an Update

Wow... I haven't updated my blog in quite a while....
I just want to say...
I'm no longer a vegan now, I think I mentioned it before :)

and I'm kinda slipping back to the unhealthy junk food girl
I think I've gained 1 kg, not significant, but hey ;p
I feel "heavier" after each meal
and I think it's a signal to get me back to my healthy food again :)
altho I can't deny that it's been easy
I can eat whereever I'm at, friends and families can ask me out where ever and not have to wonder whether or not I can eat at that restaurant.
I don't have to prepare food or cook or wash veggies,
it was convenient, it was easy
and eating the food was great, I'm an eater, I love eating, so the eating part is good.
The after eating is the not so good part, the I feel "too full" part is not good.
So...I'm going to try to start eating healthy again
and I'm just gonna be realistic this time and not go straight to a clean healthy diet.
but slowly eating more and more of the healthy stuff.

I still have lots of pics of my Vegan food in my computers and I'll post them up again soon :)

Food Glorious food

A friend of mine invited me for a food test at her Restaurant.
It's got everything.... prawns, fish, vegetables, noodle, chicken, meat etc
Cooked in different traditional recipe, some are spicy, some are sweet and sour, some are soy-saucy, some are fried, some are stir-fried, some are steamed.



What do I eat ?
I eat a little bit of everything
but I fill my plates with more of the vegetables
So when I feel full, it'd be mostly vegetables (I have mostly shredded carrots, broccoli, spinach)
and I tasted a little bit of everything... it was good
:)

How do you eat your pomegranate ?

I eat them my way ;p
the messy way that is :D

look at those ruby-like capsules bursting with sweet and sour goodness
not to mention, super healthy :)

but first....
I don't buy pomegranates often, because....
1. they're not always available
2. they're quite expensive !!!
1 pomegranate (0.4 kg) cost the same as 1 kg of apples
Sometimes I get the cheaper pomegranates imported from China orIndia, but they're not bright red like this one, they're pale pink-white, more transparent clear actually. But they taste just as nice.

So... there are a lot of ways on how to cut a pomegranates,
cutting it sideways and batting it with a wooden spoon
cutting it into wedges and soaking them in water
etc etc

but I just got them up in half, save the other half in a container, stash in the fridge for later.


After that I just pick them one by one and I use my front teeth and my index finger to manouver each one and kinda try to remove the white hard seed and eat the rest ;p

huu yeahh.... it's a wonderful mess.

and yes... patience is needed, but I enjoy every tiny explosive burst of super flavors.
I don't eat the seeds, I wonder why some people can eat the seeds ;p

and I love looking at pomegranates seed sprinkled all over the salad, but I just don't know how to eat them... I mean do you eat the salad and spit out the hard seed every now and them ?
or do you force yourself to chew and swallow the hard seed ?
wait a second,
the red capsule-like thingy inside the pomegranate fruit is called the pomegranate seeds.
and the hard white seeds inside the red capsule-like thingy is also called seeds ?

anyhuuuuuuu............

yum yum.......


Isn't it amazing that those tiny red dots supply all the nutritious juice and color to each ruby capsule ? :)

I ate meat

Confession :
2 Oct 09 - I ate 2 slices of roast duck at night
3 Oct 09 - lunch, I ate 7 slices of roast duck
6 Oct 09 - dinner with a tiny morsel of fried fish - So Good !!
9 Oct 09 - a lil bit of fried vermicelli (mixed with meat, but didn't eat the meat)
11 Oct 09 - chocolate bread
20-21 Oct 09 - Chocolate n cheese bread & Fried vermicelli again
25 Oct 09 - a tiny portion of chicken noodle without the chicken

In my defense :
I was "very good" for 2 months
(Vegan, No rice, flour, sugar, fried food)
and I was "good" for another 4 months
(Vegan, starting lil rice, flour, sugar, fried food)
During those months, I didn't want to "contaminate" my body with meat because all the effort I've made, eating meat would waste all those "clean" months, right ?

Entering month 7, I probably started to lose motivation
I was alone during my Vegan months, I enjoy my Vegan meals, but no one to share it with, except at my blog :) and nobody support my being a Vegan. oohh poor me :) but I'm a tough one :D
and I sometimes feel kinda annoyed of the limited food choice I have when eating out and feel like I'm missing out, not on the food, but on spending time together sharing food at dinner tables.
You know how sometimes the best food is the one you have to fight over with your families/friends, when there's only one thing left on the plate with 5 hungry people staring at it. :)

