Road Trip Result when you're a Vegan

So............

in this Road Trip, I was in the car most of the time.
and since I don't eat rice, I get hungry.

- and in order to feel full longer,
So I ate rice ...........

- and I ate some fried stuff..... fried tempeh.
and fried peanuts (peanut sauce for the vegetable salad)
in fact, I just ate 3 handfull of homemade fried potato chips today.....
But I consciously did that, I wanted that homemade potato chips so bad... :)
can't never resist them.

- I ate another "supposedly" Vegan dessert , that contains a little amount of Egg.
boohoooo.....
and obviously, white sugar....

- I began sleeping late again, it's been 3 days since I got back from the Road trip and I'm back to sleeping late. (it's 1 am now)
Yes, my dog wakes me up every morning at 6-6:30 am, but I go back to sleep right after I let her out of my room.
So I'm setting my alarm clock at 7 am tomorrow.... must wake up.... must fight sleepiness....
update : I couldn't wake up at 7 am heuiaheuiahe... woke up at 9:30 am
it's been almost a week and I'm sleeping late and waking up late again now...
must changeeee.....

But overall..........
I ate a lot of vegetables on the way, had apples, had bananas.
drank lots of water.... (at night, not during the day otherwise I gotta pee often ;p )
and I wasn't starving on the road.
I think I gained 1 kg/2lbs........ well... weight is not important anyway....

My friend had a cough during the trip, so when we got back, I took a Vitamin C capsule just in case. and had another one yesterday coz I was kinda getting the flu.
But I took a nap and am ok now.
I was feeling kinda sluggish/low energy today so I took a B complex supplement and a Cal/Mag/Zinc at night.

So...... next is evaluating my Vegan diet....
adding more healthy food etc etc...
maybe adding supplements.

Road Trip

So... I went on a Road Trip for 3 days.

Here are some tips :

1. Always bring water.
Buy Mineral water, the ones in big bottles.
I personally try to avoid using and wasting plastic, but on a road trip, even if you bring your own reusable water bottle, you won't be able to refill them up anyway, so I buy mineral water in plastic bottles :(

2. Bring Fruit, or buy them on the way.
I brought 5 apples with me and I always slice them up in the morning and put them in the plastic container , just in case I couldn't find any Vegan meal or if I get hungry on the road.
The sliced up apples last a whole day and more , without going bad actually.

I've seen some people bring their blender on their road trip, I don't know how they manage, cutting the fruits/veggies, cleaning up, the spills, etc etc.....
But If someone's willing to prepare all that on a road trip, I'm in :)

3. I actually brought a knife to peel and slice up the apples.
I didn't have a knife box or whatever, so I used an empty regular mineral water plastic bottle as a knife box ;p

4. Bring Food containers.

What I have is a tightly sealed food container, just in case the food is all watery and soupy, don't want any spill.
and two food containers that have a small open-close lid, so when I got hot food, it can "breathe"
Since I try not to eat rice, i might get hungry on the road, so I keep my foods near.
Or I might not find a vegan food nearby, so I try to get take aways in my food containers.

5. Bring utensils to eat your food.
I always bring the one on the left with me anyway.... I put them in my bag.
I try to avoid using plastic spoons, wooden chopsticks, etc.
Why ? it's a green thing, I just don't want to waste stuff :)

What else ?
6. I bring Ginger candy and Tamarind candy, just in case I get dizzy on the road.

The result of the Road trip ? next

Rainbow cake

Quickly google "Rainbow Cake" for images.
or go here
http://omnomicon.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-make-rainbow-cake.html
http://i38.tinypic.com/jv55sm.jpg
http://ffffood.com/post/90656930/via-overflowing-rainbow-cake-again
http://neilbilodeau.com/2009/02/03/rainbow-cake/
http://whitehowler.blogspot.com/2008/06/path-is-cake-cake-is-grey.html
http://conversationswithacupcake.blogspot.com/2009/03/young-at-heart.html
u get the point :)

