Photos: Food In India – Inside&Outside Ashram

WIAW – Reintroduce Steamed Veg

 

Happy Wednesday people I myself haven’t been having such a great week so far, but I still did manage to take a few shots of my meals here and there so here goes another round of WIAW!!!

 

 

And per usual, a huge thanks to Jenn of Peas and Crayons for hosting it for us all food enthusiasts…basically we just love to eat. And stare at what other people eat.

Also, this week, I tried reintroducing more steamed veg back into my life. Sometimes when my veg are completely raw they’re just harder for my tums to digest, so I’m actually glad I thought about making this shift.

 

Steamed cauliflower and carrots, sauteed garlicky broccoli+stalks, carrot and radish stir fry with fresh tomatoes.

Mum made lasagna. Again. Loved it! It was slightly sweeter than the previous one - I think I preferred this one better.

My TV dinner. Mash up of every leftover I could find in the fridge, with loads of steamed veg. Guess what I was watching?

Shondesh, a traditional Bengali toffee-like sweet, now even available organic at supermarkets. Loving the pro-organic movements propagating even in a developing country like ours.

Steamed (microwaved) sweet potatoes. My ever-trusty filling snack/meal.

Multigrain toast with a tomato jam that Mum made with dark Japanese sugar. More of a preserve though. Tasted exotic and fun Loved it.

Shrimp and veg curry over steamed veg and fresh cucumber. Yes, I eat less soupy types of curry like that sometimes…and I happen to like it.

Chapati with a bit of curry. Class breakfast in Bangladesh.

Went out with bestie Sanjida for a lunch date to this place called Smoke Music Cafe. I am not a big fan of their name…but the place was alright I guess.

We ordered a pizza to share…I think it was called Hot & Cheesy, but can’t remember clearly. It was delicious!!! It may have been slightly over-priced, but everything seems to be so in this city lately anyway

Of course we went for desserts after! At Club Gelato, we both ordered the same chocolate-y parfait. She couldn’t finish her’s though so I helped her…damn I have no self-control sometimes (I mean, all the time).

Even had some of this Shemai, a Bengali dessert that people often make at home. I’m a huge fan of it (haha, surprise surprise, my damn sweet-tooth) but I really don’t want to know how to make it, just so that I don’t demolish an entire bowl of it in one go. Self-control issues.

Jaljira, a salty/spicy drink made with cumin and a bit of mint. I have enjoyed them at Indian restaurants before but never knew I could make them at home with instant mixes sold at grocery stores. This one turned out to be a little too salty though, so I think I’m going to reduce the amount of powder I use next time.

Our own concoction of faux/wanna-be Bibimbap at home. Sticky rice, marinaded mung beans, fresh cucumber slices, sliced chicken sausage and fried egg with a dollop of Kochujang.

Packed tuna salad, again, with tonnes of steamed veg, which I had in the car on the way to job#2.

Classis. Chapati + banana.

Microwaved banana, mashed up with puffed rice as a late-night dessert. Never tried this combination before, but hit the spot quite neatly.

More bananas! Just wanted to show how brightly yellow and gooey this one was after being zapped. Bananas are definitely one thing I will miss once I go back to Sydney…like in ages’ time.

Anyhow, that is pretty much all for now. Off to eat more bananas tomorrow.

x

WIAW – Jan/Feb Recap

So I know I haven’t posted any food photos / WIAW in quite a while now…I’ve been emotionally unstable and my relationship with food seemed to be taking a roller-coaster ride, especially during the past month or so.

However, this week has been treating me relatively well so far, and as Greta from “Coffee Addict” pointed out as well, a post smothered with photos of my eats was long overdue!!!

So here goes. And as always, a huge thanks to Jenn from “Peas and Crayons” for organising the delicious fest

Potato, cauliflower, chicken sausage and egg casserole with fresh red, green and yellow capsicums. Eat colourfully, live colourfully!

Toshikoshi Soba. A Japanese New Year’s Eve tradition.

