Who Knows If The Moon’s

who knows if the moon’s
a balloon, coming out of a keen city
in the sky—filled with pretty people?
(and if you and i should

get into it, if they
should take me and take you into their balloon,
why then
we’d go up higher with all the pretty people

than houses and steeples and clouds:
go sailing
away and away sailing into a keen
city which nobody’s ever visited, where

always
            it’s
                   Spring) and everyone’s
in love and flowers pick themselves

~e.e. cummings




Love is…cooking together. Love also is, I presume, Italian! 
All above photography by my love, Soroosh.

Hi there my dear followers. How have you been? How are you Lavanya? Are you still in Brisbane? And you Jose and Bea? How are the kids?! Has their English improved significantly? And auntie Pouneh, how is the new fluffly member of your family?! Yuka, I still can’t believe you have a girl! And Lifa and Akiko, your family is my inspiration! Fukuda sensei, Ashida sensei, do you still visit my blog? Hiromi and Olivier, how I wish to return to your idyllic home! You too, and your hard-work and dedication, inspire me! And Blogger friends, Randy, John, Josh, Teck, how are you?! Is the world treating you kindly? I think of you all, I think of you all fondly…

 

This Is What Rural Japan Looks Like

Spring Quinoa Salad 
1 cup Quinoa cooked in 2 cups of water
bunch of asparagus, blanched in hot water for 10 seconds
punnet of green peas, blanched ” ” ” ” ” ”
punnet of snap peas, blanched  ” ” ” ” ” ”
1/2 cup cooked and shelled edamame beans
some red grapes, sliced
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup pistachios
bunch fresh parsley, torn small
bunch fresh mint torn small

Dressing:
juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

Combine all salad ingredients together and gently mix.

Combine all dressing ingredients together in a small jar and shake shake shake then mix through salad.

Refrigerate.

Cake By The Mountain

Cake by the mountain. Amongst other things. Like little hands and big hearts. And Homemade pizza (Anthony I’m thinking of you!) and delicious soups and fresh salads (not pictured) and organic dates from the holiest of Holy Lands (Israel).

How We Spend Our Days Is, Of Course, How We Spend Our Lives.

Isn’t that the most beautiful quote?

I love literature.
And cake!
And flowers and
spring.
That, most of all
is my favorite
thing.

There’s a lot in this post so I’ll give a brief explanation. First, carrot cake with PINEAPPLE chunks and not just raisins but dates, too. So good. And a crunchy top. Just make sure to drizzle with a little honey before adding the nut/seed mixture. Second, Pictures from my walk to school today. My favorite being the picture of the obachan (old woman) with her dog in her rear tricycle basket. Yes, tricycle. Next, today’s breakfast (sorta Italian) and today’s bento. The latter more Japanese, less Persian. And last, chocolate banana loaf made with okara (soy pulp). Perfect for Japan dwellers cos that shizz is sold everywhere.







The Ultimate Carrot Cake:
3 free-range eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 large carrot, grated
4 canned pineapple rings, chopped small
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
—————-
1 cup white flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped raisins and dates
pinch of salt
Topping:
1/2 cup of mixed nuts and seeds
(I used flax seed, sesame seed, walnuts and pistachios)

Preheat oven to 180C

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately then together.

Pour into a baking-paper lined cake tin.

Drizzle a small amount of honey on top of the batter then top with nuts and seeds.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the fork comes out clean.

Note: if topping begins browning too quickly, just cover with tinfoil and continue baking.

Chocolate Banana Okara Cake 
This one’s for the people who have access to okra (soy pulp) or any nut or oat pulp. In Japan, Okra is sold at all supermarkets in the tofu isle.
2 ripe bananas
2 free-range eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy milk
1/2 cup okara
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup almond powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/4 cup walnut pieces
Topping:
1 banana, chocolate pieces (I used ViBERi chocolate-coated freeze-dried blackcurrants), silvered almonds and juice of half a lemon

Preheat oven to 180C

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together

Pour batter into a baking-paper lined cake tin

Top with banana, chocolate, almonds and lastly, a squeeze of lemon juice – this is to stop the banana from changing color.

Bake for 30-40 min or until the fork comes out clean.

Move Move Move

With all the dreadful earthquakes hitting Japan, I’ve been thinking about how important it is to MOVE NOW. I’ve come to realize that if we wait for the “right” time we will be waiting forever. There is no right time. There will always be a better time; when you’re in a better place, more financially stable, healthier, fitter, stronger, with a clearer state of mind etc etc and that is an endless chase. So wear your nice suit and your best skirt, tell your crush/partner/spouse and loved-ones just how much they mean to you or your colleagues, local baker and next-door neighbor, how much you appreciate them. Use your expensive crockery yourself, don’t save them for a special occasion. Today is the special occasion. And if there’s something you’ve always wanted to do, do it. Life is short. So cliche or not, make the most of your life and move NOW. Though your move(s) doesn’t have to be huge nor melodramatic, it doesn’t have to be migrating to a new country or changing your career (though it can be). Movement can also happen in small steps. For each of us these are different. They can be baking a pie, a quiet walk in nature or building a chair. In the words of Miranda July, “don’t wait to be sure. Move, move, move.” To which I want to add: love love love and create create create.

Pictures from top to bottom: morning walks before work in my very rural and very pretty village, Mexican night at Kaori’s with brown rice and slow-cooked boar meat, Persian bento game on point with mayo-free Persian salad olivieh (recipe HERE) and last, a Kiwiana delivery by Anisa sensei for the other senseis.

