Beef Stew

Tonight H made us a lovely beef stew with very tender chunks of beef and lots of veggies. As we ate, we were fascinated by the Lantern Floating event going on at the beach park in front of our place for Memorial Day. In this annual event, more than 2000 lanterns are released onto the ocean in memory of those who have passed away. We watched the progression of this beautiful event almost simultaneously out from our balcony with binoculars and on the TV for more close-ups. H took the photo below of the crowd and floating lanterns from our balcony. Very cool!

Shrimp Pizza

After a couple of days of eating minestrone soup with different things, we finished off our last bowls of soup accompanied by hearty little homemade pizzas topped with shrimp, mushrooms, and tomatoes. It was a simple meal, but was so satisfying because of our extreme hunger after our morning hike at Mariner's Ridge. Much steep uphill climbing was rewarded at the end with a beautiful view of the eastern coast of Oahu (picture by H).

Soy Milk Tarako Spaghetti

Tonight's dinner was a variation on the mentaiko spaghetti that I made before - today I used tarako (salted roe), and instead of just mashing it up and mixing it with butter and the pasta, I also added a soy milk broth for creaminess and some boiled and diced potatoes for volume. H and I had a split vote on which pasta we liked better - H liked the spiciness and saltiness of the mentaiko spaghetti, while I liked the mild sweetness and creaminess that the soy milk added to the tarako spaghetti.

Minestrone Soup

Whenever I make minestrone soup, I pack in so many vegetables that just chopping them up feels like some big accomplishment. Today I used tomatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers, celery, parsley, cabbage, zucchini, and kidney beans. It's always a nice feeling to be able to clean out the veggie compartment in your fridge.

Yasai Iroiro

I couldn't think of a good title for today's dinner, so I am calling it "yasai iroiro," or assortment of veggies. Clockwise from top left corner: octopus salad with cucumbers and tomatoes; daikon and konnyaku cooked with soy sauce, sugar, bonito flakes, and red pepper flakes; pork stir fried with ginger, onions, watercress, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. I'd never bought watercress before today but thought I'd try something new. I like the crunchiness and flavor it adds to a stir fry.

Tofu Lasagna?

Ok so it's not really lasagna. The recipe was also described as "a western style mabo dofu." I don't know what to call it, so here is an explanation of what the dish is:
1. Put a layer of ground pork at the bottom of dish, then season with salt and pepper.
2. Cut up tofu (microwave for 4 min beforehand to get rid of water), tomatoes, and eggplant (optional) and sprinkle them all over the ground pork. Pour some yakiniku sauce over all of the ingredients.
3. Sprinkle cheese over the top, then bake in toaster oven for 30 min.
That's it! When I first saw the recipe, it seemed like a strange combination of ingredients, but there were so many people saying how tasty it was that I had to try it at least once. Conclusion: it really was tasty - will probably make it again soon, since I now have a bottle of yakiniku sauce sitting in the fridge.

Soy Corn Soup and Chicken Salad

Whenever we have some leftover roast chicken, I like to shred it and throw it into a green salad. Today I added some tomatoes, apples, and celery - crunchy and delicious. I also had some soy milk that I wanted to use up and decided to make a simple corn soup with soy milk, canned corn, cabbage, and chicken broth. I threw half of the corn into the blender to mix with the soy milk and chicken broth, and the other half I plopped into the soup after it was blended. The soup was sweet, creamy, and delicious. The cabbage added some nice texture, too.