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The BEST Vegan Ice Cream

6/16/2016

So we have tried many non dairy ice creams, or frozen desserts.
Many supermarkets seems to like selling SO DELICIOUS series, which we do buy. They have many flavors available, from vanilla to chocolate to mint chip. Just be aware. Not all of them are from coconut milk. Some are nuts based.
But if you ask our family what is our FAVORITE, it would have to be TOFUTTI series.
Whenever we taste vegan ice cream, what is missing is "creamy" and "rich" taste.
If you are like me and enjoys these two descriptions on ice cream, you might like the Tofutti as well.

Yes, please be aware. This is soy based dessert.
For more information please check out

http://www.tofutti.com/frozen-desserts/

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Favorite Dinner

12/23/2014

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No. 1 Recipe in Beef Category

As the holiday is approaching, I asked my family what is their favorite dinner.
There were simply too many so I'm categorizing it and today the topic is BEEF.

My husband's favorite beef recipe is:

BEEF STEAK WITH CARAMELIZED RED ONIONS

It is his favorite for a long time, even before we had allergy problems.

My son loves this MEAT YUMMY YAM PIE. He loves meat sauce, love Japanese yum, and the pie crust, so it really makes sense that this is his favorite dish.

My daughter's favorite has always been BEEF PATTIE WITH REFRESHING SNOWFLAKES SAUCE.
It is very refreshing despite the beef's strong taste and oil. The secret is in the sauce!

And so what is mine?
VEGGIES ROLLED IN BEEF.

I tend to like eating meat together with vegetables and this one is perfect.
It's a good choice for Bento stuffer, too.

Hope you try them!!

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What's for Christmas Dinner?

12/12/2014

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Roast Beef vs Roast Chicken for Holiday Season

So Juicy Roast Beef

So Juicy Roast Chicken

Many of us like to see whole roast on the table for our Holiday Season.
So what it's going to be? Which one do you like better? Roast Beef, or Roast Chicken?
I asked few of my friends and many seemed to go with the roast beef over roast chicken.

But why?

"My hubby likes beef."

is one popular answer.
And another one is

"I can't beat Costco's Roast Chicken."

Yeah. I know what you mean.
Costco does make a wonderful Roast Chicken.
So juicy, so tender, and oh my, SO CHEAP.
Cheaper than my uncooked whole chicken!!! Crazy!
It got wonderful chicken roaster and complete blend of spices.

So why roast the chicken yourself? Especially while many, but not all, Roast Beef and Roast Chicken are
peanuts-free, nuts-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, and soy-free?

I don't mind roasting chicken myself.

Not because I roast better than Costco, but because I like stuffing vegetables with my roast chicken.
Try it! It has strong sense of freshness to it, and vegetables go so well with oil of roast chicken.

The roasting process of beef and chicken is somehow similar.
You need to tie both up with string, saute before roasting, and cover up with foil after your meal is roasted.

Difference is that you don't need to tie your beef so tight whereas the chicken needs to be very much so to keep its position. The roasting temperature is low for beef, around 360F, and higher for chicken, around 430F. Roasting time for beef is about 1 hour and 15 minutes (depending on its size) and chicken is about 45 minutes. Chicken needs to be "arroser-ed," meaning you need to spoon the excess oil to the chicken while roasting it.

So what is our Christmas Dinner?
Gotta still think about it.

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Boiling Lobsters

11/17/2014

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Lobster Party

We were having friends from Japan the other night and we decided to celebrate our friendship with live lobsters. Everyone from all over the world must love lobsters, but if you are having guests from non-Europe or non Canadian coast, they might extra enjoy them for lobsters may not be on their normal market.

My favorite way to eat the lobsters is to boil them. That's it. Maybe with some lemon. Nothing more is needed.

The lobsters in the photo is 1 and a quarter lbs.
Have your pasta pot and pour water about 2 inches.
Bring to boiling hot and put the lobster into the pot. It might resist so have your lid ready to cover it quick.
Boil about 13 minutes. Reduce the heat as needed.

It's so common to cut your hand with tongs while fighting with the lobsters. Be sure to wear your mittens.

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Halloween Food Ideas

11/6/2014

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Although Halloween is one of my favorite celebrations thanks to all these cute children in funny, funky, cute, and super cool costumes, it also reminds me that we need to be extra cautious. We don't go trick-or-treating. Instead, we throw a good size party at home.

Pumpkin Basket Pilaf

Pumpkin Pilaf was a good one this year. If you have extra pumpkin you did not curve, even better! Just roast it about 1 hour and curve out the inside to stuff with pilaf. You can roast your seeds, too! I served this together is Seafood Soup Bouillabaisse and malawach with sauteed spinach and mushrooms.

