Showing posts with label dinner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dinner. Show all posts

Sunday, January 4, 2015



It is officially the first week of 2015 and mainly I've been lounging around the house. I've been sleeping in a lot lately and I feel like it's all due to the winter season: cold weather + warm bed = never want to get out. Same with the shower. You can imagine it takes centuries for me to get ready in the morning.

We've recently been blessed with some snow. I say blessed because last year we had none and I don't really consider it a proper winter without it! Decided to celebrate by making an igloo in the backyard!


Starting off with a good breakfast! Going for the oats with a fruit salad of kiwis, mangoes, and grapes. Also trying to cram in some German grammar.




While I was boiling water for tea to bring outside, Oli already started making the walls.




Oli making the walls stronger while I collect snow and take pictures.


Finished! Looks kind of like an egg on top but at least it allows for more head space!


We called Miku over to the house by bribing her with food . . .


It was pretty warm inside!


Cheers!

There's also something about chili on a chilly day (do you like my wordplay?) that puts me in a good mood. I mean, who doesn't like a bowl of warm, beany goodness? Here's my fool-proof recipe for chili that's super easy to make and satisfying.

A few notes:
  • I use black beans because they are a great source of protein and antioxidants. They also contain a higher amount of indigestible fraction which allows bacteria in the colon to produce butyric acid to keep it working properly. However if you don't have black beans, feel free to use another bean (kidney and azuki are good options)
  •  The vegetables used here are what I had. Feel free to use what you'd like though I do recommend keeping the onions and celery for a more familiar chili flavor.
  • The amount of cayenne here is not listed because it's all based on preference. I have a cayenne that is [to me] much stronger than others I've used so I only use a pinch of it for a whole pot. Always add less first and taste before adding any more!


Classic Vegan Chili
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil (or any vegetable oil)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 large stalk of celery, diced
1 x 15 oz. drained and rinsed can of black beans
1 x 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp ground cumin
cayenne (I use about 1/4 tsp)
salt and pepper to taste


Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the garlic and onions and stir until the onions are tender and translucent. Add the celery and zucchini and stir for another 6-8 minutes.

Add the drained beans and diced tomatoes (including the juice) and bring everything to a boil before reducing the heat to medium low heat. Cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and add the cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir and let it stand for another 10 minutes so the liquid can further evaporate. Turn off the heat and serve as is or over rice. Garnish with fresh parsley or coriander/cilantro.

This dish tastes even better the next day and it's also great frozen. Make a double batch if you want to have a great meal waiting for you whenever you want.



Vegan Chilli and Building Igloos

Monday, December 29, 2014

Christmas in Germany is what I imagine most families everywhere do. Family you haven't seen in a year drive over and you gather at one place to eat until you don't ever want to hear the word 'food' again. I never experienced such a Christmas because my family outside of its immediate members reside in Japan and living in NY never made it easy to come together. Now it's almost routine to ask Oli which house we're going to on which day and what we should bring and wear.

The morning of Christmas Eve was a peaceful one.



The tree was ready and I had finally finished wrapping the gifts to put under the tree!!


I also made some pancakes! Pancakes are kinda my specialty. If I'm not feeling creative but want a nice breakfast, pancakes are my go to. Pancakes + holiday music = the best way to spend the morning.

After breakfast we went to Oli's mother's house. Her house was literally covered in cute Christmas decorations.





After many hours of tea, coffee, cake, card games, and dinner, we went back home to sleep. It's normal in Germany to open gifts on Christmas Eve but to stay true to my American tradition of opening gifts on Christmas morning, we decided to sleep and wait til the next day to open presents.


The smoking figure Oli put out for Christmas.




Sorry for the photos from blursville and my red puffy face (was a bit under the weather) but we were excited to open gifts!

The gift I was most excited about was the one I gave Oli.

Oli has a pair of Adidas sneakers that he literally wore TO DEATH in the past 3 years. I had several ideas for gifts over the past 2 months or so but then it hit me to replace his sneakers because I knew that unless they fell apart on his feet, he probably wouldn't replace them. I got him the same exact model and great gaggling goose, look at the difference!!! Mind blown.