Homemade Mochi (Japanese sticky rice cake, a traditional New Years delicacy), with grated radish and soy sauce.

Mochi again, but this time covered in sweet soy bean flour called kinako.

Mochi in a soy based soup, called Ozouni.

Lunch with Mum, at our favourite Korean restaurant, Doomiok. An assortment of Kimchi to start off the meal!

Sundubu Jigae…it was even hotter than usual that day! Set my mouth on fire

And some Chapchae with rice too!!! I love how the Korean rice vermicelli have chewier textures compared to the usual supermarket kinds. They’re probably made of slightly different ingredients instead of just rice flour and water – maybe an addition of some potato starch or something?

Chilled Jujube tea to finish off the meal. Love being served this sweet and refreshing drink after spicy Korean dishes

This happened on a different day, but Korean food again! Homemade Seafood Jijimi, courtesy of my Korean hairdresser I’ve been going to her since Grade 6 or 7 and have gotten to know her quite well, just as well as she’s gotten to know my rebellious hair. It was interesting how this pancake was a lot more dense than the ones I’d tasted in restaurants!

Infusing Earl Grey tea leaves in my primary school mug Loving this white, starchier type of sweet potato I discovered at a Korean grocery store. (I’m spying a Korean theme in my past month’s meals now.) It’s so much sweeter too!! Delicious.

Premium Japanese rice cracker. It was a souvenir from Japan, don’t remember who it was from though….

Apps at another new-to-me Korean place. I think it was sliced tomato in fish sauce marinade, and pumpkin soup.

More complimentary appetisers The restaurant was nice, though a lot less homier than our usual favourite. I personally (definitely) preferred Doomiok better. Sorry for cheating on you, Doomiok, we’ll be back for our next Korean feast!!!

Strawberry puree coated cornflakes + soy milk = strawberry milk. Although it was probably just some fake artificial strawberry flavoured sugary crap, I still loved it. Everything in moderation, right? Oh, and excuse me for using a ramen bowl (which I got from my kindergarten, by the way) for eating cereal

Random bolognese(?) kind of wholewheat sandwich (I think it was called Peppery Beef Sandwich) from a chain bakery, Cooper’s, that I had for lunch one lazy afternoon. It was really…blah…it wasn’t bad, but I don’t think I’ll be buying it again

Veggie pita sandwich!!! My favourite from a nearby Italian diner/cafe called Margherita. Well, they’re supposed to be Italian and mainly have pizzas but also do shwarmas, Chinese, etc. like most other restaurants here in Bangladesh I took this one home and added some extra lettuce to it!

Before…

Meet, lettuce…

Mum’s kimchi soup, while watching Grey’s Anatomy. I started watching it all over from the beginning again recently because I forgot where I had left off before, so I’m still stuck in Season 4 right now.

Tuna salad with lots of beans and corn from this post.

A simple oatmeal bake. Recipe here.

Mum made each us a chicken schnitzel / lettuce / omlette sushi roll. It was huge, but honestly, I could have finished another one of it! Totally hit the spot

Super dense, moist and chocolatey brownie from King’s Confectionery. A lot of people have trouble finishing it because it is that rich, but this sweet-tooth here had no such issue cleaning it off the plate

More kimchi soup.

Uiroh, a traditional Japanese steamed cake made of rice flour and sugar. Mum made it with a bit of coffee as well for a twist Delicious!!! Not too sweet, a great “healthier” dessert.

Doi Puchka at Dhaba with my bestie Sanjida. Good catch up time. Puchka, also known as Panipuri, is a common street snack in the Indian subcontinent, for those of you who are not familiar with cuisine from this part of the world ‘Doi‘ = yoghurt, so mine had very thin yoghurt poured over the plate, which kind of brings about a mild twist to it.

Mum’s cinnamon pear pie. It’s healthy since she used fresh pear instead of canned/syrupy compote, right? Right.

 

Instant coffee with milk and sugar at work. Boring stuff, but keeps the day going.

