There are affiliate links throughout this blog post for your convenience, where I can earn a small commission. I never support a product or brand I don't personally use and enjoy, but if you'd like to learn more, you can head to this page!
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Now that I have agar agar powder in my pantry after making Tsuyu Asui-inspired jelly, I wanted to try another famous jelly recipe from anime: coffee jelly! Coffee jelly got its start in the UK, but is now common in Japan's convenience stores and restaurants. 

This dessert makes an appearance in The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, an anime about a teenager with psychic superpowers. Kusuo Saiki, the titular character, is a big fan of coffee jelly. Given I have quite the caffeine addiction myself, I was excited to give this a try!
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​Coffee jelly is sometimes served as cubes inside a sweet cream (almost resembling an iced coffee beverage), but we'll be making ours to look as close to the show's as possible, which looks more like a ramekin-sized block of jelly with whipped cream. Since agar agar powder is vegan, to keep this a plant-based recipe, we'll be using a nondairy whipped cream.

​I'm using Reddi Whip's almond milk variant, but if you prefer the coconut milk whipped cream or another vegan whipped cream then that works too. 

• 2-3 tsp instant coffee (depending on how strong you want it)
• 6 oz water in a mug
• 1.5 cups water to boil
• 2 tsp agar agar  aka kanten powder 
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract or Jordan's Skinny Syrups Vanilla
• 1 tbsp sweetener (I'm using Stevia to keep this low calorie, but you can absolutely use real sugar)
  • The Stevia I use is Whole Earth, which is plant-based & suitable for vegans! If you are trying to keep this dish vegan, just be aware that some refined sugars get their color from a process that involves bone char.  
• Whipped cream (non-dairy to keep this dish vegan); I like to use about 4 tbsp per serving

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• Add agar agar powder, sweetener, vanilla, and 1.5 cup water to a pot and whisk together. Do this before the water has started to boil to prevent clumping.
• While you wait for the water to heat up, prepare your instant coffee with instant coffee and 6 oz water. Add to the pot.
• Once your water is at a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Fill ramekins (mine filled 5 ramekins total, but this may vary depending on the size of yours) or other container with mixture and let sit in the fridge.
• Optional: When ready to serve, remove from ramekin and present on a plate or in a glass.
• Serve with whipped cream.

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Including the whipped cream, if you use stevia, each of the five ramekins contains...

If you're following Weight Watchers, this recipe is super low in SmartPoints! This is only 1 SmartPoint on all myWW plans.
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I'm a huge fan of coffee and often drink it black. So that being said, I thought this was sweet but not too sweet! The flavor profile reminded me a lot of a more dressed up iced coffee drink, and the jelly texture is great for this warmer spring weather we've been having in Florida. I'd rate it a 9/10, and will give it a 10/10 next time when I make the coffee a bit stronger.

For ease of replication, definitely a 10/10. Agar agar is super easy to work with, even more so than standard gelatin in my opinion.

Have a food from an anime that you want me to try to recreate? Let me know in the comments below! Plus, follow me on TikTok to see the behind the scenes of how this was made.
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• Japanese Fruit Jelly with a Froppy Twist
• How To Drink Black Coffee and Actually Like It
• Ichiraku Ramen Recipe from Naruto

After My Hero Academia Week, I received a request from TikTok user cookie_.demon._ to make Tsuyu Asui's favorite food! Tsuyu Asui - aka Froppy - is my favorite student in My Hero Academia so I was really excited to get this request.

Tsuyu's favorite food is jelly, which is really fitting since her Quirk (aka superpower for those of you unfamiliar with the show) is that she's part-frog!

Since Tsuyu is Japanese, we'll be making a Japanese fruit jelly, which is a bit different than your standard Jell-O. But since her costume and character design is heavily centered around the color green, we'll be giving this a little bit of a twist that breaks away from the traditional way of making the dessert. Don't worry, it's super easy and won't impact the taste.
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​If you're trying to eat in a calorie deficit like me or if you're concerned about your sugar intake for dietary reasons, I'll include some easy swaps you can make to keep the sugar content low.

