Gluten-free, Guilt-free

     Heyo Veganbeaters~ hope January has been treating you with all sorts of glory and love filled bits! I'm still riding the gluten-free train and exploring a bit more with the grocery options that Seoulkicks are offering. Issues...barley (the only grain here I can allow myself to be alright with) has gluten! WHAT?!~ And I sort of seriously hate rice, but I'm working on allowing it very slowly back into my diet. Yech...the quinoa train is blasting my way and I'm not really wanting to acknowledge its presence. The other day I was thinking (dreaming) of bibimbap and thought to steam a pumpkin and use that as my "rice"...I got a spicy mash of glory instead. Semi-fail and uncomfortably filled tummy.
     Anyways....here are some eats I've been playing with and spoiling my body with. Everything has been focused on high fiber, high protein, and as stripped of fat as possible...I honestly want to make full-flavor, zero calorie, energy-providing food...someday.
      For my birthday a while back, my lovely buddies Pol and David gifted me with homemade, home-dried gochu garu, or Korean red pepper powder. With that I made a heaping vat of tomato-kissed spicy tofu. I had more than enough to last a week and the protein drop got me through my knee-bolted running shenanigans~

spicy tofu~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     Still riding the protein caboose, I made yet another vat of something...this time chili. But first, I started with a rich and flavorful salad that would make all rodents squee in a sing-songy daze. Iceburg lettuce (my weakness and preference), red leaf lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts, spinach, kale, and loads of seaweed...all dressed in a garlic, mustard, balsamic vinegar mixture...fat free, full-flavored, all organic and energy pounding. 

     The chili was better than I expected. I soaked black beans and lentils overnight and boiled them until they were soft with a mixture of parsley, chili pepper, gochu pepper, black and white pepper, and chili mix. I caramelized onions for starters, threw in carrots and chopped tomatoes, then the beans, kale, garlic, chili flavoring, and the beans. I crumbled tofu on top and let it simmer for a few hours. My apartment smelt like home and my tummy was filled with more gluten-free, high protein, nearly fat-free warmth. I'll have to try this again and get a recipe thrown on this page...cravvve~ 

salad and chili~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     After one serving and a ground-breaking productive yoga session, I simply had to have another while painting some sexy ladies. This time though...vegan bacon, kimchi, and loads of dijon mustard...a bit of a stoners take on messing around with flavors but it worked and I had chili for the week~

ladies and stoned chili~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     More eats and adventures to come...my computer is still whining a bit, if only chili could win it over.

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!!!!

VeganMofo "itches"

     Catching up on some stuff I've missed throwing on this page of mine~
These are some "itch'n'the'kitchs" from the beginning of October~

SUPER protein packed stir fry, SUPER Protein, Fabulous fiber, Delectable~ photo taken by VeganBeats

the breakfast I'm excited to eat, apples, cinnamon, walnuts, pecans, dried cranberries and cherries All downed with a GIANT coffee~ photo taken by VeganBeats

Super green wrap, kale/broccoli/zucchini/gosari cutlets (gluten free), avocado spiced spread, dijion mustard, cucumbers...nom nom nom~ photo taken by VeganBeats

Vegan "tuna" sando (inspired by AliensDayOut)~ photo taken by VeganBeats

a messy open-faced sando on whole wheat baguette. Slivered zucchini, garlic green hummus, dijon mustard, thick tomato garlic onion sauce chalk full of kale, cabbage, tofu, nutritional yeast, and spinach...Oh and there's a tofu cashew nut basil cheese...sando preggo~ photo taken by VeganBeats

Yikes~ O_o#

Happy VeganMofo kids~

Birthday post is coming because VeganBeats its sprinting into the upper 20's now (aigo!) And I'm sprinting with smiles~

