Long overdue... Vegan foods I've been making in Seoul South Korea

So it has been a boring couple of weeks. So much so that there has LITERALLY been nothing to write about. 

I haven't really gone out.

I haven't really eaten out.

I just have worked and chilled at my little apartment.

So I haven't written anything, mostly because I didn't want anyone to read, "hi I didn't do anything today", seven or eight times a week. It makes me look pretty boring.

However I've been accumulating pictures I could write about. One of those were vegan foods I've been making to survive. I thought, hey I should share this with the world.

So here are two meals I've made that are relatively easy and very much vegan.

#1

Stir Fry 

I'm going to have a taxicab confession moment that might be too revealing. No, I have not eaten any meat, and no, I have not burned down my apartment or anything but, I am getting sick and tired of rice.

Yes, I might have written about this before, but I am getting sick of rice.

I mean it this time.

I am just not a heavily carbohydrate person. My dad is gluten-free, and I came from the land of wanting to be perfect.

Even our signs are perfect

At home, I barely ate any rice and bread. I never ate pasta, and  pizza was the sign of the devil. 

Hey wazzup Greg Harlin?

So arriving in Korea I've been finding the abundance of rice to be a tad overwhelming. So I've been making stir fries...

refer to the original pic

Stir fries are simple to make in your small Korean kitchen. If you are going to be a new traveler to South Korea, don't think that you'll get the exceptional big apartment with the massive kitchen that you've always wanted... chances are, you won't. 

This stir fry was made with these ingredients...

1. Tofu. --> Maybe about a quarter of a packet. Diced and quartered
1. If you are a medium-small sized girl that is enough for two servings.  
2. Enokitake mushrooms. --> Maybe about 1/5th of the packet. Cut into small 1/2 inch length pieces.
1. Generally the Enokitake mushroom packet provides a lot of mushrooms. I like my stir fry with a lot of mushroom crunch to it so I throw in a lot.
3. Eggplant. --> 1/3 or 1/2 of the skinny eggplant cut up and diced.
1. WARNING. For some weird reason it makes the rest of the meal turn slight blue-purple color.
4. Yellow Bell peper. --> Dice 1/4 of the bell pepper into small squares.
1. MAN! I used to hate pepper but I love it now!
5. Onion.--> Dice 1/4 of the onion into squares
6. Garlic.--> One garlic clove. Cut and dice.
7. Bragg's Liquid Aminos All Purpose Seasoning--> a few squirts. (I KNOW THIS DOESN'T HELP BUT I DON'T HAVE A MEASURING SYSTEM FOR THIS!!!)
8. Red Star Nutritional Yeast Flakes--> a few shakes. (I KNOW THIS DOESN'T HELP BUT I DON'T HAVE A MEASURING SYSTEM FOR THIS!!!)
9. A small amount of canola or olive oil for frying.

This is how I cooked it...

1. I started by frying the onions and garlic in the frying pan.
2. I fry it with some Red Star. 
3. Once it gets soft and crispy, I throw in the bell pepper, mushroom, and eggplant.
4. I give the vegetables maybe three or four minutes so that I know the veggies aren't hard. 
5. I squirt a bit of Bragg's.
6. Once everything looks and smells cooked, I throw in the the tofu. 
7. I mix it all up and them I'm done!!

#2

Black beans and cooked eggplant and bell pepper

Ok so I made this one time for my lunch at work. I went to the famous HomePlus (which is like a korean walmart or target) and bought about four canned black beans. 

This meal was a lot easier to make...

Heat the black beans in a pot.

In a different frying pan, stir fry some garlic and onions with some yeast.

Add pepper, eggplants and Bragg's afterwards.

YOU'RE DONE!

WARNING! Make sure that the black beans do not have any animal derivative products. 

I promise to keep adding more posts.

American Essentials to Bring if You're Traveling to another Country as a Vegan

ok. 

I know it has been a while since I last wrote on this blog but it has been a very busy long week.

A. VERY. LONG. WEEK.

However despite all the hurdles I've seem to come across, there is one thing that has sustained my sanity. The small amount of vegan foods that I brought over from the United States have been my savior.

I figured it might be nice to write about the items that I've enjoyed, but more importantly, to write about how essential these items are to bring when traveling to another country.

Alright let us start off with #1

      1.  Quick and easy dinner packets.

Koyo Ramen Packets

Road's End Organics Mac and Cheese

Something that is easy to make and doesn't require a lot of work is awesome when you are getting settled in a scary environment  When I first arrived in Seoul, I didn't have anything to eat except what I brought from home. I was super jet lagged and super hungry. It was SO relaxing to quickly boil some water and make a bowl of ramen; it calmed my anxious nerves.

However if I didn't have that situation I would have had to deviate from being a vegan. The concept of veganism does not make sense to South Koreans. They understand "vegetarianism" but "vegan" is completely foreign. When I explained I was vegan to my boss, he kept calling it "vegar". 

To have something easy and simple to make allows you to stay true to yourself, but also allows you to calmly devise a plan on what to do when you go through your American vegan food.

    

Now for #2

     2.  Snack and comfort foods

Lassen's Kale Chips

Uncle Eddies Vegan Cookies

It's good to have a little bad. Especially when you feel alone. 

While I've been here I have met a small group of "foreigners" or westerners. None of them have really reached out to me and said "hey do you want to go to _____?" This is maybe a Californian thing to do, since everyone I know back home always takes the initiative to lend a hand when they see someone in distress, but I find it strange that no one has done the same to me, but ehh, to each their own. 

What has been useful about both of my specific snacks, is that both have helped me in two separate worrisome times. When I first arrived to Korea I found myself not eating any dark vegetables, which concerned me because I felt my nutrition was being affected. I don't know about you (vegan reader) but when I converted to veganism I found myself wanting to eat more and more vegetables. While I was freaking out about not eating enough dark greens, the Lassens Kale Chips offered a small alleviation for that. The same issue derived when I moved in to my second apartment. Since the previous owner never bothered to clean up the apartment, I came to my my new home full of trash. There was rotten food in the refrigerator, there was used beauty products throughout the apartment, and there was dirty laundry in the hamper. I still don't understand why you would leave your used clothes behind, but I digress. I was already exhausted from my first day teaching the kids at my school, so I was really overwhelmed at the sight of it all. Despite my couple of hours cleaning the filth, I needed something COMFORTING to make me feel at ease. Uncle Eddies Vegan chocolate chip cookies with walnuts were just that. Man, while I was sobbing, these cookies knew what to do to make everything feel just a little bit better. 

Ok, I saved the BEST for last...

     3. Protein and multivitamin supplements

Bragg Liquid Aminos

Deva Vegan Multivitamins

Red Star Nutritional Yeast

We have to care about our health. It is part of growing up. When I decided that I cared more about the ethical treatment of animals over my own satisfaction in the taste of meat, I knew that one of my major responsibilities would be finding a harmonious balance of my nutrition. That would mean focusing on how much protein I would consume. 

Wherever you go, you need to bring some nutritional yeast and some vegan multivitamins. You don't know what kind of foods you will find in the country you're visiting, so these would save you and your health. 

OH I ALMOST FORGOT!!

     4. Anything else that you can fit in your bag.

Trader Joe's Organic Red Quinoa

I can honestly say that I am starting to get sick of rice. I have it every single time I go out. I am saving this baby and storing it like a squirrel does with nuts for the winter. If you can fit it in your bag I say bring it along. It is better to overpack than underpack.

Well, that is everything that I brought, hopefully I can save it long enough to make it through the next month.

tata for now!