Tag Archives: lychee

Jul 18 2015
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Desserts, Uncategorized

A Restful Weekend with Bonus Fruit Salad

I know it’s been awhile, y’all, but don’t worry:

From tumblr.com

Life has felt busy lately and not the exaggerated “I’m soooo busy (marathoning television shows)” kind of busy but the kind that involves having a ton to do at work, traveling a lot for work, and having a lot of family and friend stuff going on. It’s the “I haven’t done laundry in like three weeks” kind of busy. Gross.

Anyway, this weekend is finally a quiet one where I have zero plans other than catching up on my life, vegging out, and doing laundry. I can’t complain too much: I did go on one non-obligatory, 100% for myself vacation last month and visited Jen, my sister from another mister.

smarterrestSide story: I had to sneak into Jen’s place in the middle of the night and scared the crap out of her since she was asleep on the couch. (Don’t worry about why I had to sneak in. I just did. MYOB!) Along with screaming very loudly, Jen threw her eye mask at me. I’m so grateful it was just that and not a lethal weapon. Maybe things would have gone better if she had the Sleep Mask Eye Mask By Smarter Rest, which I had the opportunity to try out. This mask blocks out the light better than any other eye mask I’ve used AND it comes with ear plugs AND comes with its own storage bag. It’s also adjustable so it’ll fit no matter how giant or tiny your head is.

One of the highlights of the weekend was making a Filipino dinner for my friends and that included this easy throwback for dessert:

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Yum… lychees! Again, this super simple fruit salad consists of canned lychees, a can of fruit cocktail and almond jello. You can add a can of lychee juice if you want it to be more soupy, or ice cubes to keep it cold. Such good stuff! You should be able to find all the ingredients at any Asian grocery store. If you’re in the Charleston area, we picked up our stuff at the H&L Asian Supermarket. BTW–Jen froze, blended and used it to make a refreshing cocktail after I had already gone home. Sounds freaking delicious!

That’s all for now. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

-Melissa

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Oct 13 2012
4 Comments
Recipes

From Zero to Girls Night in 5 Minutes

“I want to drink.”

That’s what my Mom told me earlier this evening. I also wanted to drink tonight so I made it happen. Here’s a three ingredient vegan cocktail that is super easy to make.

Three Ingredient Girls Night Cocktail

For one serving:
1/2 can (6 oz) Lychee Drink or lychee juice
2 shots of rum (I used Cruzan which is vegan-friendly… thanks, Barnivore!)

 

Pour the lychee drink into a glass, add the rum, squeeze in a lime wedge, stir… and then drink! This cocktail is completely deceiving. I can only taste the lychee juice but I sure am feeling buzzed. The only thing missing was some fresh lychee fruit to toss into the glass.

I am currently heating up some samosas by Bombay Bites for us to enjoy with these. Stay tuned for my review in a future blog post.

Cheers, everyone! Drink vegan and drink responsibly! –Melissa

 

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Aug 05 2012
8 Comments
Raw

Adventures in Fruit: Longan!

If you’re a fan of lychee, you’ll love longan. These fruits are similar to lychee and unmistakeable as a unique fruit.

They’ve got smooth papery skin (reminds me of a brown paper bag), translucent flesh and have a soft honeyed mineral flavor and one of my favorite fragrances. The seed inside is hard and glossy brown. I don’t think you can eat that part…

They’re kind of awesome in martinis or on their own! I hope you get to try some!

This is Christie, signing off!

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Jul 09 2012
2 Comments
Desserts

Easy Breezy Refreshing Dessert

This is one of my favorite things. It brings back memories of summer picnics in the park. I remember helping my mom cut the almond jello into squares. We would add ice cubes to the bowl to keep it cool.

All you need is a packet of almond jello, a can of fruit cocktail, and a can of lychees. You make the jello first. Once it’s formed, cut it into cubes and throw it into a large bowl with the other items. The jello will glide right out of the pan you put it in.

You should be able to easily find almond jello in any Asian supermarket. The brand we use is agar-based. I found a recipe for making almond jello on HapaMama if you can’t find the mix.

Yum! Let me know if you try this refreshing summer treat! –Melissa

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Jun 18 2012
4 Comments
Thoughts

Veganosity

It’s been almost 7 months since I started Turning Veganese, both in terms of starting the blog and starting a vegan diet. I won’t pretend that I’m vegan 100% of the time, but I have come a long way since this post. I’m still amazed that I’ve stuck with it and that I have no desire to eat meat. I walk into the cafeteria or a restaurant, and I remember how bacon and burgers and fried chicken taste… but I don’t miss it. I also know that they won’t taste the same anymore and that it will probably mess up my digestion.

I’ve said this before, but the best thing about switching to a vegan diet is the discovery and rediscovery of foods. Christie posted just a few days ago about rambutan, and I was thrilled when I walked into my parents’ house and saw rambutan and lychee on the counter.

Alright, I’m gonna say it because it’s never not funny and it’s best to get it out of the way: it looks like I’m cupping hairy balls. Now that I’m done being immature, let me just say that they were yummy! I’m still hoping to eat some fresher fruits next month when I’m in Florida, but these were great for having been bought in Chicago. Go to Argyle for these if you’re in Chicagoland.

Another great thing that’s been a recent development is that people have started to treat me like a serious and respectable vegan. People who used to say, “Come on, it’s just an egg, no big deal, just eat it!” will now say, “Um, excuse me, did you just say you’re craving BACON?! DON’T DO IT!!!” Others who said, “I don’t get why or how you’re vegan” now say, “I understand why you decided to go vegan but I don’t know if I can do it… can you help me?” In general, people have gone from labeling me as “weird” to saying they’re proud of me and actually asking me for advice.

I’ve learned so much about nutrition and health and cooking. I’ll probably say that every time I do a health and emotional check-in. Before going vegan, eating was to satisfy hunger or a craving. Now, it’s about making sure I’m getting all the nutrients I need, knowing what goes into my food, and learning, learning, learning. It’s made me into a smarter and happier person. Yes, really.

Thank YOU for reading the blog, whether you’ve been a reader since the beginning or just stumbled upon us recently. My only regret is that I haven’t been as interactive with all of you as I wish I could be. That said, I’m thrilled to be a part of this community. I can’t thank Christie and Brent enough for all the hard work they put in to the blog. I LOVE YOU GUYS. (Yes, these sappy posts will recur on a regular basis. I hope that’s OK.)

Now, please excuse me while I do some research for my next vegan recipe… stay tuned!!! –Melissa

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