Lentil and Mushroom Bolognese

My latest recipes have basically been based off trying to clear out my pantry.. Move out day is in 2 days! I noticed I had some lentils left so I made this vegan bolognese sauce with rice noodles. I seasoned the noodles with turmeric to give them a yellowish color by just putting some dried turmeric in the water while boiling. Here's the recipe --

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, diced
2 cups lentils, cooked
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with sauce, low sodium
1 cup vegetable stock
2 bulbs of green onion (for flavor)
3 tbsp tomato paste, low sodium
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp maple syrup OR coconut sugar
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
Water for thinning
Noodles of your choice

In a large pan, sauté the garlic in a little water over medium heat until translucent. Add in the shredded carrots, cook for about 3 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cook for another minute. Put the rest of the ingredients into the pot, except for the basil and green onion. Simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir in the basil, simmer for 1 more minute. If you want a thinner sauce, add water. Pour the sauce over your favorite noodles and top with chopped green onions.

Chamlong's Asoke Vegetarian Restaurant - Bangkok, Thailand

A vegan hidden gem in Bangkok! This isn't your typical vegan restaurant with fancy dishes and high prices. It is a cafeteria 99% free of animal products with street food priced dishes. There is also a cruelty free health store that sits right next to the cafeteria full of juices, frozen mock products, beauty products, dried snacks and grains, cooking utensils and much more for once again, marked at a very reasonable cost.

Make sure to check all items before purchasing as I did see some that included honey and came across a dressing that may have contained milk. But other than that, all is gin jay! (vegan in Thai haha)

Not many foreigners know about it, hence the weird location which can be difficult to find if you've never been. Check out Eating Thai Food blog for the best way to get there. 

When you enter the eatery you will want to get money coupons from the lady at the little window as you walk in on your right. I started out with 100 baht (about $3 USD) and it was more than enough. 

Black sesame steamed bun, one of their many flavors. I have also tried the pumpkin, veggie and mushroom buns... mushroom was the winner.

Among the steamed buns, the cafeteria is full of varieties of fried rice, noodle dishes, soups, salads, fresh rice paper rolls, fried veggie rolls, desserts and much more. I also like to get the juices from the health store, which can be found in the back room in a big red cooler. 

The food is fresh and delicious! Here I ordered the salad bar, rice paper veggie wraps and I have tried just about all the juices (passionfruit-carrot flavor is my go to!).

The mushroom soup is my FAVORITE, can be found at the beginning of the line next to the steamed buns. This dish is made upon request so it is served scorching hot!

The only thing that they can improve on, which happens with a lot of buffet style joints here in Thailand, is warming up the dishes. They make huge portions (like the noodle dishes and fried rice) and leave them out then serve to you without being heated up again. Sometimes a meal is just a thousand times better when hot! But literally, that is my only complaint. 

My two dishes at the bottom of the picture.. on the left is tom yum fried rice and on the right is som tam or papaya salad. 

The staff serving the food is friendly, the food is good quality, the portions are good size and to top it off the health store full of cruelty free products is amazing! It is a great place to buy cheap memorabilia's, souvenirs, and household commodities.  

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

It's our last week in Bangkok so I'm cleaning out the kitchen cupboards of our apartment. Can't believe we're leaving Thailand in a couple days! Anyways, I decided to make this quick and easy oatmeal. Dessert for breakfast!

Ingredients

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1 cup rolled oats, gluten free

1/2 cup unsweetened rice milk

1/2 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut sugar

Place a little water in a sauté pan, and add the carrots. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add in the remaining ingredients and constantly stir for about 5 minutes or until oats are nice and thick. Add in more water/rice milk if you like a soupier oatmeal.

Almond Date Dip

This creamy dip is a sweet treat I use to dip bananas, apples and other fruits. No blender or food processor needed, just a bowl and spoon!

Ingredients

3 medjool dates, soaked

1 tbsp raw almond butter 

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp water

Put the dates and water into a bowl and smash with a spoon. Add in the almond butter and cinnamon and stir until well combined.

Postcard Journal

An easy way to reminisce on all the wonderful things you've seen and done-- create a postcard journal!  It is a simply made memorabilia, just remember to pick up postcards along the way. When I'm done traveling through South East Asia in April, I'm going to somehow bind them together. 

Since I left California in April of last year I have been collecting postcards from every destination my boyfriend and I have visited. On the back of each card I write the date, hostels we stayed at, people we've met, restaurants we ate at, foods we've tried, excursions we went on, and so on. I want to be able to remember the names of places and people so I can give recommendations or to one day visit again!

Or Tor Kor Market - Bangkok, Thailand

Looking for a market that supplies an abundance of fruits and vegetables? If you're in Bangkok, here's where to go: Or Tor Kor Market right off the Kamphaeng Phet MRT station (Bangkok's underground train). If you've never used the sky or underground train system, get on it -- this is the way to travel to avoid the 24 hr a day traffic in Bangkok (I'll save more info on the BTS and MRT for another post). 

You'll want to get off at Kamphaeng Phet and follow he signs to walk out of exit 3. Go up the escalator and down the steps and Or Tor Kor Market is literally right there. 

Immediately you will see this fruit HEAVEN. They have local and imported produce, fresh and dried, whole and chopped. Prices here seem to be a little higher, as the market is located directly across the street from the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market. You can buy almost every tropical and exotic fruit on the market, along with your greens! 

One of my favorite buys are the fresh juices! I've only had the passion fruit, sugarcane, guava, and rosella out of all these options. 

Lots and lots of durian to go around! You can buy it prepared like this, or whole which I prefer because the Thais tend to cut into their fruits a little early before they are ripe.

  Whole jackfruit I purchased here and waited until it was super ripe and juicy.

Hours: 6am - 8pm everyday

Location: Kamphaeng Phet MRT, exit 3

Raw Cauliflower Rice

No blender or food processor necessary! I've used this rice in raw sushi, mexican inspired dishes, to top zoodles and salads or to just eat on its own! Here's the recipe --

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower

2 sprigs of green onion

Handful of cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp tamarind paste

2 medjool dates, soaked

1 tsp coconut flower syrup (optional)

Finely chop the head of cauliflower and place in a mixing bowl. Chop the green onion and cilantro and add to the cauliflower. Juice the lime into the mix, add the tamarind and smash in the dates using a spoon. Stir the ingredients making sure the cauliflower is well coated. For a sweeter rice, add the coconut flower syrup or any other sweetener.