It's January 1st! Close to 2.5 years later, I am restarting the vegan lifestyle for 30 days. When I did the six week vegan experiment, I didn't maintain the diet beyond that timeframe. What happened, though, was still pretty great - I learned how to be more creative with vegetables and grains. I fell in love with kale. And it took over two years before I started eating the volume of sugar and processed foods that has gotten me to the point where I'm at now - and ready to incorporate whole foods into my life.
Recipes to come!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Teriyaki Tofu
This is a tasty tofu dish!
In a small bowl:
Combine 1 cup teriyaki sauce, 1/4 cup water, 1 clove garlic (cut into small pieces)
In medium sized bowl:
2 cups of Panko, with salt and pepper to taste
Firm tofu, sliced
In slightly oiled skillet, place tofu pieces
Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, then turn over
Brush on teriyaki mixture, let fry.
After another 5 minutes, begin placing tofu in Panko, cover with Panko, and place pieces in long glass pan. Place Pan in oven on 350 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl:
Combine 1 cup teriyaki sauce, 1/4 cup water, 1 clove garlic (cut into small pieces)
In medium sized bowl:
2 cups of Panko, with salt and pepper to taste
Firm tofu, sliced
In slightly oiled skillet, place tofu pieces
Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, then turn over
Brush on teriyaki mixture, let fry.
After another 5 minutes, begin placing tofu in Panko, cover with Panko, and place pieces in long glass pan. Place Pan in oven on 350 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Pasta and Sauce (Basic)
I just made this sauce for a couple of friends who have a three week old baby. The mom is breastfeeding and has a lot of limitations on what she'd like to injest (including onions and garlic, which are favorites for me in my cooking). This is a basic recipe, which comes out VERY carrot-heavy in taste, but it's refreshing, light, and healthy.
1 cup vegetable broth
1 can stewed tomatoes
4 carrots
1 bunch, kale
2 bunches, brocolli
In large pot, add broth and carrots; bring to boil, 5 minutes
Add rest of veggies, including tomatoes
Let cook on medium-low heat for 30 minutes or until greens are boiled down
Turn off heat, let stand until slightly cooled
Put all ingredients in blender; blend until completely pureed
Set aside.
In separate pot, bring water to boil
Place veggie rotini pasta in boiling water, cook until al dente
Drain pasta
In large bowl, add pasta and sauce, blend together
This dish can be served cold or hot.
1 cup vegetable broth
1 can stewed tomatoes
4 carrots
1 bunch, kale
2 bunches, brocolli
In large pot, add broth and carrots; bring to boil, 5 minutes
Add rest of veggies, including tomatoes
Let cook on medium-low heat for 30 minutes or until greens are boiled down
Turn off heat, let stand until slightly cooled
Put all ingredients in blender; blend until completely pureed
Set aside.
In separate pot, bring water to boil
Place veggie rotini pasta in boiling water, cook until al dente
Drain pasta
In large bowl, add pasta and sauce, blend together
This dish can be served cold or hot.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Curried Root Vegetable Soup
This soup is great to make in the beginning of the week, so you can have the soup for lunches later. I love root veggies because they're hearty and rich and plentiful in the wintertime in New England (where I live). Tonight, I made a soup with butternut squash, yams, and two potatoes. It's Spring, but still cold (and very rainy), so this soup is perfect.
You can use any root veggie, to your taste. I like the combo I made tonight because it comes out spicy and sweet.
1 butternut squash
1 yam
2 potatoes
2 carrots
1 whole onion
4 cloves, fresh garlic
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp curry powder
3 cups vegetable broth
chopped ginger, if desired (add to your taste)
Cut potatoes, yam, and squash into 1-inch pieces.
Place in large pan, with olive oil and half the onion, cut into strips. Place pan in oven on 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until brown on bottoms.
In large pot over medium hot stovetop, add olive oil, garlic, and rest of onion, roughly chopped
Add carrots, cut into small pieces
Let simmer.
Take the pan out of the oven and let sit at room temp for about 5 minutes.
carefully begin transfering the softest pieces to the stovetop pot.
Butternut squash will be last to sit in the pan. When cooled off enough to touch, begin peeling skin off. Add the skinless pieces to the stovetop pot.
Add vegetable broth. Let simmer 5 minutes.
