Down with Salads!

Lunch

I've mentioned before that I have never loved salads. I have had a few select noteworthy salads, but generally speaking, they're not my favorite. There's just something about eating a salad that feels, well, really healthy and not very fun. Individually I love the ingredients, but when they are tossed together in a bowl, it just feels like such a chore to get them down. Some days I struggle through, but some days (like today) I flat out refuse.

Sun dried tomato and basil tortilla

When a salad is not an appealing option, a wrap does the trick. I load it up with all of the veggies I would have put in my salad. Instead of salad dressing (which is usually fatty and full of preservatives and other junk), I use protein-packed hummus to add moisture and extra flavor. I assemble my wrap the night before and do a tight “Chipotle roll” in a square of foil. In the morning, I grab the wrap and hit the road. 

Red pepper hummus, kelp noodles, mushrooms, tomato, cucumber, spinach

When I pull the wrap out at lunch time, it's cold, crisp, and oh so delicious.

10 Minute Dinner

While I have never been a “reader” per se, there is one type of book I can’t get enough of. Cookbooks. I have a (slight) obsession. Becoming vegan was exactly what my cookbook collection needed, the perfect excuse. In just over four months, I have amassed more fabulous recipe books than I am willing to admit. I love reading about the intricate and time-consuming recipes that produce such magnificent fare. There are recipes with pages upon pages of exotic ingredients. Surely a feast fit for a king, or a fancy dinner party.

  

Let's face it. There are not enough hours in the day, and I rarely make those recipes. Certainly not on a week night. 

Vegan or not, it's important to have a repertoire of quick and easy-to-prepare meals that don't take a laundry list of ingredients. It also helps if those ingredients are not perishable. You mean, store them in my freezer and pantry so I have what's needed on hand at all times? Done. Short cuts are fine with me, and guess what? Tonight's dinner was completed in 10 minutes (plus the amount of time it takes to boil a pot of water).

Step one: Cook your grain.

Trader Joe's has an excellent selection of these little bags of grains - the cook time for each is 10-15 minutes. Definitely doable. Tonight I selected barley. Typically, barley is refined to make barley malt which is used in the production of beer. Trust me, it also tastes delicious in whole form. But have a beer with dinner and you've got double the barley. Did I also mention that barley is full of protein (for all of those omnivores wondering)???

Bring water to boil. Add barley.

Step two: Cook your veg.

Every grocery store I have been to has bags of frozen veggies that can be steamed in the microwave. Any type of veg will do. My personal favorite is broccoli florets. Not be confused with broccoli cuts. Nothing is more irritating than accidentally picking up broccoli cuts.

While barley is boiling, steam veg in microwave.

Step three: Season and eat.
Season with whatever spice combo you have on hand. Combine and enjoy!

Tamari. 21 Seasoning Salute. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes.

Delicious, nutritious, and filling.

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4 Month Check-In

From Cafe Gratitude

Time for a check-in. What started as a 30 day challenge has morphed into a new and extremely satisfying lifestyle. After three months, I began to hit a confident stride. I could easily keep myself from starving, get the nutrients I needed, and put together vegan meals without having to follow recipes or meal plans I got online. I stopped focusing so much on the fact that I was VEGAN (omg), and began simply living as such. When you focus on every breath you take, it is harder to breathe for some reason - same goes for being vegan. Once I stopped obsessing about it, it became easy and a part of me. Now four months in, I feel like I could (and might) do this forever.  

Not to say there aren't days when it is extremely frustrating. Why can't there be more vegan options? Why do I have to ask this waitress a million questions about what is in the food? Why doesn't Target carry tofu or almond milk? Why is Chipotle the only vegan friendly, reasonably priced, quick place to eat? Why can't I get rid of these pesky fruit flies for good (more to come on this later)?!? Luckily, these occurrences are dwarfed by the positivity I have seen and felt from this lifestyle change. I truly do feel that I have gained more than I have given up. 

Cafe Gratitude Dessert

Image Source

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Get Your Chia

When I was in elementary school, Chia Heads/Pets were all the rage. Chia commercials played on what seemed like an endless loop. I desperately wanted one and put it on my Christmas list. Santa had a track record of bringing me presents that were close to what I wanted, but not exactly right on the money. You know, it was the right item, wrong brand. Right brand, wrong color. Being a fickle young girl, my likes changed daily and in reality there was no way for Santa to keep up. Santa, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for being so ridiculous and obnoxious as a teeny-bopper. Anyway. Christmas morning came, and there was no Chia Head under the tree…BUT…there was Bob! I grew Bob’s grassy hair and cut it into a mohawk. He turned out to be a fantastic present, until he got moldy and had to be thrown out.

Although I didn't get chia seeds that Christmas in the 90’s, I now have all the chia seeds I need. These guys are little powerhouses and are a great addition to any diet. They look sort of like poppy seeds and come in a variety of colors. They contain omega threes, fiber, protein, calcium, and a variety of other vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Unlike flax seeds, chia seeds don’t need to be ground for maximum nutrient absorption. You can find chia seeds in the bulk section of health food stores (Whole Foods), and most regular grocery stores carry them now too. 

How should I use chia seeds? These little guys are practically tasteless, so you can add them to everything! Sprinkle them on cereal, salads, rice dishes, oatmeal, pasta, and stir-fries. Mix them into pancake batter, sauces, and smoothies. You can even mix them into water and drink them. Caution: They do gel if placed in liquid, so be prepared to drink something reminiscent of Orbitz…

No feta needed

I'll admit it, I have a problem. I go from having extreme interest in something to having zero interest at all, without any warning. I’m sure there’s a clinical diagnosis, but at this point I will accept the fact that I’m strange and move on.

