by : Reiko Leaf Vegetabes, Mushroom, Vegan, Vegetarian

Baked Mushroom Wraps
ホットラップサンド

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When we had a potluck lunch at work a few weeks ago, someone brought hot wraps and they were so good.

There was no meat in the filling but a lot of cabbage and I really liked the idea.

So here is my version of hot vegetable wraps.

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The filling is made with cabbage, mushrooms, and fried onion folded in my secret (I guess not so secret because I share my recipe below!) cream sauce.

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I was going to completely wrap the filling, but I was afraid of tearing the tortillas, so I simply folded and closed it with a toothpick.

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Great for lunch, snack for kids, late night snack for adults or of course for a lunch party.

I am freezing several today.

I hope they will taste just as good as they are now when re-heated.

Baked Mushroom Wraps – makes about 5 wraps

filling
– canola oil
– 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
– 1/4 cabbage, thinly sliced
– salt and pepper
– paprika
– 1~2 tablespoons Japanese worcestershire sauce
– 1/2~1 tablespoon sugar
– 2 cups soy milk
– corn starch + water, for thickening
– 1/2~1 cup fried onion
whole wheat tortilla wraps
canola oil

1. Make filling. Sautee mushrooms and then cabbage. Salt and pepper.
2. Add paprika, Japanese worcestershire sauce, sugar, and soy milk. Boil and then turn down to low heat.
3. Add a mixture of corn starch and water and stir until it achieves the preferred thickness.
4. Add fried onion.
5. Wrap the filling in tortilla wraps. Close them with toothpicks. Brush oil on wraps.
6. Bake at 450F for 10~15 minutes or until lightly browned.

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by : Reiko Leaf Vegetabes, Nuts, Pasta/Noodle/Rice, Root vegetable, Vegan, Vegetarian

One Plate Veggie Lunch
ワンプレートベジランチ

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We had the coldest weekend this season and we spent pretty much the whole time in the house (although we did go to a hockey game that we could get to with a skyway).

Since I had a lot of time at home, I got to spend a lot of time for my hobbies including cooking.

This is a one plate lunch I made for Terry on Sunday.

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Inari Sushi (sushi rice in seasoned soy pouch).

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Japanese Potato Stew with Sundried Tomatoes.

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Indonesian Peanut Creamed Spinach and Walnut

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Yuzu Daikon Radish

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I was going to make a BENTO Box, but I’m still waiting for my new boxes and they are still not here yet.

I’m really hoping to receive them sometime soon!

I have gotten spoiled lately with Amazon Japan.

I recently bought a few things from them, and all the products were sipped from Japan, but they were here within TWO days!!

I know it’s not a typical airmail delivery, but after the experience, three weeks seem so long (and wrong?)…

Japanese Potato Stew with Sundried Tomatoes

canola oil
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
4 potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup dried Japanese Hijiki seaweed
2-3 tablespoons sundried tomatoes
2-3 cups water
2~3 table spoons soy sauce
2~3 tablespoons sugar
salt

1. Sautee vegetables in oil.
2. Add Hijiki seaweed and sundried tomatoes. Continue to cook.
3. Add water, soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Boil and then turn down to low heat. Continue to cook until the vegetables are cooked through. Cool and refrigerate. Re-heat before serving.

I’m on Instagram.

2 Comments
by : Reiko Leaf Vegetabes, Pasta/Noodle/Rice, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

Kimchi Ramen
キムチラーメン

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Love any kinds of noodle soup at this time of the year.

But ramen is probably one of my favorites.

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Many years ago when I presented my first vegan kimchi ramen on facebook, someone quickly asked me if I used “vegan” kimchi.

I just assumed that kimchi was vegan, but it apparently contains some seafood/fish products, such as fermented salted shrimp and fish sauce.

I’ve been on a hunt for vegan kimchi since then and as I just recently found one that I had been interested in for a while at our local grocery store, I decided to use it to make a “real” vegan kimchi ramen.

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I added chili garlic paste to give an additional kick.

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The ramen turned out very good, but I was not too happy with the kimchi I tried.

I liked their large pieces of napa cabbage, but the flavors lacked the depth I would expect in good kimchi.

So my journey to finding a great vegan kimchi (or just great kimchi) will continue.

