What Will I Do?

I made a jazzed up Ramen bowl this morning! I had this packet of ramen in my cupboard, some tofu, some cabbage and it just made sense. I added a little hoisin sauce and some sriracha. Very tasty.
I also came home from my morning hill climb to find Chunk being particularly cute.

This dork

If you can believe it, I had a major craving for potatoes yesterday! So much so that I made a special trip to go get some to have for dinner. I'm thinking about giving the potato cleanse another try. I like to finish what I started, and even though seven days is respectable, I feel like I need to complete the mission. Working on losing weight while not becoming obsessive or taking it to far is very new to me. I remember when I first recovered from my eating disorder I was in a relationship and living with a guy who worked at a pizza place. We didn't have a lot of money, so he brought home lots of vegetarian pizza's. We ate a lot of pizza, and also it was around that time I discovered Phish food. To eat and not have to purge afterwards was just the best feeling, I can never really explain it. So, I put on some weight, but I didn't even think about worrying because I was so happy and felt so free. It wasn't long after that I started drinking a bit heavier than usual, and the rest is a beer lover's history. I tried several times throughout those beer soaked years to drop a few, but I never was able to take health very seriously, considering I was in a self destructive cycle. So, I have to learn how to do a lot of things and shedding some weight without going crazy is one of them. I don't want to be super lean, or anything crazy, I just want to feel like I'm evenly distributed. And if I'm not partaking and getting pleasure from beer, I don't want to carry that weight. And other than the boredom, I really did feel great. I felt healthy, and my body felt super full of energy. I don't know. I'm going to get some groceries today, so I'm going to see how I feel when I get to the store. I'm going to let my intuition guide me. Speaking of potatoes, here are my beautiful fries from last night.

I really have perfected the low oil oven fry. I remember when I was first learning to cook, I struggled with making potatoes in the oven. I taught myself to cook without use of the interwebz, so it was really a struggle, and at times almost dangerous! I made a spicy aioli with sriracha and Just Mayo and fresh garlic, and also had some sweet chili sauce. If you haven't tried dipping potatoes in sweet chili sauce, you're missing out. Especially if you've seasoned the fries with a little curry powder. Yes please.
I'm off to ponder potatoes, and get my kitchen cleaned all at the same time!
Happy Tuesday!

Vegan, Vegan, Vegan!

I finally found a use for the last few potatoes I had from my shortened potato cleanse. I made Buzzfeed's mac and cheese sauce, but added some cumin, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and the last little bit of some salsa . Also some generous drops of hot sauce.

It was smooth, velvety, spicy and creamy. It's so amazing how cheese-like this sauce is.
I cooked up some white beans and some macaroni pasta and made spicy mac and cheese.

Topped with some green onions and extra hot sauce, it tasted much richer than it was. If you haven't tried this recipe yet, you really should. I would suggest adding nutritional yeast to the original recipe though. I have seen some strict low fat vegans make the recipe without cashews, which looks like it's still pretty creamy. I like the addition of cashews, and for how much sauce this makes 1/2 cup of cashews is not a lot.
I meant to mention this last week, but I forgot because I was way more excited about Ben&Jerry's making not one, but four flavors of vegan ice cream. Remember last year when Hellmann's was trying to sue Just Mayo and try to make them change their name? It was so ridiculous, and I'm so glad that the public outcry was so huge! Anyway, I guess in honor of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em"
Hellman's is now launching their very own vegan mayo! I personally won't buy the product for a couple of reasons, one being I love Just Mayo, and two being I don't like Unilever which is the evil parent of Hellman's.But I still think this is amazing news because people are creatures of habit, and there are people who are very close minded, and scared of anything new, or gourd forbid vegan. But Hellmann's is a good corn fed brand that has been in peoples lives clogging their arteries for generations. So, that familiar brand could be less scary. And like I said yesterday, if someone is scared of vegan food, but tastes something that is pleasing, it might make them more willing to try other vegan foods. Plus, we have to start somewhere. Let's wipe out all non vegan mayo. Just Mayo has proven we don't need eggs to make the stuff. So, I think this is good news for chickens, and I am very happy that there is enough of a demand that they are getting in on the game. Remember when you were lucky to find a store that carried veganaise? What do you think of Hellmann's stepping into the vegan mayo game?
Happy Monday!

