Pickle That Watermelon~

     It is hot in Seoul and I'm determined to actually spend the Summer in the sun...not giving into the fan temptress. Anyone familiar with Korean cuisine knows that once the sweat starts bubbling, the menus and food served changes...a LOT! Summer season (in my opinion) has the BEST Korean food. Pat Bingsu 팥빙수 (icy flakes with sweet red bean, rice cakes, and assorted fruits), naengmyeon 물냉면 (cold ice noodles), kong guksu 콩국수 (soybean broth noodles), bibim naengmyeon 비빔냉면 (spicy buckwheat noodles)...ahhh, it brings me back to the summers where my mom would make cold noodles and my brother and I'd crack the ice cubes in our teeth. ::sigh::
     I'm also wanting to eat a hella load more fruit this Summer...stateside there's loads of watermelon sales...kilos for a dollar OR LESS!! In Korea, 6-7 kilos of the sweet watery fruit hits 13-20,000 won (that's about 12-18 USD!!) I've already gone through five watermelon in the past two months...I plan to eat way way more of them.
     I usually give the outer shell and rinds to my girls, they like to jump inside them and eat the juicy bits~ if only we could play with our food and get away with being heart-stoppingly adorable right? Well, I got a pretty massive watermelon earlier this week and remembered years ago my mom made kimchi with the rind, and being the vinegar lover and pickle peddler I am, I wondered if I could pickle them! Strange enough, the next day, Food Republic wrote an article about doing just that! I got on it like a kid desperate to win twister.

I had to alter the original recipe due to not having any star anise...womp womp~ Chinese pepper to the rescue!! 

Servings: 2 big containers~

Ingredients:
*one medium watermelon, about 4-6 kilos
*3 T green tea salt (or salt~)
*3/4 cup coconut sugar
*3/4 cup of white vinegar with 5% acidity
*1-2 T Chinese pepper

What to do:
*Cut and gut the watermelon...save the yummy stuff for whatever your heart and stomach desires!
*Peel the rind off of the watermelon with a veggie peeler and throw away the dark green bits. Cut the white part into 1/2 inch cubes and put them into a big bowl.
*In a separate bowl, mix salt and 3 cups of water and pour over the cubed/cut rinds...let this sit for a day
*Drain the rind and rinse them well, then combine them all with the sugar, vinegar, 3 more cups of water and bring everything to a boil. Once the sugar dissolves, shut off the heat and let it cool down.
*Sprinkle some Chinese pepper in the bottom of the containers you're going to use and once the "pickles" are done, move the rinds into them and cover them with the pickling liquid.

These should store for a week or more...~

cooking up on the stove~ photo taken by VeganBeats

all done and contained!! photo taken by VeganBeats

    Aside from stuffing my gut with watermelon, SoulScience and I have been gallivanting the roads and paths of Seoul with our swanky bikes and making discoveries....I've got more photographs to collect, as there are more places to stumble upon! But we did roll into a massive veggie farm, where I just about melted....natural response when surrounded by cucumbers, lettuce, and tomatoes....right?

CUKES~~~~ photo taken by VeganBeats

    I'm not the only one enjoying the Summer crop~ Hamlet has a thing where she zombie-mauls any and all tomatoes....

Vampyre Pig~ photo taken by VeganBeats

Cool Kicking Creating!!!

     I'm finally doing the Master Cleanse! I've been reading all sorts of things about it, seen so many references to it, and heard about it from loads of friends. I've juggled with the idea of this cleanse because I assumed it would be horrid, more so the lemonade cayenne concoction would be inedible (drinkable?!) but I'm five days in (halfway) and so far LOVING it! I am filled with energy, I feel healthier, clearer, more focused, and calmer~ more collected. I figured this cleanse NEEDED to happen because I was getting a bit stuck, a bit lost, and short with my tolerance of those surrounding me. I wanted a hollistic healing, a way to connect with the present and not let it be clouded with hate. (Mononoke whaaaat!!!!) I was meaning to keep a diary of each day, but I will throw up a big post covering each day once I wrap this MC up!!
     That's a wee lemony-update!

     Before the MC mission, I got a home-cooked/made-with-love-and-sweat meal that has left me lingering for it's return! I've had difficulty consuming and digesting night shades (white potatoes, peppers, etc) and recently have been reintroducing them to my diet and plate. I always wandered produce sections, longingly setting sights on the cute, plump, and fun bell peppers; they're smiling bright orange colors and yellow sunny-ness and like a hungry wolf, salivated over them. I WANTED and WANT to snap on bell peppers. I began with thin slivers and gradually increased my intake of them and I've got myself now purchasing them every week. Scotty Soul made me something featuring these once "dangerous" nightshades and...this Vegan lady was in bliss...

