VeganBeats: September 2012

Friday, September 21, 2012

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

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!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

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~

Monday, September 17, 2012

Vegan Beatin' in the Philippines, day 4: Waterfalls, cows, and rice patties, part 1

     While wrapping up a day of sun-soaked hair and fruit-bellied body's, we let the streaks of light dance on our skin while drinking iced tea and Tanduay rum. I wanted a Philippines drink and our hosts at our Port Barton home mixed a simple batch of rum and iced tea.
     "When we were young, this is what we drank. Now we're older...it's still what we drink."

     Strong, light, and flirty~ An easy and satisfying drink that welcomed the evening, and brought out some planning. One of the workers and I started chatting and we started talking about checking out the waterfalls in the area, and my genuine love for cows~
     Within the hour, our next day's plan was set...waterfall playing~ and maybe seeing some bovine buddies!
Like a lot of traveling, let the visuals and tastebuds do the sharing, I can't do much for the savory jams and sweetness...but here are some pictures of what my eyes got to feast on (visually not gastronomically of course)

drying fish~ photo taken by VeganBeats

From boat to small tree-nuzzled island, we walked down a quiet path (with hidden people) to the said destination...

photo taken by VeganBeats

to the falls~ photo taken by VeganBeats

photo taken by VeganBeats

I could here the water crashing, and while watching every step, my heart was bouncing with eagerness....or it could be the prior Iced tea and rum...

photo taken by VeganBeats

waterfall~ photo taken by VeganBeats

photo taken by VeganBeats

The flowers that guided our twisted path were so bright, loud, and sweet-scented...got me thinking of mamabeats!

RED~ photo taken by VeganBeats

YELLOW~ photo taken by VeganBeats

bananas~ photo taken by VeganBeats

After swimming around, as promised...we rode the waves to check out rice patties...and snuggle bugs!

COW~ photo taken by VeganBeats

The next little critter really upset me, she was a tied up pig...happy and chatting and rolling around in cool mud! She got me so upset because the rope tied around her neck was too tightly done and her skinw as actually growing over it. Now I understand that I've lived a very fortunate life where I can choose this vegan lifestyle, while many others do not have the freedom of culinary/ethical decisions. (I do hope this doesn't come off as ignorant). Living on an island with your neighbors and kids, this happy pig will feed you for some time, keep bellies full, and get a bit of stress off your shoulders. It's just this rope...loosen it up a bit, or make a harness...

how happy is she? photo taken by VeganBeats

I kept my sadness to myself, why offend, and how dare I judge others on their food choices...I played with her a bit and left soon after...leaving a lot of love and thought with her...