Just Jackfruit

Well, I went to Target yesterday and look at that! Three of the four varieties of Just Mayo were all sold out! All of the gross non vegan mayo was stocked to the max. Looks like lots of super bowl dips are going to be made using what is in my opinion the best mayo ever! I feel like when a non vegan tries something vegan and loves it, they become instantly more open to other vegan foods. Woot Woot!
Close up of unripe jackfruit fresh out of the can! When I opened the can I was floored by how much it smelled like hearts of palm in a can. It must be the brine.

Homemade BBQ sauce simmering away.

I wanted to post the BBQ recipe, but I don't feel like I perfected it yet. This was pretty good, and it made a great sandwich, but it needs more or less of something. I must tinker with the recipe more. Poor me, having to eat more BBQ sauce!

After simmering and shredding it looked something like this. Pretty crazy right? I can tell you how I got it to this point. I rinsed off the jackfruit pieces, and added them to my BBQ sauce, plus one cup of water and let simmer for forty five minutes. After that it was super easy to break apart with a fork and wooden spoon.

Big sandwich!

I made a slaw with cabbage and kale, and  piled that on top. It was amazing. The jackfruit is a unique texture. It's not quite soft, but after simmering it isn't crunchy either. I feel like it would be excellent for a vegan crab cake. It really soaked up the BBQ sauce flavor. Jackfruit is very low calorie. The whole can of fruit is like one hundred and fifty calories or something like that. I'm super glad I got three cans of this, I really love it. If you can find it in cans it is so much cheaper than Upton's jackfruit.

I mentioned yesterday that I would try the sweet lime this morning for my lemon water. As you can see, it looks just like a lemon, except it's like a lime in that there are no seeds. It has absolutely no flavor. I squeezed half of the lemon(lime) into my water like I do ever morning, and when I tasted my water, I swear it tasted like plain old water. I had to make sure I added the lemon juice. It's the strangest thing. I did a little googling and it seems that that is one of the qualities of this fruit, no flavor. Someone said it was suggested to eat it like an orange, and they said it still didn't taste like anything. Weird right?
If you're into the Superbowl, I hope your team wins, and you have lots of cauliflower wings, for all the rest of us, Happy Sunday!

Lentil Soup and Vegan Pizza

This is the delicious lentil barley soup I started my day with today. I've had people look at me weird when I say that I like to start my day with lentil soup, but it really makes me feel great and ready to take on the day. I went probably a good two or three years where almost every breakfast was lentil, or split pea soup. I would just switch it up with spices and veggies and stuff. Almost every job I've ever had doesn't include meal breaks, so lentil soup is hearty enough to get me through many hours on my feet and not eating. I like the texture of barley in soups. It's like a chubbier. chewier rice grain.
Last night I made a pizza and topped it with some spinach and mushrooms that needed to be used immediately. I also added fresh garlic and black olives, and a handful of daiya. It was so tasty.

One thing I really appreciate about being vegan is how I've naturally cut down on relying so much on cheese for my food. With daiya especially I can only use a little bit because too much= strong daiya taste and we can't have that. I also really enjoy pizza with no cheese. I think when I was a vegetarian, I relied too much on cheese for flavor, or even to be more of the star of my dish. Like cheese on top of cheese. But now when I want that cheese experience, it takes very little to satisfy my urge. Just one of the many reasons a vegan diet has been the best choice I've ever made.
I think I'm going to experiment with some jackfruit today! I want to make a really yummy BBQ sauce from scratch and make like a pulled jackfruit type of sandwich. I have some cabbage mix, so I think I'll make some type of vinegar-y slaw to go on top. I'm excited to cook with something that I've never used before too. I plan on having a pen and my notebook in the kitchen, so I can share the recipe if it's a success.
Happy Saturday!

