by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta, Soup/Stew

Kitsune (Fried Bean Curd) Wakame Soba
きつねわかめ蕎麦

This fried soybean curd is called “abura-age” in Japanese.

It’s something I enjoy cooking and eating when I get tired of eating tofu.

It’s plant-based.

Yes, it’s processed, but only minimally.

It’s pre-fried, so the fat that comes with it gives a great flavor.

It was braised in slightly sweetened soy-sauce based broth before added to the soup.

It’s plump and juicy with delicious broth absorbed inside.

The other toppings are Wakame seaweed, fried onion, and green onion.

They are some of my favorite toppings!

I love soba.

I like noodles in general, but soba is definitely one of my favorites.

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by : Reiko Vegan Meat

2021 Thanksgiving
2021年感謝祭

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wasn’t planning to do much cooking this year.

But at the last minute I changed my mind.

The main dish was this stuffed seitan roast.

The stuffing was black garlic, mushroom, and my homemade cornbread.

This is my third or fourth time to make this roast, and it turns out great every time.

Cauliflower Pea Casserole.

Cranberry whole wheat rolls.

I also made roasted potatoes and kale grapefruit salad.

Oh, I made gravy, too.

This year we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving with neighbor friends.

I cooked vegan food, and they cooked nonvegan and vegan food (they are not vegan, but they are just kind making some vegan dishes for us).

They brought untraditional Thanksgiving dishes, and we had such a wide variety of food to enjoy.

The roast with gravy was a big hit with everyone, vegan and non-vegan!

Yay!

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by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast

V/GF Tofu-Oatmeal Bagels
豆腐オートミールベーグル

I got so excited when I found this recipe.

Its main ingredients are tofu and oats!

These are super easy to make.

Mix, form, and microwave for less than 2 minutes (for each)!

I made three by following the recipe this time, and each had different toppings.

White sesame seeds.

Black sesame seeds.

Everything bagel seasoning.

They turned out amazing!

The texture is not exactly that of the regular bagel, but it was really good, and more than anything, these were super tasty!

I ground my oats a bit (although it was not instructed), but you can still see and taste the oats, which I personally liked.

They were delicious served with my vegan cream cheese!

I can’t wait to make more soon.

Next time I will double the recipe for sure.

Here is the link to the recipe (Japanese) ↓

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWakuCxvG4L/

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by : Reiko Pizza/Flatbread, Potatoes/Squash, Vegan Cheese

Autumn Harvest Pizza
秋ハーベストピザ

I don’t know what to name this.

But I put all the favorite things that happened to be home today.

It turned out great!

To tell the truth, so much better than I expected.

This is the roast we’ve been buying a lot lately.

It’s great to have.

I usually like whole-food, so I tend to go for beans and lentils, and tofu (okay, it’s processed but minimally).

But variety is also important.

And this one is so convenient, and I like to have a couple, one in the freezer and one in the fridge.

It’s pre-cooked and sold frozen.

You just need to thaw it in the fridge, and it’s delicious.

And the ingredients are not bad either.

Tomato sauce, Kabocha cream, vegan roast, mushrooms, kale, fried onions, black walnuts, vegan cheese.

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by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast

Tofu Cinnamon Rolls
豆腐シナモンロール

I’ve been on the plant-based for several years now, and I’m at the point where I expect that my vegan food to be tasty, but I want to make it better, healthier.

I started exploring more recipes and websites, and I’ve started discovering new ingredients and new methods (particularly used for baking).

I’m super excited.

The main ingredients of these cinnamon rolls are tofu and rice flour.

No yeast.

Yet, the texture is unmistakably bread.

I wanted to keep the frosting on the healthier side as well, and I used my vegan cream cheese and added a little sweetener.

Don’t they look great?!

These were so delicious!

And this is the type of food I like, you know, the food that I feel good eating.

The base recipe (Japanese) -> https://www.instagram.com/p/CSy6qrXB1cu/

(I added date sugar to cinnamon for the filling. )

My favorite robe.

So soft and warm.

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by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta, Potatoes/Squash

Creamy Kobocha Pasta with V-Cheese and Truffle Oil
かぼちゃクリームパスタ、Vチーズとトリュフオイル仕上げ

My husband and I were both home today at the lunch time.

