by : Reiko Bread

Fig Oat Rye Berry Bread
無花果オーツライ麦パン

I’m not a huge quick bread fan, only because it tends to be too sweet to eat as “bread.”

But his oat flax bread is an exception.

It’s dense and very satisfying.

It’s slightly sweet, but not overly sweet.

And when it’s toasted and buttered, it makes a wonderful breakfast bread.

I was so excited to see it just out of the oven!

It looks exactly what I wanted to see.

Golden brown.

This bread is packed with ground flax seeds, dried figs, oats, and rye berries.

I still have a lot of rye we harvested from my brother-in-law’s farm.

Cooked rye berries are so versatile.

I enjoy them in salad, soup, or just eat it like rice.

This was my first time adding them into bread, and I liked the final result.

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Tofu

Gochujang T-Katsu Rice Bowl
コチュジャンTカツどん

I usually like my Katsu with Japanese worcestershire sauce or sweet miso glaze.

Those are my go-to sauce.

But this time I wanted to try something different.

Something spicy…

An action shot is still so hard to take.

I need more practice.

This was actually really good!

The glaze was spicy and sweet at the same time.

As you can see I like a pile of shredded cabbage between the rice and the Katsu.

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by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast

Adult’s Cocoa Cinnamon Swirl Shokupan
大人のココアシナモン渦巻パン

The bread section of our freezer became pretty scarce, and it was time for me to bake some bread.

I try to make different types of bread so that we don’t have to eat the same type of bread for a long period of time.

I haven’t made Shokupan bread for a while, so I decided to make two loaves of Shokupan.

One regular and one with cocoa-cinnamon swirl.

They turned out great.

Soft, fluffy, light, yet perfectly moist.

I think I finally got the flour-water ratio right.

Adding the swirl was a last minute decision.

I added butter, cocoa, and cinnamon, but intentionally avoided sugar.

There is no added sweetness, but this combination was already flavorful.

It was perfect for my breakfast.

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by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Tofu

M-G-W-Y-S-I Bowl
まごわやしい丼

The phrase, called “Ma-Go-Wa-Ya-Sa-Shi-I” has been popular in Japan lately.

It’s a kind of reminder or a piece of guidance for healthy-eating.

Each syllable represents a category of food, and they encourage you to include food from all those categories in your meal.

Ma is for Mame: Beans, in general. This can also be generalized for tofu or soy milk.

Go is for Goma: Sesame. This category also includes nuts and seeds.

Wa is for Wakame; Wakame is a type of seaweed, but it can be any kind of seaweed.

Ya is for Yasai: Vegetable.

Sa is for Sakana: Fish. Apparently I skip this as a plant-eater.

Shi is for Shiitake: Shiitake is a type of mushroom, but it can be any type of mushroom.

I is for Imo: Potato. Any type of potato, or squash, or root vegetable.

Can you spot all the M-G-W-Y-S-I in this bowl?

M: Kidney beans; soft tofu

G: Sesame seeds; sunflower seeds

W: Salted kombu

Y: Cucumber; tomato; spinach; arugula; sprouts

S: Enoki mushroom

I: Konjak (it’s made of a kind of potato); Chestnut (this is a tough one! It’s “nut” but the texture and taste are more like potato’s? No?)

We were just in Chicago and we stopped at Mitsuwa, a large Japanese grocery store, on our way home.

It’s pretty easy to find many Japanese food today.

I can find most of the things I need at the local Asian grocery store, and a few things I cannot find there, I can get them from Amazon.

But this salted Kombu seaweed is one of a few things I like but cannot get, so I was happy to find it at Mitsuwa.

They happened to have a flea market at their parking lot, and I bought some old magazines and books.

I got them for a dollar each!

You can buy new Japanese magazines and books, but they are still pretty expensive in the U.S.

(Magazines are usually double the price.)

Even my husband found something he liked at Mitsuwa.

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by : Reiko Sweets

Lemon Pie in a Jar
ジャーレモンパイ

I had a few lemons and an opened coconut cream jar that needed to be used up quick.

So making a lemon pie was a no-brainer.

The thing was that I didn’t quite have enough ingredients or motivation to make a whole pie.

So I thought making it in jars would be a perfect solution.

This no-bake pie was so easy and quick to put together, and I loved how they looked!

This was so delicious!

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by : Reiko Sweets

Coffee Jelly
大人のコーヒーゼリー

Coffee jelly is a popular sweet snack in Japan.

I remember eating it as a child way before I was ready to drink coffee.

It’s usually sweetened and then served with whipped cream, ice cream, etc.

I made my coffee jelly unsweetened, but served it with “sweetened” whipped coconut cream.

I also served my coffee jelly with something else.

Homemade vegan condensed milk!

Looks good, doesn’t it?!

I didn’t want my jelly to be too firm, but this time it turned out a bit looser than I had expected.

So, the texture was more like “gelée” than “jelly”.

Very refreshing, nonetheless.

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by : Reiko Breakfast

End of Summer Pancakes
バイバイ夏パンケーキ

The summer heat is slowly going away and bringing a comfortable weather.

I do appreciate it, but I can’t help feeling sad about the summer quickly going away.

This morning we walked to the local farmers market.

I went there for one thing today.

Corn!

We also came home with these beautiful sunflowers!

(Well, my husband bought these for me ❤.)

I love sunflowers, but I think this is the last time to have in our house before the next summer comes.

Sunflowers in September just don’t sound right.

Today’s sourdough pancakes were packed with lemon zest, basil leaves, and corn.

This combination is another one that sounds great in August, but not so much in September for some reason…

This is something I learned from Ms. Ina Garten.

She said “garnish with something that is in the dish.”

I used to watch Food Network a lot.

This tea brand, Tea Forte, is a good one to give as a gift.

We initially received a box as a gift, and then last year I brought an assorted box to work, and everyone loved it.

There are so many interesting flavors, and the pyramid tea bag is unique and pretty.

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by : Reiko Sweets

V/GF Chocolate Cupcake
きめ細米粉チョコレートカップケーキ

I try not to eat too many sweets.

But I also try not to be too strict either, so if I really want to eat something sweet between meals, I do eat.

The only important rule I have about snacking is to eat something “good” (not junk) and I truly enjoy.

Because of that reason I usually end up making the sweets I eat.

(And I’m not complaining. I do enjoy baking.)

These vegan and gluten-free cake is super easy to make.

They are “cooked” in a microwave oven!

So from start to finish, it takes less than 10 minutes.

It’s soft, silky, chocolaty, but not overly sweet.

I decorated with sweetened coconut cream, cocoa powder, and a raspberry.

It’s a small cake, but very satisfying, which I exactly wanted.

Perfect with my hot black coffee, too.

I used the recipe, https://www.instagram.com/p/CTCPXg2hqAd/ (in Japanese) for the cake.

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