MMmmmm........
all that crazy color batter ready to bake.
And the end result.....
The crazier the color, the better it looks,
or go for the soft pastel color.......
They all look so heavenly.
Not that I want to eat them, they're just food coloring and sugar and cake/bread.
But they look like so much Fuunnnnnnnnnnnn
I wanna give a big hug to those who've baked them........
:)
Now I can't stop clicking for next Rainbow cake images on google ;p

Result after 2 Months Vegan

Okay okay... so it's been a month and 19 days :)
It's been Fun, actually, taking pics of the stuff I wanna eat.
I'm not starving myself, infact I'm full most of the time ;D

So here goes :
1. I've lost 2 kilograms / 4 lbs in the first 2 weeks of my Healthy Vegan lifestyle and it's my constant weight so far.
To be reminded of what I eat and don't eat, go here to my Food Journey
Last time when I went into Vegan-Raw diet, I lost only 1 kg/2lbs , it's because I was exercising almost everyday, so I gained muscle mass, but now, I'm not exercising at all !!! so that's why I lose more weight now than before.
I Should really start exercising.

2. I have less blackhead !!
Yeaaayyy right !!

3. I never feel guilty after eating too much of something.
eg. too much ice cream, too much lambchop
all I eat is too much salad, too much apples, too much dragon fruit, too much grapes
all good :)

4. I never have that "off" feeling after eating something fried / greasy.
Even when I over-eat and feel too full, that "ugh I'm too full" feeling doesn't last long.

4. Digestion is good, I sometimes "go" twice a day. ;p
(to the bathroom that is)

5. Some people say that they are more calm and less angry after becoming a Vegan.
I find myself the same :p but I've found some good motivational books and I can seem to relate and understand them better. Will see what happen in the next few months :)

6. Some people also say that they sleep better after becoming a Vegan.
I dunno about that, but since the 6th of May 2009, that's after 37 days of becoming Vegan. I've started sleeping early and waking up early, I was a major insomniac before, coz.... I loved watching TV and oh well I'm afraid of ghosts haeruahrua d'oh right.
Anyhoo, I don't know whether it's because of the food, or it's because I got so excited walking my dogs in the morning or the combination of both.
But it's a good thing, I've been wanting to wake up early since forever. :)

7. I never feel hungry, I eat fruits and veggies as much as I want and still lose weight :) and it's been constant for 1 month n 19 days now.

8. I did a 1 day fasting !! :)
I had dinner the day before around 9 pm and then I start my fasting, no food no water.
at 11 pm, I was kinda thirsty but decided not to drink and went to bed.
So the next morning is fasting day.
It wasn't as hard as I thought it would, I wasn't even thirsty nor hungry.
But I was at home, not working out, not doing anything tiring, so :)
I wanted to do a full day fasting, that is from sunrise till next day's sunrise,
but at 7 pm that day, i was feeling kinda weird,
so I drank a fruit juice and 30 mins later, I ate. :D

9. I can't seem to think of anything else now.
Will add here if I come up with something.


But... But but but but
1. I haven't made beansprouts (out of mung beans) as much as I want to.
(I've only done it twice so far, ohh la laaaaaaa)

2. I haven't ground and added my flax seed with my salad.

3. I haven't eaten more nuts.
I have almonds, pistachio, peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L), Java almond (Canarium indicum)
and beans.
mung beans, red beans, broad beans, etc etc