So this was what I made for lunch.

The creamy Kabocha sauce was perfect for this time of the year.

I accented the sauce with fresh rosemary to give some fall flavor.

This is a rosemary pot I found at Trader Joe’s last night.

Smells so good!

The pasta was served with mushroom kale mustard salad.

I like mushrooms both cooked and raw, but my husband will not eat it when it’s not cooked.

I think the fresh mushrooms are delicious.

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by : Reiko Bread, Sandwiches

Okara Bread Sandwich
おからパンでサンドイッチ

Okay.

Okara bread is legit.

This is my second Okara bread, and this one turned out so good too!

I added a bit too much water, and that was probably why they got a little flat.

But that’s okay, because I was going to use them to make sandwiches anyway, and this flatter version worked probably better.

The white V-cheese I made last night was perfect for this sandwich.

The below is the link to the recipe of the bread ↓　(Japanese).

https://www.orihano.com/orihanobikkuripan .

I added turmeric for the color.

So soft and really perfect for a sandwich.

You can probably tell by now but I’m really into Okara bread.

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by : Reiko Breakfast

Autumn Double Rye Porridge
秋のダブルライ麦粥

We had snow yesterday for the first time this season.

I wish I could say “I can’t believe it, it’s only November!” but sadly I can believe it because we are in Minnesota.

I have mixed feelings about Minnesota’s snow and winter.

They can be so beautiful, but they can also be depressing at the same time, especially toward the end of the season, when I feel like there is no end to it.

Bur right now, at the beginning of the winter season, I’m feeling pretty good.

The snow on the ground looks fresh and so pretty.

And on a day like this porridge is a good choice for breakfast.

I used rye flakes and rye berries both.

Rye from my brother-in-law’s farm.

The rye flakes make the porridge nice and thick, and the berries give an interesting texture.

Satsuma potatoes and apples were added.

And then cinnamon.

Served with walnuts and more cinnamon.

Warm and hearty.

You can add any sweetener if you like (my husband drizzled maple syrup) but I really enjoyed it as is.

The natural sweetness comes from the Satsuma potatoes, apples, and cinnamon.

A wrong choice of mug this morning.

Coffee in the “TEA” mug (lol).

Happy Sunday.

Stay warm.

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by : Reiko Bread, Uncategorized

Two-Toned Okara Bread Rings
ココア南瓜おからポンデリング

Yesterday I talked about how fun to try new food items.

Well, this post also features something new (to me).

Okara Powder!

Okara is soy pulp, usually the stuff left after you squeeze soy milk out.

So okara powder is dried soy pulp and made into powder.

Baking with okara powder is quite popular particularly among dieters.

Apparently, it contains a lot of fiber and it reportedly make you full quickly with a small amount.

I’m all for shedding a few pounds, but more than anything I wanted to try mainly because I was curious how it would turn out.

I should also mention this ingredient too.

Psyllium husk powder.

This is a new item for me to use as well.

This was one of the ingredients for this bread, and the amount that goes in is quite small, but apparently it’s an important ingredient to create the right texture.

It turned out great!

This recipe was fun because you shape the bread in a ring.

The original recipe was all for cocoa version, but I decided to divide the dough into two, one with cocoa and one with Kabocha powder.

And get this.

You “bake” it in a microwave oven!

Okay, it took me a bit longer to shape them in a ring than I expected, but other than that the process is super easy and fast.

You mix everything together, shape it, and cook in a microwave oven for two to two and half minutes.

I won’t lie.

I was quite skeptical because of the unusual ingredients.

But it’s amazing how well it turned out.

No wheat in the dough.

But it’s definitely bread, and a good one.

It has a great texture and is super tasty.

I enjoyed it for breakfast this morning with a cup of black coffee.

I’m sure they are great with butter, but I ate it without.

Frankly I didn’t feel I needed extra fat (and I’m usually a butter person).

The recipe is here -> https://www.orihano.com/okara-mochiponde (Japanese).

I’m planning to make another version of Okara bread this afternoon.

Super excited.

I wish Okara powder was a bit cheaper though.

I think the price here in the U.S. is more than triple compared to it is in Japan (sigh).

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