Hotel life: my American favorites

When traveling it’s always hectic with food for me, I don’t like eating out 3 times a day. Most portions are way too big and I get quickly bored with the amount of mix tastes that surpasses my imagination.  As you may know now, I like simple delicious things. So when in the US I really enjoy organic groceries that can be found pretty easily in main cities and sometimes opened round the clock (even better for jetlag and busy working days). It seems particularly true in Boston. There, you can buy things I didn’t even imagine exist, almond milk yogurt with coconut taste, super delicious cereal bars, fresh cut fruits, natural cheese, teas (i usually pack on Chai), tons of different types of flours (well I’m not baking in my hotel room…) and my favorite drink, non organic though but from sustaible harvested ingredients: the Naked fruit smoothies, just perfect for middle-of-the-night-breakfast! 

During this short stay in Boston I tried the new to me (haven’t been to the US for 2 years!) pineapple-mango-coconut water Naked, and just loved it, not as thick as the regular mango one! And I found super delicious bars from Earnest eats, my favorite is the almond trail mix. The taste of almond is really strong but it’s really good and just not too sweet. That and a bowl of fresh raspberries was my post-swimming breakfast.

Because, yes! I always pick hotels with a swimming pool. I love to swim early in the morning to recover from jetlag. Doing laps before starting a long business day, after a long trip is just making me feel really good. How do you do to keep a good balance when traveling?

Anytime breakfast
Anytime breakfast

Grilled lotus roots

I love lotus roots. The taste is very subtle, the slightly crunchy but yet moisted consistency, the beautiful shape… I like to slightly fry some as a snack when we have guests, but I hate how frying, even in a very thin layer of oil makes the kitchen all dirty and greasy. Recently I came accross a recipe of oven bake potato fry and it give me the idea that it could work for lotus roots, and skip the cleaning part. It was actually perfect! As usual I dlice finely the lotus roots, slightly marinated them in a bit of vegetal oil, and then line the slice on an oven sheet. Grilled for 10 min at high temperature, et voila!!! Bonus: no cleaning, less fat and no need to turn the slices in the frypan!! So hands free to do something else.

Now for a few days I let Prunellia take over because I’m traveling to Boston for work until Sunday! See you on Monday!

Mini buckwheat pancakes with spinach and shimeji

This year I’m making a lot of pancakes and crepes. I find it really easy to prepare, quick to cook, good with everything, and infinite variations. This time I prepared mini buckwheat pancakes. A simple mix of buckwheat flour, baking soda, salt, eggs and water. Baked in mini size in a frypan. I prepared with that a juicy mix of spinach and shimeji, with olive oil. Super yummy!

Chestnut and soya flour bread

Since I’m still trying a few cheese from the Komagata factory, I wanted some bread to eat with. The problem with bread is that it takes at least 3h30 to have something ready to eat assuming that you have a room heated at about 23deg… Knowing that Japanese houses are not well isolated not even well heated, and that it is freezing cold recently, making bread is more about 5 or 6h… Not something you improvise. But this chesnut and soya flour bread, since it is gluten free and don’t need to rise can be ready in 90min!!!! (Recipe from my bakery bible) Wonderful! And not even quick it’s super delicious. It’s quite compact and sweet, with a good taste of chesnuts. Perfect for the cheese I was trying this time!!!

Bamboo shoot and caper salad

A few years ago while I was trying new recipes I was taking notes of any good finding for future use. Of course, after changing job and apartment, I stop making notes, and forgot about it. Recently, I was browsing trough this note book, and it reminded me receipe trials with bamboo shoots and when I came out with this funny mix: Bamboo shoot salad with smoked salmon, capers, and a yogurt sauce. 

Salty sakura flowers and capers
Salty sakura flowers and capers

Now is just the season for bamboo shoots, and I got a few in Ohara. So while preparing them I was wondering which variation I would opt for (with what is available in Ohara: forget about wild or organic smoked salmon, so forget about it!) and I found that just served with capers and salty sakura flowers that would be a perfect seasonal match. Indeed! Salty sakura flowers are a typical ingredient in spring and are used to decorate mochi, to season chazuke, or to make sakura tea. It’s just just fresh flowers preserved in salt. A bit like small roses preserved in sugar. With a very specific taste of sakura. It may be surprising at first, but it’s really delicious!

Oven baked vegetables

With Easter around and the unsual amount of chocolates at home, I needed a basic simple vegan dish. I opted for oven grilled vegetables, to change for the steamed vegetables I often cook. Grilling takes slightly more time than steaming, but if you plan ahead it is really not complicated and delicious!  

Here in the oven dish for two, new carrots, new lotus root, ring onions, asparagus and and one paprika. A leaf of laurel, a bit of thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. Bake at medium heat as long as you want depending on how you like your vegetables.

Mushroom and tofu tart

Since spring has decided to go away and winter is back, I wanted to eat a warm and thick mushrooms tart. I made the dough with buckwheat flour and olive oil (not an easy one to shape) and for the rest a mix of fresh shiitake, fresh sort of shimeji, a big block of silky tofu, 2 eggs and thyme. I put everything in a deep pie dish to obtain a thick tart, about 3cm high. All in the oven for 30min and ready to eat just out from the oven. Nothing too innovative but always a warming choice. 

Homemade pizza

I love pizza, all kind of dough, and simple toppings. So I’ve decided to make some, with a baker dough, slightly thick. The dough recipe is from my bakery book and was super easy to do, and for the topping I used the same tomato sauce as for the sardines, less spicy, fresh mushrooms and cheese for me, ham and fresh mushrooms for my husband who doesn’t like cheese!! Eaten just warm after the whole morning gardening!!

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