white miso dressing and fresh mint.

My husband and I enjoyed it as a pre-dinner snack, and we finished it in no time.

Near our house a new boutique opened several weeks ago, and I absolutely love their selection.

If I see something I like, it will be hard for me to not buy it, so I usually try not to look at their window when I walk by them.

But today after having lunch at a local deli, I decided to “just look”, and I fell in love this this cute pants suit.

This was a perfect kind of clothing to wear on a hot summer day like today!

Have a great weekend everyone!

I’m hoping my husband takes me out for a nice dinner tonight, so I can wear this suit.

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by : Reiko Fruit, Pizza/Flatbread

Uchi Pizza with Pistachio Avocado Cream
うちピザ、ピスタチオアボカドクリームのせ

My husband and I had Uchi Pizza for lunch today, because we were both working from home.

What’s Uchi Pizza?

Well, “Uchi” means “home” (in Japanese), and as you can guess, this was made and eaten at home.

This pizza was not only homemade, but also a result of good teamwork.

My husband made the crust (the night before), and it made our kitchen smell like heaven.

The crust turned out just the way we like it.

Thin, crispy, and light, yet, still having some nice chewiness.

I used to think every meal has to contain some sort of meat or seafood.

I was so wrong!

This pizza was loaded with seasonal veggies (this time we used yellow squash, red onion, green peppers, tomato, and purple cabbage); The cabbage was sprinkled after the pizza was cooked.

And it was absolutely perfect and satisfying.

Yes, earlier I said it was a teamwork, and you may ask what was my contribution.

Well, you’re looking at it (lol).

Pistachio avocado cream.

We dotted the pizza with this beautiful cream right before serving.

This was so delicious, and it tastes  so much better than cheese (vegan or not) y’all, if you ask me.

Loved our Uchi Pizza.

I’ve never been really a huge pizza fan, but I realized that I was not a huge meat/cheese pizza fan because I do LOVE this type of pizza.

Lucky me.

My husband made some extra crusts, so we can enjoy pizza again soon.

Pistachio Avocado Cream: pistachio, avocado, soy milk, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt, sugar

I just recently got this cute watermelon.

They were sold as “personal” watermelons.

My husband says it doesn’t mean you cannot share.

Well, doesn’t it??? (lol)

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by : Reiko Asian Food, Mushrooms, Noodles/Pasta

Zha Zha Zhu Zha Jiang Mian
ザーザーズー、ジャージャー麺

This is my take on the traditional Chinese pork noodle dish called Zha Jiang Mian.

 

My “meat” sauce is made of Shiitake mushroom as a main ingredient.

I used dried mushrooms, because they provide intense flavors.

This is how the Shiitake looked like when reconstituted and sliced (later it was chopped into small pieces).

This was so so good!

This is one of the dishes that I thought I would never get to enjoy when I switched to the 100% plant based diet.

But I when I made it and had the first bite, it was a “Zha Zha Zhu” moment for me all over again (lol).

This is definitely not the type of noodle you typically use to make Zha Jiang Mian, but lasagna pasta strips have been my recent favorite, and this was a good choice for this dish as well.

It’s such a beautiful dish.

Julienned cucumber is the typical garnish for Zha Jiang Mian, and it’s a well-thought one.

Not only does it give the fresh green color, but also its crunchy texture perfectly accompanies this dish.

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by : Reiko Sweets

Grandma K’s Ice Cream Sandwiches
グランマKのアイスクリームサンド

I’m not a huge cookie fan, and I’m not a huge ice cream fan either.

However, there is something about ice cream cookie sandwich that gets my attention.

I wasn’t 100% sure, but my husband said his grandma K’s molasses cookies would be perfect for ice cream sandwiches.

So I went along.

I love molasses!

Grandma K’s molasses cookie recipe is so easy to follow.

Once you melt V-butter (original recipe calls for shortening) in a pan, you just add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

Roll it into small balls and coat each ball with sugar.

Usually I’m pretty relaxed when it comes to cooking and baking, and I accept and even appreciate irregularity.

But this time I weighed each ball to make sure they maintain the same size, mostly because they were made to be turned into ice cream sandwiches.

Last time I made these cookies, I skipped this process, but this time I decided to flatten the cookies.

It was so worth, mostly because this brought a huge smile to my husband.

He said now they were exactly like his grandma’s.

(I thought that’s what he said last time too. (lol))

I could have taken a little break here, but I kept going because I already had ice cream to go with my cookies.

My vegan Instagram “friend” said it was the best vegan vanilla ice cream, so I had to try it.

This is the Whole Foods brand.

You can definitely see vanilla beans, which is pretty cool.

She was right.

The ice cream was delicious.

And the ice cream sandwiches turned out awesome!

The cookies are on the soft/chewy side, which makes the perfect cookies for ice cream sandwiches, because they do not become rock hard when frozen.

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