by : Reiko Japanese Food, Rice/Grains, Soup/Stew

Onion Chutney from Neighbor & Onigiri Lunch
ご近所さんからのサプライズギフト、玉ねぎチャツネと、おにぎりお昼ご飯。

This year we picked Spain and Portugal for our vacation.

We visited Barcelona, Malaga, Valencia, and Madrid in Spain, and in Portugal we visited Porto and Lisbon.

It was an amazing experience, and I enjoyed a lot of local foods, but when we got back I knew I wanted a simple Japanese meal like Onigiri and miso soup.

So, that is what I had for lunch today.

The neighbor I talked about in my last post got this jar of onion chutney for us along with all the fabulous homemade food.

He said he tried it himself and liked it so he got one for us, too (he is the best!).

I know this is not the conventional way to use it, but I thought it would make a great garnish for my Onigiri.

Today’s Lunch…

-Onigiri with Onion Chutney

-Sesame Miso Soup

-Radish Sweet Pickles

-Sauteed Bean Sprouts with Japanese Worcestershire /Ketchup Sauce

-Green Tea

Itadakimasu – Thank you for the meal.

The onigiri was so tasty!

The sweet onion chutney went very well with the salted rice.

The miso soup turned out great too.

My little secret it to add a little sugar.

Green tea is the best way to finish a meal like this.

The unique-shaped cup is from https://washoki.jp/ .

This cup is beautiful to look at, but also feels great in my hands.

＊Follow me on Instagram if interested.

https://www.instagram.com/culinarytribune/

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by : Reiko Uncategorized

Home from Vacation and Banana Bread on Kitchen Counter

Sorry for the long absence.

We just got back last evening from our winter vacation in Spain and Portugal.

Our neighbor kept an eye on our place while we were gone, and when we came home, we found some care package, curry and rice in the fridge, a loaf of bread in the freezer, and banana bread on the kitchen counter.

So thankful to have a neighbor like this!

(They are not vegan, but they made everything vegan.)

We had the curry last night, and this morning we enjoyed the banana bread.

Everything was so delicious.

*If you are interested in what we did and ate during our vacation, check out my Instagram page. I have several posts from the vacation, and I am planning to leave many more pictures and videos as highlights in a few days.

I also post pictures on Instagram not seen here on the blog. So, follow me on Instagram if interested!

https://www.instagram.com/culinarytribune/

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Sweets

Oatmeal Mochi with Soy Sauce Maple Syrup
オートミール餅、醤油メープルシロップがけ

Happy New Year!

This mochi made of oatmeal is absolutely delicious!!

I sprinkled Kinako (roasted soy powder) and then drizzled a mixture of soy sauce and maple syrup.

This salty-sweet syrup was so good, almost addictive.

I liked it so much that I made another batch right after I finished these!

Oatmeal Mochi recipe (in Japanese) -> https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm1AeO2BdC4/

What do you wish for 2023?

Me?

WORLD PEACE.

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Noodles/Pasta, Tofu

Arare Tofu Soba
タモリさんのあられ豆腐のせ蕎麦

Making this Arare Tofu is quite easy.

You remove excess water from soft tofu.

Cook the tofu in sesame oil, and add flavor with soy sauce and sake.

I added tomato in addition to tofu, and I also used some sugar and salt to finish.

The original recipe was created by Mr. Tamori, who is a Japanese celebrity who hosted a popular daily show called “Waratte Iitomo” for many years.

In Japan it is customary to eat Soba noodles on December 31.

It’s supposed to be a good luck because the long noodles represent a long life and happiness.

We are having a quiet evening tonight.

Just me and my husband at home.

We will watch some TV.

Not sure if we can make it to 12:00…

We’ll see.

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by : Reiko Fish and Seafood, Rice/Grains

Griddle Chan-Chan-Yaki
ホットプレートちゃんちゃん焼き

Today, the last day of 2022, I realized that I still have pictures of dishes I made and wanted to post.

This is one of them.

A lot of vegetables as always.

It was fun to cook this dish, especially with the use of the griddle.

Rice and salmon were added.

We decided to put fish and seafood back into our diet this year, but we make sure they are “wild caught” and never been fed with dye (unfortunately many stores sell dye-fed fish).

