Leek Gratin with Soy Topping

Simply divine.

Vegetable Paella

To make this gourmet paella, simply chuck in your desired veggies with brown rice in your pressure cooker and wait until you hear the hissing sound. Thereafter, turn down the heat and let the cooker cool down naturally. Open and serve.

Kyoto's Vegetarian Festival

Kyoto provides a great setting for all those veggie lovers out there. Not only it’s a place where you can see some of the most oldest shrines, it also offers a vast array of Japanese cuisines. I’m talking about variety, quality and quite simply, the real McCoy. The food available here is probably more traditional than any other parts of the country. The Vegetarian Festival, which is partly sponsored by Veggy magazine, sends a message to us all on how to be more health conscious and utilise veggies, instead of meat, to our diet.

The day started off well enough to see that the rain might stop but didn’t. Despite the wet weather, the atmosphere wasn’t dampened one bit. All the peeps looked happy enough to let nature take its course. Music kicked off with some J-folk songs and we even queued up for about an hour at a stall to have a taste of their quiche delicacy.

In brief, it was thoroughly enjoyable even if you’re not a vegetarian, you’ll find a lot of healthy alternatives and overall be surprised of the plethora available there. Definitely food for thought.

Samso, Denmark

s’s kitchen congratulates Samso, an island in the middle of Denmark for its achievement on eradicating its carbon footprint completely. It’s an example to us all which the islanders, Samsingers, demonstrate what can be done about climate change and maintain a comfortable lifestyle. To this date, it’s the most carbon –neutral settlement on the planet.

Pumpkin Croquette

Hang on, these aren’t deep fried? That’s right! These croquettes are covered with crunchy breadcrumbs. The pumpkin remains oil-free and tender in the inside. It doesn’t get healthier than this.

Genmai Onigiri

This is wickedly simple. One can do it with their eyes closed. Use your hands to make the rice ball and add a dash salt, if you prefer. Then wrap it generously with seaweed.

Pumkin Soup

Have this soup hot and it’ll keep you warm throughout the winter. And have it cold, it’ll keep you cool in the summer. The essence is the texture and balance that makes all the goodness. Yummy!

Carrot Gyoza (Dumplings)

Gyoza as it is known in J-land is one of the nation’s favourite dishes. A veggie version is sometimes unheard of but is available. A tasty carrot version is right here. You can indulge yourself and don't have to worry too much about putting on weight.

Veggie Burger with Sweet Potato

This really works well with genmai (brown rice) and some salad. Hamburgers are seen as a snack here in J-land. But if you separate a hamburger on a plate, it becomes a wholesome meal. Don’t ask me why? The dish is then called hambarg. Even if it is made of veggies; the prefix ham- is still in place. Again, don’t ask me why? Maybe, it is still relatively new to J-peeps. So its acceptance is still a rarity to some.

Onion Waffles

It can't get better than this. Onions are thinly sliced then mix with flour, water, a dash of baking powder and salt and pepper. Then simply place the mixture into a waffle maker, I use one by Vitantonio. Cook for 15mins and ready to serve. It's as easy as ABC!

Sesame Pudding

A healthy pudding you can rely on without counting the calories. In all honesty, it contains no sugar at all. Absolutely nil and yet it tastes sweet like a peach. I think I’ll have seconds.

Spaghetti with Seaweed and Tomato

This is a favourite of mine. Rich in taste and yet gentle on your tummy. S's kitchen uses the finest organic spaghetti in order to get the full flavour of the pasta. Miso, hiziki seaweed and some tomato puree are then mixed together in a blender to create the paste. It's truly divine and the feel good factor is amazing even if you're too full, you'll feel better the next day. Scrummy!