by : Reiko Bread, Sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian

Italian Sloppy Joes
イタリアンスロッピージョー

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Sloppy Joes has never been my favorite, but I always thought it had potential.

So when I saw Ms. Drummond making this, I got the inspiration to give Italia flavors to my sloppy joes as well.

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My trusted canned tomatoes from Trader Joe’s.

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Doesn’t this look awesome or what!?

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I made garlic bread for my sloppy joes just as Ms. Drummond did for hers.

I think one of the biggest reasons I do not care for regular sloppy joes is the bun.

I feel it’s too soft for this sandwich.

So this crusty garlic bread was perfect!

Oh, and did I say it’s vegan?

Italian Sloppy Joes – Vegan

olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, roughly smashed
1 small can tomato paste
sugar
bay leaves
Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper
salt
pepper
1/2 cup water
garlic toasts (bread slices, olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt)
chopped parsley

1. Sautee garlic in olive oil.
2. Add onion and pepper and continue to sautee.
3. Add cauliflower and tomatoes. Continue to cook.
4. Add sugar, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, red pepper, salt, pepper, and water. Continue to cook.
5. Serve over garlic toasts. Sprinkle parsley.

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by : Reiko Bread, Leaf Vegetabes, Sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian

Edamame Veggie Sandwich
枝豆サンド

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We got back from our trip a few days ago.

We are home, but technically we are still on vacation.

Terry says we can go out to eat and I don’t have to cook, but after a while I WANT to cook because I miss my food (it sounds strange, but it’s true!).

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I was in the mood for a sandwich with LOTS of veggies.

So that’s what we had for lunch today.

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I pile up everything high, hoping they stay between the bread slices.

Love all the colors.

Edamame was salted and slightly mashed.

Next time I will spread more of this edamame paste.

It was simple yet tasty.

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I think I’m getting better at making sandwiches.

One of the lessons I’ve learned is to use thin slices of bread.

My sandwiches used to be so thick, and I always felt I was eating too much bread!

Not this time.

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Edamame Veggie Sandwich makes 2 sandwiches

4 slices bread
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 carrot, julienned
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
1/3 English cucumber, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1 cup lightly mashed and salted edamame (with a little lemon juice)
1 cup baby spinach and mustard greens, dressed with simple dressing (oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper)
salt

1. Spread mustard on bread slices.
2. Sandwich all the vegetables.
3. Sprinkle salt.

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by : Reiko Bread, Potato/Squash, Vegan, Vegetarian

Zucchini Potato Pizza
ズッキーニポテトピザ

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When we come home from the local farmers market like this,

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We (I) make pizza!

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But first we (I) play (lol).

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You can make a free-style (don’t worry if it’s not perfectly round or rectangle) ones.

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Or individual ones.

I put together pizza dough quick. While waiting for it to rise, I cut up all the vegetables.

Very easy and quick preparation.

I recently learned that bread flour makes pizza crust crispy, and all purpose flour gives chewy texture.

I went with almost half and half this time because I like my pizza crust crispy AND chewy.

The result was extremely satisfactory!

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Zucchini and Potato Pizza – makes one large pizza and one individual pizza

pizza dough
– 1 cup all purpose flour
– 2/3 cup bread flour
– 1/2 teaspoon sugar
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1 teaspoon yeast
– 3/4 cup lukewarm water
– 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup sliced potato
1/2 cup zucchini and yellow squash
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Sambal (Indonesian pepper relish)
salt and pepper
olive salad (I used the one from CostCo)
chopped fresh basil

1. Make dough. Place water in a large bowl. Add yeast and mix well until it dissolves. Add all the other ingredients. Knead. Make a smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for about one hour.
2. Roll out the dough. Place potatoes, zucchini/yellow squash, and red onion.
3. Mix olive oil and Sambal. Brush the oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle some peppers and garlic from Sambal over the vegetables. Salt and pepper.
4. Bake in 425F oven for about 15 minutes or until browned.
5. Serve with olive oil and basil.

