Sunday, February 21, 2016

Vegan Dinumugan


Dinumugan is a type of suman (rice cake) dessert that hails from the island of Bohol - my parents' hometown. This is the first vegan dessert that I have ever made. It is basically made from coconut meat, rice flour and ripe bananas. What I love about this recipe is that the bananas are naturally sweet so you don't need to put any free sugar in it (not that mine had any). Free sugar is defined as any form of sweet crystalline substance obtained from plants like sugar cane or beets. It is also commonly known as table and white (brown) sugar.  

Traditional dinumugan is very sweet because the recipe calls for white sugar. This recipe is all natural and is full of fiber that can aid in digestion. Moreover, it is so easy to make that I was able to make my first batch with success. Beginner's luck perhaps? For this healthy banana-rice cake recipe, below are the things that you will need:

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Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free
Serving size: 3 to 4 (makes 18 small rice cakes)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
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Ingredients:

5 cups ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup rice flour
1 cup coconut meat, shredded
1 cup water 
5 pitted dates, soaked overnight (optional)




Instructions:
  1. In a food processor or blender, blend the dates until it purees into smooth mixture.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
  3. Scoop a tablespoon of the mixture onto a  banana leaf and roll the leaf just as you would      in making spring rolls.
  4. Continue doing the third step until you finish packing all the mixture inside the banana leaves
  5. Steam for 15 minutes.
  6. Let it cool before serving.





By the way, I used dates as sugar substitute but you can always opt to leave it out. I happen to have dates because my sister gave me a pack of it. If you have difficulty finding them, you can always use coconut sugar or other natural sweeteners that you can find except honey as it is not vegan. But if you are not a vegan but you just want to try this recipe, you can use honey anytime. 

This recipe is so good that it did not have a chance to cool down at all.  Although still hot, we ate it for lunch. Surprisingly, even the non-vegans and sugar-lover members in the family loved this recipe. I cannot wait to make this recipe again in the future. I hope you can enjoy it too.

XOXO,

Ang Pobreng Vegan

Monday, February 1, 2016

Why Did I Become Vegan?

I eat a combination of raw and cooked vegetables and fruits.
The thing is that I eat anything plant-based. This is what my small pantry looks like. 

I used to be a voracious meat eater but something happened to my health a year ago that made me decide to go completely plant-based this year. I was diagnosed with a 4cm uterine fibroid. I have been trying to go full vegan last year but with the lack of commitment, I still ate meat. I guess I was really reliant on conventional medicine as I underwent monthly hormonal replacement therapy to hinder its growth. So I kept on eating meat, chips and anything that can make my evil baby (fibroid) grow. I felt assured that my medication will completely put its growth to a stand still.

So fast forward six months, I was asked to get another ultrasound. To my horror, it grew to 5.5cm and my gynecologist wanted to perform full hysterectomy (remove my uterus) otherwise I will suffer the debilitating consequences. I am still single with no history of childbirth and this news gave me overwhelming stress and depression. I just had my left ovary removed less than two years ago due to cysts and now they want me to give up another organ.


Inside the fridge. More fruits and other edible plant parts.

I know that my doctor is looking after my welfare but there has got to be another way. Journals after journals, I read and found out that adopting a plant-based diet might help me solve the problem of my fucked up reproductive system. And so I became a vegan. In fact, I have been a vegan for more than a  month now. 

I cannot say that I feel good (not yet) because it is too early to tell if things have indeed changed. Plus, I need to get another ultrasound six months from now to see if my efforts paid off. I guess I am putting all my faith on this lifestyle out of desperation of not losing another organ. The thing is, vegans all over the world have their own stories to tell why they became one in the first place. This just happens to be mine.



XOXO,

Ang Pobreng Vegan

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