Ghosts and Pumpkins Bento

Because my son's school was off on 31st, he brought this bento on 30th. Happy pumpkin face is made with Kabocha pumpkin and ghosts are vegan cheese on ham with nori eyes. The small pumpkin on the left is also Kabocha pumpkin and inside there are some chicken sautes.

And we did something crazy this year. Since Ghost Busters became a good hit at home, we danced in front of everyone! And that was our theme this year.

Hope people still know who this guy is. The Marshmallow Man!! Made with Rice Krispies method, Fruit by the Foot, and Enjoy Life Chocolate.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Vegan Jack-O-Lantern Pancake

Seafood Bouillabaisse

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Japanese Yam

10/18/2014

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Japanese yam must be one of the sweetest in yam family.
It is often enjoyed as is after slowly steamed or baked. Its natural sweetness and ample fibers make it wonderful healthy snack choice especially during winter. Japanese yam looks reddish-purple from outside, and its inside is very bright yellow.

Meat Yummy Yam Pie

If you want to steam it, just steam it using the steamer. Don't cut or peel the yam before steaming. The key is not to let it dry, so if you are using microwave, wet the paper towel to its max and wrap the unpeeled yam with it, place it on a microwavable plate, and reduce the power level to about 60 (100 being max) for 6 - 7 minutes depending on the size. Peel the skin while hot with your fingers.

Making cookies using Japanese yams is a good vegan idea for it can provide softness and sweetness at the same time it helps to bind flour.

Stone Soup with Japanese Yam

You can make mashed potatoes with this yam, or lightly saute the steamed slices. I like this yam baked into pies with meat sauce, or dice them into Stone Soup. It is truly a yummy yam.

You can find Japanese yams at your local Asian stores or Whole Foods Market might have them.

Vegan Sweet Yam Shortening Cookies

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Mindful Mayo

10/15/2014

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Increased food allergy awareness made USA filled with wonderful substitute food items. And one of the best ones ever, I think, is Mindful Mayo from Earth Balance.

It tastes very much like mayo, a little milder and feel more whipped, perhaps.
You can sprinkle flour (of your choice) on salmon, add this mayo substitute, and panko, you got a very flavorful salmon panko fries. Here this mayo is acting in a place for a beaten egg, and it tastes much better than potato starch water.
It is also a wonderful item on salad. I like to puree avocados and mix with this mayo substitute, a little lemon juice, and a hint of soy sauce as my dressing. Creamy is something we all crave from time to time, and avocados and this mayo substitute can surely fulfill your desire.

Earth Balance has many more wonderful substitute products, probably most well known for their margarine, the buttery spreads. I personally don't use this because it has flax seeds and that's a no-no for us. But if you are OK with it, I would totally recommend.

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Soyless Soy Sauce

10/10/2014

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I looked up with Google USA to see Soyless Soy Sauce products available on the market.
It did not hit.
I retyped and said "Non-Soy Soy Sauce."
It could not give me the product. At least not on the first several pages.

Hurray, I know better than Google (USA)!!!!!!

Yes, there IS a product available within USA which does not use soy to make soy sauce.
It is called "Soramame Soy Sauce" meaning "Broad Bean Soy Sauce" and its ingredients are only broad beans and salt. And frankly, nobody can tell the difference between soy sauce and broad beans sauce.

Sadly, it is not even on my beloved Amazon.com.

I wish I could give you a link to this product, but there is no English website who talks about Soramame Soy Sauce. It is made by small Japanese company called Takahashi Shoten in Kagawa, Japan.
They deliver within Japan, but not to USA.

I've seen Soramame Soy Sauce in Nijiya Market and Mitsuwa Marketplace.
So if you live near by these Japanese supermarkets, please go visit them!
Remember, Soramame Soy Sauce does not occupy big part of the shelf,
so it's a good idea to call first to reserve your bottle.

But if these supermarkets are not in your area, there is one more thing you can try.
Contact your Asian food market, preferably Japanese, and ask if their importer or distributor have access to this soyless soy sauce. It tastes totally worth it to give it a shot.

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The BEST Vegan Ice Cream

Favorite Dinner

No. 1 Recipe in Beef Category

What's for Christmas Dinner?

Roast Beef vs Roast Chicken for Holiday Season

Boiling Lobsters

Lobster Party

Halloween Food Ideas

Japanese Yam

Mindful Mayo

Soyless Soy Sauce

Allergic & Yummy

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