Vegan sandwiches don't get any better than this. Hearty tempeh, which has been cooked down in a salty and gingery dashi. The sharpness of the sour sauerkraut, and the crunchiness of the fresh lettuce! 

Today for made my self a sandwich. a sandwich with toasted whole wheat bread, homemade horseradish mustard (I just found out that mustard is the easiest thing to make your self), some of the tempeh I had fried and cooked down in a shoyu, shitaki, ginger dashi earlier, some sauerkraut (tempeh and sauerkraut are an amazing combo!)

topped with some fresh lettuce and tomato and bam! delicious sandwich! 

For someone like me who has a difficult time coming up with good sandwich combinations, I am pretty happy with this one. 

Learn how to make Tempeh from scratch watching my "How to make Tempeh" video here

Just remember to soak the beans overnight after you boil them 

Roasted Carrot Onion Pureé Soup

I love sweet puree soups, they are the ultimate comforting sweet creamy dish. When it is cold and gloomy outside it is the perfect thing.

There so many different ways to prepare your vegetables for a pureed soup.
If I have a long amount of time and looking for something not to overbearing but sweet, cooking the vegetables (such as squash, carrots, yams or even cauliflower) Nishime style results in a soft subtle sweetness that is deeply nourishing .
But today I wanted something a little bit more rich. I decided to oven roast some carrots I had around with a little oil, salt and pepper. I also had a little bit of baked yams leftover that I wanted to add with it because why not!

While my carrots were roasting. I started some caramelizing onions. Then When the carrots were all done I added them and the yams to the pot with the onions added some water and seasoning and let it all cook together for a little while.
 Blended it up, squeezed a little grated ginger in, and enjoyed my self a bowl of delicious sweet carrot puree soup. The yams effected the color a little bit making it on the darker side. All in all I am very happy with how it came out!

 Happy New year everyone! Happy new month, Happy new day!
The more busy I get the more (I neglect my blog and I am sorry to myself about that) can't realistically make three full decked out meals a day. So I have been relying on a full, well balanced breakfast to really ground me and get me through the day. I find if I have a solid breakfast, I can get away with a light lunch and a regular dinner. and I have been feeling great!
To save time most of our breakfasts, are in part reheating leftover grain, while adding a freshly made miso soup or reheating soup from the night before, and some boiled veg and pickles and thats it!

My favorite breakfast combination my partner and I have been making every morning has been looking something like this
 Brown Rice, or what ever leftover we have around.
(watch my video on how learn how to make Brown Rice here)

Miso Soup. Always a great way to start the day with a little warm Miso soup.
I have been loving Angelica Kushi's Miso Month (check it out here) and all the fun inspiring videos she is posting on her youtube channel !
(watch my video on how to make Miso Soup here)

Blanched or steamed vegetables
A lot of green Cabbage or Kale.

Pickles. I try to keep some pickles fermenting at all times. I think pickles are very important for digesting a whole grains diet, and they are just freaking delicious!

and last but not least we have been eating lots and lots of Natto!
(watch my video on how learn how to make Natto here)
You guys probably know by now how much I love Natto and this year I have been loving the Natto Phiya has been making. It has been coming out so delicious and stringy!
Natto is served over steamed rice and this dish of natto rice is considered a high protein Japanese breakfast staple. It is a rustic dish of fermented soybeans characterized with a strong aroma and slimy texture. It is seasoned with soy sauce, along with, chopped green onions, spicy mustard, sliced dried and seasoned seaweed, or other flavor add-ins. Packaged natto is available in the refrigerated section of Japanese and Asian grocery stores or you can check out my video and make it yourself! it is really not that complicated.

Yes, it is very inspired by Japanese cuisine. Growing up with Macrobiotic cooking, and how much it was influenced by Japanese teachers and Japanese culture it has stuck with me as a comfort food.
Although a Japanese breakfast comprises what Westerners might view as a complete meal appropriate for lunch or dinner, (lets be honest it looks a lot like a regular meal for me sometimes as well) it is not intended to be heavy or too filling. Portion sizes for breakfast are adjusted to meet one's appetite, and dishes tend to be lighter, for example, they tend not to be greasy, deep fried, or rich.