Energy drink, to replenish some sodium and glucose. Ok not really, but just because it tastes good, and also, I was parched.

Faux minty mojito thing from KFC. Wasn’t even good. Whatever.

Mum baked some plain mini buns. Sometimes a white carby piece of bread could be such a bliss. This one was still warm, right out of the oven!

Black coffee. A tribute to Q from Skyfall, of course

I prefer rolled oats to the quick kind, but they’re a lot more expensive than the latter over here…so a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do. Plain old boring oatmeal. Which I haven’t been having for weeks now, just so you know.

Egg, coleslaw and salami sandwich on multigrain bread. The multigrain bread in this country somehow have this added sweet spicy flavour…my guess is that they mix nigella into the dough, but I’m not sure. Anyone have any clue?

A mix up everything in a tupperware kind of lunch. The curried pickled cauliflowers really gave it a good kick!

Homemade lasagna. The simple, good old grandma’s recipe kind, with no fancy “healthier” alternatives. Quite heavy but it’s okay to indulge sometimes Or at least that’s what I convince myself….

Weekend breakfast. Multigrain toast, hard-boiled egg and a banana.

Egg – multigrain combo version 2. Egg and cream cheese sandwich on multigrain bread.

Apple cider vinegar + stevia + water for the tummy.

Another baked oatmeal, but I followed this recipe this time. The recipe called for some mashed banana, which made the product a lot more moist than the previous oatmeal bake. The extra cinnamon that I added, along with the flavour from the banana, made this dish smell amazing! It peeled off of the pyrex very easily, leaving no hard crumbs on it, even though I didn’t grease or line the dish. Score

Weekend breakfast, part deux. Fresh oranges, grapes and apples.

Saturday lunch. Tuna salad with cannellini beans, red kidney beans, tomato, red onion, cilantro and chopped gherkins, dressed with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Sauteed garlicky broccoli and mushrooms.

Lunch date with Mum at her office. Takeaway Bibimbap!!!!!

Some chicken something sandwich at Sub Factory. Basically Subway, but just not Subway. Hello, plagiarism is everywhere is this country, and it’s not like they could affect the Subway’s share in the market, even in the minutest of ways.

A friend’s chocolate birthday cake. (Happy 22nd, Rasha!!) I think I overindulged in this dessert a bit too much, but whatever.

Japanese fried rice (which, in case you did not know, is totally different from the actual Chinese one, which would have had a completely different kind of rice, amount of oil, a few different spices and seasonings maybe) with blanched peas and tomatoes. Lots of veg to fill up on.

Every-leftover-from-the-fridge dinner. My favourite kind of a meal.

We had my brother and mum’s birthday this month, both on which we got a Tiramisu cake from King’s Confectionery, which is about the only cake we get from there. Didn’t get to shoot a photo of either one, so here’s a random one I pulled off from the internet The one below actually looks way cooler with those coffee beans! Chocolate-coated coffee beans, anyone?

{source}

Another leftover mish-mash. I’ve been adding lightly steamed cauliflower to these creations lately. Declaring a cauliflower phase now.

Okay this post took way too long to edit for some reason, and now I’m too tired and stressed out to fall asleep…especially after what happened today with the visa application process for my trip to India next month, but more on that in tomorrow’s post. I shall try to relax with a cup of vanilla tea now.

x

Vlog: The Way I Eat Now / What Is Right For Me

So I had a hard time falling asleep last night, thinking about my eating habits and decisions I have been taking lately. And I made a video about it because I just had to pour it all out. This is just how I feel right now, and my opinions may or may not shift at some point in the future, but I shall deal with that then.

 

 

What are your beliefs about your dietary preferences, if any? 

I’d be more than ecstatic to hear what you thought about my video too!

Welcome Back, Salad

 

 

What I ate for lunch/supper. Haven’t had a salad in ages but my body seemed to be craving one today so the below happened.

 

 

 

Kidney beans, tuna in vegetable oil, corn, tomato, cilantro, mint, lemon juice and salt & pepper & dried herbs.

