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

Lemon Pasta with Kale and Peas
レモンパスタ

Pasta is always a good option for a quick easy meal.

Pasta is so versatile, and I like that I can use basically anything I can find in the fridge to corporate into a pasta dish.

So when I have a lot of lemons in the house, what do I do?

I make lemon pasta!

Especially when I have something like this in my pantry.

It seems that I was meant to make lemon pasta, right?

Terry found this pasta along with two other kinds (spinach and tomato) at Aldi.

Aldi always has some interesting things to try.

They have a lot of things made in Europe that you don’t find at other grocery stores, the quality typically seems pretty good.

This pasta is so beautiful, and I could just keep a bowl like this on a table to look at!

But I need to put food on the table.

Freshly cooked fancy (well, that’s what the package says!) lemon bow tie pasta was combined with olive oil, peas, kale, and garlic bread crumbs.

And served with lemon zest.

Fresh and simple.

And super tasty.

The soup on the table was ginger carrot soup I quickly put together at the last minute.

Lemon Pasta with Kale and Peas

canola oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup bread crumbs (I used homemade whole wheat bread)
salt and pepper
200~250g cooked lemon bow tie pasta (I found one at Aldi)
olive oil
1 cup cooked peas
2 cups chopped kale
salt and pepper
lemon zest

1. Sautee garlic in oil. Add bread crumbs, and continue to cook until crispy. Salt and pepper. Remove from the pan.
2. Put cooked pasta in the pan, along with peas and kale. Add olive oil. Salt and pepper. Combine well.
3. Serve with the garlic bread crumbs and lemon zest.

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

Curried Corn Risotto Bowl
カレー風味コーンリゾット

Inspired by the corn risotto we had at the restaurant, I decided to make a corn risotto bowl myself.

My risotto was an easy version.

I used already cooked (brown) rice and cooked it in curry flavored soup until creamy.

In this bowl along with the risotto you’ll find crispy teriyaki tempeh that has been one of my recent favorite things I like to make.

I like variety, so sauteed spinach and fresh tomatoes and radish were also added to the bowl.

I enjoyed this awesome lunch with a glass of cold-brewed green tea.

I learned this from my mom when we were visiting them in Japan in May, and as she said, green tea does taste better when it’s cold-brewed, just like coffee!

I sometimes heat it up to enjoy it hot, but during the summer time, iced green tea is super refreshing.

Curried Corn Risotto

canola oil
1 garlic chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup corn
salt and pepper
1 cup cooked brown rice
water
1 bay leaf
soy milk
curry powder
sugar
salt and pepper
fresh herb(s)

1. Sautee garlic and onion in oil.
2. Add corn and cooked rice and continue to sautee for a minute or so.
3. Add a bay leaf and water to cover the rice and vegetables. Boil and turn down to low heat.
4. Add soy milk, curry powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook until creamy.
5. Serve with fresh herb; I used dill.

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

Veggie Shoyu Ramen
べジ醤油ラーメン

I know that a lot of people do not like change in their plan.

I’m usually a pretty relaxed person (I think) but when it comes to food, I have a very hard time with change in a plan.

When we have a plan to go to a specific restaurant, I study their menu thoroughly in advance.

Terry laughs when he sees me so focused on a restaurant’s website and carefully plan my meal (lol).

But now I’m eating 100% plant-based, I feel that I have to be well prepared for my next meal (or next several meals) more than ever.

Last weekend we were talking about checking out a new ramen restaurant which offers vegan ramen, and I was so excited about it.

Unfortunately our plan had to be changed because we had this awesome Blues Festival happening in our neighborhood, and we didn’t want to leave for too long and miss the music.

So I decided to prepare a quick meal for dinner myself.

As you can see, I still had craving for ramen, and that’s what I made.

Although I was a bit disappointed because I didn’t get to try the new restaurant, I loved my ramen!

One of the great things about making your own food is that you can make it exactly the way you want it.

I know I’m stating the obvious but I often forget this and eating-out sometimes seems like a much better idea than it actually is.

I should really have to remind myself that home-cooked meal is awesome (lol)!