Scotty Soul's Vegan Creation..ughhhh~ photo taken by VeganBeats

ughhhh.....look at that color!!!

      He made quinoa, tomato, and kidney bean stuffed bell peppers, roasted root veggies, and a broccoli herb salad! Seeing all this color, smelling all the savor goodness stirred up a rumble in my stomach and I couldn't stop savoring each bite. I've never had stuffed peppers (vegan style) before and I honestly was overwhelmed! It was all gluten free too! Well, the roasted roots had a wee bit of whole wheat flour...but that's because he's got a secret method to making potatoes extra crunchy and soft. I got seconds, and dreamed...still dream about this meal. :sigh:
     Another fun project was done...the FIRST Scott-hee creation was for a dear and wonderful friend for his birthday! I've been drawing more and Scotty Soul is amazing at graffiti and throw ups so we collaborated on this piece here! There will be more Scott-hee creations to come...just wait!

Scott-hee's first creation~ photo taken by VeganBeats

      And...just because there should be a bit more "vegan" trending on this here blog, this is a crispy baked curry I made last week (before the lemonade deal). I baked tofu, zucchini, onions, and broccoli and made them crunchy with sweet potato starch (a little inspired by crunchy jazz) and made a spicy and thick curry sauce with kale, cabbage, onions, and bean sprouts. Result...gluten free, crunchy, spicy, hot, steamy greatness!

curry jazz~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     Recipes to come...just want to perfect this more....Next post will be as soon as I wrap up the MC!!!

until then~

Happy (Belated) Holiday/Christmas!

     Happy belated Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa  Christmakah, etc    veggie eaters, food lovers, and all around sexy crews!~

     Christmas ever started with a complete lack of sleep and a meek attempt at dehydrating tomatoes...which took over 12 hours!! But first...my oven got tickled hardcore this time around. I had a Christmas/Holiday party to share with a lovely group of buddies and we played a sort-of Yankee Swap/Secret Santa type of deal. I made up funky money banana bread~ chocolate chips, cinnamon, ginger, cranberries, raisins  walnut, pecans, coconut~ everything was whole wheat, organic, and I slipped in vitamin B12 drops, vitamin C drops, etc... I got a bit too excited. 

Funky Monkey Bread, before and after~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     The next day was the day before Christmas Eve, and I had a lot of dehydrating and baking to do. But I got pretty awful and heartbreaking news...so I lazed up. I had planned on baking four cakes, dehydrating tomatoes, and making a peppermint brittle. These buggers owned my oven...for about half a day!

Oven-dried tomatoes...before the 12 hour marathon~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     Christmas eve rolled up and thanks to tomatoes, cake baking happened all day Christmas eve. I spent this Christmas eve with the ever talented and wonderful Scotty Soul...where the plan was chill, make dinner, exchange gifts, listening to silly Holiday tunes, and watching far too many Christmas movies...
     I didn't get a picture of the yummy dinner we made but I'll gloat a bit. We stocked up on two massive bags of veggies and spices and made a big and beautiful pot of veggie soup.
     Menu~ Scotty Soul's favorite...Soup and toast!

     The recipe is a bit all over the place, but here's a gist:
What We Used:

1. 1 med-large onion, chopped
2. 2 medium sweet potatoes chopped
3. 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, or 0.66 Kg of tomatoes chopped
4. 1 large carrot, chopped
5. 2 small head of baby napa cabbage, chopped
6. 4 leaves of dinosaur kale, chopped
7. 3 leaves of chard, chopped
8. bag of enoke mushrooms, chopped
9. 1/2 medium zucchini, chopped into half moons
10. 1-2 T olive oil
11. 1 T garlic minced
12. 1-3 T black pepper
13. 1 t salt
14. 1 T Chinese pepper
15. 1 T mixed herbs

What we Did:

1. heat a medium/large pot to medium high heat, add the oil
2. When the oil is hot, add the onions and sweet potatoes~ set to low heat and watch
3. After you can smell the sweetness, add the chopped tomatoes *Let this Stew and boil down to make a broth of sorts*
4. Add carrots and garlic.
5. After 10 minutes, add everything else and let boil down to desired thickness!

