by : Reiko Mushrooms, Noodles/Pasta

Fall Color Pasta with Garlic Cauliflower Cream and Farmers Market Mushrooms
秋色パスタ、にんにくカリフラワークリームとファーマーズマーケットきのこのせ

There are so many great fall foods, and I’m just so excited to create dishes with them.

This is not necessarily “fall” food.

I believe the orange color is from tomatoes, and the green one is from spinach.

But the colors seem perfect for this season.

The cauliflower is from the local farmers market.

And we got mushrooms from the local vendors as well.

They are delicious when simply sauteed with olive oil (and then salted and peppered).

One thing that was also in this bowl but not mentioned in the long title is pea protein ground “meat”, from Ikea, which I like to keep in our freezer.

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by : Reiko Koji, Pizza/Flatbread

Onion Koji Pizza
シンプル美味しい玉ねぎ麹ピザ

When it comes to pizza I usually say, “the more toppings the better!”

But this time I decided to savor the simple goodness.

Remember the koji onion I made a few weeks ago?

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2022/09/27/koji-salt-onion-koji%e5%a1%a9%e9%ba%b9-%e7%8e%89%e3%81%ad%e3%81%8e%e9%ba%b9/

I’ve been using it for many different things.

It definitely enhances the flavor of the dish, whatever I add it to, but it usually takes a supporting role.

So, this time I wanted to make it shine as a lead actor!

Homemade crust, tomato sauce, onion koji, and fresh thyme.

With this pizza onion koji was definitely the star.

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by : Reiko Fruit, Pizza/Flatbread, Potatoes/Squash

Apple Kabocha Pizza with Cashew Yogurt and Pecan Nuts
林檎かぼちゃピザ、カシューヨーグルトとピーカンナッツのせ

Walking to the local farmers market is something we do in the morning on most Saturdays.

I love this little routine we have.

But you can tell things are quickly changing, with less leafy vegetables and more root vegetables…

This means we only have a few weeks left before they close until next spring.

One of the things we got from the market was these Regent apples.

This particular vendor was so knowledgeable and friendly, and she helped us pick which to cheese.

We loved these apples.

They are crisp, sweet, juicy, and just super tasty!

The Kabocha is from Trader Joe’s.

I have bought Kabocha from the farmers market in the past, but some of them that they were labeled as “Kabocha” did not taste like actual Kabocha.

So unfortunately, now I only buy Kabocha from stores.

I cooked the pizza with Kabocha slices (quickly pre-cooked in the microwave) and apple slices first, and then, it was served with cashew yogurt, pecan nuts, maple syrup, and cinnamon.

This was delicious!!

There is something so special about fall foods.

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by : Reiko Air Fryer, Tofu

Air Fryer Freeze-Dried Tofu
エアフライヤー・高野豆腐揚げ

Freeze-dried tofu, known as “Koya-Tofu” is great to add a big flavor to.

Usually, you have to remove excess water from tofu before doing so, but Koya-Tofu is already ready to absorb whatever marinade you have.

This is the only brand for Koya-tofu I see in the U.S.

The marinaded koya-tofu was quickly dipped in thick batter and cooked in the air-fryer.

This was really good as it was.

But…

I made this super tasty sauce, made of grated radish, minced garlic, salted Koji, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar (I think that was it).

I’m not a beer drinker, but I’m pretty sure it goes well with cold beer!

We have Asahi beer in the fridge.

It’s my husband’s favorite.

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by : Reiko Bread, Sandwiches, Vegan Cheese

Vegan Cream Cheese & Sweet Black beans in Homemade Dog Buns
クリームチーズ黒豆餡ドッグサンド

We, Japanese, love the combination of cream cheese and sweet beans as much as the butter-sweet bean combination.

As I always say, you have to have good bread if you want to make a good sandwich.

Homemade bread is always a good idea.

Homemade vegan cream cheese.

Red beans, or Azuki beans, are typically used for sweet beans, but this time I used black beans mostly because they are easier to come by here in the U.S.

And really why not?

Nobody said it has to be red beans.

Moving to a different country encourages me to try new things and often makes me realize that there are so many other ways to do things (I’m not just talking about cooking).

I liked how they turned out.

