Fuji Favorites

Umeboshi Gohan (梅干しご飯) — Pickled Plum Rice

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In episode 4 of our new podcast, The Onigiri Chronicles, my best friend Noriko and I discussed all things ume–the sour Japanese fruit that they use in Japan to turn into all sorts of wonderful things, like ume syrup and my favorite, umeboshi (pickled plums).  We talked about making umeboshi gohan (梅干しご飯), or pickled plum […]

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Carrot Chip Onigiri

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I had a bit of an epiphany recently.  I have said for years that my favorite food was sushi.  But when I was making a batch of onigiri for the kids last month I realized that although I do love sushi, there is another food that is my true favorite—onigiri.  The first thing I ate […]

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Vegan Fuji “Chicken” Noodle Soup

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Chicken noodle soup has been an important part of Mr. Fuji and my collective family history since we were little.  About a year after I began eating a plant-based diet, Mr. Fuji started throwing out little hints that he would love it if I veganized our chicken noodle soup recipe.  I let some ideas bounce […]

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Vegan Gyoza (Japanese Potstickers)

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We are huge dumpling lovers at our house, so my recipe for gyoza (Japanese dumplings) has been on my list to veganize for quite a long time now.  Gyoza was one of the first Japanese dishes I learned to cook from my sweet neighbor, Miki, in her kitchen in Yokohama, Japan, 16 1/2 years ago, […]

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Vegan Japanese Curry Rice + 12 Year Blogiversary

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*Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you.  I only recommend products I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful. Today is my 12th blogiversary.  It’s hard to believe that I’ve been doing this for that long!  When I started my […]

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Vegan Mapo Tofu

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A recipe for a Japanified Chinese dish may seem like a strange thing to post right before Christmas, but Christmastime always makes me think of the scene in A Christmas Story where the neighbor’s dogs escape and get into the kitchen on Christmas Day and eat their turkey, so the Parker family has to have […]

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Hula Papaya Rawnola Bowls

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Hula Papaya Rawnola Bowls…you need these.  Let me explain.  At the beginning of this month we took a family vacation to Maui during the kids’ Spring Break.  This was our first family vacation with Monkey and we were super excited.  Our trip did not disappoint.  Not only did we have an absolute blast playing in […]

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Cold Soba Noodles with Sweet Walnut Dipping Sauce — Let’s Cook Japanese Food!

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Before living in Japan for the first time, I always assumed Japanese food would be hard to cook.  Everything was so beautiful and so perfect.  I quickly learned, however, that while a few dishes were quite technical, most Japanese food is actually incredibly approachable and doable for the home cook.  Author Amy Kaneko, in her cookbook, Let’s […]

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Vegan Fuji Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili

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Life with a newborn isn’t what I was remembering/expecting . . . it’s actually so much easier.  Maybe it’s that I know what to expect and my other children are older? Maybe it’s that I’m not exhausted from nine months of pregnancy and having to recover from another c-section?  Or maybe it’s just that our […]

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Lazy Mama’s Kenchinjiru

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Life has felt a bit overwhelming lately. To say that I’ve put a few things on my plate would be a gross understatement. But of course, Mr. Fuji and I are gluttons for punishment and made a very quick decision to put our house on the market . . . which happened last week while […]

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