by : Reiko Mushroom, Pasta/Noodle/Rice, Vegetarian

Pasta with Morels and Vodka Sauce きのこウォッカソース

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This is yesterday’s early lunch I made after we came back from a quick walk to the local farmer’s market.

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Love it when we found interesting stuff at the market.

I got these beautiful morel mushrooms again from Big River Pizza (the pizza restaurant is located right across from the market), and the funky looking pasta was found at the farmers market.

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The pasta was thick and chewy (in the most positive way), which tells you it’s not a mass made product.

This vodka sauce was creamy and delicious, but at the same time it’s quite light, just the way I like it.

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Pasta with Vodka Sauce and Morel Mushrooms – for 2 servings

vodka sauce
– canola oil
– 1/2 onion, chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– 1 pint Morel mushrooms, cut into bite sized pieces
– salt and pepper
– 2/3 cup vodka
– 1/2 cup tomato paste
– 1.5~2 cups soy milk
– 1 cup pureed tomatoes
– sugar
– salt and pepper
200 g freshly cooked pasta
fresh basil, chiffonade

1. Make Vodka sauce. Sautee onion and garlic in oil. Add mushrooms and continue to sautee. Salt and pepper. Add Vodka. Continue to cook. Add tomato paste and soy milk. Continue to cook. Add pureed tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper.
2. Add cooked pasta. Serve with fresh basil.

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Peony is everywhere!

I love its elegance and vibrant color.

Terry bought these for me at the farmers market!

Fresh flowers always make me feel special.

They really brighten up our kitchen, and I love it.

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

Mushroom and Eggplant Zha Jiang Mian きのこと茄子のジャージャー麺

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Zha Jiang Mian, I believe, is Chinese, but it is a popular noodle dish in Japan as well.

I forgot how much I liked this dish until I happened to see a local Chinese/Korean restaurant on Yelp that apparently specializes in Ja Jiang Mein.

I saw people’s pictures of their Zha Jiang Mian, and all of a sudden I felt craving!

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I wanted my Zha Jiang Mian vegan, so I decided to use Baby Bella mushrooms and eggplant in place of ground meat.

I love mushroom and eggplant, and this was perfect for me.

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As soon as I took my apron off, the sauce splashed all over my T-shirt…

But this was so worth it.

It was super tasty, and I was happy.

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Zha Jiang Mian with Mushrooms and Eggplant

Zha Jiang sauce
canola oil
1 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4~1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger
2 tablespoons chopped scallion
1 cup chopped baby bella mushrooms
1 cup peeled and chopped eggplant
1/2 cup chopped bamboo shoot
salt and pepper
1 cup water
4~6 tablespoons Tenmenjan (Chinese bean paste)
1 teaspoon Tobanjan (Chinese spicy bean paste)
1.5~2 tablespoons sugar
3~4 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper
corn starch + water (for thickening)

100g cooked Chinese noodles
sesame oil
1 cup julienned cucumber
chopped scallion
Thai basil

1. Make Zha Jiang sauce. Cook garlic, ginger, and scallion with oil.
2. Add mushrooms, eggplant, and bamboo shoot, and continue to cook. Salt and pepper.
3. Add water, Tenmenjan, Tobanjan, sugar, soy sauce, and salt, and pepper.
4. Add corn starch/water mixture to thicken the sauce.
5. Drizzle sesame oil over cooked noodles. Mix well.
6. Pour the sauce over the noodles. Serve with cucumber, scallion, and Thai basil.

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by : Reiko Breakfast, Egg, Leaf Vegetabes, Mushroom, Potato/Squash, St. Paul, Vegetarian

Omelette with Creamy Morel Sauce オムレツきのこソースがけ

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This is my first time cooking Morel mushroom!

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One of our favorite local pizza restaurants, Big River Pizza , is selling Morel mushroom, and Terry got some for me when he had lunch there one day this week.

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The Morel mushrooms were sliced and made into creamy mustard sauce and served over an open omelette with potatoes and asparagus.

Love the flavor and the texture of the Morel!

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This breakfast plate was also full of seasonal vegetables we just got from our local farmers market this morning.

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Aren’t these veggies simply beautiful?!

