easy summer cold gluten-free dairy-free soba noodle shredded tofu and spicy peanut salad

This recipe comes by way of Dhivya Subramanian and CBC, but of course, as per usual, I've Mamatouille'd it with what I have available here in Japan and what my food allergies allow. 

Enjoy, and dig in! 

For the tofu you'll need: 

• 400 g hard tofu, squeezed and patted dry
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch or katakuriko (potato starch)

For the dressing you'll need: 

• 3 tablespoons unsweetened peanut butter (I make my own)
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• optional lime zest
• 2 teaspoons sugar or honey
• 2 teaspoons sriracha
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 3-4 tablespoons warm water

For the salad you'll need:

• 4 bags of 130 g gluten-free ramen noodles (or soba)
• 2 cups shredded green or purple cabbage
• 1 sweet red pepper, chopped small
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 cup shelled edamame
• 4-5 green onions, chopped
• 1 bag of daikon salad (in Japan, this is daikon and carrots in fine matchsticks)
• a few stalks of nira (garlic chives), chopped
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
• fresh cilantro leaves and stems

Do this: 

Finely chop or shred your tofu and mix with the tofu ingredients. (The original recipe called for baking this, but our Japanese hard tofu is much softer than Western hard tofu and did not work for me. I might try doing this in the frying pan next time.)

Whisk the dressing ingredients together.

Cook the noodles, drain, and rinse in cold water.

Mix all together and top with cilantro.

Add extra sriracha if needed. 

very yummy beanie gluten-free dairy-free chocolate-chip cookies

 

This comes by way of Fit Green Mind on Instagram! 

You'll need: 

• 1 can/1 box (about 220 g) of white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup/75 g peanut butter
• 3/4 cup/150 g sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/3 cup/40 g flour (I used a gluten-free baking mix)
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder 
• pinch of salt
• dark dairy-free chocolate, chopped

Do this: 

Blend all the ingredients except the chocolate, then stir in the chopped chocolate. 

Bake on a cookie sheet/baking tray at 175 C/350 F for about 25 minutes (start checking after 20). 

If you can, wait till they cool down before chomping. 

easy refrigerator pickled beets (good for other veggies too)

 

I amalgamated various recipes and used my own noggin for this, so have at it! I had some brine left over that worked well with grated daikon, carrot, green onions, and sliced cucumber mixed together. 

You'll need: 

• 2 tall jam jars with lids
• empty tea bag with black peppercorns and crushed red pepper flakes to taste (or these can be loose in your jar)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 t. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard (American style)
• 2 cans beets, drained
• extra grated and sliced veg, if desired, for any leftover brine

Do this: 

Heat water, apple cider vinegar, salt, and sugar in a pan on the stove. Before it really boils, turn it off and let it cool a little bit. Pour over the beets and tea bag, and other veg if desired in a separate jar. 

Cool down, put the lids on, and put them in the fridge. 

Even by the next morning, these are awesome. 

gluten-free dairy-free flourless chocolate mousse cake

Chocolate mousse cake evolution:

1. I learned this baking paper trick from my mother-in-law: Grease your springform cake pan. Cut a piece of baking paper bigger than the pan. Trace the bottom of the pan on the baking paper, then cut a circle a few inches bigger around. Slice into the paper in strips, stopping each time at the circle of the size of the pan bottom. Goes easily into the already-greased pan and you can just layer the strips a bit over each other.

2. Bake the cake.

3. Decorate it for your newly-minted 18yo baby child. 

🍫🎂🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🥳

I got this from BBC Food.

You'll need:

• 250 g or 9 oz dark chocolate, chopped into smallish bits
• 125 g or 4.5 oz dairy-free butter/marg.
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 175 g or 6 oz caster sugar 
• Pinch of sea salt

Do this: 

Grab an 8-inch/20 cm round springform pan and grease it. Cut out baking paper to fit it--see explanation above.

Melt the chocolate and butter/marg together in a glass bowl over a simmering pan of water on the stove. 

Remove it from the heat and let it rest and cool for a few minutes.

While that's cooling, grab a mixing bowl and whip the 3 egg whites plus the pinch of salt till there are stiff peaks. 

In a different bowl, use a mixer and whisk the 3 egg yolks plus sugar together till glossy, about 2-3 minutes.

Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate mixture. 

Very gently fold the stiff egg whites into the chocolate/egg yolk mixture. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes. The middle might still be a bit wobbly, but that's good. Make sure the outside is set. 

