by : Reiko Bread, Leaf Vegetabes, Root vegetable, Vegan, Vegetarian

Avocado Toast Sticks
アボカドトーストスティック

Always love avocado toast.

But when I visited The Lynhall and had their beautiful open brioche sandwich, I was so inspired to make my avocado toast pretty and colorful!

I happened to have beautiful fruit and veggies already in my house, and all I needed to do was to gather them.

I used my homemade 1/3 whole wheat bread.

Aren’t these pretty?

The two on the left are a veggie version, and the two on the right are a fruit version.

The sticks were so good that I decided to make one more toast with everything on top!

Absolutely delicious!

When you make something like this you realize that food can be pretty and tasty at the same time.

And in this case you really feel the power and the beauty of plant-based food.

Avocado Toast Sticks

2 whole wheat bread toasted, cut into thick sticks
1~2 avocado sliced
salt
-veggie version: I used lightly pickled carrot and radish, pickled rhubarb, Renkon lotus slices (braised in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar), “Asian Greens” from Fresh Thyme, dill, and chive.
-fruit version: I used Angel white apricot, cherries, strawberries, grapes, mint, and “Asian Greens” from Fresh Thyme.

1. Place avocado slices on toasts. Sprinkle salt.
2. Place veggies and fruit on top.

by : Reiko Leaf Vegetabes, Mushroom, Vegan, Vegetarian

Wheat Berry Salad
ウィートベリーサラダ

Here is my kind of go-to salad.

Some kind of green leaves, cooked veggies, fresh veggies, and some type of grains or beans.

For cooked veggies, I had this beautiful king mushrooms as well as zucchini and eggplant.

For fresh veggies, I had this super sweet (I mean REALLY sweet) corn as well as mini tomatoes and radish.

And for grains I had wheat berries.

It takes a little longer time to cook them compared to pasta, but I love its texture when cooked.

Dressing was of course home made.

I haven’t bought dressing for many years now.

For this salad I made green dressing whose main ingredients are cilantro and scallion.

So refreshing!

Have a great rest of the week everyone.

These beautiful sun flowers are from the local farmers market as well.

The yellow color fits so well in our kitchen and brightens up the whole area.

by : Reiko Leaf Vegetabes, Pasta/Noodle/Rice, Seaweed, Vegan, Vegetarian

Edamame Veggie Sushi Roll
枝豆べジ巻き

What do you make when you want to clean up your fridge?

Soup is usually my go-to dish in a case like that, but making sushi rolls can be a good way to use up all the things you have in the fridge, too.

How beautiful is it?

In this sushi roll you’ll find daikon radish, carrot, spinach, olive salad, and mashed edamame.

It’s just an example, and you can be creative with ingredients.

I cannot really think of anything that shouldn’t be used for sushi rolls!

You can serve them individually or on a large platter for sharing.

Edamame Veggie Sushi Roll

Japanese roasted seaweed sheet (nori)
sushi rice
-1.5~2 cups Japanese white rice, hot/warm
-1 tablespoon vinegar
-1 tablespoon sugar
-salt
1/3 cup edamame mash (cooked edamame salted and roughly mashed)
veggies (I used daikon radish, carrot, spinach, and olive salad from a jar)

1. Make sushi rice. Mix vinegar and sugar. Add to hot/warm rice. Combine well (do not mash rice; the rice needs to keep its shape!). Salt. Let it cool.
2. Place a roasted seaweed sheet (nori) on plastic covered sushi mat.
3. Put the rice on the seaweed sheet. flatten the rice with wet fingers (again do NOT mash the rice!).
4. Place edamame mash and veggies on the rice. Roll it. Slice. Serve with soy sauce.

by : Reiko Leaf Vegetabes, Mushroom, Pasta/Noodle/Rice

Homemade Pasta with Portobello Steak
ホームメードパスタ

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Lately I’ve been watching my weight a little more carefully, and I don’t eat a large amount of carbs as I used to do.

But I love pasta, and if I eat pasta I want something really good.

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And what’s better than homemade pasta?!

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This pasta was served with portobello mushroom steak, sauteed spinach, and two kinds of sauce, red and alfredo.

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The homemade pasta is so good in so many ways, like taste, texture, and how it looks!

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I used this recipe for the pasta. You may need to sign up to be their member or try their trial membership to see the recipe.

by : Reiko Leaf Vegetabes, Soup, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ginger White Soup
真っ白生姜スープ

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I can certainly feel that spring is just around the corner, but we still have cold days when I crave for soup.

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When I make soup, I usually make a big batch because it often seems to taste better the next day.

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For some reason I wanted to make all white soup.

I think it turned out very pretty.

I usually chop napa cabbage into bite sized pieces, but when we had a hot pot at a local Chinese restaurant they served whole leaves.

I liked the look of them in the soup, and for this soup I decided to do the same.

This is a mild tasting kind of soup where I can really appreciate the true taste of each ingredient.

I usually like to use firm tofu for a lot of my cooking, but for this soup I definitely prefer the soft one.

I love it when the tofu feels so soft and it melts in my mouth.

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Ginger White Soup

canola oil
2~4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 onion, sliced
2 cups cauliflower
water
2~4 cups soy milk
1/2 can corn
1/2 package soft tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces
5~10 napa cabbage leaves
sugar
salt and pepper
sesame oil
chopped chive

1. Cook garlic, ginger, and onion in oil.
2. Add cauliflower and continue to cook for a few minutes.
3. Add water to cover the cauliflower. Boil and then turn down to low-medium heat.
4. Add soy milk. Continue to cook.
5. Add corn, tofu, napa cabbage, sugar, salt, and pepper.
6. Serve with sesame oil and chive.

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A walk by the Mississippi River. One of my favorite walking/jogging courses. I keep thinking about putting this winter coat away, but it seems like I need to wait for a few more weeks…