So I gave in and I finally ate all those things above.
I'm sorry but I honestly totally enjoyed it, No guilt, well maybe a little.
Some part of me felt like I was betraying my Vegan friends and I felt like I failed at being a Vegan but ..... it was okay.
I really really wanted to eat those food.
I'm surrounded with people who eat everything daily, so I guess after a while, just smelling them is no longer enough, (yes I do that)
I guess I missed the taste, I missed the whole eating together experience.
So I ate some of those food along with my usual Vegan food....
and It made me feel happy :)

Will I start eating meat again ?
I don't know, I hope it's not one of those "If you start, you can't stop" thing.
But even if I do, I don't think it's going to be for everyday and I definitely wouldn't want to eat a low quality fatty ones.
Okay that sounds disgusting.... I think I'll stick with Veganism for now :)
Here's an example,
After I ate that chicken noodle (without the chicken), I craved Salmon sushi and Unagi sushi, and I even planned to eat it the next day, but the next day I was at a mall and I was literally in front of the Sushi Restaurant and I didn't want sushi at all. I wanted a bowl of salad instead, and so I did and I felt good.
So there :)

Tips :
Another thing I found, sometimes eating raw salad with minimum dressing can be tough, so I allow myself to mix it with a little fried food.
The crunch and the taste totally made it easier for me to finish that big bowl of salad, and it totally made my eating experience more enjoyable.
The taste was better, although slightly "sinful", but I was much happier eating it and I enjoyed it soooo much and I think that counts for something :)

Green Smoothie with Aloe vera

I have aloe vera plants growing very nicely.
It's potted plant aloe and nobody even takes care of them, they just grow !

So... Today I made a smoothie with aloe
Also... I read that it's best to put aloe last in the blender as to not to break down the polysaccharide chain, besides, they get blended so easily n fast anyway.


Ingredients :
- Celery
- 2 Okras
- 1/4 of Cucumber (I just felt like adding it in)
- 1 Aloe vera (peel first)
- Mint leaves
- 1 Banana
- Watermelon, with seed

Put everything in the blender and blend (remember, add the aloe vera last)


After a quick taste, I decided to add half an orange
(sorry blurry pic)


Here it is, Smoothie with Aloe (and 2 okras)

Not the prettiest color, is it ? :)
But it taste quite good,
I make sure that the smoothies I make consist of raw green vegetables combined with nice tasting fruits, so it's easier for me to gobble down lots of raw veggies ;)

Before this, I couldn't eat raw aloe because I'd just slice the aloe meat into cubes and it was too slimy to chew and swallow.
People usually boil the cubed aloe meat to remove the slime and add sugar water and eat it as dessert, but I want raw aloe !!
Blending just raw aloe ends up in a slimy goo which I can't drink as well.
But blending aloe with other ingredients makes it easy to drink, in fact I can't even tell that there's slimy stuff in my green smoothie.
btw, Okra is also slimy....but there was no slimey goo in my green smoothie :)

How to eat raw ginger ?

Well, you don't ;p
you drink it :) at least that's how I consume raw ginger.
Unlike my sister who can eat raw ginger strips on top of her porridge, I try to take in ginger in liquid form.

So.... we all know that ginger is good for us.
and we also know that "live" enzyme from raw vegan food is good for us.
So I don't know whether boiling ginger slices will eliminate its health properties, but people's been doing this since forever, so... it's probably still beneficial for us.
But I also try to take in fresh raw ginger, just because :)
and this is how :

Cool Ginger Drinks
Mix it with your fruit juice.
Don't use too much if you can't stand the ginger taste.
Just add a tiny thumb size of peeled ginger when you're juicing.
Just throw it in the juicer and you get a little "kick" in your fruit juice.

Warm Ginger Drinks
Take a tiny thumb size of peeled ginger.
Put into a blender (the small one for grinding spices)
add a little bit of water and start the blender.
Strain and add warm water.
You may also add lemon, palm sugar, etc.
mmm... warm ginger drink....
but I don't really like it when it's not warm anymore ;p

Instant drinks in sachet

It is always best to use the freshest ingredients.
But there are times when you don't have time to go to the supermarket yet
or you forgot to buy something.

So.... in those times of emergency ;)
you turn into modern technology....
Instant powder in sachet

I had a glass of chrysantemum tea today...
I was warm and sweet and all you have to do is add hot water and stir.
yummm....
I actually have chrysantemum flowers in the fridge, but I so wanted something sweet today.
So... I gave in.



Sometimes they taste better....
Except Lemon tea powder, it tastes so artificial.
Even the ginger powder + sugar in sachet tastes better than the real thing.
but they are always too sweet !!!
So when I add more water to reduce the sweetness, the ginger taste also goes away.

But I'm sticking with the real fresh ingredients.
As I said... they're handy in emergency only ;p

Pepper Grinder 101

This is my pepper grinder
and I fill it with black pepper.