Day Nine, Our First Hanami!

Hanami literally means “flower viewing”, however, it commonly refers only to cherry blossom viewing. Cherry blossom viewing is easy: simply enjoy the intensity of the many blossoms by looking at a single tree or a group of trees and eat good food. I made Petite Kitchen’s gluten and refined-sugar free cheesecake topped with 100% cherry jam, My New Root’s Life-Changing Loaf, hummus, babaganoush/eggplant dip (recipe below) and a simple pasta salad with tuna, blue-cheese stuffed olives, red onion, parsley and cherry tomatoes. My beautiful friend Mina prepared a vegetable frittata, brown rice, carrot, mushroom and soybean onigiri (rice ball), rice-paper rolls, semi-dried bananas, a tomato salad and cut fruit. It was all so good. I am so happy. Happy one year Japanniversary to me! <3

PS: Just like that, sakura carpets, already!

Babaganoush:
1 large eggplant
2 tbsp tahini
juice of half a lemon
2 garlic cloves

Optional toppings: a handful of skinned then roasted pistachio nuts, some sesame seeds, and a small dollop of extra virgin olive oil.

You’re going to take me as a fool but I’m not kidding, honto (really in Japanese). Place the eggplant as is in a toaster oven or normal oven on high heat (mine goes up to 220) until burnt on the outside and squishy on the inside. Don’t fret the burnt skin, it’s what gives this dip its smoke.

When cooled, scoop out the insides and blitz alongside remaining ingredients (excluding toppings – well, duh) in a food processor or in batches, in a blender like moi. Das all. Top with toppings and enjoy with bread, cut veggies, grissini or what have you!

Day Six: Okayama

WOW what a day! Lunch at my all-time favorite (and organic) Japanese restaurant: nonocafe followed by a visit to Okayama Crow Castle (because of its black colour), Okayama Korakuen (apparently Japan’s third best garden) and lastly, a healthy picnic dinner in Kurashiki Ivy Square. Note: the woman posing in the eight picture after the fish tehe.

Two Days!

I can’t believe how fast time flies. My parents bought their tickets to Japan 8 months ago! I remember texting my mother and saying  I couldn’t wait that long! Now they’re arriving in just 2 days! I literally cannot wait to share my life in Japan with them and our time in Japan, with you!

Here are some pics from the past few days… First, yours truly, all dressed up for the end of year staff party wearing the necklace my student gifted me. Next, the dinner set up.. isn’t it adorable? It’s sakura themed. That night, we ate many things which I didn’t photograph because 1. I wanted to enjoy the moment and 2. It was really bad lighting. Okay, mostly 2 hehehe. Anyways, we ate sashimi (raw fish), salad, rice balls, fried chicken, fried squid, fried octopus, fries and okonomiyaki (a savoury pancake). Third picture is a perfect example of how unhealthy some Japanese eat, an entire basket of ramen. Second last, banana and cacao nib muffins rising… Last but not least, pics of today’s stove-top granola, made for my parents. If you’ve read my bio then you’ll know my mum is the healthiest eater in our family. This granola is basically all she eats hehe. Recipe HERE.

 

Spring Has Come!

Hi lovely followers! Just posting to let y’all know that spring has come to Japan! It was 19 degrees this weekend! 19! After being in the negatives, with snow only a few days ago. And personally, I am feeling much better, much less blue. Which I think is due to a combination of the spiritual powers of the fast, and the beauty of these blossoms! Oh the blossoms! Only three more weeks and they will be even more beautiful and I will be sight-seeing them with my parents. Can’t stop day-dreaming over here!

“Is the spring coming?” he said. “What is it like?”…
“It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine…”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett

“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest.”
― Ernest Hemingway

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything. (Sonnet XCVIII)”
― William Shakespeare

“That is one good thing about this world…there are always sure to be more springs.”
― L.M. Montgomery

“Too much sun after a Syracuse winter does strange things to your head, makes you feel strong, even if you aren’t.”
― Laurie Halse Anderson

“Spring is a powerful spell. The blue. The clouds high up and puffy. The air warmer than it’s been for weeks.”
― Jenny Downham

“The first real day of spring is like the first time a boy holds your hand. A flood of skin-tingling warmth consumes you, and everything shines with a fresh, colorful glow, making you forget that anything as cold and harsh as winter ever existed.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich

“In the winter you may want the summer; in the summer, you may want the autumn; in the autumn, you may want the winter; but only in the spring you dream and want no other season but the spring!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“I want to do with you what spring does with cherry trees.”
― Pablo Neruda

First Day of Spring

Tis the first day of Spring in Japan (though it’s snowing) and the first day of the Bahai Fast, a body, mind and soul detox, if you will.

For the duration of 19 days, Baha’is around the world fast (abstain from food and drink) from sunrise to sunset. Though a physical act, it’s important not to view fasting as a practice of asceticism nor as a means of penance. Instead, the physical fast is simply “an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God.” This is why Baha’is are taught to use this time as a period of self-reflection, prayer and meditation.

HERE is a light-hearted article which I like, by Rain Wilson who plays Dwight on The Office about it.

Naturally, fasting is hard for everyone and especially food-bloggers (haha) who think of food always! In saying that… fasting might be a bit easier for me now seeing as at this time of year, the days are shorter in Japan than they are in NZ. HA-HA mom and dad! I kid, I kid! But in all truth, it is the difficulty of fasting which makes it so great and personally for me, the thought of millions of others from all walks of life, working on bettering themselves, together.

Now to stop thinking about/obsessing over what I’m going to have for dinner…!