 

 

 

Needless to say, the said salad is non-vegan. I’ve been struggling eating vegan in Bangladesh, what with it’s limited vegan food options. So I caved, and I’m finally beginning to be fine with that decision, sort of.

 

 

Still having mixed feelings about my food and dietary options. But I try not to make this issue keep me up at night and rob me off my sleep. Sigh. I wish things could be simpler. I do commend myself for enjoying the meals thoroughly though.

Wish All Farms Were This Way

Terribly sorry I haven’t been updating this blog of mine in a while. I know, it’s totally uncool of me to do this so often, being away without notice, but when I’m having these phases where I’m just not doing too well emotionally or physically, I don’t seem to be able to bring myself up to face…well, myself. Because when I write, I don’t have anywhere to hide from me. I am forced to stare right into my feelings and thoughts. Denial is not the best method to tackle any problems, trust me, I know. I am trying though.

 

Anyway, I’ll show you a few photos I tool a couple weekends ago at this farm I visited on a tour over here in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It’s run by this Japanese organisation, and they grow organic crops, free range chicken and eggs and milk.

 

The place did not smell at all. I’d expected it to have some sort of odour at the least, but no, no smell. Mum said it smelled a bit like birds though (not like a cringe-worthy bad smell), but I guess that’s more normal anyway.

Thank you, birds, we appreciate you.

Local women who work there at their hands, baking and cooking with the produce from the farm. The good fresh stuff for sale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of cour

 

 

I harvested? plucked? out some veggies too Potatoes, radish, greens, peas, eggplants, etc….

 

All in all it was a good experience. I know it’s not feasible or even possible to turn all farms this way, but it was good to know that there is one about an hour’s drive away (if the traffic is clear ) from home, and that people are trying. Because all we can do is try.

Random Ramblings

• Tonight I almost had an entire bag of hard candies. The coffee flavoured kind, with chocolate filling. I know it’s definitely not the healthiest thing to do but I needed something and I gave myself what I wanted. I’m not going to feel guilty for that…but still, I probably shouldn’t do this every day. It’s just that I think it’s okay to answer to our emotional hunger once in a while. Of course, we should be listening to our physical hunger most of the time, but like they always say, everything in moderation. I think that as long as there is some sort of a balance between eating for emotional and physical hunger, it’s quite alright. At least that’s my opinion.

• I have been having a new downward phase (again…sigh) since last Saturday. I felt terrible, swollen and bloated but they seem to be getting a little better; at least I can feel my jawline now. There is still a bit of swelling left around my face but hey, I know it’s healing, so I’m going to let it take its time and I’m just going to have to be patient and deal with it.

• Despite these annoying symptoms, I have not been irrationally bullying my body nor my mind, so that’s a progress compared to where I was months ago. I don’t feel depressed either, and also have not been ditching my commitments, which I am quite proud of, although that’s probably something normal that anybody should be doing anyway. But whatever. Some days I don’t want to go in to work, but I know I’ll always feel better once I’m there. I like this job, so far. Keeping fingers crossed it will stay that way.

• Okay, now the candies are starting to nauseate me a bit, but not in a horrendous way. It’s okay. I think I’m going to get myself a cup of peppermint tea.

• Oh, and I ate a veggie sandwich with cheese for lunch today, along with a bowl of lentil soup. No soy cheese or any other vegan cheeses in Bangladesh, obviously. Now if I were more committed to being vegan and really strict on myself, I probably could do without dairy at all, but I wanted cheese and I ate it. Again, trying to have no guilt here. I’ll just do what’s right for me at the right times in the right amounts.

• Because I am missing Downton Abbey so much (gosh where the hell is Season 4), I’m trying to fill the void with other TV shows Namely:

Game of Thrones

Hart of Dixie

Adventure Time

Sherlock

The Carrie Diaries

Girls

The Vampire Diaries

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (although I’m still stuck at episode 1)

Nurse Jackie

Dr. Who

Rewatching…

Sex and the City…

All while keeping up with…

How I Met Your Mother,

Glee, and

The Big Bang Theory.

