Tag Archives: vegetarian

Wednesday Weekday Update

Well hello again and welcome back! I hate to ask, but how’s the weather been where you live? Here? Oh, here it’s been rather mild, we’ve been pretty lucky. Some of the local expats married to Koreans tell me that the last snow we had recently is like the same representation of punxsutawney Phil (the groundhog) in the states. I’m not sure if it’s really true, or even makes sense…but…who am I to question it? Eh, I’ll go with it.

Enough weather chatter let’s get down to the important stuff. You know like what have you been eating these days? Salads? Soups? Meat stuffed with more meat? Inquiring minds want to know!

I’d love to say that lately we’ve been eating less sugar and sweets, walking more, traveling more, but then I’d be lying, LOL. You know we love a good dessert, the yellow dust has been creeping in lately from China and messing with our walks, travel, nope there hasn’t been any traveling to update you on. Wamp-wamp.

We have however been reading lots of books recently, which isn’t the most typical for both of us, but Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly been a favorite! Also, I’ve recently discovered podcast on ITunes. Seriously?! How did I miss the boat on this one? Stuff you Missed in History Class, Freakonomics, The Sporkful. If you didn’t know, you’re welcome too.

We have however decided to go meatless for the entire month of March. Yep, you read it here first folks…Bees have went vegetarian! Be prepared if you cross our paths and we go caveman on you. How’s the saying go? I’m sorry for what I said when I was hungry? Ha-Ha! Something like that, right? Just kidding, it’s not that extreme for us. We honestly don’t consume a ton of meat To begin with.

We’ve got two exceptions to our month of meatless March. One is that we sorta kinda scheduled a supper club already and can’t force all of our guest to only consume vegetarian…wait…or could we? Kidding! Don’t worry Mandy, there will be bacon! The other is that we will still consume fish. I think that technically makes us Pescetarian, but who’s labeling here?

We kicked off our very last day in February with our final meat filled meal in Itaewon at Linus BBQ. This place has a MASH tent and vibe going on, what’s not to love about that? I forgot my camera, but Mr. B had me covered with iPhone photos of the meal. Someone recently said that if you don’t take a photo of your meals, it didn’t really happen. So here we go…because….this.really.happened. (And we already crave more) make sure to show up early to get a table and due to popular demand they might run out of whatever you and your belly craves.

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After we finished our meal, I made sure to shoot Linus a message. “Just wanted to send a quick thank you. We had an outstanding dinner tonight at your restaurant. Your staff was super quick and very attentive. The food….wow…I’m not even sure how to even begin to describe the deliciousness. We were instantly swept on a daydream back to our hometown in Pennsylvania with the sides of baked mac and cheese, coleslaw and baked beans. The meat brought back so many memories of our travels in the deep South. epic. It had the perfect balance of juiciness, smoke flavor and season. Well done! We will absolutely tell our friends and continue to come back for more when we get down to Seoul. Thanks again Linus.”

There wasn’t any korean fusion in the food, just flat-out good Southern BBQ. It’s sure to cure any homesickness you may be feeling, or in our case celebrate and kickoff a months worth of being meat free. Ps: wait until you see what we’ve decided on when we end our month!

Next, let’s talk live culture, probiotic to be exact. I’ve got a mini science lab brewing between my fridge and countertops. I’ve been lucky enough to come across milk kefir grains gifted from a sweet friend that is just as passionate about cooking, eating, nutrition and just plain food! Have you ever heard of Kefir, or maybe you make them as well? Tips are always welcomed. These guys are a powerhouse of goodness and I’ve been throwing it into our morning breakfast smoothies. YUM!

Off to bed, goodnight all!

Backpackbees

Click, Ship & treat yourself!

Linus BBQ: on Itaewon Street locate McDonald’s and take the staircase to the left downs keeping straight in the underground shopping area until you come to a glass door. On the other side of the door you will find The restaurant.

Address: 서울시 용산구 이태원동 56-20 지하상가
Yongsan-gu, Itaewon-dong 56-20 B1
Seoul, South Korea
PHone: 02-790-2920
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LinusBbq

You Asked For It

Did you know that dopamine levels rise in your brain when you try new foods? All the more reason to broaden your inner foodie horizons, right?