Served with sweet miso sauce.

It was delicious!!

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by : Reiko Bread, Sandwiches, Tofu

Tofu Nugget Sandwich Lunch
豆腐ナゲットサンドイッチランチ&ちょこっと”大掃除”

This is the kind of lunch plate I like to eat.

Tasty sandwiches, salad, and soup.

There are a lot of veggies, and the whole plate is plant-based.

Homemade buns.

I loe them when they are just out of the oven.

They are so soft and smell good.

Homemade tofu nuggets.

This is a basic recipe for which I only wanted to use ingredients that are easy to come by and for which I don’t need to use a knife.

I used Ao-nori (seaweed flakes) to give them umami.

These are small sized ones.

They make a great snack.

These are the larger ones that I used for the sandwiches.

I love how these mini sandwiches looked.

Gochujang veggie soup.

Who is interested in this lunch plate?

This is the time when you deep-clean your house, called “O-soji” in Japan.

I’ve been keeping the house in a good shape, by cleaning a little every day, so I don’t feel like we need to do “O-soji”.

But today I cleaned the fridge inside and out, and I felt good.

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by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta, Vegan Cheese

Black Noodles with Plant-Based Cheese Sauce
黒パスタとVチーズソース

The impact of the color black is strong.

It’s unique, but I do like black food.

So when I saw this at a local specialty store, I decided to buy a package.

It really has a nice black color.

It loses the intense black color when cooked, but it’s still pretty dark.

I served it with homemade vegan cheese sauce, sage, and black walnuts.

The pasta’s texture is a bit different from the one of the wheat pasta.

It’s chewier.

I didn’t dislike it, but I couldn’t say I loved it.

Since I’m not used to this type of pasta, there is a possibility that the more I eat, the more I may come to appreciate it.

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by : Reiko Uncategorized

Plant-Based Turkey Apple Sandwich & our favorite vegan turkey this year
感謝祭のすぐ後に作ってた七面鳥と林檎のサンドイッチ＆美味しかったヴィーガンターキーはコレ。

I made this sandwich shortly after Thanksgiving.

I was meaning to post it but apparently forgot until now.

It’s a simple sandwich, yet so delicious.

Sandwich bread.

Homemade vegan mayo (always better than the store-bought one; or I should say I haven’t found one I like).

Dijon mustard.

Vegan cheese slice (lately my favorite is the Whole Foods’ brand).

Vegan turkey from Aldi.

Arugula.

Nice color!

Doesn’t this look good?

So this year we tried several vegan turkey options.

Turkey breast from Aldi, Trader Joe’s turkey roast, and the Field Roast’s turkey roast.

Vegan turkey breast from Aldi (Photo from https://vegconomist.com/ )

Vegan turkey roast from Trader Joe’s. (Photo from https://www.clubtraderjoes.com/ )

Vegan turkey roast from Field Roast. ( https://fieldroast.com/product/celebration-roast/ )

We liked the Field’ Roast’s turkey roast much better than the Trader Joe’s.

(Last year Trader Joe’s had a different vegan turkey roast (small), and we LOVED it, so we were very disappointed that they did not have the same roast this year, and the one they had this year was not good.)

The vegan turkey breast from Aldi was also really tasty.

It doesn’t look as festive as the roast, so I would still choose the roast type, but this Aldi’s breast was so good, and we enjoyed it for non-Thanksgiving meals.

The one I used for this sandwich is this one.

I like vegan turkey, and I wish they sold it all year round not just for November.

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Mushrooms, Noodles/Pasta, Soup/Stew

Ankake Noodles with King Oyster Mushrooms and Soy Curls
キングオイスターきのことソイカールのせあんかけ蕎麦

Ankake or thick soup is one of my favorites.

It makes any dish a bit special.

I like this brand.

The noodles are NOT fried but “air-dried”, and the ingredients appear very good too.

Also the texture is wonderful when cooked.

Soy curls.

I get these mushrooms at the local Asian grocery store, Ha Tien Supermarket.

They are always fresh, and I like their size and how they look.

it’s currently one of my favorite mushrooms.

Today I put away our Christmas tree and all the decorations.

The spot where the tree was looks so empty now.

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