Like I said in my previous post, I try to create food that the pre-plantbased-diet- me would enjoy eating.
I happened to have two types of homemade vegan cheese, so we got to enjoy them both on this pizza.
I love how the colors look on this pizza.
I made my pepperoni using my seitan meat, and it turned out great.
The other toppings were onion, mushroom, and red pepper.
YUM!
Inspiration comes from everywhere.
Well, the inspiration for this dish came from this.
My husband came home with this box the other day.
We are all suckers for “limited edition,” aren’t we? (lol)
I’m not a drinker, but I do enjoy the flavor of liqueurs, and I use them for baking/cooking.
For this pancake breakfast I made peach whiskey syrup.
Our usual sourdough pancakes.
I got up at 6:00 a.m. this morning to get peaches.
Yes, food makes me do things that I typically don’t do.
It already looks so pretty.
Now the plate is complete with the delicious peach whiskey syrup!
If you’ve been following me for a while (even the past few months), you’ve noticed that I like madeleines.
I think I’ve finally perfected my madeleines!
(After SEVERAL trials.)
My initial idea was to make “Matcha” madeleines, but when I found this beautiful organic lavender at a natural food store yesterday, my plan got quickly changed.
Lavender and Matcha together may sound strange, but this combination surprisingly works.
Well, better than just “works.”
It’s amazing!
The idea came from my favorite coffee shop, Cafe Astoria.
Their “Leah’s Happy Place” is a Matcha latte drink, with lavender!
As soon as I tried it for the first time, I fell in love.
This flavor combination is not only unique but also sophisticated.
Have you seen a waffle tower like this served at a restaurant?
Well, I’ve never ordered anything like that myself, but recently I’ve been seeing more pictures of a waffle tower on Instagram.
Chicken and waffle appears to be the popular dish to make a waffle tower, but I decided to make mine with something totally different.
When I make a plant-based dish, inspired by non-plant-based dish, my goal is NOT to make something just “similar” but “better.”
I’m always striving to create something I would have ordered (instead of the regular version) as a meat/dairy eater pre-plant-eating life.
And I think I achieved that with this one!
Sourdough waffles, fried cauliflower, Moroccan spiced roasted chickpeas (previous post), pan-fried tomatoes, cilantro mayo, fresh cilantro, and maple syrup.
This was AMAZING!
The flavors burst in your mouth, and every bite was a wonderful culinary experience.
Me, trying to take an action shot with the maple syrup drizzle.
I definitely need practice.
Roasted chickpeas appear to have become popular lately.
The restaurant we get take-out sometimes offers them as one of the topping options for your make-your-own-bowl.
I liked them very much, but I somehow thought it would be difficult to make at home.
Well, that turned out to be wrong.
Roasted chickpeas are SO easy to make, you can make them as good as (or better than!) store/restaurant ones.
We eat chickpeas a lot as plant-based eaters, and it is a great way to have a variety.
This time I used Moroccan-inspired spices, and they turned out delicious!!
Quick note…
Preheat oven to 450F. Drain, rinse, and dry canned chickpeas. Place them on a sheet pan lined with foil, one layer, and put in the oven for about 3-4 minutes. Take them out. Drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and coriander. Combine and coat the chickpeas with oil and spices well. Put them back into the oven. Roast for about 20 minutes or until they achieve preferred texture.
Reuben was one of my favorite sandwiches pre-100%plant-based diet.
Luckily, I’ve learned to create a sandwich that has all the flavors without using any animal products.
This version is a bit different from the traditional Reuben sandwich not because it doesn’t contain animal products, but because I added more flavors.
In this sandwich you’ll find Shiso basil leaves, pickled beet slices, vegan cheese (homemade), vegan meat slices (homemade), kimchi, and Southern Island dressing.
I’ve tried several brands for vegan kimchi, and this is my favorite so far.
Thankful that I can buy it at Target, which makes it very convenient.
One of the people I enjoy following on Instagram is https://zoebakes.com/ .
She creates amazing-looking cakes and other baked goods, and although they are usually not vegan, I still love just looking at her pictures.
When I found out she was one of the authors of my favorite bread-baking cookbook (“Artisan Bread in Five Minute A Day”) AND she lives in the same state, it made it even more fun to follow her.
(And there are so many things you find interesting on her site, as a lot of things, from her clothes, jewelry, mugs, to kitchen decor, reflect her great eye for beauty.)
So when I just recently saw that she posted this vegan brownie recipe on Instagram, I got so excited.
It’s actually vegan AND gluten-free.
I’ve made brownies using black beans in the past, so I was comfortable with this recipe.
This was very easy to make.
You basically put all the ingredients in a food processor and push the button!
I cut the recipe in half because I thought that would be enough for the two of us, and accordingly I used a smaller pan.
Other than that I didn’t make too many changes.
I used agave syrup, a Medjool date, olive oil, and old-fashioned oats in place of honey, brown sugar, grapeseed oil, and quick oats respectively, simply because I didn’t have them.
The brownies turned out great!
It’s perfectly moist but not dense.
She had frosting recipe posted as well, but I decided to make my own frosting.
I had homemade vegan cheese which tastes like a combination of feta, goat, and cream cheese, and I thought it would be fun to make cocoa frosting with it.
I just added cocoa powder, agave syrup, and pureed dates to the cheese.
I didn’t want to make it too sweet, and it was a right decision,
This frosting went so well with the brownie.
I sprinkled some cocoa powder and cacao nibs on top.
This was exactly what I wanted for Thursday afternoon snack to go with my coffee.
Teishoku is a set meal ordered at many restaurants in Japan.
It usually comes with rice, miso soup, and several small dishes.
I love Teishoku because they are usually nutritionally balanced, and you get to enjoy many different dishes, a little of this and a little of that.
I posted the Azuki rice a few weeks ago, but this time I made it into Onigiri, a rice ball.
Tofu with Amaranth caviar and Shiso.
Sweet and spicy gochujang potatoes.
I can eat a big bowl of rice, just with this.
So good!
It was fun to put together this Teishoku meal because I get to use all my favorite Japanese dishes.
I wanted to post this before September, because this dish screams summer!
I did make and enjoy it on one hot summer day, and it was delicious.
The cold somen noodles served in cold and refreshing gazpacho was exactly what I needed.
It was topped off with “ground” tofu and radish slices.
The weather changed so dramatically here in Minnesota.
It definitely felt like “fall” today.
Back to basics.
Shokupan, or Japanese Pullman loaf bread, is one of my favorite bread to bake and eat.
Beautiful, isn’t it?