Cheesy Coconut Zuke Noods with Kale love

      A hard night of drinking usually leads to unhealthy cravings, in Korea, people go for ddeokboki, twegeum (various battered and fried foods), or ramyeon. Being a super extra picky vegan, I steer clear of Asia's crucial staples-rice and noodles. But a while back I was craving the texture and slurpiness of noodles and ramyeon, so I made a super dressed up and healthy version~ free of noodles! A gluten-free 100% vegan ramyeon! While making it, I figured why not go for the gold and make it stupid rich and "cheezy."
     For the "noodles" I spiraled a bunch of zucchini, the only way to eat a spaghetti is if it's zuke~ For the sauce/soup, I made an extra garlicky, noochy, and cayenne spiced mix. I used coconut milk and added spinach, seaweed, and kale...along with a generous fist-full of nooch and black pepper and cayenne.
     It was packed with flavor and was almost guilt-free, if it hadn't been for the fact that coconut milk is rich! I also tend to tie any cheese flavoring with pure fat...happy belly, guilty mind...but still sinfully delicious~
     Why didn't I try this out years ago?

slobber~ photo taken by VeganBeats

El Greco

     Mediterranean food, falafels, chickpeas, sangrias?! GET in my belly!!

     In Noksapyeong there's a great little Greek place that has loads of vegan friendly plates, and body snuggling drinks~
     I doubt I'm the only one, but every so often  I crave Greek dishes, anything. Maybe it's Athena sending me "smart" meal deals. 
     A while back, (prior to Philippines) Scotty Soul and I trucked over to Kyungridan and got an early dinner at El Grecos. The seating is limited, the place is a hole in the wall but it's pretty local. First though...they have sangria, both white and red. So we got both and shared over these sweet delicious little drinks. For food though...what can a vegan's heart beat for?

sangria~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     The falafel plate obviously! This plate comes with five falafel balls, hummus, tabouli salad (heavy with parsley!!!), fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, a small salad with red and green leaf lettuce, and some red onion~ there is a tzatziki sauce, but I asked for none of it. And the pita bread is from Baker's Table!
     The plate was filling, the falafels fresh and beany, and when it comes to Baker's Table, there is no wrong doing. I'll go again...and the drinks won't be forgotten~

Falafel plate~ photo taken by VeganBeats

How to Get There?

Noksapyeong station, walk out exit 2 and walk straight. Go through the underground tunnel and walk out of the left staircase. Walk to the corner, cross the street (you'll be on Noxa's side, facing it) and take a right. Walk until you pass by a BBQ place and take that left...you'll see the cute El Greco's!

Nom up~

Tofu Scram for Brekkie~

      HEYA MOFO muthas~ >_<
I'm going to pat myself a tad on the back for keeping up with this "challenge", I know it's only been a few days but...I'm doing it!!
     A classic breakfast jam is scrambled eggs. I remember as kid being overwhelmingly stoked when I first learned how to make these fluffy eggs! My brother and I would go nuts and make them as intricate or colorful as possible. They were a base for any and everything we were craving, like a kitchen sink scramble. Considering this nifty lifestyle of mine, I haven't had scrambled eggs on over a decade (!!!) but a classic and go to Sunday morning hangover healer is scrambled tofu! Similar to the scrambled eggs I'd smother in ketchup as a child, but this time cruelty-free, healthier, high in fiber and protein, and dare I say, more versatile?!
     Scrambled tofu only needs a few basic ingredients, pepper (why, because it's great), turmeric (color and extra noms), and tofu. If you want an "eggy" flavor, black salt is the secret ingredient. I throw in loads of veggies to add extra nutrition and a bit of more visual pleasure.
     The one pictured is chalk full of zukes, tomatoes, teeny chunks of kale, red pepper (attempting to grow a tolerance for this), avocado(!!!), and veggie bacon crumbles. I threw in cayenne pepper, sriracha, some white pepper, and a kiss of curry.

What you need:

1. tofu (as much as you want really, a block will feed two people, if you're super hungover...don't share)
2. 1-2 teaspoons turmeric (more if you like it)
3. 1 teaspoon of black salt (again, adjustable)
4. whatever veggies you're craving
5. 1-2 Tablespoons of olive/coconut/sesame oil (want an Asian kick, sesame that jam!)

