We drink a lot of green tea at our house.
“Ready for tea?” in the morning usually means “are you ready to get out of bed?”
In the morning we like our tea hot, but during the day iced green tea is refreshing, especially during summer.
My mother actually told me about cold brew green tea not so long ago, and now my husband makes it at our house.
Just like coffee, cold brew does seem to taste better for some reason.
Curry is not the most popular soup flavor for ramen, but it does exist and it is tasty.
This is my second ramen bowl.
I found it at the local Asian grocery store, and I liked the colors and the design.
I didn’t notice it when I saw it at the store, but when it was compared to my other bowl, it’s significantly larger.
I wonder if it’s made in US, reflecting the general portion size difference?
Noodles go in.
It doesn’t look much in this bowl, but I actually placed more than I typically use for one person.
Since I don’t make curry ramen often, I was a little uncertain about what to use for garnish.
I simply topped it off with corn, scallion, and tomatoes.
Loved the combination of the sweet corn and curry.
If you like ramen and if you like Japanese curry, this is a must!
I made my curry soup from scratch without using the store-bought roux, and it turned out delicious!
Recommended beverage: Cold Brew Sencha Green Tea.
The Zucchini Corn Fritters from my previous blog were one of the most popular dishes.
It was definitely one of my favorites as well, and I decided to try creating them again.
This time, a plant-based version.
I just got this giant zucchini from my mother-in-law.
She said she got it from her neighbor.
I suspect that this came from the lady’s garden and not from a store!
This zucchini was surprisingly firm even in the center and not very seedy.
So I was very happy with that.
By the way, the corn is from the local farmers market, and it’s SO sweet and delicious!
This time I used a mixture of flaxseed meal and water to replace an egg, I used almond meal in place of the hemp seeds (I was simply out of the hemp seeds), and I added scallion instead of basil this time.
As I did the last time, I only used a little amount of flour, enough to help keep the shape of the fritters.
These fritters turned out delicious!!
Just as good as the non-plantbased version.
These fritters do not need any sauce as they are tasty as they are.
But some people may enjoy them with herbed mayo, ketchup, or other sauce of their choice.
I enjoyed mine with this homemade tarragon mayo.
These fritters make a perfect lunch when served with salad and soup.
I recently bought this grater, and this is a life saver!
I used it to grate the zucchini, and it worked wonderfully.
I don’t know why I didn’t buy it sooner.
Another tool that saved me from a possible disaster was this flipper.
A friend gave this to me as he thought this would help me flip Okonomi-yaki like this one, but I’ve been using this for so many things.
It’s a lot of fun to visit a farmers market this time of the year.
I can’t wait to see what I’ll find this weekend!
When I go grocery shopping, I’m pretty good at sticking with my list.
But there are a few items that I impulsively purchase.
Well, okra is one of them.
It’s hard to find fresh okra at grocery stores, and when I found these beautiful ones at the farmers market this morning, I had to have them.
When sliced, they are like flowers.
My husband has come a long way, and he now eats a wide variety of vegetables, so many more than he used to.
However, okra is something he still won’t touch.
I think one of the reasons why okra is not that popular in the U.S. is its stickiness.
Interestingly, people in Japan adore okra for that.
I decided to make this spaghetti dish for lunch today, because my husband wouldn’t be home.
So why not adding all the things he does not like but I love.
So along with okra, natto (Japanese fermented soy beans), kimchi, and avocado all joined in the bowl.
With a little drizzle of soy sauce and olive oil, it became a perfect lunch for one.
I hope everyone is enjoying this long weekend.
Well, there are only two people in our household.
So, that means my husband gets asked the same question often.
“What do you want me to make?”
“What kind of cookie do you want me to make?”
Him: “Oatmeal.”
Me: “And?”
Him: “Just oatmeal.”
Me: “Oatmeal and what?”
Him: “Just Oatmeal.”
Oatmeal it is.
And something a bit extra.
These cookies were crunchy, chewy, and unmistakably oatmeal-packed.
I must say the subtle orange flavor was nice.
This is one of the most popular snacks among the male teens in Japan.
I remember that when I was in high school, a lot of boys would go buy this role (often more than one) for their afternoon snack.
Why is it popular?
Well, it’s DOUBLE CARBS: bread and noodles!
First, you make fried noodles, Yakisoba.
Typically it’s garnished with red ginger.
It’s easily found at many Asian stores in the U.S. now, but I decided to go with pickled beets for the color instead the red ginger, because it’s natural; red ginger is actually ginger colored artificially.
I actually really liked the look of the beets.
They reflect light and are very pretty.
You scoop up noodles.
Stuff the bun with as much as Yakisoba.
I used a homemade bun.
I actually never had a Yakisoba roll in my life even when I was in Japan, probably because I always associated it with a guy food.
But I actually really liked it.
Tasty, and of course very filling.
Anyone interested??
This was last night’s dinner at our house.
