Peach!

peaches are in season!
some people cannot digest raw fruits, so i cooked with pinch of salt and lemon juice.
no need for sugar!!

then home made brown rice cream (using left over brown rice,unsweetened rice milk, and brown rice syrup, blend well then freeze)

gently sweet, it's a nice summer evening treat : )

on a hot doggy day like today.....

somen noodle salad!
this noodle, made of wheat, is easy to cook since its so thin. takes about 2 min.
you can eat with broth, or stir fry with veggies, or, as i did, make a good summery salad.

it's been almost 100 degrees this week!! and humid!
nice fresh watercress, quick pressed radish and celery.
dressing is ume-soy-sesame oil-lemon juice.
keep in the fridge until it's served.
nice summer dish!

Kampyo

kampyo is a traditional dried foods from japan.
made from a type of cucumber-ish fruit (not sweet).
soak in hot water for 15 min or so, then cook.

here, i made a teriyaki kampyo rice bowl.
tastes like a "Gyu-don"(beef rice bowl) !!

Summer fruits kanten

kanten, or agar agar, is a type of sea weed, traditionally being used in Japan to make a jello-like dessert or dishes.
Using local, seasonal fruits, this is my summer fruits kanten dessert for a hot day!

not just salad, though

eating just salads doesn't give me enough energy, i mean, i have trillions of cells to be fed!
so these are the rest of the meal, aside from salad that i just made.
this way, whole balanced meal!

Hot summer day

i rarely eat veggies raw, except occasional salads at restaurants.
but on a hot steamy day like yesterday, i just have to eat to cool down.
lettuce, shredded daikon, sea weed mix and tofu, and dress with soy-ginger-brown rice vinegar dressing.
refreshing : )

Daikon

there are so many ways to cook this delicious, nutritious root vegetable.
this is one of my favorite way, stewed in sweet-miso sauce.
cut daikon, quickly saute both side, add water and simmer until soft.
for sauce, 1tbs miso and 1/4 cup of amasake, cook together.
at the end, add this sauce and simmer for another 5 to 10 min or so.

another dinner

Thursday dinner

as almost vegan, eating variety of food is the key to get enough, high quality, balanced nutrients, w/o producing toxic waste in the body.
this is my typical meal.
whole grains, miso soup, variety of vegetable dishes including bean or bean products, and sea vegetables.
isn't it colorful?

Okra!

Season for okra!
cut and steamed, then grated daikon with soy sauce on top.
cold or room temperature. Yum : )

Zucchini! 2

another good way,(and this is more fun!), to consume zucchini is savory zucchini pancake.
grate zucchini, andhole add 1 tsp of sesame oil,1 tsp of soy sauce, pinch of sea salt.
then add wwheat flour and panko(bread crumble)to hold the dough.(should be moist, but not too much)
i also add hijiki seaweed for minerals(calcium) whenever i make savory pancake, but it's an option.
let it cool in the fridge for about 1 hour (this helps when you cook)

heat up a pan, spread thin some good quality oil.
* i normally do not use non stick, but for pancakes only, i do.
and sear fry both sides until golden.

for dipping sauce, 1 tbs of soy sauce, 1 tbs of brown rice vinegar, 1 tbs of lemon juice.
it's gonna be a great party food!

Zucchini!

This is the season for zucchini!
i got a huge one from a friend who recently signed up for CPA, after i just got some from union square market.
so now i had to come up with some ideas to use up this delicious summer squash : )

the most simple one is just steam.
cut into cubes and steam a few minutes, slightly crunchy, with a pinch of sea salt.
this alone is just delicious, especially if it's organic, fresh and local.
also i made some dressing for this called "ama-miso" or sweet miso dressing.
mix about 1 tbs of miso and 1/3 cup of amasake (fermented rice milk), and heat up until dissolve well, then let it cool.
if the taste is overwhelming, adjust by adding some water.
this dressing can be stored in the fridge for a few days, so use it for other steamed veggies!

just a typical dinner

Marinated tofu steak

I'm not a big tofu person.
especially in winter, it's a bit too "cooling", or "yin".
but in summer, it's just easy to cook and this yin energy balances out the weather.

marinated in the mixture of orange juice, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger.
up to 24hrs.
then bake or fry.
great summer dish : )

Sake and quick pressed salad

by mixing with sea salt, cucumber, radish, celery become more crispy, fresh, and bright!
add some cut wakame seaweed, and season with ume vinegar and brown rice vinegar.
chill in the fridge a bit if you like, on a hot summer day.
great with junmai sake!

Summer tempeh and veggie saute

fry tempeh--not much oil, in my case--, and marinate in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, ginger, garlic.
then quick saute with whatever summer veggies.
season with soy sauce or simply sea salt.
yum!