Cool in the pan. 

My son wanted his cake decorated with After Eight chocolates, which are minty. 

Happy birthday! 

gluten-free dairy-free elderflower and lemon pudding cake

 

This is a cake I can really only make when I'm in the UK and have access to elderflower cordial, but I'm wondering if I can try it with umeshu, or plum wine in English, when we return to Japan in the summer. Anyhoo, I'm writing up the recipe now, which comes via the inimitable Nigella Lawson, so that I'll have easy access to it later if I want to branch out with the liquid flavors.

You'll need: 

• 175 g dairy-free butter 
• 150 g sugar
• 100 g rice flour or other gluten-free flour
• 75 g ground almonds
• 50 g plain dairy-free yogurt at room temp
• Pinch of salt
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 large eggs at room temp
• 1 large lemon, zest and juice separated
• 30 ml elderflower cordial
• 45 ml fresh lemon juice from the above large lemon
• 100 ml elderflower cordial

Do this: 

Grease a baking pan, about 1.5 L capacity.

Preheat your oven to 160 C or 350 F.

Add your butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, yogurt, salt, baking powder, eggs, and lemon zest to a food processor. As it's whizzing up, drizzle in the 30 ml elderflower cordial.

Bake that at 160 for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for 5 or 10 more. 

Make a drizzle with the lemon juice and 100 ml elderflower cordial. When the cake is done, take it out and poke it all about with a toothpick, then pour on the lemon juice/elderflower concoction. 

Scoop out and eat with a dollop of plain yogurt. 

It's deliciously tart and sweet and floral. Try it. 

gluten-free dairy-free sausage, white bean, and spinach soup

 

This soup comes by way of Joyful Healthy Eats, but I changed it slightly.

You'll need:

• 450 g sausage, chopped
• peeled and chopped potatoes
• peeled and chopped carrots (I used yellow carrots)
• spinach (I used frozen chopped spinach)
• 2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 onion, chopped
• celery, chopped
• 1/2 head of garlic, minced
• thyme
• oregano
• 5 cups veggie broth
• 300 ml milk (I use soy)

Do this: 

Saute your veg in olive oil, then add the sausage and herbs. 

Dump in the veggie broth and beans. 

Cook till everything is soft. 

Near the end, add the milk and spinach. 

Then enjoy with mucho gusto. 

gluten-free dairy-free banana and black sesame pancakes

 

These are nutty and sweet and delicious. Make them pronto.

You'll need: 

• 2 bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups rice flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 3 tablespoons katakuriko potato starch or cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup black sesame paste
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, black or white
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons oil, plus more for frying
• 1.5 cups milk (I use soy)

Do this: 

Mix into a batter and fry on both sides till browned and toasty. In Japanese, they say "fox colored." 

gluten-free dairy-free mince pies

 

My husband used AI to do a mashup recipe for us using flour ingredients that I had on hand: almond and rice. 

Our sons and I made these delectable gluten-free and dairy-free mince pies during our New Year holiday this past January, and for the filling we used a jar of a British mincemeat that I bought online. 

For the crust, you'll need: 

• 2 cups rice flour, or 240 g
• 1 cup almond flour, or 100 g
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold dairy-free butter or margarine, cubed
• 2 large eggs, cold

Do this: 

Mix dry ingredients. 

Rub in the butter, using fingertips, until crumbly.

Add eggs in, but if it's too dry, add in 1 or 2 tablespoons of cold water if needed, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Chill it for 30 minutes.

Roll to about 3 mm thick, cut, fill with your jarred mincemeat, and put star lids on if desired. Patch cracks if needed. 

Bake at 180 C for about 18-22 minutes. 

Cool and then enjoy Christmas for New Year's. 

bento lunches

I just found this in my drafts from a few years ago. I made some pretty bentos!  

vegan gluten-free dairy-free savory nut roast

 

This is from BBC Good Food; they called it "perfect nut roast."

And it pretty near is.

You'll need: 

• 300 g mixed nuts (I tend to use almonds and walnuts)
• 1 veggie stock cube or sachet
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, also finely chopped
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, grated
• 2 (or more!) cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons cashew butter (I make my own)
• 180 g cooked chestnuts, chopped
• 75 g dried cranberries
• 20 g fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon, finely grated zest only
• 4 tablespoons vegan milk (I use soy)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• I also add in dried sage to make it taste Christmassy

For my own vegan gravy: 

• 4 cups water
• 3 sachets vegan bouillon ("chicken" or veg)
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley
• vegan butter
• splash of olive oil
• vegan milk
• katakuriko (potato starch) or cornstarch for thickening

For the gravy, do this:

Bring the water to a simmer and add the bouillon, salt, pepper, herbs, olive oil, and vegan butter. Add vegan milk to taste, then thicken with a starch and milk slurry. 

