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Good morning beautiful people. It’s very early morning here in Cambodia. I got up at 4:30 am. The cat decided for me that I had slept enough! Today we have no outdoor activities planned as we need to go to the capital for a health checkup and lots of shopping for the bakery and myself.

Since I woke up so early and we are only leaving at 10 am, I thought let’s use this time to quickly share yesterday’s quick and easy dinner, before we venture out into the concrete jungle. I hate going to Phnom Penh. It is a crazy busy, polluting, and stinky city, but I look forward to the food. Though many people worldwide are turning to a plant-based diet, In Cambodia places to eat out that provide yummy vegan options are still minimal, unless you are in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap.

Another thing I look forward to is buying my first pair of climbing shoes. If you read my previous post then you might remember me telling you about our new hobby: rock climbing. We love it so much that we decided that it is time to invest in a pair of climbing shoes. They are not cheap but I am done wearing the rented ones. It’s not that they are stinky or very disgusting, but I would prefer to have a pair that’s mine. Climbing shoes are very flexible shoes and take on the shape of your foot, which makes climbing easier…. Or so they say lol!

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ASPARAGUS KALE LEMON CREAM RED RICE PASTA (VEGAN AND GLUTEN-FREE)

Yesterday I came home after a busy week at work. Both my hubby and I didn’t feel like spending much time in the kitchen, yet we were super hungry and craving a delicious, filling meal.

Though I didn’t quite time this pasta recipe, it felt like it was on the table in a matter of minutes. Both my husband and I are no rice eaters. I know this might sound strange as we are living in South East Asia where rice is a staple food. However, we do love this gluten-free red rice pasta they started selling here in the supermarket a few months ago.

Though we are not on a strict gluten-free diet, we try to avoid gluten as much as possible. My husband has an autoimmune disease which we have been managing through the power of whole foods for over 10 years. You have to do without a few things, but hey it is better than taking medicines. Giving up gluten most of the time isn’t that difficult anyway.

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INGREDEINTS (serves 2-3)

1 pack of red rice pasta
4 cups asparagus, chopped
2 cups kale, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup onion, chopped
¾ cup raw cashews, soaked
¾ cup unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk of your choice)
Black pepper and Himalayan pink salt to taste
½-1 lemon juice only
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast + more for topping (optional)
½ tsp onion powder
¼-½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

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DIRECTIONS

Saute onions for a few minutes, then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Make sure to not burn the onions and garlic.

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Add the onion-garlic mix, soaked cashews, almond milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, fresh parsley, black pepper, and Himalayan pink to a blender to make the creamy sauce. Process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

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In a pan, cook the asparagus in cooking oil of your choice until soft. When they start to soften add the kale and cook until wilted — season with black pepper and Himalayan pink salt to taste. Do not add too much pepper and salt as you already have seasoned the sauce with it too!

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