by : Reiko Mushroom, Potato/Squash, Sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian

Harvest Panini
ハーベスト・パニーニ

If a sandwich is a good idea, a panini is a great idea.

The main ingredient of this panini is this kabocha.

I have to confess.

This panini was made right after Thanksgiving using the leftover braised kabocha, and I apparently forgot to post it.

So you can probably see why the kabocha was accompanied by cranberries in this panini!

Another proud participant is my famous? no-meat pepperoni.

It’s got sweet, salty, spicy, and tangy… well, basically every flavor you need.

Love the beautiful lines!

I really should use my panini pan more often.

It was a perfect panini for a kabocha lover like me.

I’m pretty sure this is exactly what I will make for my post-Thanksgiving day lunch.

I can’t wait to make this again, but at the same time I’m really hoping to have a long summer too.

by : Reiko Pasta/Noodle/Rice, Potato/Squash, Vegan, Vegetarian

Kabocha Stuffed Shells, Picante!
南瓜詰めパスタ

This is a really fun dish.

It’s creamy, crunchy, spicy, and fresh at the same time.

The creamy filling was made with Kabocha squash mixed with cashews.

Then I topped them off with panko bread crumbs and cooked them until they got crunchy.

When it’s pasta, you automatically think “Italian”, but I decided to play a bit with Mexican flavors for this dish.

So the tomato sauce was spiced up with chipotole.

Finally, they were served with cilantro and scallion.

The green color was perfect to brighten up the dish.

I almost believe that the colors of each country’s flag represent their food colors!

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by : Reiko Mushroom, Pasta/Noodle/Rice, Potato/Squash, Vegan, Vegetarian

Potato Broccoli Manicotti with Basil Cream
じゃがブロッコリ筒パスタ、バジルクリームのせ

There is something about stuffed pasta.

It’s fun to make and fun to eat.

I like shells.

But this time I decided to go with manicotti.

I know cheese is usually used for stuffing and also for finishing the dish.

But my manicotti was stuffed with delicious garlicky potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms.

I like to cook them until the pasta gets slightly brown and crunchy.

They were finished with basil cream.

Served with tomato sauce.

As you can see, I cut the pasta in half so that they stand nicely and look nice.

Or you can place them like these too.

I loved them so much.

The combination of tomato and basil is nothing new, but when presented and matched with other interesting items like this one, the dish becomes pretty awesome.

2 Comments
by : Reiko Breakfast, Potato/Squash, Vegan, Vegetarian

Sweet Potato Crusted Vegan Quiche
ヴィーガンキッシュ

There are a lot of things you can make vegan, and then there are still a lot of things that you cannot make vegan.

Quiche is one of the latter, or that’s what I thought.

Until I found this “Can’t tell the difference Quiche” recipe.

The first thing’s first.

The most important ingredient, aka vegan egg maker?, in this case: garbanzo bean flour.

I could have just followed the recipe, but I was craving for my old-time favorite, the sweet potato crust, and decided to make my first vegan quiche in this version.

The idea of sweet potato crust  is from this site. (I’ve made the egg version, before, and I loved it.)

This is what the filling looks like before putting on the crust and bake it.

I added onion, orange peppers, and broccoli to the filling.

And then I placed vegan cheddar cheese on top for the last five minutes of baking.

This vegan quiche recipe with the use of garbanzo bean flour is brilliant.

My husband and I both really enjoyed it.

You would probably ask if we couldn’t tell the difference.

If I was not told anything about how it was made, I probably wouldn’t question.

It’s not the same, but it’s pretty close.

One thing I would say is that it is so tasty that I would eat it as what it is, not as a fake-egg dish anyway!

A few changes I made to the filling recipe are the following…

– I used different veggies (broccoli, onion, orange peppers)
– I used 1.5 cup of vegetable broth instead of 1.5 cup of water and stock cube
– I used Italian herbs in place of sage
– No tomatoes.
– I used olive oil to brush the top.
– I sprinkled vegan cheddar on top and baked for the last five minutes.

by : Reiko Pasta/Noodle/Rice, Potato/Squash, Vegan, Vegetarian

Kabocha Sushi Roll
かぼちゃ巻き

Thanksgiving Thursday: Thanksgiving food.

Black Friday: Thanksgiving leftovers, plus freshly made gravy

Saturday: Kabocha Sushi Roll!

Many people are probably eating turkey sandwiches, but when the main cook of the household is Japanese (and vegan), you’ll end up with a sushi roll like this (lol).

And by the third day, I crave for fresh crisp veggies like lettuce and cucumber.

It has been a while since the last time I made sushi rolls, but it’s like riding a bike.

You don’t forget once you master it. (And it’s really not that hard.)

Complete!

This is how it looked when sliced and plated.

But I wanted to dress it up a little bit.

These are tangy mustard sauce and sweet miso.

Drizzle the sauce like painting a picture.

Cooking is definitely in part art, if you ask me.

Bon Appetit!

Don’t forget a cup of hot green tea.

I didn’t go shopping yesterday (Black Friday), but today I did, and oh boy, did I find things!

I came home with two jackets, a sweater, and a blouse.

They were all 40% off, and I’m super happy with my purchase, although I am planning to stay home tomorrow (so that I won’t spend more money!).

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Bread, Family, Mushroom, Potato/Squash, Vegan, Vegetarian

Vegan Thanksgiving
ヴィーガン感謝祭

I hope everyone had great Thanksgiving yesterday.

I wanted to post this last night, but I was too tired to do it after coming home late from our family Thanksgiving dinner and an attempt to shop (the line was too long to check out so we left without buying anything).

So here it is.

Like I said last night, this is what I made for our first vegan Thanksgiving…

– Lentil Bunapi Mushroom Stuffing
– Roasted Brussels Sprouts
– Sauteed Asparagus
– Japanese Braised Kabocha Squash
– Garlic Mashed Potatoes
– Vegan Gravy
– Herb Cloverleaf Rolls

*Check out my previous post for some of their recipes.

Lentil Bunapi Mushroom Stuffing.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sauteed Asparagus.

Japanese Braised Kabocha Squash.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Vegan Gravy.

Herb Cloverloaf Rolls.

These turned out great!

To be completely honest, I felt a bit uncomfortable and disappointed as I was not able to eat the food that was prepared by the host and others with whom we ate with at the table and that our family did not seem interested in the food we brought; very few tried.

But at the same time I felt good because I was able to feed myself and my husband with healthy and tasty food.

Having a husband with whom I can share the same food-health beliefs and enjoy good food is definitely one of many things I am thankful for.