For the nut loaf, do this: 

In a food processor, blitz the nuts and bouillon till finely chopped but not paste. Mix well, then dump into your prepared loaf tin. 

Mash it down and smooth its feelings, I mean top.

Cover with foil and then bake it for 30 minutes. 

Then remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes. 

Let it rest for a few minutes, remove, and slice. 

Slosh with gravy. 

Preheat the oven to 200 C.

Oil a 900 g/2 lb loaf tin then line with baking paper.

In a large frying pan, cook the leek, celery, onion, and carrot in oil till soft. Add the garlic last. 

In a large mixing bowl, add the nut mixture, the veg mixture, the cashew butter, and the rest of the ingredients. 

chiiko's wonderful gluten-free and dairy-free salad dressing

This comes by way of our good friend Chiiko, and it's the only salad dressing one of our sons will eat. 

You'll need: 

• 3/4 cup olive oil (187 ml)
• 1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar (I used white)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp honey

Do this: 

Shake. 

Shake. 

Shake. 

death-row microwave potato chips

 

I've recently posted about a salsa recipe that I received from a pen pal on death row in the US, and my other pen pal wrote to me about how he makes potato chips in the microwave. I had no idea that this was even possible, or that the potato slices would crisp and brown.

It's pretty simple:

Slice a potato thinly and dry each piece as much as possible with paper towels. 

Microwave at 600 w power for 1 minute and 30 seconds at a time, turning the chips each cycle until they're brown and crispy. Sprinkle with a little salt and let cool slightly. 

gluten-free dairy-free colcannon croquettes

 

These are as easy as pie...I mean croquettes! 

You'll need: 

• Leftover colcannon (Irish-style mashed potatoes that include leeks and cabbage)
• Rice flour
• Beaten eggs
• Garlic powder
• Salt and peppper
• Oil
• Corn flour if you have it (or even gluten-free panko)

Do this: 

In a big bowl, mix the colcannon, rice flour, eggs, garlic powder, and salt and pepper together and shape into patties. Then dredge in corn flour and fry in oil. 

jerk chicken

 

This is one of those where you just eyeball everything.

And it is so so so tasty. We all love it.

• chicken pieces (I use breasts)
• jerk chicken spice (about 2 teaspoons for 4 breasts)
• neutral-flavored oil
• Worcestershire sauce
• ketchup
• apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper
• thyme
• fresh garlic
• soy sauce 

Mix the sauce ingredients together, put the chicken in doubled Ziploc bags, pour the sauce in, zip the bags, and mash it all together. With your fists, get your stress out and pound the chicken breasts, then fridge it for at least a few hours.

Bake at 220 C for about 25 minutes, until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken reaches at least 60 C. Sit it out on the counter, tent with foil for 10 minutes, then serve with rice and sauteed spinach. 

easy gluten-free vegan stirfry

 

One day I had some fried tofu (age dofu) that I needed to use up, and this dish was born. It's easy, it's fast, there's minimal chopping, and with the "everything bagel" seasoning, the onions and garlic are already included without any mincing or grating. 

Serve over rice, of course! 

You'll need:

• eringi mushrooms, chopped (or mushrooms of choice)
• fried tofu, chopped
• fresh or frozen spinach, chopped
• gluten-free soy sauce
• "everything bagel" seasoning, which includes dried onion and garlic, and toasted sesame seeds
• sesame oil
• 7 spice

Do this:

In a frying pan, saute your mushrooms, tofu, and spinach in sesame oil. Add soy sauce and "everything bagel" seasoning. 

Put a jar of 7 spice on the table for folks to put their desired amount. Or none at all. 

garlic bread, ham, and cheese savoury bread pudding

 

This is not something I could eat because of the wheat and dairy, but my 3 guys loved it.

Take leftover garlic bread and chop it.

In a big bowl beat 8 eggs and 2 cups of milk, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Butter a baking pan.

Throw in the chopped garlic bread.

Cover it with chopped ham and grated cheese.

Pour over the egg mixture and top with a little more grated cheese.

Bake at 180 C for 30 minutes. 

gluten-free dairy-free chocolate orange chia balls

This comes by way of The Tummy Fairy on Facebook---it was one of those reels that Facebook offers from out of nowhere, but it ended up being a good one.