Uwajimaya

I can't believe the Super Bowl is this Sunday! I was going to make some finger food type recipes, but i thought the super Bowl was later in February. I guess that's what happens when you have no interest in sports. I've never even been to a super bowl party to be honest, so I was just going to guess on the food anyway! Ha! I just always assume it's a lot of salty, crunchy, greasy things to go along with the Bud light everyone is drinking. I have worked my share of super bowl and other sports things at bars. It's very scary to be carrying a tray full of drinks or food through a ranting crowd that can explode at any moment.I always felt like someone was going to get punched all the time. I used to soooo dread those days at work!
I made it to Uwajimaya yesterday, finally! It's so close to Safeco field. Probably the closest I'll ever be to that stadium! As we were driving towards downtown, I just drank in the view. I will never not be awestruck by the view of the city as you're coming towards it. I missed it so much when I lived in PA. I'm so grateful to be living somewhere where I can breathe, and feel comfortable in my own skin.
Anyway, on to shopping fun! I wasn't as blown away by the market as I thought, but it was still really cool, and I saw some thangs.

This is most of my haul. I found young jackfruit in a can, not in syrup! I cannot express how beyond stoked I am! I bought three cans! Each can was only $1.39!!! Take that Upton's! They also had my favorite mango in the world, the Ataulfo or champagne mango. I haven't seen one of these since last winter or spring. I had to get some veggie dumplings of course! One thing that was disappointing was the lack of veggie dumplings or spring rolls. They had lots of veggie options, just all with added meats. I also didn't see any fresh tofu.

I've never heard of a sweet lime, but it looks like a lemon. I bought one, maybe I'll use it tomorrow for my lemon water!

So many kumquats!

Very pretty bok choy. It's so vibrant!

I never knew Thai eggplant were so little and green!

This melon totally had fuzz all over it. It actually looked like nettles!

I also got this inari sushi as a treat. It is the best inari I've had. The rice tucked inside is seasoned, and if you put a few slivers of the pickled carrot on each bite, it's heaven. The inari sushi I've had in the past has been just plain white rice tucked inside. The seasoning makes a big difference.
I made tacos for dinner last night with some Beyond Beef crumbles I had lounging around in my freezer.

Yesterday was a fun day, with some cool sights and some really good food.
Happy Friday!

Tempeh and Cats!

This was a really tasty tempeh mushroom stir fry I whipped up last night with the odds and ends of things. Before I started the potato cleanse, I saw this package of tempeh on the Woo Hoo sale at QFC. It was way under two dollars, but needed to be used soon hence the Woo Hoo. I am not tempeh's biggest fan, I much prefer tofu, but I try to eat it every once in awhile, usually when I find a sale! What really helps me enjoy it a little more is steaming it before using it. I steam it for fifteen to twenty minutes and it helps with the classic tempeh bitterness. I had a tiny bit of hoisin sauce, and a tiny bit of soy sauce, so in the hoisin sauce jar I made a little stir fry sauce with some added soy sauce, coconut sugar, rice vinegar and sriracha. Salty, sweet and spicy. It was almost like the General Tso's cauliflower sauce that I love so much. I sauteed some onion and garlic, added the mushrooms and tempeh, and after everything was nice and cooked I stirred in the sauce. Served over rice, with some shredded lettuce for crunch, and extra sriracha it was a hit. I love making sauces in the jar when you have just a bit of something left. It's a good way to stretch whatever it is, and get your money's worth. Plus, you don't have to dirty another bowl to make your sauce. Believe it or not, I think Rachael Ray taught me that years and years ago!
I'm super excited because today I'm going to this huge Asian market in the international district called Uwajimaya. From what I understand you can find some really hard to find fruits and vegetables, and just all kinds of things I probably don't even know exist! I'm hoping to find some young jackfruit in a can so I can fiddle around with some recipes. I loved the Upton's BBQ jackfruit that I tried, but it is a bit high priced, and I feel confident it can be made for so much cheaper. I also hope to find some really fresh homemade tofu. I've never had fresh tofu made locally and possibly even that day. From what I've heard it makes a big difference. It's winter, and I'm kind of over seeing the same fruits and vegetables at the store, so I'm hoping to see all kinds of new things and get really inspired! I plan on taking pictures, but I also am very self conscience about taking pictures in public, so I will have to scope out the vibe when I get there. I am going with a friend who doesn't share my insecurity, so either way I hope to have lots of cool stuff to show you!