After present opening and cat feeding, we got to work in the kitchen preparing food for ourselves.


Honestly doesn't get much more German than this, does it?

It was a really nice few days just talking, eating, and playing games. I think it's kind of crazy how this year just flew by and it's already nearing the end of 2014 and the start of 2k15! I am super excited for what's to come. Hopefully this blog will see some positive changes as well. Look forward to my next post, which will be a continuation of some Christmas fun!

Christmas in Brandenburg

Wednesday, November 19, 2014



Thanksgiving is only 9 days away and all I can think about is pumpkin pie. Even though the holiday is non-existent here in Germany (there is Erntedankfest, which is a day meant to give thanks to nature's bounty), it's not hard to convince people to gather around a table full of delicious food and enjoy each other's company. My parents would always wake up early the morning of and start preparing food while the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade aired in the background.

One of my favorite dishes on the table was always brussels sprouts. Growing up, I never understood why some people didn't like them because I always thought they were scrumdiliumcious! I love mine roasted with garlic and a bit of salt. The moment they come out of the oven I go to town on those bad boys. So of course I'm including a recipe on my blog! And to take it a step further, I thought I'd make a soup of it because who doesn't love to warm up with a nice bowl of soup?

Roasted Brussel Sprout Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb (750 gr.) brussels sprouts
2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp for sautéing
------------------------
3 cups chopped leek
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/2 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of vegan heavy cream (I used oat cream)
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tbsp maple syrup
salt & pepper
chopped hazelnuts for garnish

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F or 200 C. Cut off the brown ends of the brussels sprouts and remove any yellow outer leaves before halving them. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the brussels sprouts onto the sheet. Drizzle the 2 tbsp of olive oil on top and massage them until they're evenly coated (fastest way is to get your hands dirty!) Pop them into the oven for 35-40 minutes.
In the last 10 minutes of roasting, prepare your leek and garlic. Put a soup pot over medium high heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the leek and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes (until the leek is tender). Add the roasted brussels sprouts and water, then bring the heat down to low. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Mix in the vegan cream, then cover and let it sit for an additional 10 minutes before adding the thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and maple syrup. Puree with an immersion blender. Serve with chopped hazelnuts and enjoy!

Roasted Brussels Sprout Soup

Thursday, November 13, 2014



Remember when everyone online was making zucchini noodles? No? Okay, maybe I watch too many raw foodies on Youtube but I couldn't help joining the bandwagon. I'm not usually one for fads. Like that time when everyone decided color blocking was in and I went shopping at Zara only to find everything in beige, red, and forest green? Let's just say I didn't shop for clothes during those few months.

What are zucchini noodles? Basically they're just thin strips of zucchini that resemble noodles. Most people have a spiralizer or a julienne peeler (which is what I have) but it can be achieved with a peeler and some steady handiwork. Of course, you could just go ahead and use pasta.

The sauce here is a nice little mushroom sauce. I didn't add tomato puree/diced tomatoes because I try to avoid tomatoes when I cook for myself (I just don't like to consume it often) but if you like them, add a 16-oz. can (about 2 cups) of pureed or diced tomatoes along with the other liquids and taste it for saltiness before adding any miso.

Zucchini Noodles with Mushroom Sauce
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups brown mushrooms, diced
1 medium onion, diced (a med. onion for me is about 3 inches in diameter)
1 shallot, minced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tbsp white miso paste

2 zucchinis, julienned or spiralized (or 2 servings of cooked spaghetti or fettuccine as per package instructions)



Chop all vegetables accordingly then heat a pan on high heat. When the pan is heated, add the olive oil to coat the pan. Follow with the garlic, shallot, celery, and onions, making sure to constantly stir.



