Bentoya ♡ Nigiri Sushi
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vegan Japanese Cooking Class (@bentoyacooking)
Hitomi Mochizuki is a certified yoga instructor, filmmaker, actor, and artist from NYC. She curates wellness experiences on her own App (HitomiNow) and also her YouTube channel which has a community of more than 400k. Through her own experience with depression and anxiety she has cultivated tools to heal and live a balanced life of spiritual connection and love. Her mission is to help others heal using specific practices in their every day lives. We adore you, Hitomi.
Hitomi Mochizuki is a stunningly beautiful human being, inside and out. We love her thoughtful compassion, as evidenced by her vegan eating and her passion for a sustainable lifestyle. We love her gentle, sensual brand of feminism that emphasizes the importance of a healthy connection between the body and mind. Hitomi Mochizuki is radiant. From the yoga videos she creates for her app, to her youtube features about cooking or meditating, we think that Hitomi Mochizuki is a chill and inspiring person. We love how honest Hitomi is about discussing her struggles with mental health, and we wish her clarity and positive energy for the future!
In a 2018 interview with Huskkie magazine, Hitomi was asked about what made her switch to a sustainable lifestyle. She answered simply, saying that she first started to ask questions such as “Where did this product come from? What journey did it take to get to my hands? How does this impact the world?” when she first went vegan around 6 years ago.
“It started out with animal products and filtered out into everything I was consuming such as clothing, makeup and plastic. I feel way more mindful and grateful for what I have because I do take the time to pose these questions. Instead of mindlessly shopping, I truly honour the process of production, transportation & receiving a product. It really is a whole process and its kind of bizarre that we just always expect the food to be at the grocer, the clothes to be in the stores – and don’t give it a second thought.”
Here is a vegan mac & cheese recipe by Hitomi Mochizuki:
“I love mac & cheese. I loved it as a non-vegan and even more now, I make it about once a month. I use gluten-free shells usually made from chickpeas or quinoa. The sauce is 1 medium steamed potato, 1/4 of a red pepper, 1/4 cup of water, garlic powder, onion powder salt, and at least 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (but I usually add more) all blended together until perfect consistency is reached. I know it sounds weird, but it gets so creamy, thick and flavourful. I think the mushy potato is what really gives it the perfect consistency. Plus, its a 100% plant-based meal that is easy for your body to digest and doesn’t have loads of sodium like some other mac & cheese alternatives out there. I sprinkle the top with paprika for spice and extra nutritional yeast to mimic a baked bread crumb topping and give it extra cheesy flavour.”
Hitomi Mochizuki, Bentoya loves you!
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vegan Japanese Cooking Class (@bentoyacooking)
In Japan, the vegetable and fruit selection changes with the seasons. Seasonal vegetables are often budget-friendly and a great way to add variation to your cooking.
Modoki ryori refers to food which uses plant-based ingredients to mimic the appearance, taste and texture of meat dishes. This type of dishes are common in shojin ryori and they have also achieved a certain mainstream popularity due to the health factor of eating vegetable-rich meals.
Chuka ryori (中華料理) refers to Japanese-Chinese dishes which originate from China, but have been adjusted to fit the style and taste of the Japanese palette. Dishes that belong to this group are for example ramen, gyoza and harumaki.
Sign up to our newsletter and get our latest recipes, cooking related content & offers delivered right to your mailbox!