I truly have never known yarn to be so kick ass and interesting! They all get involved with the yarn, and each time one pulls, it moves and everyone else has to get it. It's what I've started doing so I can workout in peace. Otherwise they like to love on me, and let me know how cute they are right when I'm working out. So, the yarn keeps them entertained for at least half of my workout! Cat lady problems!
Happy Thursday!

Start Spreading The News!

  So this showed up on Twitter today! I knew that Ben&Jerry's had a vegan ice cream in the works, but I can't believe it's here already! And what an amazing surprise that they are offering four flavors right away! I honestly figured they were going to offer one flavor, and kind of go from there. It just shows that there must be a lot of interest for them to make this big of an effort. I think this is amazing news, I have a feeling this is going to be the best ice cream ever. I used to love Ben & Jerry's! Phish Food was my JAM!
What was your favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry's? What vegan flavor looks best to you?

Traveling Down Sushi Lane

This is the exact paper dispenser in the exact spot that had the PETA flyer that turned on the light bulb for me to make the switch from vegetarian to vegan. The one on the bottom, in the middle. I kept that pamphlet for such a long time, it did end up getting lost along the way. It's funny how sometimes you read or hear the right thing, in the right way at the right time, and it changes your life forever.  It's located in my favorite neighborhood in Seattle, little old Ballard.
I also found this set up in a residential neighborhood and cracked up. It's this weird circle kind of in the middle of a street that's blocked off from cars. I'm assuming it's maybe to cut down on speeding, but someone set this whole living room up.

All the table needs is a beer and some chips or something like that. So funny. Never change Ballard!
As you can see yesterday was a sunny day, and man did it feel amazing!

I stopped in to the Ballard branch of the library to see if they had a bigger selection of vegan cookbooks. The answer is not really, but I still found the above book, which I've never seen anywhere! And I love Nick Hornby! The vegan substitutions guide is broken into four sections, section one is dairy substitutions, section two is egg substitutions, section three is protein substitutions, and section four is a new and improved chart for substitutions. It's written by Joni Marie Newman and Celine Steen, who wrote 500 Vegan Recipes, which is the first vegan cookbook I ever owned. There are some delicious looking recipes, I'm sure I will be talking about this book more!
For dinner I made red pepper and baked tofu sushi rolls! They aren't perfect rolls, but they turned out a million times better than my last attempt! I think I was more patient, and also more determined to do it! On a side note, I have noticed that since I've been meditating, certain things that require confidence and patience are becoming a little easier. It might sound crazy, but I swear I've become a better cook.

I need to work on my plating skills! But I was so hungry by the time I rolled and sliced I just wanted to get them on a plate, take the picture and eat already! The last time I attempted sushi rolls, they fell apart as soon as I started slicing them. They were a mess. These sliced beautifully. I walked by like twenty sushi places yesterday, (people in Ballard must really LOVE sushi) and it just sounded soooo good! I decided to not let my past failure define me, or something like that, and I succeeded!
Believe it or not, I'm still eating potatoes in the morning. I've been having a baked potato with lentil soup served over it. I have some potatoes leftover, and I can't let them go to waste. I'm not sick of them yet, I just needed more variety!
Happy Wednesday!

The One That's Not About Potatoes

Just to show I haven't totally given up on potatoes, here is what I ate for breakfast today. It's leftover lentil soup served over a baked potato. Topped with cilantro and green onion. I really like to top baked potatoes with thicker bean soups.
I went shopping yesterday to get a few non potato groceries. I just went to the closest store to me, which is just an average size store. I was surprised to see how much space was given for various plant milks.