When the onions are tender and translucent, add the mushrooms and stir until the mushrooms have released most of their water and reduced in size (about 5 minutes). Reduce the heat to medium low and add the red wine, apple juice, and miso (making sure the miso dissolves in the liquid). Stir and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated. You can leave it chunky like this or puree it with an immersion blender.

Serve on top of zucchini noodles, garnish with basil leaves, and enjoy!


Zucchini Noodles with Mushroom Sauce

Monday, October 13, 2014

My trip to Italy in August consisted of only two things: art and food. Not to mention the time before that and the time before that and, well, you get the drift. There's something about hopping from church to museum to random-cool-building-facade-I've-seen -a-million-times-in-cities-around-Italia that leave me completely content. Of course, not without a good handful of stops in between to pick up gelato, a glass of wine, espresso, bread, pasta, cheese; you name it, I probably ingested it.

The challenge is finding a spot that serves good Italian food. Despite what some people may think, not all Italian food is good and much of it can be overpriced. Oli and I definitely landed ourselves in a few situations where we left feeling unsatisfied and slightly foolish, so imagine how delighted we were when we found this gem of a place on our last day in Verona.




The interior was very warm and inviting. There was a lot of natural lighting from outside and small little decorations hanging around the dining space. The servers were also very kind and never hesitated to answer questions. Definitely the best service we had eating out in Verona!



We tried a deal of two local wines: one red and one white. Oli and I both agreed wine in Verona is strong! Definitely not to be had on an empty stomach.



I snapped shots while Oli was busy preparing his pasta for his mouth.


I believe most, if not all, of the pasta is homemade. The prices also range from 7 euros for pasta to over 10 euros for main entrees (nothing above 15 euros). I saw one woman eating a soup which I thought was huge and her main course, only to see her eat a second chicken entree that was even bigger, so I guess they're very generous with portions as well!


We sealed the deal with chocolate salami! It's said to be a Veronese specialty and I highly recommend it. It's also very similar to Kalter Hund, which is a treat in Germany.

If you're ever in Verona, do check this place out!

Osteria il Ciottolo
Corso Cavour, 39
37121 Verona, Italy

Osteria il Ciottolo in Verona, Italy

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Now that we're officially in fall season, I decided to rewind to a time not too long ago (a month ago to be exact), when New York was scorching hot and I thought I was going to melt into a little puddle and dribble into New York sewage. Gross? Yes, that's exactly how I felt! But looking back at these pictures now, I long for this kind of weather (I am a Summer baby after all)!


One of my favorite places in the city is the Museum of Natural History. Growing up, this museum was my playground. I crawled in Ocean Life, fooled around in North American Mammals, and made my way through the various halls of dinosaur fossils. Even as I got older, I went to special exhibits and IMAX shows. There is a reason why Night at the Museum takes place here--magic lives in every corner!

Mom and I got tickets to see the new Pterosaur exhibit.



Pterosaurs were living when dinosaurs were around but they were much more evolved and had different traits among them depending on their location and diet. The exhibit compiled the fossil data that already existed with some animations, installations, and games. I suppose since there are still many questions regarding them that the exhibition seemed a tad repetitive but it was fun nonetheless.

The rest of the time we spent trying to make our way to the Hall of Gems.


Quick stop at the Hall of Biodiversity.




I used to collect rocks as a kid. When I first discovered this place, you can assume I went nuts.

On another day in town, I met up with my lovely friend Crysbel for some Southern style vegan noms aka Red Bamboo restaurant.


It's kind of our vegan joint. I mean, we don't own it (we're good kids, we share) but if we're choosing a vegan place and I'm not actively looking for a new one to try out, this is our go-to. Why? Because the food is delicious, service is friendly, and there is a clearly labeled dessert menu on the wall with vegan cheesecake options.

Speaking of which . . .


Yes, look at that sexiness. Like directing a porno when I told my friend to pierce the fork into it. The glory of vegan cheesecake everyone.

If you're ever in Greenwich village, you know where to pop into!

Red Bamboo
140 W 4th St
New York, NY 10012

American Museum of Natural History and Red Bamboo Restaurant

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