Happy New Year!! In Japan, the first three days in January are called sanganichi, three celebratory days, when people spend time for themselves. So, I am back after the winter holidays and sanganichi New Year celebration. Like us, many of you might have had some […] read more
Today I am going to share with you a new experiment I tried which turned out to be a wonderful success—pickled dandelion greens!! Our local Los Osos Valley Organic Farm sells dandelion greens regularly, and I wanted to make something I had never made with […] read more
I believe I am not the only one who has somewhat mixed feelings around this Thanksgiving holiday. Gathering with the family for celebration, and yet I am the only one who is not joining others in eating the main dish, and only having side dishes. […] read more
When I was growing up, one of the side dishes which appeared frequently at my home was spinach salad with ground black sesame. It was one of my favorite dishes. In fact, all of my family members liked it very much. It is one of […] read more
Hummus, this Mediterranean speciality, has become one of the most popular protein sources for a plant-based diet. Although I cannot share what it is like to make the most truly authentic hummus, I wanted to share here how to make hummus in a way which […] read more
It is a precious time of a year when these two gourd family vegetables appear at the farmers market at the same time—cucumber and kabocha squash. For me, it feels at home to see them together, as kabocha is both a summer and winter vegetable […] read more
One of the beauties of living in California with our culinary life is to have such abundant avocados at the market or even in some people’s backyards. I had never known the true deliciousness of this fruit until I ate it from the local trees. […] read more
We love carrot greens!!! When we are at the farmers market and getting a bunch of fresh carrots, the farmers would kindly ask us if we want to have the leaves taken out. Some while ago, I learned it from a farmer that they ask […] read more
Living on a vegetarian/vegan diet, beans are one of the major sources of the plant-based protein. One of our favorite beans are chickpeas, with their rich and aromatic flavor. I have several chickpea dishes that I love to make, and this baked falafel is definitely […] read more
During the summer season, we sometimes buy a few pounds of eggplant at the farmers market. I would make with them either our favorite ratatouille-caponata, spicy eggplant tomato sauce pasta, a miso flavored Japanese eggplant dish, or this marinated eggplant, which is heavenly delicious! The […] read more