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Omelette with Creamy Morel Sauce

Morel sauce (makes enough for 2~4 servings)
– canola oil
– 1 clove garlic, chopped
– 1/2 onion, chopped
– 1/2 cup Morel mushrooms, sliced
– 1~2 tablespoons flour
– 1.5~2 cup soy milk
– 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
– sugar
– salt and pepper
2 eggs
soy milk
salt and pepper
canola oil
4~5 stalks asparagus, grilled
1/2 potato, sliced, boiled, and then fried
chopped scallion or parsley

1. Make Morel sauce. Sautee garlic and onion in canola oil for a few minutes until cooked through. Add Morel mushroom and continue to cook for another few minutes. Sprinkle flour and cook for a minute or so while stirring constantly. Add milk, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook while stirring. If it gets too thick add more milk.
2. Mix eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Make a thin omelette.
3. Serve the omelette with boiled and fried sliced potatoes and grilled asparagus. Serve with Morel sauce. Sprinkle chopped scallion or parsley.

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

Linguine with King Mushroom えりんぎとルッコラのパスタ

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I’m a big noodle lover, and any pasta dish makes me happy.

But pasta with lots of veggie like this one makes me SUPER happy!

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I’m also a big mushroom fan, and I had to have them when I saw this beautiful king mushroom at the local Asian grocery store.

The size is amazing and it really deserves that name!

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Arugula basil sauce.

I do not call it “pesto” only because there is no cheese in it.

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Linguine with King Mushroom

arugula basil sauce (arugula, basil, olive oil, cooked garlic, water where garlic was cooked, lemon juice, salt, pepper, nuts, sugar, salt, pepper)
olive oil (for sauteeing)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 king mushroom, cooked in salted boiling water for 10~15 minutes, sliced
salt and pepper
200g linguine, cooked
1 cup fresh arugula
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
olive oil
freshly squeezed lemon (optional)
salt and pepper

1. Make arugula basil sauce. Combine all the ingredients and puree until smooth.
2. Sautee garlic in olive oil. Add king mushroom slices and continue to cook. Salt and pepper.
3. Add freshly cooked linguine to the mushroom. Pour the arugula basil sauce. Mix well.
4. Serve with fresh arugula, grape tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil. Squeeze lemon (optional). Salt and pepper if needed.

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

Shungiku Baby Bella Spaghetti 春菊きのこスパゲッティ

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Lately I’ve been seeing dishes served in a baking pan at restaurants.

I bet this is one of the restaurant trends, and I thought I would try this rustic presentation myself.

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The ingredients of this dish are simple.

Olive oil, garlic, red onion, baby bella mushroom, shungiku green leaves, spaghetti, and crushed red pepper.

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The shubgiku has a unique wonderful taste. I wish I could explain it exactly the way it is, like those wine tasters do with wine.

So I hope you try it yourself to see if this is something you like! I think it’s worth a try.

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Shungiku Baby Bella Spaghetti

olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 cup baby bella mushroom, sliced
2 cups shungiku green, chopped
200g spaghetti, cooked
salt and pepper
crushed red pepper1. Sautee garlic, onion, and mushroom in olive oil.
2. Add shungiku. Continue to cook for a minute. Do not overcook.
3. Add freshly cooked spaghetti.
4. Salt and pepper.
5. Serve with olive oil if preferred. Sprinkle crushed red pepper.

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A napkin from not PERFECTLINEN.

I have an apron from this seller, too. Love their linen. Great quality.

Apparently I’m not the only one who likes their products as they seem pretty busy with orders.

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by : Reiko Breakfast, Egg, Leaf Vegetabes, Mushroom, Potato/Squash, Vegetarian

Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche

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Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche

You find cool stuff on facebook sometimes along with a lot of cat pictures (lol).

Although I don’t go to the site very often and I don’t post much myself, I like to stay connected with people, especially the ones I don’t get to see in person very often, like my family back in Japan.

I recently got connected with some of my cousins some of whom I hadn’t seen since they were 7 or 8, and it is absolutely priceless to see pictures of them with their kids (and their kids are getting big!).

Recently a friend of mine who now lives in South Korea was posting this really cool thing (Terry first told me about it) on facebook, and I had to try it.

I made a few changes like adding mushroom to the filling and using Boursin cheese/cream cheese mixture instead of feta cheese, but this turned out to be absolutely delicious!!

Loved the natural sweetness and the beautiful orange color of the sweet potatoes.

This also makes the quiche feel lighter compared to the traditional ones with pastry crust.

This was such a huge hit at our house.

For more quiche ideas, check out this, this, or this, or this.

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Can you see the beautiful orange crust?!

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Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche

1. Follow the instructions in this video.

*I added about one cup of baby bella mushroom slices to the the other veggies and cooked with them.
*I used 5 whole eggs instead of 4 eggs and 2 whites and I used about 1/3 cup of heavy cream instead of 1/2 cup of milk.
*I used a mixture of Boursin cheese and cream cheese (about 4:1) instead of feta cheese.

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