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Kimchi Ramen

soup
– canola oil
– 1 onion, sliced
– 3 cloves garlic, sliced
– Japanese Kombu dried seaweed
– 4~5 cups water
– soy sauce
– cane sugar
– 1/2~2/3 cup kimchi
– salt and pepper
ramen noodle, cooked
toppings (recommended: corn, scallion, Japanese nori roasted seaweed)
chili garlic paste
sesame oil

1. Make soup. Sautee onion and garlic in oil. Add Kombu and water. Boil and then turn down to low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients. Adjust the measurements to your liking.
2. Serve cooked ramen noodle in the soup.
3. Add toppings. Serve with garlic paste and sesame oil.

I’m on Instagram.

by : Reiko Bento/Lunch Box, Leaf Vegetabes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Fried Pea Dumpling Bento
グリーンピース揚げワンタン弁当

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Another vegan bento box.

This time it’s a bit more adult-like compared to this Panda Bento 1 or this Panda Bento 2.

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The main dish of this Bento box is the fried pea dumplings.

Crispy and delicious!

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Braised Hijiki seaweed.

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Turmeric cauliflower olive salad.

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Sesame spinach.

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I really enjoy making Bento.

It’s fun to think about how to fill a box and make it look nice.

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I just recently ordered a couple of new Bento boxes.

They are coming from Japan, and I’m so excited!!

I’m on Instagram.

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

Rice Salad
ごはんサラダ

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I like salad, but I often feel “cheated” (lol) when the main meal is a salad.

My solution to it is adding cooked rice to veggies.

Just having a little rice makes the salad so much more satisfying, in my opinion.

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As you can see there are a lot of vegetables in this bowl, but the star of this salad is the roasted sweet potatoes.

Terry bought some at the local farmers market for me.

When I saw them, I was not very happy, because they did not look “pretty”.

They looked somewhat deformed and dirty still covered with dirt.

But what a surprise (or not so)!

These were the best sweet potatoes ever.

When I roasted them, they turned out perfectly sweet, and the texture was just right, not too wet or mushy.

I could have eaten a whole sheet panful of them as they were, without any dressing, sauce, syrup, or butter.

They were that good.

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I was able to keep some of them for our lunch salad.

In this bowl are Japanese white rice, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, tomatoes, persimmons, napa cabbage, and spinach.

This was served with lime tahini dressing (and soy sauce; I have to have soy sauce for my avocados! I think it’s a Japanese thing (lol).).

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By the way, what do you use When you want to add an extra flavor or an extra richness (or fat) to enhance the flavor of your dish or make it a bit more interesting at the last minute.

Bacon bits?

Cheese?

Well, how about if you want to keep your dish plant-based?

As you can see already ↑, this is one of my favorite last minute flavor-enhancers: fried onion.

I keep a good quality can in my pantry.

I sprinkle it on salads, soup, and really anything!

I’m on Instagram.

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Leaf Vegetabes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Edamame Pot Stickers
枝豆餃子

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I love pot stickers and this is something I was not going to give up when we decided to be on the 95% plant based diet.

So I’ve tried making different no-meat pot stickers, and so far these edamame ones are my favorite.

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Look at this bright green color!

It was exciting!

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And pot-sticker making is one of my favorite food preparations.

It’s always fun to make these, although I do miss my mom I would love to have next to me helping making some.

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Then I line them up like good soldiers on my trusted Zojirushi hot plate.

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Because of the coating you don’t have to worry about your pot stickers sticking to the pan, and you also don’t need a lot of oil.

Still they get browned fast and beautifully.

Add some hot water, cover with a lid, and wait.

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Since there is nothing that needs to be cooked through inside the wrappers, you don’t have to wait too long, which is a good thing.

They look absolutely beautiful!

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I didn’t expect it, but the green color of the filling really came through wonderfully, which was an added bonus.

 

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Edamame Pot Stickers

filling
1.5 cups cooked edamame
1.5 cups cooked and chopped cabbage
3 cloves garlic, grated
1~2 teaspoons grated ginger
3~4 tablespoons chopped Chinese garlic chives
2~3 tablespoons chopped scallion
salt and pepper
soy sauce
sesame oil
pot sticker wrappers
canola oil for frying
sauce (soy sauce, white vinegar, pepper jam from Trader Joe’s)

1. Make filling. Combine all the ingredients. Mix well.
2. Make pot stickers by filling the wrappers with the filling and sealing the edges tightly with water.
3. Cook the pot stickers on a hot plate at 350F with oil until the bottom is browned. Add hot water and cover with a lid. Continue to cook for a few minutes.
4. Serve with sauce.

I’m on Instagram.