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by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian

Raspberry Tahini Toast
ラズベリートースト

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When a neighbor hands you raspberries, make raspberry tahini toast!

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Our neighbor couple has a spot in a community garden, and they always kindly bring us goodies from their garden.

These raspberries are so sweet.

There is something about non-commercial produce.

They seem to have more intense flavors compared to those found at grocery stores.

I also liked these raspberries because for some reason I didn’t mind their seeds; I sometimes avoid raspberries simply because of their seeds.

Maybe these raspberries have smaller seeds?!

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The inspiration initially came from “Hmmmm, I want a raspberry dessert”, and “Maybe I’ll make a raspberry cheesecake”, then “Hmmm, how about a toast with cream cheese and raspberries”, and I really liked the idea, but then I thought “How about I’ll make raspberry toast, but keep it vegan!”

Voila!

The combination of tahini and raspberries may sound strange to some of you, but I liked it!

When you stop reaching for butter or cheese too quickly, you realize there are so many other wonderful options.

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Tahini Raspberry Toast

tahini cream
– 2 tablespoons tahini
– 1/2~1 tablespoon soft tofu
– fresh lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
– maple syrup
– salt
1 slice artisan bread, toasted
fresh raspberries
maple syrup
currants
maple syrup

1. Make tahini cream. Combine all the ingredients and mix well until creamy.
2. Spread the tahini cream on a toast.
3. Place fresh raspberries and currants.
4. Drizzle maple syrup.

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by : Reiko Bread, Sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian

Radish Open Sandwich
ラディッシュオープンサンド

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When a French young man told me how to make a radish sandwich many years ago, I was intrigued.

Bread, butter, radish, and salt.

Loved the simple ingredients.

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I use different kinds of bread to make radish sandwich.

But this time I used the bread I had brought home from the farm.

This seedy bread made the sandwich a rustic one.

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It tastes good with butter of course (everything tastes good with butter, right?), but there are also other options.

Dijon mustard/honey and tahini/honey (in place of butter) are some of my favorite vegan versions.

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Radish Open Sandwich

2 slices bread
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or tahini
1 tablespoon honey
salt and pepper
2 radish, sliced
salt and pepper

1. Spread mustard or tahini on bread.
2. Drizzle honey. Salt and pepper.
3. Place radish slices. Sprinkle salt and pepper if needed.

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by : Reiko Bread, Vegan, Vegetarian

Oregano Bread オレガノブレッド

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I haven’t baked bread like this for a while. But I love this recipe. It never disappoints me.

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This was the inspiration for making bread last night.

Fresh oregano!

Friends of ours generously shared their beautiful oregano from their garden.

We live in a city, but they rent a small part of shared community garden not too far from where we live.

I’ve never seen this much oregano in my life!

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I baked two. One for us.

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And one for them.

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You can definitely smell and taste the oregano, and it’s wonderful!

This is delicious just with butter, but this would be a perfect bread option for an Italian meal where you can wipe the red sauce with this.

Oregano Breadadapted from the Boule recipe in “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day” – makes 4 small loaves like the ones in the pictures

1.5 cup water, warm
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3 ~ 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2~4 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1. Put warm water in a large container.
2. Add yeast, salt, and mix well.
3. Add flour and mix well with a wooden spoon.
4. Cover with a lid (not airtight) and let it rise in a container until it’s double in size, for about two hours.
5. Refrigerate overnight.
6. Form four balls. Roll the dough. Sprinkle oregano. Roll it in and form balls. Let them rise for 40 minutes.
7. Preheat oven with a pizza stone and a broiler pan inside to 450 F twenty minutes before baking.
8. Slash a line in the middle of the top with a sharp knife. Put a cup of hot water into the broiler pan.
9. Bake for 30 minutes.

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And when I brought the bread to the friend’s house this morning, this is what they handed to me.

Mulberries freshly picked from their garden.

This was such a treat for someone like me who grew up in a town that was known for their mulberry trees.

I remember my friends and I would pick up (and eat) mulberries along our way to elementary school everyday.

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Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

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