4. I haven't been juicing everyday, it's more like 3 times a week.

5. The first month, I was "clean", that is no fried food, no white sugar, no white carbs,
But on the first half of the second month,
- I ate french fries last week, around 20 tiny fries
- I had some traditional Indonesian desserts which contains white sugar and rice flour , sago , white flour, etc, but still Vegan though.
- I ate fried tempeh, around 2 table spoons of it and I later found out that they cook it with tiny shrimps, oooaaaaahhhh....
I think that's about it.
Guilty ? Noooooo.......... I honestly enjoyed those food :) But I will not overeat and I'll only eat them when I really really really want to, I'm in control of what I eat.
and... I just found out, *sob sob*
I ate "dadar gulung" it's this rolled thin pancake thingy (or a thicker crepe thingy), filled with shaved coconut meat and palm sugar, but the thing is, one of the ingredients to make the pancake is EGG !!!!! :(
So I ate egg !!! I honestly thought they don't use egg, I've made a western style pancake using whole wheat flour and no eggs !!!
It's not like I'm so anti egg or I'm anti meat, but I've decided to go Vegan and now when I thought that I've been going Vegan for 1 month and 19 days, it turned out that I ate egg.
It's not like they use 1 egg for 1 pancake, it's more like 1 egg for 15 pancakes, but still.
Okay... so I should be more "suspicious" next time I eat something, and Mum, I'm so not asking you with anymore food ingredients !!!
huaaa..... but hey..... I'm still continuing my Vegan Lifestyle for now :)

6. I haven't started exercising regularly.

7. I'll try to eat better and healthier starting today.
that is more Raw Fresh Organic Vegetables and less steamed / sautedd Vegetables :)
oh yeah... and start exercising.


Cravings ??
Of course !!! I get food cravings too !!
I love food !!! all of em !!
If I get food cravings attack, (usually only happens when I'm hungry) I eat my Vegan food and after I have a bowl of fruits or a bowl of salad, the cravings are gone.
It's like going to a restaurant when you're hungry and you feel like ordering everything you see in the menu, but once you're done eating, you don't want anything else anymore.
It's the same :)

How to choose your Sesame Oil

Which Sesame Oil to get :

- Organic when possible
- Pure Sesame oil (sometimes they mix it with Soybean Oil / Vegetable Oil)
My sis prefers the mixed one because it doesn't taste as strong, but I love the smell of pure Sesame oil. The choice is entirely up to you, but if you want to get a Sesame oil, why get the one mixed with other Vegetable oil ? you can mix it yourself at home ;p
- There are black sesame oil and white sesame oil, the choice is up to you.
- if possible get the Roasted Sesame, Not Fried, to make the Oil.

My favorite bananas

We have a lot of different types of Bananas here in Indonesia.
and they're abundant all year long :)

This is one of my favorite bananas.
they don't taste just sweet like a cavendish banana.
This one has a "sour" taste ? well, not exactly sour
It's sweet and oh, I don't know how to explain it,
but this type is definitely my favorite banana.
(btw, the one on the right is slightly unripe)

it's called Pisang Raja Sereh
pisang = banana,
raja = king,
sereh = is the type of the banana, dunno it's latin name

(Here the one on the left is the slightly unripe one.)
As you can see, they're not perfectly smooth like a plastic Cavendish banana.
The banana skin / peel are covered in natural freckles.
And each kind of bananas that are available here,
slightly differ in taste and they're all great.
So you have more options rite ?

How to choose your Olive oil

So you'd want your Olive oil to be :

- Extra Virgin Olive oil ( you don't need the Light version, really)
- Organic when possible
- First press ( it's not pressed multiple times, you get the first press )
- Cold pressed ( no heat was applied)
or First cold pressed

It's best not to use Olive oil for frying.
Saute-ing is acceptable,
but it's best to add your Olive oil when the dish is ready to eat.
So the Olive oil doesn't get heated much.
Use it on salad :)

Bean curd sheet

This is what I had for lunch.

Bean curd sheets is the slightly thicker layer on top of the Bean curd when making Tofu and can be lifted and then dried (either in sheet form or rolled in stick-like shape) Look here for pic.

So it's steamed brocolli with bean curd sheets (soaked in water and boiled)
add some olive oil / sesame oil and sprinkle some salt.
Freshly sliced cucumber on the side.
Mineral water.
Simple :)

Mint and Pandan "Tea"

I basically just boil some Pandan and Mint leaves.


and voila


So this is my Herbal Mint & Pandan "Tea" without tea :)
Sip it warm without sugar :)
Best if accompanied with a traditional Vegan Dessert
yummm
ps. the cucumber is actually there to help the pandan leave to stay in place ;p

I can't seem to get that strong Mint taste that I usually get with the Mint Tea they sell in supermarket (Tea bags in box packages)
My favorite is Morrocan Mint with Green Tea :)
You can really taste the wonderful mint taste, I used to add white sugar and drink it like that.
Do you think they add an artificial mint flavor to get that mint kick ?