Much to Mom’s chagrin, she was all too familiar with this trend when I was growing up. I used to beg her for the latest and greatest arts and crafts kits. I pleaded and assured her I was seriously dedicated this time around. I had a long list of craft kits which included a jewelry bead maker, pot holder maker, and intricate ocean scene cross-stich kit. Each time, I committed myself to the craft and worked tirelessly – staying up late every night for about a week. Then, I was done. Never to see the craft completed to fruition.

This fluctuation in interests did not just occur with arts and crafts, it was anything. Books. One summer after fourth grade, I read 87 Babysitters Club books then stopped cold turkey. Television. I watched seven seasons of the show 24 and stopped three episodes short of the series finale. Food. I excessively consumed each one of these foods at a point in time: asparagus, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, rotisserie chicken, hummus, fried rice, quesadillas, and Panera’s Greek salad.

It had been a long time since my last Greek salad binge, and it was starting to sound good again. But how would I be able to eat a Greek salad without the best part – feta cheese? Lo and behold, I found a vegan-friendly substitute. One set of ingredients, two options – salad or wrap.

Combine: 1 package of firm tofu (cubed), the juice from 1 lemon, 1 tsp dried basil, and 1 tsp dried parsley in a bowl and set aside. 

Gather the rest of your ingredients: greens, chopped tomato, chopped onion, chopped cucumber, kalamata olives, quartered artichoke hearts (I use the ones that are not in oil), dressing of your choice (light Italian for me), hummus (if making a wrap). 

Assemble salad (G style).

Assemble wrap (J style).

Forks were a great invention...

Today Jason and I cooked my parents breakfast for Mother's Day. This was our first time cooking for anyone since becoming vegan, and we went back and forth about whether or not the meal should be completely vegan. If I had a little more cooking practice, we might have gone that route. But I really didn't feel comfortable serving tofu french toast or chickpea omelets to my parents without having tried them myself. And since this meal was to honor my wonderful meat/dairy eating Mom, we decided to bring a traditional egg quiche along for the ride with our other vegan dishes. Our plates were full of colorful plant based foods, and our glasses were full of a little bubbly.

My parents, intrigued with our diet change, asked us questions about becoming vegan. We talked about some of our standby dishes and some of the various cuisines we are interested in right now. The conversation went something like this: Asian cuisine...Japan...tofu in soup...chop sticks...interesting business dinners with chop sticks...forks. To which Dad stated, "Forks were a great invention."

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Dad was right about that (although I stated that sporks were probably a greater invention). But that comment reminded me of the 2011 documentary Forks Over Knives. It was instrumental in turning me on to the vegan diet, and more specifically a whole foods, plant based diet. You can catch the documentary on Netflix or watch the official trailer here. Whether or not you plan to become vegetarian or vegan, no one can dispute the fact that adding more plant based/unprocessed foods to your diet is a healthy thing to do. Also check out the Forks Over Knives cookbook. I highly recommend it.

Ready, Set, Garden!

Since we are consuming a ridiculous amount of veg these days, it seems like the logical next step would be to grow some of our own. We attempted a backyard garden last year. Due to the extreme heat and drought-like conditions, the output was minimal (and probably due to us being novices). Since then, Jason has clocked several hours (and I've clocked a few hours) volunteering at the downtown community garden. He's picked up some tips from the pros and we are much more experienced and prepared this time around. 

We spent Sunday prepping the garden and planting. Here's the garden all cleaned out and ready to go.

And hey! What's that colorful mixture of goodness on top of the soil, you ask? It's the pulp we saved from juicing! You can mix it into the soil for compost. Talk about a beautiful trifecta. Good for the soil, the soon-to-be veggies, and us! 

Hot tip: If you don't have a garden, you can donate your pulp to a local community garden or farm!

On the summer garden agenda this year: tomatoes, Thai peppers, habaneros, rainbow carrots, onions, eggplant, cilantro, parsley, and dill. Come on over in a few months for some SPICY salsa!

And I had to include this picture of Sasha. She loves gardening season too, just another excuse to be outside all day!

Aunt J Knows Best

Last Thanksgiving, Jason and I were in California and stopped in to see my favorite Aunt J and Uncle K. Aunt J is Mom's little sister, and we are three peas in a pod. I don't know how many times growing up my mom switched our names or said, "You are just like your Aunt J!" And Mom was right. I know I can thank her for several of my wonderful personality traits, and my height. Although she lived half way across the country, we always managed to stay close. I called myself her sidekick, and everything we did together was an adventure. It is fitting that she has played an instrumental role in my road to vegan.

At our last visit, Aunt J had semi recently become vegan. The change was a good thing for her, and I could see that she was glowing and even more full of life than ever before (which is hard to believe if you know her). We talked some about the change while flipping through a vegan cookbook. We admired the colorful dishes and fun presentations. While I was intrigued, many of the ingredients listed in the recipes were foreign to me. It sounded like a good idea in theory, I just didn't know if I could do it. But with Aunt J making it look so simple, I thought I'd give it a try.

Each morning while we were there, Aunt J made us a juice concoction to go with breakfast. Jason and I have adopted juicing, and now swear by it. With juicing, your body does not have to work hard to digest anything, so all the nutrients are absorbed immediately. Some people make "green smoothies" which are also incredibly good for you. If you're looking for nutrients plus extra fiber, that's a good way to go, too.

Daily Juicing

The contents of our juice varies depending on what we have on hand. We buy greens in bulk from Costco, and the rest from the farmer's market. We try to do about 3/4 vegetables to 1/4 fruit. Here's what I made yesterday:

2 handfuls of spinach

2 handfuls of kale

2 stalks of celery

1/2 cucumber

1/2 beet

1/2 apple

1/2 orange

1/2 lime

3 carrots

1 inch ginger

*Makes anywhere from 12-20 ounces, depending on how juicy your fruits and veg are.