This isn't the best picture to show what I'm talking about but from top to bottom this was all plant milks, and there was another half section of plant milks! I still remember when it was soy or rice milk, and neither was very good. I actually started drinking coffee black when I first went vegan because a lot of time back then soy milk would curdle in coffee. The lack of vegan creamer options did factor into my decision to give up coffee! It's encouraging to see the progress.

I've been experimenting with coconut sugar in my morning Chai tea instead of white sugar. I like coconut sugar in tea, and banana nice cream, but in the past I tried using it for baking, and I find when it's baked it loses a lot of it's sweetness. Has anyone else noticed this?
The dried garbanzo beans were on sale for ninety-nine cents! That's cheaper than bulk! I was getting really spoiled by Trader Joe's great prices on canned beans, and I'm working on getting back into cooking dried beans. I really like the So Delicious coconut creamer, (especially hazelnut) but I have to say my favorite is Trader Joe's coconut creamer. Even though it's not flavored, it seems like it's thicker, and it's definitely a better price.
I still miss Dylan every day of my life, and it's still hard for me to live in a world without him, my feline family has really rallied around me and are constantly being dorks which makes life a little easier. Chunk used to need a little help getting to higher places, so now that he's able to get on top of cupboards and the fridge he thinks he's Mr. Amazing. This week he has become obsessed with sleeping on top of the fridge. He likes looking down on the world!

Deep in thought!

Happy Tuesday!

Tapping Out

Well, I made it seven days on the island of potato. Yesterday afternoon I just had kind of a meltdown. I could not stomach the thought of another potato filled meal. I just wanted to cry. To be brutally honest, I felt a slight urge to binge, and I haven't felt those urges in years. This potato only diet was taking me to dark places. When I was a little kid my mom was a single mom, and we weren't rich. We were vegetarian, so she would buy eggs and one vegetable for the week, and bless her heart she would try to make different things with the eggs and veg, but still. Ans as an adult I've had no food, some food, and everything in between. I've had to make a bag of lentils, and onion and a carrot be all three meals for a week. In addition I spent many years battling anorexia and bulimia, so the feelings of deprivation were triggering dark feelings and memories. I told myself that I would sleep on it, and see how I felt this morning. When I woke up I still really wanted lentil soup, so that's what I had for breakfast. I feel like seven days of eating potatoes as my main calorie source is nothing to be ashamed of. The cleanse was something I wanted to try mainly because i wanted to feel better, and up until yesterday I did feel better, but at the same time i don't ever want to feel guilty about eating lentil soup! I also started getting that dangerous feeling of obsession with weight loss. I was watching High Carb Hannah's video yesterday, and she mentioned that she had lost three pounds, and so I started wondering if I've lost weight, and even thinking I should do the potato cleanse longer than thirty days! I think when you've dealt with any type of eating disorder or serious body image issues, you have to be really careful with anything detox/cleanse related. You just have to make sure you're not taking it a bit too seriously.
I'm glad I took on the challenge. You have to experience things in order to learn what works for you and what doesn't. I think for me any type of cleanse or detox is best three days or under. I'm also trying to actively work on losing my beer flab, while not getting obsessed with my body, or being lean. I've never in my life had a normal relationship with my body, so I am learning as I go.
Here's what will probably be the last picture of oven fries you see in awhile, it was my dinner last night.

One thing I can say about the potato cleanse, I can cook some potatoes! My oven fries have never in my life been better! And, I learned if you steam your potatoes before mashing instead of boiling them, they come out so much fluffier!
And here is a picture of the best tasting soup EVER!! And it had no potatoes in it!

I was scared at first to admit that I couldn't hang in for just three more days! There are tons of people doing this for thirty days! But, not everything is for everyone. Anyway, I feel great, and I feel good about my decision. Here's to a week full of VARIETY!
Happy Monday!