July 2016 – Page 2 – The Culinary Tribune

by : Reiko Root vegetable, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

Summer Veggie Curry
夏野菜カレー

Our Saturday starts with a large cup of green tea, which is followed by a trip to the local farmers market.

Since we moved to the city a few years ago, I can’t remember how many times we’ve said “I love our neighborhood!”, but I think we say this a lot particularly during our trip to and from the market.

That’s how much we appreciate having this awesome market so close to our place.

I always come home with a bagful of produce, and curry is a great way to enjoy them.

In this curry you’ll find cauliflower, sugar peas, and kohlrabi.

I never used kohlrabi in curry, but I really liked it.

There aren’t many things I do at the dining table other than taking pictures for the blog, but I do enjoy doing some prep work like this.

I used to help my mom to remove the string from sugar peas like this when I was little, and it’s one of the warmest memories I have.

When I come to think of it, lots of great memories were made in the kitchen.

This is probably one of the things I would love to do with my daughter if I had one.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

Eat veggies, and have a great rest of the week!

I’m on Instagram.

July 20, 2016

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

Zucchini Potato Pizza
ズッキーニポテトピザ

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

We (I) make pizza!

But first we (I) play (lol).

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

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!

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.

I’m on Instagram.

July 17, 2016

by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian

Raspberry Tahini Toast
ラズベリートースト

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

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?!

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.

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.

I’m on Instagram.

July 17, 2016

by : Reiko Pasta/Noodle/Rice, Soup, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Zo-Sui with Soft Tofu and Sambal
雑炊インドネシア風？

What’s Zo-Sui?

Well, Zo-Sui (pronounced “zoh-soo-ee) is Japanese styled risotto.

You add cooked rice into the soup, instead of cooking rice in the soup like you do with risotto.

The result is much lighter rice soup compared to risotto.

This is a wonderful tasty meal, but it’s also great for those who are conscious of their waist line.

Rice expands in the soup when cooked in the soup and a very small bowl of zo-sui satisfies your taste buds as well as your tummy!

(I’m not really on a strict diet, but over our stay-cation I gained a few pounds and I was trying to get back to my usual weight that I’m most comfortable with; now I am back to my normal weight.)

A little fun twist of this Zo-Sui was this Indonesian relish called Sambal.

I found this at Trader Joe’s and it sounded so interesting that I brought one home.

It’s oiled peppers, lemongrass, garlic, and shallots, and they create wonderful flavors together.

I’m hooked!

By the way, the creamy white thing in the middle is not cheese but soft tofu.

A big bite of a mixture of rice, creamy tofu, crunchy napa cabbage, and spicy Sambal will make you smile. Guaranteed!

Zo-Sui with Soft Tofu and Sambal

2 cups water
1 cup cooked rice
2 tablespoons salted kombu (Japanese seaweed)
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
salt
1/2 cup chopped napa cabbage
1/3 cup soft tofu
1/2 tablespoon Sambal (Trader Joe’s)
chopped scallion

1. Combine water, cooked rice, salted kombu, and soy sauce in a pan. Boil and then turn down to low heat. Salt. Continue to cook for a few minutes.
2. Add napa cabbage.
3. Serve with tofu, Sambal, and scallion.

I’m on Instagram.

July 16, 2016

by : Reiko Potato/Squash, Seafood

Smashed Potato Salad with Herring and Dill
燻製にしんポテトサラダ

A nice thing about being the cook of our household is that I can make whatever (mostly) food I like and the way I like it.

Potato salad is a popular dish and everybody knows what it is, but it’s probably one of the dishes that everyone has a specific idea of how it should be prepared.

There are a number of ways to make potato salad.

Along the way you make many decisions.

Large pieces of potatoes or small pieces?

What other ingredients?

Mayo or no mayo?….

I like a lot of other vegetables in my potato salad.

There were always cucumber slices in my mother’s potato salad but I usually go for other vegetables.

I like cucumber but it’s not my favorite thing in my potato salad (sorry mom!).

This time I added corn and radish, both of which I got at the local farmers market.

Another ingredient I added this time was smoked herring.

This one from Trader Joe’s is my favorite; Trader Joe’s has many other wonderful canned smoked fish and seafood as well.

This addition of protein makes this potato salad a great main dish for lunch.

If served with leafy salad or vegetable soup, that would be a wonderful lunch (or dinner) for me.

I won’t bore you by telling you too much about my favorite potato salad, but I’ll share just a few things that are important to me.

1. No mayo. We are on the 95% plant based diet (and Terry does not care for mayo).
2. Potatoes are lightly mashed so that they soak up tasty dressing.
3. Lots of vegetables, especially the ones that have crunchy texture.
4. Some kind of herb(s).

Smashed Potato Salad with Herring and Dill

2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
salt and pepper
3~4 cups bite-sized potatoes, cooked and lightly smashed
4 radish, julienned
2 ears corn, cooked
dressing (2 tablespoons white vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon canola oil, 1/2 ~1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, salt, pepper)
fresh dill, chopped

1. Mix white vinegar and sugar. Pour the mixture over cooked potatoes. Mix. Salt and pepper.
2. Place the potatoes on a large plate.
3. Put radish and corn kernels over the potatoes.
4. Make dressing. Combine all the ingredients.
5. Serve the salad with the dressing (you may not need all) and fresh dill.