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I always liked my homemade vegan butter, but when I got busy with work and everything else, I stopped making it.

We still needed butter, so we bought vegan butter from stores, and that was convenient.

But I knew deep down that I needed to make it again because I was missing it.

So, I’m happy to announce that I started making plant-based butter again.

I’m thankful that I now have time to do so without feeling stressed out.

And luckily, I can find all the ingredients needed to make the butter here in Bangkok.

Pancakes taste so much better with my vegan butter.

And crusty bread.

Seriously, this butter is amazing.

It looks like butter, melts like butter, and tastes like butter.

And no palm oil!!

This sourdough bread with my vegan butter and homemade ginger jam was scrumptious!

Sad to say, however, that it was the last bite of my ginger jam…

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I ‘ve been using the same recipe for vegan butter.

https://avirtualvegan.com/easy-vegan-butter/

I use her original recipe (it seems that she has modified her recipe a bit from the one I use).

I’ve tried other recipes, but I haven’t found any better than this.

Thailand Vegetarian Festival, also known as J- (or Jae (Jay) Festival, started yesterday, October 2nd.

During this period many shops and restaurants offer vegetarian/vegan options.

I’ve heard that although they call it “vegetarian”, most of the food they mark as “vegetarian” are vegan, but I’m not 100% certain.

We found out that Chinatown is the place where you can really experience this festival, so we went to check it out.

I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the size.

There were so many vendors participating in this event.

The yellow sign indicates that the vendor offers vegetarian/vegan food.

These “Takoyaki” were very tasty!

There were also a lot of naturally vegan vendors, like fruit vendors.

I got one of my favorite fruits, jackfruit.

I only paid 50 baht for it, and it was delicious!

This intricately designed Thai tea ice cream bar was also tasty.

In the evening, they close the street to cars so that people can really enjoy strolling and experiencing the food from the street vendors.

We went there in the afternoon.

There were already a lot of vendors, and it was not too crowded, so we were happy that we got there early.

If you are interested in vegetarian/vegan food, check it out!

The festival goes until October 11th.

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Today I went to Max Valu, a grocery store, and I was happy to find out that they are participating in this event as well.

They set up a nice sized vegan/vegetarian section inside the store.

I bought a couple of meals to try.

Supporting the businesses that are participating is my way of supporting the event.

I also saw some convenience stores offering vegetarian/vegan options during this festival.

Here is a great way to showcase the beautiful strawberries and currants.

They were both hand-picked by me, and I’m so proud of myself (lol).

They are both so pretty.

You just put some sliced strawberries and currants in glasses, and pour sparkling water over them.

I just love how it looks.

So festive!

Too bad, it was just me at home today.

But this will be great to serve at an outdoor summer party.

Traveling is a fun experience itself, but I also like the part that the new experience adds something new to my life home.

We recently took a trip to Milwaukee, and we had a fabulous dinner at a plant-based restaurant called Strange Town.

Their food was unique, and their drink menu was not an exception.

We found something we had never heard of, and after listening to the description given by our server, we decided to try it.

That was Tepache.

We absolutely loved it, and I was already googling recipes that night.

Tepache is a Mexican fermented beverage, made from water, piloncillo or brown sugar, pineapple rind, and spices (e.g,, cinnamon).

It’s super easy to make.

Mix water and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves.

Add pineapple rind and core.

I also added cinnamon sticks.

Loosely cover and wait.

Many recipes said wait for 24 to 36 hours, until it starts bubbling, showing fermentation.

But mine did not start bubbling until 4 days later.

After that you can take the solid out and put it in the fridge, or you can let it continue to ferment.

The timing was tricky.

I tasted mine every day since it started showing fermentation, and it was tasting better and better every day.

I let it keep fermenting until 6th day.

This turned out amazing!!

It was as good as the restaurants, if not better!

It definitely has the fermented taste which I loved, and the cinnamon gives a depth in the flavor.

You don’t necessarily taste the cinnamon, though.

If you don’t know, you won’t know there was cinnamon, although you will probably guess some kind of spice was used.

This is super refreshing and delicious.

The idea of making jam with a can of tomatoes came to me toward the end of our recent vacation.

We had a nice kitchen at our vacation rental, and we cooked most of our meals.

But toward the end of our stay there, I realized that I had a can of diced tomatoes I had bought but forgotten about.

So, I was pressured to use it for something quick.

I couldn’t think of any particular dish I could use it for, and then I thought, why not making jam?

I had some bread, and I knew we could use jam for toasts.

I put it together with limited ingredients I had, and it turned out great.

We liked it so much that I decided to recreate it at home.

( ↑ This is when the content of the can was just poured into the pan, before cooking).

1. Combine a can of diced tomatoes and sugar (I go with 3 to 4 tablespoons, at least) and cook over medium heat while stirring it constantly. Don’t burn.
2. Remove from heat when the liquid is almost gone (I cook for about 20 minutes).
3. Add lemon juice (approximately from a quarter of a lemon) and cinnamon (I like to go heavy on it).

This jam is so versatile.

You can enjoy it on toasts, scones, and biscuits, like you would with fruit jam, or you can also serve this with savory dishes.

A hint of cinnamon adds an unexpected, somewhat exotic, flair.