by : Reiko Sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian

Bruschetta with Tomato and Corn
ブルスケッタ、トマト＆コーン

We had a couple of new friends over for a happy hour on Friday.

I thought it would be a good opportunity to come up with tasty but easy-to-make appetizers/snacks that are 100% plant-based.

Of course in Minnesota at 5 o’clock it’s already too dark for me to take pictures, so this was our brunch from some of the happy hour snack leftover the next day.

Over the years I’ve learned that it’s okay to get some help from stores and you don’t have to make everything yourself.

Our local grocery store has a fantastic olive bar and I got some various kinds of olives.

Dried fruits and roasted nuts are other things that I also like to serve as a snack.

But there are pre-made or straight-from-the-store items that I do not care for, and hummus is one of them.

Hummus tastes so much better when it’s freshly made at home.

The center of my happy hour table was the bruschetta.

This one is the tomato-olive-basil version.

For the happy hour snack, I cut them into smaller pieces so that it was easier to eat.

This was my original, corn-radish-mustard-dill version with curried cashew cream on top.

I liked them both, but the corn version is a bit unique and I was proud of the creation.

I love hummus, and this is definitely one of my favorite ways to eat fresh veggies.

A secret to my delicious hummus is adding a little sugar, which I believe gives the “umami” you can’t resist.

This turned out to be a tasty brunch, and it was a good way to clear out the fridge.

I think I’m slowly getting better at entertaining, serving the food that I’m satisfied with, and not getting stressed out.

It takes trials and errors, but a Friday happy hour is a good way to start with as it’s less pressure (vs. dinner).

by : Reiko Bread, Sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian

Edamame Hummus Bagel Sandwich
枝豆ペーストベーグルサンド

When I bake bagels, I want to make sandwiches with them.

I don’t know why, because it’s not always the case with any bread.

I made this edamame hummus for a potluck lunch at work.

Since I liked it so much that I didn’t take all of it to work, and I kept some for home.

On the edamame hummus spread, I placed cucumber and radish slices and a few basil leaves.

And then I sprinkled some salt.

Keep it simple.

Drizzle a little olive salad; I like the one from Costco (I often use it as “dressing” for my salad).

It made a beautiful lunch plate!

Simple, fresh, and delicious.

This is definitely my kind of sandwich.

I don’t have many plates that feature a work of art like this.

I usually stay away from these plates, because as beautiful as they are, they are not the best when food is placed on.

After all, plates to me are the background which I expect to enhance the look of my food.

But for some reason when I saw these plates at a store I fell in love with them and I had to bring them home, even though I knew I probably would not use them much particularly for my blog photos.

They are designed by Rob Ryan, who is a British artist specializing in paper-cutting and screen-printing, according to wikipedia.

I thought this particular sandwich would look good on this plate, as the nature themes are kind of matching in a way.

I didn’t think much when I put the sandwich on the plate, but because of where the sandwich was placed, it looks almost like representing the tree top.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Bread, Sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian

Bagel Veggie Sandwich
ベーグル べジサンド

This was probably one of the freshest-tasting sandwiches I’ve ever had!

When I made these bagels, I knew I wanted to make a sandwich using the homemade bagel.

When we were traveling through Wisconsin we stopped at a cafe in one of the college towns, and we had an awesome bagel sandwich.

It just had a lot of fresh/raw veggies inside and that really inspired me to make this.

I happened to have these beautiful veggies (I always have a lot of veggies in our fridge, so it was not a surprise), and I either thinly sliced or julienned them.

I also made simple garlic black bean paste.

First spread the garlic black bean paste on bread.

Then veggies.

The beautiful red and white beets were from our friends’ community vegetable garden.

So thankful that they share these beautiful veggies with us.

This is what it looks like before the two parts together.

Isn’t this just beautiful or what?

With this sandwich you can really appreciate each individual vegetable’s flavor.

I only sprinkled salt and I kept it very simple.

I liked this sandwich so much that I made a similar sandwich maybe for several meals after this.

I feel food like this energizes me.

Bagel Veggie Sandwich

1 bagel
garlic black bean paste (black beans from a can; drained and rinsed, 1~2 garlic cloves cooked through in boiling water, sugar, salt, pepper, olive oil)
fresh vegetables, sliced or julienned

1. Make garlic black bean paste. Combine all the ingredients. Puree using a hand blender until smooth.
2. Spread the garlic black bean paste on bagel.
3. Sandwich vegetables. Salt on the vegetables.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Eat your veggies. 🙂

by : Reiko Bread, Sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian

Avocado Toast with Crunchy Tempeh and Slaw
アボカドトースト、かりかりテンペとコールスローのせ

I love avocado, and avocado toast is one of favorites.