I once bought an organic Mint infusion.
It was too strong for me :(
I ended up not using the whole box.

Traditional Vegan desserts rocks and some tips.

So every once in a while,
I have Vegan desserts containing refined sugar and refined flour.
(although I don't currently eat carbs and don't drink sugary beverages)
But I so totally have these desserts rarely.

The most important thing is, I know I'm not supposed to eat refined sugar / refined flour.
But I'm allowed to every once in a while.
Why ? just because I want to :)

I try to always get desserts that are Vegan (of course) and without white sugar when possible.
Although, as they say, sugar is sugar is sugar, palm sugar is a better alternative :)
And Living in Indonesia, There are a lot of Traditional Vegan desserts out there :D using natural ingredients such as pandan leaves, suji leaves, sweet potato, glutinous rice, cassava, yam/taro, palm sugar, coconut milk, bananas, buns with mung bean paste etc etc.
They're not made especially for Vegans, but it's just how the Traditional Indonesian desserts have been made since forever. Lucky me huh ? :)

Some tips :

1. Don't feel guilty, Enjoy those yummy Vegan desserts, but be in Control.
I don't feel guilty eating these desserts because it's a healthier kind of dessert and I truly enjoy that dessert and it makes me happy.

So when you really want something, go ahead and have it,
Just realize that you're eating what you want, what makes you happy and you're not over eating it, Don't stuff your self.
Carefully choose what you eat, know what's in the ingredients.
Be in control of what you eat, Enjoy what you eat, and don't feel guilty afterwards. :)
Seriously, don't overeat and don't eat it everyday.
But if you're making a commitment to entirely avoid sugar because of an illness, then please avoid them entirely.

2. Always know what you eat and search for a healthier alternative
Sometimes even the Traditional Vegan desserts have some twist in the ingredients.
Some may add white refined sugar to use less palm sugar or to have a smoother texture.
Some may add sweet condensed milk for taste
Some may add artificial colorings and flavors
Some may add preservatives
So, try to find out what's in the ingredients !!
Look for the best natural desserts :)
If you love cooking/baking, why not make your own ?
*I'd rather find a trustworthy traditional dessert maker though hohohoho*

3. It's better to dip than blend.
this also goes to fruit juices and desserts.
For example, We use avocado as desserts as well here.
I sometimes slice up avocado, and I sprinkle grated palm sugar or I pour a little bit of honey on it and eat it just like that and it's nice and sweet.
But when you're making Avocado juice, that's avocado blended in a blender, with added sugar and people usually add sweet condensed milk, You really DO need to ADD a lot more sugar for the avocado juice to taste sweet.
If you want to reduce your sugar intake, Compare eating the avocado slices with just approx a table spoon (or less) of sugar/honey and the Avocado juice with 3-4 times as much sugar to make it sweet enough for you to eat.
So, it's better to dip than blend.
oh you get the point :)

Chinese style Sekoteng / Cheng Teng

This is a Chinese style Sekoteng (read : Scot-eng)
not the traditional Indonesian sekoteng, though.
If you happen to be in Singapore, it's called Cheng Teng / Cheng Tng.
They may add more stuff in, it depends.

This is what they put in the Chinese style sekoteng here.
Dried longan (my fave), barley, hulled mung bean, white fungus, candied winter melon, lotus seed. They also have red dates, but I don't like it, so it's not in the pic.

They're kinda like a "soup-y" dessert, and it's served with sugar water, I think they add pandan for aroma, but since I'm avoiding white sugar, I made my own "soup" using pandan leaves, ginger slices and palm sugar. It's a healthier alternative and it adds that warm gingery feeling :)
Oh... and I also add lemon grass there, why ? they're in my fridge and it won't change the "soup's" taste since the ginger will overpower the lemongrass's taste anyway, so I just throw em in, it's healthy rite ;p

mmm... golden liquid

So, this is what it looks like , ready to eat, submerged in golden liquid :)
Serve it hot or cold, they're just as good ....
and yes... it's Vegan :)

Cendol / Chendol Dessert

Yuummmmmmmm...........
I've always had a sweet tooth.
Dessertsssss........ I'm there...........