That’s all…I think. I sincerely do hope that is all. But I kind of want to watch Daria all over again too. I think I have a problem.

• Oh, and the good old Youtube, of course. Like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Here’s the latest episode:

• I guess there is no conclusion to this post (wait when did I ever have one anyway…) but here’s a thought I have in my mind right now – no matter what happens, there will always be a new day awaiting on the edge of the strike of 12. If you had a bad day, well that’s that, doesn’t mean tomorrow has to be one too. If you had a great one, let that inspire you. You go and make You happy.

My Recent Pinterest / Tumblr Favourites

I’ve never had a real black and white cookie in my life…well, not a fake one either for that matter, but yes, so maybe I’ll try baking one in the near future (and we all know how close a ‘near future’ actually is when it comes to pinterest repins). Inspired by this Christmas post by Caitlin from CaitPlusAte, and Dr Zoe Hart from Hart of Dixie (played by Rachel Bilson) mentioning how it is her favourite cookie from New York. Shows how I’m totally hooked on that show from how I even mentioned it in my previous post too.

Speaking of tv shows…how awesome is Downton Abbey. I don’t want to put in any spoilers here, but just saying, considering the fact that it is a BBC show, I’m surprised at how minimal the number of deaths has been thus far. Well I guess they can’t really kill everyone too quickly (not saying this in a mean way, I promise).

Oops, sorry, another BBC show. Love this gif from Sherlock.

Stationery like this makes me want to write a letter to a friend on a whim, for no special reason, imagining a smile on her face. In a non-creepy way (damn I just have to spoil a beautiful sentimental line like that).

What I need: some flail-for-Daniel-Craig time with girlfriends, stat. No I just like staying stat.

Feels like I haven’t had a good sandwich bigger than my head in ages. Craving me some baguette with a million fillings and awesome condiments, please.

A craft idea in the back pocket, to execute one day.

Want to strut out in these onto the dance floor, donning on a dreamy floaty dress, pin-curled hair and bright red lips.

Or skirts and dresses like these (images via the blog Coffee Addict of my lovely friend Greta).

And in spite of my dreamier side, the fan girl within thrives forever. Forever love, Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory.

I wish I could go on forever with these photos but I’ll keep this post so long for now. Now time for more internet fandom for me

xx

(Images via Tumblr and Pinterest)

Pursuing A Vegan Lifestyle In Bangladesh

Ahoy there. Christmas is finally over, but I hope everyone is still enjoying the post-Christmas / pre-New-Years air, whether you celebrate any holiday this season or not. It doesn’t really matter, it’s all about being surrounded by happy people, and we should always try to keep company that you feel comfortable with, people who love you and you love back. I definitely believe in positive people creating positive energy.

Anyway, pep talk aside, let’s jump right into the topic I wanted to ramble talk about today. I’d been following a more or less vegetarian diet for quite a long while before turning strictly vegan a few months ago, but since I moved back to Bangladesh earlier this month to stay with my family for the next year, living that lifestyle has been quite a struggle.

Firstly, the availability of vegan-friendly food in this country. Bangladesh does not have a naturally vegetarian culture, and neither is it accustomed to the growing popularity of vegetarianism/veganism. People may know “vegetarians don’t eat meat”, but honestly, most are clueless about restrictions around other animal products. Which means that it’s harder (though not impossible) to find vegan foods at grocery stores apart from fresh fruits and vegetables, and it’s not rare to find products that don’t even have ingredients lists printed on the packages at all! That being said, it is possible to eat vegan if you wish, it just requires you to be as creative and patient as you can…although even then, it does get quite frustrating and eventually you do bore out of your options (I’m only trying to be honest here). I don’t mean to discourage anyone from following a vegan diet, I’m just trying to express the fact that it has indeed been difficult for me thus far.