Also, this dish is accidentally vegetarian! If you get a plant-based food coloring (you can get this at Whole Foods) then this will even be vegan-friendly. 
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• Optional (for the Froppy twist!): Green food coloring
• Fruit of choice (I recommend strawberry slices, kiwi slices, or berries!)
• Agar agar aka kanten powder (this is different from Jell-O because its clear, flavorless, and it doesn't melt at room temp like Jell-O can!)
• To taste: sugar or Stevia 
• Water
• Optional: flavored syrup or fruit juice for flavor

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See instructions for ratio of water and agar agar.
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• Dissolve agar agar into water. If using 1 cup of water, start with 1 tsp agar agar.
• Bring water to boil after dissolving agar agar to prevent clumping. Once your water is at a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
•  Add sweetener and one or two drops of food coloring. Stir until well-blended.
• Take off heat and pour half of the agar agar mixture into a mold
  • If you don't have a square mold for Jell-O, you can use a brownie pan
  • If you have ice cube trays or specific Jell-O molds, that works too!
• Let cool in the fridge or at room temp for a few minutes while you cut your fruit into slices. Mine only took about 3 minutes in the fridge to reach the next stage.
• Once your jelly has just begun to set (it shouldn't be completely set yet), add fruit slices, then top with the remaining half.
  • If it's completely set, then the top layer won't be able to bind with the bottom. Make sure your jelly is still really soft, but has started to form.
• Let set in the fridge until the jelly has completely set. Use a knife to cut around the fruit and then serve. 

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There are affiliate links throughout this blog post for your convenience, where I can earn a small commission. I never support a product or brand I don't personally use and enjoy, but if you'd like to learn more, you can head to this page!
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My Hero Academia week may be over, but there are still plenty of recipes from the show to be made! TikTok user @tiredbones21 requested that we make takoyaki, which is featured in this show. I love takoyaki but have never made it myself, so I'll be sharing this beginner-friendly way to make takoyaki at home. Takoyaki is, simply put, a fried dough ball stuffed with grilled octopus. 
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​This is featured in My Hero Academia with Fat Gum’s introduction, since takoyaki is a classic Osaka street food and that’s where he lives. It’s also where Amajiki got his tentacles from when he converted his food for his Quirk, Manifest.

Takoyaki is actually featured in a bunch of different anime. My first exposure to it was Cardcaptor Sakura as a kid!

​Everything you need, you can get on Amazon. You can order a takoyaki maker if you want to make more at a time, but I wanted to give this a try before I committed to a larger kitchen appliance (especially since we don't have much room in our small galley kitchen). So, I ordered this small cake pop maker that the reviews said work great for takoyaki as well. Plus, with the cake pop maker, I don't have to turn the takoyaki over since it functions similarly to a waffle iron.

Measurements are for about 3 servings, or 25 pieces of takoyaki

• 4 oz. Otafuku takoyaki kit (this comes with the takoyaki sauce and takoyaki flour)
• 1 Green onion 
• 4 oz. octopus, grilled and chopped
• 12 oz. Water
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tbsp Pickled ginger 
• Bonito flakes to taste
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise (preferably Japanese kewpie mayo, but you can use regular mayo) 
  • ​If you're following Weight Watchers or are on a calorie deficit, you can use a light mayo instead

Instructions taken from the Otafuku takoyaki kit bag. The maker I used is nonstick, so I just used a bit of cooking spray, but you may need to use oil if your maker is not non-stick. 

1. Grill and chop octopus tentacles and set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix the takoyaki flour, water, and two eggs.
3. Fill your takoyaki maker with batter about halfway. Evenly distribute fillings (except bonito flakes) in each hole, then fill to the brim with more batter.
4. If you are using a traditional takoyaki maker (not the cake pop maker I bought), once the takoyaki is cooked halfway, flip them halfway with a toothpick.
5. Once your takoyaki is golden brown, top with the takoyaki sauce, mayo, and bonito flakes and enjoy!

These aren’t the easiest to make without a proper takoyaki maker, but the cake pop maker did the trick. I’d rate this a 8/10 for ease of replication but only because it took a while with the cake pop maker. Some of them also deflated fairly quickly. If we had a larger takoyaki maker, it’d have been a breeze.

