Random Vegan Eats spamming...(and a guestimate recipe!)

     Not the spam that you sweep up after you mold up those hot dogs...it's been a while and this blog has been all about music, talent, photography, and kicking it...there's still some vegan nomming that happens! And there def some kitchen playing...Here's some stuff from the past week, two weeks, month?!? eiighhhh

carrot and zuke noodles~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

     My genuine dislike for pasta has been solved...zucchini noodles are where it's at! Gluten free, versatile, high in fiber, high in deliciousness! I made zuke and carrot noodles and plated it up with a semi-raw cherry tomato, wine, garlic, black pepper, and balsamic redux~

     I met with a friend and slurped a morning hangover away with a wine sorbet...make sense, meh, tasty~ yes!

wine sorbet~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

     One day I got all sorts of ideas in my head and wanted to make a spicy, highly flavorful, but stripped of any fat possible, tofu-based dish. I wanted crunch, heat, and variety...result~ this plate of "stir-fried" tofu, zukes, mushrooms, onion, and kale in a soy garlic and gochujang redux! 

in it's reduced glory~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

     I wish I had a recipe to provide...it was a kitchen craze of octopus style hand-ingredient throwing!

Here's a guess:

What you need:

1. tofu, slice it any way you want, and drain!
2. 1/2 an onion sliced...I'm all about half moons!
3. 1 small zuke, slice it the way you want!
4. enoke mushrooms...go with what you're wanting!
5. shitake mushrooms...see above!
6. 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed. 
7. as much kale as your heart desires. 
8. low-sodium soy sauce
9. 1 T gochujang

What to do:

1. maybe 1 tsp of oil heated in a pan, throw int he tofu when it's hot
2. throw in the onions and zukes when the tofu is browned
3. throw in everything but the kale, garlic, soy sauce, and gochujang after maybe 6 minutes.
4. add the kale, soy sauce, and garlic...mix
5. add the gochujang sauce....if too thick, add splashes of water...
6. cook down til it's as thick/thin as you want!
7. plate, sprinkle sesame seeds, eat, smile!

Grand apologies for not being able to provide more directed details!!

Ahhh and another picture to throw in your face!

     Man joked about breakfast that past weekend, and I threw together everything in my fridge and made a heaping amount of 전, what was in all of this?

전party~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

     Beansprouts, kimchi, scallions, zukes, kale, spinach, mushrooms, and loads of love! I made a bit too much...but hey, parties can't be too much right....right?

Anyways...promises on more food posts~ 

Veg-on!    

    

김치전 Kimchi pancake

     This past weekend was stock full of goodbye gatherings and "last nights", and being in Korea, more than enough drinks were consumed. We stayed out til the sun rose, til words streamed into one long murmur, and until all we could do was dance, or stumble...or fall. Korea's all about drinking, but no matter the culture or location, when saying peace to loved ones...sloppiness is inevitable. Whether it be from alcohol, substances, explosive expressions...sloppiness is inevitable.
     Due to my...'sloppiness' this vegan lady scrounged around her (sad empty) fridge and whipped up a classic traditional and super easy Korean classic, 김치전 (kimchi pancake). Most people turn to fries, deep-fried tacos, something greasy and hangover healing...I usually knock it out with a massive coffee but this time...but this time.

김치전~ a little blurry, eeep (photo taken by VeganBeats)

     전 (jeon) is typically eaten as 안주 (food eaten with alcohol), be it 소주 (soju) or 막걸리 (makgeoli), you can often see friends, business partners, families gathering together and downing shots of alcohol while nomming on loads of 전. There are lots of varieties also, like 파전-pa jeon (onion pancake), 두부전-dubu jeon (fried tofu), 감자전-gamja jeon (potato pancake), the delicious 호박전-hobak jeon (zucchini pancake!!) etc.
     When I was a kid, my mom would have special 전 nights, usually 호박전, and this happened when zucchinis were on sale!! My brother and I would help her slice and sliver loads of zucchini while watching her make magic. I miss when I was nothing but metabolism, my brother and I could throw down so many of these guys and go running for miles after. She was (IS) a master still, they're perfectly crispy, never burnt, and there's always a generous portion of squash in everything.
     