So I've never really cared about freshly ground pepper and those readily ground pepper powder sold in supermarkets.
But freshly ground pepper is way better, obviously. It's freshly ground, so the aroma is released once it's ground.
Although I can't really tell the difference ;p hoahaha

It's said that the best pepper grinder is the one with the ceramic blade.
But it's costly.
Mine is made out of glass (the transparent one) and plastic (blue top)
and the grinder inside... I'm clueless... plastic ? stainless ?
It's a cheap one I got at a nearby supermarket.
It's very handy and in a good quality to be honest.
and you can twist the top to set the grind quality of the pepper , fine to coarse.
I didn't know that was possible ;p
But I set mine to the finest grind.

It's also better to grind the pepper before you put food on your plate.
Well... at least I think it's better ;)
this way, when the food's hot, you don't get the pepper grinder all wet and misty from the heat.
But... when you're seasoning while cooking...
well.... you're gonna use the pepper grinder over heat anyway..
So, forget what I said....
But I don't cook anyway... so my trick still works...
Grind the pepper on your empty plate first, then add the hot food ;p

Wat ??
It's also called a Pepper Mill
oh okayy...

Anyhoo.........
After using the Pepper grinder for some time...
I noticed that there are some broken pieces in the pepper grinder container (inside the glass)
And the core or the inside of the black pepper is actually white !!
Is it really like that ?
Can you see in the photo below ?



Black pepper has a white core ?
or is it a conspiracy theory of a white pepper dipped in black color ?
So I have been watching too many movies.
But seriously....
Black pepper has a white core ?

Aloe Vera

So I have Aloe Vera growing all over the house...
they just grow and grow
I guess they just like the super hot weather.

So.......
I've read about the wonderful properties of Aloe.
They say it's even good for hair growth, so just rub it on your scalp..
or better.... put the aloe flesh in a blender... then rub it on your scalp.

I sometimes use it on my face as a mask...
sometimes all over my body...
sometimes it itches too on my skin ;p

How to use Aloe ?
well... you peel the skin and don't get the yellow sap
and use as you like.
I've read that Aloe has a lot of active enzyme, vitamins, minerals, proteins and amino acids.
It's just phenomenal.
There are books about how to use Aloe...
yess... you can rub it on sunburnt skin.

But.... How do you eat Aloe ?
Juicing it is yucky... I can never gulp down slimy Aloe ;p
Some people cut Aloe up to cube size and boil them to eliminate the slime
and then they add sugar water + pandan leaves
So it's like a sweet soupy dessert to be eaten hot or cold.
Which is what my housekeeper made today............



Anddddd..........
I took only the sweet sugary aromatic "soup"
oh allright, the sugar water....
and added fresh raw Alove vera sliced to cubes.
And I ate it like that.....

And as a matter of fact........
it's totally edible.
Yes you can still feel the slimy slime of Aloe when you chew.
But it's just acceptable, just chew quickly and swallow and don't eat too much of it at one time. ;p
So... it's a good way to eat Aloe Vera raw and fresh and benefit from all the amazing properties.

Which comes to my Recipe.
Wat ??? she's doing Recipe ???
heriuharuahra
oh okay, it's not an actual Recipe
but when I was eating the raw Aloe + sugar water
I just thought to myself,
Eating Raw Aloe would be nice with sweet Melon juice with some lemon squirts.
or Watermelon or Cantaloupe.
Just chuck the fruits into the blender, and they are naturally sweet so you don't need to add sugar, plus this way you get the fruit fibres as well. Then add the cubed raw Aloe Vera.
Serve cold
Yummmmmmmmmmm !!!!!!!! :)

Another Fast

So....... on the 23rd of June 2009, I did another fast...
well... simply because I ran out of food.
that... and also I was too lazy to buy food and prepare food.
and I've also been wanting to do another fast to cleanse.

But.......
it's not a good one.
I ate fried food the day before.... and the day after !!!!
To fast.... and to cleanse...
I need to eat all healthy fresh food....
which means try to eat most fresh raw food (vegs n fruits)
and maybe only fruits the day before.
But hey...........it's done....

The fast started from the morning till 5 pm
(I last had water-food at 10 pm the night before)
no water no food
It was fine... I was kinda hungry during the day.... but not starving
so I took a nap hohohoho.....
and I listened to my body, which is important...
I didn't force myself to fast for longer duration.
it was just right. ;)

How to make a really crunchy batter

I try not to eat fried stuff and hopefully I don't eat anymore fried stuff anymore...
*strong will power on*

But.... I might as well............ ;p
I've tried to try to make batter to fry stuff, but they don't turn out really crispy....
So......... this time it works !!!!!!
It's really simple !!!!

I know some people :
- use breadcrumbs or tempura crumb thingy *i'm so clueless haha*
- add beer to the batter
- add baking soda/powder
- add egg
and still have a crispy crunch result.

