After watching Venu Sanz (check out her amaizing website here) live instafeed where she was making vegetarian paella with Brown Rice it gave me enough courage to try to make it on my own! 

I know Paella is one of those dishes that is  so special to so many that there is a lot of opinion on the right and wrong way of making it. But I really wanted to give it a shot. and make it delicous for me. (cause I was going to be eating it)

I started of with a very wide pan. I do not own a paella pan, but I was told it is fine if you use what you have. I started sautéeing my diced Oninos with Garlic and Salt. 

Then I added a pinch of Tumeric powder for the Color. and the rest of my vegetables. Carrots, Rutugbaga, Cellery, and Parsley. Sautéed untill all the vegetables were wilted. Added my Half cooked Brown Rice. Safron,leftover Fried Tempeh, and enough water to just cover the Rice and added a little more Salt and Pepper. 

I let it all simmer untill the Rice was done. 

I think it came out pretty damn delicous. I definetly want to practice more and play aorund with it. but I enjoy making grain this way for sure!

Have you ever Paella? how do you do it?

Thank you to Venu for showing me how this can be made!

For Lunch

Paella with Vegetables and Tempeh 

-

Baked Potato with Olive, Salt and Pepper.

-

Blanched Veggie Salad 

Kale, Napa Cabbage, Radishes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

For Dinner

Millet with Sweet Corn

-

Pinto Beans

-

Blanched Vegetable Salad with a Pumkpin Seed Dressing

Cabbage, Carrots

For Lunch

Cous-Cous

with Quick Ume pickled Cucumbers

-

Blanched Bok-Choy

-

Lentils fried with Onions and Garlic

-

Squash Soup with Caramalized Onions

with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leftover Grain Patties, White Rice, Barley, and Millet, Seitan Sausage. 

(of as my brother calls them "All the junk in the kitchen Patties")

whatever they were delicous.

-

Blanched Broccoli and Carrots

-

Kidney Beans

-

Sautéed Bok-choy and Tofu

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

I am super happy to know how to make these drinks Thank you Mayumi. they have helped me so much over the years.

Ume Kuzu

What a cover all amaizing drink. when ever you are having digestion issues this drink really does help.

Sweet Vegetable Drink

I make this one probobly the most. It is so relaxing and soothing. When ever I feel tight and warn out from say junk food. I turn to this to help relax my muschles and get rid of all the salty foods iv'e eaten.

Ume Sho Bancha

the simpliest of the three but don't underestimate the powerful effect. helps circulation going and also a good tea to sip on after a large meal to help keep eveything moving smoothly. 

I have been enjoying making a full fresh meal for lunch and kind of winging it with the rest of the poeple in the house  with leftovers for dinnr. does anybody else do this? Sometimes not haveing the pressure of cooking a whole meal from scratch you can focus on making new thing. My brother made dinner yesterday using leftover lunch and adding to it these amaizing little Pinto Bean Balls with marinara sauce!  

For Lunch

Brown Rice

(watch and learn how to make Brown Rice here)

-

Pan fried Tempeh

(watch and learn how to make Tempeh here)

-

top with Coleslaw made of

 Cabbage, Apple, Parsley, Carrot and Salt, Olive oil, and Lemon

-

Sautéed Broccoli and Radishes 

some leftover blanched Carrots

-

Sweet Potato Fries

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

For Dinner

Leftover Rice and Veggies from Lunch

-

Added some arugula and a fresh Vegenase, Mustard dressing to the salad. 

-

Pinto Bean Balls with Marinara Sauce

Yesterday was a day I needed to celebrate. celebrate all the wonderful things life has given me. celebrate this journy that has taken me to beautiful places and challanged me more then I thought I could handle and showed me I could. celebrate all the loving people I have in my life..... or I just needed a reason to make French Toast. 

I have never made French Toast before. I was to scared! I always thought it was one of those delicate recipies that if you don't get just right it is not good. specailly making the vegan verson.

But I found that is not true. with the research I did into a bunch of different recepies for this, I found that they are all good. 

To make this recipe I called my brother who is anamaizing cook to ask him advice. and I also borrowed from one of my favorite dessert books Love, Eric Delicous Vegan Macrobtiotic desserts. 