I enjoy breakfast food for dinner, and I was originally thinking about having just waffles.
But then, I still wanted some veggies, and I decided to make them into sandwiches.
All the waffles were buttered and syruped lightly.
I made several different kinds.
This one is my BLT-inspired TGT (tempeh-mixed greens-Tomato) version.
The tempeh was sliced thinly and baked in the oven.
This was my first time to get my tempeh at Trader Joe’s, and I was happy with the quality.
And their package design is always fun.
I happened to have freshly made mayo, and I added chopped tarragon.
As usual, I put a lot inside, so it was hard to close.
But this was delicious!!
Here is another version.
Cashew “cream cheese”, fresh fig, and arugula.
I was so excited when I found fresh figs being sold at Trader Joe’s yesterday.
They were called “Black Figs”, and from California.
It’s so hard to find figs in Minnesota, so it’s always a nice treat when I get to eat fresh figs.
Loved the combination of the saltiness (from the “cheese”), sweetness and juiciness (from the figs), and the bitterness (from the arugula).
This one was created at the request from my husband, who wanted sausage in his sandwich.
In this sandwich you’ll find BBQ sausage and crunchy coleslaw.
It was really good, and I even enjoyed it.
For some reason I really struggled to take pictures of these sandwiches.
Some foods are harder to take good pictures of than others, and I guess this was one of them.
I made this cake a little while ago.
For some reason I’ve been missing the chance to make a post about it.
When I found the pictures yesterday, I felt I should do so immediately, because the pictures are rather “summery”.
Can you tell I like blue x white dishes?
This lemon cake was very lemony.
The cake sponge itself tastes lemon, and it’s served with lemon icing.
There are various shapes of cake, but the ring is one of my favorites.
It looks so elegant.
EAT CAKE.
I cut up this piece for a picture, but mine is usually double the size (lol).
I dressed up this cake rather simply with pistachio and herbs.
I really like the natural look.
I had a little cake batter left, and I got to make a few cupcakes as well.
Still enjoying this piece from the Pioneer Woman Collection.
Not only is this plate pretty itself, but it also makes whatever you put on look great.
That, in my opinion, is a good plate.
It’s still August, but it definitely feels like the end of summer here in Minnesota, especially when you are out early in the morning.
So when I found the beautiful heirloom tomatoes at the local farmers market, I had to get some.
Heirloom tomatoes are something that screams summer to me, and I wanted to enjoy them before the summer is completely gone.
Right away I knew what I wanted to make.
A tart is a great way to showcase them.
My husband recently bought me a new set of kitchen knives, and I love them.
The wood block that holds the knives looks great in our kitchen, too.
This serrated knife is a life-saver when it comes to slicing tomatoes.
Isn’t it just beautiful?!
I served individual tart pieces with some fresh green leaves and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
This was absolutely delicious!
The flaky tart, cashew cream “cheese”, fresh tomatoes, and sweet and tangy balsamic glaze…
Mmm, mmm, mmm…
Cashew cream “cheese”: cashew nuts (soaked in water), lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, soy milk, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt
When it comes to the sandwich, I’m all for “the higher, the better”.
My husband and I used to like to get the sausage breakfast sandwich in the skyway.
It was delicious.
I’m not a huge fan of “fake meat”, but I liked their sandwich because their vegan sausage was house-made.
So when I found out that the chef was sharing how to make his breakfast sausage, I jumped on the opportunity to learn to make it myself.
You can do the same by watching this YoutTube video.
I needed to get a few ingredients (e.g., wheat gluten, vegetable shortening), but the instructions were easily to follow.
I added a few extra spices (thyme, chopped fennel seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, brown sugar), but other than that I pretty much followed the instructions.
They turned out great!
I even decided to bake my rolls for the sandwiches.
Homemade buns are so much better than the store-bought ones.
These buns are soft and light, and slightly sweet, just the way I like.
I know some people like their breakfast sandwiches simple and go for just a bun, sausage, eggs, and cheese.
But I’m very much the opposite, and I love a lot of veggies (and colors) in mine.
Can you tell what are all there?
On the bun you’ll find fresh spinach, homemade sausage, turmeric tofu steak, more spinach, tomato slices, and mashed avocado.
As I said, I’m not a huge “vegan (gluten) meat” fan, and I really don’t NEED it.
But I do have to admit that the unique texture, the saltiness, and the spices/flavor that come from it does add something extra to the dish.
I would not use it as a main ingredient or eat a large quantity, but when used in a mostly whole-food dish as a little addition, it can be valuable.
Also, my husband does like these meat substitutes, and I would rather see him eat home-made (scratch-made) ones instead of the ones made in factories.
In addition, when you make it home, you know exactly what’s in it and you can adjust the flavors, which is definitely a plus.
By the way, this was my husband’s plate.
Can you tell what’s different from mine (the other pics above).
Have a great weekend everyone!
