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 Bread, Sandwich, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Bistro Sloppy Joes
ビストロ風スロッピージョー

I almost didn’t want to name this “sloppy joe”, because it’s so different from the regular one.

Sloppy joes taste so much better when you use crusty bread instead of soft buns.

The “soft meat x soft bun” combination simply doesn’t work for me.

So first, I go get the right bread.

Lunch is served!

The main ingredients of the filling are tofu and eggplant.

But I also snuck in some other things, like a lot of veggies (garlic, onion, red pepper, celery).

Isn’t it what moms do to make their kids eat veggies?

This works at our house, too (not with kids, but with hubby, though (lol)).

With the baguette and everything, this sandwich is somewhat an adult version, but it’s still “sloppy”, so it gets messy.

But it’s delicious, and definitely approved by both my husband and I.

By the way, I finally had hair cut a few weeks ago after waiting too long, like 9 months!

I’m happy that I found a salon nearby and the stylist did a great job.

As per her recommendation, I bought this oil and I absolutely love it.

My hair is thick and often looked heavy, but with this oil my hair looks dimensional and better than ever.

Plus, it smells great.

Happy Saturday evening.

Stay warm.

I’ts snowing and super foggy here in MN today.

by : Reiko Sandwich, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Veggie Burger
べジバーガー

Happy meatless Monday!

It’s not that hard to make a veggie burger at home.

You just need a lot of veggies.

Chop them up.

Saute.

Mix with tofu.

Doesn’t it look good?

Note to myself: Use corn starch to dust both sides and cook over high heat to make the outside including the sides a little more crusty.

Veggie Burger Patties: canola oil (for sauteing and frying), garlic, mushrooms, edamame, sweet potatoes, kale, green onion, extra firm tofu, sugar, salt, pepper, flaxseed meal, garlic powder, onion powder, corn starch (for dusting)

2 Comments
by : Reiko Sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian

TLT Sandwich
TLTサンドイッチ

Everyone loves BLT sandwich.

And we love our TLT sandwich.

The tempeh was marinated and then baked/broiled until crispy.

The “T” is for the tempeh.

It’s delicious, and let me tell you I do NOT miss “B”.

Isn’t it just beautiful?!

For this sandwich I made homemade vegan mayo myself too.

We are not big mayo fans, but we do enjoy a little bit (or not so little!) of it in our sandwiches.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend everyone!

2 Comments
by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast, Sandwich, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Breakfast Sandwich
朝食サンドイッチ

When it comes to breakfast, I have never been so sure of what to do.

I know people always say it’s the most important meal of the day, but I know a lot of people skip breakfast, and I’m usually just not hungry when I get up.

But I’ve been doing some reading about breakfast and general meal time, and I’ve found out that breakfast IS important (duh).

So I’ve started making some changes.

1. Eat breakfast. Actually consume more calories from breakfast than from dinner. It’s okay to eat carbs.
2. Eat dinner early.

I’m not a dietitian, and I’m not saying these are good for everyboey, so these are certainly not any type of recommendations.

But my new meal schedule has been going quite well for me, and I do like how my body feels.

This sandwich was something I recently made for breakfast.

Since there are more hours between the time I finish dinner and the time I get up the next day, I now wake up hungry and am so ready to eat!

So this type of sandwich perfectly makes a great breakfast for me.

Toasted English muffins.

Crunchy tempeh (Tempeh was marinated overnight and then baked. This is delicious!).

Scrambled tofu.

Assembly station.

I’m not a big fan of any processed food, but I’ve been becoming a little more relaxed about vegan cheese lately.

I still don’t eat a lot, but I think it’s okay to enjoy it once in a while.

I’ve tried Provolone and Creamy Original, and they were both pretty good.

I don’t remember which one, but I used one of them for this sandwich.

Breakfast is ready!

I like my sandwich with both mayo and ketchup (I happened to have homemade vegan mayo).

I also like to eat fruit for breakfast; actually I eat fruit pretty much throughout the day.

Have a great weekend everyone!

by : Reiko Bread, Sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tomato Mini Sandwiches
トマトのミニサンド

These mini pumpkin rolls were great with vegan butter, but they were also wonderful when made into sandwiches.

I absolutely love their orange color.

The main ingredient was these beautiful tomatoes I found at the local grocery store.

These vine tomatoes look so fresh and alive.

I prepared mustard coleslaw.

I like my coleslaw fresh and crunchy, so I always make it right before I’m very close to serving it.

I forgot about their silly faces.

Here is the assembly station.

I’ve been using kosher salt for many years now.

I like its milder taste, and it seems that it makes all the food taste better.

These are simple veggie sandwiches that feature the fresh and juicy tomatoes.

You place avocado first, and tomato, and then the mustard coleslaw.

These are small sandwiches and you can finish one with a few bites.

You can see how small these sandwiches are compared to my hand; I do have big hands (lol).

It can be a perfect light lunch or a healthy snack for kids.

Just looking at this silly “face” always makes me smile.

Have a great start of the week everyone!