We are in Japan now and Sachiyo asked if I could make a "low sugar" dessert for Hana, which I happily obliged. Nick and Sachiyo are taking measures to feed Hana a healthy diet (as I did when Nick and Lauren were that age) and part of that is no added sugar. Since I've been experimenting with the Plant Paradox diet, I had already made these cookies from a blog called My Heart Healthy and Lectin Free Kitchen. I wasn't sure about them but Bruce said he liked them. Then my brother came over for dinner on Halloween and he said he liked them, too. He took them home since we were leaving for Japan and his wife really liked them and asked me for the recipe. So, I decided to make them in Japan and Nick and Sachiyo loved them and they were eaten really quickly. Nick wanted me to make another batch but I didn't have anymore of the ingredients since they are odd replacements for a standard cookie recipe. It's hard to find basic American ingredients in Japan let alone weird replacements like coconut flour and xanthum gum. Nick doesn't even have baking soda in his kitchen. They eat a traditional Japanese diet and they don't do baking. They don't have any canned food, either, so opening a can if it isn't a pop-top is a challenge. Every time I come here I run into so many interesting, never-would-have-thought-of challenges. Nick told me beforehand all his requests of what he wanted me to cook while we were here so I brought most ingredients I knew I'd need. My main activity this visit is cooking for the family to give Nick and Sachiyo a little bit of a break with their two small children. Of course, the other main activity is playing with my grandkids. That's really all I wanted to do while I was here this time. We've done a lot of sightseeing from our past three visits here so really, all I wanted to do was cook and enjoy our time together. It was the first time meeting our newest and littlest grandchild.
The first night, I cooked Nick's favorite meatballs and noodles with Campbell's mushroom soup per Nick's request, one of his favorites when he was a teenager.
Hana liked "dipping" her noodles in the mushroom sauce. Sachiyo had three servings so I think you could say this meal was a success. (Sachiyo is breastfeeding so she needs the calories) Our second dinner was a family favorite Fisherman's Chowder. It's not hard to pick out a fish to use in this recipe. There are ump-teen kinds of fresh fish in the store. We used a fresh swordfish in this one.
Then I made a pumpkin pie for dessert.
I didn't realize they didn't have a pie pan so I made it in a cake pan. It still turned out great since this is an outstanding recipe. We added whipped cream, of course. They don't have Pumpkin Spiced Lattes at Starbucks here, either. The Japanese people just don't like sweet pumpkin flavor. Their pumpkin flavor in food items tastes more like squash, not pumpkin. It's weird. Nick and Sachiyo discovered that if they go to Starbucks and order a latte with the white chocolate and chai flavorings, it almost tastes like a Pumpkin Spice Latte. The first morning we were here, I made my homemade version of Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Nick and Sachiyo thought it was great! We stopped at the grocery store to stock up on all the ingredients for the recipes I plan to make that I didn't bring. When the Japanese do grocery shopping, they all use the carry-type baskets and you place it on the cart to shop. Like everything else around here, it's a very tiny shopping cart.
During our last visit, Bruce mowed the lawn with their lawn mower.
When I posted this photo, people thought it was Hana's toy lawnmower but no, this is the actual thing. You start getting use to everything being tiny here because the people are all tiny. Last night, I made Honey Sesame Chicken for dinner with some bok choy and rice and again, there were second and third helpings. I'm really happy I can provide some different and yummy meals for Nick and Sachiyo.
We have had some traditional Japanese meals, as well. We wouldn't come all this way without our favorite sushi and sashimi that Nick and Sachiyo prepared for us.
Yesterday, Nick took us out for another favorite Japanese meal of ramen while Sachiyo and Hana were on a preschool field trip.
This was a type of dipping ramen where you take your bowl of various items and dip them into the ramen broth. We loved it because Japanese ramen is the best! Nick said this was a lighter ramen dish than some of the other ramen he has eaten in the neighborhood. Today, Bruce and Nick are playing in a golf tournament sponsored by a city councilman who is a friend of Nick's and is running for re-election in Yokosuka. He hosts this friendly golf tournament each year so now we're thinking this might be the time of year we'll be planning our Japan trips...Nick met Kenju on one of his recreational baseball teams that he plays on. Kenju had previously played professionally in Japan and the two of them just really hit it off. Bruce and Nick will be the only Americans playing in the tournament out of 200 people.
We went to one of Nick's baseball games earlier this week which was his last game until next April. We took Hana with us and it was the first time she's been to one of Nick's games and she loved it. She was intrigued seeing her Papa's role as a baseball player.
It is never a dull moment around here when we come to Japan. Nick's life here is always so interesting and different. And now with a little 3 month old and a 2-1/2 year old, life continues to be full of adventures and we love coming here to experience it as much as possible. And I love being Grandma. It's the best.
Makes about 18 -24 cookies
Dry Ingredients
1-1/2 cup almond flour1/2 cup coconut flour
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice mix
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
pinch of salt
Sweeteners and Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup softened butter or solid coconut oil
3/4 cup monk fruit sweetener or 1/2 cup baking stevia + 1/4 cup Swerve
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
Coating
1 tsp.pumpkin pie spice mix
2 Tbsp. Swerve or monk fruit sweetener
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
4. Warm butter in the microwave on 50% for 1 minute.
5. In a bowl of a stand mixer, add all the sweeteners and wet ingredients.
6. On low, mix until combined.
7. Slowly add the whisked dry ingredients and just barely mix together.
8. Let stand while you combine the ingredients for the coating in a small cup or bowl.
9. Using an eating teaspoon, scoop medium to large size portions of dough and with your hands, roll into a ball.
10. Roll each cookie into the coating mix, place on the prepared cookie sheet and then slightly flatten with your finger tips.
11. Complete until all the cookie dough has been used.
12. Bake for 12 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes before removing them from the pan and placing them on a cooking rack.
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