You'll need: 

• 180 g oats
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 15 dates, pitted and soaked in just-boiled water for 15 minutes, then drained
• juice of 2 oranges
• zest of 2 oranges
• 30 g melted dark dairy-free chocolate

Do this: 

In your food processor, process the oats till powdery. Then add the other ingredients except for the dark melted chocolate.

Roll into about 20 balls. I have to wet my hands after every 5 balls or so to keep it from sticking. 

Put on baking paper or a Silpat on a baking sheet and freeze for about 20 minutes, then drizzle with the melted chocolate. It will harden instantly. 

I'm going to give some of these as Christmas gifts this year---they are that good! 

easy gluten-free dairy-free japchae, korean sweet-potato glass noodles

This comes by way of the friendly Korean cook Maangchi! I just subscribed to her Substack too. 

To be honest, I didn't obey every rule in the recipe. I bought fresh shiitake and not dried, I used pork, no red pepper, but I did throw in some cabbage and garlic chives. I used the egg white and yolk when I made the egg strips, and I cut them in the pan into chunks and not into the thin strips she suggested. 

I didn't marinate the meat and mushrooms---I just ran out of time and didn't plan ahead well enough. But it got rave reviews, including mine. 

This amount made enough for the 4 of us plus some yummy leftovers.

I did it my way (and tried to combine steps if possible)...

You'll need: 

• about 500 g thinly-sliced pork
• 500 g Korean sweet-potato glass noodles
• 2 carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1/4 head of cabbage, chopped small
• 4 or 5 strands of garlic chives, chopped
• handful of frozen spinach
• 1 onion, sliced thinly
• chopped green onions
• gluten-free soy sauce to taste
• white or brown sugar to taste
• sesame oil to taste
• 1 egg
• 4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pack fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1 pack fresh shimeji mushrooms
• neutral oil
• black pepper
• toasted sesame seeds
• kimchi to eat alongside if desired

Do this: 

Lightly fry a beaten egg, let it cool, and slice thinly.

Bring a big ol' pot of water to a boil and boil the noodles for about 7 minutes, then drain and rinse them, and chop them twice. Put them into a large bowl and add a teaspoon each of sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and mix into the noodles.

In a big frying pan, add some neutral oil and stir fry the veg, starting with the harder ones first, and adding in the spinach, meat, and garlic near the end. 

Add some soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. 

In a big pot, by hand mix the noodles, veg, meat, an extra minced garlic clove, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and sugar. 

On plates, top your noodle mixture with the egg and more sesame seeds. 

Devour! 

salsa recipe from death row

One of my pen pals on death row is a lady in the state of Texas. Unfortunately I've never been able to get the US govt/jail email system to work for me from Japan, so my pen pals and I use good old-fashioned snail-mail, and in one of these letters my friend in Texas gave me her recipe for salsa that they make from veggies they grow on site together there. 

I could not find cilantro, and there's no V8 juice here, but I did find the Japanese tomato and veggie juice equivalent in a little can. 

I based my recipe on hers, and I also added fresh garlic and a wee bit of lime juice. 

You'll need: 

• 3 tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato and veggie juice (160 ml)
• a bit of onion, finely chopped (a few tablespoons)
• a few strands of garlic chives, chopped finely
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• a few squirts of lime juice
• salt and pepper
• cayenne pepper

Do this: 

Chop the tomatoes and mix all together, then refrigerate till you're ready. Goes great with tortilla chips or spooned over taco rice. 

Thank you, friend! 

(I must write to her and tell her how much we liked it.)

super easy refrigerator cucumber pickles

 

These are crunchy and ready to eat after just a few hours in the fridge! 

Here's how I did it, but you do you and use what you have. (I sort of based it off this recipe.)

You'll need: 

• 1 jam jar
• 4 Japanese cucumbers (or maybe 1 or 2 larger ones)
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon wholegrain mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered coriander
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 dried red chili, sliced and deseeded (use gloves!)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced

Do this: 

Slice your cucumbers in half and then lengthwise in slices. Put them in a jam jar. 

Heat up your vinegar and sugar till everything is dissolved, and then let it cool.

Put the chilies, mustard, coriander, thyme, and garlic in the jar with your cucumbers, then pour the cooled brine over. If there's any space in the top of the jar, add water to cover everything up. 

Fridge it and then eat a few hours later if you so desire. I so desire.