I’d also like to address the issue of eating out in this city. Okay, so I did not expect to find a vegetarian/vegan restaurant in this country at all so that’s no surprise. However, I have managed to dine out; I just had to call beforehand (like anybody with dietary restrictions would) and ask if they had anything on their menu that did not include any animal products (I had to explain what “animal products” meant and give them a list of those each time, of course). It was relatively easier to eat at foreign franchise chains, such as Pizza Hut and Nando’s, where their nutritional stats and ingredients lists were available online, and their managers were more generous about showing me the ingredients lists of their menus too. However, at other restaurants of any cuisines, no matter how many times you asked, non-vegan ingredients would somehow sneak in to your dish (like this one time when I specifically said “no cheese” but they put paneer, Indian cottage cheese, in my food). Often they simply don’t know what some of their ingredients are comprised of (e.g. dry pasta, bread, etc.). Many a time I’d just compromise, and eat whatever I was served, trying not to create a scene in front of my family and friends, but every night in bed I would wonder if the way I was manoeuvering through with my choices were right, if I really couldn’t do any better. There were times when I had to go out to eat with the family, and there would be absolutely no vegan or vegetarian options, none at all. I know some people are strong enough to just say no thanks, that they weren’t hungry, and still be able to enjoy the company…but apparently I am not there yet. And even if I were fine doing that, knowing my family, they would have thought I was being too difficult, that I was excluding myself from them, that I was not the same person I used to be, that I was just not fun being around anymore. And trust me, this is despite the fact that they honestly do respect my choices and take them for what they are (which I really am grateful for). It’s sad…but being in a situation as such, I want to choose my family over what I believe is right. Many of you out there might not agree with me on this one, but right now, I need to put my sanity first, and this is my conclusion, at least for now.

Living vegan in a non-vegan household is not an uncommon circumstance, and is definitely not specific to those living in countries or cities like mine. I know a lot of people do succeed in following their lifestyle with the understanding of their families or housemates, by setting some ground rules, being responsible for their own food and so on. And that much, I was able to accomplish too so far. My family has also been really helpful on occasions where we had to dine in company of others who did not know what veganism was (and I’m not entirely fluent in Bengali to be able to explain such a complex topic without making things wierder). Like there was this one time when we were visiting our extended family, and they were all literally grilling me about why I was eating the way I was, that I looked sickly not even just thin, that I should be eating lots of burgers (what???), if they could also lose weight if they only ate salads like me (which, of course, is not all that I eat), to teach them how to make their wives lose wieght (yes, I find a lot of men here who are insensitive enough to say that right in the presence of the said wives)…yelling altogether at me like a bunch of sharks. I was ready to burst out in tears (oops), being unable to tackle all those queries myself, if it weren’t for my parents who got me out of that situation. You know you can always count on Mum and Dad

However, it’s a bit more trickier than dealing with just the dietary part of this lifestyle, when it comes to using vegan toiletteries and other products too in a country like Bangladesh, where variety is not as abundant as more developed nations. By the time I figured it was just going to be too time-consuming and expensive to make sure everything I was using was vegan friendly, my very specific demands were also beginning to create a cleft between the rest of the family and myself. This made me I realise how pursuing such choices would simply be impractical in my situation, and hence I decided to forego the initial idea and just make do with whatever I can get at reasonable prices. I’m not perfect, and for now I am just going to settle with whatever I can manage.