So... we're now talking about Cendol or some people write it chendol.
A totally traditional Indonesian dessert and it's Vegan :)

It's made out of Rice flour
some people add sago starch or mung bean starch (Hun Kwe)
but I don't like it if they use mung bean starch / powder coz the cendol becomes chewy and I prefer the cendol to be soft and smooth and just slides in your mouth. mmmm :)
The green color is from Suji leaves. (Pleomele angustifolia N.E Brown)
yup... it's all natural :)
add a little Pandan leaves, and boil the rice flour together with them and it becomes sticky and green and pass it through this thingy with holes and this is what you get.
or you could use one of those manual potato presser/masher that has little holes in it.

So traditionally, you serve it with palm sugar and coconut milk.
Don't add white sugar, palm sugar is sweet enough, plus it adds that nice chocolatey color and it tastes great with coconut milk.

btw. We have fresh coconut milk readily available here, but If you're Vegan and you buy it in packets in supermarkets, liquid or powder, make sure you read the label, coz they sometimes add milk protein.

So, this is what you get, all ready to eat.
yummmmmmeeeeeeyyyyy........

Ohh... I should put more to fill up the glass.
I just had 3 glasses, so I was quite full then
and I wanted to eat this one after taking the pic, so I didn't fill up the glass ;p
Serve it cold... add some ice cubes if you want.
Some people also add jack fruit cut into tiny pieces.
Add anything you want :D
Enjoy !!

Big breakfast of veggies

Remember the photo of the Fresh food and Vegetables I got here ?

Well....
the next morning, I woke up early and steamed most of it.
I don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so it was a lot of work for me :p

So here's the pic....
mmm...Big breakfast

Sweet potato in the middle
clockwise, from the top :
Chayote, Spinach, Raw string beans and baby corn,
Chayote shoots, Broccoli and Cauli flower.

Dipping sauce : lemon and sweet soy sauce
*will talk more about sweet soy sauce later... yummm*

Somehow the pic don't look that appetizing... boohoo :(
need more reds, huh ?
hahahha but anyways :)

I know... it's best to have fruits in the morning, but I was hungry !!!
and I didn't have my blender and my juicer at this place anyway. ;p

So........ and I knoww......
I should take in more Fresh Raw Vegetables instead of steaming them
at least I have the raw string beans and baby corn ;p

ok... next time... more fresh raw veggies :)

btw. I don't know how to cook chayote shoots.
The ones I had in restaurants are soft and tender, but not to soft, just right, and so yummy.
The one I steamed was hard and kinda fiber-y to eat, even though I steamed them longer than all the other veggies.

No coffee & No Tea

I haven't had Coffee and Tea since 1 April 09.

Well... it's more like I haven't had a proper coffee since Italy.
(cafe/coffee in Italy is espresso in America)
Plain simple coffee made with a cafetiera or the ones in a bar, add some milk and sugar or Baileys. yummmm....... they're dessert for me, at least twice a day everyday when I was living in Milan.
Cafe au lait, cafe creme etc in Paris was also not as good.

plus, Coffee for me is Coffee + Milk + Sugar
and since I'm not taking in dairy products now, so no milk means no coffee.
I love the smell of Coffee... they're heavenly.
but I just don't like plain black coffee, it's way too bitter for me.
plus the body cleansing part means I shouldn't be taking caffeine bla bla bla.