~Toast optional~

Scotty Soul and dins~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     Scotty Soul gave me such amazing and perfect things...that soon enough I'll get to use ALL THE TIME~ Right now I've got a SICK electric blanket that keeps me super super snugly  And I got some perfume that makes me feel like a sassy lady (hell yea), and as soon as I update to an Iphone5...food will start looking sexier. But the thing I'm beyond tickled for has been chilling at Incheon International...soon...soon~
     Christmas day was a joll at Kia and Sean's!!!! I made an intense and drunky cake for the occasion! So..what is this complexity?

My Christmas cake!! photo taken by VeganBeats

     Ginger rum cranberries, blueberries, and raisins in a dark chocolate cinnamon cake with a green tea, ginger, and rum butter-cream frosting! Rich is flavor and alcohol~ whasa!
     Enough squiggling, let's see what Kia and Sean stabbed and stretched my stomach with! Get a napkin...

scalloped potatoes~ photo taken by VeganBeats

spinach and artichoke dip~ photo taken by VeganBeats

tomato, shitake mushroom, cashew cheese pizza~ photo taken by VeganBeats

stuffed mushrooms~ photo taken by VeganBeats

lentil loaf~ photo taken by VeganBeats~

     There was also olive tempanade, baguettes, babaganoush, jello (agar) shots, alcohol...lots of alcohol, and  a stupid delicious salad chalk full of pomegranate (!!!), apples (!!!!), lettuce (AHHHH!!!!!!), pecans (!!!), and a tofu based dressing. I had bowls of this....bowls....stomach stretching greens gamble~

Grasshopper pie~ photo taken by VeganBeats~

peppermint fudge~ photo taken by VeganBeats~

Grasshopper pudding cups~ photo taken by VeganBeats~

chai cake~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     I drank loads, laughed a lot, ate too much, smiled, and was full of immeasurable amounts of love...

I think I need a tissue break...

Happy Late Holidays!!

New Years is around the bend!!!!

Scotty Soul's Surprise

     October has been more than busy, stressful, emotional, and brilliant. It started off with the death of a brilliant man, upsetting family realizations, emotional roller-coasting, a draining wallet, and rounded off with birthday celebrations, party preperations, smiles, laughter, growth, an anniversary, new family members, Halloween jams, and November began with a SURPRISE!
     This is a silly side-note and apologies to my girl, but Hamlet and I celebrated two years together on October 26th! She has brought so much joy and love into my life! The nights I've ended snuggling up to her are immeasurabley blissful!

baby~ photo taken by VeganBeats~

     Anyways, Scotty Soul had his birthday on October 29th and since Halloween is on the 31st, it's been a bit neglected. For his actual birthday I made him a super veggie friendly but NOT vegan birthday dinner paired with a massive yummy salad~

up close, and not that pretty~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     When I was a little thrasher, my nanna used to make baked macaroni and my entire family and I would literally melt in it's scent. She would make a creamy roux, rich buttery smells and whole wheat flower, with soft cheeses, and baked with a crunchy ritz cracker and butter topping. Not healthy, but very comforting, and delicious. Scotty Soul isn't vegan, and I wanted to make something homey, comforting, and special...

     The non-vegan dish was a baked three cheese macaroni. The cheeses were feta, extra sharp cheddar (VT!), and pepper jack. The veggies I threw in were broccoli, spinach, kale, caramelized onions and bell peppers, and the topping was blended tortilla chips (less salt overall chyea)~ 

Scotty Soul's plate~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     The salad I made was chalk full of greens and all sorts of textured roughage. Iceburg lettuce, romaine, green and red leaf lettuce, spinach, kale, onions, broccoli chunks, celery, cucumber, and bamboo shoots! The dressing I made was my "friends with salad" dressing.
      One of the gifts I made for him was a custom deck~ Got a board, sanded it down (thanks to my neighborhood grocer for finding sandpaper for me~) and spent all night painting finishing touches while ruining four cakes...ugh

his deck~ photo taken by VeganBeats~

again~ photo taken by VeganBeats~

     But...BUT this past weekend a community that has nothing but love for Scotty Soul joined up at Braii Republic for a Surprise party! I still managed to ruin a couple cakes but eventually made two that I aimed to make! The first one was Jake the Dog from Adventure time WATCH THIS SHOW!!!