I use my homemade crusty whole wheat bread and toast it lightly.

Creamy avocado on crusty toast is so good as it is, but I decided to go a bit further this time.

I got crunchy teriyaki tempeh strips and fruity slaw prepared for this one.

The slaw got usual suspects, such as cabbage and radish, but I also added fruit like mango and apple and herbs like cilantro and mint to this one, which makes the slaw a bit special and super refreshing.

Whenever I make these tempeh strips, I make extra as they freeze and thaw well.

These are so tasty and can be a great snack when you want something salty but not fried food.

Avocado Toast with Tempeh and Slaw

crunchy teriyaki tempeh (makes extra)
– 1 package tempeh, sliced
– 1/4 cup soy sauce
– 1/4 cup maple syrup
– canola oil
slaw
– 1 cup julienned cabbage
– 6 radish, julienned
– 1/2 mango, julienned
– 1/2 apple, julienned
– chopped mint leaves
– chopped cilantro
– salt and pepper
– 1 tablespoon sugar
– 1 tablespoon white vinegar
– 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
2 slices crusty bread, toasted
1 avocado sliced
salt
crushed red pepper1. Make crunchy teriyaki tempeh. Marinade tempeh slices in a mixture of soy sauce and maple syrup. Marinade for at least a few hours to overnight. Preheat an oven to 400F. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes each both sides or until browned while occasionally baste with the marinade.
2. Make slaw. Combine all the ingredients. Mix well. I make it at the last minute as I like it taste fresh on my avocado toast.
3. Place avocado slices on toasts. Lightly mash with a fork. Sprinkle salt and crushed red pepper.
4. Place crunchy teriyaki tempeh and slaw on top.

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

Avocado Pita Sandwich
アボカドピタサンドイッチ

Avocado toast is so popular now.

I make avocado toast often myself, too, like this one.

I was in a mood for avocado, but something a bit different.

I had freshly home-made pita bread, and I thought it would be a fun to make a pita sandwich to feature avocado, like the avocado toast.

What do you think?

Sprinkle salt and pepper.

So fresh and lovely looking.

This is delicious as it is, but you can also add olive salad as a topping or pour green sauce if you are like me, make homemade green sauce, and happen to have some in your fridge.

Avocado Pita Sandwich

1/2 pita bread; I used my homemade whole wheat pita bread
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup spinach
1/2 cup corn
2 tablespoons chopped radish
salt and pepper
1/2 tablespoon olive salad (optional: I use the one from Costco)

1. Warm pita in a microwave.
2. Stuff the pita with avocado slices, spinach, corn, and radish. Salt and pepper.

If you chop up too many veggies (like I always do), they will make an awesome snack when scooped up with your favorite chips.

Summer in Minnesota is so beautiful…

by : Reiko Bento/Lunch Box, Bread, Mushroom, Peppers, Sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian

Portobello Philly Sandwich
きのこフィリーサンドイッチ

Philly or cheese steak sandwich was never on top of my list, but it was one of Terry’s favorite sandwiches.

So I thought it would be fun to make it with portobello mushrooms.

You don’t want to be skimpy with mushrooms.

Then sauteed onion and green peppers go on top of the mushrooms.

And here is another important part of the sandwich, cashew cream, which gives another layer of flavors.

The sandwich has the rich flavors you get from the philly sandwich, but you don’t feel heavy after you finish the sandwich.

It makes a great lunch when served with fresh fruit.

Porobello Philly Sandwich

canola oil
2~3 portobello mushrooms
salt and pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
Japanese worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
cashew cream
– 1 cup cashew nuts
– 1~2 cloves garlic, cut in half
– water
– Dijon mustard
– sugar
– lemon juice
– white vinegar
– salt and pepper

1. Sautee portobello mushrooms in oil. Salt and pepper. Add garlic powder, onion powder, and worcestershire sauce. Continue to cook for another minute or so until the sauce coat the mushrooms.
2. Clean the pan. Add oil. Sautee onion and pepper. Salt and pepper.
3. Make cashew cream. Put cashew nuts and garlic in a small pot. Cover with water. Boil and then turn off heat. Let the nuts and garlic soak for a while. Remove the nuts and garlic, and place them in a tall container; keep the water. Add mustard, sugar, lemon juice, white vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the water where the nuts and garlic were cooked in, little by little until the sauce achieves a preferred consistency.