Matcha Recipes

healthy / green tea / japan

I love matcha, you love matcha, we all love matcha… if you haven’t tried it yet, here are a few ideas to get you started! Unlike steeped tea, matcha is made by grinding the entire tea leaf into a powder. Because you consume the whole leaf, it has approximately 10x more nutrients than regular green tea. We, of course, love it because it tastes good. pictured above: Matcha Mint Iced Tea / Matcha Coconut Ice Cream Matcha White Chocolate Almond Butter Cups / Matcha White Hot Chocolate Matcha Mango Smoothie / Matcha & Sweet Azuki Macarons and some deliciousness from around the web: Matcha…

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Miso Shiitake Soba Soup

A simple dashi is the base of this warming, healing miso soup. With lots of veggies, soba noodles & tofu, it's hearty enough to be a meal on its own.

winter / vegan / gluten free

To all of you who are snowed in… this is my attempt to send warm thoughts through the computer screen. It’s not exactly balmy here, but it’s a far cry from the -11 degrees my weather widgets (and text message updates from my mom) are showing for tomorrow’s Chicago’s forecast. Yikes… This soup is full of warming healing ingredients (shiitakes, ginger, miso, etc.)… and would be the perfect thing if you’re under the weather, figuratively or quite literally. If you need more soup recipe ideas, try this ginger miso soup, this many-veggie soup, or this vegan tomato soup!

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Homemade Ponzu

japan / how-to

If I had to pick two condiments to take to a desert island with me, my choices just might be rice vinegar and ponzu. Sriracha is a close third, and the Kewpie baby might be my number four. But back to the ponzu—it’s so versatile. I love it over noodles, and as a dipping sauce… it’s citrusey salty-soy goodness is perfect for quick, bright meals. Since the bottled version is often made with tons of additives, I set out to make my own. Turns out, it’s surprisingly easy. After a number of experiments, I figured out that meyer lemon replicates the…

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Kappabashi Kitchen Town

travel / tokyo / japan

We rounded the corner onto Kappabashi-dori. My eyes lit up, my heart skipped two beats. At the same time Jack let out a big sigh and whined “oh nooo… today is going to SUUCK.” Luckily, there was some free wifi in the area so he could distract himself while I carefully looked through every last copper pot, ginger grater, and tiny painted bowl… I have no words, really. Store upon store, stuffed with stuff (good stuff). Pinch me. click to keep reading, more after the jump:

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Nasu Dengaku {Miso Eggplant}

eggplant / japan

If you need a reason to try (and love) miso, this is your recipe. I’m hoping eggplant is still in season where you are. I was excited to find these little nearly-black beauties at our farmers market last weekend. If you don’t have eggplant, this sweet & salty glaze is amazing on cod, tofu, and even sweet potatoes. There are many variations to the dengaku recipe – some use sake along with mirin, some add a bit of ginger… I’ve even made it with agave syrup before (although that would probably not be approved by the Japanese, shh).  I like…

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Yudofu (Tofu) in Kyoto

travel / japan / kyoto

In Japan, tofu is not a meat or dairy replacement. It’s just a regular food that regular people eat – and hardly anyone there is vegetarian. The very best way to experience tofu is at a yudofu restaurant in Kyoto. You sit down (on mats) to a set meal which starts with a few small dishes made out of various types of tofu. Then comes the big star – the simmering pot of soft tofu. It’s luscious, creamy, and unlike any kind of tofu that has ever come out of a box. This particular meal was at Okutan, a 350…

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Uji & Matcha

travel / japan / matcha

A few days ago, we took this short little day trip to the land of Matcha. Uji is famous for producing the finest Matcha in Japan since the 14th century. It’s not necessarily a “must see,” but it’s an easy 30 minute train ride from Kyoto and it was just so beautiful. We strolled the little main street, saw a (pretty touristy) tea ceremony, drank some frothy matcha, and had a nice cha-soba lunch.

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Fushimi Inari-Taisha

travel / japan / kyoto

…otherwise known as Fushimi Inari-Taisha. (We nicknamed it Starfox Mountain). This shrine is the #1 Kyoto attraction on Trip Advisor, yet last time we were here, we somehow missed it. We really try hard not to fall into major tourist traps… I guess sometimes we try a little too hard. This one is amazing. If you go, prepare to walk up a ton of stairs (it’s about 35 minutes to the top), so be sure to wear good shoes like I didn’t. Some fun geek trivia – a friend of Jack’s who lives here who worked on the old Super…

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A Japanese Breakfast

Japanese Breakfast at the Claska Hotel in Tokyo. Miso soup, rice, pickles, and miso broiled fish - SO delicious.

travel / tokyo / japan

We made it to Japan! I think it’s only fitting that our first post is about the first meal of the day. I wouldn’t normally recommend eating breakfast at your hotel, but in Japan you have to (at least once) experience the Japanese breakfast. If you haven’t heard of it, the concept might rock your mind… I mean, it is miso soup and fish for breakfast after all… This particular breakfast was at the Claska, a boutique hotel in Tokyo. We spent our first two nights there and our favorite part was their version of the Japanese breakfast. It was…

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We’re heading to… Japan!

travel / japan

We’re going to Japan! I know, I’m surprised too… it kind of came up at the last minute, but here we go… Right now I’m en route to Seattle to meet up with Jack. Later this week we’ll be off to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, and back to Tokyo… followed by a couple of days in San Francisco before we head home. We spent some time in Japan a few years ago (pic above), but of course if you have any must-try food suggestions, let me know!! We’re so excited to fill up on sushi, ramen, udon, soba, kyoto vegetables and…

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.

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