Veggie Shoyu Ramen

soup
– canola oil
– 2 cloves garlic, cut in half
– 1 small onion, sliced
– salt and pepper
– 1 tablespoon Japanese salted Kombu seaweed (shio-kombu)
– 2 cups water
– sugar
– soy sauce
100g cooked noodle
vegetables; I used cooked broccoli, lightly cooked carrots, corn, scallion
dried Nori seaweed sheet

1. Sautee garlic and onion in oil until browned. Salt and pepper.
2. Add salted Shio kombu.
3. Add water. Boil and then turn down to low heat.
4. Add sugar, soy sauce, one teaspoon at a time, until it achieves your preferred taste. Add more salt if needed.
5. Strain the broth. Serve with noodle, vegetables, and Nori seaweed.

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

Tofu and Portobello Sushi Rolls
豆腐ときのこスシロール

Sushi time!

This is a tofu version.

Teriyaki tofu, cucumber, avocado, lightly pickled carrot, lightly pickled radish, and spinach.

I like a lot of veggies in my roll.

So, it usually looks like this.

Once you know what you are doing, making sushi rolls is not that difficult.

The process is actually pretty fun.

This is a portobello version.

The inside is the same as the tofu version, except that it has roasted portobello in place of tofu.

My sushi roll looks good on my hand-made plate.

I’m so proud of this piece.

I haven’t touched clay for a while, and I should go back to my studio soon.

Have a great weekend!

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

Veggie Omelette Rice
べジなオムライス

Omelette Rice or “Ome-Rice” in Japanese is a popular dish in Japan.

This is not a restaurant dish but something your mom would quickly put together for your lunch without going grocery shopping.

Basically it’s fried rice covered with thinly cooked crepe-like omelette.

It’s often served with ketchup or rich gravy.

My omelette was made of NOT eggs but a couple of vegetables.

The recipe is from this vegan cookbook that I bought while visiting Japan in May.

It’s really brilliant that you take advantage of the color and the texture of certain vegetables to create this beautiful omelette.

It was so good and so satisfying!

I made mushroom gravy to go with this omelette rice, and it was just perfect!

The gravy has some secret ingredients, like red wine and dark Hacho miso (ooops, I guess they are not secret anymore!).

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

Bukkake Soba
茄子とズッキーニのせぶっかけ蕎麦

What do you serve with your soba noodles?

When you cannot decide what to do, how about making “Bukkake-Soba”?

Bukkake means “pile up everything” in Japanese, and that’s what I did for my lunch.

The main players were sauteed eggplant and zucchini, but the supporting players are also important.

These are some of my favorite supporting ingredients for my Bukkake-Soba: scallion, Japanese shiso, and grated radish.

You also need soup.

If you have a cute pot like this, you can separately serve soup in style.

Grated radish is important for both its taste and its beautiful pink color, which brightens up the whole dish visually and taste-wise.

Doesn’t this look tasty?

You can serve this soba hot, cold, or even at room-temperature.

Love “Bukkake”.

So flavorful and satisfying.

You can always make your vegetables into tempura, but if you don’t　want　to　go　through　the　hassle　(if　you　are　like　me),　you　can　use　sauteed　vegetables　and sprinkle store-bought fried onions.

Bukkake Soba

100g cooked soba
soup
– 1 cup water
– 3×3 inch dried Kombu
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– 1 tablespoon cane sugar
– salt
1/3 cup sauteed zucchini
1/3 cup sauteed eggplant
1~2 tablespoons fried onions
2 tablespoons chopped scallion
2 tablespoons chopped Shiso Japanese basil
2 radish, grated

1. Make soup. Combine water and Kombu in a small pot. Boil and then turn down to low heat. Add soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Mix well.
2. Serve soba in soup with sauteed vegetables, fried onions, scallion, Shiso, and grated radish.

Here is a picture of some of the flowers I got from the local farmers market last weekend.

I enjoy getting locally grown vegetables, but fresh flowers are also fun to look at at the market.

The prices are so reasonable, and I look forward to having more fresh flowers in our house.

Have a great weekend everyone!