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by : Reiko Mushrooms, Noodles/Pasta, Potatoes/Squash

Fettucine with Pumpkin Cream Sauce, Tempeh, Koji Tofu Cheese, and Farmers Market Mushrooms
パンプキンクリームパスタ、テンペ、豆腐チーズ、ファーマーズマーケットきのこ入り

This dish screams autumn, and I’m loving it.

In Japan we say that the autumn is the season for reading, exercising, art, and eating.

I don’t know much about the rest, but about eating, it makes sense.

In Japan there are certain foods that we associate with fall and cherish, such as Matsutake mushroom, chestnut, persimmon…

And pumpkin is one of them too!

The freshly cooked fettucine was served with creamy pumpkin sauce, sauteed tempeh, Koji tofu “cheese” (previous post), and mushrooms we got from the local farmers market.

These mushrooms were sold as “ugly mix”.

They are past prime but still perfectly edible, and they sell them for a reasonable price, which I think is a great idea because we can avoid waste.

Apparently, they are popular, and when we got to the market, there was only a little left, and we bought everything they had.

We were advised to eat them within the three days, but we cooked and ate them the same day, and they tasted great.

What’s your favorite thing to eat this season?

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by : Reiko Koji, Tofu, Vegan Cheese

Salted Koji Tofu Cheese
塩麹とうふチーズ

I just recently made salted koji ↓.

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2022/09/27/

And I’m loving it.

One of the things I was interested in using my salted Koji for was “tofu cheese”.

I saw other people making it, and I needed to try it myself.

It’s super easy to prepare.

You remove excess water from tofu.

Cover the tofu with salted Koji.

Let it rest in a refrigerator for several days (I waited for 7 days).

And the tofu tastes like cheese!

That’s what it looked like after 7 days.

You can’t really see any difference, but you can tell that the texture is a bit different, smoother and denser.

I removed the Koji.

I can’t say it tastes like cheese, but it definitely developed the cheese-like Umami and creaminess.

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by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta, Vegan Cheese

Spaghetti with Vegan Meat Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese
ヴィーガンミートソースとモッツレラチーズのスパゲッティ

Spaghetti with meat sauce was one of my favorite dinner dishes when I was a kid.

And it’s still definitely one of the dishes I crave once in a while.

Luckily, today there are several “meat” options for plant-based dieters.

This time I used this ground “meat” made of pea protein from Ikea.

It’s super easy to use.

You keep it frozen and then when you are ready to use it, just get it out of the freezer and cook in a pan.

I don’t bother to thaw it.

I just dump it still frozen into a hot pan, and it cooks just fine.

And my homemade vegan mozzarella cheese was cut into cubes and generously added.

It’s such a great comfort food.

But the addition of the creamy mozzarella takes it to the next level.

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by : Reiko Main Dish

Vegan Cheeseburger Crunchwrap
ヴィーガンチーズバーガー・クランチラップ

It was at the local vegan restaurant where I had my first crunchwrap.

I’m not a huge wrap person, but I found the crunchwrap delicious.

I had Beyond burgers, so I decided to go for a big meal.

Don’t worry, I never forget about veggies.

And we have to have mayo ketchup.

I thought it was a good time to try a new vegan bacon.

We saw it at Whole Foods, sitting next to the Hooray one.

I was going to pick up the Hooray (we had tried it before and liked it), but my husband wanted to try this one to see if we would like it.

This is what it looked like when cooked.

It gets super crispy and worked well for this dish.

This one is salty just like the real bacon, probably a bit saltier than the Hooray.

So happy with how it turned out!

Super crunchy!!

This was a great lunch.

I may like this better than a regular burger with a bun.

Oops!

Saved (lol).

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by : Reiko Sandwiches, Vegan Cheese

Vegan Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Pumpkin Focaccia Sandwich
ヴィーガン七面鳥ハムとクランベリークリームチーズ入り、パンプキンフォカッチャサンドイッチ

The pumpkin focaccia (previous post) is tasty simply with vegan butter.

But I thought it would be fun to make a sandwich with it.

I like this Sweet Earth brand’s vegan oven roasted-style turkey.

I don’t understand why reviews are not great on some sites….

I added chopped dry cranberries to my homemade vegan cream cheese.

I drizzled a little bit of maple syrup.

It is great for lunch or brunch.

So good!!

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