Thursday, July 30, 2009

Nomads

So in the event that you did not know, and how could you as I haven't said anything about it, Lex and I have become vegan nomads. We've decided to see some of this fantabulous world and knew that keeping on with the ol' nose to the grind stone wasn't really getting us anywhere nor was it making us happy. So why not throw caution to the wind and head off into yonder places with our trusty back packs and tent.

Well ok, the backpacks and tent hadn't proven themselves to be trusty just yet as they are new. The cookware and camp stove as well but we did some reading and some research so we weren't just picking any old random junk, we hoped.

So far our first stop has been Greece. Visiting family, taking a few days to relax and recover from the jet lag that hit me hard. The poster child of Greece?
One awesome, knarly olive tree. The trees are everywhere but I love these big ones that just have trunk and branches everywhere. Awesome. This one we came across walking back along a trail beach side on Ithaki.

We spent a couple days in Athens. We've been before so we didn't go crazy with touristy stuff but we did visit the new Acropolis museum which wasn't open last time we were in town. It's awesome (but doesn't allow photographs) so I would highly recommend it. I did get this photo just outside the museum which is perched in the midsts of "a series of small walls" as Mr Eddie Izzard would say.

From Athens we went to Ithaki, an island in the Ionian sea just off the much larger island of Kefalonia. There are no shortage of sights to behold, some simple, some delicious, some cuddly.
Montage



Needless to say, all these adorable kitties keep any hint of a rodent problem at bay. Unfortunately some people find them to be a nuisance and they do breed rather easily. There are some nice people around including vets who are trying to keep the population under control by humane means.

As this is a food blog I will be providing yummies to drool over and to try out. Today I give you:
Lex's Banana Rice Breakfast Pudding

So simple and nice. So easy to make even when you're camping! Also great as dessert.
Serves 2

1/2-3/4 c brown rice (quick cook or old school)
2 bananas
2-3 Tb olive oil (or oil of preference)
cinnamon to taste (optional)

Fill medium pot with 2-3 c water and bring to boil over high heat.
Meanwhile add oil to small-medium saucepan and slice bananas into it. You're looking for enough oil to keep the bananas from sticking while they cook briefly.
Once water is boiling add rice and cook until done. Al dente to well done is fine, whatever your texture preference. Quick cook will take 10-15 mins, regular brown rice will be more like 30-40 mins.
When rice has about 10 mins left, place bananas over medium heat and cook to a nice mush. As they cook down they will soften and sweeten.
Add cinnamon to taste, you shouldn't need additional sweeteners. Remove bananas from heat and set aside until rice is done.
Drain rice of excess water and mix together with the bananas.
Serve warm or at room temperature, probably cold too but we couldn't test that as we are operating without refrigeration at the moment.

5 comments:

Lisa -- Cravin' Veggies said...

Thanks for the update!! Hope you are having a wonderful time! The photos are awesome... can't wait to see more.

jd said...

Vegan nomad-ary sounds like a perfect idea!

I love your travel pics, and that breakfast pudding looks fantastic!

Lex said...

hollar from fellow vegan nomads! vegan-europe.com

Caroline said...

Oh, oh, oh. Kitties. They make me a little verklempt.

x said...

Looks like you are having a great trip!

Thanks for the comment a while back. The rolled icing we used to decorate the cupcakes was pre-made so I don't have a recipe!