Lastly, I’d like to emphasise on the psychological effects that this lifestyle has been incurring in me. Instead of making me satisfied and grateful for being able to make choices that do not contribute to things I do not believe in, trying to live a vegan lifestyle has been making me miserable, more and more by the day. Every meal leaves me feeling anxious, frustrated, worried. Not being able to enjoy most of my mum’s homecooked food makes me feel as though I have torn myself away from where I belong, forever. This may seem a tad bit dramatic for some, but what can I do, that’s how I feel! I can even see the disapproval in her eyes. I try to cook food that I can enjoy together with my family at the dinner table, but it’s not the same. I don’t feel content just eating my own food while others munch away at theirs. Maybe I’m just making excuses, but that does not nullify the fact that the entire situation is not doing anything for my relationship with the family. Every time I say no to another one of Mum’s dishes, I feel as though I’m distancing myself from her, inch by inch. And despite all of the facts and beliefs I have to live as a vegan, the emotional cost it’s causing me makes me think as though it’s not worth it for me at the moment. It makes me wonder if I should still try to eat vegan whenever possible, but be lenient about it once in a while for the sake of my happiness, at least while I am living with my family. Yes, I’ve said it, I want to put my own contentment over the lives of those creatures whose lives were taken away from them forcefully. I am honestly sorry for those precious lives, and my honest prayer goes for them. With every meal, I shall remember the value of those lives, and be grateful for my own.

So here’s to my wellness, and the ones I care about. No more suppression, no more guilt, just appreciation and gratefulness.

- Asuma xx

WIAW In Bangladesh

I haven’t posted a WIAW in a loooong while now, but here’s one, with some of my eats since I came back to my parents’ in Bangladesh! A huge thanks to Jenna of Peas And Crayons for hosting this weekly foodlog!!!

Warm quinoa salad with steamed veg, made in a huge batch as usual.

Popcorn from a popcorn maker!!! Just love it for the smell of the kernels cooking (popping?) and well, the novelty value of it

Carby comfort food for dinner!!!! Ordinary white pasta (not wholemeal!!! *gasp* lololol) with canned creamy-style corn and mushrooms. The easiest and fastest meal ever. It’s nice to have the good old white carby stuff once in a while. Who doesn’t love carbs. Caaaaarbs.

A semi-Indianesque? lunch one day, with a fresh salad with tonnes of cilantro, a samosa and chapati.

Another one of those gigantic batch cooking – curried brown rice with beans and onions.

Takeout Italian dinner night with the siblings – some sautéed greens and garlicky mushrooms and oven baked veggie fettuccine.

On a girls’ day out for lunch at Pizza Hut (oh the good white carby again in the form of fluffy pan crust), I got myself a veggie-only pizza. The people there were nice enough to show me the ingredients list of the dough mix and even replace the cheese with extra veg It’s so nice to see people could be accommodating wherever you go (although some could be very nasty too, but let’s keep things positive here).

Oats for breakfast on the go!!! On my way to pick up a friend in the car.

My first coffee shop coffee this trip back home! A hazelnut soy latte while catching up with some good high school friends at North End Coffee Roasters. So glad to find a place that has soy milk! The cuppa was very velvety and nutty, I really enjoyed the drink

Tonnes of veg and Korean vermicelli with a Thai green salad dressing!!! The corn totally made the salad

Chocolate oatmeal!!! Who doesn’t love a dessert for breakfast

A veggie wrap from Nando’s (no mayo, no cheese) for lunch over at a friend’s place while watching The Avengers!!! LOVE THAT MOVIE. FOREVER. Too bad it wasn’t a shwarma, but a wrap’s close enough!!! Hehe

Another meal from Nando’s (different day ), this time a veggie pita and some spicy rice. Altogether in a bowl. Love eating anything out of a bowl!

Cooked tonnes of veggie and dumpling stew the other day. It’s getting colder everyday here in Dhaka, so yay to the arrival of soup weather!!!

Lol gummy hot dog lollie

Veggie noodles. Simple yet comforting.

Sambar Idli. It’s basically a type of sour-ish vegetable curry with steamed rice flour cakes. A perfect winter meal in the subcontinent

And last but not the least, Christmas desserts!!!! I baked an apple pie coffee cake and a chocolate brownie cake with cinnamon spiced buttercream frosting Good stuff!!! My family couldn’t believe it was even vegan Win!

Yup so that’s all for now. I do see a shift into more cooked food rather than raw salads, but I think that’s what my body wants right now. My gut seems to be dealing well with the slight change too so I’m a happy camper