And I'm also not drinking tea at the moment.
But ......
Butttt.......
I had tea just now............
It was one of those bottled tea with white sugar !!
I heated it up and add lemon so it was warm and sweet and lemony....
mmmmmmmm :)
So I'm allowed stuff in my-No-drink-No-eat-List every once in a while.
I make the rules so I'm allowed to break them.
It's back to No Tea tomorrow, but I totally enjoyed the Tea just now :)

ps. I read that it's bad to drink Tea + Milk because the milk cancels the health benefits in Tea.

pps. If you're bored drinking the same Tea taste over and over again, Drink those herbally infused Tea for variations in taste, or better yet, Get a good quality Chinese Tea, they have different Tea varieties from different regions which give different aromatic smell.
I also love those Korean tea mixed with Roasted brown Rice and corn.

ppps. You can also visit Mariage Freres when you're in Paris
They have crazy selection of Tea in beautiful packagings.
I remember seeing blue tea, red tea, green tea, yellow tea, yupp... in colors.
they mix their tea leaves with flower petals, other leaves, etc etc
then I remember smelling Tea A, Tea B, Tea C, Tea D, etc untill I didn't know which one's which.

How to make a Ginger Herbal drink ?

You can mix it with tea, but I'm not drinking tea at the moment,
but you can use tea if you want.

Get some ginger :)
Don't put too much Ginger if you only want a mild Ginger herbal drink.
Some people grate the ginger, but I don't like messy,
so I peel the ginger, slice them thinly and chuck everything in a pan.
(you can also bruise the ginger)
If usually add Pandanus leaves for aroma, they're kinda like vanilla, but different :)
Get some pandan leaves, crunch them a bit with your hands, or tie them in a knot.
then Add water, Boil them for a few minutes.
then it's ready to drink :)
or you can add Palm sugar / Honey / maple syrup for sweetness.
I don't recommend white sugar though.

Okay... I only scrunched the pandan leaves and threw them in.
and I didn't really cut the ginger into thin slices here.
but I made some incisions :P

hmmm.... warm....

Sometimes I also add Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)
okay... some spelled it citratus, ciatrus, ciratus, dunno which one is the right one.
Also with Health properties.
The Lemon grass is a good cleanser that helps to detoxify the Liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder and the digestive tract. It cuts down uric acid, cholesterol, excess fats and other toxins in the body while stimulating digestion, blood circulation, and lactation; it also alleviates indigestion and gastroenteritis. It is said that lemongrass also helps improve the skin by reducing acne and pimples and acts as a muscle and tissue toner. Also, it can reduce blood pressure.
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/9-2-2006-107399.asp
You can' really taste the lemongrass in the herbal drink coz the taste of the Ginger overpowers it, but I throw the lemongrass in anyway.

And sometimes I also throw in Turmeric slices.
Health benefits here http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-turmeric.html

and also Mint leaves,
or Parsley
basically just about everything that's in my fridge ;p
They're all beneficial for you anyway :D

Enjoy your Beneficial Ginger Herbal drink :)

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

What is Pandan leaves ?

Pandan leaves
(Screwpine leaves, Pandanus latifolius, P. amaryllifolius)

Pandan is usually added to desserts or Herbal tea to add this really nice aroma.
It's kinda like when you add Vanilla to get the Vanilla ice cream smell.
(I always associate Vanilla smell with milk ice cream :P)
but Pandan leaves have a different milder kinda smell.

You bruise the leaves a bit or just simply tie a few leaves into a knot and boil them with your tea or add them before you cook your dessert.

More info here
http://www.asiafood.org/glossary_2.cfm?wordid=3294

Pandan also have some health properties
"The medicinal uses for this tree are as follows: The entire plant is used as a diuretic, the roots have anti-diabetic properties, and the leaves are used for treating diseases of the skin. "
http://www.essortment.com/all/pandanleaf_pga.htm

Is Ginger good for you ?

Why do I love Ginger ?
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

First of all,
I used to hate ginger.
I don't like the taste of Ginger.
Ginger drinks, ginger candy, ginger garnish on food, ginger everything, period.