Add spices in no particular order. Add chopped ginger, if desired.
Place top on the pot, and let cook for 20 minutes.
You can use any root veggie, to your taste. I like the combo I made tonight because it comes out spicy and sweet.
1 butternut squash
1 yam
2 potatoes
2 carrots
1 whole onion
4 cloves, fresh garlic
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp curry powder
3 cups vegetable broth
chopped ginger, if desired (add to your taste)
Cut potatoes, yam, and squash into 1-inch pieces.
Place in large pan, with olive oil and half the onion, cut into strips. Place pan in oven on 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until brown on bottoms.
In large pot over medium hot stovetop, add olive oil, garlic, and rest of onion, roughly chopped
Add carrots, cut into small pieces
Let simmer.
Take the pan out of the oven and let sit at room temp for about 5 minutes.
carefully begin transfering the softest pieces to the stovetop pot.
Butternut squash will be last to sit in the pan. When cooled off enough to touch, begin peeling skin off. Add the skinless pieces to the stovetop pot.
Add vegetable broth. Let simmer 5 minutes.
Add spices in no particular order. Add chopped ginger, if desired.
Place top on the pot, and let cook for 20 minutes.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Challenging challenging challenge...
This past week saw a disintegration in my commitment to this challenge, bite by bite. Particularly in the sense of sugar intake. As I talk about it, I cringe at my sugar intake. It's interesting, actually, how I made decisions to replace all the processed, meat, dairy foods with sugar. So I had a few snacks. Ok, I had snack attacks like crazy. So I'm coming clean so I can continue on and be back on track for the next week and a half, voluntarily, so I can make it to another week and half of involuntary veganism and sugarlessness during my 10 day retreat, from April 28-May 7th, and finish off with a bang.
Although I struggle with sugar, I've been doing ok with the processed and meat product portion of this thing. I think at the end of this, I'll be able to go vegetarian (mostly). I can't see myself taking out sugar completely, but I'm hoping to do a more manageable limitation on them when this is all said and done.
Although I struggle with sugar, I've been doing ok with the processed and meat product portion of this thing. I think at the end of this, I'll be able to go vegetarian (mostly). I can't see myself taking out sugar completely, but I'm hoping to do a more manageable limitation on them when this is all said and done.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Longest 6 Weeks...
It's been a week and a half and I feel like it's been a lifetime. And I'm not saying that I feel like a whole new world has been opened up to me, and I'll never look back. In fact, I feel like I'm really taking on a lot of limitation, when in fact, it should be a a natural progression into... limitation. My natural inclination (always) is to negotiate with limits. I feel like this is taking a LONG time to get used to. And the reason is because I'm doing soo MUCH!! The vegan, the all-natural, the non-sugary... I mean, DAMN.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Reminding myself why...
Today is the day when I feel the need to remind myself why I'm doing this. It comes up everyday, in the sense that sometimes I feel good things, bad things, cravings, whatever, and I have to stop and think, hey, that's the reason why I'm doing this.
A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a morning news program wherein they were talking about the attention deficit issues displayed by already-hyperactive children who ate processed foods, particularly foods that are artificially colored. Then a couple of days later, the NY Times came out with a decision made by a U.S. FDA panel on the subject, which denied that artificial coloring causes hyperactivity and that no label warning was necessary!! Here's the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/health/policy/01fda.html
Of course, the article discusses the Food Manufacturer lobby and their staunch denial of any problems whatsoever. This made me sad. And angry. And scared.
Even more importantly, it reminded me of my distrust of government because of it's strong ties to industry, and how large corporations are the devil. So this challenge is something that works, not just for my body, but for my conscience.
A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a morning news program wherein they were talking about the attention deficit issues displayed by already-hyperactive children who ate processed foods, particularly foods that are artificially colored. Then a couple of days later, the NY Times came out with a decision made by a U.S. FDA panel on the subject, which denied that artificial coloring causes hyperactivity and that no label warning was necessary!! Here's the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/health/policy/01fda.html
Of course, the article discusses the Food Manufacturer lobby and their staunch denial of any problems whatsoever. This made me sad. And angry. And scared.
Even more importantly, it reminded me of my distrust of government because of it's strong ties to industry, and how large corporations are the devil. So this challenge is something that works, not just for my body, but for my conscience.
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