Piggy backing on my last post, I wanted to share more about @Isha.yoga.centre’s impressive dining program. Biksha (Isha’s dining hall) serves flavorful yogic cuisine. A team of local chefs run the kitchen like clockwork and an army of volunteers help serve the food. A typical meal includes: ? Rice (my favs are lemon rice with nuts, coconut rice with herbs & sweet black rice) ? Pongal (SO many kinds of millet!) always served with some kind of saucy dish (ie. curry or sambar) And sometimes chutney too! ? Legumes (ie. black chickpeas, mung beans, lentils — usually tossed with with shred ..read more

A year has gone by in the blink of an eye, and I’ve been missing your lovely faces more than you know. Here’s a little update about what’s going on in my life! Since closing the bento shop, I’ve established a daily yoga and meditation practice. As a lifelong busy body, keeping this commitment to an inward journey — much of it spent in stillness and silence — has been remarkable. In 2023, I went to @Isha.yoga.centre in Tennessee 3 times to attend their yoga and mediation programs. And to kick off the new year, I hopped on a plane to India so that I could do an 8-day silent m ..read more

Based on reader feedback, I’m bringing you this collection of highly requested recipes from the restaurant, so that you can make your own Quinoa Power Bowl with Broiled Salmon at home! The recipes that make up the Quinoa Power Bowl are in essence pretty simple. They are just a couple of ingredients each. But when you bring the mosaic of recipes together, you get a symphony that is greater than the sum of its parts. To me, that’s what makes Washoku & bento cuisine so deeply satisfying. GET INSTANT ACCESS TO ALL THESE 9 RECIPES BY FILLING OUT THIS SHORT SURVEY.     PS. I’m just ge ..read more

This recipe is dedicated to Angela. Before I even sent out the survey asking my former customers what recipes they most want from the restaurant, Angela took the initiative to email me requesting this tofu recipe. Here is Angela’s polite plea: “Your power bowls with tofu were delightful, and I have not stopped thinking about them since the store's closure. Your tofu was truly the best tofu I've ever had. I've made many attempts to replicate this dish but have failed miserably. I would greatly appreciate you sharing your recipe. Thank you.” Bento Picnic’s Braised Tofu Gluten-Free, Vegan Yield ..read more

These simple grain-free banana bread muffins are perfectly sweet, umami, and nutty. Be sure to use very ripe bananas and freeze them at least a couple hours before starting this baking project. Freezing the bananas helps to draw out the moisture which is important in order for muffins to bake evenly. Miso Banana Bread with Cinnamon Gomashio (Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free) Yield: 16 muffins Gomashio Ingredients 3 Tbsp toasted partially ground sesame (18g) 1/4 tsp kosher salt (2g)  1/2 tsp cinnamon (less than 1g)  1 Tbsp coconut sugar (10g) Bread Ingredients 4 bananas, r ..read more

Hop on the Shinkansen and come with me to Izunokuni! About 80 miles southwest of Tokyo, you’ll find yourself next to a unesco world heritage site in the foothills of Mt Fuji along with a vibrant community and a thriving agricultural & culinary scene! This is the town where my friend Naoko is from; I lived with her family in 2011 and I come back as often as I can. ? On a recent visit, I made this video on Instagram to give you a walking tour of Izunokuni, if you’d like to check it out. Please let me know if you make it out this way and I’ll be happy to share more recommendations with you a ..read more

A region renowned for its farming and fishing, Izu produces an incredible variety of delectable ingredients. Whenever I’m in Izu, the peninsula directly southeast of Tokyo, I love to visit the establishments that are making the best use of the produce and seafood that they source from neighboring farmers and fishermen. Here are a couple of my favorites (as of November 2023). Tagumi Cafe Instagram: tagu.mi 169-7 Nagaoka, Izunokuni, Shizuoka 410-2211, Japan Tagumi, a quaint cafe in Nagaoka, is one of Izunokuni’s hidden gems. Naoko’s parents first brought me here in 2019 because they knew I woul ..read more

Autumn is officially here and the persimmon trees are heavy with fruit in Izu, Japan. Perfectly ripe persimmons are everywhere you look: On the cover of magazines, in the marketplaces, and on the menu at restaurants like Kuruha and Norabo. Mrs. Atsusaka likes to peel and quarter them to serve alongside breakfast, Elizabeth Andoh made us a delicate persimmon shira-ae with walnuts for lunch, and Mrs. Yamanaka has peeled and dried hundreds in the cool sunny spot next to her garage, and she still has more to harvest.  You can also find fuyu persimmons in Central Texas this time of year, from ..read more

Goma (Sesame) and Shio (Salt) are a match made in heaven. In addition to being the absolute easiest Japanese home processing recipe, the pay-off for making gomashio at home is huge in terms of flavor and nutritive value. No wonder why it’s one of my favorite things to make!  I first discovered gomashio in 2009, when I was studying Macrobiotics at the Natural Epicurean Academy. Gomashio is such a staple of Macrobiotic cuisine that it is common to find vessels filled with gomashio on every table at restaurants that follow the Japanese philosophy — instead of salt shakers that you find stand ..read more

Furikake is one of my favorite Japanese seasonings. A couple years ago I developed a recipe for making furikake from scratch without any artificial ingredients or food dyes, and I’m excited to share it with you today! The impetus to start making my own furikake at Bento Picnic came from not wanting to throw away any part of the pristine salmon that we were sourcing from Big Glory Bay, NZ. After breaking down the fish, there is always some meat left on the ribcage and skins. The process to make your own furikake involves running a spoon across the ribcage and skins to gather up all the extra sa ..read more