My dad often drinks Ginger tea (sliced ginger, add water, boil, drink the water)
I used to think that he was weird drinking that.
In chinese Restaurants, My sister likes to eat the thinly sliced ginger garnish on top of the porridge
well, I still can't eat those :P

But then I learnt the Amazing properties of ginger,
Ginger is good to eliminate nausea,
it's good when your stomach is acting up,
it's also good to have when you have a cold.
and for a lot other things as well, go search for ginger properties.
http://www.botanical-online.com/medicinalsgengibreangles.htm

so I actually gave ginger a try.
and Hey....... it's not so bad !!!
I take Ginger candy with me when I'm travelling to help when I get dizzy on the road.
that and Tamarind candy which is sour :)

and now from time to time,
I take Ginger + Pandan leaves Herbal drink.
Just put the two together and boil them.
(I still can't eat raw Ginger garnish, though)

So... Why do I love ginger ?
I love the Warmth effect it gives.

Unlike Alcohol which gives you slight warmth and then actually makes you feel colder.
http://firstaid.about.com/od/heatcoldexposur1/f/07_alcohol_warm.htm
and too much of alcohol makes u drunk n your face all red and a hungover the next day.

Ginger actually warms the body and it has a lot of beneficial properties for you.
Take a sip and pause,
and after a few seconds,
you start feeling the warmth starting in your throat and it goes down to your chest.
I just love that sensation.
then you take another sip and you can feel the warmth all over again :)

So there :) that's why I love ginger.

Click here for How to make Ginger Herbal drink

Mung Beans soup

My mum used to make me sweet Mung beans soup as a sweet dessert when I was a kid.
She'd add Pandan leaves and sugar and boil the mung beans till soft.
then She'd serve it with added Coconut milk.
Warm or cold, I liked it.

But right now I'm not eating white sugar, so I use Palm sugar.
and It's even quite good to eat it without sugar, just add olive oil and salt to make a warm soup.


I read somewhere that the Health Properties aren't lost/decreased when cooked,
but at Calorie count, it resulted differently, Vitamins, minerals, protein are decreased when cooked. Mung bean raw vs Mung Bean cooked.
Or you can just go here to the USDA NAtional Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

But I don't know, besides, How can you eat raw Mung beans ? Can you ?
Do you grind them till soft and sprinkle on your salad ?
I do that with my Flax seed, sometimes.... ok... very rarely.... :P

And Mung beans are used to make beansprouts as well.
will post on how to make them. (my way of course)
So far, I've made beansprouts around 10 times ? haoheaoheoa
very productive

Tofu Tempeh Lunch

So... the Housekeeper got me this super yummy tofu.
Tofu in the Traditional markets here are freshly made, daily, I think.
the Tempeh also.
yippie ritee !!! Fresh food all the time.
But we've had numerous cases of "naughty" Tofu maker who add Formaldehyde in the Soy/Tofu mixture during the Tofu making process to prolong their "shelf" life.
yes... Formaldehyde... how crazy is that ?
So, Becareful and Find a trustworthy Tofu/Tempeh maker.

Anyway.... back to the super Yummy tofu........
It's really soft and chewy and yummy and I just love it.
So... I simple boil the Tofu with Tempeh, drain the water.
Slightly steam some Vegetables.
Put everything together,
Add Olive oil and Sprinkle some salt.
Done...

Tadaaaaaaaaaaa

Looks nice right ???
No ??
oh well... in my house, I'm the only one who can eat my food ;p
besides, It kinda looks like uncooked Foods that are prepared for cooking, ready to be thrown into the Wok.
haha
But it was a lovely lunch for me....
just looking at the pic right now makes me wanna eat some tofu.
what ? Did I just use the word "lovely" ?
seriously ? :p

Anyways,
Bless those people who has the artistic ability to do great Food Photography, they don't even have any Photographic background.
For me....
I'm impatient and I don't like to mess and arrange my food.
I just love to eat.
but I've always loved a beautifully arranged food though. :D

So this is the real thing, after mixing it together,

yummmmmmmmm hearuiaheruia

ps. My dog is snoring right now.

Today's Food

So... here's what I got at the moment :

Fruits :
Apples, Xiang Lie pears, Mangoes
(btw, the mangoes are not in season, so the ones that are available are SOUR)

then Organic Veggies :
Broccolis, Cauliflowers, Spinach, Chayotes, Chayote shoots.
I also have some sweet potatoes, but they're on the floor, covered in dirt :)

They look good, don't they ? :)