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

Shiro-Ae Bento
白和えBENTO

21

Last time I made a bento box I enjoyed so much that I decided to make another one for lunch this weekend.

14

The four dishes that went into the box are carrot cranberry shiro-ae, soy fritters, mustard kale, and sauteed Buna-pi mushrooms.

Shiro-ae is a traditional Japanese dish where cooked vegetables are coated with soy and sesame based cream.

I used carrot, pistachio, and dried cranberries for this dish, and this turned out to be delicious!

18

The rice was cooked with seventeen different grains, and I loved the texture.

This bento was served in a large black and red bento box that I picked up in Japan.

I thought this box was just perfect for this.

Doesn’t it look pretty?

Again we ate it for lunch right after I made it.

I know I didn’t have to put them in the box, but it was fun.

27

Here is a smaller version I made with all the same dishes , and this is going to be my lunch tomorrow.

This time Terry asked me to make one for his tomorrow’s lunch too.

This may become a tradition at our house.

We’ll see.

15

I’m on Instagram.

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

Tofu Steak Plate
豆腐ステーキプレート

12

Just an idea for a weekend lunch.

Tofu Steak Plate.

07

The tofu was fried in a pan until it’s nice and crispy outside.

24

The tofu steak was served with BBQ sauce and green sauce made mainly with scallion and cilantro.

I’m a big believer that two sauces are always better than one.

13

The steak was served with quinoa and napa cabbage/daikon slaw flavored with sumac.

15

16

Since I learned about sumac at a friend’s post on facebook, I was intrigued.

So when I saw it at World Market (I think that was where it was.), I had to buy it.

If you are interested in sumac, please check its wikipedia page.

I had a vague idea but didn’t know exactly what to expect.

When I smelled it, I liked it.

When I tasted it, I loved it.

It kind of reminded me of dried Japanese basil (Shiso).

I can think of many ways to use it, but sprinkling it over my napa cabbage/daikon coleslaw was a great way to enjoy this wonderfully refreshing spice.

10

Have a great week, everyone!!

I’m on Instagram.

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？

72

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.)

68

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!

71

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.

74

I’m on Instagram.

by : Reiko Potato/Squash, Seaweed, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tofu Pot Stickers 豆腐餃子

36

Yep. Pot stickers again!

It’s like pizza for Terry.

When I ask Terry what he wants for dinner, he will say “pizza!”

When he asks me what I want for dinner, I will say “gyoza (pot stickers in Japanese)!” probably 80 percent of the time.

The problem with this is that you can’t call to have pot stickers to be delivered or my mom’s homemade ones won’t magically appear on our dinner table. (I wish they did!)

So I make them myself.

33

And a lot of them!

I always take pictures before I cook them.

Because 1. they look pretty!

and

2. I could mess them up in the process of cooking. They do stick to the pan sometimes…

29

Everyone has his or her own way to fold them.

Me?  They have to have five ridges.

I don’t know why, but it just seems right to me (lol).

39

There is a reason for these being called pot stickers, but it makes me so upset when they actually stick to the pan!

I feel so defeated when that happens.

Now I’m wise enough (or I’ve made the same mistake too many times) to only use a non-stick pan.

41

Tofu Pot Stickers

filling
– 1 package extra firm tofu, microwaved for 1 minute or so to remove excessive water
– 1/3 cabbage, blanched and julienned
– 1/2 cup chopped Chinese garlic chive
– 2 potatoes, peeled and grated
– 1 sheet roasted Nori (Japanese seaweed) torn into small pieces
– 1/4 cup chopped scallion
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– 1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger
– sugar
– salt and pepper
– 1/2 ~ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– 1 tablespoon corn starch
pot sticker wrappers
canola oil, for frying
dipping sauce (soy sauce, white vinegar, Trader Joe’s sweet chili jam)1. Make filling. Combine all the ingredients. Mix well.
2. Wrap the filling in wrappers.
3. Use a non-stick pan. Heat canola oil in a pan. When the oil is hot (350F), place the post stickers. Cook for a few minutes until the bottom is browned and crispy. Add hot water. Cover with a lid. Turn down to low-medium heat. Cook until the water is gone.
4. Serve with dipping sauce.