Makes 8 pieces of Toaste

Batter

1 cube of silken Tofu

1/2 cup of Rice Syrup

1 cup of Almond Milk

1 tsp of Cinnamon 

1 pinch of Salt 

~

8 pieces of Bread of your choice (I used Pane Bello)

Mix all ingredients in a blender untill smooth

Transfer mixture into a large bowl

Soak the 2 pieces of bread at a time for a minute or so

Heat up the pan and start with a thin layer of a good high heat oil like safflower or sunflower 

Cook untill golden brown, about a minute on both sides. I found it useful to press down on the bread to get an even golden look.

Then cover it in maple syrup and berries and eat it cause it is so delicous!! 

I would love to hear how to make French Toast. I can't wait to try out different versons of this. 

Went to the farmers market to find these big white Hakurei Turnips. They are so sweet and delicous. and quite possibly my favorite vegetable. 

 For Lunch

Brown Rice cooked with White basamati Rice

(watch and learn how to make Brown Rice here)

-

Roasted Sesame Seeds

(watch and learn how to make Roasted Sesame Seeds here)

-

Adzuki Beans Cooked with Sweet Potato 

-

Sautéed Turnip tops and bottoms 

-

Arugula Salad with Baby Carrots and Bread Croutons 

Olive Oil, Scallion Lemon Dressing

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Dinner

Brown Rice Pasta with Bok-Choy and Tofu

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

 Thanksgiving is coming up. To the be honest I don't have a big connection with this holiday and the meaning behind it. 

But I do love Thanksgiving food! 

I know Thanksgiving can be a difficult holiday for vegetarians and vegans.

 So I wanted to share some ideas that you could make this Thursday great! 

I want to share how I make Stuffing, which is my favorite dish on Thanksgiving. I cover it in gravy and just love it!

I also wanted to give an idea for a Side Roasted Veggie dish and a Baked Apple Dessert

The photos are from last years stuffing post. 

This year I am sharing the recipe plus a gravy recipe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chop the Bread in small bite size pieces. and place in oven on low heat until the bread dries out.(you can do this the night before)

Chop up all your ingredients into small bite size pieces.

Saute Onions with the garlic and a pinch of salt, until they start to sweat then add celery. and a tiny bit of water.then cover. 

Add chopped up Seitan and a splash of shoyu in with the onion mix after the onions are cooked and provide a good about of liquid.

When the Seitan has halfway cooked (about 4 minutes) add herbs to your liking. 

Mix roasted nuts with chopped apples 

Then mix all your ingredients together, apples, nuts and bread in with the sauce mixture, and let simmer until bread has rehydrated a bit. (do not let the bread cook too much) 

Lay out the mixture out into a baking dish, cover and then put into the oven for a half of an hour (or until done) on medium heat (350 .F-160.C)

Gravy Recipe 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Onions, 2 large ones

 Mushrooms, handful

Olive Oil, 

Salt, 

Flour 1/2 of a cup

Caramelize onions with plenty of olive oil and a good size pinch of salt for a 20 minutes until soft and sweet.  Then add sliced mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are cooked. Add flour little by little and whisk so that no lumps form. After the flour has mixed in well with the onions and mushrooms, add 4 cups of water/vegetable stock little by little while constantly whisking. Let cook on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

For a side dish. I made Roasted Potatos, with Brussel Sprouts, Onions, and Carrots.

with Olive Oil, Salt, Black Pepper. I drizzled on some Balsamic Vinegar and some Cilantro right after it comes out of the oven. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Dessert: 

Baked Apples with a Raisin, Nut, Maple Syrup Mixture. Served with homeade Coconut Ice Cream 

The Mixture had Pecans, Rasins, Cashews, Rolled Oats, Tahini, Maple Syrup, Cinnamon, and Salt.

I hope this gives you some ideas for what you can make for yourself this holiday, or anytime you want some feastive food.

