What I Prepped 06.06.2017
Phew! Summer time has finally arrived here in Taiwan. It is effing HOT. I’ve been eating a lot of watermelon lately, especially at night. I used to be a chronic “ice cream after dinner” person, but watermelon – specifically, watermelon out of the fridge – helps to give me that cool feeling which is really nice in the summer heat.
Anyway, on to what you’re really here for… I feel like my cooking has been kind of uninspired lately. I don’t really have time to plan what I’m cooking ahead of time, so I just go to the market, pick some stuff up, and throw it together. But hey, that’s life.
Lunch

Tastier than it looks!
Coleslaw mix (homemade) with Post Punk Kitchen’s Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing
Dressing before….
Dressing after!! YUM.
- I know… it’s a weird combination. I bought a giant cabbage because they were cheap, and I didn’t want to make coleslaw, so I gave this a whirl. The salad dressing is delicious, but it wasn’t liquid-y enough to coat the cabbage, so I added some extra lemon juice. I thought it was good, but if you’re not a cabbage fan, use some other leafy green instead!
- If you’re not vegan, you can make the salad dressing my subbing 1/2 cup mayonnaise in place of the 1/2 cup soaked cashews. You might also use 1/2 cup of yogurt, but I’d double up on the olive oil so you still get the flavor from fat. Don’t worry – olive oil is good for you!
Tofu Soyrizo from Yup… It’s Vegan!
- This is super good if you’re into really “spiced” stuff. If you don’t like big, in-your-face flavors, skip it, but I love it.
- The recipe calls for TVP, or texturized vegetable protein. Pssht! I don’t know what this is, and I have never seen this in Taiwan. So, I used some medium-firm tofu, crumbled it up, and cooked it up with all the other ingredients from the recipe (omit the vegetable broth).
- I don’t necessarily recommend this with my weird caesar coleslaw concoction, but it would be very good over a bed of lettuce, or on a wrap (like a burrito). Just keep in mind the flavors are really strong.
Roasted Squash
So pretty!
According to this website, it’s called Taiwan Honey Squash. It’s cheap and abundant here. Taiwanese people call it pumpkin. It tastes like the super popular Japanese Kabocha to me.
- I tossed the squash in a little olive oil, then seasoned with salt, pepper and a touch of cinnamon before roasting in my toaster oven.
Dinner

I call this the blue plate special.. haha!
Ultimate Vegan Lentil Loaf from Oh She Glows
Pre-baked lentil loaf… look at all those veggies!
This was good, the grated apples and raisins gave it some sweetness.
- Since I’m not vegan and I don’t have flax seeds lying around, I substituted eggs to serve as a binder.
- Make it more kid-friendly by adding extra ketchup on top!
Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes
- Green beans – I boiled them for about 3 minutes (until they turned bright green), then put them in an ice bath. The next day, I sauteed them in some coconut oil and garlic, with lots of salt and pepper. Simple.
- Mashed potatoes – nothing special here. Just boiled and mashed up with some milk and salt and pepper. The lentil loaf and green beans were enough for me, so I didn’t really have a lot of mashed potatoes with my dinner.
Well, that’s it for me. Hope you’re having a wonderful start to your summer. Comment below and let me know if there are any recipes you think I should try!