What to do:

1. heat up a medium-large skillet with the oil on medium high
2. Smash that tofu (pat it dry) with your hands and throw it in the steamy pan
3. add in the spices and mix, let it brown a bit
4. **If you're adding veggies, throw them in with the tofu of even a bit before to soften them up
5. dish it up, and smother in whatever sauces you fancy, or just consume

a bowl of hangover-healer...tofu scramble~ photo taken by VeganBeats

Sundried Tomato Walnut Pesto Pasta~

Happy MoFo kids~ 
     Considering everything that's going on, I want to keep myself a bit busy and doing some Mofo jams feels like it'd be one very good, productive, busy thing to do!!
     A while back, (I know, another backpost) I made a massive pesto pasta salad and instead of using the usual vinegar or mayonnaise-based dressing I made a sun-dried tomato walnut pesto sauce. I threw in loads of veggies too, although they look rather lost in the pictures. To go with the carb-crazy dish, I made a whole wheat and walnut garlic bread~
     As my 'itchinthekitch' adventures always go, measuring and planning out what I'm doing doesn't happen often. For the pesto I threw in a bunch of sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, loads of garlic, some flax seeds, black pepper, nutritional yeast, and some red-chili pepper. The pasta was whole wheat, and the veggies I used were onions, zucchini, carrots, kale, greens, and some eggplant. I stir-fried all of them in a little bit of oil, just to soften them up and add a bit more color to the red pesto/orangey feel to this dish.
     It was filling, there's no doubt about that...and I had loads to last me for a whole week...thankfully, ScottySoul helped me!!

      Happy Mofo Veggies~

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~

Vegan Beatin' in the Philippines, day 2: Exploring Port Barton and the first meal

paradise~ photo taken by VeganBeats

      Getting into Port Barton, we had to check ourselves in and find a place to crash. We met a friend on our jeepney that recommended Summer Homes Resort. The rooms were affordable, electricity was on for two four hours blocks throughout the day, there's wifi, a restaurant, and it's right on the beach! (It's genuinely hard not to be really) We spent 750p a night (20,000원, about $18.00) for a room with a clean bathroom, huge sun-welcoming window, a fan, and a big double bed! (the staff is awesome, kick it here.)
     After throwing our bags and jugs of water down our tummies started grumbling (so beer, nuts, and bread isn't the way of the game, eh?) Our friend who mentioned our new home (!!!) highly recommended a restaurant! But before I get into the noms...here's my cat (he stayed with us often) Mingming!!!

pretty sleepy kitty~ photo taken by VeganBeats

      Now...the restaurant is called Jumbalayas, ...

answers? photo taken by VeganBeats

     It's right off the beach front, houses the coldest beer on the island (no really, it does) and offers a lot of vegan yumms!

     The drinks menu boasts of ginger infused jams, coconut milk pina coladas, etc...what did I go for?

photo taken by VeganBeats

     For a main meal, I went with the stir fried veggies with a bed of steaming rice. The veggies were not the usual peppers, potatoes, and slobs of onions...I got carrots, zucchinis, pumpkin, cabbage, sweet onions, garlic, and mushrooms!! It was light, flavorful, and more than generous portion-wise.

yum~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     While sipping on cold flavor-filled drinks, filling my tummy with nutritious food, and setting sights on the crashing waves...the lounge-loving life was embracing me...

ginger jams and beachy spoilings'~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     I wasn't alone in the chill jam...kitties snuggling in the sun~

loungin love~photo taken by VeganBeats~

sleepy kitty~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     The beach was glorious, and being that it was a temporary home, my heart was dancing in glory....soaking in the vitamin D, eating up the sun, stretching my feet in the sand and bathing in cool salt water, the adventures were waiting around the corner...

photo taken by VegnBeats

     Glory is soon approaching~

coconut pup~ photo taken by VeganBeats

Summer Homes Resort:
e-mail: summerhomes@vconn.net.ph
phone number: +63 (0) 9285944484, +63(0) 9214016906

Jumbalayas myspace