I've tried adding egg and/or baking soda/powder, but it didn't turn out crispy.
I've tried smoothing out the clumps when then flour's mixed with water.... nada

Sooooo.........
this is what works for me.....

How to make a crunchy batter
get some flour.... put into a bowl
(you can add salt if you want, but I always sprinkle some salt when it's done/fried anyway, so it's not necessary at this point)
add just enough water so it's not too thick nor not too runny
don't care about clumps... don't mix it too smoothly....
and it's done.... you can dump stuff on the batter and start frying
or just fry the thing as it is........

again... fried food is bad for you
but I now know how to make a crunch batter ;p

Fried Food is bad for you

huhuhuhu... I know I know...
but the crisp and the crunch.
It's just so hard to resist............
I've been really good for 1.5 months....
but lately, I've been having some deep fried tempeh coated in crunchy batter.
I knowwww.... one piece becomes 2 becomes 5 becomes everyday.

Even last time,
I was craving crunchy stuff and I didn't even have tempeh.
So I made a crunchy fried batter... yup... just that........
and ate it with salads.
Yesss... no nutrients whatsoever in that fried stuff.
It was good while eating those crunchy stuff,
but afterwards, my stomach started to have that feeling when you just ate a really greasy food, and it's not a good feeling.
And.... after day 2, I started to feel a bad sorethroat coming !!!!!!

Ugghhh.......
So I had some ginger tea and was fine the next day.

Today, at supper,
I had another fried batter with steamed vegetables. (spinach + seaweed)



Don't be fooled by the pale color.... they may not be golden brown, but they're really crunchy

Fried food are really addictive !!
well, to me they are.
and when you don't eat them, you don't want em at all,
but when you start....... you really can't stop.......
well, you can really........
Sooooooo......... no more fried stuff re-starting now !!!!
well.... every once in a while... they're allowedd....
umm... like once every month....... oh we'll see ;)

Must eat Lots of Fresh fruits and Fresh Vegetables !!

Don't eat in front of you notebook/laptop

So I was eating my salad in front of my notebook.
I usually don't , but I've been very careful lately :p and I thought I won't spill anything anyway.
Wrong !!!!
I had half of a fresh tomato on my plate, right.
Why would I have half a tomato in my salad ?
I was too lazy chopping the tomato up ;p
Anyhoo... So I used a fork to pick up the tomato and took a big bite.
and as I bit the tomato, the other half (dat's not in my mouth) squirted all over the keypad and the LED screen ..........
*panic mode*
So I started frantically wiping the keyboard and realized some of the liquid was under the keyboard.... huhuhuhuhu......
So.... I tried wiping the thing and tried to squish my fingernails in between keyboard with wet wipes.
what's worse is dat my salad was covered with sweet soy sauce !!! sugar !!!!
oh noo.............. now my notebook might attract ants and bugs and germs....... ewwwwwww
haeruaheruiahrua............
Okay... it was actually just a few drops of tomato juice and sweet soy sauce on the keyboard, and some on the screen. d'oh............ let's see.... around 20 tiny drops actually.
But still !!!!

Anyway........ I think I cleaned up my notebook pretty well....
So No ants, no bugs, no germs !!! ;)
Sooo.... never ever eat in front of your notebook/laptop okay !!! :D

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

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.

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 :)

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 :)

How to Blanch Vegetables the Easy & Quick way

and Yes, by Easy and Quick, I mean Lazy.
so, How to Blanch Vegetables the Lazy way.

After you slightly steam it the Lazy way, of course.
Remove the Veggies to a bowl.
Add ice cubes.
mix a bit so the ice will melt and the Veggies cool.
Drain the melted ice.

You can now eat the Vegetables or save it for later.

How to steam Vegetables the Lazy & Quick & Easy way

It's mostly the Lazy way.

So... Veggies washed, cut up accordingly.
Get a pan, a normal pan with lid.
Like the one to boil water in.

Pour water, just a bit.
Till approx half an inch depth (of water)
Put Veggies in.
Close lid.
Fire away (turn on stove)
Wait a short while, don't get your veggies over cooked.
(I prefer slightly steaming vegetables, so they are still kinda crunchy, hopefully that way the enzymes aren't all dead yet and I still get most of the nutrients.)
Take veggies out of pan.
Eat.

So, that way, you don't have to use a fancy steamer that makes you wash twice as much stuff.
You don't boil the veggies, well only the bottom part, but mostly get steamed :)
Like I said, this is the Lazy way.

And............
If you don't eat the whole thing in one go, don't leave the veggies inside the pan, especially not with the lid on, otherwise the heat will continue cook the Veggies and you'll end up having a soft mushy vegetables.

You might wanna Blanch it to stop the heat from further cooking the Vegetables.