Someone mentioned in passing that they missed out on seeing what we’ve been concocting in the Bees kitchen lately. Yes, I admit…there has been a teeny bit of neglect with blogging since getting back from Malaysia. To be fair, I blame summer and the evening walks we’re taking advantage of before monsoon season really settles in. Nevertheless I’ve been taking photos of the delicious foods and things we’ve been up to, just purely neglecting to go the extra mile to upload them and write a post. I know you’ll forgive.

Boy do we have a treat to share from one of our favorite blogs. So let’s get on with it and kick off the very middle of this week the right way!

www.greenkitchenstories.com. Check them out!

Warm Cauliflower ‘Couscous’ with Green Peas & Herbs
Recipe by: GKS
Ingredients:
1 head of raw cauliflower
2 handfuls mixed parsley and basil
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
A drizzle cold-pressed olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
2 cups frozen (thawed) or fresh peas
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Bring a saucepan with water to boil. Meanwhile coarsely chop the cauliflower and place the florets and stem in a food processor or blender and process until fine couscous- or rice-like texture. Do it in batches if you have a small food processor. Pour the cauliflower into the boiling water, lower the heat to simmer and cook for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile finely chop the herbs, toast the pumpkin seeds in a skillet on low-medium heat until golden. Drain the cauliflower ‘couscous’ in a sieve and place in a large serving bowl. Add herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and combine everything. Add peas, pumpkin seeds, crumbled feta cheese and toss until mixed. Garnish with sprouts or micro greens. Serve warm or chilled. Keeps for a couple of days in the fridge.

Eat the “couscous” on its own, or it makes a very nice paring to some homemade breaded cod. Just curious, what do you think? Do you think you will try the recipe? What do you think you will pair the dish with?

Stay tuned for some more delicious recipe ideas.

Backpackbees

Summer = BBQ!

The warmer months always make me long for my back porch and grilling. As far back as I can remember my family always grilled. When we bought our first home, one of our first wedding gifts was a beautiful grill. It was a social thing, a neighborly thing, a lunch or dinner thing, a party thing, and just a summer thing we did, well….just because!

Korea really lets us put our grilling skills to the test. Just about any restaurant you eat at that serves meat, you will grill your own meal. Not only are we in control of our meats fate, but I guess our own fate too. Ha ha! We love the tables cut out with circular or square grills! We often joke and say when we go back to the states we need to take one with us. What a concept! To many lawsuits waiting to happen to try out in stateside restaurants I guess?

All the talk of BBQ makes me hungry! Tonight I decided on a not so typical BBQ meal. I also decided to give those little grills a night off. You are going to flip when you hear what I made!

BBQ chickpea wraps! Remember, don’t knock it until you try it! Besides the spicy awesomeness of this little wrap, and it being pretty darn healthy for you, and you won’t even miss that ol’ meat for once.

Happy “grilling” or should I say crock-potting! (Wink-wink)

BBQ Chickpea Wraps

Recipe slightly adapted from Olives for dinner

Ingredients:

(Place below following in crockpot on low heat for 3 1/2 hours, then increase to high heat for 30 more minutes).
1 (15.5oz) can of rinsed chickpeas
1/4 Cup Sriracha hot sauce (love this stuff!)
1 TB Heart smart butter
1 Small-medium chopped red onion
1 TB Sesame oil
1 TB Minced garlic
1/2 Cup vegetable broth

Optional Toppings once chickpeas are done:

1 Ripe avocado
1 Small-medium sliced tomato
Sour cream
Handful of fresh baby spinach
tortillas
Shredded pepper jack cheese

Directions:

When ready to serve, warm tortilla, I have a gas stove I find it best to place the tortilla directly on the metal grate right above the lowest setting of flame. Use tongs to flip over every once in a while. Be careful not to let the tortilla on to long, causing it to burn.

Fill up tortilla with your optional toppings and chickpeas. Enjoy!

Backpackbees

Pork Shells, Libs, and Convertible Tops

Friday night we went out on the town for date night. We met up with some of our good friends, and their sweet baby boy. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at a newly discovered restaurant very close to our house.

We stumbled upon this place while on one of our weeknight walks downtown. We both said that we’d have to go back sometime and try the place out. Ohhh goodness folks, we were so glad we did!

