A few months ago I discovered the only local yoga studio in the city, and to my surprise, the owner spoke English! He is an American who has been living in Japan for 18 years and is married to a Japanese woman. When I contacted him about attending classes at his studio, his response was warm and friendly, and I felt instantly grateful. When Barry and I got to chatting, we arranged to offer a healthy vegan cooking workshop and feast, along with yoga classes, for a day of learning and retreat.
The workshop day was this weekend, and unfortunately the cooking portion had to be cancelled because Barry came down with the flu (and we were doing it all at his house). However, I still got to teach my yoga workshop and had lots of fun! I had planned to take photos of the food and post the menu, and while I don't have pictures I might as well share the recipes here.
I typically don't use exact measurements in my cooking and go on taste, creating the magic as the food cooks (it's magic, right?) Please use these recipes as a guide and adjust for your individual preferences and number of servings that you would like. Most of the ingredients I chose are local and in season right now in Japan, but many of these foods are available in other cold climates right now too. Hope you enjoy!
MENU
~ Creamy Turnip Soup
~ Baked Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin
~ Curried Chickpeas
~ Ginger Carrot & Cabbage Salad
Creamy Turnip Soup
2 bunches of small japanese turnips (7-8)
4 leeks
2 medium potatoes
3-4 cups water or veggie stock
1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
White or yellow miso to taste
Roughly chop and saute the leeks in 1/2 Tbsp of coconut oil in your favourite soup pot. Quarter the turnips and cube the potatoes, adding those in once the leeks are soft and flavourful. Add your water or vegetable stock, careful to just *barely* cover your vegetables or else your soup will be too watery. Bring to a boil, then gently simmer until turnips and potatoes are soft and cooked through. Use a hand blender to make your soup smooth and creamy, turn off the burner. Gently stir one tablespoon of miso into the soup at a time, adding more as it fits your taste. Most of the saltiness and flavour will come from the miso, so keep testing as you add.
Baked Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin
What can I say, I had to add some Canadiana to the meal! Use only the best Canadian Maple Syrup for this recipe.
1 small pumpkin
sea salt
cinnamon
cumin
maple syrup
coconut oil
Slice your pumpkin into crescent moon shapes and evenly spread them out in your baking dish. Sprinkle some sea salt, a touch of cumin and cinnamon to taste. Drizzle a thin layer of melted coconut oil and a medium layer of pure canadian delicious maple syrup. Bake in the oven at 350 until pumpkin is soft and mushy.
Curried Chickpeas
I use a Japanese curry powder for this recipe, and Japanese curry is a fair bit sweeter than other traditional kinds. If you don't have access to an asian grocer selling this particular spice blend, I would plan to sweeten your curry dish with a bit of honey or maple syrup to get a similar flavour.
2 cups of soaked and boiled chickpeas
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 a medium onion, finely chopped
1-2 Tbsp coconut oil
2-3 Tbsp Japanese curry (or any type of curry with 2 Tbsp of honey)
Sea salt or soy sauce.
Saute your ginger, onion and garlic in coconut oil, careful not to burn. Once the lovely aroma hits, time to add the curry, getting the powder nice and wet. Let it warm for a minute on low heat. Add the cooked chickpeas and a tiny bit of water if things start to stick to the pan. Add sea salt or soy sauce to taste. It will only take 5-10 minutes for the flavours to blend.
Ginger Carrot & Cabbage Salad
2-3 medium carrots, grated
1 head of cabbage
1-2 Tbsp fresh ginger
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
2 sheets of nori
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup rice vinegar (without sugar) or apple cider vinegar
1-2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt
Cut the cabbage in half or quarters and thinly slice into long strips, place into salad bowl. Add the carrots and onion. This is an important step! Sprinkle sea salt onto the salad and drizzle about 1 tbsp of olive oil into the bowl. Vigorously massage the cabbage with your hands, the salt and oil will help to soften and wilt the cabbage. On the side, mix together your dressing (ginger, vinegar, honey, sesame oil) and pour over the salad. Add raisins and toasted sunflower seeds, garnish with thinly cut up strips of nori seaweed.