The taste, though? Excellent! The fillings I selected were based off of what I’ve had at two separate Japanese restaurants here in Orlando, and these tasted really similar to the ones we had there. 10/10 on taste!
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If making 25 takoyaki pieces, each ball contains approximately...

• 40 calories
• 1 g fat
• 15.7 mg cholesterol
• 140 mg sodium
• 5 g carbs
• 0.1 g fiber
• 5 g sugar
• 2 g protein

​Have a food from an anime that you want me to try to recreate? Let me know in the comments below! Plus, follow me on TikTok to see the behind the scenes of how this was made.
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• All recipes from My Hero Academia Week
• How to make "Brock's Jelly Donuts" aka Onigiri from Pokemon
• Gotcha Roast Pork from Food Wars with vegan alternatives

There are affiliate links throughout this blog post for your convenience, where I can earn a small commission. I never support a product or brand I don't personally use and enjoy, but if you'd like to learn more, you can head to this page!
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My favorite EPCOT festival is back: Flower and Garden Festival! If you can't make it to EPCOT this year and want a taste of Disney at home, check out some of my Disney recipes! EPCOT offers Dole Whip exclusively during Flower and Garden Festival, but you can whip it up at home easily (and for no SmartPoints!) with my recipe.

In the past, I've included the entire menu for Flower and Garden. But to keep things more simple for you, I'll just include some highlights of things that I think are easily adaptable to any Weight Watchers plan. 
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Beyond a ton of beautiful topiaries throughout the park and yummy food samplings, there are also a bunch of photo opportunities and fun things to check out. The Butterfly Garden is back this year with a socially distanced queue (we saw Pooh frolicking nearby while we waited). Plus, there are butterfly wings you can pose in front of that jazz up some of the construction walls around the park.
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• Remember that most of the food options at EPCOT's festivals are bite-sized. They're meant for sampling! So if you really want to try something but are nervous about the SmartPoints budget or calorie intake, don't stress it too much. 
• If you are watching your SmartPoints budget but still want to try something around the world, look out for foods that typically have higher SmartPoints values.
  • For example, things that are heavy in cheeses or sugar will likely be more calorie dense than something that is more protein-based. 
• If you are interested in beverages but worried about your SmartPoints or calorie intake, there are many non-alcoholic options this year. Either way, be sure to balance it with plenty of water so you stay hydrated.
  • You can get free cups of water from Starbucks on your way into the World Showcase (the new Starbucks location is at the front of the World Showcase entrance, on the side closer to Canada).
• Don't feel limited to just this list. If you really want something - have it! Every diet should be sustainable and focus on a healthy relationship with food. Do not punish yourself if you want to have something that is a dessert. Everything in moderation - not just at Disney, but all the time.

I'll bring us around the world by location. I'll keep the order of the restaurants the same as they're listed in the Disney Parks Blog to keep things convenient!

Flavor Full Kitchen (Future World West)
The two entree options here are fantastic for any Weight Watchers program. They are:

• Grilled Baby Vegetables with Hummus Cream and Red Pepper Coulis (gluten/wheat friendly; plant-based; Garden Graze).
• Seared Verlasso Salmon with Farro Risotto and Micro Herbs.

This location also has two non-alcoholic beverages if you want something fun to drink that doesn't have added SmartPoints from alcohol.

EPCOT Sunshine Griddle (Future World East)
I would love to try this Avocado Toast as a brunch option when starting my way around the World Showcase. It has marinated toybox tomatoes and a small amount of goat cheese on top. Its on a slice of toasted ciabatta bread, and its beautiful presentation will help your eyes feel as satisfied as your stomach.

The Honey Bee-stro (Showcase Plaza)
Everything here has either a lot of cheese, honey (aka sugar), or both, which is something to watch out for in abundance on Weight Watchers. However, the Lavender Honey Mustard-marinated Chicken Flatbread with Whipped Honey-Ricotta Cheese, Marinated Vegetables, and Purple Haze Lavender Goat Cheese is great for sampling and sharing a bite with your family.

The Citrus Blossom (Showcase Plaza)
I am excited to try the Meyer Lemon-poached Lobster Salad with Grapefruit-Rosé Vinaigrette, Yuzu-marinated Hearts of Palm, and Avocado-Yuzu Panna Cotta! It's new this year, friendly to those with gluten or wheat allergies, and sounds super refreshing - perfect for a warm Florida day.

