Pootabera no piza pan / portabella pizza pastry

A spin-off from a piroshki-style savory pastry creation. Replacement of all whole wheat flour with oat flour and butter with olive oil for the dough results in a lighter and crispier crust, which can be half-baked and frozen for later use. Below, umami-packed tomato paste is used as an instant sauce, providing a tasty base for sauteed portabellas complimented by aromatic Gorgonzola and crunchy walnuts. Great for a lunch or snack.

1 pastry (1/10 pizza pastry dough recipe and 1/4 of topping recipe):
254 calories; 10.3 g protein; 13.0 g fat; 25.4 g carbohydrate; 21.0 g net carbs; 69 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol; 4.4 g fiber

1 pizza crust (1/10 dough recipe):
186 calories; 7.3 g protein; 7.7 g fat; 21.6 g carbohydrate; 18.1 g net carbs; 23 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 3.5 g fiber

Okara tamago karee-aji to horenso, komatsuna no bataa-joyu itame / stir-fried spinach, komatsuna and egg with soybean pulp and curry, soy sauce butter flavor

A variation of leafy greens stir-fry with egg and soybean pulp. Flavoring with a small amount of soy sauce alone is not strong enough for some people, including Tom. While adding shiokoji salted rice malt or salt usually takes care of the issue, curry powder, a versatile spice, gives an instant appetizing boost without adding sodium. The spice also results in a meaty taste with the egg + soybean pulp mixture. 

1/2 of recipe:
97 calories; 5.8 g protein; 6.3 g fat; 4.4 g carbohydrate; 0.9 g net carbs; 102 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 120 mg cholesterol; 3.5 g fiber

Endomame no hisui-bitashi / English peas marinated in light broth

Fresh English peas go into this ohitashi. The peas are very softly flavored here, so they work great as a garnish or as an additional ingredient in a number of dishes. When serving as is, add ginger (julienned, grated or juice) for a refreshing note or use a tiny amount of soy sauce.

Whole recipe (solids): 
117 calories; 8.5 g protein; 0.5 g fat; 19.1 g carbohydrate; 9.7 g net carbs; 31 mg sodium (with usukuchi soy sauce); 0 mg cholesterol; 9.4 g fiber

Dinner, July 7, 2017

We had a decent lunch out at an Italian restaurant. Both of our dishes were pleasantly tasty and not heavy. We were able to finish each portion without feeling stuffed to the gills and were still able to think about what to have for dinner when we left the restaurant. Around here, not feeling overfed after a meal out is amazing.

As we had good news from Tom's doctor and a package from my parents, we decided on an experimental dinner to test dried hotaruika firefly squid (Watasenia scintillans).

• Iri-kurodaizu gohan / steamed rice with roasted black soybeans
• Endomame to satoimo no surinagashi, hotaruika-dashi-jitate / English pea and baby taro soup with firefly squid broth
• Okara tamago to horenso no bataa-joyu itame / stir-fried spinach and egg with soybean pulp, soy sauce butter flavor
• Zukkiini to shiitake, satsumaage, tomato no yakibitashi / grilled zucchini, shiitake mushrooms, deep-fried fishcakes and tomato in light broth

A few days before this year's tanabata Star Festival, one of our wishes came true.

Nasu to soramame, kani no tosazu jure ae / eggplant, fava beans and crab in tosazu jelly dressing

A chilled delight. The jelly dressing provides a cooling, shiny blanket over the mouthwatering combination of eggplant, fava beans and Dungeness crab in season. Prepare goodies ahead of time while the air is still cool if rising temperature is foreseeable -- when feeling exhausted from daytime heat, this refreshing dish will be ready in no time.

1/2 of recipe:
68 calories; 6.8 g protein; 1.2 g fat; 6.9 g carbohydrate; 5.5 g net carbs; 161 mg sodium; 11 mg cholesterol; 1.4 g fiber

Tosazu jure / jelly dressing of sweetened soy sauce vinegar infused with bonito flakes

A jelly dressing for summer. A tiny amount of gelatin turns a common sunomono dressing into a shiny crystal coating that clings to the surface of ingredients.

Whole recipe:
61 calories; 2.8 g protein; 0.0 g fat; 9.1 g carbohydrate; 9.1 g net carbs; 545 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 0.0 g fiber

1/4 of recipe (for one small side dish serving):
15 calories; 0.7 g protein; 0.0 g fat; 2.3 g carbohydrate; 2.3 g net carbs; 141 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0.0 g fiber