veggie circle

bread and jam

Travelling Japan

I stopped for lunch at a local soba restaurant. Afterwards, I picked fresh tomatoes from the garden.

Matcha Daifuku! – today’s new flavour <3

So, as promised, I did end up trying out some other variations of the daifuku.

…Matcha!

This time, I actually added no sugar to the mochi part, and it was perfect! So, actually, if anyone wants to try out the recipe that I posted a few days ago, it turns out that leaving out the sweetener is totally fine (:

Other than that, it’s same as the previous recipe: 4 tbsp glutinous rice flour (mixed of course with a pinch of matcha powder), and juuust enough water to make it into a thick paste.

Provided you have already pre-made the azuki bean paste filling (I always have some on hand in the freezer), making a single serving of daifuku only takes about 5 minutes! …Probably less once I get a little more skilled at it 😀  (Actual microwave time is 10-15 seconds)

When I buy one large daifuku in the local stores, they tend to run at about $2 or more, so this is a real money-saver for me.

Following Japanese tradition, I enjoyed my daifuku along with some freshly whisked matcha tea.

The traditional tea ceremony has a tremendous significance in Japanese culture, and is valued for its relaxing & calming effects – a perfect break in our hectic schedules!

…Now back to writing my paper!

Vegan Sausage Roll

I’m absolutely loving the versatility of these whole grain wraps…so here’s another creation: a super quick and delicious vegan sausage roll!

I just wrapped up some vegan hot dog wieners in the tortillas and toasted them on the stove in a non-stick pan, and used hummus for toppings (:

The rest of my dinner was a nice salad, a few pieces of sweet vegan meat, and my favorite cashew biryani!

Daifuku! Super-Treat for Vegans

Daifuku are an extremely popular traditional Japanese delicacy. There’s just nothing else like it!

They are the absolute perfect desert in that they’re vegan, use absolutely no added fat, they’re rich in protein, and they meet our amino acid requirements!

– For anyone who hasn’t tried them before, they have the most incredible gooey texture on the outside (similar to a marshmallow, but faaar gooier! …kind of like a cross between marshmallows & melted mozzarella). And on the inside, is azuki which is made from azuki beans, but it’s so sweet and delicious that I’ve had friends mistake it for chocolate! – I absolutely recommend them (:

But, here’s what I did:

First I make some azuki following the recipe I posted before – this is going to be the filling.

For the mochi (the outer layer), I use:

• 4 tbsp glutenous rice flour
• 1 tsp sweetener (I used brown sugar, that’s why the colouring is a little brown for this one)

-I put the ingredients in a bowl & mix together with a spoon.

-Then I add hot water and keep mixing it in until the mixture is soft, but still very thick and gooey…thinner than bread dough, but thicker than cake dough.

-Put it in the microwave on high until the mixture juuust begins to rise (don’t overheat!)

-Then I take it out of the microwave and mix it with a spoon. Moving quickly while it’s still hot, I powder my hands with cornstarch, and place the dough on top of a plate with a small amount of cornstarch.

…and then just wrap it around a ball of anko!

It takes a bit of practice to get it right, as the dough is so very, very sticky…but I don’t even care because it’s just sooo good 😀

I used to buy them all the time…until I discovered a couple nights ago how incredibly easy they are to make! So, so happy 😀

I’m going to try out other ingredients, too. The traditional filling is azuki, but there are many variations such as chocolate or sesame paste filling, or mixing matcha in to the mochi layer…or maybe some banana! I’m not sure, but I’ll get creative and keep you all updated! (:

– I’m curious, has anyone else ever tried making (or eating!) daifuku?

My Favorite Quinoa Recipe

As I promised a long, long time ago…here’s how I prepare my quinoa!

To start with, I put it in the rice cooker in a half & half mixture of 1 cup quinoa, 1 cup sprouted beans (the sprouted beans give it so much more flavour).

Then, I chop up a whole bunch of veggies in small pieces:

• red, green, yellow peppers
• tomatoes
• cucumber
• sesame seed paste (i.e. tahini)
• soy sauce
• heaps and heaps of ground black pepper
• I even put a little kombu in (super healthy, and a great flavouring…but totally optional)

I mix all the veggies up together, and when the quinoa is done cooking, I add it all in.

…And just before serving, I top it with a little hot sauce or hummus!

The rice cooker makes it nice and soft, and swells up a lot larger, too! I far prefer this over cooking quinoa on the stove, and I’ve tried a lot of quinoa recipes that use vinegar and oil, but I absolutely love the mild flavour that I get with this one!

Vegan Omelet for Breakfast!

More eggs!

For breakfast today, I experimented with making a vegan omelet 😀  It was sooo satisfying!

I made it in a totally different way from what I usually do, which is making a largely tofu-based scrambled egg. But all the tofu leaves it a bit dry and I really, really wanted to make something that was a bit closer to that moist eggy texture.

So, here’s what I came up with:

• 1/4 cup of pre-soaked chia
• half a package of extra-firm tofu
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• black pepper
• drop of soy sauce
• tsp glutenous rice flour (gives it that nice eggy texture)
• 1 tbsp pearl barley flour (this thickens it up, but also gives it a sweetness)

I blended all this up in my Vitamix. Then, pan-fried it to perfection!!

It’s so good it could pass for a real omelet! I think I’ll have this again tomorrow morning 😀

Vegan Yogurt

Today I tried making a quick vegan yogurt!

I didn’t use a yogurt starter, but the texture and taste were quite similar to the homemade yogurt that my mom used to make for me back when I was still eating dairy (:

I just put the following ingredients in my Vitamix:

• half a lemon (the juice)
• half cup of soy milk
• tbsp pearl barley flour
• 1/4 cup of pre-soaked chia
• tsp of vanilla extract

It was a success and very refreshing. I bet this is going to be really nice in the summer!! 😀

Pink Tea & Vegan Strawberry Banana Biscuit! (recipe)

Here’s what I had for tea today (:

The biscuits were super easy and quick to make! I just gathered up the following ingredients:

• quick oats
• a strawberry (sliced)
• half a banana (very ripe)
• cocoa
• a pinch of cinnamon
• walnuts
• soy milk

Then I mixed them up with a spoon and put them in a frying pan on the stove at medium heat, flipping them occasionally for about 15 minutes.

I had them together with some organic blackcurrant hibiscus herbal tea (I love this stuff)!