Refreshment Port (Showcase Plaza)
While there are other plant-based options throughout the festival, I want to call this out for those of you who are on a plant-based diet. You can get a plant-based Italian sausage and peppers poutine here which is great for sampling with your family or having as a hearty snack.

Pineapple Promenade (Showcase Plaza)
If you've been here before, you already know what I'm about to say. Dole Whip is a great sweet treat for Weight Watchers! It's only 5 SmartPoints and 90 calories per half cup, so it's not going to break your Weight Watchers budget.

Trowel & Trellis (Showcase Plaza)
This entire stand is plant-based! While plant-based doesn't necessarily mean it's lower in calories, fat, or SmartPoints, I've found in my personal experience that I feel less bloated after eating plant-based foods, so I enjoy recommending these dishes for those looking to try something different.

I'm really excited to try the Grilled Street Corn on the Cob with Savory Garlic Spread as a snack. I also think the Boneless Impossible Korean Short Rib with Cilantro-Lime Rice, Danmuji Slaw, and Kimchee Mayonnaise is a great base for a light meal before snacking around the world.

Refreshment Outpost
The only thing served here is a pineapple skewer, but it's got tajin seasoning on it. This is a great snack option to try for Zero SmartPoints and is low in calories.

Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market (Germany)
I would recommend going for the options that have ham included. This extra protein will help you feel more satisfied with these heavier dishes.

Magnolia Terrace (America)
Oysters are Zero SmartPoints on myWW Blue and myWW Purple! The Cajun-style Roasted Oysters are a great protein-packed choice.

Taste of Marrakesh (Morocco)
Both entree choices are actually great since they both have lean protein sources as their base. Those are:

• Moroccan Seafood Couscous with Shrimp, Mussels, Olives, Preserved Lemons, and Anchovy Breadcrumbs (new).
• Shakshuka: Moroccan Baked Eggs in a Spiced Eggplant and Tomato Stew (new).

La Isla Fresca (between Morocco and France)
I would opt for the Sugar Cane Shrimp Skewer with Steamed Rice and Coconut-Lime Sauce, which sounds like a refreshing and light option in the Florida heat!

Festival Favorites (World Showplace; this is the building over near the Canadian Joffrey's coffee stand)
The lightest option here sounds like the Watermelon Salad with Pickled Onions, Feta, and Balsamic Reduction!

EPCOT Farmers Feast (World Showplace)
The Duck Confit with Carrot Purée, Roasted Root Vegetables, Rainbow Chard, and Duck Jus packs some protein and has plenty of vegetables, so I'd say this is a great option.

If you like beets (often labeled a superfood), the Off the “Beet”en Path: Profiteroles with Red Beet Mousse, Golden Beet Pastry Cream, Whipped Goat Cheese Cream, and Candied Walnuts sounds like a sweet way to sneak in some veggies.

Northern Bloom (Canada)
A fantastic and delicious way to get in your protein is with the Seared Scallops with French Green Beans, Butter Potatoes, Brown Butter Vinaigrette and Apple-wood-smoked Bacon. I'm looking forward to trying this! 

Jardin de Fiestas (Mexico)
All of these options are probably fairly equal to one another as far as nutritional value goes. However, the plant-based or pork options would be my go-to since you're looking at an option without cheeses, which will help keep the SmartPoints lower.

Lotus House (China)
Most of your options here are fried. However, of the three:

• Papa Cakes: Potato Cakes filled with Shrimp and Water Chestnuts served with House-made Strawberry Sauce (new).
• Bon Bon Chicken Skewer with Sesame and Peanut Sauce.
• House-made Crab and Cheese Wontons.

I'd say the best healthy-ish bests are the Bon Bon Chicken Skewers followed by the Papa Cakes.

Anthony and I tried all three of these and have to say they were all excellent. You only get three wontons, so it's great to split if you want to try it but are watching your calories and don't want to have too many fried options.

Because its not fried, the skewers are definitely the most healthyish of the bunch (and was actually Anthony's favorite thing that we tried all day). We got two cakes when ordering the Papas Cakes, so we each one one cake. The flavor combo was surprisingly delightful!