36

I’m on Instagram.

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

Japanese “A-GE” Potato Stew あげじゃが

51

Niku-Jaga, or Japanese potato stew, is definitely one of the comfort foods for many Japanese people.

I didn’t think much of it when growing up in Japan, but having been living in the U.S for over 15 years I do get craving for this stew more often than I though I would.

31

The main ingredients of this stew are meat and potato; “Niku” means meat and “Jaga” means potato in Japanese.

But I wanted to keep my stew vegan this time, so I used “A-GE (pronounced like “ah-geh”)” which is a fried tofu product.

This should be probably called “A-ge-Jaga” instead of “Niku-Jaga”!

“A-ge” gives additional richness to the broth, and because of its porousness it absorbs the broth so well.

When you bite into it, the flavors burst into your mouth!

52

This dish is not something you go to the restaurant for, but rather something you see at the dinner table as a side dish that your mother prepares.

Nothing fancy. It’s flavored with very basic Japanese staples, like soy sauce.

54

A-ge Potato Stew

canola oil
1 onion, sliced
4 a-ge (fried tofu), cut into bite sized pieces
4 potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
2 carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
1 package Konjac yam noodles, cooked in boiling water for a few minutes, drained
1 large piece Kombu (Japanese dried seaweed)
2 cups water
3 tablespoons sake
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
salt

1. Cook onion in oil. Add “a-ge”, potatoes, carrots, and konjac yam noodles. Continue to sautee for a few minutes.
2. Add Kombu, water, sake, soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Boil and then turn down to low heat. Cook until potatoes and carrots are cooked through.

56

I made a big batch, so I decided to make a few lunch boxes for the following work week.

In this bento box you’ll find brown rice, ume-boshi (pickled Japanese plum), sesame spinach, and A-ge-Jaga.

If you are interested in other versions of Japanese potato stew (Niku-Jaga) I’ve made, check out this, this, or this.

35

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Today I’m baking a cake to bring to our tomorrow’s family get-together at my mother-in-law’s house on a lake.

I’m on Instagram.

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

Vegan Fiesta Platter ピリ辛豆腐野菜大盛り

61

This is my kind of vegan dinner!

Lots of sauteed vegetables and chili tofu served over fried rice and quinoa.

56 53

55 54

It’s also a great way to clean up the fridge at the end of the week.

59

60

Terry named this Vegan Fiesta Platter. I wasn’t sure if something made of only the left-over stuff found in the fridge quickly put together at the last minute deserves such a grand name.

But When you serve it on a large pan like this, the name actually seems to fit!

66

Vegan Fiesta Platter

2 cups cooked rice
2 cups cooked quinoa
canola oil
salt and pepper
4 cups vegetables (I used cooked snap peas, cooked broccolini, red onion, peppers)
canola oil
salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 inch ginger, chopped
1 package firm tofu, microwaved for a minute or so to remove extra water, cut into bite size pieces
canola oil
salt and pepper
chili sauce (Trader Joe’s Hot & Sweet Chili Jam, soy sauce, white vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper)
2 tomatoes, sliced
fresh cilantro, chopped
fresh scallion, chopped

1. Sautee rice and quinoa with canola oil. Salt and pepper.
2. Sautee vegetables with canola oil. Salt and pepper.
3. Cook garlic and ginger in canola oil. Add tofu. Continue to cook. Add chili sauce and coat the tofu with the sauce.
4. Serve the rice/quinoa, vegetables, tofu, and tomato slices on a large platter. Pour the chili sauce over the tofu. Sprinkle fresh cilantro and scallion.

68

I’m on Instagram.