Jake the cake~ photo taken by VeganBeats~

     ...and the second was one of his childhood "dream" cakes!~ (Thanks to the goddess and stunning Carrie for helping me out =^ㅊ^=)..

dream pool cake~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     The Jake cake was a dark chocolate cake with white chocolate and cranberries with a coconut butter cream frosting with cocoa essence. The dream cake (the swimming pool cake) was a dark chocolate, cranberry, white chocolate, and peanut butter swirl cake with a dark chocolate and coconut butter cream frosting with raspberry and strawberry essence. The "pool" part was organic strawberry jam.
     The cakes themselves were vegan but the frostings weren't due to actual butter used (baked birthday dinner leftover ingredients) and the peppero sticks~
   

Vegan Beatin' in the Philippines, day 4: Waterfalls, cows, and rice patties, part 2

mamabeats on my mind! photo taken by VeganBeats

     This is a continuation on the waterfall journey! I got a little side-tracked and threw some food stuffs to give a little vacation break...but we're back!
      After swimming and splashing away, and playing with cows and a happy, muddy pig we were barefoot and trekking deep into a naked neighborhood sprinkled with trees and the occasional curious child or bony creatures. I would turn into a a child every time I set sights on some sort of animal, similar to the kids running wide-armed at pigeons, I would starfish tumble towards all of them. sigh::
     Anyways, here's some more visual teases~

photo taken by VeganmBeats

baby buffalo~ photo taken by VeganBeats

swampy river~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     I may not eat rice, (only on super rare occasions) but I do love plants, and farms, and fields, and...greenery~ I can not begin to imagine the hours, days, and months of hard-work that goes into growing and cultivating each grain. Massive appreciation~

rice field~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     People grow pineapples outside of their homes...I can't even.

photo taken by VeganBeats

photo taken by VeganBeats

photo taken by VeganBeats

I will make this happen~ photo taken by VeganBeats

the island~ photo taken by VeganBeats

tangles roots~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     After playing in the ricefields and island for a bit, we went to the sand bar. This is a collection of sand that piles up over time and creates a mini island of sorts. You can't live off of it, or on it, but you can kick it there!

photo taken by VeganBeats

family peacing out~ photo taken by VeganBeats

photo taken by VeganBeats

Scotty Soul and our guide! photo taken by VeganBeats

us~ photo taken by Scotty Soul

Scotty Soul and VeganBeats~ 

     I totally forgot! While getting to the actual rice fields, we bumped into these adorable kids digging in the sand, I got all curious and wanted to join in...I'm a kid! They were getting out these giant starchy roots and our guide piped up with a dish that uses them. So I bought a bunch of it and returning home, I got a massage and slumped into a room to find this!

photo taken by VeganBeats

     It may not look very appetizing but it was pretty delicious! It was steamed and fried roots (think yucca) seeped in a syrup of coconut milk and brown sugar...

mmm...veggie taffy~


More to come!

Itchin in the Kitch backup~ and other foodstuffs

     I've been playing around in my kitchen/apartment/bedroom...(ugh) and I've come up with some pretty tasty and complex things...
     Here's just a little visual stimulation that may birth savored/taste-budded orgasms~~

Ginger jammin fusion General Tsao's tofu~ photo taken by VeganBeats

garlic ginger stir fry~ photo taken by VeganBeats

mini whole wheat thin crust pizza, topped with black pepper and garlic roasted pumpkin, zuchini, and onion, basil red pepper lettuce pesto, a dollop of tofu cashew nut chili pepper cheeze, a bit of red tomato salsa fresca and pinto bean blend, and balsamic redux...a glorious bite~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     Asides from my apple days, and kitchen experiments, eating out or having a meal made for me is pretty rare. I tend to lean to the raw and easy energy providers, but last week Scotty Soul made me a special vegan (and glorious) dinner! It was complex, delightful, healthy (yay!) and right up my alley. Veggies, salad, balsamic, garlic, AND high in fiber...get to the VeganBeats heart why don't you!!
     He got a brilliant idea to marinate Asian pears in balsamic and lightly heat them up on a skillet! The subtle sweetness and rough (in the cutest way >_<#) texture sponges up the vinegar and left something juicy and savory, while still remaining crunchy! He threw this on a bed of salad~ romaine, green leaf lettuce, cucumbers, sprouts, thimbleweed, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and pecans! It was served with a balsamic redux and the drink~ lemon, pomegrante, improvised red sangria with green onion, Asian pear, and garnished with a crunchy pecan.

improvised sangria~ photo taken by VeganBeats

Scotty  Soul's vegan meal! photo taken by VeganBeats

    Healthy, fresh, inventive, almost 100% raw, high fiber, sodium free, and tummy tempting...

     singing~