The Korean ladies loved baby G to pieces, they fussed over him the entire time we were there. Anytime the adults were talking and looking away they would immediately gush all over him picking up his sunglasses that he’d drop onto the floor, removing any rice he might have stuck to himself, wiping his nose or face. It was so entertaining plus baby G milked it for all it was worth. What a little ham!

I can tell…you are curious and wondering what exactly a pork shell and lib is.

Well, I just cannot help myself, I just have to share with all of you how my sweet little Korean co-worker translated the menu for me. She was explaining each dish, doing a fantastic job too! She started to lose me towards the middle of the menu when she started to use the term lib and shell. I just wasn’t understanding what a shell  or lib could possibly be on a pig. After talking some more and using some gestures we realized that shell was skin to me and lib was really a rib. We giggled, it was just to cute!

Mr. B Getting schooled in the art of meat grilling. (again) HA-HA!

A success of a date night if i don’t say so myself. Three cheers for pork shell and libs 🙂

Saturday I buzzed solo. I was in dire need of some hair attention. I walked down to the train station, caught the train and headed towards Seoul at 7:15AM. The sun was already out, our Korean neighbors already had their peppers out drying in the morning sun. Whew… the month of August doesn’t mess around in Korea…hot….muggy… I just cannot remember being this hot last year here. Perhaps I don’t want to remember?

After my hair appointment I walked throughout Itaewon. I knew there were two places that I wanted to check out while it was nice and I had the time to dawdle. Life is just a cup of cake, and the High Street Deli. Luckily these two places were fairly close to one another and I wasn’t out in the heat that much.

Life is just a cup of cake, is the most darling little cupcakory that is nestled back in off of the hustle and bustle of Itaewon’s main street. The outside of the place was just so inviting with its birdcage and cottage like feel. Who wouldn’t want to get sucked into this place?!

Once I got inside my nose immediately picked up on the cupcake aroma in the air and my eyes instantly fixated on all of the beautiful little cupcakes lined neatly under the countertop glass. So many important decisions to make…mind you these are the most delicious life decisions I really don’t mind having to make.

Mmmm…Blueberry Cream Cheese, Earl Grey White Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Almond Macaron, Double Green Tea, Mango Mango, Original Vanilla, All About Chocolate, Carrot.
(5,000 won each).
I got there fairly early in the day so I had a chance to sit down, relax, and indulge in the cuteness of the cupcakory. The interior was just perfect in size. There were two tables where you could enjoy sip your tea and please your taste buds with your delectable sweets.
The service was great! The women behind the counter spoke excellent English and was really lovely all around.
The taste… YUM-O! I’m such a plain Jane sometimes. I was torn between the vanilla and the earl grey cupcake. I ended up with the vanilla. Divine! I had to take one for Mr. B too. I ordered a Red velvet, his favorite, to go. They packaged it up in a cute plastic cupcake container and on my way I went.

Next stop, High Street Deli. I knew I had to swing by this place because of Mipa! I wanted to support her awesome vegan baking business that she works so hard at. This little lady has serious talent! I ordered a veggie on wheat sandwich because the heat was starting to get to me and I figured something light would hold me over on the train ride back home.

What a fun little deli! It’s located on the second floor of the building on the main Itaewon drag. High Street Deli had lots of foreign goods, of course a bit more expensive than what I was used to when we live stateside and had access to a plethora of products. However the prices are not that outlandish, nice!
You can pick up jams, frozen goodies, can goods, coffee, teas, muesli, deli meats, an assortment of cheese, candy, wines, pastas, etc. check out their website if you are curious

While I was getting ready to leave I was paying and chatting with the Korean worker there. Of course the topic of the sun and heat made its way into the conversation. The man was very kind and said, “I hope that you have your sunblock on or a sunbrella”, you’ve got a convertible top going on there. Of course I had a nervous giggle not quite sure what to make of the convertible top comment. I scooted out the door and checked out my almost covered shoulders, Cotton-knit, knee-length sundress….Hmmmmphh.. he-he-he, convertible top 😉

Interesting in checking these two places out? Do it! They won’t disappoint, I promise!

For the restaurant in Dongducheon click here

For the Life is like a cup of cake location click here

For the High Street Location click here