 For Lunch

Soft cooked Polenta

-

Nishime Squash,Daikon and Sweet Yam

(watch and learn how to make 

Nishime here)

-

Carrots and Tops

-

Leftover Blanched Collard and Carrots

-

Garlic Fried Beans

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

For Dinner

Barley

-

Baked Sweet Yam

-

Sautéed Kale with crumbled Tofu

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

-

Vegetable broth, 

with Brown Rice Pasta, Squash, Carrots, Cabbage,Daikon,Shoyu,Salt,Vinegar 

Traveling, Traveling, Traveling....It got a little crazy there for me for a while. but I am happy to say I get to settle down a little bit. in Asheville North Carolina!

 I am going to be focusing on making the best content I can for this Blog and also more cooking videos! 

The holidays are just getting me excited. 

I am going to get some stuff done!! 

Most of the cooking of the food on this blog will probobly be my cooking this winter. 

I am always looking to collaborate with people who love good food! 

For Lunch

Brown Rice

(watch learn how to make Brown Rice here)

with roasted Sesame Seeds

-

Black Bean Vegetable Soup

-

Soba Salad with Baked Sweet Potato, Argula, Cucumber, and a Mustard dressing

-

Sautéed Cabbage

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Dinner

Veggie Stirfry Rice with the leftover Rice

-

Bllanched Kale

For Lunch

Brown Rice

(watch and learn how to make Brown Rice here)

-

Cucumber Dill Pickles

-

Sautéed Kale with Tofu

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

-

Onions,Squash,Beets,and Carrots Sautéed together for a long slow sweet time

pretty much becoming my favorite way to have root vegetables.

-

Raw Arugula,Carrot,Cucumber Salad with a Lemon Tahini Dressing garnished with toasted Sesame Seeds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Dessert 

I recently received a cookbook written by my friend Eric named

Love, Eric: Delicious Vegan Macrobiotic Desserts

 it is a vegan, macrobiotic dessert book. and I am so excited to make every single thing in it. 

"This is the first vegan macrobiotic self-published cookbook by world renowned chef, Eric Lechasseur. This book contains stunning full-color photographs, taken in Eric and his wife Sanae Suzuki's garden by photographer Yoshi Ueda. "Love, Eric" contains recipes that were created by Chef Eric Lechasseur as he studied vegan and macrobiotic cooking to help his wife overcome serious medical problems. In the cookbook, Eric tells the story of his love-inspired pastry recipes, and how his pursuit of macrobiotics eventually healed his own crippling allergies. As a bonus, Eric has also included five macrobiotic beverage recipes and helpful tips for making your own macrobiotic masterpieces."

Sounds pretty good right? 

So I started my journey through this book with making the 

Peach Cobbler 

with Coconut Milk,Apple Juice, Rice Syrup Ice-cream 

I didn't have an Ice-cream maker so I had to make do with freezing it then taking the egg beater to it a couple of times. But it came  out amazing! 

Do you have a meal you end up cooking for yourself the entire summer? 

Well, I do apparently. I find myself making some sort of Grain Salad, Some sort of Sauteed Root Vegetable dish, and Beans. 

it's like a no-fail summer meal. and you get all your basic necessities in a plant-based meal.

 I am Vegan, Vegetarian, Macrobiotic based eater.

 I don't know if I actually spelled that out on this blog before. but if you have been following me at all, you probably caught on.

 Whole grain, leafy Green Vegetables, Root Vegetables, and Bean Protein!

For Lunch

Brown Rice Salad 

with Lettuce, Sprouts,Cauliflower, Broccoli, Creamy Avocado Dressing. 

(watch and learn how to make Brown Rice here)

-

Blanched Bok-Choy

-

Sauteéd Carrot Kimpira, with Beets, Seitan, and Sesame Seeds

(watch and learn how to make Kimpira here)

(watch and learn how to make Seitan here)

-

Lentils boiled with Onions,Yams,and Cauliflower.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Dinner

Quick Lasagna 

with Tomato Sauce made from Sauteéd Onions, canned tomato slices, and canned Tomato paste, mixed with Salt and Pepper. 

Filled with Cabbage and Scrambled Tofu mixed with Salt and Olive Oil

(watch and learn how to make Tofu here)

and those Super thin Lasagna Noodles

-

Cucumber Dill Salad with Lemon Juice and a pinch of Salt