And that's it, a perfectly healthy and balanced vegan winter meal made to share with friends!
The workshop day was this weekend, and unfortunately the cooking portion had to be cancelled because Barry came down with the flu (and we were doing it all at his house). However, I still got to teach my yoga workshop and had lots of fun! I had planned to take photos of the food and post the menu, and while I don't have pictures I might as well share the recipes here.
I typically don't use exact measurements in my cooking and go on taste, creating the magic as the food cooks (it's magic, right?) Please use these recipes as a guide and adjust for your individual preferences and number of servings that you would like. Most of the ingredients I chose are local and in season right now in Japan, but many of these foods are available in other cold climates right now too. Hope you enjoy!
MENU
~ Creamy Turnip Soup
~ Baked Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin
~ Curried Chickpeas
~ Ginger Carrot & Cabbage Salad
Creamy Turnip Soup
2 bunches of small japanese turnips (7-8)
4 leeks
2 medium potatoes
3-4 cups water or veggie stock
1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
White or yellow miso to taste
Roughly chop and saute the leeks in 1/2 Tbsp of coconut oil in your favourite soup pot. Quarter the turnips and cube the potatoes, adding those in once the leeks are soft and flavourful. Add your water or vegetable stock, careful to just *barely* cover your vegetables or else your soup will be too watery. Bring to a boil, then gently simmer until turnips and potatoes are soft and cooked through. Use a hand blender to make your soup smooth and creamy, turn off the burner. Gently stir one tablespoon of miso into the soup at a time, adding more as it fits your taste. Most of the saltiness and flavour will come from the miso, so keep testing as you add.
Baked Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin
What can I say, I had to add some Canadiana to the meal! Use only the best Canadian Maple Syrup for this recipe.
1 small pumpkin
sea salt
cinnamon
cumin
maple syrup
coconut oil
Slice your pumpkin into crescent moon shapes and evenly spread them out in your baking dish. Sprinkle some sea salt, a touch of cumin and cinnamon to taste. Drizzle a thin layer of melted coconut oil and a medium layer of pure canadian delicious maple syrup. Bake in the oven at 350 until pumpkin is soft and mushy.
Curried Chickpeas
I use a Japanese curry powder for this recipe, and Japanese curry is a fair bit sweeter than other traditional kinds. If you don't have access to an asian grocer selling this particular spice blend, I would plan to sweeten your curry dish with a bit of honey or maple syrup to get a similar flavour.
2 cups of soaked and boiled chickpeas
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 a medium onion, finely chopped
1-2 Tbsp coconut oil
2-3 Tbsp Japanese curry (or any type of curry with 2 Tbsp of honey)
Sea salt or soy sauce.
Saute your ginger, onion and garlic in coconut oil, careful not to burn. Once the lovely aroma hits, time to add the curry, getting the powder nice and wet. Let it warm for a minute on low heat. Add the cooked chickpeas and a tiny bit of water if things start to stick to the pan. Add sea salt or soy sauce to taste. It will only take 5-10 minutes for the flavours to blend.
Ginger Carrot & Cabbage Salad
2-3 medium carrots, grated
1 head of cabbage
1-2 Tbsp fresh ginger
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
2 sheets of nori
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup rice vinegar (without sugar) or apple cider vinegar
1-2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt
Cut the cabbage in half or quarters and thinly slice into long strips, place into salad bowl. Add the carrots and onion. This is an important step! Sprinkle sea salt onto the salad and drizzle about 1 tbsp of olive oil into the bowl. Vigorously massage the cabbage with your hands, the salt and oil will help to soften and wilt the cabbage. On the side, mix together your dressing (ginger, vinegar, honey, sesame oil) and pour over the salad. Add raisins and toasted sunflower seeds, garnish with thinly cut up strips of nori seaweed.
And that's it, a perfectly healthy and balanced vegan winter meal made to share with friends!