Primavera Kitchen (Italy)
I would definitely recommend the Margherita Pizza here over the Arancini, since Arancini is fried. Also, if you want a little something sweet, their cannolis are pretty small.  You get two miniature ones.

Hanami (Japan)
I absolutely love these two menu items both in terms of flavor and being great options for the calorie conscious:

• Frushi: Strawberry, Pineapple, and Cantaloupe wrapped in Sweet Rice and Pink Soy Wrap served with Whipped Cream, Drizzled Berry Sauce, and Toasted Coconut.
• Shrimp and Crab with Spicy Mayonnaise and Cucumber Slices finished with Creamy Avocado and Violet Sauce (new).

Anthony and I had the Shrimp and Crab and it was fantastic. Definitely recommend! It was pretty light, the Spicy Mayo wasn't too spicy (I'm very weak with that stuff and was fine!), and the Violet Sauce added a nice flavor to what otherwise would have been a fancy rice-less California roll. I'd definitely get this again.
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Fleur de Lys (France)
Everything here is either pretty cheesy or sugary. That being said, I'd look to the Braised Duck Confit à l’Orange with Parisian Gnocchi since its packed with more protein. If you want dessert here, you can enjoy in moderation with the chocolate macaron - they come on a stick!

Flower and Garden Festival runs now through July 5th. You can check out the full menu of food on Disney Parks Blog.
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Jujutsu Kaisen is one of my favorite anime out there, and it's still only on its first season. It takes some of my favorite classic shonen tropes and presents them with well-written characters, great animation, and a great balance of humor with serious moments.

We've already made Itadori Yuji's ginger chicken meatball recipe from the show, but today we're making a forbidden food from the show...

That's right! We're making Sukuna's fingers. Spoiler alert if you haven't sarted the show yet, but Itadori ate Sukuna's finger to save his friends despite the odds of it hurting him being high. So today, we're going to craft our own with hot dogs, honey glazed almonds, and bacon. This is fun to make for when you watch the show on Friday nights or to save for Halloween to creep out your friends.

There are affiliate links throughout this blog post for your convenience, where I can earn a small commission. I never support a product or brand I don't personally use and enjoy, but if you'd like to learn more, you can head to this page!
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I can’t believe Pokémon’s 25th anniversary is this year! I grew up with the series, so I knew I had to make an anime recipe for one of the shows that defined my childhood.

A weird thing I never questioned as a kid was why they called the rice balls in Pokémon “donuts” and “sandwiches.” They weren’t sandwiches or donuts - they were onigiri! This was an attempt to localize the subtitles for American audiences, but understandably was meme'd since it doesn't make much sense.

I’m making two kinds of onigiri today: some stuffed with tuna, and some with umeboshi (aka Japanese pickled plum). You can also use salmon as a filling, if you like!

• 2 cans tuna
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise (preferably Japanese kewpie mayo, but you can use regular mayo) 
  • ​If you're following Weight Watchers or are on a calorie deficit, you can use a light mayo instead
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 2 cups uncooked sushi rice
  • ​​If you're following myWW Purple, you can use brown sushi rice
• 6 pieces umeboshi
• 12 pieces of snack-sized Nori 

• Before you begin, check if your umeboshi have pits! Remove them if so.
• Once your rice is cooked and has cooled, wet your hands or use a paper towel to scoop rice into your hands. I used a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop it out so the rice was evenly distributed.
• With your thumb, create a slight indent in the middle.
• Add either umeboshi or tuna to the indent.
• Use your hands to wrap the filling with rice and form into a triangular shape.
• Add nori to the rice ball and serve. You should have enough to make about 12-14 rice balls. ​

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Need help assembling your rice balls? Check out this video from Tokyo Kitchen!
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I love onigiri, but I've only ever made it with tuna before. This was my first time trying umeboshi and I enjoyed it! It was slightly sweet and pretty salty, so it tasted really nice in the rice. Anthony thought the umeboshi was a little too salty for his liking, but otherwise was had a tasty flavor.  

