Today I decided to change things up and go to the gym in the morning as opposed to the evening. I usually only do morning workouts on weekends but this was a nice change. I've also started showering at my gym's shower room. Yeup, I get butt nekked along with all the other ajoomas. :) I used to be afraid of public showers, but once I got over myself, I realized that it's really no big deal. I actually appreciate the fact that Korean women (especially the ajooms) aren't afraid to put it all out there. It's almost refreshing to see real bodies, of all ages, shapes and sizes. :) Anywayyy~ let's try to get that mental picture of naked bodies out of our heads now, and think about food!
After my workout and brisk shower, I returned home to assemble lunch. I couldn't be bothered to turn on the stove, so I ended up creating a pretty awesome veggie platter with a tofu-ranch dressing/dip that I have recently become obsessed with making. It's super easy and makes me feel like I'm eating fat-filled ranch dressing, but this one's totally good for you.
Just whip the following ingredients with a blender (I use my hand/wand blender):
{ Creamy Dwenjang Ranchy Dip }
- 1/4 block of tofu (I used firm)
- 1 Tbs dwenjang
- 1/2 (or a small) garlic clove
- 1 Tbs yellow mustard
- 2 Tbs vinegar (I use brown rice vinegar. I'm sure lemon juice would work too)
- a few sprigs of fresh parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)
- a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- black pepper to taste (I like mine peppery!)
I know it might seem like a meal for a rabbit, what with all the raw veggies, but seriously, this was very satisfying!
After that lunch, I met up with a good friend and ex-coworker, Rachel, at Apku's Homestead Coffee shop. There are a few Homestead Coffee locations throughout Seoul, including a new one at Samcheongdong. They serve everything from sandwiches and burgers, to salads and pizza. Unfortunately, I doubt any of the food vegan, except for maybe the bagels. Some of their salads might be animal-free, but the bread chunks that come with them might not be. I just went with a cuppa joe~
Rachel hadn't had lunch yet, so she got a burger which came with pickles and fries on the side. Let's just try to ignore the meat burger on the plate there...
Baked goods for sale
These breads are just for display...
Anyway, it was a wonderful afternoon of catching up with a good friend, who btw, was lucky enough to be in South Africa for the World Cup last month! Lucky butt.