     Now a days, I only eat one, and it's rarely if ever. I was feeling guilty nomming on this so I threw a bunch of greens on top of it...to make it more "healthy" (?) Anyways, here's the go to:

What you need:
~김치 (as much as you want!!)
~whole wheat flour
~enough water to make a batter
~olive oil

What to do:
1. Take your 김치 and chop it up rather small **keep the juices!
2. Mix the flour and water into a batter, only slightly thinner then American style pancake batter
3. Add the 김치 and juice into the batter and mix well
   **If the batter is too watery, add more flour
4. Heat a non-stick pan on med-high heat and coat the bottom in oil
5. Once the oil is hot, add ladles (up to you how large) of the mixture and let it get crissspy!
6. flip it when it's brown...keep watching it!
7. enjoy this sucker!!!
optional~>add shredded bitter greens on top (arugula would be sick! or sprouts!!)

호박전 (hobakjeon), 감자볶음 (Gamja bokkeum), and 시금치나물 (Sigeumchi namul)

What are we making?

Hobakjeon (zucchini pancakes)호박전

This is a light dish that my mom still makes for my family all the time. It’s light, flavorful, so easy to make and literally three ingredients. They’re light and crispy and remind me of being a kid whenever the smell and sounds fill my house.

photo taken by Andre Malerba

Ingredients:

-1 zucchini (I like a lot, so one big one for me!)

-1-2 T salt

-1 cup flour

-1 cup water

-Oil for frying

*Slice the zucchini thinly into disks, then cut them into matchsticks.

*Put the matchsticks into a bowl and add the salt, mix a bit and let it sit for ten minutes of so, you want the zucchini to be soft and pliable.

*While waiting for the zucchini, mix the flour and water, you can do more, but always keep it in a 1:1 ratio.

*Rinse the zucchini, and ring it out, literally try to get as much of the salt out, rinse and drain repeatedly.

*Add the zucchini to the batter and mix thoroughly.

*Set a fry pan on medium heat and add a splash of oil.

*When the oil is heated add a spoonful of the batter to the oil, you can adjust how large you want these guys, I do a three-inch diameter.

*When the edges of the pancake start to look clear or iridescent flip the pancakes, you want them to be crispy and light brown in color.

*Do this until the batter is done and serve immediately, they’re best hot and crispy!

Gamja bokkeum (potatoes with soy sauce) 감자볶음

This is another super simple dish with loads of flavors. It’s got tenderness to it and fills you up pretty well. It’s got undertones of garlic, the sweetness of the onion, softness of the potatoes, and is really just a delight for the taste buds and body. You can use any potato really, and it can be adjusted to how many people you are looking to feed, this is about 1-3 servings. (One if you’re really hungry)

photo taken by Andre Malerba

Ingredients:

-2 to 3 medium size potatoes

-1 med to large onion

-2 cloves of garlic

-2 to 2.5 T soy sauce

-1 T sugar

-1/2 C water (may need a bit more)

-Oil for frying

-Sesame seeds (optional)

-Sesame oil (optional)

*Peel the potatoes (optional) and cut them into 1-inch dices.

*Rinse the potatoes to remove some of the starch.

*Cut half of the onion into bit size pieces (you can add more if you like onion, I do)

*Heat a pan and add 1 to 2 T of oil, add the potatoes.

*Add the two cloves of minced garlic and sauté until the potatoes look a bit translucent. Then add the onion.

*Add the ½ cup of water to the pan, the 2 to 2.5 T of soy sauce, and 1 T of sugar, mix away.

*Simmer over medium heat and continue mixing, you don’t want it to get stuck to the bottom of the pan, and you may need to add more water. Make sure the potatoes are cooked through.

*Add sesame seeds and sesame oil to garnish if you want.

Sigeumchi namul (spinach sides) 시금치나물

My brother and I used to LOVE pop eye when we were young, my mom would make this dish so that we could feel strong and tough and all that. Turns out it’s super healthy for you, full of iron, fiber, and layers of flavor, it’s a bit salty but the sauce is great for all sorts of foods. You can eat this with rice if you would like!



photo taken by Andre Malerba



Ingredients:

-Bunch of spinach (a pound or more)

-2 T soy sauce

-1 T sesame oil

-1 T sesame seeds

-2 cloves of garlic

-2 ts sugar



*Blanch the spinach for about 30 seconds in boiling water, remove and rinse it in cold water. Squeeze the spinach gently to remove as much of the water as possible.

*Mince the garlic and mix the remaining ingredients all together.

*Mix the spinach and the sauce all together by hands and garnish with sesame seeds if you wish.

All of these BEAUTIFUL photos were taken by the talented and wonderful Andre Malerba. I will post his site and work up soon. And I am sure he will be mentioned in this blog often!!

Thanks Andre!