Have a food from an anime that you want me to try to recreate? Let me know in the comments below! Plus, follow me on TikTok to see the behind the scenes of how this was made.
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There are affiliate links throughout this blog post for your convenience, where I can earn a small commission. I never support a product or brand I don't personally use and enjoy, but if you'd like to learn more, you can head to this page!

​It's the final day of My Hero Academia week! I've had so much fun creating recipes for these characters and we're wrapping it up with something more simple: a burger for Denki Kaminari. 

According to the information cards on each student featured in the episodes, Denki's favorite food is a hamburger. But everyone knows how to make those and that seemed a little boring... but I saw this pre-seasoned ground chicken at Publix that happened to be BOGO and I knew it would be perfect for a burger in honor of Denki. It's a Thai-style ground chicken, meaning it's got garlic, shallots, ginger, and soy sauce worked in... and get this: the brand name is Mighty Spark. It was destined for our Denki-inspired dish, given he's got an electricity Quirk! 

To lean in to these flavors, I'll be topping this burger with some Japanese mayonnaise and some okonomiyaki sauce (I'll show you how I make mine below, or you can buy your own on Amazon) instead of your standard ketchup or mustard.

We're rounding out the Three Musketeers of the My Hero Academia anime with Shoto Todoroki! His favorite dish (and a favorite among fans) is cold soba (aka buckwheat) noodles. Today, we'll be making some of our own with some edamame and tofu for added protein.

This is actually one of my favorite dishes, too - soba has this really nice, subtle flavor that's almost nutty. So with the sauce, you should dip it instead of coat it. That way, you can get just enough sauce to keep the noodles from drying out but so you can still enjoy the natural flavor of the noodles. 

Also, depending on the mentsuyu sauce you use, this dish can be made entirely vegan or vegetarian. You can get a variety that doesn't use bonito flakes, or you can just use soy sauce instead if you can't find any.
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Tomorrow's our last day of My Hero Academia week! ​Have a food from an anime that you want me to try to recreate? Let me know in the comments below! Plus, follow me on TikTok to see the behind the scenes of how this was made.

In the famous words of All Might, "I am here!" Well, these delicious steamed buns are, anyway! In the last season of My Hero Academia, All Might treats his students to some steamed pork buns that he picked up from a convenience store (my fellow Americans: they are way nicer than the convenience stores we have in the States, haha!). 

Since I don't eat pork (as aforementioned in the recipe for Deku's katsu cutlet), I'll be using seitan in these instead, which has a great flavor that makes for a good pork replacement in dishes like this. And to save some time, we'll be using Pillsbury dough sheets to make the buns instead of hand-making the dough. 

1. ​Dice your seitan and pan-fry it with ginger, soy sauce, and mirin until it starts to brown. 
2. Mix your seitan in a bowl with mushroom, cabbage, and green onion.
3. Cut your dough into balls and flatten so they form circles. 
4. Hold one circle in your hand. In the center of the circle, add a scoop of the filling, then use your free hand to pinch up the edges of the dough so it creates pleats that cover the filling. When the pleats are completed, give the top a pinch and gentle twist. 
5. Repeat with all of the dough. When complete, place them on parchment paper and let steam for 10-15 minutes (depends on the size of your buns).

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Welcome to day two of My Hero Academia Week! Yesterday we made Deku's favorite dish, but today we're going for the deuteragonist's taste buds - Katsuki Bakugo. Bakugo's Quirk (aka superpower) is explosion, so naturally he loves spicy food. So today, we're making a spicy sushi bowl (with customizable levels of heat). This recipe is super easy to whip up and only takes a few minutes, so let's dive right in!
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1. Put imitation crab in a bowl and mix with a fork so it forms chunks. 
2. In a small bowl, combine mayo and sriracha. You can add more sriracha to add more heat, but I recommend using a minimum of 2 tsp per 2 tbsp of mayo.
3. Add the mayo to the bowl with the crab and mix well. 
4. In a bowl, add 1 cup cooked white rice, 1/4 of the diced cucumber, 1/4 of the avocado, and 1/4 of your crab mixture (for your convenience, 1/4 of the crab mixture is about 0.5 cup worth). ​
5. Top with Japanese mixed chili pepper seasoning to taste and enjoy!

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